August Blessings ~ Counting It All Joy! (Fourth Week)

COUNTING IT ALL JOY!

Summer Adventure's!

The Dog Day's Of Summer!

August 21 ~ Waking up in my own bed is always a blessing. So thankful for my snugly pillows and cozy blankets on my comfy bed. Yep! I like my bed! Time for coffee! A nice conversation with a friend who brings smiles. Hope you have a great day off! Thanks for the smiles! Appointment.....that went south. Not paying 55 for 20 minutes! WRONG!!! Home to wait for the Solar Eclipse. Watching on TV best seat in the house. Sweet neighbors shared their Eclipse glasses with me. So awesome! Thank you. So amazing! 99.4 totality view from where I stood at. WOW! Temperatures dropped as well as getting dark. Then it was all over. The hype is now just a story on a page in history and a blip on my canvass of life. Glad I got to experience and see this once in a lifetime event. Then viewed many amazing photos that were captured during the eclipse. Thank you everyone for sharing. Loved viewing them all. Ummmm......whats for dinner? Love to meet you for dinner. Thank you! Italian dinner at Bocelli's, in Gresham, with a glass of wine shared and dessert. Yummy! Home to start cleaning and preparing for the week. Thank you Lord for neighbor's that shared glasses. For a quiet day. A wonderful dinner with my friend. For smiles that carried me through the day. You just never know what one phone call can do for another person. Thankful I don't have to hide my identity and pretend to be someone I'm not. Nice just to be me. Love that my friends and family except me just where I'm at and who I am. No false pretense or hidden agenda's. Glad I can color my canvases of life; with the beauty of all my friends and life experiences being truly who I am, not someone I'm not. Happy to do that no matter if the sun is shining or not. I do the sunshine dance or splashing in the rain dance, both create a beauty and a rainbow of colors to create a beautiful life; I'm so very grateful. Blessings

August 22~ Good morning! Love those early morning hello's. Hope you have a great day! Time to get my day started. Smiles of beauty today out in Oregon City. Love that River Road country drive. I never tire of it. My mini vacation on the way to work. Leftovers for lunch. Yummy! Time for next appointment. Not feeling like it....but I'm here and I will push through. Just feeling out of sorts. Home to get ready for work. A pleasant unexpected surprise. Kirby came by selling their wares. Free carpet cleaning. Yes! That means listening to their spill. FREE CARPET CLEANING! Worth the spill! Looks so nice. Thank you Lord for another day to spread smiles of beauty. For lessons learned and a class that helps me over my hurdles. I'm so very grateful. Thankful for the surprise of the Kirby man.....clean carpets, that I didn't have to do. They look really nice and it smells fresh and clean. Thankful for the offer he made me....but just wasn't in my budget. For the best compliment being told I looked like I was only 40 years old! Yea! Thankful that I have fans to lay under. Most of all thankful for the amazing friends and support I have. Blessings

August 23 ~ Good morning Wednesday day of smiles of beauty. What a wonderful fresh scent I smell. Oh the clean carpets! So nice...what a wonderful fresh clean smell. I love it! Coffee time, make up, prayers, and get my hair looking good for the day. Fly out the door to go feed this car some gasoline before work. Nine ladies on the books! Eight beautiful smiling faces. Yep! My job is complete and beautiful smiles fill the home. Head home with tears in my eyes. Need to deal with my roller coaster emotions. some days are tougher than others. Laundry started! Sherilynn Ganther, I appreciate you so much. Thank you for coming over and going on a wonderful little hike with me at Gresham Butte Saddle Back Trail. What fun! We will have to explore this site some more. Getting back on the right track! Yep this is good! Feeling much better. Fresh air and a walk does wonders, especially with a friend. Dinner! Why yes we would love to join you. Always a great time with you my sweet friend. What fun we had too. Non stop laughter, belly laughter at that. Good medicine just what the doctor ordered I'm sure. Home to finish up the laundry and the day. Thank you Lord for blessing me with work for my hands. Smiles that are paychecks of the heart. For fresh clean scent of cleaned carpets. For a nice little hike right down the road from the house. Friends to spend the afternoon and evening with. Belly laughs! Good food and not eating alone. A hello that brings a smile and a close to this day. I am so very grateful. Blessings

August 24 ~ Slept in! Sweet! Good morning Thursday. Errands to run, shopping to do; both for business and for my dinner party. Thank you Sherilynn Ganther for driving me today and helping me prepare for my wild taco dinner party. So much fun having you over and helping me in the kitchen as well as cooking that yummy dessert. What fun! Then my guest arrive Mary McCormick Loomis, Geo Sutter, Jennifer Merritt-Estep, Christine Good, and David. What a wild time we had. Thank you everyone. Then out for an evening walk and a drink at the Stage Coach to top the night off. Yes! Lord you have blessed me with amazing family, and friends. So thankful for help today in the kitchen. For the food that filled our tummy's. Thank you for my sister Lord that blesses me always in so many ways. For a lovely day and evening with lots of laughter and smiles. Yep! I think today was a great success. So thankful for that. Blessings

August 25~ Waking to a beautiful Friday morning. Sister Christine Good and Jennifer Merritt-Estep are getting ready to head out for Hood to Coast. They want breakfast. LOL Well....I guess I can cook a breakfast. Thank you David for bringing over beagles for breakfast I appreciate it so very much. Yep I still can make those egg sandwiches. Everyone is packed up an ready to head out the door. Be safe out there Chris and Jen. Everyone watch out for the runners an walkers for the Hood to Coast. Time for me to clean up a bit and run to my appointment. Thank you Sherilynn Ganther for coming over and going out this afternoon. What an adventure we had too. Lots of walking, laughter, and great memories made. To bad we didn't make it to the Falls due to fire. Just means we must go again. Home to phone crashing and then the computer was acting weird. pray nothing goes wrong. Up way to late trying to fix things. Thank you Lord for this day. Morning coffee with my sister. A beautiful afternoon in the Columbia Gorge. For the eyes across in Washington that saw flames and alerted our forestry. For the Rangers that kept us safe out there on the trails and fighting the fire. For a safe drive home and beautiful photos captured today. Yes it was an awesome day. Thank you for another day of rich blessings and treasures. Blessings

August 26~ Dang I just want to sleep. I'm feeling so stressed and my heart is heavy. Praying and praying. Okay lets try and get a little more shut eye. Nope...not working. Okay up I am. What???? My computer really did crash. Oh great! I pray I can get it up and running. Thank you Regina Heginbotham for trying to help me today. I truly appreciate it. I just think my computer died. I just hope I can retrieve the data. I think I need a hot shower, and a lot of coffee. Yep that is what I need. Okay I'm going to Best Buy.Thank goodness for some great advice and information. It made a world of differences when I went in there. Phone got repaired as well. Yea! Still have some minor issues to deal with. But that will be easy. Thank you Samsung man. Okay I found the computer that will suit my needs. Paid a bit more than I wanted. Definitely will need mana from heaven for this purchase. Thank you Sherilynn Ganther for dropping by and helping me put the computer together it helped a lot. Back to Best Buy. Oh great lots of new passwords to try and remember. UGH! This is going to be a long long day with lots of frustration. DAM! I can do this and I will do this! On the phone with Geek Squad. Thankful for them tonight! Okay this will come together.. Dear Lord I'm thankful just to get through this stressful day. For help along the way today in many friends and service people. For my nice hot shower. My left over tacos that I had for dinner. Thankful that with a little effort and patience that it will all come together. Learning new tools. For the quiet in my home. Yes this has been a very stressful day. But am thankful that the phone is fixed and I have a new computer, and tomorrow is a new day. Grateful! Blessings

August Blessings ~ Counting It All Joy! (Third Week)

COUNTING IT ALL JOY!

Summer Adventure's!

The Dog Days of Summer!

August 13~ Waking to the sounds of family starting their day. Just a little more sleep please. More movement.....ummm.....maybe it's time to say good morning. Outside on the patio enjoying the fresh air. The smell of a fresh Summer rain that has cleared the air. Dew drops of beauty, light drizzle to wash away the smoke and haze; leaving that fresh scent of rain, that says's I've washed yesterday's troubles away. Pack up and load my car, it's time to head towards home. Thank you sister's for another awesome weekend jammed packed with friendship, love, fun, and adventure. Always a great time with you, thank you! Love you so very much Christine Good, Rosie. And Jennifer Merritt-Estep, and family included. What a beautiful drive home, even in the drizzly raindrops that are cleansing the air. A misty beauty drive home. I never tire of driving the Gorge. It holds beauty year round. You can find gems every time you drive and it is forever changing; giving you fresh beauty daily, never ever the same twice. Time for an early lunch. Thank You! It's time to get ready for the party. Thank you Cindy Forsythe Rieder for the invite. I had a great time. What a great theme and celebration for Katilynn. Why Hello! Yes! A surprise evening invite. Always good to see you. Yes Lord thank you for another full day. A safe drive home. The Summer rain and cooler temperatures. Fresh clean air that is smoke free. Celebrating milestone and achievements. Time with family and friends. So many treasured nuggets in my journey through this day. A dance and a twirl through each open door bringing friendships, laughter, and smiles throughout the entire day. Feeling loved. Blessings

August 14 ~ Awww....waking in my own room in my own snugly bed! PERFECT! Good morning Monday! New chapter in another week filled with possibilities and opportunities to make this the best day and week yet. Time to start moving. Last visit with one doctor and meeting a new one. Not fun.....but one that is important to maintain my health. Doctor Azada, thank you for the care you have provided me these last two years. Blessings to you on the next chapter of your life. Doctor Hatcher, you have big shoes to fill. Thank you for your time today. Hate tests. Those blood suckers left my arm all bruised up. Time for some pampering. Pedicure time. Oh my feet like this pamper session, need to do more of these. Home to unpack and start packing suitcase for fun in the sun later this week. This day just keeps slipping away. Ice cream! Yes! Ice cream! My weakness. Yummy blizzard from DQ. Sit in my car and listening to music. Sometimes sitting in my house alone is the hardest thing to do after being with family and friends. Looking forward to one day when that won't bother me. But today isn't that day. Today I'm so thankful for a doctor who cares enough to hand select the doctor that would best suit my needs. For the finances to have a pedicure. For my elk steak dinner this evening sauteed in onions, so very yummy. Then wrapping the evening up with a blizzard at DQ. To be able to sit in my car and enjoy some great country music as I watch the sunset and the evening close on this day. Beauty just sitting here watching the evening sky and listening to the beat of the music as my heart beats to the drums of living life. Thank you Lord for giving me another day to write on the blank pages of my life. Blessings

August 15 ~ Good morning Tuesday! Must rise and shine for the activities of the day. Hello Crystal N Koch! So wonderful to share my morning with you before I get my day started; and the pretty country river road drive. It maybe over the thousands of miles of telephone lines, but it is the next best thing to you being here. And just like our visits in person always to short. I think that is true on the phone as well. Much love and prayer my friend you are greatly missed. Love our visit today on the phone. Another lovely drive on the River Road today heading to create smiles of beauty. Two happy ladies! Thank you Dolores and Delia. Love those smiles of happiness. Yea! A McDonald's Happy Meal lunch today with Sherilynn Ganther. Thank you for meeting before meeting today. Back to one of my weekly grinds. Very full and crowded. I will try and push through. Thank you Lord for the very simple blessings of the day. Morning coffee, chat with Crystal. Safety to all my appointments today to and from. My happy meal toy! Leftovers for dinner. Suitcase almost packed. Ticket printed....fun awaits. A quiet evening with feet propped up. Yep! It's the simple things in life that make my life rich. Thank you Lord. Blessings

August 16 ~ Oh how I want to stay in bed. Good morning Wednesday morning of beauty and smiles. It's going to be short today. Pray it is an easy day. Oh no they added to my day. I had five on the books all held plus two extras. Praise the Lord I got them all in and smiling with lots of beauty. What do you mean I cannot share, answer their questions and talk. That is so ridiculous....sorry didn't realize I couldn't share my life with residents. Ummmm.....thought that was all normal salon chitchat. When thinking of others your issues don't seem so big and large any longer. Love that the ladies are interested in my family and me; wanting to know how they can pray for us. Such beauty in that alone; not to mention a gift of the heart. Thank you my sweet ladies at Beth's Salon. Moving On! Finished up by noon. Right on time. Home to toss laundry in wash, finish packing. Traffic is already getting crazy and it's only Wednesday. TSA was actual nice today. Yeah! Plane delay! Nap time on flight. Laughter and lots of it with Wendi Chapdelaine and Tim Chapdelaine. Love you both. Dinner, and wine. More laughter. Solving world crisis problems, making retirement money off the Solar Eclipse. Yep! We covered it all. Thank you Lord for blessing today with full books and still finished up early enough to get home to finish up for trip. For safe travels, laughter, and Sees candy. Yep another day we can call successful and filled with many gifts and treasures. Blessings

August 17 ~ Good morning sounds at Wendi Chapdelaine and Tim Chapdelaine in Eldorado County in California. Some coffee on the patio...and look momma and baby deer's feeding in the yard. Would love this peaceful view every morning. Slow go for packing up for our day. Stop for groceries. Oh my a remodel! On the road...oh no...traffic jam. An unexpected delay....an accident....this is never good. Finally through our delay. Onward to fun! Petaluma where we stop for heirloom seeds at the seed bank. What a beautiful old building. Enjoyed the walk and stretch after being in the vehicle for awhile. Back on the road almost there. Arrive at campsite, in Bodega Bay. Dinner, fire, walk to the beach and back. WOW! So much to be thankful for today Lord. Waking up to another day of possibilities to write on the blank page of today, all the adventures that await. Safe travels, time with friends, sights and sounds in Petaluma. The smell of the ocean and the sight of the rolling waves at high tide. A campfire to warm by. Warm sweaters and hoodies. Oh my! I could just keep going and going. Thank you for this day filled with many gifts and treasures Lord. Blessings

August 18 ~ Good morning Bodega Bay! Fresh air, campfire coffee, bran muffin. Lots of laughter and good company. Head over to the beach; sit on the log and watch the sights and sounds of the activity of the beach. The ocean waves rolling in and out. Finding small treasures to fill my pockets. Then off to Spud Point for lunch and a walk on the pier. Relaxing by the campfire with a glass of wine and a rib dinner. Thank you Wendi Chapdelaine and Tim Chapdelaine. So blessed by this trip. Lord thank you for friends that bless me and a day filled with relaxing and the peaceful beauty of the ocean and the enjoyment of a campfire. For smore's to cap the day off with. Thank you! Blessings

August 19 ~ Waking to misty grey skies my last morning in Bodega Bay. Good morning to the sounds of the camp grounds. A warm fire to sit next too as I drink my coffee. More laughter and relaxing before we clean up and load up to head back to Cameron Park in the Eldorado Hills. What a great few days, thank you Wendi Chapdelaine and Tim Chapdelaine. Stop at the gift stores to pick up salt water taffy, and a sweatshirt. Thank you for my bird Wendi. You can feel the air get heavier and much hotter the closer we get to the valley and the hills. Unload and a yummy steak dinner. Hot shower to wash all that sand, camp dirt and smoke off. Yep very thankful for that hot shower. Today Lord I'm thankful for safe travels, great friends, money to purchase some treats. For a relaxing evening with friends. That hot shower and cozy clothes. Interesting facts and finds. As this night comes to a close thankful for the time I've had here with my friends. So very blessed. Thank you! Blessings

August 20~ Last morning and day with my wonderful friends Wendi Chapdelaine and Tim Chapdelaine. Good morning and thank you so much for this wonderful weekend and blessing. I have had a wonderful time. Sad for it to come to an end. Watched transformations of homes on HGTV with Wendi and then some TBN. Finished repacking my luggage for my trip home. Mostly just R&R with great friends before we had to say good bye. Dinner and the drive to the airport. Never good bye, just until we meet each other again. Check in went smoothly. Think everyone is headed to Portland, planes are full! Felt like a sardine packed into the plane. Thank you Lord for the blessing that Wendi and Tim have been. For an easy check in at airport; and I didn't get onto the wrong flight. For a great landing. For safety all the way. Blessed to have had this weekend with friends and the memories made. Thank you Lord for all you do in and through each one of us daily. The gift of friendship a treasured gem. Blessings

August Blessings ~ Counting It All Joy! (Second Week)

COUNTING IT ALL JOY!

Summer Adventures!

The Dog Days Of Summer!

August 6~ Sleep beautiful sleep. Yep! Should be getting up and getting this day rolling. Bed and pillows are holding me hostage. I cannot seem to move. Well....I guess I will just have to stay here in this bed. And that's exactly what I did. Nothing but laying here being held hostage to this comfy bed and cozy snuggly pillows until about noon. Yep! That works for me. Conversation with friends catching up on life, solving world problems, and giggles of laughter. I'm pretty sure this won't go down as one of my most productive days. But I say it was perfect! Then Geo Sutter paid the ransom fees and set me free from being held hostage any longer. Had to get up, get dress and shine! Success! Out we went for ice cream....the perfect hostage fees paid to set me free and to end a very relaxing weekend and Sunday. Then a stroll around Gresham Station. Meeting up with Mary McCormick Loomis for dinner. Surprise Italian at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Great company, yummy food for this weekend close. Best part I didn't have to cook nor eat alone. Thank you Lord for waking me this morning, for the cooler temperatures. For the fresh pages of each new day to be written. The new blooms of my life as I take the plunge into my new found freedoms. Just being able to lounge and do absolutely nothing guilt free. For friends that say come on let's go have some fun. Ice cream, and shared meals. Yes Lord each day you give me priceless things to be so very grateful and thankful for. Blessings

August 7 ~ Good morning hazy smokey Monday. New day, new week in my chapters of my life. Today is filled with appointments. Thankful for the negative outcome! Praising Jesus for this. Home from appointments to await Jennifer Merritt-Estep arrival. Off to downtown Portland. Traffic and lots of it. So thankful I don't have to deal with that on a daily basis. Airport to pick-up a handsome little dude. Construction on airport way and more traffic. Yep! I'm sure glad I don't have to deal with this traffic congestion on a daily basis. Thank you Jen for dinner. It was very yummy. Lord I thank you for great test results. For good report from the doctor today. For watching over my children and grandchildren daily. Lord I thank you I don't have to deal with traffic on a daily basis. For being able to help out when asked. Thank you for another day. Blessings

August 8~ Didn't I just fall asleep....it couldn't possibly be time to get up already. Okay! I will say good morning Tuesday! Must rise and shine to this day I have been given, to fill it with adventures, beauty, love, friendship, laughter, and so much more. Time with the Lord and some coffee to get my engine's running in the right direction. My mini vacation to work on the River Road. Success with smiles until next week. Thought I'd take a different route home. Oh My! That was truly an adventure. Went through Beavercreek, ended up on some mountain between Estacada and Colton. Not sure how that happened. Lots of turns and twist for sure. Finally got onto 211 by no small miracle. Then somehow ended up in Boring, then onto another country road headed to Sandy. Really dont know how that happened either. I finally ended up on 26 heading to Gresham. Thank goodness! What a travel adventure that was. And beautiful too! I might make it home before the ladies show up. Thank goodness for a full tank of gas, which is operative now. Home where I find Sherilynn Ganther waiting. Then AmyJune McClure, arrives and we head out for our afternoon picnic and fun on the Sandy River at Glenn Otto Park. The little kid came out in all of us. Playtime just like school girls! So much fun! Just wish the body would cooperate. Thank you Lord for waking me for another day of possibilities filled with adventures. Thank you that all roads that do lead home and that I'm never lost just checking out future adventures to go on. Thank you for full tank of gas as I drove from one place to another. For cooler temperature's as we had fun in the sun. Laughter and friendship. The swings and the slide. And the many treasures found; both material and heart. My cup over flows! Thank you Lord. Blessings

August 9 ~ Ugh! Irritable! Don't want to get up. Just want to sleep. It cools off enough to sleep when it's time to get up. I know it's Wednesday smiles of beauty. So....for my sweet ladies I can say good morning! I can't even say sunshine....still under a cloud of smokey haze. But the ladies are my sunshine on Wednesday's. Phone call from one of the daughter's of one of the residents telling me how happy and pleased she is with how I care for her mom's hair. Yes! This is why I do what I do. Joy fills my heart! Eight on the books one canceled making seven beautiful smiling faces. Each bring me such joy and happiness. Thank you Lord for the paychecks of the heart that are priceless. Home to do my towels for next week. Make business calls. Some don't go so well.....well others go rather smoothly. Thankful for a phone call today that could have caused me lots of grief; even if I wasn't happy, it all works out at the end of the day. Travel bags out. It's time to pack again. Adventures await. Today I'm so thankful for my baby Sister Rosie! She is an amazing sister and woman. I pray she knows how truly loved and special she is!  For pictures on Face book of my children and grandchildren. Love seeing their faces and what is going on in their lives. For friends that always have away of lifting my spirits no matter the situation. Yes even on these irritable days there are people and things to be grateful and thankful for. Blessings

August 10 ~ Awww......I slept in past 7 a.m. thank you Lord for the extra rest. Good morning Thursday. Slow moving start as I gather the rest of my things to pack in my weekend bag. Yummy coffee, prayers, then load the car. Okay thinking I need to do my Wal-Mart stop. Hitting I-84 to head to Hood River to see the specialist. Praying he can help me. WOW! Traffic jam heading East due to construction. Dislike traffic! Dr. appointment went smoothly. Didn't really like health results; but he says he can help me. Thank you Lord. SHOTS! OH! I DON'T LIKE SHOTS!! Well....if it helps me it will be well worth it. Time will tell. Painful extremely painful! Don't like shots! Especially in my ankle and my foot. Thank you Rosie for referring me to your Dr. At sister's enjoying the patio and the evening here in the The Dalles. Thank you Lord for waking me this morning, for safe travels, a Dr. that can help me and my feet. For my family and time with them. Yes Lord you have blessed me. Blessings

August 11 ~ Good morning Friday at my sister's in the The Dalles. Pitter patter of little feet, children and fur babies. Yes! A house full of awesomeness! How blessed to have family and extended family that wraps their love around you ever time you show up. Slow moving morning for me. Coffee, prayers, time with the handsome crew of great nephews. Time with sister's. What a wonderful way to start the weekend. Rosie, said I need my inserts for my shoes. Off to Doctors office for these inserts. She says I will be glad I did. Yahoo! Time to get ready for an evening of fun with family and friends. Neon Lights in the The Dalles. Always a great adventure and fun with this crew. I'm so blessed to be apart of this group. Some I've known a life time. Some I've had the honor to meet through my amazing sisterChristine Good. They all have embraced me with loving arms. Thank you! The joy of having a family that just accepts you where your at no matter what. I'm truly blessed beyond measure and words. The friends as well. Who make you feel so special. I love you all. Thank you! What could be better? Tonight at Neon Lights in the The Dalles, always fun, always a grand time. Thank you each and everyone. So blessed to have you all apart of my journey in life. Home to share a bottle of wine with my amazing sister and extended family. "ROAD TRIP" red wine from Olive Pit, Corning California. Yummy! A trip down memory lane, wrapped in love shared, with much laughter, shared in so much living a life of love filled with family and friends of a life well lived. Feeling so grateful for the life I have been given. Thank you Lord! Today I'm so thankful for my siblings and the life I have been blessed with. The love that surrounds me even when I don't realize it. The friends that are there that say hey I love you just the way you are; and your perfectly okay being you in this moment and time. I'm truly blessed beyond measure. Today is filled with amazing blessings in hidden gifts that I didn't even knew existed. I love you all! Thank you for this gift and treasure, hidden in the wealth of my family that I have been given. I treasure my family and each of you that are a part of that amazing circle of love and the journey I am on. Grateful for each path that has crossed. It is the hidden gift that you all pour out because of who you are. Thank you! A treasure that is golden that gives beyond measure. You are my hidden gifts that bless me with unexpected treasures to be held tightly in my heart to carry a life time into eternity. WOW! I am truly blessed by each and all of you, thank you! Blessings

August 12 ~ What the heck!!??!! Barking lots of it! Fence fighting! Oh way to early for me for all this commotion. Children fusing! Glad I didn't want sleep and that sleep is so very over rated! Plenty of time for that another time. Good morning Weekend of fun with family. It's Saturday play day. Coffee, breakfast, slow moving start. Get ready to go to the park with Jennifer Merritt-Estep, and the boys. Lots of cars lots to see and do. There's Terrie Bariletti Dunn-Daggett and family. Finally I meet the twins. Adorable! Playmates for Gary and Kenyan their having a great time. Cars everywhere we look and Gary loving them all. Lunch in the park. That was yummy! Nationwide is here and I think I'm going to check it out. Simulator...fun! Loved it. Martin told me I was a conservative driver. Me laughing....I've never been called a conservative driver. Martin was quite the flirt! All in good fun! Really enjoyed myself. Home for a bit then Rosie and I have some poolside fun in the windy sun in Dalles Port. Life is good. Home with family and movie night outside on the patio. My sister's really do know how to live life well. Thank you Lord for barking dogs, fusing kids, it means I have ears to hear, and I'm alive to write another page of my life. I'm breathing! For a cooler day with a great breeze blowing through. For meeting the twins and spending time with the family that is handpicked. Enjoying the car show and the morning and early afternoon in the park. Swim time and quiet. Thank you Lord for another day to be thankful for. I have so much to be praising and thanking you for everyday. Blessings

August Blessings ~ Counting It All Joy! (First Week)

COUNTING IT ALL JOY!

Summer Adventures!

The Dog Days Of Summer!

August 1 ~ Waking up to a new sizzling hot month. What excitement and adventures await us as we turn the page right into a sizzling bright Tuesday morning. Most defiantly coffee and pray time to start the month and day off in perfect harmony with the Lord. Thank you David for dropping by and putting fan together as well as helping me water down the yard, fence, porch, and all dry areas. Sadly there was a home fire in my neighborhood early a.m. thankful all got out with their lives. But their home was a total loss. Today is making appointments with two new doctors. It's warm in the house, but thankful for fans and lots of water to hydrate. Off to Costco to walk in air conditioning. Exercise in and staying cool all at the same time. Not so bad! Dinner at Highlander, a wonderful salad and lots of water with lemon. Thinking of ways to stay cool and hydrated in the triple digit weather when you have no air conditioning, you get a bit creative. Thank you Lord for places to go cool off from the heat wave. For finances to eat out. Thank you for friends that check in on me to make sure I'm okay. For the light evening breeze that blows through my hair, and brushes my cheek with a Summer evening kiss. For all these things and the air I breathe daily, and so much more I'm so thankful. Blessings

August 2 ~ Wednesday day of beauty. A melting good morning to you. Not even 6:30 a.m. and I'm already melting in my house. So glad today is smiles of beauty. Air conditioning is better outside of my home. These days I'm calling my home a sauna with these triple digits. Hey maybe I will melt away some extra pounds off my curvy body. Could I be so blessed! After coffee the most important part of the day after prayers; out the door for those beautiful smiles at the salon. I am never disappointed. Finished up and headed to the house to change and relax. Thank you David for coming over and working in yard and watering for me. Time with girlfriends is always the best. Kinda sad about the art exhibit.....but there will be other opportunities. Had a lovely dinner and visit. Thank you ladies most enjoyable. Air conditioning at dinner with a view. Must be creative to stay comfortable and cool in the triple digits. Thankful that I'm not cold in the dead of Winter freezing even with heavy clothing and blanket's on. So thankful for my water to stay hydrated, places to go to cool off that have air. My air condition car, a tank full of gas. Clients that bring smiles and laughter. A job that I love. For my granddaughter Mickeneez who was born today and has brought this family much love and joy with her precious spirit. Thank you Lord for my daughter's who have blessed me with amazing grandchildren. Yes everyday you can find one thing to be thankful for and it leads to many more things to be thankful for. Even in melting triple digit heat I'm thankful for this home turned into a sauna. Blessings

August 3~ Waking in my sauna bathhouse. Makes one slightly irritable with little sleep. So pray time today very important. Good morning text brought smiles and laughter, as I got ready for another day of smiles of beauty. Thinking of the possibilities of a cooler environment at the salon. Two beautiful perms that brought happiness to two lovely ladies. Then we brought three more smiles of beauty to three more ladies. It was a good day. The smoke and heat have made air quality unsafe for most. So home to the sauna bathhouse. Lots of hydrating my body as I do my laundry and try to stay cool. Thank you Lord for conversation with mom. Glad she is holding up in the heat. Blessed to still have her. Love you mom! Thankful for leftovers for dinner. Today I'm truly grateful just to get through this very hot smoggy day. And that I have plenty of water to drink. Blessings

August 4~ Tossing and turning....so hot! sticky and muggy......finally fall asleep and it's time to get up. Good morning sauna bathhouse on this first Friday of the month. Soaking wet doing nothing but getting ready for the day ahead of me. Cannot find my red Friday shirt, so bummed. Look a text from my grandson Anthony DeSouza. He got his care package. He said he wasn't to happy with me.....it weighed to much he said. Then he opened it.....Then he was happy. So glad you got your box. I love you so much Anthony. I think that was the best text ever. Time to take care of some bills and run some errands before it gets to hot. They say air quality here in Portland is worse than LA and Benji. That is bad air quality. Come out of the bank and there is so much commotion going on.....look a car is on fire! And a fire with explosions and drama. Thank you Lord no one in the car or anyone hurt. WOW! That was something! Home to sit under the fans in my sauna bathhouse and hydrate. Air quality so bad don't want to be out and about. So I'm thankful I got my banking and a few bills paid. Extremely thankful and over joyed to hear from my grandson Anthony. For friends that check in on me. For my one skillet dinner. And that I have lots of water to drink. Even in this miserable heat and air quality there is something to be thankful for. Blessings

August 5 ~ Good morning sticky Saturday morning. It's time to get up and have some fun in the sun today. Morning coffee and prayers to start the day out right. Then time go to Saturday market over at Mt. Hood Community College. Stop and see my brother and Scott. Then over to see Patti Shepherd, and Kim Hager. After a wonderful visit with each one it's time to meet up with Mary McCormick Loomis. And when we get together you never know where you end up in the day. The adventures and fun cramped into a day is endless. Meet up over at IHOP then to Estacada, Colton, Clackamette, Carver, Wal-Mart then home. Adventures and fun with friends is always a blessing. Seeing loved ones, and friends you haven't seen in awhile are gifts. Fun in the sun, a country drive, toes in the water, not adulting today, good food and laughter; are just a few of the things I'm so very thankful for. Yes! Lord you bless me with many gifts and treasures everyday that make me rich beyond measure. Thank you for your goodness to me. Blessings