Out My Front Door

Last night the ice and rain came. This morning there was ice everywhere as well as something that was very welcome-the sun. All the schools were closed today so I knew I wasn't working. By this evening most of the ice will be melted but it is supposed to be in the 20's tonight so that means everything will refreeze and once more the roads will be hazardous during the early commuting hours.

Liz

He Can Fix Anything But. . .

My husband can fix anything. He has built our storage building from the bottom up and it isn't just any storage building. This one has a loft and electricity among other things. He has fixed all the massive leaks that our pool had (another thing that was hidden from us when we bought the house) and I never worry about repairs because I know that he will be able to fix it.

My husband is employed by a company that has many divisions and he just happens to work in the energy savings area. He works on government facilities and the jobs are usually large. He knows how to calculate energy costs and the equipment that needs to be installed to save these facilities on their energy use.

Right now it is cold here and it looks like we will be having ice later this evening. Our thermostat is set to automatically reset at 8 am every morning Monday through Friday. It is not usually a problem except when it is cold like today. That is why I found it amusing that this morning before I left to go to work my husband had to ask me how to keep the thermostat at the higher setting so he won't get cold-like he did yesterday. I always feel useful when he asks me these little things.

Liz

Multiple Blessings

I just finished the book Multiple Blessings by Jon and Kate Gosselin. For those that are unfamiliar with the Gosselin family they have a show on TLC, Jon and Kate Plus 8. They have twin daughters plus sextuplets.

The book deals mainly with the time that Kate was pregnant with the sextuplets, their birth, and the first year afterward. It does mention meeting Jon, their wedding, and the twins before the birth of their sextuplets.

The book does a great job of explaining the the difficulty of Kate's pregnancy and how she was determined that she would have all 6 of these babies. She did everything that was necessary to have healthy babies.

The most meaningful part of the book was the way that Kate gives God the glory for everything and how her dependency on God taught her many lessons.

I really enjoyed the book and it was very easy reading.

Liz

Patty

I have to share thoughts about my friend Patty. She is such a blessing in my life and I hope that I am the kind of friend to her that she is to me.

We met when our oldest children were in kindergarten. Every day we would sit on the steps waiting for our children to be released from their afternoon of learning. Most of the other mothers had known each other since they were in high school so she and gravitated towards each other.

From kindergarten through 6th grade our children were in the same class. Not only were we friends but our children were friends also. After 6th grade she and her family moved into another area of town so our children would no longer be in the same school. After another year my family and I had moved to Albuquerque, then to Olathe, Kansas, and then to our present location.

Through those years we have remained friends. I have always said that you learn who your true friends are when you move away and there has to be an effort made to maintain that friendship. Patty has always put forth that effort and more.

When her youngest daughter was married in 2006 I was able to go to the wedding and for the first time in 6 years we were actually able to spend some time together. Last year she was able to come to our daughter's wedding and I was so thrilled to be able to share that day with her.

When our grandson was born the only person that I called (outside of family) was Patty. I knew that she would share my excitement and I will share hers when her oldest daughter has her baby this summer.

Right now, we are planning a trip to San Francisco in April. We are allowing our husbands to come and we are lucky that they get along with each other as well and Patty and I do. I am excited about it. This will be my third time to visit San Francisco but it will be her first and we will have so much fun-sharing a city I love with a friend that I love.

Liz

Returning Home

Former President Bush returned to Texas today, back to the ranch at Crawford. As I watched the inauguration and the departure of the Bush's I thought of his tenure as president.

George Bush has served our nation as president during some very difficult times. After September 11 he was the person that we looked to for comfort and direction. The decision to enter into war with Afghanistan and Iraq had was not an easy one.

Our nation is not the same country it was in 2001. Not only are we at war with 2 different countries but our economy is in a recession and that affects everyone. Only time will tell how history will will review his time in office.

I may not have always agreed with every decision that President Bush made but I am grateful that he was there to lead our nation during these last eight years. Thank you and welcome home.

Liz

A Part of History

I know that everyone remembers significant events during their lifetime. My 94 year old uncle was an eyewitness to the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima and can still recall every detail of that historical event. My parents can recall life during World War II, especially my mother since she had 3 older brothers that were serving in the military during that time.

I can recall many events that have shaped history. As a second grader I can remember walking home from school and hearing that President Kennedy had been assassinated in Dallas. This has stayed with me because we were living in Austin and his next stop was to be in our city and schools had been released early so students could attend the parade. School was still released early but not because of a joyous occasion. I also remember the first moon walk, Apollo 13, the 2 space shuttle disasters, the falling of the Berlin Wall, wars, 9-11, and so many other events.

Today our nation will be taking a step towards another historical event-the inauguration of our first African-American president. The inauguration is filled with tradition and every American should be proud of our nation. As a nation we should be coming together to support our president, whether you voted for Barack Obama or not. We should be starting each day in prayer to God that He will guide our president to make the right decisions-decisions that affect each and every one of us.

Liz

Defiance

My husband and I just returned from seeing the movie Defiance. Several years ago he had read the book The Bielski Brothers. Although this movie is not based on that book it is about the same subject, the Bielski brothers and their ability to save many Jews during World War II.

I loved the movie. I haven't read the book but my husband told me that it was pretty close to being accurate. The movie is about these brothers that manage to save over 1200 Jews by living in the forest and each in their own way fought the Germans.Even though there was conflict between the 2 older brothers they both did what they thought was correct.

Go see it!

Liz

Don't Forget The Blessing

Several years ago I heard a man at church tell this story and it has remained with me. It seems that he had had an exceptionally difficult week. At church he ran into an elderly woman that politely asked him how his week had been.

As the man explained all the difficulties that he had encountered during the week the woman listened carefully. When he was done the woman looked at him and said, "You had a bad week BUT don't forget the blessing".

How often do we concentrate on the unfortunate events but in doing so miss the blessing?

Liz

Customer Service

Photo from Flickr

I have worked retail before and I know that is can be difficult, especially when there are "challenging" customers. Many times I have tried to be helpful and find just the right item only to have the customer decide they would have to think about it. I always tried to be gracious and polite and still thank them for coming in-if it weren't for customers then I would not have had a job.

After going to a well known craft store today I suggest that anyone working retail needs to go to a training that teaches customer service. After making my purchase the cashier couldn't even thank me or put my items in a bag. As I was walking out I thought about it and realized that this isn't the only place that this kind of behavior occurs.

It doesn't take much time to be courteous but it can make a lasting impression. I am much more likely to patronize an establishment if I am treated with respect and my business is appreciated. I have taken the liberty to change a remark that a well known airline always says and think maybe it should be the motto of anyone dealing with the public: We know that you have choices when you shop and we appreciate when you choose us.

Liz

Sarah's Key

Sarah's Key is a book by Tatiana De Rosnay that begins in July, 1942 in Paris, France. Sarah is a 10 year old girl that is taken with her parents by the French police during the round up of Jews. She wants to save her younger brother so she locks him in a bedroom cupboard, a secret hiding place. She promises to come back as soon as she is released.

Sixty years later Julia Jarmond is an American journalist living in Paris and is researching the roundup for an article that she is writing. During her research she stumbles upon a secret that connects her family with Sarah.

The book intertwines Sarah's and Julia's story and changes Julia's life as well as many of her family members.

I loved this book. It was a little slow in the beginning and I had difficulty at first following the story as the author jumped between Julia in 2002 and Sarah in 1942. It is based on a true event-the roundup of Jewish families in Paris by French police. The families were first taken to a velodrome, the Vel de Hiv. From there they were taken to other camps before finally going to Auschwitz. The story is captivating and I couldn't wait to find out what happened to Sarah and how Julia's life is affected.

Liz

Mexico-Country or State

Last week I had a 7th grade Texas history class. They were finding the answers for the semester test review. In Texas history the curriculum covers everything from Spanish explorers, the six flags over Texas (and you thought that was just an amusement park), fight for independence, Texas as a country and then statehood, and information up to the present. Texans are proud of their history and it takes a whole year to cover it.

As they were looking for answers I had a girl ask me if one of her answers was correct. The questions asked what states bordered Texas-easy to find out this one on a map. The girl had listed New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. I told her those were correct but asked if there were any more and found the map in the book for her to look at. She then asked me if Mexico was a part of the list. When I asked her if Mexico was a country or a state she couldn't tell me. I directed her to the huge poster with license plates from every state and told her to look at it, see if she could find a plate for Mexico (I thought that she should be made to use the tools at hand and think for herself). Of course she couldn't find a license plate for Mexico but she still couldn't tell me if Mexico was a country or a state.

What are our children learning in school if our students can't tell the difference between a country or a state!

Liz

Candy Hearts

Just as soon as the Christmas items have been cleared off the shelves at 50% off the Valentine candy comes out. For as long as I can remember I have loved the conversation hearts that are available at this time of year.

I have been known to eat so many that my jaws hurt-that was when I was younger and had less sense than I do now. I now try to eat them in moderation. I know if I have them in my house that sooner or later I will hear them calling my name and I will lose all my will power and start eating them.

This year I had managed to resist buying them until yesterday. I know it was only a week after New Year's Day but for me that was a record. This year instead of buying them in the larger package I decided that I would try buying them in the smaller boxes-you know-the ones that you would get in school at the Valentine's party. My thinking was that if I bought them in that size I would have more restraint. Is eating 3 of those boxes in one day showing restraint?

Liz

Bathroom Update

The tile is in and has been grouted.

The custom niches will hold our bottles of shampoo and conditioner.

This week I applied 3 coats of grout sealer to the grout lines. It was more time consuming than I thought it would be. Maybe by the end of the weekend there will be faucets and a shower head applied. We plan on painting the bathtub. The bathtub could not be replaced without removing a wall and plumbing so we will try painting it.

Liz

Resolutions

Picture from Flickr

I have never been one to make resolutions, probably because I know that before the day is out I will forget about it so therefore the resolution will never be kept. I really don't even set goals due to the same reason.

My husband and I usually try to set goals of what we want to accomplish on the house. Right now the goal is to finish our bathroom. If you will recall I took out the old tile on Labor Day weekend (that's right, 4 months ago). Since he is gone so much progress is very slow-I will post pictures on the progress tomorrow.

After the bathroom is finished our next project will be to put the Slim AC/Heat unit in the sunroom. I really like the sunroom but it is only usable when the weather cooperates and today is not one of those days. When the temperature outside is only 31 degrees one does not go into the sunroom to read a good book. Once this unit is in we will be able to use the sunroom year round. Yea!

For today I am off to seal the tile in the bathroom. That way when my husband returns this weekend more progress can be made.

Liz

Lucas' and Kelly's Christmas Gift

These were fun pictures that we made on Christmas. The idea was entirely Lucas' and Kelly's and I just put them together in a video.

Disclaimer: No one was harmed during the taking of these pictures and the wrapped box was empty.

Liz

I realize that these are the same pictures in a post from last week but this has music added to it. It was just such a cute idea I couldn't resist making it into a video.

Home for Sale

Listing Agent:Linda Jordan Hobbs(972)380-7669
The Douglas Avenue Office

The pictures above are of a home for sale in Dallas. It can be yours for a mere $4,995,000. It also comes with somewhat of a legacy-it was the home of Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay cosmetics. For more information go to www.ebby.com.

Liz

High Points of 2008

After our disastrous 2007 I wasn't sure what 2008 would bring but it was a great year. We started out planning our daughter's wedding. Although there were complications the wedding turned out great. The day was beautiful and everything went well.

My husband had to have two follow up visits for his surgery in 2007. Every 6 months requires that we visit 3 doctors and all of the visits turned out great. There is no recurrence of his brain tumor and the treatment remains the same-just medication. The next visit with the doctors is in February.

We were able to take two great trips this year. One to Pennsylvania and one to Asheville, North Carolina. We were able to be tourists as well as visit with good friends.

The highlight of the Christmas holidays was the birth of our grandson. We were fortunate to arrive 1 1/2 hours after he was born and share that time with our son and daughter in law.

Of course we have no idea what 2009 will bring but I am looking forward to it. It started off with dinner with good friends that we hadn't seen in a long time. It was a great way to start off the new year.

Liz

A New Year

A new year has begun with new beginnings and new hopes. I have never been one to make resolutions and I am not going to start now. Instead it is nice to look back and reflect on blessings.

I am so blessed to have a husband that loves me and puts up with me which I know is not always easy.

I am so blessed to have parents that are living, in good health, and are generous. Anytime we need them they are there-no matter what.

I am so blessed to have 2 great children and their spouses. They enrich my life greatly and I am so proud of them.

I am so blessed to have this new grandson. My prayer for months was that he would be born safely and healthy. Although there were a few tense moments he is an answer to that prayer.

I am so blessed to have friends. Recently I had lunch with a friend that I have known since I was in 6th grade. We hadn't seen each other in at least 25 years but that friendship was still intact and we had so much that we could share.

Most of all I am so blessed to know that in good times and bad that God is there with me, walking beside me and holding my hand. I know that no matter what 2009 brings the one constant will be God.

Liz