Thursday

Not much happening this week for me. I am blaming it on a three day weekend...it has just left me wanting to just play and not get my work done. Perhaps it is because I am resting up for the next couple of weeks that are coming up. Brittany is finishing up all her official dance classes this week. Next week for her is theater week...where they do all the last minute finishing up before the big recital...then the recital will be both Saturday and Sunday...we are attending on Sunday...when she isn't dancing...she will be overseeing the concessions and ticket sales which she is totally excited about.

The following Monday, my mom is having an injection in her back...which is like same day surgery...so I'll be pretty busy with her that day...then...I need to get serious about finishing up and planning this graduation party.

Have you ever just wished for time to pass you by? This isn't me at all but I have so much emotion built up in me...that I just want to kiss June goodbye. Ok...I am taking a deep breath, there I feel much better.

Brittany is beginning to feel better with her nasty poison ivy...boy, can that stuff get ugly. Last night she took some Benadryl...she needed a good nights sleep. Hopefully she got it. Epsom Salts and an anti itch cream from Aveeno really made a difference yesterday. I also read that cool compresses and even an ice cube can help...we did the ice cube and low and behold it did calm the itch yesterday morning...she is getting a rather large patch on the back of her thigh...which we don't understand because she had knee shorts on the day we worked outside...who knows?

That is about it...on my agenda for today...grocery shopping. I am looking for a canner as well as I'll be picking strawberries on Friday...and I plan to make freezer jam for now and jam for winter as well.

Blessings for today!

Happy Tuesday!

We had a great...relaxing weekend! I was all in for that...lets see...Friday, Brittany and I worked outside all day. Trimming trees, cutting up the wood, clearing out areas...that sort of spring clean-up kinda thing only we are late. Later on went to the store and I bought more plants and a couple of vegetable plants for containers. I have tried before but we'll see...when you live in a woodland it is hard to grow even a tomato plant. I am hoping that this year the spot I have chosen will be much better.

Saturday we had a graduation party to attend...our closest friends. Boy did they have the food. I tried to convince them to just throw everything in the freezer for me for the end of the month...but I don't think they bought it...then I tried to hire them to cater our party...in the end they told us that we could borrow whatever we need. So at least there is that. They had the best pulled pork...which is way too pricey for me. So...off to Sam's Club we went. They were featuring pulled pork there this weekend. So luckily we were able to sample it...really good too...and a fraction of what our friends had and my family decided that we wanted to have...all three of us sampled and agreed that it was really good...so we left with four trays of it...where it is frozen in my freezer until the big event. I think I have decided the rest of my menu around it...

cole slaw
potato salad
fruit salad
veggie tray
baked beans

hot dogs
rolls and buns

We thought the kiddies would like the hot dogs! And then of course we will have our large sugar cookies for dessert...our friends had cupcakes, a huge cake and cookies and hardly anyone touched any of it...of course it was 90 degrees that day and not many like sweets when it is that hot outside.

So...I feel really good about my menu...I know it will turn out great. The pulled pork that we bought says you can warm it on the grill...it just so happens that our shelter has three nice grills right there...so we don't have to worry about crock pots or anything like that to keep it warm. Pretty cool!

Monday...I spent the day in my flower garden, planting the last of what I had and planting my veggies in my pots in between thunderstorms.

Brittany has a bad case of poison something on her ankles...it is really ugly and itchy and miserable...but we are using what we can to keep her comfortable....just in time for graduation huh?

That's about it...in a nutshell.

Have a great Tuesday!
Joyce Marie

Wishing you and yours a
Safe and Happy
Memorial Day!

Progress...

One skein down and six more to go...
It is beginning to take shape ...can you see it?

My mom had a doctor appointment this morning...I was her moral support, while visiting after the appointment I noticed the pretty doilies she had hung above her bed. Gifts from her sister and beautiful they are. They look so pretty I decided to try my hand at it. Found a pattern on the internet for a beginner project. I am just the kinda girl that has her hand in more than one project at a time. I think it is a flaw!


Don't mind the coffee stains on my place-mat...it is on my desk for just such a thing...crumb catcher...coffee drips...you know what I mean.

Hope your having a lovely day!
Joyce Marie

Three posts in one day?

Yes, I can't help myself. I was driving home from dropping off our Brittany (aka Miss Brittany as she is known these days) and it dawned on me. We are officially finished with school. Our Lord gave us such a smooth transition that I hardly noticed. He took my girl from our school room to her first job...He brought me along for the ride and woke me up to see all the possibilities that I have in front of me. For this I am truly grateful.

I know that there are many exciting things still ahead for both of us so I will not fret. I love the verse in Proverbs...Proverbs 31:25 She is clothed in strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.

You see, I know that our Lord wants us to to live a joy filled life. This verse reminds me to be strong, to keep my wits about me and to just go about my life clinging to the hope I find in Him.

Blessings!
Joyce Marie

Look what greeted me this morning...

How pretty!...this peony closes up like a fist at night...but in the morning she opens up and turns her face to the sun. A true reminder to me that I can curl up in the shelter of my Lord at night but first thing in the morning...I also need to turn my face toward the Son!

This is the second season for this beautiful flower. Only get one bloom so I wanted to record it here...just too pretty to not take a picture.

Wishing you a beautiful day!
Joyce Marie

Life in Spite of Me Blog Tour

About this book

She wanted to die. God had other plans.

Why does my life have to be so painful?
What’s wrong with me?
It’s not going to get better.
It could all be over soon, and then I won’t hurt anymore.

Kristen Anderson thought she had the picture-perfect life until strokes of gray dimmed her outlook: three friends and her grandmother died within two years. Still reeling from these losses, she was raped by a friend she thought she could trust. She soon spiraled into a seemingly bottomless depression.

One January night, the seventeen-year-old decided she no longer wanted to deal with the emotional pain that smothered her. She lay down on a set of cold railroad tracks and waited for a freight train to send her to heaven…and peace.

But Kristen's story doesn’t end there.

In Life, In Spite of Me this remarkably joyful young woman shares the miracle of her survival, the agonizing aftermath of her failed suicide attempt, and the hope that has completely transformed her life, giving her a powerful purpose for living.

Her gripping story of finding joy against all odds provides a vivid and unforgettable reminder that life is a gift to be treasured.
Includes notes of encouragement Kristen wishes she had received when she was struggling most.

“Life, In Spite of Me is a remarkable story of life beyond despair and hope that triumphs over tragedy.”
—Louie Giglio, pastor, Passion City Church/The Passion Movement

“Suicide is a liar and a thief. It promises peace to those who are escaping but delivers unimaginable pain and rejection to those left behind. Kristen Jane Anderson’s riveting story unmasks the thief and gives hope a face.”
—Dr. Dennis Rainey, president, FamilyLife Ministries

“When I first met Kristen, I was overwhelmed with her smile, and then I saw her wheelchair. It was a defining moment for me. I had not heard her story or why she’d ended up at Moody. But it was her smile—and it is still her smile—that dismantles me. Kristen has something. It is something otherworldly. She had every reason to die, but now she has every reason to live. I hope you’ll read her story, see her smile, and know why she lives.”
—Michael Easley, former president, Moody Bible Institute

My Review

What a book! What a story! What a testimony! I know that is a lot of exclamation points but I picked this book up on a Saturday morning and could not put it down until I finished. I not only read about her struggles, but this book drew me in to feel her struggles. What an amazing young woman. This book kept me thinking long after I read the final pages. I highly recommend this book. We all go through life struggles, sometimes we feel like giving up. I promise, if you pick up this book it will change your thinking. Life is a gift.

I would especially recommend this book to each and every teen out there. A must read.


You may view a short video of Kristen Jane Anderson here


This book was graciously provided by review by the Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group.