Praise the Lord!!

Okay so all I can say is: PRAISE THE LORD! Today we went to some private clinics and the swelling of the optic nerve is gone with only a little swollen vessels and....no tumors or bleeding in he brain!!! PRAISE THE LORD! 

I can't even tell you how much of a relief it was to hear that my brain was healthy. 

When the dr. mentioned something about tumors or bleeding in the brain  I immediately started preparing myself, subconsciously. I had to come to the place where I gave it all to the Lord and was willing to except whatever happened. I wasn't happy with the possibility of being ill but somehow my mind dealt with it without my knowledge. 

Anyhow, I was elated and honestly can't stop praising the Lord! HE IS SO GOOD!

There are still a few questions but the important ones have been answered positively. 

I want to thank all of you who prayed. In times of trouble real friends are revealed!!!

37 Already??

Well it's true, I'm 37 today! I am in awe actually, it seems like yesterday I was 17 and then 20 and now 37!!!

Are you kidding me? How did this happen? Where did the years go and is it possible that I'm only 3 years from 40??? Somebody wake me, quick!!

Yea I  guess I need to face the facts, I'm 37. It seems like yesterday I was a young 27 arriving in Croatia for the first time with my 3 little kiddos in tow. Now I'm an ol' seasoned wife, mom and missionary wife. I've been around the block, per say and it's rough but so worth it!

Anyhow in honor of my 37 birthday, (yea I'm honoring me, somebody has to) I'm gonna tell you 37 interesting or not facts about me! Get ready, I know you can't wait!

1. I'm an Aries, what ever difference that makes.
2. I'm wear a 7.5 in shoes and sometimes 7 .
3. I have a total complex about my nose, way too wide.
4. My best friend in the whole world other than my honey is Amanda Rasbeary.
5. I have never met my real father.
6. At least half of my head of hair is gray, but you would never know it thanks to Loreal.
7. I don't really like ice cream. yea seriously
8. I have been married longer than I lived unmarried.
9. I don't have a gallbladder anymore.
10. I have two holes in my ears, but I only wear one earring.
11. I love to sing but have a fear of singing or speaking in front of people.
12. I'm a Daddy's Girl even after he's been gone for 14 years.
13. The first think I ever sewed was a Bible cover.
14. I used to be a Church of Christ bus kid.
15. I love my computer.
16. I despise pantyhose.
17. I have extremely white skin, so white that the lightest base makeup is usually too dark.
18. I've been baptized 3 times! all 3 times submersed.
19. I have rode in a Gondola in Venice, Italy.
20. I'm totally not scared of heights.
21. I have eyes the color of Tootsie Rolls, Johnny says.
22. It takes me about 15 minutes to blow dry my hair every morning.
23. I hate making cakes.
24. I still have acne, even as an adult. Enough already!
25. I have never been skinny.
26. I have friends all over the world.
27. My house burnt down when I was 7.
28. I had a Rottweiler named Texas.
29. I am madly in love with Johnny.
30. I would love to skydive.
31. I loved to sing when I was in school.
32. I have had 5 teeth pulled.
33. I am obsessive about cleaning my ears.  
34. I cut my family's hair.
35. I love to people watch in the town square while drinking a strong cappuccino.
36. I want to be called MiMi when I become a grandma.
37. I totally have no complaints about life, God sure is good to me!!!

Thanks for reading and celebrating with me, 1 more year closer to Heaven!

shame, shame, shame!

(hanging my head in sheer, pitiful, shame)

Where have I been and where have the days gone. It's been almost a month since my last post and I'm feeling as low as a snakes belly. Wow, if good intentions were worth anything I would be a multi-billionaire. I always wake up thinking, today I'm gonna blog only to have my virtual life sidetracked by life.

I was chatting with a friend the other day about how short the days seem here in Croatia and they do. It seems like days here are so much shorter than the days back in the states. There is literally no time to be bored or lazy. Just keeping the dishes done steals a whole chunk of the day.

I have stock piles of fabric and ideas to last years and no time to do anything with either of them.
Actually it has always been this way in Croatia. The days just seem shorter. Anyhow, enough with all the excuse making.

I'm sorry, so sorry for neglecting my blog and my friends. Sorry I haven't been around to read about your ups and downs. So much has happened here and there and I'm missing it in all my hustle and bustle.

Anyhoo, I am back. I have lots of stuff to write about but not a huge amount of time so I better schedule it. Be back soon!

Multi-tasking!

You know what I have always been handicapped in; multitasking. I just can't do two things at one. Either I thrive doing one or I totally neglect the other. Some people can get ten things done at once, I don't know how they do it, how they keep everything lined up neatly in their heads to make sure that each task is finished correctly. I dunno. I wanna multitask but it's so dangerous to try. I mean really, cutting bread while talking on the phone could potentially be a bad thing. Cutting my family's hair while pruning a bonsai tree could lead to disastrous outcomes. I try not to drive and paint my toenails at the same time, for fear of the messy purple outcome.

I realize that I can not multitask, I don't know why I was shorted in this area of my concentration but I know I was. I am embracing my singleness of mind but sometimes it gets in the way.

For example: Blogger and Facebook. The most detrimental enemy of Blogger is Facebook. Do you know how many single-taskers there are out there in Blogville like me? Really, you're reading your favorite blog and one day the posts just stop. You wonder to yourself, maybe there's trouble in the family, maybe a physical ailment, who knows even death maybe. Nope, mark all those out, more than likely it's FACEBOOK.

I was invited to FB and joined to keep in touch with family and friends, little did I know how it would effect my life and least the blogging part of it.

So there you have it, my excuse for my long absence. All the fault belongs to Facebook. I'm pretty innocent in the whole ordeal. I am going to try to multi-task at least in this area of life. It may be a bit reckless so bare with me, it takes time to learn a new skill and this one is definantly new to me!

March 26, 1973

Guess what was waiting for me this morning? My kids bought me a rose from each of them and they made the sweetest DVD for me. They found tons of pictures of me throughout the years with them and they wrote a song about me. The pictures scrolled as they sang a very special song for me. I was bawling at the end and so thankful for great kids who love me.

Oh yea I'm officially 36 today, hence the title of this post!


Guess what happened last night! Usually our Wednesday night crowds in Cakovec have been really low lately. Last night we had 31 in the service which is great. The catch is that 21 of those 31 came in on Johnny's van route. He took a 9 passenger van to pick up3 or 4 people and came back with the 9 passenger van filled to the roof with 21 people. One of the little girls decided to invite some friends and 18 of them came. Amen, Jesus loves the little children and when better to catch their hearts for Jesus then when they are young?


Oh yea and I found the best place on the web yesterday. Sew Mamas is a message board for, well, Sewing Mamas. It's a great place for anyone who loves sewing and they have lots of free PDF patterns for download.

I downloaded the pattern for this bag yesterday and made it. It was my very first bag and I loved it. It was a total conquer thing with me and I had to finish it yesterday. I think it turned out rather well and I have a much better understanding of how these sorts of patterns work.

Head over and check out Sew Mamas and enjoy years of experience!

Have You Ever??

Okay so I seen this over at Tammy's Times and thought I would do it too, I usually don't do these sorta things but it looked fun. Your supposed to copy the list and the highlight the ones you have done. I think I managed 38 out of 99, I better get busy!

Feel free to jump on board, can't wait to read your's!

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang/played a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort - with my kiddos

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping - with girls when I was a kid

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Gotten flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Made a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

Create and Celebrate

Guess who's having their Create and Celebrate again? Yep, you got it, Sew Mama Sew is back out with another series of Create and Celebrate and guess who made the list??? No, not Martha Stewart, ME! Really they included me on the second post, I'm between the Jango Fett costume and the Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel quilt. I'm so excited since I simple love the Sew Mama Sew Blog and the store for that matter. Take a look-see and enjoy all of the Create and Celebrate submissions!

Remember Me???

Wow has it been so long that you don't recognize me???? Have I really changed that much?? :0)

Yea, it has been that long. I'm thinking several weeks if not months. You know time just flies by when your having fun, or is it time is fun when your having flies, I forget!

Since my last post from the sand hills of Texas we have been almost in Mexico (Harlingen) and in New Mexico (Roswell, home of E.T.). We've seen Athens, Paris, Samaria and Trinidad (actually all Texas cities), it's a big state you know. :0)

Furlough is going great and we're so excited about it coming to a close soon. It's amazing how much we all miss Croatia and our dear church family.

You know what I really miss? I miss sitting in town sipping a cup of coffee and watching folks stroll down the center of town. Isn't that silly?? I love it and miss it lots. I miss Monday night date night at the local coffee house. When we come in the owner usually turns the radio to a station that has country music on it, I guess he thinks if we're American we like that kinda stuff. It's a nice gesture.

In two weeks we are headed to Croatia for a short 2 week trip. We are looking for a house. At the moment we're homeless here in the states and there. :0) We will also be showing another couple around for their survey trip. We're so excited that God is calling more people to Croatia. We've been there for 7 years along and I can't wait to have someone close, at least to spend the 4th and other holidays with. God is so good and He does things in His timing and it's always perfect.

Well I haven't had any time or place to be a homemaker lately but once I get back to Croatia the end of December I'll have a whole new empty house to make up so I'll be back to being a mom and wife in a semi-normal life then.

I think since we're in a hotel now and have high-speed I think I'll take some time to visit some of you!

Have a wonderful Hump-day!!!