Life is fragile, handle with prayer

Good morning!  A lot of things going on in my life right now.  My little Becca has been sick for almost 2 weeks now.  She was diagnosed with strep on February 1.  Her only symptom was vomiting.  She's been on antibiotics since.  She is still sick...Heading back to the doctor today to find out what is going on.  Praying for an answer and praying she will feel better soon.  There is no worry like the worry you have when it's your child who's suffering.  Life is fragile, handle with prayer.

My precious Becca and I sharing a moment together

My Mema is also going through some medical issues in Florida.  She kept falling and extreme fatigue had set in.  When her fever reached 102, her husband Alan took her to the ER.  The worry on everyone's mind was that it was her heart valve, maybe it was infected.  Thank the Lord that wasn't the case.  She stayed for a few nights and was released after her fever had gone away and she was filled with fluids and strong antibiotics.  Praying that Mema will be feeling her normal self again. Life is fragile, handle with prayer.

Mema and I way back when...around 1980.
I've always loved this picture of us.

My friend Kimmy's husband Scott had a stroke a few weeks ago now.  It was out of the blue and in the blink of an eye, life was different for their entire family.  The stroke affected the right side of his body.  Some of his memory was affected as well.  He didn't know his family for the first 5 days or so.  Now he does and he's in therapy for rehabilitation.  Praying he'll make a 100% recovery.  Life is fragile, handle with prayer.

Scott with his 2 sweet daughters Carly and Sierra

Finally, praying diligently for my dear friend Cristina.  Her daddy has been enduring cancer for the last few years and it seems as if there is no more medicine that will help him.  Hospice has been called in and the family is cherishing every moment they can with him.  Cancer is awful.  I'm sure the most difficult thing in life is watching your daddy wither away.  I pray Crissy and her family can be strong in the days to come, reminisce on wonderful family memories and live in the present.  Cancer may steal a life but it can never steal your heart.  Life is fragile, handle with prayer.

Cristina with her sweet Daddy

 In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[c] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
~Romans 8:37

I'm Back

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted.  I guess life has gotten in the way a little.  Trying to be more dedicated to this blog in 2015.  New Year's at my place started 2015 off wonderfully.

All my family were able to visit from PA.  AND...the older girl's boyfriends were here too.  They are growing up...way...too...quickly.  We surprised my parents with new ipads for Christmas.  They were shocked and said, "you shouldn't have" as they tore into their boxes.  They deserve them...and so much more.  We were thrilled to have little Matthew visit.  He was such a pleasure to have at my home.  He and Tori were non-stop on the computer playing Minecraft.  Charlie played so much with Matthew too.  I think Matthew wants to come back very soon.  I think the 2 highlights of New Year's Eve were my dad goofing off with the strobe light on his head and my brother Matt making his killer pizza.  So blessed to have these memories etched in my heart.

My parents with their new toys surrounded by those who love them so much

Right before the start of 2015

Unbelievably good pizza

Dad was having a lot of fun...maybe too much fun.  It was great seeing the light-hearted, happy-go-lucky side of my Dad.

My 4 Seasons Treasures business is taking off.  I've been busy crocheting boot cuffs, knitting many sorts of scarves and creating tea cup soy candles.  I couldn't be more thrilled.  My goal is to expand onto ETSY (thanks Jeff for the start-up book for Christmas) to reach more of this wonderful world.  Just ordered new business cards today.  Wish me luck!

New for 2015

Thanks for stopping by.  Like I said, I plan to write more in 2015.  See you soon!

Figuring Life Out - One Thousand Gifts

I love this video.  I've decided to take the 1000 Gift Challenge by Ann Voskamp.  I've printed out the calendar with the prompts.  I need to write down and photograph 3 things/day which I'm thankful for based on the items/month.  I'm excited for this!

Just a fender bender....

In the blink of an eye, your world can change. God's grace can be felt in an instant. We experienced this yesterday evening as we received a phone call from Abigail. She was on her way home from work, about a mile from home, her blinker on, waiting to make one of the last turns before our neighborhood, when she was hit from behind. The car, driven by a middle aged man, must have been going pretty fast, evident by the 15 feet of skid marks leading up to Abigail's Kia Optima. His airbag deployed, Abigail's did not. Abigail was innocent. She was doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing. He was not. Maybe he was in a rush to get home, maybe he was on his phone, maybe he was blinded by the sun, whatever the reason, his car went into my little girl's car. She is ok. He is ok as well. Breathe.... Thank the Lord she is ok. Abigail called us, ever so calmly to tell us what happened and asked for her Daddy to come and meet her at the scene. Abigail first called 911, made sure the other driver did not leave the scene and quickly assessed the situation. She is such a smart girl. Maybe it's her EMT training, maybe it's just her but she KNEW what to do. She has never been in this situation but she knew to exchange insurance information, wait for the police and to not panic. So proud of the young lady she has become. I am thankful today for so many reasons but at the top of my list is for Abigail's safety from this accident. Every day a parent receives a phone call from a son, a daughter with very different outcomes...I am thankful for the grace I received yesterday, July 25, 2013, grace given to my daughter Abigail, on a little country road, in Greene country, Virginia.

Elizabeth is Driving

Wow, my Lil' Bit passed her permit test the end of June and is officially on the road driving her heart out! I can't seem to fathom this information. It was hard enough when Abigail went through this whole process but Elizabeth!!! She's Elizabeth, she's too little for this, she's can't be old enough to drive. But indeed she is. She counted down the days and literally begged us to take her to the DMV..she really wanted to go right on the 27th (exactly 6 months before her 16th birthday) but logistically we couldn't. She settled for a few days late. Jeff took her up to Culpeper, she marched right in, passed the test with flying colors and drove right home, not a care in the world. I'd say she is one excited girl. We're proud of you Bitster. We know you'll be a great driver. You've listened to us so far and heeded our advice. Keep that up and you will do fine. Always, always watch out for the other driver, it's them we're worried about, not you. Daughter #2 is on the road, Lord give us wisdom to teach her so she'll be safe on the road. She's in Your care!

21 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Abigail is 18

I know it is cliche, but it really does seem like yesterday when I found out I was pregnant with this sweet pea. That pregnancy flew by in an instant and I was in the hospital pushing for an eternity. I was determined to go all natural, no drugs...after 22 hours of labor, I was begging for the epidural. As fate would have it, Abigail made her appearance about an hour after the epidural was administered. If I could have just held out for another hour. It didn't matter, she was here, her beautiful little face, screaming as she entered the world and she really hasn't quieted down since. She says what she means and she means what she says. Jeff and I always said she would probably be a lawyer because she always would argue her point to no end. She would not give up, for anything. And we really did love this about her (well, maybe not always). Abigail is unique. She is going places. She was accepted early admission to Virginia Tech to the College of Sciences to study Biochemistry. Her dream is to become a doctor. We know nothing is beyond her reach because she is a fighter, she doesn't give us easily and once she sets her eyes on something, there is no stopping this little girl. I believe it with all my heart. Happy 18th birthday my sweet summer sunshine. You bring out the best in people. You have this magnetic personality about you. Once people meet you, they want to stay and get to know you better. You will notice this at VT. You will be a beam of sunshine shining on every corner of the campus. We love every little thing about you and nothing will ever chance that. 18 years of memories etched in my soul and on the pages of your journals. love out loud always.