Service Engine Soon

Last Friday when I started our car to head out for work, this warning light stayed lit. Oh, dear. Now what do I do. There really wasn't time to do much at that point, or I would be late to work. But, driving home after 10 at night would not be a good time to have car trouble. So, I prayed. And, the Lord brought peace that it was OK to keep going...after all, it just said "soon"...not immediately. So, off I went, didn't fret about it at work, and got safely home that night.
But then I started imagining all sorts of horrible reasons why that light was on, all involving lots of money, going with out a car for days, etc. At that point the Lord reminded me that it was His car, and He had abundant resources to care for the need. Again, an incredible peace came over my spirit.
Tuesday hubby took the car in to our local friendly auto "fix-it" guy. He hooked the car up to his computer to figure out what the problem was and found.........the gas cap was loose. What??? Yup, the light came on because yours truly had not completely tightened the gas cap the last time she got gas! Oh, my....blush. But at least hubby had a good time visiting with the auto "fix-it" guy, as well as J.. A....... who stopped in at the same time.
Also, there was no charge to dispense this diagnosis. What a blessing!
Note to self: Please tighten gas cap securely ...at least 3 clicks. OK self, will do.

Promise of Things to Come

New rose bushes! For Christmas we got 5 new rose bushes. That is, we ordered them, or had them ordered for us, but had to wait two loooooong months for them to arrive.
Well, yesterday they arrived! What fun it was to plant them in the pots we had all ready and waiting for them!
They don't look very special at the moment, but before long these pots will be filled with some marvelous bushes, with lots of gorgeous roses!
Promise of Good Things to Come!
Will keep you posted on the progress!

The strange workings of this female mind....

This morning I decided it was high time to clean my oven. I hadn't done it since we moved in nearly a year and a half ago, and I noticed over the weekend that it was starting to look dirty!

Since it is warm enough outside to have windows open, and since Hubby was going to be gone for awhile and thus would not have to endure the odors that didn't waft out the windows, it seemed like a very appropriate time to get the job over with. So, I went to my files to get the instructions for the stove so that I could figure out which buttons I should push etc. I did realize I could figure this out by myself, but it would be so much easier with clear instructions. But, when I looked in the "S" file for stove, lo and behold, the instruction booklet was not there.

Then I figured that maybe I had filed it with some of the other instructions. I looked under dryer, washer, freezer, refrigerator, dishwasher...no stove appeared. By this time I figured maybe I was losing my sanity. I KNEW I had the instructions when we first moved into this place. So, I started thumbing threw different places in the files...and stumbled accross, in the "G" section, the instructions to my stove! I never would have thought to look there! ( to sort of justify myself, the booklet did say "gas range", so that is why I labeled the folder as such and put it there. But why I thought that was a logical label......I will never know.)

The folder with that booklet is now safely labled as stove, and filed appropriately. Sigh.....And, the oven is being cleaned as I write. And the fresh air coming in the open windows is wonderful.

PTL for.....

• New sandals. I have a hard time finding shoes that fit, so I am really grateful for finding some new sandals that are sooooo comfy.
  
• Extra work hours this week. LOTS of extra work hours. As in 40 hours of work in 4 days. One of my c0-workers was in a car accident Tuesday on her way to work (she is fine, just sore and a few bruises) so I had to fill in for her the rest of the week. Now I am really thankful that I only work one day a week most of the time!
  
• The knowldege that my Heavenly Father hears and answers.
  
• A Sabbath rest after the work week.
• Listening to the meadowlarks. They have such a wonderful song! And what a joy it is to see them up close right underneath our kitchen window!
• Going barefoot outside to fill the bird feeder.
• Flowering cherry trees.
• E-mails from friends.
• Knowing that God cares, and that He is in control.
• Books to read.
  

Of Burritos, Peanut Butter Cups and Coffee Pots

Basically this has been an uneventful week, which is a good thing. My grateful list includes the following:

• Another meal of yummy burritos made by hubby last night. He used Allspice as one of the seasonings, and they were so good. I am planning on having one of the leftover ones for breakfast later this morning.
• A nice supply of mini peanut butter cups from hubby for Valentine's day. He knows my love of chocolate and peanut butter!
• The trauma of breaking my glass coffee carafe, and finding out I did break it when I was washing the inside of it and wondered why there was something sharp against my finger. And when I found the size of the hole, I was really grateful that I only had a small cut on my finger...it could have been much worse. And, because the carafe was a unique size, I "had" to go get a new coffee maker. It is much smaller, easier to clean, takes up less space on the counter, and makes a better cup of coffee. Yeah!
• Finishing my scrapbook of pictures from 2006. I printed up about 100 pictures, so it is a small album, but it was fun to put together, and relive the memories and blessings of the past year.
• Having the energy to work 10 hour days! I only worked one day this week, and it went well. I am so grateful for the Lord's help. And, it is an extra blessing that I get extra money for working evenings!
• The Lord has faithfully met our needs for another week.
• Reminders that I serve a Heavenly Father Who is responsive to my needs. He inclines His ear, listens to my cries, and sends all the help He sees that I need. I am so grateful.
  

Max and Friend

Max, who is an inside cat, occasionally has visits from his neighbors. This was the first time I had seen this one come calling.

His most common visitor is a lovely black cat.

So convenient that the window on the door is just the right height for Max to enjoy the views!

Reflecting on blessings...

Sometimes it is so easy when reflecting back on a week to remember the hard things- they are always there! But, the Lord does richly bless us in so many ways, it brings fresh courage when we take extra time to reflect on the good things.

My list for this week:

• Hubby's delicious vegetable soup that he made for dinner last night. He is such a good cook! It is so much fun to see what he comes up with each week.
• Sunshine today after rain yesterday.
• Three days of work. And going through the roller coaster of emotions on Monday when I was informed in the morning that because of reducing the hours that the clinic was open I would no longer be needed for my usual 10 hours on Thursdays. But, then in the afternoon, we were told that the hours were going back to the old schedule , and that I would still be needed on Thursdays!
• Dark chocolate M & M's
• Having it warm enough on Wednesday to sit outside to eat my lunch and read for awhile. What refreshment that brought! I loved listening to the birds and enjoying the fresh smells in the air. Spring is coming.
• Pretty pink blossoms on our flowering cherry tree.
• Special encouragement at church last Sunday to "Sail On". In other words, don't quit, keep on going on. I have been blessed all week long as I have reflected on that message, and finding blessing in going on.
  
• Enjoying hot drinks yesterday as it turned colder again.
  
• Knowing that despite the differences in temperatures outside, whether it is hot or cold, the Lord stays the same, constant and loving and in control. I am so grateful for His steady faithfulness.
  

Of birthdays, frozen pipes and candles....

PTL for:

• Several days of celebrating hubby's birthday...including eating out 3 times!!!!! That doesn't happen very often! I know he appreciated all the prayers and love sent his direction.
• Only minor excitement on Monday when we woke up to 17 degree temps, and remembered that we had forgotten to turn off the water to our outside faucets. One was frozen, but with a few minutes of heat applied from my hair dryer, the water started flowing again. At least now the water is turned off to both faucets!!!
• No ice or sleet or snow from the latest storm that hit our area on Thursday.
• Flocks of mourning doves and meadowlarks enjoying our back yard. I love to hear the meadowlarks!
• Where I am working now closes at 9 instead of 10 at night. Course that means an hour less of work each week, but I like the earlier hour! Except that this week we didn't really leave until 9:40 as we still had patients to see!
  
• Enjoying the scents of Yankee Candles. Specifically "Fresh Cut Roses" and "Spring Blossoms". Both are wonderful! (and no, I do not have both burning at the same time! They are actually in two different rooms!!)
• The Lord's continued protection for my mother, who fell again this week, but is fine. ( getting a call from the nursing home at 7 am in the morning is one way to get the adrenaline moving. I do not recommend it for starting out a new day.)
  
• Having the Lord meet our needs for another week. What peace it brings to fully trust in Him, knowing that He is in control, managing all the details of our lives.