Nancy, I totally understand your reluctance to sell your beautiful cards. It is the reason I crochet only for family or gifts. I have had several people who want to buy my amigurumi dolls but I refuse to start that. For one thing, they would not be willing to pay me enough for the ten plus hours it takes to make one not counting the materials and time to purchase and sort and store all the materials. And I refuse to add anything stressful to my life if I can avoid it. I am glad you are walking--I need to do more of that. But I did do dishes tonight since my daughter is in the midst of studying for finals. This is difficult for me as bending over to do dishes causes a lot of back pain. She would have done them tomorrow after her two finals but I don't like dishes to remain in the sink overnight. My thing...

Ade, I will add a rain prayer for you. The fires are just now starting up in California and I know Texas is in a bad way this year. We have to use more water to keep things more sanitary to avoid the Covid, but they are beginning to talk about limiting water usage because of drought. I don't know how we can do both! My dishwasher is on sanitizer cycle as I write this.

Tomorrow is another day to thank God for the toilet paper!

Chris

Chris, I bet your dolls are beautiful. I know you are dealing with a lot more than you share here but know that you are in our prayers continually as you go through this tough time. My walking has been good but I have had some terrible insomnia lately and I am trying to figure if my walking in the evening is part of that problem. Nothing is easy is it? Has your granddaughter's e learning started yet? Praying for you in that as well.

Hershey, I hear you on all of those points regarding selling. We have quite a group of talented people here making jewelry, selling jewelry and making dolls. Maybe we should pool our resources and have our on community shop!!!! Just kidding. Continued prayers for a positive review from your HR and hopefully soon.

Remember that some of the things we deal with are the invisible enemy at work. Yesterday was one of those days for me. A big thing and then a couple of little annoyances that caused me quite a bit of clean up. I knew right away that this was the enemy trying to steal my joy and celebration from the photo on TV thing. Sometimes it takes me a while to realize just what is happening but the Lord let me "see" yesterday early on what was happening. Just an FYI. When you make your own coffee if you forget to put that piece in that holds the coffee and filter you are in for a royal mess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our church held a revival weekend last week during a pandemic and it sounded like quite a few people came to the Lord for the first time. I was watching online but many raised their hands according to the guest preacher. He spoke on sheep and the qualities of sheep. He did not come right out and say they are dumb but I have heard other preachers say that. They are very vulnerable and can easily get lost from the herd. I guess "we" are the sheep and it doesn't take too much imagination to realize that was the perfect analogy. Of course Jesus is the Shepherd. He diligently looks after His sheep. We know the voice of Jesus and know when we are lost and have strayed. Very much like the innocent sheep we can get lost without intentionally wandering off the path. We have the assurance that Jesus will leave the herd to find us and save us from ourselves and bring us back to the fold. There is great comfort in that. We don't have to wander in darkness groping our way through life. We have a Savior that is leading us to our eventual home where there will be no more cancer and suffering but only peace and joy in perfect bodies. I don't know about you but that sounds pretty nice compared with this crazy mixed up world we are living in now.

Have a good day dear sisters.

Foots, we would love to hear from you.

Love,

Nancy

John 10:10-11New International Version

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Ade, are you the artist who is credited on your eBay site with creating the jewelry designs? I really like the copper glass leaf earrings!

Wow. Ade. You have a lot of varied things for sale. I looked at almost every page. Many neat things. I especially love the jewelry and abalone in particular. You must be busy going to the PO six days a week so kudos to a successful business.

You mentioned I probably walk on sidewalks. Actually a good part of my walk is in an unincorporated area near me so they have no sidewalks. When I am walking in that area there is very little cars and I don't see many people from the houses which I always find curious. Some of these are the McMansions. I find it very a safe feeling in this pandemic. I am not walking on dirt as you are which would be difficult. When I see people walking with their earbuds in I wouldn't want to do that because I like to hear the sounds of nature like you enjoying your birds singing. At this time of year it is hearing the locusts.

Chris, your dolls are adorable. My Dad loved Snoopy so we would get him all sorts of Snoopy themed things. He would love your cute doll. I can see how you could spend many hours on each one of your beautiful creations. I am glad you have more time before you start school with your granddaughter. Having that week when they will be gone will give you a breather as well.

I do have a prayer request which I forgot to mention earlier. I am having an MRI of the brain on Monday afternoon to check on the brain tumor. I would appreciate prayers for calm during the scan. I have had to fight claustrophobia in the past but have managed to have the scans without sedation on quite a few of them the last few years. I have had trouble with the IV's as well so I would appreciate your prayers for that and of course for no growth in the tumor. Thank you.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Love,

Nancy

Chris, your dolls are beautiful. Sphero and Snoopy are adorable!

Hershey I make most of my jewelry (but not the abalone bracelets & earrings). If the copper glass ones you are referring to are the ones I think - I did make those.

Chris your knitted dolls are SO cute - and I bet so much time is into each one. (Seling isn't for everyone - it was just something I could do from home.)

Nancy I pray your IV and scan go PERFECTLY and you have God's peace, and the results are GOOD GOOD GOOD! Be sure to let us know how it went and your results please.

Our son is coming for supper so I need to scram. Pray for the safety of our Border Agents too please. That's a whole different front line and he is out there in the field alone at night with poor communication devices, covering MANY miles. Thanks!

Hugs and prayers,

Ade

Thank you Ade and Faith and all who have prayed for me. I walked almost 3 miles tonight and hopefully I will be so tired that I can sleep. I have had terrible insomnia lately and I can't figure out what is going on. I think I am most concerned about my claustrophobia with the MRI since I haven't had one of these scans for a while.

Ade, I know having a son be on the border patrol must be scary. Praying for him for protection. Also praying for rain for the parts of the country that so desperately need it. Praying for you and James always.

Faith, I have continued to pray for you and I am glad that you have talked to your PCP and put some things into motion that will hopefully be a great help to you. I spent 6 or 7 months with a social worker last year and it was very helpful. I am glad that you have someone now that you can talk to and I pray that it will be a game changer for you getting you on a good path. Praying for your blood tests and your MO apt and that all things will be a good news. Thank you regarding my sunflower pic.

Have a good week dear sisters.

Love,

Nancy

What a beautiful banner, Nancy! Wow you have become quite the walker - and it does help me sleep too. James has very bad insomnia. I don't know if it is his depression (he's on the computer with the VA psych weekly visit right now) or because his blood pressure is up, or something else. I am praying for peace for your scan coming up and GOOD results!

Faith I am so sorry you're having such a rough time physically and mentally - I can empathize! I pray you and your DH are feeling God's healing hand very soon and for His peace for your anxiety.

I fell down our steps the other morning. Nothing like awakening to the sound of a large dog about to throw up and trying to get them OUT the door before they do! I landed hard on cement which lightly sprained my ankle and the arthritic lumbar and cervical spine bone spur weren't too happy about it either. That's getting better but the abdominal pain is back again - so with all that we didn't walk this morning. We take Sunday off anyway. Could always be worse I know.

Please pray for our daughter-in-law, Pam and her 3 sisters and their families. Her dad won't make it through the day. He knows Jesus so it will be a Homecoming, but it is hard on the ones left behind.

Love & prayers for you all,

Ade

Hi dear sisters. I wanted to thank you all for your prayers for my MRI of the brain today. I was told to hydrate all morning which I did in spades! I got a very nice young man as the tech and I asked that he put a cloth over my eyes from the beginning. The first part of the scan was 20min and I was doing really well. I was calm and tried to mentally picture me out with my camera in that sunflower field going over every single detail. That worked very well. Then they pulled me out to put in the contrast. That was a bigger issue. It seems that my challenging veins before radiation are really teetering on impossible after radiation and complicated by the fact that they can only use one arm. After a few tries the guy said he was going to give me an IV first. He did have to call another person in to do the job. My hand worked and I was praying hard that it would. The second part of the MRI went very well and even though this whole process to way longer than it should have it is over and I am back home. Thank you for your prayers. i won't see my neurologist until next Monday so I may not have results until then.

Ade, I am sorry to hear about your falling on concrete. Praying your ankle will be okay soon. Praying for your abdominal pain. Are you still suspecting gallbladder? I will pray for Pam and I am sorry to hear about her Dad but glad to know He will be seeing Jesus soon.

Chris, it took me quite a while before I got to the point where I could walk and not feel worse. I was probably overdoing it at first and would wake up the next day feeling really exhausted and not good. I backed off and decided to try walking every other day and that has worked well so far and I feel good. However I ran this by my sister the other day who is the queen of walking. She faithfully gets her "steps" in every single day. Recently she passed the 700 day mark of walking consecutive days I believe. I asked her if my insomnia could be because I am walking late in the evening and she said definitely. That was my way of not dying in the heat and humidity by walking in the afternoon. Fall is around the corner and then with cooler temps I should be able to walk in the afternoon. I am not comfortable swimming at this new Y yet and my not be for a very long time. Hopefully you can find a way to walk without it causing you more suffering.

I am glad you liked the banner. I loved those colors as well. Lord, help us to be light in this crazy world. That can take many different forms. Today as the tech was taking me back to the MRI machine he said so you're having an MRI of the brain. I said yes, to be sure I still have one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a good night dear sisters. Thank you again for your prayers. I think this was the calmest I have been inside that machine. Thank you Lord, for answered prayers.

Love,

Nancy

Nancy, another good banner for today! Praise the Lord for getting you through another scan! Now we pray for the GOOD news and perfect peace until then.

In a bit we pick up our 3 grandaughters here for a pizza and movie night at our house while their parents get a much needed date night. They are such fun and we are looking forward to the time with them. (Now to get the three to agree on the SAME movie!) :oD

Praying God's blessings upon you all,

Ade

Faith,

I love to watch the......Calm TV Commercials, 'Do Nothing for 30 Seconds'. )

Faith,

Thank You for the information! ;o)

Faith, that is great news on your blood work. I know this has probably been done but has your thyroid levels been checked. I have been on thyroid meds for many years and I know both having too much and not enough can make you feel just horrible emotionally. I am not sure if that is a normal part of blood work or they just include it all the time for me since I have thyroid issues. I am glad you find the app soothing enough to go to sleep. Glad you liked that banner.

Teka, I enjoy that 30 seconds of calm on TV as well. Actually going out with my camera in nature works wonders for me. In fact I will be doing that today hopefully.

Ade, I hope you are recovering from your fall. I bet you had a good time with pizza and movie night with your three granddaughters.

I haven't heard anything from my MRI and may not until I see my doctor on Monday.

I got a text today from my sister. My Mom apparently fell out of bed. They let the dr. know and will have to see if he wants to see her. I know my sister could use prayer. She is stressed to the max right now. I hope to visit my Mom in a couple of weeks. I have quite a few apts to work around.

Have a good day dear sisters.

Love,

Nancy

Jean, that is good news. I will be seeing my doctor soon for that very condition.

So true Ade. My Mom has a swollen knee so my sister is taking her for xrays tomorrow. According to my Mom she tripped on her feet and didn't fall out of bed. My sister said my Mom actually laughed about it so I was glad to she laughed. I am so thankful that this facility is letting my sister come into my Mom's apt. My Mom is not able to keep up her apt with the cleaning lady coming only once a week so my sister is able to pick up when they let her in. I am very grateful for that.