My Marathon of Goodness and Grace

I feel like I've run a marathon since last Friday afternoon. I took a slow deep breath knowing I wouldn't get another one until tonight. I didn't plan it that way of course, it just evolved. But we made it. Yeah!!! It all started that afternoon when I had to drive down to the hospital to get copies of CT scans for the new specialist I'm going to see tomorrow. We then stopped over at my brother's house for a few minutes before heading off to Claire's and Starbucks so the girls could have fun spending some of their Christmas gift cards. Knowing that I would need a lot from them the next couple days, I thought it would be good to give them some fun too! We pretty much had Claire's to ourselves, it was a great time for all.

The next day, Saturday morning, we woke up at 5:30 and were on the road by 6am to go pick up the papers for our route. The weather was almost 60 degrees warmer than the last two weekends. (-30 vs 30 above) Miracle had her head out the window enjoying the sunshine! lol But we had to stop delivering papers before we were finished, to drive into town and get the van fixed. What was supposed to be a quick one hour rear brake job.....took well more than two hours. Thankfully, we always bring games and I packed a lunch for us to eat too. Our church's car care ministry for single parents/elderly is such a blessing. It may take a while but it's worth it! Then we went back to finish the papers and then home to do our weekend chores. Yeah fun!! LOL I had to make sure the house was clean because I had surprise guests arriving the next day. (Isn't it frustrating when you're home just long enough to mess it up??)

Sunday morning we rose early again so that the girls could go to a friends house.....and me....well I got to go to the dentist. I know that doesn't sound like fun, but really....it's such an answer to prayer. This was without a doubt the best experience I've ever had at the dentist. He was so kind and gentle. And funny too! I've known that I needed to replace my crowns from 20+ years ago, but my ins. doesn't cover them, and I haven't had the cash. So I've waited and prayed. This was God's provision. Thank you Lord!!

We got home in the afternoon just in time to sit down and relax.....before the doorbell rang. A couple weeks ago, prior to all the last minute scheduling that happened, I had arranged a surprise for Pillar. She has a very good friend that she hasn't seen in a long time! I wish I could have figured out how to get a pic of her when she answered the door. She was truly speechless and a bit in shock! It was a heart warming moment to see the look of pure joy on her face! While the girls visited and got caught up on the latest greatest, her mom and I got to talk too. It was a lovely afternoon. And to top it all off, the lasagna I served for dinner just happened to be their favorite! I love it when God orchestrates every detail like that!

As soon as our company left that night, we were back in the van with bags packed, and on the road again. Mrs. H, who I've mentioned before, needed some help at her mom's house. Thankfully, the roads were clear and it was a quick two hour trip down. It's so hard for me to watch her suffer as her mom continues to receive bad reports from the doctors. I wish there was a way I could make this journey less painful. For now, this is how we can minister to her.

The kids had so much fun. And because all the kids were happy and well taken care of.....Mrs. H and I could knock out a lot of things on her mom's to do list. I wish we could have done more, but at least we could help a little.

Here they are sitting in the "couch" out in the snow fort.

Their home sits on 25 acres of beautiful forested land. The kids spent much of the day exploring and finding treasures. They also went sledding down their VERY long driveway. There's a little clip at the end. You can't see her, but a dog jumped on the sled with the girls half way down the hill!

We arrived back home Monday night about 8:30, although it felt more like midnight. The girls were so tired that two of them crawled straight into bed fully clothed and were actually SNORING when I went in to tuck them in! LOL I found them in the exact same position the next morning! Gee, ya think we all were a little tired???

And that brings us to today. We had to get up bright and early because a construction crew was supposed to show up at 7am to do weatherization improvements to my house. They didn't end up starting until after 10am. Bummer. But that's alright. We had a great day and I have some great energy saving improvements now. They blew insulation into my attic, replaced a broken window, put smoke detectors in each bedroom, carbon monoxide detectors too, weather stripping on doors, new dryer vent, and a bunch of other stuff! What a blessing. My energy assistance company randomly selected me for weatherization more than a year ago.....completely free of charge! It's taken a while to complete, but it's going to save me so much money. Thank you Lord for picking me!

This afternoon while the guys were working, Rosebud and I made these cute chocolate octopus cookies.

And while we were doing that, Pillar and Miracle were outside playing and taking pictures of all the cool winter sights in our yard for an American Girl contest. I think they took almost 100 pics between them, but this one was my favorite!

I hope your weekend wasn't quite as busy as mine, but regardless....Have a great week!! God Bless You!!