Simplify: Chapter 56A, Page 1

It's been nearly a year since my last blog.  Sounds kind of like going to confession in the Catholic church a bit.  But life is ever changing, and this chapter has opened with getting back to the basics:  Faith, Family, Friends, and Simplicity.

There has been no need for crafting, or achieving some new 'design' to brag about.  That's not where my spirit is in the beginning of Chapter 56.  I've done all that, and if the good Lord wants that part put back into my life again, so be it.  I certainly have the tools and supplies to handcraft numerous items.  :)  So if some of you follow www.thetygerlily.com there won't be much action over there (so no link is included).  I'm letting that part of life go for now.

With becoming a techno geek(ish) gal, loving all there is to the iPad and Galaxy we've been blessed with, it still doesn't meet the inner need for pen, paper, pencils and highlighters....  So.....

I've challenged myself with getting back to the basics of organization, keeping things simple, and being of service when the occasion arises.  This will be a LONG process, as even though we live in a small duplex, there is a lot to organize and let go of.  There is an organizer/planner out there called the "7 Minute Life Daily Planner" from The Seven Minute Difference.  It is only big enough for a 3-month span of time, or one quarter of a year.  Most businesses run this way, so why not give my own life this small increment of time to achieve some goals that MEAN something.  Not necessarily monetary goals, but ones that come from my heart, of who I am and where God would lead.  There are parts of this planner that I probably won't use due to the structure already put in place at work, and with my position.  But these can be tweaked into the values I want to incorporate.  The "5 before 11" section is where your top 5 priorities of the day should go:  get them all done before 11:00 am.  I'm replacing those with the 5 things I'm most grateful for during that day.  So the 11:00 am turns into an 11:00 pm.  It's also going to help me watch what I'm eating, and helping me to remember to DRINK MORE WATER!  That is not always an easy task at work.  But it's important.

So Chapter 56A will run for the next 90 days.

There is also a lovely church that has come into our lives, even though we have had so many discussions on whether an actual 'church' for us was needed.  It's never easy to get connected, that takes time.  But the pastor there is very passionate.  What more can you want from a leader, right?  So if you see me over on Facebook, you may see check-ins at North Pointe Community Church every other Sunday or so.  With new beginnings, you have to start somewhere and give it an honest try.

You may have noticed that I said every OTHER Sunday for church attendance.  That is because on the other two Sundays, I get to put some volunteer time over at Tabitha in their gift shop, which Facebook allows me to 'check in' at also.  What lovely residents I have met and visited with there.  It's good to hear the joys and the sorrows of the residents that come and see me.  It has taught me people need people, and with that comes patience.

I hope that this hasn't all been too boring, but when you take each day as it comes and find the beauty and simplicity of what is around, I'm hoping that there will be inspiration for some of you to find where your passion is.  And put it use!  We've all been given talents and gifts - it would be selfish to hang on to those and not share with others.

It's not 11:00 pm yet, but there are two things that will be written in my "5 Before 11" spot today (remember, I'm switching it from morning to-do's to evening thank-you's):

1.  Leftover morning coffee, poured over ice and blended with ColdStone Vanilla Coffee flavoring to enjoy after church.
2.  Income taxes all signed, sealed, paid, and driven to the post office personally.

Who knows what 3, 4 and 5 will be!  The day is young, and I'm leaning towards being grateful for a husband who keeps the tradition of cooking chicken on Sunday's alive and well.  The house smells divine.

Please feel free to leave feedback and ideas - I'm always curious as to what other people have found to work for their lives to keep them content, focused, but most of all passionate about what's in the soul and spirit.

Real Brown Sheep, Family and Apes

 Monday was anniversary day, and one of the most exciting days we've encountered yet.  The major excursion in Scottsbluff was getting to visit the Brown Sheep Company.  This is a textile plant that produces the Brown Sheep line of yarns and is set out in the country with beautiful bluffs as its backdrop.  We were a little worried though, because we could not see any actual sheep in the area.  But we wandered into the plant around 9:30 and immediately met one of the owners, Peggy Jo Wells.  After some quick introductions and telling Peggy what I do for a serious past-time, she dropped everything and took us on a personal tour of the manufacturing plant.  Exactly what we were looking forward to doing!

 We learned many things, along with the fact that they do not have sheep on their property any longer.  They get their wool from ranches in northern Colorado, have it cleaned (quite a process) in one of the Carolina's and then it all ships back to them for the rest of the process.  And what a process it is!  We got to watch all the steps taken from raw (clean) wool to the finishing touches for retail stores.  They produce over 1000 colors and every weight of yarn you can imagine.  Peggy gave us one of the most informative tours we've ever experienced.

After the tour was over, she re-read our sign in name and my business card and pronounced our last name correctly!  ZING!  We found out that her aunt was a Payzant from Schuyler and obviously that made us all relatives of sorts.  Now that NEVER happens, does it?  She excused herself for awhile to let us shop.  OK, to let me shop and Bill took care of some business things on the phone.  Felt like a kid in a candy shop.

 The bluffs behind the plant look rather hazy in this photo, but they were sharp to us.  This pic was taken from their front driveway - just to prove they were out in the country - and on gravel road.  Peggy said that there are people around here that still have no idea what they do for a living.  Really?  This company is huge and growing - internationally, too.

After Brown Sheep, we stopped downtown to see if someone could fix Bill's broken watchband.  Dropped that off and went to an antique shop.  Yes, just one.  That was enough for us.  We decided that we've been out of it long enough and the prices were obnoxiously high, that we'd had enough.  So antique shops got marked off our agenda for the rest of the trip.

When his watch was fixed, we ran downtown again to pick it up and decided to actually go to a theater to see a movie.  Something we never EVER do at home.  Walked the mall the theaters were in looking for something fun to take back to the grandkids.  There was nothing that shouted 'panhandle' to us, or cowboy/Western type stuff.  But the movie?  It was one of the best ever - the new Planet of the Apes.  We both laughed, jumped in our seats, and of course I cried at some of it.  We don't get out much.  :)

Here are four bags of FUN sitting in the back of the car from Brown Sheep.  After sitting last evening, discussing our day and  playing darts on the iPad, we decided to stay one more day here in the panhandle.  There could possibly be some trout fishing available for Bill to enjoy, and I'm going back to Brown Sheep and  pick up some things I left on her shelf yesterday.  I may never get this chance again and have to snag the opportunity when I can.

Thank you for reading - enjoy this very day!

Your Perspective CAN Get You Through

I'm a processor. My mind needs time to think about things presented. And some important things were brought forward in a meeting at work this morning. Perspective.

A question posed to us was along the lines of: "What is your 'go to' point to get you through the stressful times and moments during the work day". I had to speak up and say that mine would be the loss of a child. We have lived through it and survived it - so work stress CAN be dealt with in a very positive way because I've experienced some of the worst. I attribute that positiveness because God has allowed us the beauty of PERSPECTIVE.

But as the day went on, and I thought about the question, I came up with even more 'go to' items, there are way more than one. There are four, and I discussed these with my husband when I got home. Yes, the loss of a child would be number one, but we've lost everything else, lost the American dream if you please. We lost a business which lends itself to lifestyle and possessions . We lost our dream house because of the business. We lost a grandchild. Our lives had been consumed by the word 'loss' over most the past seven years. But through our loss there has been much gain. Perspective.

We have overcome and defeated the odds of divorce after losing a child. My daughter has beat those odds, too, after losing her little girl, Lily. That is SUCCESS! Even though we don't own our dream home any longer, we have a roof over our heads. Yes, it's a rented one, but it's a ROOF. It's home. Even though we don't have our own business any longer and continue living a lifestyle that the Jones's would want to keep up with, we have employment. We have SUCCESS! We aren't encumbered by the courts or the system because of divorce, even though that was a close call. That is true SUCCESS. Our retirement funding is all gone, but we are healthy enough to have wonderful jobs that we hope we can be worthy to keep for many years to come. That is DAILY success.

What are the successes in your life? I think true success can only be measured by what trials have been put in your life that could derail you. (And having said that, Bill and I have had great lengths of time being derailed.) What kind of perspective do you have? Is it getting you through the day? Is it making you a better person, family member, friend, spouse or co-worker?

Just my thoughts. And I know that grace continues to shine down on us, even when we don't see it.

New Horizons

Life changes are now in full swing.

I've started my new full time job and will be in training for about two weeks - mostly getting to know their computer system and understand their expectations. This place is phenomenal in their professionalism and attitudes. The doctors I've met so far are over-the-top. I met four out of the ten yesterday, which was a suprise to my director. Whoo HOOO!!

And now that DH has my laptop re-plugged, I can now sit at this new Hy-Vee in town and surf my life away or even work for the missions group when needed, outside the home. It's perfect.

Transitioning for DH has been fairly comfortable up until yesterday. Transferring files to the new company is not going smooth and he's frustrated. I don't blame him. He's pulled back one employee for two half days this week to get this fixed. Not sure what the deal is there. I know he is stressed, too, that he can't call me whenever he wants to. I have a real job now. And it's going to be tough for him for a little while. Keep praying for him that things will smooth out.

DD#1 has an ultrasound this Thursday, so please keep them in your prayers, too.

Y'all keep safe and keep leaning on the One who will keep ya going. :)

Are you all ready for THIS?

OK, I know it's been since Sept. 11th since the last post, but honestly, there has been SO many things going on and it just didn't feel right dragging everyone along with us on this ride.

So here are the updates as of today: (and don't be shocked)

1. Haven't had Internet at the house for over a month, too expensive. Found a plan through my cell phone company for almost half the price of what we had before! That's a big WOOO HOOO!

2. Decided to close our business doors. Cleaning up jobs that we know will pay and then shut them thar doors. It's over. Now that's a big WHEW!

3. I have been offered a full time job WITH benefits at a Lincoln based optimology group working in their business finance department. I start the 14th of October! Yet another WOOOO HOOOOOOOO!

4. Bill has been offered a couple of jobs, thought about brokering out printing, too. BUT after weighing all the pros and cons, we think we've come to a decision for him to be a salesman for a local print shop who is NOT struggling, 'cuz they are bigger than we ever thought of being. He will be SUCH an asset to them and they are excited to have him on board. No more headaches with our own machinery or employee attitudes. Now how's THAT for a super duper YEEEEEE HAAAAAA!!!!!!

5. Our DD#2 has made an appointment (finally) with an attorney to get divorce proceedings underway. She is so happy, so lively, just a different woman. We pray that God will just keep helping her be strong for herself and those precious little ones of hers. PRAISE GOD!

6. House isn't selling, but we are able to stay a little bit longer in it than we had anticipated. We are thankful since we thought the biz and the house were going to have to go at the same time. Thank goodness we are only having to deal with one at a time now. HALLELUJAH!!!

7. So grateful for the friends and family that have been so strong for us during this distressing time. The phone calls, the cards, the emails have all been SO comforting to us. THANK YOU!

There really is so much more, but you all deserved an explanation for my lengthy absence on the blog and on the internet.

Thank you ALL for your continued prayers and support. BLESSINGS!

Lancaster County Fair

What FUN it was for the kids to see the farm animals the die-hard 4H-ers always show at the county fair. The llamas were cool, but the goats let themselves get hugged and kissed. Not my thing by a long shot, but these two sure enjoyed petting and getting to know the animals.


And of course, when the animals have been all petted and I got my fill of the needlework entries, the rides can then begin! We only did two rides - it's just too expensive for what it is. But we were all happy as clams with doing the kiddie rollercoaster and the ferris wheel. The little guys did the coaster alone, but here is Dylan with his mom and I got to ride with Raegan. Or should I call her OH FEARLESS ONE!!!!! Yikes, I'd forgotten how ambitious and crazy 6 year olds can be, and have no fear! I made her hold MY hand. LOL


A trip through McDonald's for ice-cream afterwards was the perfect topper to a great evening at the fair, and our 32nd wedding anniversary. You know how much we LOVE ice cream!

Prayers for Family

We are babysitting two of the grands today and we are trying to find something to do, which isn't easy now that our house is so bare. Here we are messing around the pond and Raegan loves flowers and is modeling an Oriental Lily. This little family is under a great deal of stress right now, so please offer up a prayer for them that peace and serenity will surround them. God has a plan, we just don't know what it is yet. :)

Last Weekend's Eagle Fun Days

I totally forgot to post some cute photos of the grands from the Eagle Fun Days event last Saturday.

Dylan loved the boxer pups that were running around and Raegan adored the kittens that someone brought.

These two definitely LOVE animals!

Silliness

Wanted to share a couple cutie patootie photos with you. This first one Raegan took of herself with my cell phone and this one actually worked, so had to download it. This was in the morning while we were fishing and of course, she was bored. Nice gum, kiddo. LOL

Second photo is of the girls swimming together - and had a WONDERFUL time together! Yep, this time I took the pic by myself on the cell phone. They aren't the best quality, but it still shows a lot of fun being had.

Side Note: The man in brown brought me the 2nd of the three parts coming to complete my 'project' for future publication. And OOOOOOOOOOOOO, was this the BEST package so far.

Just Dancin'

These two nuts will find any excuse to dance! Even at the zoo by the seal pool where they were playing some fun summer type music. :) I just can't take these two anywhere, can I? LOL

Dancin' The Night Away.....

Thank you Haley for inviting us to your wedding and an incredible amount of fun!!!

My Case for Woody

Once upon a time, long long ago, a family brought home a new member of the family from the local Target store. He was pretty big for his age, but everyone fell in love with him from day one. The family named him "Woody". Woody stood about four foot tall, and was strong as an ox. He has withstood many house moves, temperatures and availability of light. No matter what happens around him, whether it be joy or mourning, he stands tall and true - never budging from his stance. Today he is over six foot tall and stronger than ever.

He has become one of the neverchanging aspects of OUR home.

Just wanted to tell a little story about a 20 or so year old tree plant we have in our home. DD#1 left a comment in a previous entry that she didn't see Woody where he belonged. She was right. The one thing that is always with DH & I is Woody. Imagine my shock and horror when I came home from work one day last week and something was odd in the house, VERY odd. But it didn't take long to see that my beloved Woody was missing. Being the calm and cool woman I am, HA, I immediately ran to find him, seeing that he had been placed in the covered porch. ARGHHHH!!! Woody could go into shock! He could get too cold! He could get too much sun! What was DH thinking doing this to dear Woody? Did he think we had to get rid of Woody, too? My mind was swirling. And the first words out of my mouth were, "What in the world are you doing to Woody?" After being assured he wasn't going to stay on the porch permanently, I calmed down - somewhat. Woody belongs in the house with ME. He's been kind of like a guardian of the home, he's always there, never moves. Do any of you have something in your home that just makes you FEEL it's home and it's where you are supposed to be? Well, Woody has done that for our family. It's silly to be so attached to a silly plant, but he has gone through so much with us all, put up with all our shananigans - but he still keeps on standing tall and strong.

There, DD#1, put your mind to ease. I have won this battle of Woody's placement and he WILL return to his rightful spot and go wherever we end up living - hopefully to welcome even the great-grandchildren some day.

I'm So Proud of My Seeeestas

Not only is my sister-sister a full time sister, AND sister, a black & white grandma, and a lot of fun, she is very creative to boot! I just had to share a photo she sent to me today showing off a vibrant quilt she made for her granddaughter in Kearney - just today! Now what little girl wouldn't love those colors? Not to mention that Carole got the day off from her duties to do a little creating as we three (related) sistas love to do, gotta be thankful for that. What a happy face she carries on her. Gotta love the SCACOSB!






Now I have to brag on another sister, who is creative, intelligent, too young to be retired to Florida, and an integral part of my support system....... Donna, The Kool-Aid Fuhrer of Butler County! Here is a sampling of some 3-D envelopes she is developing for my knitted greeting cards that only she could have figured out.

Are my seestas the best in the world OR WHAT???

I SO Stole This Pic

Christmas with the kids and grandkids at their house this year........Me, Abby, Hunter, Bill

And yes, I stole this off our daughter's blog. SO glad to have this picture. Click on the link to the left to see some more of their adventures and fun.

And Donna, thank you for the great sweater set - I LOVE it.

Christmas Wishbone Winner 2007

Grandpa was smart this year and dried the turkey wishbone out overnight for the Gray's to have fun with today for Christmas dinner. Here are Dylan and Raegan being patient so granny can grab a quick picture...... And here is the WINNER of the wishbone wish this year. DYLAN!!! He just liked the idea he had a bigger piece than his sister. Didn't care about wishing anything. What a hoot!

I Have No Name for This Post

Yesterday, as I was at the main post office mailing out eBay things, I happened to glance at the young man standing at the next window.... my eyes couldn't believe what I was seeing, my heart took a dive. He looked so much like Tyler, I couldn't stop staring. I hope my chin didn't obviously appear to be on the floor, but there are times when this happens. I watched him talk, watched his eyes, watched his mannerisms, the way he wore his cap........... it's just those kind of bittersweet moments that seem to keep all the good, and the sad, still very real.

I know this story is not a strange one for people who have lost a child, or to those who have lost any loved one. But it keeps life in focus, on what is really important, and that is family - those you love.

Thanksgiving Drawings

During a serious Thanksgiving conversation between us and Abby & Hunter's parents, the two kiddos were told to go off and make something for us...... thus came this very special drawing from two of the sweetest kids, along with knowing they were obeying their parents in leaving the room. Precious material, this will get scrapbooked at some point, ya think!?!?

Going thru KW (knitting withdrawal)

Here it is Sunday, and the needles haven't even been touched, not even ONCE! But if any of you are following my eBay escapades, you will notice I've cleaned out 1/2 of my hall closet and about an 8 inch pile of crafting patterns (only a football field length to go). There were some things found in that closet tho that I just can't let go of as these were meant to be gifted out, and will still do that, even though it was an emotional struggle - keep to give away or sell to clean out!

Got to enjoy Season and her kids yesterday and will be having dinner with Shawna and family this evening. Our first time to their bungalow. Keep us all in your prayers.

Hope every one of you are having a wonderful weekend.

Pumpkin Time Once Again

Here are Raegan and Dylan doing their best to make scary wormy jack-o-lanterns. Dylan named his Monkey just like last year and Raegan named hers Sally at first, but changed it to Wormy by the time they left to go home. Grandpa got a little bit creative this year, huh?

The Catfish!

Here is the 35 pound catfish that Bill caught at Branched Oak Lake yesterday with Mike. Mike netted the big guy...................
.......and then gave him a smooch!