I found myself at a funeral today... I went with my husband to support his longtime friend who lost his wife... I did not know the woman. I had not been to a funeral since mom died in February. I was sitting there minding my own business when I was overpowered by a cascade of emotions! Sneeky things...emotions! Just as I think I have some control they smack me upside the head once again. In keeping with the idea of counting blessings at ALL times I am trying to count these...

• Able to feel emotions at all
• had a mom worth remembering
• have a car that will get to a funeral
• have a husband to go with
• have someone to be with my son Andy so I can go
• 
  

There...that is how i get started counting those blessings and praising GOD for each and every one! 
How about you? 
What are you counting as your blessings today?? 

family laughter

No pics but day filled with blessings! Yesterday as I was running in 12 directions I decided to stop for a bite(spinach/shrimp salad)... when I slowed down chewing low and behold there sat my sister V! She was taking her lunch break and we got to visit for a change... it was nice. Then I got home and there was sister N from Oklahoma and 2 of her kids... there was picture looking and genuine laughter to be had by all.  It is so glad to get to reconnect. To top this day off at bedtime my youngest son called to see if I was ok "since you didn't call me today?" I think this touched me more than anything else all day to know that that this child from Ohio all grown up decided to check on his mom... Such blessings are precious... Did you count your blessings yesterday? Let's count them together today... ok?? :)

Mom's Birthday

My Mom...She made it to 72!!  She is not sure she is so glad about that but it is better than not being here at all.   She got some nice phone calls and gifts and was properly honored for this milestone.  Does this kind of thing seem to solidify goals for you? It seems to make my goals more tangible. 
She is now beginning to see her grandchildren present us with children and it is her pleasure to hear of each new addition on the way!  It does not make my goals of seeing my grandchildren's grandchildren seem so far fetched...
Seeing other people meet goals often helps me keep pressing on toward my own... When teaching I stressed setting goals and meeting them is such a big part of any progress.  Even tiny goals are progress!!  I have to sometimes be my own cheerleader but it does help to meet even the tiny ones...
Every project every goal is made up of many small steps and sometimes I have to celebrate each tiny step on the way to a BIG goal or project...

1. celebrating each 10lbs instead of looking at the 180 or so to go!!!
2. gaining control of the front yard instead of looking at the whole 6 acres!!
3. sewing one new dress instead of the whole summer wardrobe

What are your goals? What are your first tiny steps to reach them?
Remember to count your blessings along the way!! :)

baking yard!

I  the midst of all the daily life challenges I have noticed that my yard seems to be baking... Leaves drooping on trees and grass crunching underfoot... window shades shut tight and  a/c humming along... cats and dogs laying in shade panting... sprinklers making rainbows as they scatter water over tomatoes and peppers that are standing tall trying their best to produce a bite or two... dirt, wall siding, cars, all hot to the touch... such is life in our corner of East Texas... We are so ready for a trip north to see family in Ohio and sit in lake Erie...hahaha!!
So now to count my blessings...

1. yard to bake
2. trees in yard
3. window shades
4. sprinklers (rainbows)
5. cats n dog
6. tomatoes n peppers
7. dirt of my own
8. walls :)
9. cars
10. and family in OHIO!!

Join me and let's keep counting those wonderful blessings together!!!

inspiration...

Where do we find the inspiration we need to become something more than we are at this time? Often mine is found in my family.  I am beginning to embark on a journey to restore my health.  It will take at least the next year and include several surgeries.  I need to concentrate on the results... not the challenges that I face.  Break it into manageable goals that will result in final goals being met.  It has been such a blessing to finally find a med(savella) that is controlling the fibromylagia pain after 20+years! Blessings abound with the addition of water therapy (started in April) and physical therapy (started in June) and the cortisone shots(first in June) as a stop gap until the surgery on my joints can be done.  Now to be stepping into the process for bariatric surgery(http://www.tylerbariatrics.com/ ) is an adventure with mixed emotions...but I am glad that it is available to me.  I crave the support of my family and dear friends... to be surrounded with prayers and positive thoughts and words of encouragement will be part of the secret of my success... I thank all who will join me.

end of another week... 9-24-2010

Elizabeth birthday girl 

cj birthday boy

on the road...again...

another week slipped past... oldest son hurt at work... blew up his knee... will have to see an orthopedic surg... his birthday was Monday and grand baby Elizabeth's was Thursday... got to spend quality time with them both... am trying to pack to prepare for our winter south... so now down to decision time... it is beginning to chill up here but still in the 90s there so have to pack warm and cool for down there... sweetie wants to pack some tools and such to take also... and also must make sure all is on target here 'cause youngest son is staying here... life is full of decisions... i just have to remember that "every decision I make is a choice between an grievance and a miracle!" (that statement is on my fridge)... so here I go into the decision making world... wish me luck and send prayers after me...

end of this week... 9/17/2010

ending a week... pulled my knee again... slows all my plans down... but must keep on progressing...
packed clowns away this morning... am going to try to pack other things that are not needed right now and decide if I need them or not... if I do not dig in the box for the next 6 months then I must not need it very bad... the only exception is emotionally important items... I need to remember I cannot be emotionally attached to EVERYTHING  that comes my way...
I must limit myself... this is easier said than done... I have been trying to limit myself to reference books lately... the kind that could be helpful if for some reason I could not look something up on the puter!!!
I must also develop a preferred clothing style and begin to limit myself there... BIG problem is there what I want to wear is neither "in style" nor "attractive"... it is just comfortable... so it is also embarrassing to my children and grandchildren... hahaha!!

let's all do the simplicity shuffle...

today I will practice the simplicity shuffle...
pick up... decide... store/throw out... pick up... decide... store/throw out...
that sounds simple enough... right?
so why do I often fall over myself doing this? How hard can it be to "decide"...
none of these things are life altering decisions... keep this widget or not?
my house is overflowing with widgets, thingamajigs and such... I need to see clear spaces and special items on display... gotta get to work!!

fall beginning...

fall is beginning...

or so they say...

I am not through with summer yet! I had a wonderful summer playing with babies... at the beach, playground, river, and even in the living room...

I know the snow is on it's way and my bones will not tolerate it... so I will have to escape to Texas "south for the winter" snowbirds... How do I survive and even breathe so far from my sons and grandbabies... Sometimes it is more than I can do... But I intend to haunt these pics and hang on tight to memories to get me through to the next time I can see those wonderful faces and feel those young arms wrapped around me once more...

one more time...

his life is simple....

his is simple too...

How to simplify... hahaha this should be simple!
Figure out what I need and release the rest...
What about what the other people in my house deem as worthwhile...
Do I ignore their wishes? Try to convince them they really don't need this or that...
Being on both ends of this simple issue makes it complex...
So... start with one part of a room at a time... and then move on around the room one piece at a time...
Now let's see... do I need_____???

birthday #53

ok... I have lived through another Birthday... now to be middle aged I will have to live to be 106! This is doable...right?
To take inventory...
1. still weigh too much, 2. grey is increasing, 3. wrinkles are increasing, 4. seeking simplicity and seem to be gaining on it...hence the grey increasing (no more dye), 5. children are grown up men now, 6. grandbabies growing...3yr old informed me she is NOT a baby! another one starting school in fall...
Goals?
1. Andy's independence increase
2. Increase my health earmarks
    a. blood pressure continue to be normal
    b. stamina continue to increase with Victoza
    c. cholestrol continue to decrease
3. continue simplification of homestead
4. develop stream of income
5. not dwell on weight loss but on health increasing...

laxy saturday

starting out to be a lazy day... mom asleep alot... james feeling down and staying dizzy... dad gone to visit his brother... i am finally over my toothache but now do not want to go get it pulled now that the anitbiotic has worked! I just want to get in the car and head north to the cooler climate and my grandbabies giggles are calling me... To hell with dr appointments and such just let me outta here! This being a grown up stinks... so how is your day...

mom with her "red honeysuckle"

stool grown in among the treesour new neighbor!

making choices to be here instead of spending all my time north with grandbabies and sons & DIL has not been easy... but days like yesterday with mom in her garden talking "teaching" me all about the plants she has gathered there and feeling that these days are not going to last forever make this choice feel like a wise one... not long before I will get to go north to share special days with the rest of the family... but for now this is where I belong...

life happens

am now getting a chance to rework and create my own spot here in Texas...I have bought my parents 1 acre homestead and inherited the 5 attached acres from my grandfather... may get to add another 5 if one of the sisters agrees she wants to sell her portion... so now to make it mine...
property is in much disrepair and needs to be cleaned up and made useable. House and property could be used for a hoarder series on the tv... So here we go...
biggest issue is how to simplify when my parents are still going to be living on the property and we must merge and work together to join our lives and not be in each others nerves ALL THE TIME!!

other than clean up and tuck away we are reworking an old camper into a potting shed greenhouse... will be posting pics

please wish me luck...and send up prayers...

misscathy

mom's day

today is mom's day...I know a lot of mom's and like most of them... haha. Life is changing as my mom needs more and my kids need less... it is my turn to clean and guard mom instead of her watching over me... this is a time to preserve memories and listen to clues so I can continue to please my mom as she becomes less and less of herself and more and more who she is becoming as she ages... I pray heaping blessings upon all the mothers that are a part of my life and my history...

a new joy filled year?

A new year and what will it hold... lots of hugs and grandbaby kisses... laughter and prayer... looking for joy where it can be found... I know sometimes we have to search for these simple things... some days they are harder to find than others... the world here is covered in snow and much is hidden just like the joy is sometimes hidden in our life... it takes determination sometimes to find it... a choice to seek the joy in our little lives... the taste of a strawberry, the breeze on a hot day, the snore of the one you love beside you, giggle of a child on the phone, "I love you" long distance from someone who means it... tiny things in this HUGE world but all can bring joy into my little life... I will search for these things and FIND them this year...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY!!!

andy in the ohio snow...he does go outside!

andy and david

andy and tina

andy's smile

busy andy

best pic forward

busy on line

halloween "i don't do costumes"

early andy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY!!!

Hope this day is a wonderful one for you...

27 so grown...

who told you that you could do that?

love ya mom...

homestead at last!!

papa's shed on property
signed papers with mom n dad

deer in front yard

same deer

tiny flowers in back yard

mystery tree fruit mystery tree?

flowerbed?

front yard

lucky ladybugs...in bedroom window

So excited to be on our way to establishing a homestead for our family...ya know one of those places for family to come "home" to... Signed papers to take over Mom n Dad's acre and have inherited 5 more adjoining it from Papa... so it is really old family land and we have a chance to make it our own...Have been doing some cleaning and organizing but will talk more about that later...here are a few pics just to give you a glimpse... grand baby Chad in Ohio wanted to know what Texas looked like...so here it is buddy...

this is gonna be a great adventure for us...

perfect rest? yes, if my mind is set on GOD...

sister's love...pure perfection... decisions...decisions...decisions...

Setting priorities is a ways a challenge...

When my boys were little it was easy... They were first even when they didn't think so...they were... Now there are grandbabies and parent needs that are a part of the mix... I want to be helpful and available for them all... only kink is they are 1100 miles apart!!! So now I am working out logistics to be there for them all... I have a partner in all this. He is quite strong and knowledgeable, and available anytime I need a shoulder to cry on or a new idea or just to know someone is in this situation with me... no it is not my sweetheart (his is all those things as well). It is my GOD... He is always there and can watch over all my little family here and afar and keep all them tucked under his wing of protection. He is always ready with a new idea or plan if I will take the time to let him whisper it into my ear... I just have to remember that he is willing if I am ready. He can protect them all and lead them when I am not right there...he is... I often wonder how others do it all without his support...it must be so hard... well I will go get busy.

you be blessed today...

james birthday

happy birthday to you...

happy birthday to you...

happy birthday dear sweetheart...

happy birthday to you!!!

today is your birthday we are so glad you came along...

today is your birthday so we're singing you this song...

you are older and you are wiser since you lived this long...

today is your birthday so we'te singing you this song!!!

you be blessed today...

to the beach!!

trip to the beach!!!

all the grandbabies together for a change...

mom and dad too!!!

it was a nice day... I enjoyed it...

even went for ice cream after...

you be blessed today...

new car!!

I am so excited...

Haven't written in a few days because I have been running around in my new car...

We needed it to be able to run to and from Texas when the mood strikes us...

It is also much better on gas than the old '93 ford Econoline 250...

So now I have Penelope Texas Cruiser...my pt cruiser...

can you tell?

I am excited?

Here is a pic of the guy who helped me...

Jose Tirado at JD Byrider...good to do business with here in Ashtabula OH...

Certainly made my day a happy one...

Go see him if you have a chance...tell him misscathy sent ya!