moving on closure

I received a copy of the report on the accident that dad was involved in from the Kansas Highway Patrol but it was pretty much consistent with what we had been told. They did a reconstruction but we won't get a copy of that report for awhile. I got copies of pictures of the truck after the accident and the truck he collided with. It is such a bitter sweet feeling to view them because God so very obviously protected his trucking partner but chose to take daddy. He and his partner were very good friends and we consider his family good friends to ours. His wife sent me the pictures and we hope to stay in close contact. Buddy (his partner) and his wife celebrated 24 years of marriage the day before dad's funeral. Buddy and Nancy's pastor used the accident in a sermon, Nancy said, in reference to the miracle of Buddy's survival. He was uninjured. Mark and I have discussed the appropriateness of putting the pictures on the blog and we decided against it. If friends and family want to view them, they can e-mail me and I will send them. Mark and I went to Kansas City to lunch with Ailene and Ike yesterday and then back in St. Joseph, we did some shopping and saw a movie. It was good to get away for the day.

Christmas Day 2007

Christmas day was spent in Chillicothe at my sister and her husband's. The top picture is of my sister and my niece Delaney and I and the second of Delaney in her Christmas dress and then the third is of my nephew Colton. Upon return from Chillicothe, we had dinner at Mark's mom and Ike's with Mark's brother and his wife. Delaney is three months old and is a momma's girl.

Daddy's poem

In Loving memory of James Duncan McLaughlin

May 22, 1943-Noveber 21, 2007

May the road rise to meet you,

may the wind be always at your back,

may the sun shine warm upon your face,

the rains fall soft upon your fields and, until

we meet again, may God hold you in the

palm of His hand.

Now that my everyone has opened this gift, I can post this picture of an Irish Blessing that hung on the bedroom wall of dads room "for as long as my sister can remember." She took pictures of it and had it remade as close to the original as possible and all of us have a beautiful copy that is such a blessing. McLaughlin is an Irish name. One picture is of the poem on his wall and the other is from the last set of pictures taken of him. It was at our house with his belated birthday gift and Lacey (the poodle he had gotten for me as a birthday gift three years ago). This was taken about ten days prior to the accident.

snowbound but warm

We woke up and thought perhaps we were going to miss the snow but it began and my sister-in-law measured 8 inches this afternoon. All of my siblings on dads side are safe in Cheryvale, Kansas and are together. Mark and I usually had Christmas here with dad becuse of the difficulty of us driving that far. I have talked with them a couple of times today and they are getting snow too. Two of my sisters had drives from a long ways yesterday (New Mexico and Tenessee). I wrapped some of Marks' presents and did some laundry. Looks like we will miss church on Christmas Sunday. At least we have heat and lights. We bought a new Michal English CD yesterday and we listened to it today while Mark put some ornaments on the tree that still were not on.

I'm trying..

It is so painful to loose a parent and especially the day before Thanksgiving. They found Christmas cards he had already bought and not addressed yet and I had already bought his Christmas present. I want to feel better but the pain is deep.

Trying to get closure

We have been waiting on copies of dads accident investigation report and the autopsy. Neither has been given to us. The company he drove for has disputed the Kansas Highway Patrol report and they are keeping all the info. I wrote the KHP today and requested the report and I know my sister and brother have sought information from the company. Please pray for us as we seek closure in this way. Things are busy and I like it that way. Enjoyed a salad supper and Bible study with the Tues. morning group and Mark and I had Mexican at Palmas tonight.

Home at last!!

Were home!!!! Lights restored this afternoon. Went to dinner then to buy groceries. Unpacked and started laundry (first of many loads). Basically all cold food has to be trashed but soooo glad to be home. Our cockatiels survived and all the dogs are well.

still no power

We are staying with my sister-in-law. Go home to let the dogs out. They are covered and o.k. but I miss them. Want to go home. We do have our own bed and room. We are comfortable but I want to go home anyway. Considering a generator??? More snow on the way. Prayfully waiting. I need to do laundry.

The storm did happen

We lost electricity Monday night/early Tuesday morning. The basement has water standing and of course, no sump pump working. Our friends that still have electricity in the north end of town came and picked us and the two poodles up and we spent the late afternoon/night with them. The poodles were very fussy last night and they say they did not hear them but we did. We were on an air mattress and I had difficulty getting up and down but at least we were warm and fed. We had little sleep but probably are not the only ones. We are still at our friends but when they are off work, we will probably go home, lights or not. Paul was to go over today and look at the basement situation. Mark took yesterday and today off to deal with this. No promise on when the lights will be back on but we are trying to be patient. With our dogs, it complicates things in a time like this but we are so happy we have them. The sheltie stayed home with her food/water inside. They have shelters set up but we just want to be home. Mark's mom and Ike have stayed home all along and are doing fine. We are trying to keep the poodles awake so they will sleep tonight. So for now, we join the multitudes in wantng some normacly back but realizing it could be much worse.

Preparing for the ice storm

It looks like we are going to get hit with a major ice storm. We have friends in the southern part of the state that are already dealing with this since the weekend. One of the couples has a premature baby with medical equipment but they are (or at least were) fine. Mark covered both cars in heavy plastic, scheduled a vacation day for tomorrow and drew some water. We have the standard blankets, flashlights and etc. so we will see what happens. Not much going on here with the exception of the preparations.

Winter weather

Mark had a vacation day planned for the purpose of traveling a short way to visit his brother. Thank-God he did not have to go in and we did not make the trip. It snowed and got pretty slick and we had the privilege of staying home all day and can stay in tonight. It has stopped now and Mark has shoveled. On Monday, Mom came over and she and Mark and I had dinner at Waffle House and mom and I attended the Christmas Tea at CCC. On Tuesday I attended Bible Study and went to lunch with the ladies. Yesterday, I tried to catch up on work here and wrote thank-you notes. Dad's cell phone is still activated and I still call his voice mail to hear his voice while I still can. I do pretty good in the day time but evenings are still rough. I guess because I am more tired and less busy at night. I have had some good conversations with my siblings and my brother is busy getting daddy's house cleaned out and taking care of things. Please pray for James. My sister Michelle is going ahead with her wedding plans on Saturday in a private ceremony at their Lutheran church in Tennessee. Dusty doesn't seem to mind the snow. Ornery lil puppy!

Prayer requests

Please be in prayer for my friends Roberta Dean who lost her mother early this morning and Larry Heckman who lost his father. Thanks!

Something to share

The last two nights have been very restful. I am having trouble with Christmas songs and generally break into crying when I hear them and feel guilty about that because Christmas is about Jesus and I am a Christian. I ask for your prayers on this. I want to go out this weekend and purchase a Christmas present for my niece. I think that will be therapeutic. I got more done today as far as home chores and so I feel a little more accomplished.


The funeral was packed. People had flown in from all over that had known daddy from his trucking stops. Daddy did not know a stranger and loved to just visit. People were given the chance to talk about memories of Daddy and one his high school buddies remembered that when I was born and of course, there were complications, daddy had not left the hospital for two days and his buddies went to check on him and encourage him to get a cup of coffee or something and when they found him, he had fallen asleep with his hands grasping the Bible. Gary had never shared this with anyone until that day. Mom didn't even know. I wanted to share that.

Back from the funeral

We are back home from Parson's. There is so much I want to say about the funeral but we are so exhausted and I want to have a clear head when I do it. I do want to say that because I was not raised there, there were many strange faces and so I mostly knew my siblings and a few people I remembered from childhood. It was comforting to see the familiar faces of Mark's mom and Ike who were there and Mark Bond who was the worship minister at CCC for awhile, came over from Joplin, where he now ministers and my half sister Laurie (we share a mom) took us down and brought us back. More on this after some serious sleep because we have had some very short nights lately. Again, thanks for all the prayer and condolences!!!

Thanks

Kim said...
Helms Family, not sure how you happened to find our blogspot but sooo glad you did! Feeling that the world is a smaller place right now is a very comforting feeling!! I was unsure how to respond to your comment any other way since I don't have a link back to your e-mail but thanks and God bless you!! Thanks to all of you who are praying!!

Daddy's obituary

James D. McLaughlin (May 22, 1943 - November 21, 2007) Sign Guest Book Send Private Condolences
James D. “Jim” McLaughlin, 64, of rural Mound Valley, died at 5:50 a.m., Wednesday, November 21, 2007, from injuries received in an automobile accident near Fredonia, Kansas.
He was born May 22, 1943, in Galveston, Texas, to James Curtis and Velma Lee (Cockrum) McLaughlin. He graduated high school in Breckendridge, Missouri, where he earned All-State football and basketball honors. Following high school graduation, he attended Central College in Fayette, Missouri, for one year.
Through the years, he lived in Kansas City, Missouri, Chillicothe, Missouri, Coffeyville, Kansas, and Mound Valley, Kansas. He worked for the Missouri-Pacific Railroad for 18 years before becoming a professional truck driver.
He and Julie Ann Wilson were married. They later divorced. He and Pamela S. Gillman were married December 22, 1969, in Miami, Oklahoma. She survives.
He loved fishing and the outdoors. He whole-heartedly was devoted to his family and friends. He especially enjoyed making others laugh. He was a member of the National Rifle Association and the Bass Federation.
SURVIVORS: Mother - Velma Elliott Warsaw, MO One Son - James Curtis McLaughlin Cherryvale, KS Four Daughters – Kim Hubbard St. Joseph, MO Jamie McLaughlin Albuquerque, NM Michelle McLaughlin Spring Hill, TN Sarah McLaughlin Pittsburg, KS One Brother - Harold Covington Warsaw, MO
He was preceded in death by his father and one brother.
Funeral services are scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Monday, November 26, 2007, at the Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home in Parsons. Friends may call at the funeral home after 2:00 p.m., Sunday, November 25, 2007. The family will hold a private burial service at a later date.
Memorial contributions are suggested to an educational fund for his grandchildren. These may be left at or mailed to Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home, P.O. Box 374, Parsons, KS 67357.

A song

It is @ 3 in the morning and I am wide awake. I have always found comfort in the words of this song by Kathy Tricolli.

My life is in your hands And though I may not see clearly I will lift my voice and sing Cause your love does amazing things Lord, I know, my life is in your hands
Nothing is for sure Nothing is for keeps All I know is that your love Will live eternally
So I will find my rest, And I will find my peace Knowing that you'll meet my every need My life is in your hands My heart is in your keeping I'm never without hope Not when my future is with you My life is in your hands And though I may not see clearly I will lift my voice and sing Cause your love does amazing things Lord, I know, my life is in your hands When I'm at my weakest Lord You carry me Then I become my strongest Lord In your hands My life is in your hands And though I may not see clearly I will lift my voice and sing Cause your love does amazing things Lord, I know, my life is in your hands I trust you Lord My life is in your hands

My Daddy

It is with great sorrow that I write this blog. My mom got a call from my step-mom last night that my dad had been killed in his semi yesterday morning. He apparently crossed the line and hit the trailer of another semi. His trucking buddy was unharmed as he was in the sleeper and the other semi driver was unharmed. Daddy was not wearing a seat-belt and I was told he was thrown through the windshield. An autopsy is being done and his funeral is Monday at 10:00 A.M. in Parsons Kansas. Please pray for us!

Lilly is here

Thanks so much to those who prayed for Mark's great niece. Lilly was born a little after 8 last night and weighed 7.? pounds. She did have some fluid on her lungs but is much better today and she and the new mom are anticipating going home in the morning. Also got an e-mail from Vicki (our church secretary) that Ves came through his heart surgery just fine. Praise the Lord! We got concrete poured by the new addition and on the hill for the shed yesterday. The concrete truck was to be here at 2 and arrived at 3:30. Paul and his son Paul were finishing when the sun was setting but thank-God it did not rain last night!

Praises and prayer needs

Praise the Lord the our friends got to take their baby home from the NICU. Tennyson Meyers is home as a result of many answered prayers! I got a call today that Mark's nephew's girlfriend is hospitalized in labor. This great niece was not really due until January and they were really hoping she would not have Lilly Ann until mid-December but it looks like Ms. Lilly wants to be here for Thanksgiving so please pray for her to be o.k..

Please pray for Ves Oswald, an elder at our church and goods friend who had to be taken from the service to the hospital via ambulance and has heart surgery today. Please also pray for my friend Linda Georke's mother who is elderly and is having surgery for a broken hip today. Naomi Kinsinger is her name and my friend Linda and her husand Millard are celebrating 50 years of marrige Saturday with a reception at the church.
Thanks for partnering in prayer and praise with me!!

the week

Well , we have enjoyed the room for a week now. Paul had the flu this week so not a lot got done but at least we are moved in. He did get the TV mounted on the wall. We really enjoy the room! We have been busy but things have slowed down. I am doing two Bible studies so I read a lot. I have not been getting out during the day much while Mark is at work because by the time I do my chores and study, it is time for him to get home. I do go to my study on Tuesday morning and sometimes go and eat with the ladies and my other study is on Daniel and it is on Sunday morning. The Tuesday morning one is an overview of the Bible. Both are great studies! My dad also got me a book by Henry Cloud called Unlocking the Secrets of God and I try to read it some.
We get to hear the pastor that they are considering for an interim minister next Sunday and I am glad because I am ready for some consistency but the people who have preached since Rodney left have done an awesome job. Tonight is the Thanksgiving meal at church and we have invited Mark's mom and Ike to join us. We plan to spend some time with my family at my sisters in Chillicothe on Thanksgiving and I am sooo excited to see the baby niece for the second time. Mom spent some time with them this weekend. Time to get ready for dinner. If I fail to blog more this week, we wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving!!

Our address is the same but...

We have moved!!!!! It finally happened and we are inhabiting our new addition. The furniture was delivered Saturday morning. Dad arrived Friday night and we visited and he ate ham and beans I had in the crock pot for him. Saturday, after a big breakfast Mark treated us to at home and the furniture arriving and getting that situated, Dad used the leaf blower to clean out the gutters on the house for us. Mom came down and we did some visiting and shopping. She brought my birthday cake (we were waiting on dad) and I ate way too much but it was awesome! Dad and Mark and I watched the movie " We are Marshall" last night. No one around here has gotten a lot of sleep because the puppy had never met my dad prior to this visit and he did a lot of barking both nights. The dogs were all confused when dad was in our old room and they had no idea where we were because they are not allowed in the new addition. Today we went to Wal-Mart, church and lunch and then dad left. We ran out to pick up a Christmas present for my nephew with a 50% off coupon in the Sunday paper. Because dad was here, we did not get lots of stuff moved into drawers. The closets are not finished just yet nor the cement outside the door, but it feels so great to be moved in. Dusty should be much calmer tonight. I hope so!!

Before and after pictures

Carpet and window treatments

Today, the room really looks like a bedroom. It was a great day, as we got carpet, mini-blinds and valances. Here are some pictures of the carpet and window treatments.

Tentative "moving" date

It is scheduled for our furniture to be delivered next Saturday. Paul intends to get the carpet down this week (I am thinking tomorrow) and the vinyl in the entryway. After that, once we get the mini-blinds and valances up, the rest can be finished after we move in. Also, my dad has been wanting to come and visit because besides the job he has driving a truck, he and my brother run a yard care business and he has not been here since before we started on the room in May. He is to arrive some time on Friday. On Saturday night, he will get to use the "guest" bedroom. We spent part of the weekend looking for the best buy on a comforter set to go with the new decor in the room. I think we will keep the one we found Saturday at JC Penny. We both like it but had hoped to find a cheaper set. We have to look at Wal-Mart still. This is a picture of Jeff putting up our ceiling fan. It also kind of shows the color of the paint.

Delaney and etc.

It is after 10 PM but we had some friends over and I had a cup of coffee after 7 so I am up and blogging but hoping to sleep soon. We wanted to visit with an elder from church and so we had Ves and Jan Oswald over. We had a great visit and got some questions answered. They are awesome, Godly couple! Thanks to everyone who prayed for our new little friend Tennyson! From the looks of today's blog, he is much better as he got to be bottle fed for the first time and did great! Praise the Lord.

I wanted to update about my niece Delaney. All is going well! I thank she is hovering around 10 lbs. now. The birth mom has called on a few occasions to check on her but that is the relationship my sister and her husband intended to have with her. I thank mom said the adoption is final in March. My sister has not followed through on the promise to send pictures. She is busy, I guess. She has dial-up Internet because they live in the country but she has a laptop that she uses when traveling for her job. It is not about me anyway. I hope to see the baby and Colton around the holidays.

The ramp was built from the kitchen to the new addition yesterday but it is pretty steep and will eventually need revamped. It is no fault of Paul's but has more to do with the initial design and stuff. I can manage it well enough to use it until we can figure out something different. Paul needs to do some second coat painting and put the carpet in and Jeff needs to put some more electrical stuff in (like our ceiling fan/light) and then we can probably move in before the outside concrete work and etc.). Please pray for my patience as the closer it gets, the less patient I am getting. I am going to see if I can get some sleep. Night all!

Urgent prayer request

Please lift this baby and family in prayer. We have attended church with them and their family and love them all lots. Their baby was early but has done so well until now. Here is the blog. http://thankfulfortennyson.blogspot.com/2007/10/i-will-praise-you-in-storm.html. The parents are Travis and Lindsay Myers. Thanks so much!

Winterizing the room

Jeff got the heater working today and Paul did the insulation in the ceiling. We should be moving in in a couple of weeks or less. The heat/ac unit is like those used it motels. It is nice and quiet in operation. We went to a garage sale today and I got two bags of nice winter clothes for a dollar a bag. I said I thought God led us to that particular sale.

Alexis finds a new place to hang out

Our timid sheltie spends the majority of her time in a corner in front of the entrance to the new addition. We wondered where she was going to choose as her new spot, once we had the door on and we were going in and out of the new addition. The picture Mark took tells it all. The new spot is in the opposite corner. Paul painted the room and hung and painted the remaining doors and all of the base board. We are very happy with it! We will try to post pictures when we get them taken. Next step is carpet!

Room update

Paul put primer on the walls today. Yesterday, we did some shopping for the room and picked out outdoor lights that were even on sale at Mernards. Mark took pictures of the walls and the new lights. We had a full day yesterday with shopping and meeting with our new doctor. We really like our new MD. He seemed very concerned and made sure he addressed all of our concerns. We hope Dr. Jura stays around for a long time because it seems we just find one we like and they leave. We did take time to eat lunch out and took a walk at Riverfront Park in hopes of seeing fall leaves. There was not as much fall foliage as we had hoped but we had a great day. Here are some pictures of the room from today.

Hubbard Happenings

Paul said today that he was hoping to put the primer on the drywall Wednesday, which is exciting! Mark is taking a vacation day tomorrow so we can meet with our new MD for the first time. Our NP's office is closing and she moved to another one but we were ready for a change anyway. I am having trouble with being able to stay warm and I think that I just need to learn to dress differently for fall than when I weighed significantly more than I do now. Otherwise, life is good and God is better.

Room update

Paul has taped and is in between mudding the drywall. I think he has done it twice and is letting it dry. It won't be long until painting and carpeting begin! We will need to have either a ramp or steps that go to the new addition because it is higher than the existing. We originally thought a ramp but the area is so small that we may have to do steps (2) because a ramp would be too steep. It would have hand rails on both sides and I plan to have a walker for the addition and one for the existing part of the house so I do not have to negotiate steps with the walker. We might devise a plan so that I can put laundry in a basket through an opening into the addition on a shelf. It would be in the laundry room. I made bean soup in the crock pot yesterday and while it was cooking my Aunt Shelly came down and we had lunch and did some shopping. I got three long sleeve shirts at the DAV thrift store. Last night we had friends that wanted to see the room so I had invited them to eat dinner with us. It was a great night for bean soup and cornbread!

A huge praise to a Holy and Awesome God

Today, Paul's wife had come to clean up the new addition some for Paul. We got to eat lunch and visit some when I received a call and it was Mark. He was calling from Occupational Health which is where his company sends people when there is an incident. He had been shocked when the conveyor belt on one of the machines was not starting and he set the reset button and then touched the plug in (thank God the rubber piece and not the metal) and was shocked, This is a 480 volt machine and we know that beyond a shadow of a doubt, God saved him from death from electrocution. He let go of the plug in and just had a tingling in his arm and some black on his hand and he was checked out at the doctor at Occupational Health to be fine!!. Praise the Lord Mark is alive and well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have a door!!

Paul worked so hard yesterday (he always works hard) and got the door and frame in and the laundry room window out. I was so happy to have an indoor passage!! The camera needed batteries and we had to get those tonight and I took a picture of it. Dusty gets his second hair cut tomorrow and since it grows so fast, we will probably have it cut pretty short. I bought him a sweater so he will stay warm but we will see how that goes. He is in the "chewing" stage and he and Lacie share toys. His teeth must be sharper than hers because he has chewed holes in some of Lacie's toys. Lacie has plenty toys to spare and it is a good thing Dusty can't get her new ball in his little mouth. He requires pretty close supervision right not. Here is the long awaited door! The outside is done also with the exception of some more concrete and so this is a view from the back.

more drywall

I believe the dry wall is almost done and that tomorrow will be the day we put the door on the opening to the new room, making it possible to go from the kitchen to the new addition without going outside and around. I have waited for this step for a long time and hope to have pictures of the "event". The progress is great and exciting.

Drywall and dog shows

Paul has started getting drywall up on the walls. The picture is of the first piece being put up. Saturday we attended a costume contest for dogs and this is my sister -in- laws shitzu, dressed as a pirate. We have entered the contest in the past when we had our other set of poodles (Cocoa and Buffy) but not with Lacie and Dusty. Sunday was the Thank-you and good bye meal for our Pastor. It was sad and I came home very tired. I started a new Beth Moore study on the book of Daniel, during the Sunday School hour and also I take a class on Tuesday's that is a Basic Bible class (kind of like Walk through the Bible). I have lots of homework!

lights and insulation!

We have lights!!! So far, this is the extent of the use of the electricity but there will probably be another outlet put in tonight! Paul has a lot of the insulation up and put in cable and telephone hook-ups yesterday. I volunteered at a Health Fair this morning for the American Red Cross. The ARC gives out free smoke detectors and batteries and will come and install and change them for free and we were trying to get the word out about that and it was mainly senior citizens attending it and so that was good. We also had pamplets about disaster preparedness kits. My job was to initial their paper saying that they had visited our booth while my co-volunteer talked with them. I think they had a drawing for those who visited all the booths and turned in their papers. This was an answer to prayer because I so wanted to be use full but there is sometimes a communication barrier between me and others who do not know my speech and especially if they have any trouble hearing. I enjoyed the experience!

We have a ceiling!!

We passed the electrical inspection on the first try and Paul and his son Paul put the entire ceiling up today!!! It was a great day!!!

update

Since we were not in church last week (except for the elders meeting on Sunday night) this was the first time we had attended service when we knew for sure our pastor was not returning. I tried hard to focus on the Lord and worship Him. It was not as sad as I thought it would be but next Sunday is their Thank-You dinner after third service and I know it will be so sad that a part of me wants to avoid it. Perhaps that is selfish?? Paul and his son dug out for the cement to be placed for the entrance to the room yesterday. The electrical inspection is in the morning and then the two of them will begin drywall if the electrical inspection passes. Tomorrow is my birthday and to have them starting drywall is a neat gift because I have felt that once the drywall got started, we were close to getting finished. I also look forward to seeing the decorative part (painting). Mark painted the inside wall in the kitchen today. His mom and Ike gave me a gift certificate to Ryan's for my birthday and we had lunch there after church.

Having a stuggle

Our pastor is leaving (has left) and I am sad. First of all, he has pastored us for 16 years (+/-) a year. Secondly, he did not leave under good circumstances. It is all so complicated. Since we started the church, God has used him to add to the flock so much that he has been through two building programs. Part of being part of a church family is letting go of friends and people we hold dear. I have had to do that several times. I think this will take a little more time to heal. Please pray for me as I strive to remember it is all about God and not people.

First electrical inspection

Our electrician has finished the rough in for the electricity and we will have our first inspection soon. If all goes well, Paul plans to start drywall and insulation on the ceiling Saturday. Things are progressing well and the weather is beautiful! I have been staying busy with voluteer work today and Bible study yesterday. Puppy Dusty is growing fast and catching up in size with Lacie already. He is a good puppy.

Baby pictures

We went to Chillicothe today and I got to meet my niece and I had to take pictures to share! We went to a flag football game for my nephew at the YMCA there. We saw some friends and did some shopping. We found a bedroom set for the new addition at a furniture store in Cameron. We have looked a long time and finally found one we could afford and liked. They will hold it for delivery until we notify them but it should not be a whole lot longer. Paul works diligently and has the water problems solved and the exterior nearly done. He is waiting to get the electricity to a point that he can begin drywall. Anyway, it was great to meet and have my frist photos of Delaney!

She is home!!!

Delaney Ann Webb came home from the hospital today. Our family (some of them) have remained cautious about getting too excited until the papers were signed today. While we know her adoption is not official for six months, we felt that the first 48 hours were some of the most important. I am still being promised pictures (perhaps tonight) and plan to make a trip down on Saturday. Paul worked on siding today until it started raining. Learned today that our pastor has resigned and I have mixed feelings but I trust God to take care of it all.

Still waiting on pictures

I am still waiting on my sister to e-mail pics. I have never sent a text message before but when I get the thing figured out, she is going to get one (LOL). She is to take the baby home tomorrow, after the signing over. She stayed and bonded with Delaney and the birth mom was released today. Paul and his son were here and got the trench dug, the tubes in and the drainage (water test) was passed. We are going to hope for some significant rain soon to really test it out.

Delaney Ann is here!!

We got the call on the cell phone while we had it turned off during church. She weighs 7.? ounces and my sister describes her as a beautiful baby girl. My understanding is that my sister will be at the hospital most of the time and get to take her home sometime Tuesday. I know that with an adoption, things are different and it is not official for 6 months. Mom also said the birth mother has 48 hours to change her mind (not sure because my thinking was 6 mos.). We hope to head to Chillicothe next week to meet my niece. In the meantime, I hope to get some pictures! Please, please pray for her, the birth mom, my sister and her family. I feel lots of emotion for all of those involved.

My conversation with Paul

Talked to Paul this morning and he said that while the water from the back drained pretty well when tested, the water on the west side did not. Next week he will dig (by hand) a trench around the entire addition and put drain tubes with holes and gravel in the trench. I am a little disappointed but not nearly as much as if we had drywall back there or things that got ruined with water coming in. We appreciate Paul wanting things done right, even if it takes more time to get it done. The back yard is just so much higher than the addition. Looking forward to a quiet weekend and even if Delaney is born, we probably will not go back to Chillicothe this weekend. Mark has painted the inside wall in the kitchen and primed it but it does not match the rest so he has to paint the rest of the kitchen the new color. We even took a sample and had it matched but to no avail. The Southside Festival is this weekend and we might take that in.

Ditch Witch

This is Paul using the Ditch Witch to dig a place for the water drainage tubes he put in place yesterday. He came by tonight (while we were out) and tested it with the water hose and it appears that it works fine!! If we have the water problems solved then we can proceed with the drywall and inside work. The electricity is supposed to be worked on tomorrow.

My niece is still not here and my sister had to go to a conference in Iowa this weekend but will get to return if the birth mom goes into labor. I got my haircut today and it feels better. I enjoyed spending some time at United Cerebral Palsy today. A friend and I watched puppy videos on You Tube!

Sleepy Sunday

We went to Chillicothe yesterday and came back today, spending the night at some friends house. They have a hide-a-bed but neither of us slept well. We went to the Chautauqua in the park and went to see my sister and brother-in-law and nephew. I really hoped the baby would have been born while I was there but she has not arrived yet. I made a pot of Goulash and we ate with our friends for super last night. They were here to work on the electricity before we left and Paul called to tell us what got done. It was a lot! We can not use a Bobcat because the consensus is that Paul needs to rent some machine and dig places to put drainage tubes in the yard and I think also a French Drain. If the weather is dry enough, he will probably do that this week. We also expect the missing window he ordered to be in Monday so he can then finish the siding etc. Since water gets in the room when it rains heavy, we all agree that landscaping must be done prior to drywall and etc.. We attended church at the First Baptist church, in Chillicothe where I went in High School, this morning. I like to go there when we visit Chillicothe. Thanks to our good friends, the Deans, we had care for all three dogs while we were gone!

Update

Paul worked on some odds and ends last night in the room and the electricity should be finished on Saturday. He is looking for someone with a Bob Cat to finish the dirt work. My sister got to go to the doctor's visit with the birth mom yesterday and hear the heart beat of the baby. Mom talked to her tonight and they expect Delaney to arrive before the next appointment. I hope to be making a trip to Chillicothe soon. Went to Fall Kick-Off at church and it was awesome!!

Pink clothes

I have had the overwhelming urge to go and purchase pink clothes for Delaney (yes, it is with an e I found out). We found a garage sale and I got her some there and a little white dress and on the clearance rack at K-Mart, I found her a pink Precious Moment's dress. I really hoped they would have more children and adoption is a swell option in my opinion! Jeff worked on the electricity yesterday and he and Paul will likely finish the main stuff of the electric work this week. We went to church and did shopping. Didn't sleep well last night but hope to tonight.

This is a very happy day!!

My sister told me today that I am going to have a niece! She and Bill are adopting privately and Delany Ann is due September 7. My middle name and Mom's are both Ann! Please pray for all concerned and a healthy baby girl. I am so very happy and excited but I know there could be roadblocks. Delany will join my nephew Colton who is a fourth grader.

Electricity

Our electricity is supposed to be worked on in the new room tomorrow. Not sure if it will be done but it should be a good start! Paul is looking for a person with a Bobcat to do the remainder of the dirt work and then we can proceed with drywall etc. I am looking forward to continuing the photo journey of the addition being built!! The weather is so beautiful!!

getting started on the addition once again

Paul got the new building permit today and did inventory to see what to purchase. He should be making some progress this week!! He seems very diligent and easy to work with! My car is in the shop and I am to get a rental tonight. Needs a new radiator which is covered under warranty, Thank-God! Not much else going on.

Wild Friday

We woke up and needed to get water off of our kitchen floor because heavy rain had come in through the framing of the new room. Mark used the Shop Vac about 4:30 before going to work. Around 5 tonight, we were in the basement with tornado sirens going off. Thank-God we did not have any in this area. After that cleared, we met with Paul and the man who will do the electricity and we have a contract!!! We feel really good about Paul and that he is a man of integrity. He came by earlier today and looked at the water situation and said that the grading he is to do, should alleviate the problem when combined with the new cement that will be poured for a ramp. Mark brought home pallets from work and placed the remaining material on pallets. Were a little tired.

Drywall

Our friends, the Kunckles, are helping us prepare this side of the wall for painting. Lola had me to give it a try but I am not good at it. We meet with Paul Cochram (former worship leader at CCC) tomorrow night and the guy that will assist him with the electricity. If everything goes o.k.. We will sign a contract with Paul and he will get busy on the room soon. Mark took this picture of Dusty who has figured out how to jump in my chair at the table. While it is good for a picture pose, we will discourage it. He is all puppy!!

Mark, the Chef

We like smoked meat and Mark's mom and Ike have an electric smoker and have been great to smoke meat for us. We decided it was time to have a smoker of our own and the end of the summer was a good time to get one. We returned the non-electric one we had without using it because an electric one seemed much simpler. There were some sirloin tips at the one day meat sale at Green Hills Saturday and so we tried the smoker for the first time. Mark smoked onion and green peppers also. We were happier with the veggies than the meat but we are still learning. We got a written contract from Paul (if we choose to hire him) on Friday and we had a day of contractors coming to look at the room and get estimates to us soon. Hope we at least have a contractor hired this week but don't want to rush into any mistakes. Please pray for our decisions. The second picture is of the puppy sleeping on my lap tonight.

A break

It has been a busy week. Taking care of the puppy and the other two, running errands in the heat, calling contractors plus daily routine. Tomorrow a friend of mine from school in Chillicothe is coming up to swim with her kids and I at the aquatics center. I will keep "little man" in his big cage and enjoy a day of fun (I hope). I jokingly told Mark to find a fill in for me tomorrow (LOL).

meeting with contractors

We had Paul Cockram over to give us an estimate to finish the room. Paul was recently the worship leader at church but no longer is and is going back into home improvement. While waiting on his estimate, we have a couple others scheduled to come and give estimates this afternoon. Please pray for God to send the right person who will be diligent and fair and can finish our room within our budget. I try not to focus on the fact that every day the room is just sitting unfinished but that God is in control and he will make a way and to remember that the room is just a temporary place that will be destroyed with the rest of the world some day. There is a great deal of change taking place at church right now and I just want God to be in control. I realize that the time we spend discussing the issues would be better spent in talking to God about it!

Dusty groomed

http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z197/markkim90/?action=share&pic=399de063.pbw

Dusty groomed

It is to be a another very hot week. I am taking care of Dusty (and the girls), cleaning, enjoying the Christian book It is all about Him and trying to find contractors to give estimates for the room. Note that none of these are outside activities. Above is a link to a sideshow of Dusty at Petco. PhotoBucket wouldn't let me transfer the slide show but I have only done it one other time so I probably messed up. I am having trouble taking pictures of him because he moves so fast but did my best to take one of him with his hair cut. He is a good puppy!

changing contractors

We made the decision today that we needed to find a different person to finish the room. Praise God that it was not any major confrontation and J.R. was respectful and apologized that it did not work out. We will begin a search for the contractor to finish the project. We are supposed to get an estimate on Monday evening, we think. Please pray for us to stay within budget as the electricity will need to be done as well as drywall, insulation, siding (partially) and some cement work. Dusty gets a haircut tomorrow and I hope to post pictures of him!!

"Firsts"

I gave Dusty his first bath today and he is going to the vet for a wellness check. We probably would not have done it on such a hot day but the pet store gave us a coupon for a free health check and it has to be used by Friday. He is schedled for his first puppy cut on Sunday. Lacie has been running around without the leash since we built the room addition and staying pretty close to the door but today she got out the gate and into the neighbors yard. We had quite a time. She will be on a leash from now on! I think she thought the puppy was just here for a visit. We try to give her extra attention but she appears a little jealous. J.R. said it was too muddy to work on siding and it is very muddy. It is also very hot.

a little better picture

We were having trouble with the camera blurring but my sister-in-law did take this of the four of us on Saturday evening after we brought Dusty home. It is clearer of the little man than Lacie. Went to volunteer at UCP and then to a drive through errand before noon to try to beat the heat. Not as hectic as yesterday. J.R. did work on the siding today some and we thought the electrician might be here tonight but that is not going to happen. Perhaps it is best not to have the electricity off tonight anyway, due to the extreme heat.

Our lille OOPs (but we love him)

We really had not planned on another puppy. We had talked a little about getting one so that Lacie (who will be 3 this month) could have a playmate. We had not talked a lot about it but a little and basically we were not sold on the idea. Lexie, the Sheltie just eats and sleeps and really has no interaction with Lacie much. Well, for some time now, Critter's has had a sign that said Toy Poodles for sale and Saturday we finally went in to browse. That is when the OOPs comes into play. They had the cutest little male tiny toy poodle and we got to hold him. (I think that was a sales tactic, but it worked). We did not get him immediately but went back just before closing time on Saturday and now we have Dusty. He is four months old and Lacie is having the time of her life and I think Dusty is having fun too. I am very busy between putting a puppy out every hour and dealing with other tasks. It is nap time right now and this is the first time I have had much of a break. He has a personality similar to our previous male poodle who was very cuddly and people oriented. No there will not be puppies as Lacie was spade as a puppy!! The siding was worked on for the addition on Saturday but it rained today so no one is working. So, I introduce Dusty Dewayne Hubbard (above).

Funny/onry little poodle

We had such a time trying to replace the ball we bought for Lacie before we even brought her home from the kennel, that she wore out after playing catch with it for over two years. We finally found a rubber one awhile back here at Weslake's and the texture and size were perfect. We had tried others to no avail. We decided to go back and get a couple of extra to put away. Lacie did not even see them but figured it out (from smell we think) and barked and begged for them so we gave in and let her have one of the two. Mark then put the the third in his top drawer this past weekend. Lacie remembered that is was there and she threw a fit yesterday and barked at the drawer. She hardly never has potty accidents but had one yesterday we think in protest for not getting her way!! We think two is plenty. She is so smart! She is also strong willed! She got in trouble with us yesterday! Mark and I plan to go to the hospital when he gets off at 2:30 as Ike is to have his stints at 2 or 3 and closer to 3 this afternoon, I have a little get together tonight with ladies I used to work with and I am excited about that.

Ike update

Ike had the cardiac catheter and they found that his bypasses are fine but there is some blockage somewhere else. Tomorrow or Friday he will have two stints put in his heart. I am going to try to nap even though the contractor is working.

Ike

Mark's mom's friend (Ike) will have a cardiac catheritization in the morning. He was admitted to Heartland due to chest pains but all preliminary tests seem normal. He had a five bypass surgery some years ago and a stress test in March was fine but no cath was done then. I plan to have Mark drop me off on his way to work so I can be with his mom during the procedure. If there is blockage and a need for stints or bypass, they will go on and proceed with this. Please keep him in prayer.

The new wall is up!!

The old wall was was replaced and it only took about three hours yesterday afternoon/evening. Of course, it needs taped and painted but we at least have it up!! Our contractor is out of town and not expected back until Monday so we cleaned up last night (we used drop clothes on the table and doorways). Today we did Dollar Store and grocery shopping and we hare having friends over for dinner. It is hot and humid but nearly August.

ok, now I am writing on walls!

We have to take the entire wall down that was the north kitchen wall. Our roof (until last summer) was flat in the kitchen and there was so much damage from water and termites that it has to be replaced. I decided to let my inner 8 year old come out and write on the wall. I really have not lost my mind. I was just having fun and trying to relieve stress. We are sticking to the same contractor for now but we will see how it goes.

Please pray!

Things with the contractor on the room have taken a turn for the worse and we have to decide the best course of action to take. One of the primary issues is that we feel he is telling us lies. He is also not putting much time into it at all. Also, Mark has to start on a form of Prednsione for some poison ivy that is not healing. The rest of it healed except one sore that he hit and messed up. Please keep us and our attitudes in prayer!! We went ahead and had the termites spayed for professionally for fear of not doing so. Thanks!!

Room addition

A trip to the city

Mark and I went to KC Friday and spent the night and most of Saturday there. We wanted to get away but also to get some shopping done for the room. We found an awesome Westlakes that was bigger than ours. It was on Antioch. We chose and purchased our paint and ceiling fan there got a few little other sale items there. We did some looking at Metro North Mall and I purchased a Christian CD at the Christian book store. Our home had termite damage when we purchased it and we fixed it many years ago and it has been sprayed but our contractor found some new damage in the wall and some active termites. We have an inspector coming tomorrow to tell us what he thinks. One of the things we also bought at Westlakes was a termite control kit that has stakes to detect and kill the termites. If we can get this to work then this would be far cheaper than a professional. The house has a window partially in and they are supposed to cut the door soon (to the kitchen). United Cerebral Palsy had a nice lift chair donated to them and they brought it to me on Friday to put in the new room. I know that will be a blessing. I want to take and upload some current pictures of the room onto PhotoBucket and place a slide on the blog. I am helping with VBS registration tonight. Hoping for a productive week ahead!!

Hot July days

I have been spending lots of time inside. I did go to the pool yesterday but it was very crowded. We had dinner with Mark's mom and Ike yesterday and went to Home Depot and Target on Monday. We are looking for just the right (affordable) ceiling fan for the new room. I went to the room for the first time in several days today. The electrical work is in progress and the roof is all shingled. Because the windows are not in yet, we have not had the door cut from the kitchen to the new room and so the journey to the room is a hot one. We are eating dinner with friends tonight and then we are going to get a few supplies. Cooler weather is forecasted along with some needed rain.

Lazy Lexie

This is a picture of our Lazy Lexy that Mark took this week. The pink pillow was purchased just for her (Wal-Mart clearance). She tends to lay her head on the wrung of chairs and I thought this would be more more comfortable. It has been a slow week on the room addition. The shingles are still being put on. Praise God that Aunt Shelly had no cancer in her second set of lymph nodes!

Praises!!!

Aunt Shelly is home and doing very well. We are waiting on test results on the second set of lymph nodes but believing the best, especially since the first nodes were cancer free. Went to see mike and Barb at the hospital and they were doing extremely well!! Praise God!! Mike was on life support the last time we saw him in ICU and we had been told that the attempt to get him to breath without the machine was not successful. Obviously, further attempts were successful because he was in a regular room and doing fine talking/ breathing etc.. He has two broken legs but realizes he could have been in a much worse perdiciment. For those who prayed for my aunt, Mike and/or Barb, thanks!!!!!!!!!!

The electrician has met with J.R. and today we had the framing inspection and it went well. J.R. is supposed to start on shingling the roof tomorrow.

my aunt and our first door

Thank God my aunt got through her surgery but they took several inches of her colon because one of the two polyps looked like possible cancer. She is eager to be able to have liquid by mouth. Please pray for infection not to set in because they said that she is more susceptible because of her Lupus. I learned today that Barb and Mike are out of ICU so I assume that means they are improving. Praise God! Here is a picture of our first door being installed.

July 4

Mark and I were ready to get away for awhile so after bringing home our Wal-Mart stuff and a short visit with J.R., we went to lunch and a movie. We have not gotten real good sleep the last few nights because of neighborhood fireworks. We plan to stay home the remainder of the evening and hope that the noise ends prior to midnight tonight since Mark has to work at 6 in the morning. Here are some pictures of the roof. The electrician is supposed to meet with J.R. about the electrical work tomorrow. We are undecided if we will have base board heat and a window AC or something like they have in motels that are both in one unit. Please continue in prayer for Mike and his mom. We visited them Monday night and they were both still critical but we were able to talk with Barb briefly and then Mike's aunt filled us in later. Aunt Shelly is in the hospital now and will have surgery tomorrow so please pray for her. Happy 4th to all!!!

The past week

I didn't want to post negative thoughts so I avoided posting for awhile. The work on the room was limited this week by rain/mud etc. and it has been hard to be patient. J.R. has worked alone on the days he did work and only 2-3 or so hours per day. The roof is still being worked on. I am trying to stay busy. Spent the day with a friend and her husband Thursday when we had lunch at Cheddar's and went to the Sidewalk sale at the mall where mark met us after work. Friday, Mark and I used some coupons and ate at Perkins. Saturday night, we went to the picnic for the Tractor Cruise and had fellowship there (and good food). Saw the Bond family who used to minister at our church just as they were on the way home to Joplin where they now minister and it was good to see them and their two girls who had grown so much. They have a baby boy but he was resting contentedly in the van but they post frequent pictures so I feel like I have met him anyway. A neat thing happened at the picnic when a lady ask me if I was Julie Flowerree's daughter (mom's maiden name) and I said yes. Mom and I look very much alike. Anyway, she knew my dad from high school at Breckenridge and my mom (I think because her husband was a post master). I think she may have known them both when they were a young couple also. It is rare to run into people who know both of my parents because they divorced when I was so young and dad moved to southern Kansas. I really enjoyed talking with her. Her husband drove a tractor in the cruise. Please pray for some friends of Mark and his family: Mike Foster and Barbara Foster. As I read the SJ Sunday paper this afternoon, I noticed that this son (41) and his mom were in a head on collision with another car early Saturday morning when they crossed a center line on Rt. D near Savannah. Pray also for the lady they hit. Last we knew, Mike and Barb had a paper route and we suspect that was what they were doing. All three had serious injuries and when I called to see about visiting at the hospital, Mike and his mom were in ICU. Also, please pray for my Aunt Shelly having surgery for a precancerous polyp on her colon Thursday. She will be entering the hospital July 4th and stay about 5 days because of the connection between the stomach and the colon (???). It is laproscopic surgery but she has lupus and has to go off some of the Lupus medicine prior to the surgery. She will have it in KC.

The roof

This is a picture Mark took this morning. We are supposed to get our first door on today and windows. They are working right away so it could happen. I will try to post pictures of them later. We have lots of errands today and a wedding tonight

Roof rafters

J.R. took the day off yesterday but worked several hours Tuesday and today. The heat gets extreme and he is the only one working right now. The roof is taking shape. The door from the kitchen to the new room is not cut yet so it is hard for me to get to the room. I did get to spend some time there Tuesday evening. Mark has worked ten hours the last four days to have a three day weekend. I went to have lunch with mom on Tuesday and she helped me with some shopping that needed done. Wednesday I volunteered at UCP and then today I went to Vatterott college to get a manicure and pedicure. Mark has a commitment with some family members tomorrow afternoon and my mom is coming to help me with a plaque we are making for a wedding we are going to attend Saturday night (Mark and I).

Picking a carpet

We designated Saturday as a day to not have any other plans but look for carpet and paint. We did have lunch with mom at Culver's but then got to shopping. After looking around at Eckard's (a fairly large store) we found a color/texture we like and took a sample of it. We were tired and it felt like the hottest day of the year thus far and so we came home and took short naps and then we went to Mernard's. We found something there very similar that was much cheaper and we think an even better quality. We have some paint sample cards but have not made that decision yet. We ordered the carpet last night and it will be in next week if all goes well. They will keep it stored until we need it. We just wanted to be sure it was available when it was needed. They worked on the ceiling rafters Friday and since it is raining today, I doubt much will be done, if anything. The carpet is a variegated Berber. Church was followed by a trip to Aldi's yesterday and mom and aunt Shelly brought hamburgers and side dishes, Mark made baked beans and we had dinner together yesterday evening, It was nice. Mom made the most delicious Jello salad. I will try to get the recipe and share it. She ls made brownies. I really did a bad job on diet yesterday but I really enjoyed it!!

More framing

The weather was awesome and the framing continued today. We realize that we need to get busy looking at carpet and paint as things are speeding up!! Enjoyed my time at UCP, working on a scrap book with a consumer

recently groomed girls

Lacie was perched on Alexis's back tonight (something she has done since a puppy). Lexie has never had a problem with it. Thought it was a good time to post a picture of them. Remodeling is much more complicated with continuing to protect and meet their needs but we wouldn't trade our "girls" for anything.

We have walls!!

We have walls (partially) for the new addition. They were all added today! We will see how the weather holds out the remainder of the week. I postponed my volunteer work until tomorrow so that I could go to lunch and Wal-mart with Mom today. Lacie and Lexie both have had summer grooming within the last two weeks. Lex seems to love it but Lacie gets a little chili. The Poodle has her hair much shorter.

We have a floor!!!

This week was spent finishing the retaining wall and then today we got the cement floor poured. The pictures are of the preparation for the cement and the poured cement. The weather has been perfect for cement work. Framing is scheduled to start tomorrow.