Our house!

So we finally are going to have our house painted. We have approached several painters and did not have much luck. They either stopped being in the business or too busy or just plainly did not return our calls. So, I looked in the yellow pages circled a few and a few days later (Friday) I called the one place I thought looked respectful. He picked up the phone and I was immediately at peace. He was doing quotes that day and would come and have a look at the house, guess what, never showed up. Ted and I looked at each other totally confused as we both had felt so at peace about this painter #5. We left a message with him, this time with our address and phone number.

Monday morning he called very apologetic, his truck had broken down. He would drive by the house and call in the quote, which he did. I asked him if he had noticed the window in the back, which we wanted to be fixed and is that something he does? No he had not seen it but would come again. This time two of them showed up and gave me a quote for that as well. I was very pleased with their professionalism.

I told them that I would let them know since I had an other quote coming. After meeting painter #6, even before receiving the quote, Ted and I both felt, nope, we would go with painter #5. When they begin by saying the primer is in the paint, not a good sign, those are short cuts.

We called #5 and told them our kids and grandchildren are coming in July and would like the painting being over with. That made sense to them. They also understood how important the vines growing against the house are to me. It has taken me a long time to get them that way. There are even birds nest in them. They will try to leave as much on the wall as they can.

On top of those expenses our fridge needs to be replaced. The ice-cream went soft and the cream sour. At first we did not realize it and I even took the sour cream to the store, hahaha! It was not easy to find the color we wanted, which is almond. Yes I know stainless steel and black are the "In" thing, but our whole kitchen is almond color and I am still very happy with that.

I am, that may surprise you, not one for changes. Once I love something, well it is for life. That is why I stick with Ted, hahaha!

And yes, the house will be painted dark brown just like it has been!

Oh, just look at them!

Stop passing judgment on one another.” Romans 14:13
A glass of wine or not a glass of wine? To dance or not to dance? To work on Sunday or not to work on Sunday? To play cards or not to play cards? Let’s face it, we tend to feel strongly about our personal preferences regarding what Christians should and should not do. And, when others violate our spiritual preferences, the criticizing begins!

Sounds familiar?

Paul says, “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” (Romans 14:5). He continued, “He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God” (v.6). Simply put, each of us should be convinced that what we are doing can be done to please the Lord. When we think that our point of view on personal preferences is the only point of view, we start criticizing.

So what’s the solution?

Stop passing judgment on one another” (Romans 14:13). Some matters of personal preference are just that—personal, which means that it’s between that person and God. Rather than using our preferences as a spiritual whipping post, we must give room for others to express a different opinion and still love them as Jesus does.

When we know that something we feel is okay might endanger another’s walk with Jesus, then it’s up to us to love them enough to yield our preferences for the sake of their well-being.

And that’s the bottom line:

Love.

He is 41

Happy Birthday Paul

Here with Jennifer his wife of 15 years.

They live in Sanford North Carolina and

YES we miss them very much.

Good results

This morning we went to the Oncology clinic to get the results from the tests Ted has had this past month. The results were good, thank the Lord!

But apparently we won't be getting CT Scans anymore unless the cancer marker is up. They can tell that by the blood work they do. The risk for Radiation is too high. Instead they will do X-Rays and Ultra Sounds.

What concerns me is that in 2005, I had an Ultra Sound done after I had pain. Only a few weeks later with a CT Scan they discovered an almost blocked colon with Cancer. I Googled my concern and various reports read that the benefit of a CT Scan far outweighs the risks the harm of radiation to the body.

The end of July I have my tests and appointment with the Oncologist and will bring that up. In the meantime, this is not something that will keep me awake at night, I am not the worrying type. I am thankful though that Ted is okay.

Rambling

What beautiful weather we are having and since I only work two days this week I have been enjoying it tremendously. If you could have seen me walk when I got up this morning! Apparently I used some muscles yesterday I did not know I had. I needed to do some stretching first before I made us some coffee.

Ted had commented earlier in the week that the side window looked rather dirty. Sjees, when my husband tells me the windows are dirty I'd better get with it. I did explain though that that particular window has moisture between the glass. Nevertheless, I had not washed the windows yet this year, so I got that done.

I remember as young girl about 10 or so it was my job to wash the windows every Saturday and I had to polish the copper door knob and the door bell. So if my Mother could see I had not done it yet she'd roll over in her grave, hahaha! (Yvonne would say to me: "Mom your Mother is not here, you don't have to please here anymore!") So right she is I don't, but I still ought to know better!

Then I mowed the lawn and pulled out the grass where it should not grow and that is in between the flowers!

Since we have a gravel drive way I pulled out all the grass and weeds there as well. There is nothing I dislike more than a weed invested gravel drive way. I have to do that almost every week.

Our neighbor has an apple tree and with the strong winds we have been having our deck looked like it had snowed. Well had to get rid of that as well.

When I was done, I made a blender of Ice coffee, and rewarded myself with two large glasses and sat out side soaking up a bit more sun, what a life, cannot get any better than that!

Thou shalt NOT be a bystander

Strength for today

Carpet cleaner final!

Well I tried using the cleaner again. Made sure everything on the machine was in the right place and this time, yep it worked. Boy is that carpet clean! The only stubborn stains are hot tea spills. Those I have to spray with peroxide (you can use that on light carpets only I think). The next job will be the down stairs so that when Yvonne, Jason and the girls come over the end of July it will be all nice and fresh.

Needless to say, I am very happy I bought that machine and wished I had done it sooner. I am so very stingy buying for my self. Had one of my kids wanted one I would have gone and buy them one. This time I figured it is my turn and did not get the cheapest one either,(which I would normally do!)

I have had a very busy week therefore today I'll be taking it easy. Roelie and Bill are back from their trip to Holland and I go back to working two days a week again. If only the temperature would get up so that the bedding plants start growing. One consolation, we are all in the same boat here in Manitoba. I love our garden and the display of different plants and flowers. The tulips are still standing tall.. I found though that the prospect of buying all the bedding plants a couple of weeks ago very discouraging and having to find a place for them even more so. But now it is all done I am so very proud of myself.

I love the hot weather. It is hard to believe that something like the warmed of the sun is so bad for the skin. I think there is nothing more relaxing than being outside with a Strawberry Smoothie and a book on my lounge chair on the deck or poking around in the dirt in the garden. I probably get a few people rolling their eyes when I say I never use sun screen. I only have a good day-cream for my face.

Okay so much for my news for today.

Rug Shampooer cont...

Okay you are probably wondering whether I actually got a shampooer by now. After looking on the Internet I found out that HOME DEPO in our area had four machines in stock. So to the store we went. Nobody in the store knew what I was talking about. Disgusted we left the store when Ted said: “The Lord tells me we should go to Sears!” “Well I can’t argue with the Lord nor with you,” I replied. Besides we were practically there. Sure enough, they had a few in stock and even a few similar machines of lesser and better quality. Since I had this particular one in mind I was not going for a cheaper model. There was one problem $50.00 more than Wal-Mart. A sales man came over and asked if we needed assistance. Very quickly I put my persuasiveness to work by mentioning to him that I had seen them at Wal-Mart and would he match the price? He had to check with his manager. Ted looked at me and said: “Pretty sleek sweetheart!”

We waited for a few minutes. Apparently they had checked Wal-Mart’s web site to validate what I had told him. Sure enough he came back with the papers and he wrote up the invoice and even took the box to the exit where Ted was waiting with the car. I thanked him for his great service because by then I was a really happy camper.

It is no wonder that at work they let me do the buying, because I always get the best price. I may have bought something a year ago, knowing very well there might be a chance that stock has gone up. But…that does not prevent me from saying: “ I am looking at the last invoice and of course I expect not to pay anymore, (usually with a little charm). Now there might be situations it cannot be avoided especially with transportation costs. But than again I could go somewhere else!!!! Anyways, I find that very challenging!

Monday was a rainy day and perfect to clean our upstairs carpets. Great job, except for some reason the machine did not use any of the formula, which is in a small tank at the back of the machine. I noticed it only when I was done cleaning! Whenever you pull the spray trigger some of it (depending on the type of cleaning heavy, light traffic) will come out along with hot steaming water. For some reason I may not have snapped it in right, well okay I AM blond. So for now the machine used only hot water and the residue of shampoo from previous cleanings. Now I have to do it again if the machine still does not use the formula then I might have a defective machine on my hands. In the meantime, Ted wonders where I get all the energy. Well you do what you have to do!

Now I have heard it all!

Two-year-old tots trot out business cards

Mums say it helps them make friends

Experts says its 'preposterous'

TOUCH base with Ethan Jones and he'll hand you his business card. He'd love to meet for lunch ... but will have to ask Mom first.

The entrepreneurial two-year-old never leaves home without a supply of cards tucked in his nappy bag.

In an extension of a phenomenon that has taken the country by storm, growing numbers of parents are investing in business cards for their children.

Parenting experts have dubbed the notion "preposterous", believing it to be a classic example of obsessive parenting.

Ethan's mother Nicole hopes the cards will help her son build a strong friendship network.
The family moved to Mermaid Beach on the Gold Coast, four weeks ago and, thanks to Ethan and his cards, have already started to meet people.

"Ethan feels very important when he trots off to give someone his business card," Mrs Jones, 36, said. Ethan's card features a colorful polka-dot design.
Alison Piro sells the kids' cards on-line - priced at $50 for 50 - and said parents across the country had been snapping them up.

Parenting expert Prof Matt Sanders from the University of Queensland, said kids should be kids.
"Giving children business cards is totally unnecessary," he said. "There is nothing they could possibly gain. It's just a silly gimmick."

Parkinson's

As most of you know Ted has Parkinson's. He has a very informative blog on this. He does a lot of research on the web. There are no support groups in cyberspace therefore Yvonne developed this nice blog for him and he has been at it for several months.

This disease has it's challenges for him and me for that matter. The past week we went to a meeting in which the clinic had invited several speakers. The first speaker talked about exercises and physical activities, which are very important. Since patients tend to become sluggish and unmotivated. (Of course Ted commented to me: "What does he know he is young and energetic!")

The second speaker, of course a very attractive young lady, spoke about diets and nutrition and the third lady spoke about speech impediment. Tell me about it! Ted keeps on telling me that I need an hearing aid, hahaha. Now I have to admit that yes I like the sound of the TV up but that is about it. I asked my doctor to check my ears, (just in case Ted was right!). She said: "Nope, clear as a bell!"

The way Ted feels has to do with his condition, but strangely also the medication to which each patient reacts differently. So after every visit to the specialist the dose has to be changed.

Ted gets periods of severe depression in the morning until the medication starts working.
On our last visit to Ottawa he therefore was not interested in making plans for the day. Funny as only Yvonne can be, she'd say: "Lets wait until "Party Ted" comes out. That is just about the size of it!

Why he feels different each day we just don't know. Because of the research they have done so far they still have no simple real cure. The condition only get worse in time. Actually, people have signs of Parkinson's before the shaking and tremors start, except they do not know why they feel the way they do. Ted was already tired and unmotivated, more so than the average Joe (or me) for a number of years.

We both have been set free from cancer for now anyways and the Lord certainly can provide a solution again for us. I would asked you to once in a while pray for us. I realize that we all have our own personal challenges in life in which we can either trust God or give up. I choose to trust God.

He turned 35 today

Happy Birthday to Jason, my favorite and.....
only son-in-law.

I have been shopping

Well I have been looking for this carpet cleaner. Went to two Walmart stores, sold out. Canadian Tire had one but $30.00 more and they are not very good with their return policies. If you know me well, you also know that I like to return stuff when I am not happy with it or it breaks down on me. I did not know that there were soooooo many clean freaks in Winnipeg.
Our carpets are a very light beige and to keep them nice I have to be able to take the spots out as they happen. yes we have had coke, coffee, chocolate milk on it. After almost 20 years I think I managed quite well without being too paranoid when the grand children come over.

But getting back to the Shampooer, I have this one in my head now and am determined to keep on looking. This one to the right sells for $247.90. Yes there are cheaper ones on the market, but I am afraid they won't do the job. A few years ago Paul and Jennifer bought me the little power cleaning machine (for small areas and furniture), which I used so much we already replaced that one. I nearly used it after every Sunday lunch or sometimes during, hahaha!

So I'll continue to look for this Shampooer. No Walmart does not sell on the net.

So you like banana's? I do, see? click!

I am still here

Have not had too much to tell except that I have been busy. I am working three days while the boss is in Europe. This is also the time for gardening, which I have been doing. I bought bedding plants, grass seed and soil. As far as flowering plants is concerned, I did not buy enough. Monday I will have to go back to the nursery. A good thing I am working some extra days. Gardening is an expensive proposition.

This year instead of having our lawn fertilized by the experts, I had it power raked. Did they do a good job? I still see dead grass all over the place. Those guys always come when I am not around! Just as well, I'd be walking right behind them!

I have not seen this many dandelions. They look pretty until they begin to seed. My goodness why don't people mow their laws! It is a disgrace the way some neighbors let it go. Luckily our lawn is still thriving from last years treatments.

I will take some pictures of all the flowers I have planted, mind you I can hardly find them I told Ted. He said I see them, ( he figured else she is going to buy some more, hahaha!)