Success!

I went to the grocery store today amd bought Breyers Vanilla and Chocolate fudge Brownie Swirl but have not yet had it with my beloved melted peanut butter......
I think I will wait till tomorrow just to be torturous to myself. I am ready for bed and not even hungry. I had MomsInTouch this morning. That's our prayer group for the children in our community schools. It's my favorite day of the week. Then I did some grocery shopping, had a little lunch and came home and hung around with my dog. It was very blissful. Then the kiddies come home one by one and the party starts. So now the dinner and homework and reading and cleaning up is all done and so I am I. I bid you a buena soira, arreviderci and all that stuff. Sleep tight..don't let the bed bugs bite.


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever.” Revelation 7:12

another Saturday night and I ain't got no ...ice cream

It's Saturday night and I am craving ice cream. My favorite treat, albeit very fattening, is vanilla ice cream with a table spoon or so of melted peanut butter on it. YUM! Oh, I can't stand it...I am so in the mood for that. (think happy thoughts, thinks happy thoughts) Our Saturday started uneventfully. All three kids had sleep overs (at other kid's homes)! Cool! Rick and I hit the 'bucks and had a quiet morning, then he went off to his office for a while, then the kids came home. Sarah's sleep over was a birthday party and my my brave friend, Julie, who hosted the sleepover for her daughter, invited 14 little 8 yr olds and, guess what! ... the power went out from 6:30 til 3 am. yikes! I hung around for a while, til 9:30, then I sort of bailed on her. Later, I stayed up very late, watching the Weather Channel and Hurricane Ike. I felt very bad for the people and I was trying to stay awake, feeling a bit helpless realizing that all I could do was pray, so I did. It's a terrible tragedy. Hurricanes are pretty scary. We have been through a few of them here and it is difficult to say good-bye to your home when you have to evacuate. Not knowing what you might come back to after the storm is unsettling, but just like most other situations when you are helpless to change the situation, you become so aware of who is in control and what really is important. Last night, I was so thankful to be healthy and that my children and husband are as well. Most importantly, I am so comforted by the faith they have in Jesus Christ. He always comes through. Even though natural disasters happen, and terrible tragedies occur, like the derailment of the train in LA, the LORD is always there to get us through one way or another.

If we didn't have trials and difficulties, we would believe that we can do life alone on our own. In situations where we have no control or explanation, we have the comfort of God's promise that He will get us through the waters when they rise too high and He will deliver us through the fire and He will walk with us through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He doesn't cause these things to happen and He is not powerless to stop them, but He does prove His love for us when we decide to lean on Him and allow Him to teach us things about our world and ourselves and eternity. Something that I learned in my study of Daniel last year (Daniel 3:13-18) is the three different scenarios facing us when going through a "fiery" trial. This is from the Beth Moore study by the way. Scenario one: God can deliver us from the fire(so that we don't have to go through it)...our faith is built Scenario two: God can deliver us through the fire( like me, going through cancer,but He went through it with me)..our faith is refined John 11:4 1Peter 1:7 Scenario three: God can deliver us by the fire ( straight into His arms)...our faith is perfected 1 Cor 15:26 Hebrews 12:1-3 I am rambling , but so be it, and I am not sure that I am getting my point across because I am still thinking about ice cream and peanut butter, nevertheless, I am so thankful for the blessings He has showered on me. It may sound weird to be thankful and feel blessed when I have been through cancer stuff numerous times, but it's all good and I don't know what else might be in store for me and my family, but the Lord is getting us prepared to face things and showing us His faithfulness. I'm not saying I won't be anxious or worry, but Jesus is always faithful to be with me when I am. My situation is nothing short of... extraordinary(not to sound boastful). There really aren't any statistics for what I have been through. I am not saying that no one has ever been through this sort of thing before, but it is unusual and I think unexpected for me to still be here with you today. Cool, huh? It's the Lord. Plain and simple. In a way, I need to put the things that God has done for me in the past and start looking for the things He is doing for me now or will do for me in he future. He's always at work and refining. Take a little time and think about who and what you put your trust and faith in...man, money , stuff, or Jesus Christ who died for you so that you don't have to have fear or anxiety about what might happen on this earth. Jesus gives you the gift of life everlasting with Him. After all , everyone is going somewhere after they die, you've got to chose the right path. Boy, am I preachy or what? Maybe I should go back through this post and delete all of this but I am not going to . I am just going to hit post and...whoop,there it is. I love you guys, and I just want you to take a little time and think about your relationship with the Lord and what faith is. Maybe read a little bit of your Bible or just click on the link on my blog to look at the Bible online. There's lots of commentary and info on it. Well, I am hitting the POST it button now. Have a great weekend, we sure are. Much love, Joann

Here's a cute picture to lighten things up a little bit.

we were at the beach the other evening and the water was like a bathtub with bubbles from the storm out at sea

remembering seven years ago

I am sitting here in the chemo room remembering back 7 years ago. I was having chemo that week too, and my first thought was "gee, this really stinks", then I had to put things in perspective. I can be so self centered. I am so lucky and blessed. What a terrible tragedy 9/11 is and look how blessed I am to still be with the ones I love.
I have not blogged lately because our Internet connection is whacked. I will keep this short. I am fine. Feeling good and perky. Rick and I just had our eighteenth anniversary and had a lovely dinner without friends Susan and Bob who just had their twenty second!
Rick is playing basketball tonight, Sarah just got glasses, Jimmy is a stinker but cute and Charlie likes robotics! Yeah!
Well after chemo I am going out to get lunch with my mother in law. This is a weird post but I am typing on my iPhone. Sorry.
I will add to it this afternoon if I can.
Ciao for now.

Here's a picture of my lovely daughter(can't you see the resemblance?)

Sorry that I have not updated in a week. Not too much going on here. We are keeping a sharp eye on hurricane stuff and trying to keep schoolwork straight. The boys are doing fine in school. Jimmy is doing weight-lifting(he-he) at Mel High. Isn't that cute? He's so tall and skinny, but he says that he is not intimidated by the other big kids. He's so ....Jimmy-ish.
Charlie is doing pretty good, so far, this year. We really have to stay on top of him, but I think he is starting to realize that his grades are important.(knock on wood).
Sarah is , well, Sarah. I often say, if she needed to, she could get a job and pay the mortgage. She's so capable. She's playing with her buddy, Lauren, this afternoon.
Let's see, Blue is good too, but really, really stinky, and the guinea-pigs smell of guinea-pee.
I am ok but feeling effects of chemo last week and this, but not to worry. I am getting closer and closer to my trip to Israel! I get a bad headache from the chemo, I think, but never any nausea, thank you Lord.
Did anyone watch the RNC last night, and Sarah Palin's speech? I thought it was great, especially when her littlest daughter licked her hand to smooth down her baby brother's hair. I thought she sounded very capable, sincere, smart and tough. I like her. I am not that savvy about politics but I try to stay informed. I am a Republican but I am trying to listen to facts and stay more on top and aware of issues lately.
Here's a really cute picture I'm throwing in for a chuckle...

plink plink [eyes blinking sound]
[Hand/paw slowly points towards you]
You can cuddles?



I have had an urge to watch this video on Youtube because I love it. I thought it might be a good idea to share it as well. If you have a few minutes please watch it . Have faith and know that the words are true and I am praying that it might make you feel the Heavenly Father's love for you. Have a great day.
I have to figure out something for dinner. I think I might make salmon patties. Rick is playing basketball at church tonight so I don't have to cook for him. Ok I am going to try to put the video here. Please take a look at it.
Love,
Joann

Here's one more picture for you. I just took it out the front door because the sky looked so pink.

Florida has the prettiest skies, especially when it's stormy.