In Memory of my Uncle

My uncle was the oldest son of a Buddhist priest.
I attended the service to honor his memory.
Everyone in my family went to the altar and participated
except for me. It was my stand for the Lord.
It was nice getting together with family, but my heart aches.

For the Weekend

You may exclaim..."What in the world?" Yes, that is what I said when I saw these on top of the roof at the school. The boys and I pulled in to see the lunch tables stacked in a pyramid, balloons all over and these broken toilets with balloons tied on to them sitting on the corners of the patio roof where the lunch tables go. (A close look at the picture and you will see thin red ribbon on the handle). It was Senior Ditch Day and the seniors caused mischief! The boys were excited, their faces lit up. Okay, mine did too. LOL I went home to get my camera (something told me I should bring it along), but to my disappointment the mess was cleaned up, so I was only able to get this shot. I know the boys would have loved it if I had gotten a picture of the scene.

This morning the boys and I sat on the couch before school. We sat close and I said "Lets talk about feelings." Brandon went first and he said "I don't want you to go." Eric spoke and said "I don't want you to go either." Then I said "I don't want to go." And we all burst out laughing. It is the first time in many years that I am going away on a trip by myself. Granted it isn't very long and for that we are thankful. Even though my boys drive me nuts and I drive them nuts, we love each other.

I was driving around town this morning running errands thinking how I would love to declutter my section of the world. I will take laundry & ironing to driving in traffic any day. The traffic here is so stressful. And there are so many buildings, so much concrete. In amongst all of it, I can find beauty. Here are some pictures.

These are the Jacaranda trees blooming in our neighborhood.
A canopy of purple!
And the fallen flowers create a carpet of purple.

My neighbor's garden, I love her little statue of a fairy.

This is my next door neighbor's gardenia bush.
Oh, the smell is so heavenly!

We all need an oasis from all the stresses of life.
God sends them everyday if we look for them.
Enjoy yours this weekend and thank Him.

Lady Bird, Etc.

Recently, a friend of mine asked about Lady Bird, so I thought I would give an update. Lady Bird still comes by everyday and I feed her while she sits in one of our trees. She flaps her wings at me letting me know I am her mommy and she wants food. Today I noticed she has grown some more, I tell her she is becoming a big birdie. Since I am going away for the weekend I have asked the boys to look after her.

My pain started up today which made the day a bit harder to deal with. Since it is the end of the school year things are extra busy. And to be honest, my sons drive me nuts, there is just no other way to put it. If you knew my sons you would know why I say that. Trying to keep my two boys in line is the same as working with wild horses. One of my sons rigged up something so that he can view his Facebook account while doing research on-line. Sigh. My younger son does not want me to leave home this weekend. He asked his Dad if he could come with me.

My sister in-law lost some weight so she gave me some of her clothes that do not fit her anymore. She buys very nice clothes so I was blessed that she thought of me. I think it is the Lord's way of taking care of me. They are size 4, which is what I wear now, but they were a bit too big when I tried them on. Rather than give them up, I did some sewing and took tucks. It will be wonderful to have some quality shorts & capris for summer.

Good News

My father in-law is feeling better and is going to be released from the hospital. His bowel was the problem. It seems the meds that they used to put him to sleep for the procedure on his kidney last week made his bowel go to sleep. We are relieved that it was something that simple. PTL! Anyway, many thanks to all of you who said a prayer for my father in-law. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.

Mark is feeling better and I am very thankful. It was so nice to have him home today, for the 4 of us to be together. He helped out with the boys. As for my van, alas, I will not get it back until tomorrow afternoon. Sigh. It has an oil leak which has to be taken care of. At least they found and and are fixing it. I have had a busy day teaching history to Eric. We are studying "20th Century Liberalism". We just finished studying about "Communism". These are very important subjects to study in light of what is going on in the world.

Chit Chat

Here is another installment of Chit Chat. I think I will use this title as my signal for an update. Okay, the update...yes...sigh...hubby is sick, so sick that he has decided to stay home from work. Unfortunately, in the morning he will not be getting much rest. We have to take our van in for an oil change, tune-up, etc. So that means hubby will have to follow me in his massive Dodge truck (which I refuse to drive) over to the dealership. Then we have to drop Dusty kitty off at the vet for her "Fur" appointment (people have hair appts., kitties have fur appts.). Then we have to take Eric over to the orthodontist for a tune up on his braces. After that DH will be able to rest a bit, but with the boys being home for studies, I do not know how that will work out for him. We do not have a basement nor an upstairs. We just have our cozy little cottage where we all live out loud with one another. ;-)

Brandon is back to his regular "non-throw-up" self, PTL. Eric who felt horrible on Sunday, is back to his self. Me? Well, I am not as sick as Mark, but I had the body aches for a couple days. I do not have my spunk back all the way yet, I run down quite easily. Even so, I am trying to keep up with my schedule. Good news though, my tummy is doing quite well. I ate steak for Memorial Day and it went down just fine. Tonight I ate a pasta dish with shrimp and that went down fine too. You do know, that after saying this...nooo, the Lord is in control and I must not think that way. ;-)

At the end of this week I need to pack. I am going to try to attend a memorial service for my uncle up north. I am going to hitch a ride back to my hometown (where I was born) with my sister. Lord willing this will happen. I just keep hoping that my health will hold out. If I get as sick as Mark, I will not be going. If I do go, we will be going to the Buddhist temple where I will participate without compromising my Lord.

My father in-law, went into the hospital on Memorial Day. As you might remember from a previous post I mentioned that he is ill with prostate cancer. They tried to remove the stone that is lodged in one of his ureters, but it did not budge. So they need to do another procedure, but my father in-law decided to wait till after the cancer treatment. They were however, able to put a stint in to drain his kidney. Well, since doing that he has been in pain. It has upset his bowel and he is currently in the hospital. Since hearing the news Mark's cold took a turn for the worse. Anyway, things here have been a bit stressed.

As for Lady Bird, she is still coming by to visit. I spent quite a bit of time with her today. She would sit in the tree and nap while I stood and watched her. Sometimes I wish I was a bird and could get up on the branch and sit next to her like I see other mommy birds doing with their babies. I am just thankful that I get to see her everyday.

Happy Memorial Day!

Their Courage

by Roger Robicheau

Their courage deems utmost respect
Their mission clear, our way protect

It's sure to each what they must do
No give or take, keep freedom true

With the grand old flag, they'll unite
Whenever they must, march to fight

Let's well realize the truthful score
We need our troops just like before

Boils down to this, words to engrave
Land of the free, due to the brave

God bless each one for being there
Their loved ones too, unending care

Americans - who serve to give
One nation - under God we live

Some Good News

Saturday afternoon we received two letters in the mail letting us know that the boys were accepted at the high school. That happened fast. Everything about this process has happened so quickly. Both Mark and I have been amazed. The doors have opened to us so readily.

After the interview on Thursday, May 21st, the lady in the office gave the boys a paper that they needed each of their teachers to sign. Brandon took his Friday and got the job done. Eric on the other hand took his paper, but did not get it signed. This is a typical behavior for Eric and how his Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) affects him. He has talked as if he is excited about the change, but his behavior is saying otherwise. Ah, the truth finally comes out.

In one sense we are very happy that the boys have gotten into the high school. It is a very good high school to get into. On the other hand, with both the boys having RAD, we know that we are going to have our work cut out for us. Neither of the boys is good about change. Transitions are tough for them. Granted, any change is tough on a child, but even more so when you have RAD. Both boys will fall back with this change, which means they will fall back to some of their old behaviors that are not good behaviors. I know that the Lord will see us through as He always has.

There will be more opportunities for them at this high school and I think Eric especially needs the stimulation as he is quite bright. And thankfully, there are already some people there that they know. Home schooling has been a safe haven for both of them, both of them enjoy the comforts of home. I am hopeful that once adjusted, they will enjoy the opportunities a big high school as to offer and the challenges as well.

In other news, Brandon is now well from the virus that has been passed among us. He actually came down with it on Wednesday last week. I finally came down with the worst of it Saturday night and Eric this afternoon. So far Brandon is the only one that threw-up. I have had a queezy tummy, but it has not been very bad. The body aches have been the worst for me as well as Eric. Mark has the head congestion the worst. I am sad, that this year we missed our yearly Memorial Day activity of placing flags on the graves of soldiers. Sigh.

All Plans Cancelled - Sick

Yesterday evening Mark came home from work and told me he was not feeling well.

Brandon threw-up last night.

Eric says he is fine, he just likes to sleep.

Enjoying the Quiet

After dropping the boys off at school I came home to a quiet house. I set myself down on the green monster on the back patio. The weather is perfect, not too hot, not too cold. A soft ocean breeze blows. Here is a picture of the "Redneck" sofa with my rabbit companion.

Bun loves to snuggle. She jumps up on the sofa when anyone is nearby, letting us know she is ready for pets. I slipped her a few blueberries, her favorite treat. Lady Bird stopped by for a bite to eat. Here is a picture of her friends busy at the bird feeder I have made.

Tomorrow we are going to our local memorial park to place flags on the graves of persons who served in the military. It is something we do with scouting. We have been doing it since the boys were little. Also, Corrie ten Boom is buried in our memorial park. I have been bringing flowers for her that past few years since finding her grave. The Lord used Corrie in an amazing way, read about an awesome story of forgiveness here. There is also a ceremony that we attend on Memorial Day at the memorial park. Mark and I have been going since before we received the boys. We have a tradition of getting donuts in the morning, the boys love that. This year we are planning on riding our bikes to the ceremony which should be fun.

Update

Today we had our interview at the high school and it went very well. Our humble thanks to all who prayed for us. The principal was impressed with my sons. He said that he could not tell us that we are in and he explained why, but we should get a letter next week letting us know. The feeling was that if he could he would tell us we are in. We celebrated with ice cream afterward.

Lady Bird is still visiting us. Brandon has been the one feeding her most these past two days. I did get to be with her this evening. She sat on me for a bit and she pecked my jewelry, she likes sparkly things. Sometimes I cry when I think of her. I just want to scoop that little bird up and hold her forever. She is like a bit of Heaven.

My father in-law had his procedure done. They got a stint in and the kidney is draining, but they were not able to get the stone out. So he has more procedures to go through, but he has decided to continue with that after the cancer treatment is done.

I took some more hormone today, I did not want to be dragging for the interview. After taking it my spots of endo flared up. At least I know where the endo is. Only problem is the spot at the vaginal cuff. My endo doctor told me he will not do surgery there (too risky). God knows and His grace is always sufficient. I have decided that I am going to try Arimidex for the pain. Right now, we do not see an open door to scheduling surgery.

Confession

Okay, I have a confession to make, I cheated today. I could not stand the upper, in-between the shoulder blades, nagging back pain anymore. I know that pain, it comes on me when I do not take hormones. So today I treated myself to 10 mg. of DHEA. The good thing about taking DHEA is that it tends to go more down the androgen path on me. A few hours after taking it my upper back pain was better, I had clarity of mind, cheery mood and energy. Ahhhh! I was energetic enough to do some decorating for Memorial Day. Here are some pictures.

After I picked Brandon up from school we went over to Panera Bread and had a pumpkin muffin and a cold drink. We had a great time together. With me not taking hormones my mood has been a bit down. It was nice to feel perky enough to take my son out for a treat.

Can you believe it, summer is nearly here? I feel like this school year went by incredibly fast. Only 3 more weeks of school left for us. They are going to be busy too.

I saw Lady Bird today and fed her about 4 times. She would land on me, but she would not come inside today. It makes me sad that she has become so frightened. When she lived with us she was more relaxed and happy, now she is jumpy and constantly watchful. She lives in fear of predators. I know she feels safe with me and I wish I could shield her from all harm, but she has to be a free bird. She shows up with another female bird, they seem to be pals. I am glad she has a friend.

Empty Cage

Lady Bird's cage sits empty at night, I have not had the heart to put the cage away just yet. I miss her quiet little night time cheeps. She visited me quite a bit on Monday. Since I put the bird seed out the sparrows are always at my house. Lady Bird blends in with all the other birds so well it surprises me when she flies out from them. Other times she calls me, but won't come to me. Monday I brought the containers of meal & wax worms out to her and that suited her just fine. She sat in the tree or she would come down on the grass to eat. She has breakfast, lunch and a mid-afternoon feeding. At the mid-afternoon feeding she will fly right to me as soon as she hears my voice. Sunday we had a good afternoon visit, she was content to rest on my shoulder while I went about my business in the kitchen. She nibbled at my hair. Monday she came in the sunroom for a visit, but the boys were being a bit rowdy so she did not stay long. I am blessed that she is doing well, it comforts my heart so much.

Monday evening the boys found a baby raven (a big baby too, big enough to fly, but seemed a bit weak). Eric was thrilled to have it perched on his arm. In the morning I noticed the ravens were quite active and I saw them chase a hawk out of the area. Hmm. Anyway, my boys brought this baby raven home, but I had to draw the line. I decided Eric should put it in a quiet spot. As he was carrying it two adult ravens were following him. One of them swooped down on him. We placed the baby in the quiet spot. Eric went to check on the baby after a trip to the library, but the baby was gone, so hopefully it was reunited with its parents.

Mark got a call from his mother letting him know the latest news about his father. The doctor that he was working with quit the practice and so his case got taken over by another doctor. My father in-law is having a procedure done on Wednesday to break up a stone that is blocking his kidney. Right now the kidney is not functioning properly because of it. I know this weighs on Mark's heart, but even so he has a happy countenance for us all.

I have been doing alright, but having trouble with being tired during the day. At night I can fall asleep on the sofa, but for some reason when I get in bed I lie awake. I think the pain and menopausal symptoms have me messed up. I feel I am lagging behind in too many areas or just barely keeping up. Sigh.

Lady Bird Came By

I was up early this morning listening to the sounds of birds. I went out on our back patio and curled up on the green monster sofa with a blanket. After a bit Lady Bird appeared chirping at me like crazy, only she would not come to me. She wanted to and would make an attempt, but then she would fly off. I comforted myself with the thought that at least I knew she was alright, but could not help shedding some tears. After awhile, she came back again. This time she finally landed in our birch tree and Eric went over and got her. She was very hungry and tired. She slept on my shoulder for awhile and then she was ready to fly again. About lunch time she came back and she again was not sure, but then returned and came right to me. She was so hungry that she was eating the worms right out of the tub herself. It was cute. She slept on my shoulder for awhile and then she was off with her friends again. She is gradually going wild, little by little.

I want to thank Fairmaiden for her comment on my last post regarding public school. Thank you for your kind and comforting words they mean so much. This week on Thursday our family has an interview with the principle at the public high school the boys want to attend. Today I am spending some time getting their records together. Please pray that the interview will go well and that the boys will be able to attend. Thank you so much everyone!

Otherwise, I am spending the day at home resting, seems I had a bit too much fun roller skating. I have to admit, it made me feel like a kid again. When I was young my favorite thing to do was roller skate. I remember the days when I could not wait to get out of school so I could go roller skating. I started in elementary school with the skates that attached to your shoe and you tightened them with a key. Then I moved up to the kind with a white boot and metal wheels and then finally the urethane wheels. I kept skating up through high school and a bit into college. Now my boys love to roller skate. Brandon has his own pair of in-line skates and is like me when I was young...can't wait to finish his work so he can skate. LOL Eric says he wants a membership to the roller rink. Hmmm, that will be a good birthday gift I think.

Brandon and me at the birthday skating party.

First Night Without Lady Bird

I am getting a little teary writing this post. Today was a busy day for us. My men went to Scout-O-Rama early this morning. After they left I fed Lady Bird and then let her outdoors. She came back for lunch and was very hungry. After a bite to eat she left. My men came home for lunch and shortly after that we went to my niece's 13th birthday party at the roller rink. We had a grand time and I enjoyed skating. (I still have a bit of spunk left in me. LOL) After the skate party we stopped by home, I called for Lady Bird, but she did not come. We gave the kitties a bite to eat, put the rabbit in her hutch and then left to join family for dinner. We came back about 7 pm. Lady Bird is usually in bed at dusk. I called for her, but she did not come. Now it is dark. I am hopeful that I will see her in the morning. I hope she is safe where ever she is.

Lady Bird Update, Etc.

I have been putting bird seed out in our backyard to attract birds. This morning Lady Bird heard the sparrows and was ready to join them. She barely ate any breakfast before she was off with her friends. She is starting to spend more time outdoors. I keep telling myself it is a good thing because that means she is finding food and fitting in. She still comes home when she wants something. She flies into our backyard and calls to me. At times I feel I do not want to let her go, but I've decided true love will let her be free. I am thankful that God has let me take care of this little sparrow, it has been a wonderful blessing.

I do not know why, but exceptionally good days with my bowel are always followed by bad days. Tonight I am having that nausea feeling and pain. I keep hoping that this will go away, but it doesn't. I am afraid to have another surgery. When I had the surgery to reconnect my bowel I was very nervous. I remember when I signed the paperwork at the doctor's office my hands were trembling. I moved forward because I believed it was God's will. This time I am unsure.

Our calendar is full. The next few weekends are booked up, and the end of school is fast approaching. Before I know it summer vacation will be here.

Beautiful Day

It was a beautiful spring day here in sunny Southern California. There was a cool ocean breeze to go with our day. Lady Bird wanted to go flying early in the morning. She came home for a bit of lunch and then went back out. In the afternoon I did a little bit of gardening while the boys sat on the porch and read books. I took some random pictures around the cottage that you might enjoy.





After our nice time on the porch we started moving furniture. The boys got the green monster sofa out of the house. We put it on the back patio for now. After sweeping floors, washing baseboards and whatnot, Eric and I sat on the sofa outdoors. It was actually very wonderful to sit out there with the cool breeze blowing on us. The rabbit jumped up on the sofa and we had fun petting her. We just enjoyed each others company while Brandon was having fun on his Facebook account.

Lady Bird came home around the same time that Mark did. She was one tired little birdie. She fell asleep perched on my arm. It was so cute! Mark took me out for dinner so I did not have to cook tonight. We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant which was an extra wonderful treat for me because my tummy has been having an exceptional good day. Yipee! Afterward, we went over to my brother's to pick up the sofa. We had fun visiting for awhile and then we went on home and got the new sofa inside the house. We really like it. The color is perfect, it really brightens up the room and actually makes our tiny living room feel bigger (I wish it really was, but oh well).

What a Day!

It was a homeschooling day today and it started out with the boys' computer being on the fritz. Eric kept trying to get it going, but it just would not boot up. Later in the day after school was done Eric helped me with some shopping. When we got home, Mark was already home. We wondered why he was home early. He explained that he bent over to pick something up and heard something rip. It was the seat of his pants. LOL I noticed that pair was looking a bit worn, but did not think it was that bad.

We went on a family bike ride, afterward, Eric spent time in the garage tinkering. Both Mark and I are always telling Eric not to get into things that he shouldn't without asking. Well, that always seems to fall on deaf ears. I was sitting at my computer when I heard a sound from the garage that was out of the ordinary. I called to Mark and told him he better get out to the garage and see what the boys were up to. I am so glad I was not the one to go out there. Eric had started a fire. Thankfully, with his Boy Scout knowledge he was able to put the fire out, but not without scorching a rug. The sound I heard was a big flame igniting. I am not going to say how the fire started, but we are blessed that our son was smart enough to put the fire out correctly.

After that, I got a call from my sister that my Uncle passed away. He had taken care of my grandmother for many years and the last time I saw my Uncle after my grandmother had passed away, he let me know that all my letters had meant a lot to her and that I had made her happy. Now he too is gone.

Lady Bird went flying today. She knows her way home and comes to the backyard and calls. I come out and call to her and she flies to me. She is always happy & hungry when she comes home. She usually rests for a bit and then wants to go back out. Today she took another bath and Eric and I snapped off some pictures.

Eric took this picture of her shaking herself off.

I took this picture of a wet bird.

Here she is sitting on the towel fluffing her feathers.

Chit Chat

Okay, Monday, I had my phone consult with my endometriosis doctor (up north). He said he was sorry that the Danazol did not work out for me. He told me to continue without hormones since my pain level has decreased. He also said that he can do surgery. It would be a targeted surgery in the area that I am complaining of. That is just what I was thinking I wanted. With all that laid out before me, I have opted to wait things out another month. I really do not want another surgery, but it does not look like this problem is going to go away without it. Both Mark and I feel the Lord wants us to wait, we need more time in prayer. We want to be sure we do His will, not ours.

Mark is more confident than I am right now. I tend to fill with anxiety, a bad habit from my childhood and the way I grew up. The Lord has brought me through so much, you think I would stop fretting so. I have learned about trials. God uses each and every one of them to work good in our lives. That often times the trial not only benefits us, it benefits others also. That God's glory is seen by others through your trial. When people pray for you and see God work it strengthens their relationship with Him. There are all sorts of trials that we encounter during our life and each one has its value. Trials are opportunities to view God's power, grace and love. To come into a deeper relationship with Him, to be vessels of His glory and power, etc. May I be as Job and be able to say "the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord."

In other news, we got a call from a public high school, the one the boys want to attend. We have an appointment for an interview on May 21st. Mark and I are thrilled. We see it as God's providence. We have both had confirmation from the Lord that this is the way to go. It is hard to take the boys out of a good Christian environment and put them into a worldly situation, but God has directed things this way for us. As I told the boys, God has a plan for them and will use them to make a difference.

As for Lady Bird, she came back to us again after her Monday play day. I started to think that she was not going to come back because it was getting late, but she did. Today she spent the day at home. She was content to lounge on my shoulder. In the early evening we let her out to fly around for a bit. She mostly enjoyed hanging out in the plum tree.

Lady Bird Update

Lady Bird our English Sparrow came back to us on Saturday evening. I was relieved. Mark took this picture of her on my shoulder. You can see how much her feathers have grown in. She still has some baby feathers yet under her adult feathers. Mother's Day she was not a happy bird because she had to stay in her cage. We were in and out all day and did not have time to spoil her. When we got home at night we fed her and put her to bed. This morning she was very hungry. She was content to fly around the sunroom and play "catch me if you can" with our cat Dusty. She ate some seed and drank some water and then she was off to play outside. The boys and I have called her, but she has not come back yet. Play days always make me a bit nervous, wondering if I will see her again. I have fallen in love with this little bird. Her flying off makes me realize my own sons will be flying off someday. It brings tears to my eyes.

Okay, on to something else. I wanted to share some plates I recently bought for $1.99 a piece. They have scripture on them and I thought they would be perfect for our dining room.

Here is a close up shot. It is nice to have the word of God around us. This coming Thursday we will be picking up a sofa from my brother. His wife bought a new sofa and asked us if we would want their old sofa. It is only 5 years old and still in good condition. Since we need a new sofa, but cannot afford one right now, this works out perfectly for us. Especially since it is a color that will work for us. Our current hunter green monster will be replaced by a sleek off white sofa. I will take pictures when we get it. The only thing I am not looking forward to is moving the old sofa out and the new in. It is going to be a job with our tiny cottage, but I am sure we will manage.

Happy Mother's Day

This is a favorite picture of mine.
The boys and I are in Yosemite National Park.
When I was very ill in the hospital I had this picture with me.
It was my heart's desire to be a mother
and God blessed me with these two boys.
I am not worthy of such an honor and a blessing,
but the Lord is very gracious.
Thank you Lord for blessing me with these two boys.
Please let me honor you as I care for them.
Let them glorify your name.
In Jesus name I pray.
Amen.

The Great Outdoors

My men left early this morning. They went over to the church to clean up the shed full of scout equipment. After they left I fed the animals and went back to bed. A few hours later Lady Bird woke me with her chirping. I threw on some clothes and started my day with her on my shoulder. I decided to do some gardening among other things. Lady Bird would fly up in the trees and then come back down to me as I worked. There was a big black raven lurking about. I was washing up Lady Bird's cage when she left my shoulder and went into our birch tree.

The next thing I knew she was gone. I saw the raven up on top of the telephone pole pecking at something. I called for Lady Bird, but she did not come. I worried. I kept about my business of cleaning and gardening. I called for Lady Bird every so often. Then to my amazement she came! She landed on me and was chirping like crazy. I was so relieved that she was alive. I gave her a couple worms and a drink. Then she got into her bowl of water and gave herself a bath, dried herself a bit, perched on my shoulder and as I walked out the front door of our house, away she flew. A little later she came back and called. She would come down to me, then fly off, then come back. She seemed torn as to what to do, but then heeded the call of the wild. Maybe I will see her tonight.

Here are a couple pictures of what is blooming in my garden. I must admit that I am not a great gardener, but I do try. Below is a picture of my Amaryllis. I got them from my mother in-law who dug them up out of her garden before she moved to Arizona. She used to take wonderful care of them. She dug the bulbs up every season and carefully replanted them. Not me, I am a sloppy gardener, I think I am lucky that they are still alive.

This next picture is of my mini roses that I have managed to keep alive.

I had a bad spell last night, there is something going on inside my tummy. I did not fall asleep right away, too much discomfort. When I finally did, I tossed and turned and had weird dreams. I have skipped breakfast as I have no appetite. The unusual pain continues on today. I wish I could figure what is going on in there. I wonder where the Lord is leading me.

Struggling Along

Thank you readers for your sweet comments, they are very much appreciated. I hope to get some visits in with you when I am able. Just wanted to let you know I am thinking of you.

Thursday, was a day of resting. Lady Bird stayed in and she was quite content to do so. It seemed her play day really wore her out. She quietly stayed in her cage in the sunroom getting regular meals as we attended to our homeschool studies.

Today, the boys went to classes at the church school. I did my shopping that I needed to do and came home for lunch to attend to Lady Bird. I tried to take a picture of her on my shoulder. The quality is not very good and I did not want to use the flash so as not to scare her. She has grown quite a lot since we first received her into our home. Today she was very content to stay close to me. I even sat outside with her and she would fly up into the plum tree and then come back down to me. She did at one point fly up and visit a male sparrow and when he left she came back down to me. She also flew to my husband and loved sitting in his big strong hand.

In the late afternoon, Dusty kitty brought a big lizard into the sunroom. It was a zoo in that sunroom with two cats, two fish, a bird and a lizard. Then the rabbit came in too! The boys were thrilled with the lizard, but too scared to pick it up. I managed to grab it behind the head and we put it outside. Lately, my life has been centered around animals. I suppose I am fortunate, because it has helped keep my mind occupied.

For a few days I felt fairly normal, but just when I think everything is going to be alright, things take a turn. The past couple of days I have been uncomfortable. I get weary of having a feeling that I am sick to my stomach. It is not the normal feeling of nausea, but somehow it feels like nausea. Sometimes the feeling is strong, but I keep pushing myself along.

Lady Bird's Play Day

Lady Bird spent the day outside today. She was content to follow me around the yard as I worked. I had one of the boys bring out a bowl of water for the rabbit to drink and as soon as we set it down, Lady Bird jumped off my shoulder and into the bowl. We all witnessed her first bath. It was really amazing! She just loved that water. Then we all watched her dry herself. After her bath she flew off to be with her friends. She was gone for quite awhile and the boys were so worried about her they went walking and calling for her. Mark comes home for lunch and after eating our lunch I walked him out to his car and said goodbye. After he left Lady Bird saw me and flew over to me. It is the neatest experience having a wild bird fly and land on you. I fed her some bugs as she was hungry. She rested for awhile, spent some time on my shoulder playing in my hair and then she was off again. She did not come back for a long while and we thought maybe it was goodbye time. In the evening the boys were sad that she had not come home. As I stirred a batch of pudding at the stove, I had little tears rolling down my face. Finally at dusk we heard a bird calling that sounded like her. We followed the sound to our neighbor's big tree and there she was high in the tree. She finally came down and was she ever excited and feisty. We fed her and then put her in her cage where she settled down to quietly sleep with her head tucked under her wing.

Lady Bird

Hello readers, thanks to all of you for your sweet comments. It is always nice to hear from you.

I have been busy with homekeeping & homeschooling, but wanted to share about my time with Lady Bird today. For those that our new to the story of our bird, Lady Bird is an English Sparrow that fell out of her nest and my son brought her home. (Yes, we have a thriving ministry of taking in animals of unfortunate circumstances.) Anyway, I have been putting Lady Bird's cage outside in the afternoon & evening hours. Sometimes I leave the cage door open so she can fly off if she wants. Today, she was content to sit in her cage even though the door was open, so I went out and closed it. A little bit later the sparrows came to our yard. There were baby birds with the parents and two of them landed on Lady Bird's cage. They were talking to her and looking at her. After that I opened her cage door and she flew to me and wanted something to eat. So I carried her inside and gave her some bugs then took her back outside. She saw the birds out there again so she flew over to them. She sat with them for a bit and then she came flying back to me without me even calling her. She was all excited and chirping as if she was telling me all about it. It was SO cute! One day she will want to fly away with them, I think that will be the best for her. When she does I will miss her, but for now she is happy to live with us.

My Weekend

A new pillow sham that I picked up on Saturday for $2.99.
It is reversible and ties up at the end.
Brand name too, Liz Claiborne.

Here I am beginning to make my potato soup.
I am cooking up chopped pancetta & onion.

Here I have added creamer potatoes (about 4 cups chopped)
2 cups of water, 2 cups of milk, salt, garlic and 2 teaspoons of chicken bouillon.

Here is the finished product half eaten.
When the potatoes are tender it is ready to be pureed
with a hand blender. Then 1 cup of half & half is added.
It is then ready to serve.

Here are my mashed potato biscuits again.
This time made with a little whole wheat flour.
Brandon requested that I make them again.

Lady Bird spent time outside this weekend. I brought her cage outside and opened the door. She flew out and sat in our plum tree. She flies around the tree visiting various branches and then returns to me or her cage. Today she had to show me how she likes to eat now. She scolded me for not doing it right. She wants to eat on her own, so I set the food down and she tilts her head to look at it. Then she picks it up herself and sort of mashes it up with her beak. Her beak has grown and has a nice point on it so she can peck at seeds. She is trying to get the hang of eating seeds, but isn't quite there yet.

Since I am not taking any hormones I am having menopausal symptoms, which is not the greatest. I feel irritable most days and I enjoy time alone. I think I may be feeling a little depressed due to lack of hormones. Today hubby took me out shopping and told me to pick out what I wanted at the store. What a blessing that was, God is so good to me!

Bird Flew

Sorry, for my little play on words. Yes, this is Lady Bird sitting on my back. She has adopted me as her mom. She is quite the teenage bird now. She is starting to peck at some seed, but still eating mostly bugs. When she eats more seed than bugs she will be ready to fly away. For now she is content to fly around our sunroom. She always lands on me and cheeps in my ear (ow!) wanting me to feed her or give her a drink. Have you ever seen those birds following their bird parents around, flapping their wings and cheeping? Well, that is what Lady Bird does to me. If I don't do what she wants she gets a bit of temper and nips me. Typical teen, eh? ;-) She is much bigger and healthier than when she first arrived.

As for my health, I really have not wanted to talk much about it although I am having issues. I have been staying off hormones and been dealing with menopausal symptoms. In one sense the pain has lessened in another, it has not. It is very hard to explain, but I think the scar tissue pain has not changed. There is something with the intestine that is hung up. Digesting food causes my tummy to bloat up a bit and I can feel some kind of restriction or pulling. It is very uncomfortable and very odd. Lately, it has been happening a lot and there is nothing I can do to make it stop.

Soon I will be speaking to my endometriosis specialist. I will of course let him know that the Danazol did not work for me. Either I will go on Arimidex or I will try taking hormones and see if the pain increases. In my mind, I just want someone to get a laparoscope and look inside, because quite frankly, I am very tired of feeling lousy.

Innovation - Its Whats for Dinner

Here I am cooking up some Italian chicken sausage (without
skin) that I got at Trader Joe's. I sprayed the pan
with cooking spray, added a stalk of sliced celery
with leaves and half a medium onion to the sausage.

Here is some leftover pasta sauce I had in the fridge.
About 2/3 of the jar.

Had some brown rice in the pantry, so cooked some up.

Here I have added the sauce, along with a few sliced up
sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil.

Here I have mixed the meat sauce with the cooked rice.
Wa-la, dinner!

Here it is sprinkled with some parmesan & mozzarella cheese
served with a green salad.
The lights are low for dining ambiance.
It turned out a very yummy dish for something I just made up.