"No, my kitchen isn't finished yet"

I don't know why running around doing errands is so exhausting!  I just got home and don't want to do anything except sit with my feet up!  Glad supper is going to be pretty simple tonight.

Progress is steadily being made in the kitchen.  NO IT ISN'T FINISHED YET!  I must get asked that question at least a couple of times a week.  You have to realize, Dennis is doing ALL of the work himself.  Building custom cabinets is VERY slow, painstaking work.  Plus we do have a life outside of remodeling our house.  AND Dennis is no spring chicken anymore.  Although he does a great job and works hard, he doesn't work 8 or 10 hours straight (anymore...he did when we were trying to get the kitchen functional for Sheila's birthday).  He is retired and likes to take his time!  Believe me, you will definitely hear about it when my kitchen is completely finished!  I will be shouting it from the rooftop!  I really do appreciate everyone's interest in our project, but please realize that this is a long-term do-it-yourself project. 

Taking a break!

So right now, all of the cabinet boxes are installed.  The upper cabinets have shelves, but they aren't all painted (although most are).  We went Monday to the closest Rockler store (in Arlington!) and bought all of the drawer glides and hinges.  That was a big bill!  Dennis is now working on the cabinet facings and getting the "framework" built for installing the drawer glides.  ALL of my bottom cabinets are either going to be drawers or pull-out shelves...except for one, which will have vertical slats for storing cookie sheets, cutting boards, cake pans, etc. in.  After ALL of that is completed, THEN he'll still have to do all of the doors and detail work and painting.  So it will still be a good while until he's done.

Sheila spent Friday night over, because we had a visit with our CASA kiddos on Saturday.  After that, we and Dennis went to watch the new Star Trek movie.  (Loved it!)  Then she came and spent Monday night with us, because we had court Tuesday morning.  Enjoyed the extra time together!

When Dennis and I got home from Arlington Monday, Daddy and Bobbie were in our driveway.  Sure glad we made it back before they left!  They were on their way back to Saginaw for a few days.  We enjoyed their visit.  They are both doing well.

We are planning to go to Paris on Thursday.  Dennis has an appointment with Stephen to go over our portfolio on Friday, plus we will get to see our sweet grandsons.  Looking forward to it!  I'm hoping Shepherd will remember us from Sheila's birthday. 

I'm improving on my walks with Dennis.  We are trying to go 3 times a week, but we don't always manage to work it in.  We are currently walking about 2 miles.  I do really well while we are walking...able to keep up a brisk pace...but I pay for it the rest of the day and into the following day (which is why I can't walk every day, yet).  I ended up having to take some Tylenol last night in order to go to sleep, because my foot was hurting so bad.  Usually I can just rub some anti-inflammatory gel on it and it settles down.  Most of the time, the pain is slight enough that I don't even notice it.  It does let me know about it at times though!  I did good going down the stairs at the courthouse yesterday.  Descending stairs has been one of the hardest things for me to be able to do well.  The Palo Pinto courthouse has 3 flights of steps to go up and down from the district courtroom to the basement level (which is what I always climb).  I was able to go down all three flights NORMALLY!!!  Oh, happy day!!!  No club footed walking, no semi-hopping, just smooth walking down each step.  So I really am making progress, although it doesn't always seem like it!

Well, I guess that's about all for now.  Hope your week goes well!

Another Year Older

I celebrated my 58th birthday this week.  I know I'm weird, but I still get excited about birthdays!  I don't mind the fact that I'm getter old.  I've had a great life, and I'm excited to see what else there is in store for me!  I'm actually thankful that I'm not young.  Aside from the inevitable aches and pains and physical deterioration that comes with age, I am enjoying this stage of life.  With the way the world is going, I'm not sure I want to live to see what the next 50 years holds in store!  Plus, Dennis and I finally have time to spend together and do things that we enjoy.  I have time to do my volunteer work, which I love.  I have GRANDKIDS, which is the greatest thing ever!  And I even kind of like my gray hair. 

The kids had already given me my gift, which was having those wonderful family pictures done and digital rights purchased!  That is the BEST GIFT EVER!  I had a 16x20 canvas done and got it on Saturday.  I love it!!!  Also on Saturday, Sheila treated me to lunch at Olive Garden (with my free dessert) and a movie (Tarzan).  Then we went back to her apartment to pack up her kitchen for moving into her new apartment (yesterday).  It has been awhile since the two of us have spent the day, just the two of us.  It was great!  Then on my actual birthday (Monday), Dennis took me out for breakfast to a local diner.  I had a CASA visit to observe after that, but when I returned home, a dozen yellow roses were waiting for me.  Beautiful!  Then he and Ricky took me out for supper that night.  Stephen called that evening, and I enjoyed a good, long talk with him.  Plus I got a "grandma" card from my boys.  Perfect day!

I really enjoyed the Tarzan movie.  I grew up watching Tarzan on TV.  I always loved it...especially the old Johnny Weissmuller ones.  Then, when the kids were little, I enjoyed watching the animated version with them.  In all my many years, however, I never got around to reading the original books.  This movie was so different, that I decided it was time to go back and see what the original story was like.  I found a great deal on Amazon (all 24 books on Kindle for $1.49), so I bought them.  I'm on the second one right now...it will take awhile to get through all 24!  The writing style is old, and some of the "facts" of the day are rather antiquated, but it is still a pretty good read!

We left early yesterday morning to go help Sheila move into her new, larger apartment.  She had hired a moving company to do the actual moving, so Dennis did the unhooking and hooking up of her washer and dryer, and I helped her direct the movers and unpack her kitchen stuff.  Everything went well, and I think she is REALLY going to enjoy this apartment a lot more!  Besides being a LOT bigger, it is DOWNSTAIRS!!! 

I went for my annual checkup this morning.  Of course, my bloodwork results will take several days to come in, but everything else checked out just fine.  (I really DO need to lose some weight tho!  Being crippled up for the past several months has taken its toll!)

We haven't worked on the house this week.  Last week, Dennis was able to get a couple more cabinets built and hung.  Even though they aren't finished, I'm able to start putting things away in them to make it much more convenient!  I can now stand in the middle of my kitchen and get to most of what I need to prepare meals.  I've made the bottom shelf of the upper cabinet by my stove a little "mini-pantry" to hold all of the things that I use on a daily basis.  It sure saves a lot of steps!  I also love having the microwave over my stove...so convenient!

Well, that's about it for this update.  I hope you are staying out of this heat as much as possible!  Until next time....

Proverbs 18:24 A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

I've been thinking a lot about friendship lately.  The concept that we learn from the world around us, I believe, can cause us frustration and loneliness.  I want to consider what true friendship looks like.

The world shows us that friends spend all their time together and are constantly engaged in fun activities.  That's the kind of friendship that we had when we were in school.  We saw our friends every day, hung out after school and on weekends, and played together.  After we "grow up" and get busy with our lives, we don't have time for this type of "friendship".  Does that mean we don't still have close friends?  I sometimes find myself falling into the trap of believing this.  Then spending a week like I did last week opens my eyes.

The dictionary tells us that a friend is a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations.  Proverbs 17:17 tells us that a friend loves at all times.  Using these two definitions, I can see just how many true friends that I have.

Some of my friends are and have been much older than me...surrogate parents or grandparents.  I've been blessed all of my life to have many older women and men that I can look to as mentors and parent-figures.  People that I can go to for wisdom, advice, reassurance...and just plain love.  When I see them, they always have a warm hug (and sometimes kiss) for me and are truly interested in how me and my family are doing.  As I see them grow grayer and more stooped and slower as the years progress, I treasure them even more...and realize how much I will miss them when they are gone.

Then there are the friends that are in my peer group.  Some, I have known all of my life; some, I met in my teens; and then others, I've met along life's way.  We share history together, whether it be 50+ years, or just a handful.  We may not see one another except for once or twice a year.  But when we do, we take up right where we left off, with no awkwardness or hesitation.  We love each other and accept each other, in spite of (or maybe because of) our individual quirkiness.

There is another group that are a decade or two younger than me...ones that I knew as children or teens and have watched them mature into parents of children and teens!  These hold a special place in my heart as I see them grow into themselves.  I can feel both maternal towards them AND feel as if they are also my peers.  I love spending time with them and seeing the way that they are training up their families...and it gives me such a strong hope for the future!

Then there are my children's peers...those that I love as my own!  Before I married, I wanted a dozen or more children.  Life taught me that I couldn't have that many, but it didn't matter, because my heart was still able to mother many along the way.  I've always loved having a group of young folks in my home.  I love having heart to heart talks with these special young people.  They are all adults now, many being parents themselves, and I cherish each and every one...special friends, indeed!

Then there are the little ones!  I have to admit that small children are some of my favorite friends.  Of course, the relationship I have with them is much different.  With adults, you have a reciprocal relationship.  You share your joys and sorrows and lean on one another.  With small children, you just get to soak up their joy and sweetness and energy!  The thing I love most about the very young, is that they are SO easy to befriend!  All it takes (most of the time) is a few smiles and a little bit of engaging them in "conversation".  We can learn so much from them!

As I contemplate all of this, I realize that I am very blessed indeed!  I know that if I have a crisis, all I have to do is pick up my phone, make a call, and I have FRIENDS who will be here for me.  How do I know?  Because I've seen it happen...time and time again.  I can open my heart to so many, and they truly care.  I can engage in fun activities with them, talk long into the night with them, or just sit quietly and enjoy their presence.  We may not see each other on a daily, or weekly, or even monthly basis.  We may not talk on the phone or snapchat or text or whatever it is that "friends are supposed to do".  But our hearts are connected in a beautiful way, and for that...and for THEM...I am most thankful!

Steadily making progress

Well, things have slowed down a might this week, for which we are VERY thankful!  Still making progress on the kitchen, but we don't have any deadlines hanging over our heads.

Tuesday, I was on my way to PK to do a visit when the cowling under the car came off again.  I didn't hit anything this time!  I pulled over and tried to call Dennis, but there is no cell phone coverage in that area.  I didn't know WHAT I was going to do.  Then this very sweet couple stopped, and the man crawled under the car and fastened it back on as well as he could.  He suggested I turn around and go home...SLOWLY.  As soon as I got home, we took it in to our body shop, and they fixed it up right.  Didn't charge us anything either!

Wednesday, we got the microwave/vent hood out to install it, and Dennis saw that it was damaged.  Someone had obviously dropped it on a corner, because it was all smashed in.  So we drove to Weatherford to exchange it at Best Buy.  Fortunately they had one in stock, so we only lost a 1/2 day, instead of three or four days!  The guys got the new one installed yesterday, and Dennis is getting all of the flue pipe hooked up this morning.  My old microwave still works fine, but when we started looking at vent hoods, it was just as cheap to get one with a microwave as without.  Since I won't have to take up valuable counter space for my old one, it is a win/win!  (Anybody need a used microwave?)  I tried it out last night on popcorn, and it cooks by sensor.  No more burned popcorn!  Woo-hoo!

We also got the kitchen ceiling lights up this week.  Sure is nice to be able to see!  We had been using Dennis' work light in there.  Ha!

Ricky has the entry way walls ready for texturing.  We didn't have to replace any sheetrock in there...he just mudded over the old texture.  I'm sure thankful to have him around to do all of the drywall work!  He does a great job!

I was released by my foot doctor yesterday.  I don't have to go back for 6 months (for an orthotic check).  I asked about the pain I'm still having, and she said it can last for a full year...it is from the scar tissue remodeling.  I can do anything that I feel like doing now.  I still have to do my foot stretches...and will for the rest of my life.  I also have to wear sensible (also known as expensive) shoes.  She didn't like the athletic shoes that I was wearing.  She said all of the popular brands have soft soles that breakdown too easy.  So I checked out the selection that they had in their orthotics store and found a pair on clearance.  (Who ever heard of clearance shoes costing $78 dollars!!!)  I'd like to find a good pair of dress (orthotic) shoes, but the ones they had on clearance weren't in my size, and I am NOT going to pay $120+ dollars if I can help it!  I'll just keep looking.  All of my current dress shoes cause my foot to blow up like a balloon.  I may be wearing these athletic shoes everywhere for awhile!

Looking forward to going to the Camp Meeting next week.  Dennis and I plan to leave early Wednesday morning and stay for the remainder of the week.  It will be good to see everyone and have a few days off from home renovations!

We got word this morning that Bryan Wells passed away overnight.  He has been struggling for a LONG time!  The past few weeks, he has been going between the rehab and hospital time and time again...getting weaker each time.  He was a fighter, but his poor body just finally had more than it could endure.  Please keep his family in your prayers.

Well, I guess it is about time to get lunch ready.  (I love being able to prepare food in my kitchen again!!!)  I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July weekend!