Thursday, October 29, 2009

Fresh lemons

Mom has a couple of patio size lemon trees. The fruit of one was ripe enough to pick last weekend, but we didn't know if they were really good lemons, ormore of an ornamental type fruit. They were nice big lemons, so we decided to see what they were like.

I went over, prepared to juice them & freeze the juice in single servings. I was pleasantly surprised. The lemons had thin skin, & lots of juice. Most of the lemons yielded about 1 1/2 ounces of juice. I ended up with 11 servings from the first tree. The other tree will probably produce 7 servings. I froze the juice then thawed one a couple of days later. I made a hot lemonade from it. That was the best lemonade I've ever tasted. The lemons didn't have the bitter twist that most grocery store fruit has. All I tasted was the tart lemon flavor, & the honey. Yumm. Wish I had more of those lemons to do me through the winter.

Thursday, October 01, 2009

10 years, already?

Wow, time flies. 10 years ago, I went to work as a contractor for the company I'm with. In a way, it seems like I've been there forever, but in a way, it seems like yesterday. That's what happens when you go where God sends you, instead of going your own direction.

I had done some odd jobs, but nothing with any real substance. No one wanted to hire anyone full time, so I went 2 years without work. Hubby & I talked about it, & we decided that since I couldn't find a job, I'd make one. I filed all the paperwork, printed business cards & brochures, & went from one business to another handing them out. I told everyone I knew that I started a new business, & a few people I didn't know so well. I gave a business card to a friend at a health club swimming pool. He gave it to his son, who works at the local electric company.

I got one offer, but it lasted a few days. After that contract fell through, I told God that since one door closed, He could open another one. Next day, I got a phone call. It was from a guy who worked at an electric company, & got my name & number from a business card given to a guy in a different department, across town.

So much had to fall into place for that card to land in the hands of the man who is now my boss. October 1, 1999 was my first day. I've seen quite a few changes, but I love working with the people in our office. I'm truly blessed.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Peach preserves

Made some peach preserves, today. I didn't have fresh peaches, or the time to peel & slice them, so I used frozen fruit. 5 pounds of peaches turned into a total of about 3 pints of fruit & 6 pints of peach honey. I wish there would have been more fruit.

Sunday, March 08, 2009

The letter

Our preacher shared a letter with us from one of the guys who worked on the building. I don't remember the details well enough to share the whole letter, but the gentleman said that they came expecting to give, but they received a lot more than they could have ever imagined. He said they were all extremely blessed by the reactions of the kids & adults.

These guys were a real blessing to us, as well. The kids are more excited than I've ever seen them.

This evening, we moved all of the craft stuff & everything into the new building. Most of the kids were happy to help. We got it done with time to spare. After we got everything moved, & some shelves assembled, the kids played charades. I also told them that we're working on getting a new Youth Director. I told them that the preacher has one in mind, & everything looks promising, but they weren't getting rid of me, yet. I wanted them to know what's going on, & that I'm not going to abandon them to someone else. They have been abandoned too many times, as it is. Not necessarily intentionally abandoned, but parents end up in jail, or prison & the kids still feel abandoned. I am finally gaining their trust, & am not about to derail that, now.

A couple of kids are having to deal with their Dad going to prison for 2-5 years. I don't know the reason, but figure it was drug or alcohol related. Their Mom came to church last week, & today. I told her that she has great kids & that we love them, too. Then, I thanked her for sharing them with us.

Sunday, March 01, 2009

The work crew came in Friday night, & worked all day yesterday, & half a day, today. Our building has undergone an unbelievable transformation. The outside looks the same, but only due to lack of time, & too much wind.

16 guys came in & put linoleum in the front area, built a wall inside, painted the big area (about 1600 square feet), took out cabinets that were no longer usable, installed doors, put in a dropped ceiling, tweaked some electrical wiring, & left the place as clean as it was when they got here.

Wednesday, the kids & I will set up tables & chairs, & possibly put together some shelves. Some of the kids have seen the building, & they were so excited that it showed when they talked to the workers. The workers said that made the whole trip worth it.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Child needing prayer

One of my church kids got some bad news, today. We have a 5 year old who just found out she has cancer. I don't know any details, except her older sister had the same cancer when she was 2. Everyone thinks she'll do well, but it will be a long road for her. She's such a sweetie. I ask that you pray for her & her family. Her name is Isabelle, but they call her Issy. They say her immune system will suffer greatly, so they will end up having to quarantine her part of the time. I'll post updates as I find out anything.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Awesome kids

We have a great bunch of kids at church. The church bought the building next to us, & the kids are helping get it lined out for use. Since they had been working so hard, the church & I rewarded them with a pizza party.

We also surprised the teens with guest speakers. A dear friend, Squeaky Walker, came in & talked to the girls about personal conduct, including abstinence. She is awesome with the kids, & has an amazing love for the Lord. She's extremely inspirational.

The boys were with the preacher & one of our young men who just got out of prison. The young man is 25 years old, & got into trouble mostly for hanging with the wrong crowd. He didn't know the preacher was going to ask him to speak to the kids. With no notice, this young man started telling the boys where he'd been. He spoke like a pro, keeping lines open for conversation with the boys, but getting his point across.

I stayed in another room with the younger kids & a couple of other adults. We played games & colored.

When it was over, everyone seemed to be having a good time.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Time flies

I can't believe how time flies. I've lost track of so much. I should slow down, but not sure I know how.

I feel like I missed a lot of the holidays. We went to Colorado for Thanksgiving, then I made my annual run to Vegas. Things were pretty scattered as usual for Christmas, but day after Christmas, Misty & Alex came & stayed with us for almost a week. I forget how energetic a 3 year old can be. We had a lot of fun, though.

I've spent the last 6 months getting the youth group going at church. I have no idea what I'm doing, but just following God's lead. We have 15 kids who are fairly regular attendees. So much going on with these kids. The church bought an old building next to the church, & we are fixing it up for use as a family center. The kids are working really hard to help make it happen. They make me so proud.

Last week, I had upper respiratory junk, like everyone else around here. Finally went to the doctor, & he first thought it had developed into pneumonia. We dodged a bullet there. I had 2 projects at work with heavy duty deadlines. In spite of taking 2 1/2 days off, I still made the deadlines.

I started a cooking marathon. Saturday, I made green chicken enchiladas. Sunday, I made stew, chili, & mushroom pork chops. I got lazy & took this evening off.

This week, I will have a little tweaking to do on the deadline project, but things will be back to normal on that. Wednesday, I'll have to see what I can get going with the youth grouop. I'll do some cooking for the marathon some evenings, & Saturday. I think I'll take a break on Saturday to go with the preacher & his wife to pick out linoleum for the church building.

I hope my friends are all doing well. I hate that I've been so wrapped up in stuff that I haven't kept in touch.