READY

I am thankful...Thanksgiving is over!

LOL. Don’t get me wrong: I adore my family. I love to cook. BUT, I’m tired and ready for DECEMBER!

The girls were out of school all week (though, technically Elle has been out for two weeks because she was so sick). We’ve seen Frozen 2, art camp-ed, sleepover-ed at Grammy’s, done lots o’ baking, trimmed the playroom tree and hung our stockings. We’ve also played nine million games of Sleeping Queens. My precious sister-in-law gifted this to us, and it’s the most fun game EVER! (This would be a fabulous Christmas gift for kids of all ages, FYI.)

It’s about to get real festive, y’all! TTFN.

...triumphant gratitude...

From page 351 of Every Day in His Presence by Charles F. Stanley (portions of the devotion):

The Choice to Praise

I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness, because you have seen my affliction.
PSALM 31:7

As you ready yourself to face the day, you have a choice: you can either grumble about your troubles or you can turn your mind to your Father in praise. Before you decide, realize this important truth: there is power when you give thanks to the Lord. Not only do you honor God as He deserves, but you also refocus your attention to His positive attributes rather than your negative circumstances—and that sets you up for victory.

...And when you understand His ultimate purpose is for you, you’ll see why it’s so wise to thank Him  in every circumstance.

Lord, I adore You! You are magnificent—worthy of honor and always triumphant! How grateful I am for Your love, amen.


From ELC:

Today I praise my Lord God Almighty and His Son, Jesus, for the many blessings They have given to me—especially my life, breath, family and friends.

Happiest Thanksgiving to Y’all! Our Dear Friends EVERYWHERE!

#turkeydayhugsandsmooches

...amen and amen...

TLC has had a sick baby girl. For days. And is now sick herself.

May we both say:

We are NOT grateful for germs. Damn them.

I’m praying I avoid whatever it is these gals have...because it is clearly NOT FUN.

What am I grateful for today? Our church. The pastors. Especially Pastor John. The choir and orchestra leaders. The choir itself. The orchestra members. The amazing musical guest singers. The members and the visitors we meet every Sunday. (My Sweet Hubby—aka MSH—and I became members about seven months ago. A decision that truly was not hard to make. At 65 and 75? We HATE to miss church. That. Is. Big.

Our church has over 15,000 members. That’s alot, right? For what I’d call a “mega church?” It is warm. Friendly. Inclusive. Impressive. Lovely. It is a gorgeous church. The main sanctuary takes my breath away. Every Sunday. The music? Brings MSH and me to tears every Sunday. Every. Single. Sunday. The sermons/messages? Important. Inspiring. AMAZING.

I’m thankful for White’s Chapel Methodist Church in Southlake, Texas. Thank You, Dearest God Almighty, for the founder and original members of WCMC. Such a gift to this World. Such a tremendous blessing to me/us.

Amen and Amen.
ELC

...bless this perfect harmony...

I am sincerely and TRULY thankful for comedy shows that make me laugh out loud! I adore getting comfy in my jammies and parking my olf self on my spot on our davenport after the sun sinks. If a show makes me laugh? Like REALLY loud and for the entire thirty (25-ish minus commercials) minutes? I couldn’t ask for better entertainment. (TLC can have The Sopranos. I believe she’s beginning her third session of watching every show from every last season. Again. No. I haven’t watched ten minutes of this series. Don’t intend to. Ever. Yes. I completely understand it is/was highly acclaimed. I have strongly urged her to heed my comedy recommendations. To no avail. Sigh. A mother can only do and say so much before she realizes she might as well talk to a wall.)

If Y’all have been reading our blog for a few years, you know that me sharing my excitement for a new comedy series is often the kiss of death for said series. (And my heart gets broken-er.)

I simply cannot stop myself tonight. I MUST praise—PRAISE—one semi-new series and a new one that give me pure JOY:

Bless This Mess on ABC—Tuesday nights.

And...

Perfect Harmony on NBC—Thursday nights. (This one is actually my ALL-TIME fav comedy in at least TEN years. Maybe TWENTY. For me it already ranks right up there with Designing Women, Murphy Brown and Friends. It is that TREMENDOUS.)

Both of these quirky, creative, HILARIOUS shows have helped me get through the past several weeks with giggles that help heal my very soul.

I believe both are now over until January. I’m 80% certain they’ll both be back. (Picture me crossing my fingers...)

Record them. On Demand them. Netflix them. Whatever Y’all do to enjoy HIGHLY recommended television shows. Binge them. Savor them. Embrace their AMAZINGNESS and the TALENTED writers and actors that will blow your sweet minds with their genius.

Sending BIG hugs and smooches to each of you for a LOVELY weekend...BE GRATEFUL, okay? It’s November. Winky. Wink.

ELC

#anditisfridayjr

...speedbumps...

ELC here. I’m up to bat for the latest “gratitude” post.

So...here I sit...in our home I love. Watching a CUTE Lifetime Christmas movie. (Yes, Virginia, there are other channels besides Hallmark that have Christmas movies.) Snacking on a YUMMY Weight Watchers’ brownie mug cake. In my cozy flannel jammies. Feeling...grateful. For every one of the above blessings. And SO MANY MORE.

For...

My Sweet Hubby. My Darling TLC. My Princesses: Little Leighton and Belle. Wonderful family members and precious friends.

For life. Breath. Decent health.

Yes—the pain in my left hip gets worse by the hour. My second hip injection I just had? Not helping as much as the first. Sometimes my pain level feels like a 15. On a scale of 1-10. 10 being the AWFULEST.

And I got a speeding ticket—in a school zone—three weeks ago. (I. Do. Not. Speed. Truly. I. Do. NOT.) I was on my way to a Weight Watchers’ meeting for my monthly Lifetime Member weighin. Two policemen were picking drivers/speeders off one after another. I actually didn’t realize I was in a school zone!when I saw them. The drivers in front of me who escaped being caught? I wasn’t even keeping up with them. The young policeman was not a bit moved by my explanation and sincere apology and tears. $159 later I’ll be doing a 6-hour Defensive Driving on-line course soon. Yippee.

Visiting my mother at her assisted living home nearby two to three times a week? For the past several months? Exhausts me. We’ve had an extremely difficult relationship for 55 of my 65 years. I’m trying to FEEL forgiveness—not just SAY I forgive her. Maybe I’ll get there.

All of the things I’ve mentioned? My stressors? Not as hard as what many people in this world face every day. For me? Speedbumps. Annoying. Frustrating. Insignificant in the big picture speedbumps.

I’m grateful for this day. For the love I feel and share. For comfort. Warmth. Hope. Good people that surround me with kindness and support.

Most of all—MOST OF ALL—I’m grateful for My Dear Lord God Almighty and His Son, Jesus Christ. My Savior.

Hope Y’all have had a marvelous day! May tomorrow—Sunday—be a day of worship, peace, and SWEET, SWEET JOY!

Hugs and Smooches...
Moi

Method...

... for my madness!

So, I’m incredibly grateful for our newly-ish remodeled master bath. However, I soon discovered how hard it is to keep clean. While I love the subway tile in my shower, there are SO. MANY. grout lines, and we have impossibly hard city water. (Meaning: hard water stains, etc.) I was reading a Real Simple article about a month ago. It had something to do with simplifying the bathroom cleaning routine. They recommended this product:

Method Daily Shower. Y’all. I’m already down to maybe a 1/4 of the bottle. I ADORE IT. I spray it all over my tile (though I don’t spray it on the glass) after I’ve showered. That’s it! There’s no scrubbing. Just spray and go! It smells DIVINE. Very spa-ish! I’ve already purchased the refill. This is my first experience using a Method cleaning product, and I’m officially hooked. I purchased this at Target. I think it’s actually on Cartwheel right now, too!

Give it a whirl and be grateful for a clean shower with minimal effort, too!

...unending gratitude...

A month of gratitude! Love it, TLC! I’ll go first and this will be super easy.

I need my left hip replaced. Apparently arthritis—and genetics—has pretty much destroyed my hip. I’ve been in pain for way over a year. But I’m trying to delay this surgery until June. I don’t think I’m going to be able to. Dadgummit.

So I opted to try injections this past summer. Had my first one on July 3rd. It was a good experience. The hospital I was sent to is topnotch FANTASTIC. My orthopedic surgeon wanted me to understand he had no way of knowing if an injection would help. Or, if it did, how long the relief might last.

I’d say it lasted about two months. A month ago, the pain started getting worse for me. Yesterday I had my second injection. I was in excruciating pain for five days. I didn’t realize how much a new-ish medication was helping me until I had to stop it prior to being anesthetized.

Last night I had problems getting comfy. To sleep. Am I bit concerned? Yes. Yes, I am. Am I going to be able to put off replacement surgery until June? No. NO WAY. I’ve told My Sweet Hubby and TLC I can’t stand this pain for seven more months. I will lose what’s left of my mind. I’m praying I can get to at least 2020 with some comfort from this injection procedure.

Sooo...I am deeply THANKFUL for doctors. Nurses. Physician Assistants. Lab Techs. Even kind receptionists and business office people. I THANK My Dear Lord God Almighty that He gives a gift of medical service to those of us who cannot imagine ever being interested in this line of work. A person who can’t grasp slicing into bodies. Seeing lots of blood. Etc. Not for me.

My gratitude is IMMENSE.

Happy Thursday to each of you, Dearest Friends! I wish you a Friday and weekend full of FUN. Safety. Laughter. GOOD health. Peace.

Hugs and Smooches!
ELC

November

It’s November!

This month, I thought we might share things we are grateful for! It could be anything: something that makes our lives easier, something that brings us joy, a favourite place. I hope you’ll follow along!

Have a restful, peaceful Sunday!

TTFN.