Tuesday, August 25, 2009

What Was.

.

I have been busy. Doing what?

I have no idea! All I know is I seem to have accomplished little, and still been as busy as a manicurist in a mall for millipedes.

I have heard from my long lost, dear departed husband. For the first time in a year. In leau of actually coming through with court ordered support, he offered me the wonderful opportunity of declaring joint bankruptcy with him.

Oh happy joy. Mmmmmmm...no. I don't think so..... No.

Next audacious question?

Ah yes, there was another. :) Would I settle with him out of court? Only for my sake, of course.

Let's see.... NO.

No, I don't think so. I tried that once and he went back on his word. Thank you for the thoughtful idea though,

He spoke to his son for the first time in a year. Michael said he wanted to talk to him. So he did so. He told me me later that he told his dad exactly what he thought of his dad's actions and choices, and telling Michael that it was my fault he left. My 13 year old son has more courage and integrity than many grown men. I'm very proud of him for standing up for what is right.

Well, it was good for a jolt to my morning, though. Michael and I were both shaking a bit afterwards, so we just spent some comfort time together before getting back to schoolwork and chores.

Lesson relearned that day. Answers should be very short and sweet. "You will have to discuss that with my lawyer."

All kidding aside - I was sad to hear him remain so cold and deceived. There was no yelling or anything, just futile conversation. He remains in our prayers each day.

Meanwhile I've been busy working on ETSY shop ideas. Also canning and a lot of running around!

Here are a few scenes of what was...

What was found on the inside of our screen door...



a good four inches long.

What was a futile attempt to locate the garlic for canning spaghetti sauce...




What was a darn good example of accidental food art...




What was fun company for dinner...




What was found on the George Foreman grill...




What was delicious accompaniment...




At this very moment, I am reprocessing 14 pints of spaghetti sauce, of which I forgot to add the lemon juice in when I did them this morning. It's OK. I love to make sauce. Over and over again. Practice makes perfect, you know.

We have been blessed many times over this last week. I had a few rough days. It's not always easy to be cheerful when junk happens and, believe it or not, I have been known to occasionally dabble in the morose for a few moments or so.

I had couple of days like that, but refocusing on what I know to be truth helps me to see things in a proper perspective.

It was just after that, that help began to arrive in earnest! We were given a gift that not only bought us a replacement for our scary-bald front tire, but enough to even buy some other put off necessities. Yes, I admit it! I bought a lipstick. I'd been scraping bottom for a month now. I have no idea how there was ANY color left in that tube at all!

We were given an anonymous gift of cash from someone at church. When I shared with the elder's wife that we no longer needed to ask for help with our bills, she insisted that we do so anyway so that we can get ahead a bit. So we not only got bills paid, but had some money as well. We stopped at the store and bought some 1/2 price beef. It was SOOOO delicious!

I found out I had a cracked tooth. BUT - the dentist is going to fix it for me at cost. So the whole crowning achievement should be a hundred dollars or so, and my dad said he'd like to pay that for me. WOW! I'm so grateful to get this taken care of. It's been hurting a lot. We are hoping it will not need a root canal.

And we got a gift of leftover meat from the church BBQ. I love this church body. We truly are trying to live out what it means to love and serve. I have not much materially to give, which is difficult for me.

But Michael and I pray each day that we can find ways to bless, love and serve others in whatever way we can find. I hope we are doing so.

For now, I'm off to bed. I've got to be up early to go down and have my face drilled on.

WooHOOO!

~Faith

.

23 comments:

  1. Faith, you have the absolute best outlook on life. And I really mean it too! Good luck tomorrow. I HATE the dentist! My wisdom tooth days traumatized me! You have all my sympathy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. OMG, Faith that praying mantis is ginormous! sorry to hear about your ordeal. No one needs all that extra stress. That's so generous of your church to come through for you. Your chile rellenos look delicious, we made some the other day. Good luck at the dentist, hopefully they'll put you out and you won't remember a thing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Faith,
    You are an overcomer! And your son is right there beside you. What an incredible young man of God he is. I am glad you stood up for what is right concerning your ex. Yes, let him talk to your attorney. And you and Michael are doing the best thing for your ex...and that is praying for him. May he come to true repentance and salvation.
    Blessings,
    Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  4. Faith,
    I agree...you are so optimistic! Isn't it wonderful how God can help us through our trials?

    Good for Michael standing his ground! Such a good kid...

    I love the food art..:0) And now I am hungry from looking at your pics!

    Yours and my list must go on forever! I tell you, we will get there, just not in our time...ya know? I feel like I want everything done now...but HE has other plans.

    I am thankful you two have such a wonderful church. We do as well. There is not a day that goes by that I don't thank God for them!

    Have a wonderful day! I am off to bottle honey!

    Be well and be blessed!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh and PS...please tell me what that is on the grill..and the peppers..would love to have the recipies!!! :0)

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a jerk!!! I'm glad you can pray for him, but stillllllllllllllll

    he has a lONG WAY TO GO!

    Good for you! Real good for you!

    Linda
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Cynthia,

    If I do, it's through trial and error. ;)

    Thanks much. The appointment went well, but at this time I am in excruciating pain and enjoying the benefits that narcotics (prescription only) have over aspirin.

    I am much calmer than I was an hour ago.

    I had my wisdom teeth extracted too! I still remember the hallucinations. LOL

    ~Faith

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jo,

    I know! He was amazing. I hope there are lots of egg sacs around the property.

    We are sure using up peppers, aren't we!

    ~Faith

    ReplyDelete
  9. Cyn,

    Yes, I wish others loved him as much as we do, enough to speak truth to him and hold him accountable for what he says and does, rather than allowing him to lie to himself and others.

    Thanks Cyn. :)

    ~Faith

    ReplyDelete
  10. SBF,

    Many years ago when my life first hit the fan, I was not so well put together. I had some "lost" years.

    It is only through the grace of God that I survived it. Many changes have taken place in me as I've dealt with these things. None of them easy. I can tell you that God did preserve me. Because I had no intention of doing so for a little while there.

    I'm so proud of Michael. Isn't he a great gift? He's going to make a wonderful husband and father. :)

    Bottling honey can be a messy job! I helped my friend do that once. There was honey all over the place. LOL

    ~Faith

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh, the grill.

    Just stuffed chicken breast. I grill it, slice in half, stuff it with jack cheese and jalapenos, then season it with mesquite blend BBQ spices.

    If you REALLY want a tasty treat... Toast a split hoagie roll, slice some avocado, cook some bacon strips, and put the stuffed breasts inside with the above, topped with BBQ sauce... You'll thank me later. LOL

    The peppers I creamed some cream cheese, stirred in jack cheese, some salt, rice (not by choice, really, but to extend the filling economically), some onion and garlic, and whatever herbs appealed to me at the moment.

    I really like it with sausage as well, but the budget took precedence, so it was a 'stretched' version of chili rellanos.

    Bake at 425 till browned and gooey. Or, batter and fry them. Also good. :)

    ~Faith

    ReplyDelete
  12. Faith,
    {{{HUGS}}}} One thing the Lord is teaching me, is that I can handle a whole lot more than I EVER thought I could. Somedays are as you said, but they are in the minority.
    You'll probably laugh at this but it is true. As Michael Landon( Pa Ingalls) said on one show. "The Good Lord allows hard times, so we truly appreciate the good times."


    Glad we don't have those kind of bugs around here. They are good bugs right, still they are errry looking.

    We're praying for you both.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Kelle,

    Only lauging WITH you. Even if it's a cliche on a TV show, it can still have truth in it.

    But I find even more so that he allows the difficult times to cause me to know Him more.

    These bugs eat other bugs, not plants. But they eat any bugs they can find, good and bad. Still, if I go down to my garden, the VAST majority of bugs there are bad!

    So many bugs this year!

    ~Faith

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment - I just love hearing from folks.

    I hear you on the husband thing - been there, done that, got the t-shirt. You might want to get your lawyer's advice on the bankruptcy thing though. Don't want to go into detail but when my ex declared bankruptcy and I was left with all his bills. Since they were incurred while we were still legally married I was responsible for them. I ended up having to declare bankruptcy on my own just to get out from under. Just food for thought.

    Keep up the positive attitude. As my mother used to say "God is in His heaven and all is right with the world."

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Sandy,

    Glad you stopped by. :)

    Yup, info already forwarded to my attorney.

    Divorce is a mess, isn't it! I went through a divorce, and all I got was a lousy t-shirt! LOL

    ~Faith

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your attitude and faith are truly an inspiration. I'm proud of you and Michael both. Hang in there... I'll be praying that things go well with you at the dentist's office too! God bless!

    ReplyDelete
  17. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Faith..great pics..AS USUAL..did you hatch the praying mantis..or is it simply "visiting" you guys?

    Sorry to hear about your significant other issues...however, sounds like you have it everything under control..as usual! :-)

    Good luck and keep that positive attitude..BTW..how's the tooth?

    R Dean

    ReplyDelete
  19. Having my morning cup of hot lemon and enjoying your stories...what a treat! You're an inspiration....keep em coming sweetheart.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Dean,

    The praying mantis seemed to have just dropped by for a visit. Being in the dining room, I"m sure he was saying grace before the meal.

    He was shown the door, and actively booted out. :)

    ~Faith

    ReplyDelete
  21. Kat,

    I like hot lemon drink as well. Wakes up your taste buds. :)

    ~Faith

    ReplyDelete

I always enjoy hearing from others. If you become a regular commenter, I'll assume you are being friendly and pretty much comment regularly right back. :o) God bless and have a terrific day!