New Year Fun!

I found this at Annie's, who found this at Sandra's, who saw this at Kelli's! Kelli had this on her blog and it looked like fun! When I saw it at Annie's, I decided to try it, too!

New Year Fun!With the New Year right around the corner, this is the perfect time for a peek through the past year of blogging. I would love for you to join in with me!Post the first sentence of your first blog post of each month. You can also add a favorite picture from each month. I would love to read your list if you decide to play along! Just leave me a comment and I'll come visit!

So, here is the first line of the first post of each month from my blog entries!

January

Ecclesiastes 3: (10) "I have seen the burden God has laid on men. (11) He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

February

Thirteen of the Greatest Promises I have been given!

March

Wordless Wednesday

April

5 Minutes for Mom is giving away a Dyson Slim Vacuum!

May

I know it's been a while since I last posted, but I am still adjusting to my new "schedule".

June

This week has been a long week for me! It has been a week full of surprises and somewhat of an emotional roller coaster!

July

Today I found out that my sister-in-law,Annie, nominated me for The "Blogger Reflection" award!

August

I never did get my “Grains of Gratitude” posted this week, but not because I did not have anything to post.

September

A tag from Annie!

October

Friday's Feast

November

I spent this weekend in Guthrie, at a ladies’ retreat hosted by Lodestar Ministries.

December

Jody and I went Christmas shopping yesterday and got a few things.

In His Love and Blessings
annb

Special Prayers Requested

A family in need of prayer has been brought to my attention - first by my daughter, Elizabeth and then by Pastor Craig at church on Sunday. Elizabeth had heard about this family through her Home School Loop and then discovered that she had graduated high school with the Dad, Rocky!

You can read their story here - about baby Jace, who suddenly stopped breathing on December 10 and remains hospitalized today. They are a young family with a firm belief in God and in the power of prayer. Please pray for Jace, the family and the medical staff caring for him. Please also pass along the link to other "Prayer Warriors" you know who will lift them in prayer before our God!

To visit the site you first have to sign in to CaringBridge. If you already are a member use your sign-in info and if you are not yet registered you may do so in order to access Jace's site.

In His Love and Blessings
annb

Christmas 2007

Christmas was great this year! Christmas Eve we met at Michael and Elizabeth’s house, which made it even better! We have always had our Christmas celebration together at Jody’s and my house so this year it was a special treat to be able to have it someplace else! Not that I don’t love having everyone at my house, because I do, but it was still fun to have it someplace different!

The kids had such a good time! Michael and Elizabeth gave each of the little guys a remote control helicopter – each on a different frequency so they could all fly them at the same time, but have control over their own! Those helicopters were flying all over the place! I think every one of us was a target – or maybe a landing strip? Thankfully, they were small and didn’t hurt . . . much!

Jeff was the only one not able to come and we missed him, but it was great for the rest of us to be together! The little ones loved opening their presents! Toni had made each of the kids – including our new baby due in February – a long sleeved t-shirt decorated with cute little designs on the front and on the back of each shirt she had, “Aunt Toni loves me!” She did a great job! The shirts turned out really cute!

Jody and I had given each of the grandkids a toy, a book and an outfit! I told the girls I had ulterior motives for the outfits because as soon as our new baby, Gabby arrives, I wanted them to wear the outfits for a group picture! We haven’t had a group picture of the grandkids in a while and I love having updated pics to keep at work. I’m really proud to be a grandma and I have some wonderful grandchildren! I am blessed beyond measure!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and I’m praying for a wonderful New Year in 2008!

In His Love and Blessings
annb

Christmas, Family & Memories

The weather forecasters were predicting snow for Saturday and we got snow! Not the amount they predicted, thankfully! I was certainly not looking forward to snow after the ice storm we were still recovering from last week.

Saturday was also Christmas! I know - not December 25, but Christmas nonetheless! My family - brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews - met for our Christmas get-together. We stopped exchanging gifts a long time ago because our family had just gotten so big that it seemed like we were spending a lot of money and time on gifts when all we really cared about was being together!

This time was as much a blessing as every other time. It was so great to see everyone, even though we were missing a few who had to work or had other places they had to be on Saturday. Those of us who were there had a great time! It seems so much harder to plan times when we can all meet anymore. We all - except of course, J (the baby brother) - have grown children who, like the rest of us, have other commitments in their lives. We talked about trying to plan to meet every other month at a designated place and those who could be there would be there! I hope it works out!

When we were all together Saturday, I felt my parent's absence so strongly! I miss them so much and especially Mother because it's been such a short time since she passed. Daddy passed away 13 years ago this month, yet it seems in some ways - as if it were yesterday!

Two years ago when we all met for Christmas all of my brothers, sisters and I - at the end of the day - took Mom aside and told her that it was time for her to move from my home into a long term care facility. That was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my life! I was working at the time and taking Mom, every day, to an adult day care while I worked. I thought there was no other option but for her to go into a nursing home. Little did I know how things would change so quickly.

I used to send out regular updates to my siblings, via email, letting them know how Mother was doing and any news to report on her. I went back this weekend and found the one I sent out asking my siblings to help me tell her, when we met for Christmas, about the move. It was so hard reading it - as if the pain was fresh!

Then I found the one that I sent shortly after she moved and it was a little better. I have included it here:

----- Original Message -----
From: Ann Bailey
To: C; G ; J ; J
Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2006 11:33 AM
Subject: Mom
Well, we made the move on Sunday - Mom is now at the nursing home - address is:
Manor Care Southwest
5600 S Walker Rm 254A
Oklahoma City, OK 73109

She has adjusted very well. Sunday was really hard. Kathy, Jeannie. and Me, along with the rest of our families sat together with Mom on Sunday - took up two whole pews. That afternoon, Kathy, Randy, Chance, Elizabeth, Addy, Jody and me all went together to take Mom over there. She didn't cry then - cried every day since we told her, but didn't when we took her over there. We all stayed until she went to supper about 5:15 - she actually went to the dining room to eat - and then Kathy and Randy went home and the rest of us went to eat and then returned. I helped her get ready for bed, got her all tucked in and then we left to go home about 8:00. I called yesterday first thing and talked to her nurse who said Mom slept all night and when I called she was sitting up by the nurse station where she had been since right after breakfast.

Elizabeth and Chance sat with her during Monday afternoon - Mom slept half the afternoon, so they just got her side of the room arranged so that Mom would be able to see the TV if she wanted to while she was in bed, and they made room for her to be able to put her wheelchair in the room.

I went up right after work and sat for about 45 minutes with her. She then went to supper and the kids and I went to Wal-Mart to get her a few things - diet soda, sugar free candy, stick-free gum, tweezers (for her wild eyebrows) and a permanent marker to leave in her room so we can be sure everything she has is marked when it's left there.

We went back to see her after we ate dinner and left about 8:00. Mom told us that Jim and Sheila came by with Ethan to visit with her a little bit while we were gone. Mom wasn't ready to go to bed yet when we left, but she said when she got ready she would be fine.

Mom also told me and said she told Jim and Sheila that she is fine now. She is adjusting to being in the nursing home and she didn't cry at all yesterday (Monday). She has been talking to some of the other residents a little bit and getting to know her roommate a little bit.


I think she's been amazing through all of this. Since we told her on 12/18, she has been really sad and Sunday was the worst day yet. After church we came home and she and I both cried together. She said she just felt so alone, even though she said she knows she's not, and that she needed Daddy so much right then just to be able to talk to him about everything that was happening. While we were packing some things to take with her, she really didn't care about anything, whether she took things or not. She took the picture of her and Daddy together and said that was the only picture she wanted to take now. She will take the rest of her pictures when she's moved to her room on the long term care wing. Right now she is temporarily on the skilled nursing wing, which is for people who are just there temporarily while they receive treatment after an injury or hospitalization.

I am having a phone installed for her - they will install service to her room tomorrow and then when she moves, I will just have them move the service to her new room. Her phone number is (405) 636-0544 and will stay the same as long as she is at this home. I just set up Basic service - blocked any long distance and 900 numbers, so that her phone could not be used by someone else trying to call out of the local service.

Elizabeth is going to sit with her every day this week while Mom settles in and I will probably go each evening, at least this week.

I'm not so worried about her now, but she is getting more and more frail every day. I have seen her age so much in the last six months and I know that her passing gets closer each day. She is still on JuicePlus and her health is pretty good right now - she still doesn't need insulin for her diabetes and her blood pressure is good. She is having a lot more trouble walking - her legs tire much quicker and she is really tired.

She will see the house doctor tomorrow morning and Elizabeth plans to be there tomorrow, hopefully while the doctor is there to see Mom. Mom wants to be sure the doctor doesn't start up the medications that Dr Mathias discontinued, will continue the JuicePlus and also wants to be sure the doctor knows how bad her incontinency is so that the staff will let her use the amount of supplies she needs to help control that situation. Hopefully with Elizabeth there, between the two of them, they will be able to communicate to the doctor everything that needs to be.

She is doing so well - I'm really proud of her. She told me last night that she had really been worrying about having to get out in the weather every day to go to the Daycare, especially if there was ice or snow on the ground. She does worry more about falling than she used to - I guess because she has had so many falls in the last six months.

Well, just thought I'd give you an update and give you the address and her new phone number.

I love you all and will talk later.
Ann

I'm so thankful that God showed me a few months later that there was another option - I quit my job and brought Mom back home. I'm thankful for my husband, Jody, who willingly welcomed her back home and took on the full financial responsibility for our household. I was so blessed to be able to care for Mother those last few months and have her at home when she passed - surrounded by children who loved her and cherished every moment.

This weekend really has been a good one even though it brought back the memories of having to send my Mother to a nursing home! It also helped me remember how much I loved her and how she blessed my life!

I went through some of her things and returned them to family members who had given her some of her most precious material gifts. They meant so much to her and I wanted them returned to those who had lovingly given them to her.

I also went through some of her clothes and will take them to work for Miss Emma, our housekeeper. She is such a sweet lady, in her 60's, living alone and on a limited income. I know that she will appreciate them and care for them. I cried as I put them in a sack - I didn't know it would be so hard to give away her things! I have not been able to go through them since Mother passed - until now! I think I'm really ready now for some healing!

In His Love and Blessings
annb

We're Home!

Yay! We're home again! We got home last night about 11:00 to a nice warm, lighted house!

The drive home was in the dark but I could see all along the way broken trees everywhere! As I drove in to work this morning, in the daylight, I could see even more destruction! We are so blessed to already be back home with electricity. Two of the women at work still have no electricity.

It's really strange to drive down the road and one block is lit - the next block is dark! It seems like there's no rhyme or reason to the system. Many of the traffic lights are out - they have become 4-way stops. My drive to work and home took a lot more time than usual because of the lack of electricity along the way.

When we got home last night the first thing I did was clean out the fridge and freezer. Of course, that meant everything had to go! Chance is still out of school and he called me at work today complaining there was no food in the house! Oh yeah, I threw it all away! I had to make a grocery run after work today!

So many things have been affected by the storm. Things I never thought about before going through it this week! A friend from work lost her father-in-law over the weekend and the funeral had to be rescheduled three times because there was no electricity to the funeral home. They could not have a viewing at the funeral - again, because of the electricity being out this week! I can't imagine how devastating that would be. My friend was having a pretty tough time with all of it.

I am going to post pictures as soon as I can - probably this weekend. We live in the "woods" and there are so many trees broken. The boat was parked beside a tree and the tree is completely broken in half but instead of falling on the boat it is hanging over the other side. It looks almost like the boat was pulled into the "shelter" of the two sides of the tree.

We don't have any major damage - or maybe I should say any real property damage! I got teary eyed this morning as I left because I saw some of the trees that my Dad planted here when he first bought the property - almost 30 years ago! He loved those trees so much. I hope they come back stronger and even more beautiful than before!

What a week! Now they're predicting snow beginning tomorrow night and some are saying that the extra weight of the snow may cause further damage. Today was supposed to be a bit warmer, but I sure didn't feel it! We still have a layer of ice covering the porch, the trees and everything around. The roads are clear which is a definite plus!

Saturday has been planned - for some time now - for my brothers and sisters and our families to get together to celebrate our family Christmas. I just pray that the weather doesn't prevent us from being together. Two of my brothers live a distance away and it would be terrible if they weren't able to get here because of the weather. This will be our first Christmas without my Mom and I can already feel her absence. I'm sure if the weather is bad we will just reschedule. It may not be until after the 25th, but it will still be Christmas if we're all together!

In His Love and Blessings
annb

Still In Limbo

You know, as much as I love my daughter and enjoy being with her as much as possible, "Limboland" is not a pleasant place to be! Here we are - still no power, no water, no heat and I feel guilty because I want so badly to get back to my own home!

Watching the news today and seeing that they have set up a shelter in downtown OKC for people who have no place to go for heat, food and other necessities - I'm almost ashamed of myself for feeling the way that I do! I dread going back to the house because I know that I am going to have to clean out the fridge and freezer, which won't be pleasant at all! Hopefully since it's still be cold and we didn't have any heat it won't be too bad, yet.

Jody called and is on his way to the house to check and see if we have power yet. I guess if we do and if they delivered our propane like they were supposed to do on Friday last week - we can go home again!

I would like to get back to a normal life. It's no fun living out of a suitcase!

I'm also very thankful that we have a place to go when we need it. I'm thankful for the reminder of what's important!
In His Love and Blessings
annb

LimboLand!!!!

Here I am in Limboland! Actually I am at my daughter and son-in-law's house and have been since yesterday evening because we have no power at my house! We lost power on Sunday evening about 5:00 because of the weather. We are in the midst of an ice storm here. We live in the country surrounded by woods and I'm afraid the trees are all in trouble.

The power came back on about 2 1/2 hours later on Sunday and stayed on for about 20 minutes then went off again. It came back on a couple of times that evening, but then went off about 10:30 and has not come back on since and they're saying it could be 7 to 10 days before the power is restored!

We stayed at the house on Sunday evening and at the time we went to bed we had power. I woke up several times during the night because of the thunder - thunder during the ice storm! Jody got up and went to work on Monday morning even though they were discouraging travel. School as closed so Chance and I stayed home all day. During the day we noticed a couple of trees leaning precariously toward the living room windows. Chance went outside to see if he could chop the trees down and make them fall in the opposite direction, but he just couldn't do it with only one hand.

Chance and I stood outside for a little while and you could hear the trees breaking everywhere around us. It was eerily quiet until you heard the crack and then we could see the tops of the trees falling to the ground. So many of the trees around us are broken! It really is horrible to see.

Our driveway is about 1/8 of a mile long and when Jody left to go to work on Monday he had to come back to the house and get a machete to chop the branches hanging down over the driveway. By the time he came home the driveway was completely covered with broken branches and trees that had fallen across the driveway. He could not even drive down to the house! He had to get the chainsaw and it took him about an hour, with Chance's help, to clean the driveway enough to get to the house.

We were due for a propane delivery on Friday last week, but for some reason they did not deliver it and then we were extremely low. Jody decided we could not stay at the house Monday evening because he didn't know if the propane would last all night! It was one thing to stay home with no electricity with heat! It was completely another to stay with no electricity, no water and no heat!

We decided to camp out at Elizabeth's until the power is restored. Jody spent all day today, after taking off work, cleaning the trees from the driveway and around the house again! He just now, at 8:05 pm, walked in for supper. He is completely worn out. He said he had to cut down a lot of the branches that were hanging down over the electric and cable lines around the house.

School is closed tomorrow again because . . . still no power! I will be going in to work tomorrow from Elizabeth's. I don't even have my car here so I'll have to use her car, too. It makes it hard - not being able to be at home and not knowing how long before we can go back home! I am definitely being reminded how blessed we are to have electricity in our homes!

I took some pictures around the house on Monday but since I'm not at home I can't download them to my computer . . . which is not powered, but I'll post them as soon as I'm back home. I'm using Michael's laptop now.

That's the scoop for now! Please pray for all of us in Oklahoma who are are limbo. I am so thankful that we had a place we could go to when we needed it. Pray for those who have no place to go! Please pray that we Oklahomans will get back to normal soon!

In His Love and Blessings
annb

It's Beginning To Feel Like Christmas!

Jody and I went Christmas shopping yesterday and got a few things. I still have so much to do before I'm ready for the BIG day! We are not extremely extravagant in the gifts we give, but we do try to match each gift to the person receiving it! Sometimes that is really difficult!

Chance, of course, is our biggest "givee"! Since he is our only child at home anymore, he gets the Christmas "goodies"! Jody and I don't do much for each other because it seems kind of silly to spend money on each other just because it's Christmas! We will exchange something - but nothing big!

We bought a new Christmas tree this year. I have never enjoyed putting up and decorating the Christmas tree. Yes, I admit it! Bah Humbug! I don't think I'm a Scrooge, but that is just really not my thing. When Candace was still at home she always decorated! She even came out last year and decorated my tree for me. I felt a bit guilty and didn't ask her this year. She still enjoys decorating - it's just in a different house now - her own!

When Jody and I went shopping yesterday, I asked him if we could get a new tree - smaller and already lit! Yay! He said yes and we got one. It's much smaller around and I don't have to string lights! I don't care if I get anything else for Christmas or not - the tree absolutely makes the season for me! I trimmed the tree with candy canes (which will be gone before Christmas!), colored bells and bulbs and voila! Beautiful tree in 1/4 of the time!

This past week flew by! Chance is still recovering from surgery on his wrist so I kept him home from school this week. He goes back to school tomorrow. He will have the stitches taken out on Friday and I guess Dr. M will schedule a time for the rods to be removed from his hand at that appointment.

Chance has been going with a girl, I'll call her B, for a couple of months now and she spent a little more time at our house this past week. She is so sweet! It's fun to have another girl around again. She went to church with us this morning and then to lunch afterward. She then came over to the house and we watched movies this afternoon. I'm really proud of the way Chance is behaving himself - a true gentleman!

B's mom brags to me all the time how polite Chance is when he is at their house. She is really enjoying him being around. It makes me feel good as a mom to hear another mom bragging on my son! He is so quickly becoming a man!

I turned 50 this past week! I can say it without pain - 50! The girls in our department decorated my office quite lavishly! They brought snacks for the day and I'm supposed to plan a day to go to lunch with everyone - my choice of restaurants! It's always fun for us to go to lunch together! It's fun to get out of the office and spend time together! I know, I always say it - but it's true - I work with a great group of women!

Addy called me tonight after attending the Hannah Montana concert! She was so excited! Her daddy took her as a special treat. She wanted to tell me all about it - she saw Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers! She's six years old! Sometimes it seems like she should not be so excited about a singer at her age, but then I remember how I dreamed about Elvis and I was pretty young then, myself!

Well, I got another week gone and new one beginning! I'm not sure what will be happening this week other than Dr. M for Chance and probably more Christmas shopping. That is, more shopping as soon as I figure out what to buy!

In His Love and Blessings
annb