Crayons, Playdoh & Wax

But I have been so good about updating Twitter and being on Facebook. With all the stuff going on though, I think I need a place to be able to write and have it be more than 140 characters

Just some of the stuff I am pondering and thinking about… K started middle school. Still not sure why I am having such a hard time with that one. Granted, she is not a little girl any more.

We changed churches. I loved the church we were at. I didn’t want to change, but I was tired of going alone. So, we are back at a UMC. The good thing is that K is getting to go to MYF. I have such fabulous memories of youth group. That part I’m glad. She feels like she fits in better. I however am having a hard time with how small the church is. Not that small is the issue, just not as many options. There is 1 women’s class…. on Tuesday AM. I work Monday and Tuesday nights. I would be falling asleep during class and then sleeping from the time I got home til I went to work that night. I’ll think about it, just not sure. The people are really friendly, but of course the first thing they ask is: are you new to the neighborhood? No, we don’t even LIVE IN the neighborhood. Do they not want the church to grow? Can’t be all secluded and only doing stuff for the west side. Ken’s all worried that I’m going to get back in the middle of working at Emmaus stuff again. Guess we’ll see.

Work is going good. We’re growing. I am eligible to sit for the registry, but it is expensive and it never fails, every time the deadline comes up, something else is due also. Hopefully I can take it in November. I can’t believe I’ve been there almost a year already. The advantage, I have seniority, and as they keep hiring more people, I stay at the top The neighbor is moving out, so our Springs lab is expanding. We are opening more beds and adding some showers. As it is, we are up to 7 nights a week. In April we went to 6 nights a week when I offered to start working Sunday nights and just about a week ago we opened Saturday nights when they hired a new tech to work Saturday nights. I’m excited. I love it when we grow.

Hopefully I will do better at updating now. I think I have an app on my iPod Touch to update this now as well. I haven’t even been going to my reunion group, so I feel like I haven’t been keeping in touch with anyone. All I seem to do is work and sleep and run the dd around. Work schedule is supposed to calm down as well. Then maybe I can have a real life

Ken’s job is going well. They just released a new update on their software that are driving people crazy. Apparently people don’t realize that email has a DELETE button and people are freaking out because they are actually getting email. This is stressing him out and so then he is coming home and taking it out on us. Or… he just stays at work until midnight working on stuff. Not a fun mix. Either he’s upset or not home. Hopefully they will get this all worked out soon. It’s a great feature if people could figure it out!!

Going to be having a Pampered Chef party in a couple of weeks. New catalog starts Sept 1. If you want to see it, hollar or you can visit Jen’s website. I quit selling over a year ago, but my neighbor right across the street started, so I still get my fix Supposed to have a Gold Canyon Party as well, and still owe a PartyLite party from the spring that I had to cancel. It’s fall. Time to start Christmas shopping, right?

Put a bunch of pictures up from our trip to Alaska on Facebook. I need to renew my flickr account so I can get them up on there as well…. but in the mean time, if you are a friend on FB, you can see them there

My SIL, Via lost her Mom last week to Cancer. Don’t think I am going to make it down for the funeral this weekend. My MIL is having surgery soon as she has CA as well. At least her’s should be well contained following a hysterectomy. Ken is still kind of freaking though. Basically, if you have to get CA, I think that is the kind to get. Remove the parts and it’s gone

I’ve been doing good. My back acted up last week, but since it hasn’t happened since LAST August, I guess I can’t complain. Fibro is REALLY bad today. Praying it’s just the weather!! Need to find out if there is a way to do traction on my ankles. That really seems to help though… and I can physically see a difference in the blood flow to my toes when they actually pull on my ankles. Problem is, I can’t do it to myself.

I think that’s about it for today. Anyone know of someone who wants to buy a hard top and doors for jeep wrangler? Ken decided he wants to sell his hard top and buy a soft top. He thinks that if it is snapped on tight, it will have less leaks than the hard top that doesn’t fit well. Guess we’ll see. I just know we need to get something done so he’ll stop stealing my car when it rains I got a new car this summer. Good thing is, he likes my car. He likes to drive it… and thus I get to drive the jeep. But just for the record HAIL HURTS!! I had to run and pick up K after school one day in the jeep and it started hailing. No doors… I got nailed!!!

Oh, and if you aren’t a friend on FB… my user name is: You guessed it: Crayonsetc

This morning they were giving away another 2 year lease on a huyndai sonata from the radio station. I went alone, hung out and waited. They draw 10 numbers of people who get to get a key and win a chance to start the car. Not only did they pick my number, I picked #10, which is my number. (there was actually 11 numbers this time cuz they gave 1 person who didn’t qualify the chance to win as well) So we go through all this and they go through all the people. We are down to number 8 in the car, and just me 9 & 11 waiting and 8 doesn’t start the car. I am shaking so bad at this point. The 3 of us do a big group hug and #9 gets in the car… and I wait… and it starts. I so can’t believe I got that close. Ken was sure I was going to be disappointed because I got so close. I was just on such an adrenaline high, that I was just happy for her. I knew that if I won, God had a reason!!

I am going to get gas and snacks and starbucks before heading out to get my pilgrim and head up to the retreat center. Have a great weekend and pray that God is glorified in many wonderful ways this weekend!!!

DeColores!!!

So we are coming out of work and F says to me, that’s not how to get to gandma’s house. I said, oh, do you want to go to gandma’s house… realizing she would be asleep in about 30 seconds anyway… and it was almost time for J to get home from work. So we head for Belinda’s house. (and of course I was right, she was asleep before I turned the corner).

I bring F in the house put her in bed and then hollar for Belinda’s son Don, who is home. A few minutes later he comes up the stairs to tell me he just got word that his grandpa died today. Of course my first thought is how Belinda is in England… and then where is Jeani and we are NOT going to tell her when she is driving. I hang out and wait for J to get home… and in the mean time, I go into my prayer request mode. I called the church to get them praying, and then I called Belinda’s little sister, because I knew she wouldn’t have her sister to talk to right then and I wanted to make sure she was ok. Jeani got home from work and her brother, D, breaks the news and as I knew she would, she melted down. She did get to talk to B, who still doesn’t know what she is going to do. It is 9:30 over there… so it is about bedtime, but I figure she won’t be sleeping real soon.

Please keep them in your prayers, the whole family. Especially Belinda as she tries to decide to come home early or stay or what she needs to do for her and her family. Thanks.

God does truly amaze me. If I hadn’t listened to F today, I wouldn’t have been here for Jeani or D or any of this. He just seems to put us where we need to be when we need to be… providing we listen!!!

So I spent the whole weekend doing nothing but Emmaus stuff… or so it felt. Saturday, which was absolutely beautiful… again, I was inside all day at a team meeting for the June Walk. We even got out early, and I swear within 10 minutes of getting home, the temp dropped by about 20 degrees and it started snowing before dark. It is just wrong!! Oh, but I am really excited… one of the ladies that was in my now defunct reunion group is working the June walk. I haven’t seen her or spent any time with her since… since My walk I think, which was 3 years ago this month. That is a long time. She had gone to school… and is now done and working and now working a walk. I am so excited… and the other God thing… she is one of my prayer partners… and the people who did the prayer partners had no clue we use to be in a RG together!!! God is so good!!

Sunday I got to go to bridal shower for my friend’s dd, who was in the youth group when I was a youth sponsor. Yes, I am past the feeling old part… that happened when Jeani had her baby almost 3 years ago (I was her confirmation mentor when she was in 8th grade :)) Then I left and went to the min x min for the walk next week. Yes, they have everything on a weekend broken down that close… making sure that stuff is where it needs to be when. it is an amazing thing.

And then last night I have my reunion group. I have missed these ladies… it has been too many weeks since we all actually made it!! We worked on stuff for the walk. I am so excited. Did I mention I am sponsoring someone??? My first time sponsoring someone I don’t really know. God is stretching me this time, that is for sure… It is going to be good!!

Today I went to a funeral for a wonderful woman who lead such a Christ centered life. It is so great to go to a memorial and have it be such a celebration. I hope my funeral is that nice when the time comes and that everyone says how I lived my life to Honor the Lord!!

I had applied to join a blog group over the weekend… and had to giggle when my reason for not being accepted was that I hadn’t had my blog going for over a month. I have had a blog so long… it just might have changed locations… but it has been a part of my life for so long!!! And if you google Crayons… I show up in the first 2 pages… or at least I use too… haven’t done it in a bit… but if you google Crayonsetc… it is all me… or links to me I emailed them back and said that must have been a problem from when I updated my wordpress and will fix it. I got it fixed now… so there are archives and a calendar and comments in the side bar… but when I tried to move them to different locations in the side bar, it just didn’t work…. so I put it back to where it started and will have to recruit some help from some friends I know html, but not too good with the php stuff!!!

Almost half way done until Belinda gets back from England. I am enjoying having F every day, but I have forgotten how tiring it can be having a 2 year old running around the house. I think having her here has cured the baby cravings… K is 10 years old now, do I really want to start over? Yes… and it is easier when you start from not crawling and work your way up!! Oh my goodness…. it is april. Oh, so not going there!!!

Oh, and I got a call about VBS tonight. I had told them that I would do whatever they need me to do… I had signed up to work with preschool. Today she asked if I would coordinate the preschool crafts. (figuring we need to do different stuff than the older kids). See, another God thing… cuz VBS is the same week as the June walk. Doing this… as long as i have it all coordinated, it won’t matter if I miss Friday! (and being conference room, I don’t have to be at the walk until 4 on Thursday, so I can still do Thursday morning stuff… this is June though, not next week!!) Life just seems to be getting crazy… or just busy. And this is without a job. I can’t imagine doing all this with a job… but I promised dh!!

So, go hug your loved ones, tell them how much you love them… and enjoy your day.

Where do we even start? And the weirdest part is, I am not even talking about the medical stuff.

Friday at work, I found out that the Children’s Director resigned on Thursday effective immediately. Wow. Ok, that probably means more work for my boss, since that is her boss. Then I found out that the youth director also resigned, but he gave them until the end of confirmation which is the 18th of May. (and I was being good and not writing about any of this until today since the kids weren’t suppose to find out until today). Yes, I am still trying to decide what I want to do, but actually neither of these 2 things effect me or my job unless they decide to get rid of our program or something.

Yesterday was our Emmaus Team meeting. Well the one thing we have always known is that Satan does NOT like these weekends to happen, and the one thing that I have learned, the more he fights us, the more that the weekend is going to be amazing!! (and that there are people there who God has plans for!!) With the amount that out teams have been attacked, I am just so excited about the weekend. I can’t believe the last team meeting is over and that there is only 2.5 weeks until we leave. Then they also announced how bad that he is attacking the summer walks. We have not had summer walks in our community for so many years, I know that they are needed so badly, and, like I said, the attack that the teams are coming under is just confirming that fact. They are needing to replace a lot of team members in key positions, so I did send an email and said if she needs me, to hollar… cuz the cool part about me is, I can do ANY job there is except clergy (and it isn’t that I don’t think I could do that one, but I think we could get into a little trouble with the fact I am not even in seminary… but I think I could do a good job with one of their talks!!) Guess we will see what happens. I haven’t even heard anything.

Then today I get to church and found out that our Sr. youth pastor had resigned (I apparently missed the message or something) so our Jr. Hi youth pastor is now the Sr. and he is trying to get it all transitioned nicely and hire a new Jr. Hi youth pastor. I am going to sure miss Pastor Sam, but I know God will definitely use him somewhere. He has gifted that young man, and he can sure preach!! I hope he is moving up in a church where ever he goes!!!

Then the icing on the cake is that Ken has been offered a job. It is with a company he has done freelance stuff for, so he already knows the program, and they had approached him about a year ago, but I don’t think that the time was right. He met with them on Saturday (yes, while I was in Canon City at the team meeting), and then he and I will be going to dinner with everyone from the company tomorrow night. They are a small company (which is a good fit for Ken) and not everyone works here in town, but they are all in town from today through Wednesday, so this worked well.

Ken also has a meeting at work on Wednesday about the job he was applying for. They are currently going through re-organization in their department and everyone is having to apply and interview and the whole nine yards for the positions they want. The job he is interested in would hopefully be a raise as well, but I don’t know. I am just praying that if this is the time for the move, than every door be opened. If this is not, than God please shut every door and make it very clear what he is supposed to do.

Oh, and did I mention, if he takes the new job, yah, he will be working from home. Thus the more motivation for me to get a job OUT of the house or we will end up killing each other!!! (although I have suggested that we make him an actual office in the basement so he can ‘go’ to work… probably even put the door back on down there!)

I got my peony planted today. It is so beautiful outside. I didn’t get any of the rocks moved for my garden today… but that is because I fell asleep. (isn’t that what you are supposed to do on a Sunday afternoon?). All my veggies are starting to poke in. I have them started in the little jiffy gardens in the front window. It is much cheaper this way than buying plants.

So, how was your weekend??? Oh, and I got the RSS link put in the side bar if you want to have my posts in a reader or I think there is even an option to email them to you

So I went over to Belinda’s this afternoon. Oh my. I felt so helpless. All I could do was to give her a big hug and pray. I felt even worse finding out that I had sent out the incorrect information. Granted, it was probably the normal assumption that people would make. If you hear that ‘my brother died’, most people would assume it is the brother in Iraq.

Rob had epilepsy, so of course the coroner is assuming, but at this point, there is only speculation. They will be doing an autopsy tomorrow. Dad will get in later tonight, he works in California. I am just praying at this point that there will be clear and definite answers as to why this otherwords perfectly normal young man died in 4 inches of water. There are just so many questions… and a girlfriend who was Not nice to the family. D, the next youngest brother got so upset today that he punched the house and broke his hand. Granted, he had taken in enough alcohol that he probably didn’t feel it, but still, that is going to hurt… and just another thing for them all to worry about. All I could do for him was to pray for peace. God has a plan, and I believe that He would keep His children safe. I like to think there is a reason Rob was called home now.
Just keep them all in your prayers. They are so sure that there was foul play and the boys tend to have really bad tempers.

I just helped the dd clean up the guest room. Yah, I asked her to do it earlier while I was gone. Nope (although when I asked her she said she did it). When we got back from taking Ken to his meeting (he was really freaking out about that one… someone is trying to put their project on hold and he isn’t happy!!) I asked her to pick up the room, and told her that it isn’t my fault if her friends helped make the mess and she didn’t have them help clean up before they left. Anyway, I finally broke down and went in and helped her… it took us 5 minutes. Yes, 5 minutes. She would have spent the whole day and still not gotten it done. Is this an age thing or have I been that bad at teaching her how to clean???

Anyway, I have offered not only our guest room, but also our hide-a-bed to Belinda for anyone she needs to find a room for since she has such a large family. Her sister was already here. It was a total God thing!

Please pray for the Bennett family. Belinda, who I am the aide for at work, and Jeani, who I have been close with since she was a youth (I was her confirmation mentor when she went through confirmation) and then had her dd in my class this past year. Jeani’s twin brother Richard was killed today in Iraq.

Oh MY GOODNESS!!! I got to the house, all I had heard Jeani say on the phone was that her brother had died this morning. What I didn’t find out until I got to the house was that it was ROBERT, they found him dead in a bathtub at his girlfriends house. I think they feel so lost now, because he is not the one they expected to have something happen too. People don’t die from seizures. They are doing an autopsy.

Thank you!

Guess I need to be careful about what I complain about to God. Here I complained that He woke me up at 5:45 on a Saturday morning… so what happens? Yesterday he wakes me up at 4:30… yes, that is IN THE MORNING. Instead of doing something productive, I laid in bed for awhile (I did pray as it was the National Day Of Prayer!) and then picked up my phone to play a game. So what does He do??? He wakes me up at 4:30 Again this morning!!! So this morning I laid there and prayed for a bit and then I finally got up and cleaned the family room. I have learned. When God wakes you up, don’t just ignore Him, cuz he won’t give up!!!
Not sure about any of this, but wondering if it is a sign or something, but yesterday not only did our picture of Jesus FALL OFF THE WALL, but on the way down, it took our my Willow Tree Mom/daughter and Father/daughter, decapitating both of the PARENTS! It was bad enough that Jesus fell and broke, but then both of the parents?? Just a little weird for me!! Anyway, I got all the glass cleaned up, I just need to vacuum.

I know I will sleep through my MRI this afternoon, that is for sure!! Anyway, I have learned… when God answers a prayer, don’t complain about it, right??

I have a prayer request. As many of you who have been reading my blog of any length of time might remember, my Dad had triple bypass about 2 years ago. Since then he has had increasing respiratory problems, to the point he has been put on permanent disability at work. The cardiologist has been concerned because he has a valve that has been leaking, and they said that it is usually because of a pulmonary blockage. He has gone through all the pulmonary testing, and they found nothing. This morning they did an angioplasty, in which they found nothing out of the ordinary. All his bypasses are open and functioning well. His heart is pumping well. They decided they are going to repeat his echo at about noon today (AZ time), they are thinking that his pericardial sac is constricting his heart. If it is restricting, then they just give medication, if it is constricting, they will do open heart surgery and remove the sac. My Mom asked what will happen if they remove the sac and that isn’t the correct diagnosis. The doctor said, then he will die.

We are asking for prayers for 100% certainty that the doctors will know exactly what it is that is going on with my dad and his breathing/cardiac conditions.