April 25 (card)

Saturday:  I sent out another card to Phyllis this afternoon. I am hoping she is doing okay. She is a few years older than my mother, at least a year--so she would be at least 92! 

April 24

Friday:  It's been five weeks since these kiddos have been to my house. We were all pretty excited to have it happen too. It was a lot like a three-ringed circus for almost five hours, but the kids seemed to have a happy time here and I was so thankful. 

 Aidan immediately wanted to play trains, and he and Brendan managed to "share" tracks and trains pretty decently, with only a few referee calls from grandma. I'm so glad I have these trains for everyone to play with. Erin is getting more and more pleasure from them too, although mostly she just walks right on through the layout, taking track and trains with her ...

Erin was hungry before the other kids were, so I sat her in our little high chair and gave her some yummy snacks. She was pretty intently watching Matey as she enjoyed her snacks.

 Matey likes Erin a lot and comes very close to her. She really likes it when he does, although it's a little bit daunting when he kisses repeatedly. She did very well though.

 Matey also got in on the snacks ...

 Erin is very pleased to be around animals--Kelly says she loves them all! Animals know this about people!

 Look at them kissing! How sweet! I know one little person who would NOT allow this whatsoever!

 The train building and playing went on for a long time. 

 Erin enjoys my desk chair. She likes to spin "round and round" super fast.

 I got out some LEGOs for Brendan, some sets that were already built that I keep high up on a shelf so that little kiddos don't take them all apart. But Aidan wanted to see the LEGO treehouse very badly, and I will say that he played very carefully and didn't take apart anything! Good job, Aidan.

 Little Miss Erin was intrigued with Matey's seeds and kept getting her little fingers in his food dish to sample ... she didn't eat any--she just liked messing with it.

 We had a very nice afternoon together. This is Brendan's Pokeman puzzle that he is working on. We've had it here for the longest time without ever getting serious about it.

 Finally, at about 3:30 we tuned into Disney+ and watched Frozen 2. I popped some movie theatre popcorn (extra butter) and the kids just rested and watched. Meanwhile, I washed a sink load of dishes and put a few things away.

We left my house at about 4:45 to return the kiddos home. Both Erin and Aidan were so tired, they immediately fell asleep on the drive home. #4 baby is due in just about two weeks. I hope to give Dylan and Kelly more relief before the baby is born and then much more afterwards. I'm hoping the weather warms up and the "stay home" restrictions lift enough to be able to enjoy some playgrounds.

April 23 (card)

Thursday:  This is the card I mailed out to Lois S. over at Rest Haven today.

These pictures were taken November 10, 2010 when gale warnings were out for Lake Michigan. It was a clear day and the temperature was in the upper 50's. People were wearing shorts and flip-flops and photographers were out in droves that day. I had to do extensive cropping just to get all of the people OUT of these photos! 

April 23

Thursday:  Today was another do-nothing sort of day--except I did prep for having the kiddos over tomorrow by putting away lots of stuff that I don't want them messing around with, etc. 

I introduced Matey to his new string toys--they are basically little balls that he can play with. He was less than impressed. However, I did notice that by the end of the day, he was picking them up and pitching on the floor--oh, joy.

 While I was eating dinner tonight, I lured Matey into my room with his favorite straw. I think green is his favorite color. Anyway, Matey was on my shoulder and I took his straw and dropped it on the floor in my bedroom. He flew in after it and I shut the door! Yay--now I could eat my food without his little beak pecking away in MY food.

 BUT something happened today that has NEVER happened before. Matey became a little escape artist! Evidently, his straw rolled underneath the wide expanse (!!) between the bottom of my door and the actual floor, and Matey followed it right out into the hallway! And then he was as free as a ... yes, as free as a bird! 

I also had a leadership meeting tonight for MNBS. Here are some of the people who also lead small groups for Bible study. They are a really nice bunch of people, and I am thankful for them. Zoom is a very cool way to be able to meet in groups without actually being in the same room. 

I also made a card today and got it in the mail, but I'll post that separately because it helps me keep track of which card I have sent to which particular lady over at Rest Haven.

April 22 (card)

Wednesday:  Not much happened here today ... as in ZERO happened ... nada! I did clean Matey's cage and made it all spic & span--he was pleased. Also, I've been trying to "back up" my computer for the last week or so and having all kinds of difficulty accomplishing that--so last night, I read up on it a little bit and Apple suggested that perhaps the reason my computer is not recognizing my back-up disc is because I haven't shut down my computer and run updates on it for ... a very long time. So I determined today that I would shut my computer all the way down and then update everything it wanted me to update. I started that process at about 1:30 this afternoon. Six hours later (I'm not lying), my computer has FINALLY run every single update out in the entire universe (!!) AND it finally recognizes my back-up disc! YAY! I thank the Lord for this, because I asked Him for His help (finally) and He heard my request and has answered. I really really need to learn HOW to talk to God about the things in life that come up AS they come up, instead of worrying myself half sick, trying and failing endless times, and then FINALLY remembering that I could probably ask the Lord to help me. You would think an old woman like me would have learned that many years ago ...

I did finish up another card--this one is for Eleanor over at Rest Haven. I like it ... because the verses really spoke to me right where I am this very minute.

The top three pictures used in the card were taken out at Grand Haven about a year ago or so. They were in a file, not designated as lighthouse pictures, so I had forgotten about them. But I love them. I love the sunlight and the reflection. I adore the sailboats. The bottom picture (which is the back of the card) was taken years ago on the north shore, early one May morning. I reember it distinctly.

I think the reason Psalm 27.1 and Psalm 34.4 spoke to me today is NOT because I am afraid of COVID--I'm actually not very afraid of it--I'm cautious, but I'm not terrified or anything. I know that I am not going to die one second before God has planned--that's the bottom line. But I'm afraid of lots of other stuff, and I've always been "governed" by fear I guess, instead of calling out to the Lord for His help and wisdom. I'm going to need a lot of that coming up very soon--Dylan and Kelly's baby is due mid-May, but they think the baby is going to come before that. They need my help with taking care of the kiddos. They are exhausted from the last four weeks of "lockdown." I completely understand that, and I have missed them terribly. But here is what I am afraid of--and it's silly and pathetic of me--but taking care of little children is exhausting! And I love this group of little children with all of my heart! It's just a tricky mix between Brendan's challenges, and the ages of Aidan and Erin--all at the same time. But I am not going to chose FEAR. I'm going to ask the Lord to help me love and care for this dear family. He will help me and give me the patience and resources that I need.

April 21

Tuesday:  Today it feels like I did a whole lot of nothing. I did get up early enough to be at Meijer's by 7am, which is when the old folks are allowed to shop on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Younger people aren't allowed inside until 8am. And I did get a very good deal on a spiral cut honey ham that was marked $33.50 but I only paid $8.10--a nine pound ham! Evidently, Meijer over-purchased their Easter hams. Anyway, I cut it up into 5 different sections, froze four of them, and I'll use the first section for the rest of the week in sandwiches, salads, with eggs, etc. 

Matey joined me for breakfast. It seems his favorite cereal is the same as mine! Special "K" protein with cinnamon!

 He gets very excited when he hears the cereal pouring into my bowl. He likes bananas too and enjoys the peel as much as the banana.

 The annoying part is that he absolutely will NOT stay off the side of my bowl. I start out with a pretty full bowl and he flies right over, sticks his head in the milk and then shakes his little feathers which scatters the milk on me ... mostly just my face ... but still!

 He's not one bit shy about sticking his face in my bowl ... look at him!

While I was at Meijer this morning, I picked up these medications. I read an interesting article on what to do if you become sick with COVID symptoms but don't know when you are seriously sick enough to seek medical care. Since COVID is a lung illness, they encouraged meds that loosen up mucus, suppress and calm unnecessary coughing, but get the most for your bang with every cough by making the fluid slippery and easier to expel from your lungs. They also suggested a medication to open up your breathing passages, as well as Tylenol (or any Acetaminophen) to supress fevers and aches. I got generics of most everything they suggested.

They also said to do an exercise with a cotton ball. When you are healthy, put a cotton ball on a smooth table and then inhale deeply and see how far you can blow the cotton ball. Do this 10x. When you are sick and you begin to feel discomfort in your chest, re-test your cotton ball distance. Do it 10x in a row. If the distance has diminished greatly, that's a clue that your lungs are becoming incapacitated (which isn't good). If you cannot blow that cotton ball very far, you need to seek medical help. They also suggested putting 1 drop of peppermint oil (which, unbelievably I have--but that's a long story) into water that has just come to a boil. Turn off the water and inhale the peppermint fumes for 15 minutes each hour. This will also open up your passages. You see, a lot of people will still be getting this COVID sickness for a long time yet--but it doesn't mean that you can't try to fight it and avoid getting seriously in trouble. I liked the tone of this article because it was reasonable and logical instead of being hysterical. So ... I am all prepared.

April 20 (card)

Monday:  I designed another card today for dear Phyllis over at Rest Haven. Here it is.

I used RED card stock, 5 x 7". This is South Haven's lighthouse. I took these pictures several years ago and I still like them.