HubbardHappenings

Summer 2009

2009-07-16T11:09:00.000-07:00

Summer is going fast! Mark and I worked at VBS last week and we were tired but we had a great time. I am not in Bible study in July but plan to be in a couple in the Fall. I am studying Revelation on my own. Mark's mom and Ike have moved from St. Joseph and that has been a change. Mark has done some landscaping out front. Not much going on but no news is good new! Hope all of you are well!!

Spring 2009

2009-05-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

My friend Gretchen reminded me I needed to blog and she was right. It has been awhile. Mom spent Mother's day and night here with us and we had a great time! My Bible study and Wonderful Wednesdays have kept me busy and Mark was in Wednesday small group too! They both end this week. I am reading Christian fiction now and am currently reading Karen Kingsbury's, "Redemption". The poodles are great. Mark and I celebrated 19 years of marriage on the 28th and the weekend before, we went to Basswood Resort near KC. They had an awesome accessible cabin and while we did not fish, we spent time with Peggy and Don. The Lord arranged for me to meet Peggie at Women of Faith this Spring. She and her husband both have Cerebral Palsy and no children. They are from the KC area. I think we will be meeting with them again. I hope so as we have a lot to talk about. Like me, she used to work in the field of helping those with disabilities in administrative roles. She is a stay at home wife now. Otherwise, we are enjoying the outside and I am trying to be in the pool at least once per week. Hope all is well with everyone!

Just January

2009-01-30T13:27:00.000-08:00

Not much to report. Things are pretty routine, which is good. I am reading three different books (two for study groups and one on my own). We had the poodles hair cut last week and we bought them coats to keep them warm. We really have been blessed with a milder winter than last year.

Josh

2009-01-07T09:35:00.000-08:00

On Christmas morning, Mark's nephew was found dead. Mark and I were in route to Cameron when we found out, in the afternoon. We know he had asthma but the autopsy results will take a few more weeks. Josh was only 17 and was the youngest of 3 brothers. The funeral was Monday after Christmas. It was packed and many young people were there. Please pray for his friends and his family.
I try to keep busy with scrap booking and work around here. Small group begins tonight and I hope Home Builders starts next Tuesday morning. Thankful that the weather has not been bad.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T09:53:00.000-08:00

Since my last post was before we had the dog contest, I must say we did not win but had fun. We lost our Sheltie recently. They really are not sure but think she had a tumor. She got very big and could not walk. Otherwise, we are attending a small group and I plan to get back into Tuesday morning study in January. Mark got ready to put the Christmas village up but he decided he was not going to have the time or energy. The tree is up and the house is decorated beautifully, thanks to Mark. We are waiting to schedule a time for my family's side to have Christmas in Chillicothe. We had last Saturday scheduled but the weather was not to be good for returning on Sunday. So, we will reschedule when the schedules and weather allow. We are to have Mark's side tomorrow evening and his brother from Branson is supposed to be in town and we have not seen them in a long time. We still enjoy our new addition tremendously and I am much more content with our home since we built on. Have a blessed Christmas from our house to yours!!~

a birthday and an upcoming contest

2008-10-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

I turned 43 on Wednesday. We basically celebrated last Saturday with a trip to KC where we saw the awesome movie Fireproof, had lunch and did some shopping. We are preparing for the local Canine Costume Contest and so this has been a busy week. We had not realized that we were behind on the poodles shots and so we have have had two trips to the vet this week. The pictures are of the dogs and their costumes but we are waiting on a Uncle Sam Costume for Mark to arrive that I bought on e-bay, for him to wear. Mom and aunt Shelly are supposed to visit in the morning and have lunch with us but they will not be attending the contest. I am involved in a Dee Brestin Bible study on Tuesday morning and a Wednesday night small group. We are loving this weather.

Delany is almost a year old

2008-09-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

Aunt Kim had already gotten a little musical animal toy for her. Uncle Mark and Aunt Shelly and I went together on it. We spent Friday night at mom's and after we ate her delicious home cooked meal, my sister brought Delaney in to see us while her big brother and daddy went to the local football game. Since we have been in Chillicothe two weeks in a row and we plan to stay home the next few weekends, we probably won't make it to her birthday party in a week or so. Because of this, we gave her the gift early. She really liked the cow. She is walking now but not well enough to stay up long without falling. On Saturday, we went to an event at the local park and had lunch with friends. I am excited that Bible study starts in the morning and we are doing a book on contentment by Dee Brestin, out of the book of Ecclesiastes. I am ready for the structure of a fall routine!

Labor Day weekend

2008-09-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

Mark and I and all of my siblings spent Saturday and Sunday night in Chillicothe where we visited, swam and on Sunday, we put dad's ashes in the cemetery at Breckenridge, Missouri. The pastor who did the funeral and his wife were there and when they got in town, they stopped at a convenient store to ask directions to the cemetery. It was there that he met Galen Parker. Galen ask who he was and etc. It just so happens that dad was a very good high school friend of Galen's and he had just been visited dad about a month prior to the accident. The plan was to have it be family only but Galen being there was an act of God, I believe, because he talked to us about dad's school days and showed us where the home place was because it had been too long for anyone to remember. The Holy Spirit was so obvious at the service and the pastor did a wonderful service. This is the picture of all of us kids on dad's side.

Treat time

2008-08-29T17:04:00.000-07:00

Mark feeding Lacie ice cream for her 4th birtday.

Thank-you

2008-08-28T12:35:00.000-07:00

To those who prayed for my mom! It seems that she is much better now that she has resumed her fluid pill and I think her blood pressure is back to normal. She got established with a medical doctor who thinks that was the problem. For mom to step inside the office of a doctor, nowadays, is a huge step for her. Praise God she went. Lacie is four years old today!

Concern for my mom

2008-08-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

Mom was having trouble with high eye pressure and now we learned she is having high blood pressure. She is to go to the doctor in the morning and she has not been to a doctor for a long time (despite being a two time cancer survivor). We are praying for her and I am trying to remain calm. This is the weekend that we am spending with my siblings on dad's side and burying dad's ashes. Dusty got his stitches out today. He got cut at the groomer and had three stitches. He is fine. I have help with mopping and sweeping from a lady volunteer now every two weeks and it helps so much. We have a new lead pastor and we think he is doing a great job and seems to be God's provision that we prayed for. Please keep mom in your prayers!

A little crazy

2008-08-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

It has been a little hectic lately. Mark's car required some major work about a month ago. Last week, he lost a lens from his glasses and so he went ahead and had them checked and got new lenses in the same frame. This week, we had to have a new motor put in our central air unit. I had a bad case of the 24 hour flu yesterday and am basically well now. Mom is coming for a visit tomorrow and my awesome husband did the household chores that I have not been able to get done, after work tonight! Last night, I was flipping channels and got to see the Steven Curtis Chapman family talk about life since the loss of their five year old daughter. They were so "real" about their pain and anguish and yet their love for God, Jesus and the Bible was so very obvious. I was so touched by them! Pastor Jason is the new lead pastor at CCC now and I am excited to get into the fall and Tuesday morning Bible study. I have been doing some freelance writing for textbroker.com to earn a little extra money. Hope all is well with everyone.

Time to Blog!

2008-07-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I used to blog so often. Anyway, all is well. We had VBS over the weekend and that included six hours on Saturday and a swim party last night. A good time was had by all! Our new senior pastor is coming this Sunday and I am excited about that. I am reading a book called Velvet Elvis and doing things that I can around the house. Mark volunteered to work at his job Saturday, as they are extra busy. We went to eat at Olive Garden Saturday evening and did some Wal-Mart shopping. I got a call from a very good friend of mine, Karen Lang, Saturday afternoon, from Europe. I have started doing some freelance writing for hire but have not earned much yet. I think it takes time and the right opportunity. I enjoy it. On Labor day weekend, we are to gather for the burying of dad's ashes. Not much else to say except all the dogs are fine and Dusty is still chewing things he should not. Hope my blog friends are well!

Been awhile!

2008-07-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

We have kept busy this summer. Last weekend we went to Chillicothe and spent time with my mom and my aunt. Mom fixed a wonderful meal and my sister, her husband and the kids ate with us. It is hard to believe that Delaney is nine months old. Her picture is above. We had taken some of Colton but they are blurry (worse than the one above of mom and Laney). Mark had Thursday and Friday off and last night we "vacationed" at the Ramada Inn here where they just built a new aquatics park. We swam in the lazy river and had a good time. We had dinner at Denny's and just relaxed. Today, we grocery shopped and made home made ice cream. Aldi's had strawberries for .99 cents per pound and I froze four pounds and used a fifth to go along with the bananas for the ice cream. All of the dogs are fine. Dusty wants me to pet him constantly when I have free hands. We have a new pastor coming to CCC. I am hopeful for the future and seeing some new and exciting things happen for the Lord. Hope every one is having a great summer.

Flowers

2008-06-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

Finally got some pics of the beautiful flowers. The hanging basket has Gerber daises that we got for $ 4.00 at Wal-Mart Friday night. The rest are a potpourri of things Mark planted (annual and perennials). The weekend was a little rough because it was the first Father's Day without my dad but we managed to find some joy along the way. I am planning on attending a retreat with a Beth Moore study this weekend and am looking forward to doing that with ladies from a church other than the one we attend and the chance to meet new people. Weather seems to be improving. Have a great week.

Summer weather

2008-06-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

The weather has been wild. Please pray for those affected by flooding. I thought tonight was to be calm and quiet (as opposed to last night) but then I learn that we are under a tornado watch until 10 p.m. Just as Mark was leaving for work this morning, we lost lights and there was a fairly strong storm. The lights were restored in about an hour so it was no biggie. The search team at central has chosen a pastor for us to hear and vote on and so he is to preach this Sunday, have a meet and greet Sunday night and we vote the 22nd. I am anxious to hear him. I am still container gardening but nothing really has much blooming going on. I still need to take some pictures. We have a car in the shop and so I have not been out during the day much which is saving on gas. Hoping for a restful night.

It has been awhile!

2008-05-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

Not much to blog about except to say that we are keeping busy. I have kind of developed an interest in flowers (which Mark already had) so I an trying some container gardening. I bought some generic bleeding hearts and Mark put then in a hanging basket and I bought some Cale Lillis and he potted them. The Lilly's are not doing so well. I am learning that you have to place certain plants certain places, depending on their need for sunlight. This can be tricky!! We purchased a dwarf Lilac bush and Mark got it planted. Pictures of some of the plants Mark planted in prior years are above and I will try to get some of this years on soon. Memorial weekend, we went to the Flower's farm on Sunday. We got to see several friends from the Flowers, Farmer and Blessing families that we had not seen for awhile and it was so fun! It was close by and so we came to town and picked up the poodles so they could go and hang out on the farm with us. We all came home rather tired. On Monday, we had a 16th birthday party for our great niece Chelsea. It was fun too.

Our 18th anniversary

2008-05-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

We celebrated 18 years of marriage last Monday. Mark took the day off and we had our pictures taken at JC Penny's, had lunch at the Red Lobster and saw the movie "Expelled, No Intelligence Allowed". The photographer was very nice and we were happy with them. This coming weekend is booked with the Mother-Daughter banquet Friday night and then I am supposed to help with a friend's daughter's graduation reception at church from 5-7 Saturday and so we went ahead and did Mother's Day a week early. Mom came here and we went to church and then we took her to lunch to a family style restaurant in Savannah, Mo.. We had a good time. Mark's mom is supposed to be out of town Sunday and so we took her out Sunday night. (needless to say, I did not eat much). Otherwise, I still have to keep a watchful eye on Dusty. Yesterday, he tore up a phone book. Being one now has not meant he is out of puppy stage yet. That onry little!

We did the last lesson in our Home builders. Tuesday morning class and it was a review yesterday. We had Carol Davidson as the instructor and I learned so much about the Word of God! That is a brief rundown of Hubbard Happenings. God Bless!!

Hail storm

2008-04-24T09:59:00.001-07:00

I arrived home about 3:15 yesterday and Paul (who is replacing fence in the back yard) had decided to quit for the day, as it was starting to rain. Shortly after that, it rained much harder and the wind picked up and began to blow. Then the hail was next and the pictures tell that story. Not everywhere in town got hail but just a few blocks. Otherwise, our 18th anniversary is next Monday. Not sure if we are going anywhere with gas prices the way they are but Weston, MO. does have a flea market this weekend and so we might spend part of a day there. I do want to see the movie "Expelled: No intelligence Allowed".

a very special day!!

2008-04-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

Delaney Ann was officially adopted around 9:30 a.m. this morning. Her older brother Colton was there as well as my mom and aunt and other family. Her birth certificate was even changed to list my sister and brother -in-law as the birth parents (Mark and I have some qualms about that) but it is such a wonderful thing to have had things go so smoothly. We went to mom's this weekend and celebrated the adoption and Colton's 10th birthday (both a little early) Saturday night. Mom cooked an awesome meal! Above are pictures from the weekend. One is of Colton and Delaney and the other is Colton with his birthday gifts from uncle Mark and I.

Concert fun

2008-04-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

We attended a concert tonight with Avalon, Micahel English and a couple of other groups. It was awesome! We are not basketball fans so the Final Four was not going to keep us home. Other than that the last two Saturdays, we have gone to garage sales. Lexie got a haircut (actually the Sheltie got shaved) and today Dusty got a hair cut. Thanks to all who prayed for my half siblings mom, Pam, as her EKG showed a healthy heart which was not at all what the previous one had said. Praise the Lord! Mark is waiting for the grass he planted to grow. I am tired from a big day. Hope to sleep really good!

Dusty turns one year old

2008-03-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

Dusty had a birthday on Easter. My sister gave me a recipe for dog cookies so on Saturday I made some because I knew Sunday, we had plans. I had not worked with dough in awhile and realized what I had not missed. It was worth it because all of the dogs seem to like them a lot. Mark had been anxious to plant grass seed and especially in the back yard where all the construction was and he did that on Saturday. On Sunday, after church, we went to Hometown Buffet in KC with Mark's mom and Ike and it was awesome. They had grilled sirloin steak that was so tender. I have been dealing with a head cold for several days (or allergies?). Above is a picture of Dusty with his birthday toy.

Fun in Chillicothe

2008-03-16T16:45:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend in Chillicothe (where I was born and raised).

Mom and Aunt Shelly got moved into their duplex there on Friday and are very pleased with it. They have much more room now. We took mom to lunch a little less than a week early because we won't be going two weeks in a row. On Saturday night we helped one of my best friends from high school along with her husband and family/friends to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of her parents at a dinner. There was a slide show and it was very nice. The pastor who baptised me (the time I was immersed) at the First Baptist Church there, was at the celebration and it was so good to see him. We usually go to church there when we are in town but he had retired and moved away but recently moved back. On the way home today, we stoped by Breckenridge, Mo. where Dad's ashes are to be buried on Labor day weekend. The tombstone is already there, beside my grandfather McLauglin. We took pictures of his High School also.

Delany Ann (above) is six months old today. Mom is going to be her new babysitter. Delany can roll herself over and is such a mommas girl!

Last weekend and some concerns

2008-03-07T12:50:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday night was so fun! We had gift certificates from a website where I paid half price for a restaurant in Atchison, Kansas (actually outside of there). The place is called Cedar Ridge and is an old barn converted into a restaurant and I love it! Meals are served family style on Saturday night and it is awesome food! We went with the Lawhons in there 4 wheel drive truck and ended up doing some "mudding". The hilly dirt road leading to the restaurant was so muddy that we almost got stuck. Once we got there, everyone loved the food and the atmosphere and we got back out just fine

I have a concern for Pam McLaughlin. She is the mother of four of five of my half siblings and was my dad's wife for many years. She has pneumonia and is on her second round of antibiotics. They have also found that her heart is enlarged and leaking/working poorly. She is only in her early 6o's. She is to see a cardiologist on 3-17. Please pray for her and my siblings as I know this has to be very hard since we just lost Dad in November and at this point, we have no idea how bad Pam's heart is. Please pray for it to be treatable and for her full recovery.

A pleasent suprise

2008-02-26T13:38:00.000-08:00

Friday night, as planned, we had friends from Chillicothe who came for super and an overnight stay. The guest room had only been used one other time, so far. The next morning, we had breakfast out and then went to Kansas City. We went to a discount clothing store in Platte City and then to look around at Metro North. It turned out that my sister and her family were at Metro North and so I got to see the kids for the first time since Christmas and this was such an awesome surprise to run into them. Delany had just fallen asleep in her stroller and Colton was getting a football autographed by a Kansas City Chief, in one of the sporting stores. Mom is planning to move to Chillicothe in about three weeks and there will be an extra room in their duplex so we can go and see everyone more often. Mom is going to babysit Delaney in the daytime as their Amish sitter is going on a mission trip. After the mall, we came home and warmed up Beef Burgers from Friday night and they headed home. We were able to attend church Sunday and I was able to do Bible study and lunch with the ladies today and I was glad because the weather prevented both last week.

I have not forgotten how to blog.

2008-02-19T10:06:00.000-08:00

Just not a lot to say. Weekday routine includes chores and errands (when Mark gets home to go with me) and looking forward to something decent to watch on TV in the evening. We did go to Lee's Summit on Valentines day with Mark's mom and Ike for Mark's brothers' birthday. Mark tunred 50 on Wednesday and his brother turned 54 on Thursday. His wife fixed spaghetti and Cheesecake and that was the first time we had seen their home. We saw a movie on Saturday (Definitely, Maybe) at the theater and saw The Game Plan on video Sunday. I recommend The Game Plan highly but not Definitely Maybe. We have also had dinner out. I have not driven for some time now, due to ice and when I went shopping with a friend yesterday, took a minor fall on ice. I am fine but did not attempt Bible Study outing today and we had to miss church due to weather on Sunday.

Happy Birthday Mark

2008-02-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

Mark turns the big 5-0 today! We had dinner at a steak house on Saturday night with his brother from Kansas city and his wife, his other sister-in-law and his mom and Ike.

How many days till spring?

2008-02-07T09:09:00.001-08:00

Mark got to test drive the snow blower yesterday. He had a little bit of trouble getting it started but once it started, it worked good. He was out about two hours and still has to dig the cars out. We probably had 7-8 inches. I am trying to remain busy at home as I a not out in this stuff.

Plumbing problems and a prettty poodle.

2008-02-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

We didn't get to go to the marriage seminar Friday night because were dealing with a plumbing problem and were both tired. We did get to go today and it was wonderful. While we were at the seminar, Lacie was at the spa being groomed at a new place we were trying. We were very pleased as she came out with a cute Valentine scarf on. We took pics of her and Dusty together because we had him groomed not long ago.

We are getting a van!

2008-01-30T08:05:00.000-08:00

My sister in New Mexico who is a doctor, had a patient who lost her daughter just prior to our dad's passing. Her daughter had been in a motorcycle accident and had to be in a wheelchair. The patient had a handicapped accessible van that was her daughter's and she sold it to my sister for an extremely good price. It is a 1999 GMC Savanah with only 3500 miles on it. It is totally handicapped converted. My sister purchased it as a gift to us and will drive it up here when we have dad's memorial service on Labor Day weekend. We are so grateful! We plan to attend a marriage seminar at church this weekend with Bill and Pam Ferrel who have written many Christian marriage books such as "Women are Waffles and Men are Spaghetti". We are scheduled to be doing that Friday night and Saturday morning,

Below are pictures of Mark's mom's birthday celebration. The brother from Branson did not come up. The baby she is holding is her most recent great grand-daughter, Lilly Ann.

A weekend with family

2008-01-25T09:01:00.000-08:00

Mark's mom is to turn 80 tomorrow and we actually have two celebrations planned. Tonight, Ike is cooking for all of us and that includes Mark and I, Ike and Mark's mom, the three grandsons she helped to raise, the oldest grandson's girlfriend and baby daughter. Saturday, his brothers from both Branson and KC along with their wives are coming to SJ and we are all surprising her by going to dinner at Red Lobster. My sister in law, Elaine is joining us there. I plan to take several pictures of the activities and make her a photo collage and share some on the blog.

My mom and aunt have decided to move back to Chillicothe in the Spring and will probably purchase a home there. They will be about 35 miles further from us but will hopefully have more room so we can spend some overnights with them and mom needs to be near her grand kids. They live in a very small apartment right now and it is hard for me to get around when I use my walker. Have a great weekend!!!

information and update

2008-01-20T18:24:00.000-08:00

We found out that my dad had a massive stoke. If if was prior to or as a result of the accident is not able to be determined. He did have high blood sugar and high blood pressure at times and had severe headaches occasionally. He was not one to see a doctor or follow physicians orders much. I think he had the stroke and that caused the accident.

On another note, Mark and I saw a wonderful DVD last night called "Saving Sarah" and it is based on a Beverly Lewis book about a single lady who lives in the city and is given custody of her Amish nieces and nephews. It was one of the best movies I had seen in so long!! Tonight was elder's forum at church and this coming Friday, we plan to celebrate Mark's mom's 80th birthday. Lot's of things to get done this week.

Thanks for praying

2008-01-12T19:36:00.001-08:00

Tennyson Myers is home and much better! Praise the Lord. Thanks for praying. We did errands today and visited with Mark's mom and Ike. We had Pizza Hut buffet. I am struggling with a sore throat but no fever. Friday I got out and drove myself to get a haircut. That was nice to be able to do and I did fine but at about 41 degrees there were still ice patches.I am anxious for it to go away all together!

the box

2008-01-10T18:27:00.000-08:00

My sister sent me a box of things that she felt belonged with me that were from dad's house. Weighing in around 30 lbs., it was full of gifts that I had gotten for him, pictures of he and I and cards and letters sent to him by me or on my behalf since I was four years old. I honestly think he kept each one. I cherish dad's sentimentality! I was crying most of the time I went through it but it is a priceless box of memories. Mark's Christmas/New Year dinner for work was last night and it was good to get out of the house. I don't think I have driven since the ice storm and who knows when I can venture out alone again.

Urgent prayer request

2008-01-10T18:24:00.000-08:00

Please pray for Tennyson Myers. He is the baby that was born premature to out friends Travis and Lindsay. He had been home and gaining weight and but has developed an infection and is being admitted to the hospital.

Dusty gets a haircut

2008-01-05T17:54:00.000-08:00

Dusty had his hair cut today. He and Lacie are looking more alike. Mom blessed us with her home made hash today. I am enjoying my new electronic word/memory/phrase game "Say What". We played it on New Year's Eve at our friend's house and then purchased one. I start the second half of our Beth Moore study in the morning and we begin Tuesday morning studies again this week. I am ready to get busy again.

moving on closure

2007-12-30T15:01:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-26T18:46:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-22T18:09:00.000-08:00

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..

2007-12-21T19:47:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-18T18:52:00.000-08:00

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!!

2007-12-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-14T10:16:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-12T07:37:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-10T18:14:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-06T14:39:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-28T14:49:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-28T13:18:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-26T16:37:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-23T16:42:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-23T11:07:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-23T01:28:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-22T15:51:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-21T10:12:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-20T09:18:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-18T14:30:00.000-08:00

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...

2007-11-11T17:49:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-05T18:24:00.000-08:00

Carpet and window treatments

2007-11-05T18:14:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-04T18:09:00.000-08:00

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.

2007-11-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-30T17:52:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

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!!

2007-10-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-08T14:23:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-10-04T13:22:00.001-07:00

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!!

2007-10-01T14:31:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-30T14:39:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-29T19:16:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2007-09-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-17T17:07:00.000-07:00

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!!

2007-09-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-13T17:05:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

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!!

2007-09-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-23T13:46:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

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

Dusty groomed

2007-08-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

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"

2007-08-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

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)

2007-08-06T12:25:00.000-07:00

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).