today's gifts

These are a few of the things I am grateful for today:

201. a new wreath for the front door...my daughter's handiwork!
202. grilled beef short ribs...one of our favorites...yum!

203. the daylilies that were planted by the people we bought our house from
        thirty seven years ago...they bloom faithfully every year
204. new employees at our office...always glad for more help!

205. a new birdhouse by the front porch.
206. friendly, pleasant cashiers

207. watching the hubby having fun with the grands...this is what she did while
        her "bubba" was playing ball!

208. planning adventures!

209. our wood hydrangea bush...such pretty blossoms!
210. freedom...bought and paid for by the sacrifices of many!

grand camp

It most definitely was a "grand" five days!

We picked up our Tenn grandgirlies in Atlanta

on Saturday and headed south.

 On the way home, we stopped at

Dauset Trails... a pretty nature center.

They take care of injured animals

and either release them or give them a

safe home. They also have a barnyard 

and a replica of a early American homestead.

  

There's an educational center, a beautiful lake,

picnic tables, camping, and even a chapel 

for weddings.

And it is all FREE!
 They run the entire center on donations!

When we arrived home, our grandboy

 was waiting for us! They are always

happy to see each other...that's sweet!

The"arts and crafts" part of our camp included...

playdough.

"Would you like a roasted marshmallow?"

There was chalk art on the front porch

and jewelry making...

beaded bracelets!

For "recreation", there was a trip

to Monkey Joe's...lots of bouncing and

and sliding...

...a trip to the park

...the grandboy's t-ball game...

...and a trip to our friend's pool!

And "education" called for a trip

to the Museum of Arts and Sciences

in our neighboring city.

There were animals to see...

live ones, too...

puzzles to design...

...fossils to dig for...

...music to make...

sound effects to create...

...and there was a planetarium, too.

but we couldn't take pictures there!

We also played ball in the front yard

 and Wii in the family room, we colored

 and played computer games.

We watched movies, read books,

 and spent time swinging on the

front porch.

So grateful they could come

 and that they wanted to come.

That makes this Gran's heart glad! :-)

oh, the pitty, pitty patter ...

...of little, bitty feet

gonna pitty, pitty patter through our house!

Having fun with the "grands" this week!

The charts and the scanner are gonna have

 to do without me for a few days!!

I can scan, can you?

This is my new friend at work!

google image

We are converting to electronic medical records
 at the doctor's office where I work.

 That means that all our charts and all new paper info

 (bloodwork, pathology reports, new patient info, etc)

has to be scanned into our new computer software. 

Since I am the official "keeper of the charts",

 that job is now mine! 

As a result, I have been working much longer days

these past three weeks. 

Once we get the bulk of the charts done,
 it will get better, but I think it is going to be a while
 before that happens!

I told the hubby that I wasn't sure I liked having

 all this responsibility. 

The doctor, PAs and the medical assts. are counting
 on me so they can have the info they need in their iPads. 

In our staff meeting yesterday, I asked them to be patient.

 Just as they are learning how to use the emr,
 I am learning how to scan things correctly. 

So far, we seem to be working together pretty well.

Adjusting to new things is difficult sometimes.

 We like the comfort of the familiar.

I have been doing the same job, with a only a
 few changes, for almost 13 years. 

I had a routine... a system
 that was efficient and productive. 

Typically, I could predict how long my work day would be

 and could make plans around it. 

Well, all that has pretty much been tossed out the window! 

The "new" part of my job is not hard, but it is

time consuming and it has to be done in a timely manner.

Our office manager has and is working hard to make sure

 the conversion is successful.

I want to support her and do my part responsibly so she

 doesn't have to be concerned about it. 

With longer hours comes larger pay checks...which is nice. 

Now, if I just had time to spend some of it!! ha! ha!

a legacy

This is what I am thinking about on Mother's Day...

Legacy

by Nicole Nordeman

Don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all who's who and so-n-so's that used to be the best
At such'n'such ... it wouldn't matter much 

 

I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights
We all need an 'Atta boy' or 'Atta girl'
But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world 

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who
blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile
To make a lengthy list of all that I enjoy
It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile
Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy

Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred
Just want to hear instead, "Well Done" good and faithful one... 

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who
blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

don't jump

google image

I watched this mini-series on Net Flix recently.
 It is a re-telling of the Pride and Prejudice story.
 He's proud, she's prejudiced. He has a troubled

past that has hardened him and
 she judges his actions without knowing the whole story.
She has a secret that she cannot share for fear of endangering

someone in her family. Then, he judges her actions
 without knowing the whole story!
They both jumped to incorrect conclusions.

How often do I do that?
Make a presumption about someone or something

without knowing the truth.
It is so easy to do...and so wrong to do!

Reputations can be ruined, relationships damaged,
 lives wrecked.

The movie ended happily...they forgave and forgot.
 But life doesn't always go so perfectly.

 Phil. 4:8 says:

"... you’ll do best by filling your minds and
 meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic,
 compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst;

 the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse."

 The Message Bible

Think the best, assume the best, expect the best...an excellent way to 

see others and avoid the "jump to judge"!

our little "grad"!

We had a fun weekend in Tenn despite the cold, rainy weather!

 There were games to be played, movies to watch,

 shopping to be done, and good food to be eaten! 

Sunday marked a First Anniversary...so the girls kept us entertained

 while Mom and Dad had a date to celebrate!

Monday morning, we attended a very special event...

our sweet grandgirl's kindergarten graduation. 

It was early...at nine o'clock...which was probably good  for the teachers! 

I imagine their excitement would have been hard to contain!

 The gym was decorated nicelywith stars and balloons. 

And the grads were adorable in their royal blue caps and gowns.

Here's our girl getting her "diploma" from her teacher!

Celebrating with her classmates!

Afterwards, in her classroom with Mom and Dad...

Grand and Chief...

and her sweet teacher!

She chose to go to Olive Garden for lunch...

smart girl!

And their were gifts...pearls from Mom and Dad...

perfect gift for a little lady!

And a bible from me and the hubby.

I was so glad to find a cute "girly"

one in a good translation that she can read 

and understand!

We are proud of our "little" graduate!

She enjoys school and has done well.

I pray she will continue to have a desire

to learn...at school, at home, and from

God's Word.

We love you, sweet girl, and look forward

to seeing what God has in store for you

in the years to come!

Congratulations!

today's gifts

Here are a few of the things I am grateful for today:

191. A fun, productive day of fishing for the hubby!
192. Kix cereal...more volume with less carbs!
193. our shady yard
194. a hubby who is happy to do the grocery shopping
195. the wings at Sonny's BBQ
196. the funny things our grands say
197. a spring breeze
198. a trip to Tenn this weekend for a K-5 graduation!
199. the faithful who have come before me
200. and the faithful who now surround me!  

"Faithfulness is not doing something right once

 but doing something right over and over
 and over and over."

Joyce Meyer

backyard view

Today was a pleasant, cloudy, breezy, spring day. The temperature was mild and the breeze felt nice on my face. So, I decided to take a stroll around the back yard and see what was going on! I found
blooms on some of the water hyacinths in our fish pond. They are a lovely lavender with that little
blue explosion on one petal.

 The palms in the pond are tall and green and and some of them have those little yellow centers.

 The potted hydrangeas are looking happy and their little blossoms are beginning to develop.

 I planted three of these last year by our patio. Can't for the life of me remember what they are.
They look like coleus, but they aren't. Anyway they died back and came back...which is nice!

Funny thing, a little farther down the sidewalk, in a crack in the driveway, there are three
more of the tiny plants! How did that happen??

We have a family of frogs that keep watch over the pond. Hubby bought this funny pair
last year on clearance at KMart. We are glad they practice catch and release!

Our daughter made this in a ceramics class at our local recreation dept when she was about
ten. He has lived a long life and has faithfully guarded our yard all these years!

I received this "cup and saucer"bird feeder as a favor last year at a wedding shower for our son
and daughter-in-law. I'm not very faithful about keeping bird seed in it, but when it rains, it is another source (in addition to our two birdbaths) for water for the birds that visit our yard. And, besides it
looks pretty!!

It's been a busy three days at work and with the sad news about our friends, my head has been a little foggy. So, it was nice to breathe the fresh air and enjoy the view...even if it was just in our own backyard!