Counting Our Blessings - LinkUp!

Hello friends. I'm sorry I missed last week's linkup. I've still been battling fatigue and we've had other stressful things happening and I've just been pooped! It's awful when you can't even find the energy to write a blog post. Anyway, I'm here right now and let's get to counting our blessings!!

73. I went to see my Vascular Surgeon for my six month check-up on my leg bypass. They did an ultrasound and all looks good! It's always such a relief to know everything is working properly. I also talked to him about my lack of energy. He told me that after all I have been through, he thinks I have at least another 12 months of recovery. He also didn't realize that I had 8 units of blood and he said that alone was something to recover from. It was such a relief to have him tell me this! I know I have a lot to get through, but I will, with God's help.

74.  I worked a bit more on my Christmas felt banner. Here's the latest picture:

I love all the sequins and beads! It's hard to tell in this picture but it just makes everything pop and looks so festive. I was out of polyfill so hubby went with me to Michael's where I got a small pack and also took advantage of their fantastic sales! I didn't get a lot but it was fun to get out for a while with the hubs.

75.  Sam's Club had gotten these gorgeous orchids in for Mother's Day. I admired them but the price was way more than I wanted to pay. Every time I would go back, they would lower the price because they still had a lot of them left after the holiday. Finally, they got down under $10.00 and I decided to take advantage of that price. They had some I had never seen before and I picked out this one

It's hard to tell in this picture because it just didn't show up right but the petals are actually yellow. All the pink veins make the petals look pink but they are very yellow. I wish the picture would have shown it better. Anyway, it's gorgeous and I'm so thrilled to have another orchid! I seem to do really well with them and have had them bloom regularly. If they keep getting really cheap, I may have to get myself another one!

76.  I started this new cross stitch. It's for a roll and it's a little break from the large piece. I love the special stitches in this piece!

I'm sorry the fabric is so wrinkled. I really need to give it a quick press!

77.  This time of year is slow for book reviews so I always catch up on my library book reading. I have read three books by Maureen Jennings. The first one is an Inspector Murdoch book

It was excellent although a bit different from the television show. However, it was still a great story and the suspense was excellent! These stories are based in Canada during the turn of the 20th century.

Then I read another book that is her DI Tom Tyler series. I didn't realize that the books were in a particular order so I accidentally read the second book first. It definitely stood alone but there were references to certain people and situations that it would have been helpful to have known about. Anyway, this book was called, "Beware the Boy".

This series is set in 1940's England during the war and it was very good! I did figure out by the end who some of the bad people were but it ended up in a bit of a cliff hanger regarding the leader of the bad group. So...I'm thinking there were will a follow up to this story?

Then I read the third book in the DI Tom Tyler series called, "No Known Grave".

I read this book in 1 day! No kidding! It was such a great story and I couldn't put it down! The story was so full of twists and turns that you didn't see coming and I honestly never did figure out "who done it" until the author revealed it. That doesn't happen to me very often and I loved it! Again, it's set during WWII in England and the war plays a huge part in both of these books.

If you enjoy mysteries, seriously, I highly recommend these! I have the first Tom Tyler book on hold and another Murdoch book on hold. I'm not sure why my library only has two Murdoch books but I'm going to ask them to order the others. I just love having this down time to read books I've had on my list to read but don't have time other times of the year.

How has your week been? Please join me in counting your blessings!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Blessings - Julie

Preparing To Move Mountains

Are you in a situation where you wonder if God can use you? Do you feel so tired - sleep so much - that you question where you really can be used in God's kingdom? I do. My body is still recovering and I am still in many situations that affect my day to day life. I don't have the energy I used to have or the stamina. I have to take a nap most days and, believe me, this doesn't make me feel like I'm doing much for my family and myself, let alone God. But guess what? This is not our truth! Everything is exactly how God had it planned and He is preparing us for great things.

The rest I find myself craving right now is healing my body and mind. It's allowing me to spend time listening to teachings and reading/listening to God's Word. I have never been able to listen or study the Bible this intensely before. I never had time! I was busy raising and schooling my children or busy working or volunteering at my church. I studied as much as I could but never could devote as much time as I would have liked. It was a real desire for me to be able to do this. I can do it now - it's just not the way I had envisioned it! lol God knows me, though. I don't know that I would have slowed down enough to really study the Word the way I do now. I do it because I want to, of course, but also because my body won't allow me to do much more of anything that is strenuous.

I get frustrated some days because I can't even do my studies. My mind won't comprehend what I'm reading or I'm even too tired to pick up the pen for my study. That's where the audio teachings I listen to are so invaluable. I have one of these speakers...

it's a Klipsch portable bluetooth speaker that I hook up to my iPhone and listen to Christian teachings and/or music. It's a powerful little thing that makes listening so much easier and nicer. I have several Apps that are my favorite and I will be doing a post about these Apps very soon. I listen during the day and, when I can't sleep, I turn on a teaching and it helps me to focus on God and not my pain or the fact that I can't sleep. This is such a wonderful thing about todays technology!

So, I am trying to relax, allow myself this time to sleep. I am focusing on the positive things - the progress I've seen in myself - because I know that God is using all this. The things I've been through and all the things I'm learning now are going to help me to move mountains for the kingdom of God. It's the same for you, dear friend. Remember what the Lord tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:4 -

"He comforts us in all our affliction, 

so that we may be able to comfort those 

who are in any kind of affliction, 

through the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

Be patient and gentle with yourself, my friend, and know that we will be moving those mountains in God's good timing!!

Little Steps of Progress

Today I got some of my staples out of my incisions. I went properly "medicated" so I wouldn't be all stressed out by the pain. I've had staples out before, but never when they have been in this long. Today marks the one month mark since that horrible day when I had the artery cut.

I have never seen staples that small and the nurse had a hard time finding some of them as my skin had grown over them. Thankfully, I only really felt one of the staples being removed, so that was such a relief!! They only took about every other one out, and on the actual bypass incision, he only took two out because it still is pulling a bit and leaking a bit and he didn't want to take the chance of it breaking open. The knee staples were a snap and he took about half of those out, too. They are the size I'm more used to, so they were easier to remove for the nurse. All in all, it went well and I feel much better where those staples are gone. I think they are starting to be a bit irritating at this point.

I came home and was able to lay on my bed and do the exercises where I put my leg on the wall and then bring my leg down to bend the knee. This exercise really helps to bend the knee and I really felt like I did well. I did promptly fall asleep afterwards! I haven't laid on my bed since I've been home and it was so wonderful! I've missed my bed! lol I still don't think I can sleep in it all night because I have to have help getting up and if I need to get up in the night, then I'd have to get someone up to help me, so until I can get up on my own, I'll still be sleeping in my recliner.

I've been studying Ephesians and have been reading a lot. I would love to get out my cross stitch, but my brain just can't focus enough at this point to really work on anything. I do think I'm going to try and work on my crochet, though, tomorrow. I need to do something creative because it really helps me.

We finally had rain tonight. There's nothing more peaceful than hearing the rain on the skylight. I love it as long as I don't have to go out in the mud. We really need the moisture, so I'm really happy that we are getting some rain.

I want to thank you again for all your sweet comments, your many prayers, and your wonderful emails you have sent me. They mean so much to me!!

Blessings - Julie

Gentle Reminder

It's the end of a weekend, a weekend filled with snow and cold. I'm ready for sunshine again because the cold makes me ache. I told my husband that I could now understand why seniors head for the hot areas of the country! The cold hurts! lol

I kept the news off for the most part. One can be saturated with the horrors of the world for only so long before the brain just shuts down and our heart feels like it's going to implode in our chest. I tried to focus on Christmas shows and movies with a good measure of "Burn Notice" thrown in, as it's my favorite show. I also watched my favorite Pastors on TV like Charles Stanley, David Jeremiah and Charles Price. Thank the Lord for good, Biblical teaching!

I didn't do a lot this weekend - really because of the pain. I did a bit of writing, reading, and cooking. Thankfully, however, I have things in the freezer that I can pull out and throw in the oven. Some days are just like that.

I'm realizing that it's important to focus on the blessings of life. I know that I talk about this, especially on Tuesdays, but I want to refocus on this again. These times are hard. So many of us are struggling financially, in our health, in our emotions, and it's so easy to focus on what we are lacking. When we're struggling to figure out what to cook because there is not enough in the pantry ro we can't pay bills because there is not enough money. When we can't do the things we want to do because of pain or depression, it's easy to give into despair. It it only by focusing on what we DO have rather than what we don't have; by believing in the promises of God and standing on those, that we can even raise our head off the pillow in the morning. It is through the light of Jesus that we can get up and put one foot in front of the other. It is through Jesus that we can set aside our fear of not having enough money and believe that He will provide what we need.

The only way to focus on what we know the Lord promises, is to learn those promises, through his Word. Do you find that sometimes when you are struggling that it can be easy to not be in the Word? I do. It's easy to stay in that sorrowful place of despair and just watch TV or sleep, but it really is in these times, that our Bible needs to be open and we need to be seeking out His promises for our life.

I write this as much for me as for you. I struggle with all these things and this is a gentle reminder to myself of what I need to do. I hope that it has helped you, too, if you're dealing with these struggles. It is good to lift one another's heads to the Lord and to remind each other to keep our eyes on Jesus.

God bless you - Julie

Good Reading!

I just finished reading the most excellent books! I actually found the first one at a thrift store and loved it so much, I wanted to get the sequel book and found it at the same thrift store! It was the only Debbie Macomber book they had and it was the one I wanted! Isn't God good? I just could not put these books down! I highly recommend them.



Speaking of yarn (book title), I have been busy working on a new baby afghan for my friend. She is going to have her fifth baby in January and I'm also going to make one for my niece who will be having her third child in March. I love the pattern I'm doing. It's quick and easy but looks beautiful when you're done. It uses the "Pound of Love" so there's no lugging around a lot of yarn or having to tie in a new yarn.





It's wonderful. I actually stumbled onto the pattern when I found a half finished afghan at the thrift store (I shop there alot, can you tell?) and decided to finish it up. I was so thrilled to find the "Pound of Love" at JoAnn's as I had been looking all over for it. I got an aqua colored yarn and a teal colored yarn. They also had a lavender, but I thought this might be too girlish if they both have boys. The thing I really like about this yarn is it's 4 ply worsted weight and not the baby weight yarn, which I do not like working with. When you buy the yarn, the pattern is on the inside of the label. It has a crocheted pattern and a knitted pattern for you knitters out there. What could be easier?

We have been getting a lot of rain here the past couple of days. We really needed it and it's so nice how it's cooled things down so beautifully. Hope it lasts!! I don't do well in the heat and we've been having more than our fair share of heat.

Today I didn't cook at all! We ate out for lunch and dinner, which is unheard of, but nice for a change. Nothing fancy, just fast food. I'll plan on something really nice for tomorrow.