Veteran's Day

A pause is in order to remember all who have served, and all who are serving to protect our country. And prayers for their families as well, especially for those whose loved one gave the ultimate sacrifice.
May the Lord protect our Servicemen and Women everywhere. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Class Worth Taking

This is the last week of registration for a free class over at the Jessica Sprague website called Holidays In Hand.  More details here:

Perfect for my good friend Gloria who recently purchased Photoshop software. It's a good way to get in and learn what all the bells and whistles are for. Besides, Jessica is an excellent Instructor! So, I say, take advantage of this opportunity to learn something new!

Love,

Something New

Boy! I finally took the plunge! I up and started my Etsy shop! Therefore, I've added that 'something' new to my sidebar. Eventually I'm hoping to add aprons to the list as well.

Love,

Another Diamond

I was just over at Sandra's blog Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom and was so very blessed with this Scripture she posted:

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”- 1 Peter 2:9


My Bible shows it like this, with one word that stands out in my mind- "peculiar":
 
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" - 1 Peter 2:9
 
Either Bible version is true and the same, but the word peculiar somehow does strike a familiar chord. As a Bible believing Christian I know that I come across as 'peculiar' and 'quaint' to some people. And that my dears, is as it should be.
 
Love,

Happy To Report

Our precious Owen has been having fun!

Out and about with his Brother the two Superheroes had a great time!

Love his baby smiles.....

It does an Abuelita good!

Love,

Rejoicing In The Little Things

Not long ago I made a post where I mentioned one of our citrus trees which had produced fruit, but which we also had no idea what type of tree it was. Over the last few days I've been keeping my eyes on the fruit, watching as it slowly begins to ripen, showing a glorious tinge of orange here and there.

Well, today I decided I could wait no longer to at least try and get a taste and thereby an idea of what fruit we were dealing with. So my Sweetie went and got a ladder and brought down one of the specimens which had a little more color than the rest. Of course when I posted about it back in October 9th, the fruit was still quite green:

In my excitement I completely forgot to take a picture of the fruit as it looks today.....before I peeled it.

What to my wondering eyes (and tastebuds) should appear but a Ruby Red Grapefruit!

The peel is visible in these photos, and it is obvious that there is still some green coloration going on.

And even as I hurriedly removed the rind and saw the color, I kept thinking maybe it's a Blood orange! Well, that was not the case!

So I know I'm looking at the very early stages of ripening. Imagine the stunning color when this fruit is fully ripe! How amazing also that this is only three weeks from the way it looked back in October!

And the sweetness! Oh, you cannot imagine how sweet it already is! Oh, the rind is inevitably thick and bitter, but it's the sweetness which captivates the taste buds. What is so astonishing to me is that we had actually gone and purchased a small grapefruit tree years ago, and after a couple of years of hoping for signs of growth, it finally died. So through the years we've been saying,  'Oh! If only we had a grapefruit!' And all along we had one growing in our garden without know it! We just really had our heart set on it being an orange tree. We do also have an orange which this year also produced for the first time, and we did taste it also to verify, and it is an orange, and yes, it also has a ways to go before maturing fully. But this tree was the one we were so certain was an orange. Will wonders ever cease?!

And you know what else is so wondrous to me? My Sweetie planted it from seed! Except for the Mexican lime tree which was a gift from his Father, and the Tangerine which was a gift from my Abuelita, every little citrus tree we have growing in pots was planted by my Sweetheart. He even has an Ugli fruit tree growing in a pot. Yep, the man has a 'buena mano'..... a good hand for citrus seeds.

To me, this has been such a huge blessing! Something new to cheer me up after weeks of sadness and stress. And on that front, I am happy to report our little Owen is much improved after the surgery. His parents took him and Elias out trick or treating last night. Not that I much approve of that, but that's a whole other story. All I'm happy about is that he's doing great! One more reason I suppose why this grapefruit tastes so very sweet!

Love,

The Face of Courage

Owen left the hospital and went home this past Saturday. He underwent a necessary surgery for craniosynostosis. An excellent site which offers really good information about the condition is CranioKids.  With Owen, it wasn't really very obvious, but if you looked at him from a certain angle, as in from above his head downward, you could see the triangular ridge already forming. If left unchecked, this condition could have become problematic in allowing his brain to grow properly, as well as other health issues, and could have potentially become an obvious deformity. That is why the decision was made to go ahead with the surgery. And so, after months of dreading the surgery date, and knowing what was to come, yet hoping and praying that it would not be necessary, we can finally say the surgery is over and done with. The surgery was performed one week ago today. It is a thing of the past, but every moment and every second leading up to it is still fresh in my mind. Added to that was the sadness we felt when we would see him smile and babble happily, knowing for months in advance what lay in store for him. That was hard to go through also. What I was not prepared for was the extreme angst and pain I would feel at seeing my precious baby Grandson's surgical scar. I can only imagine what his parents, my Son and Daughter In-Law must feel each time they see it.

Her Mother and Sister stayed the whole week to help out with Elias while their parents were in the Hospital with Owen. We traveled up to San Antonio every other day during the week. We too had made arrangements to stay with Elias, but I think it gave my DIL a sense of comfort to have her Mother nearby. So we gracefully allowed her to stay in our place, always with the clear understanding that we were ready to fill in at a moment's notice, always on standby. This is where Families have to be a cohesive unit and in agreement in order to help their loved ones.

I want to include a few pictures of Owen's ordeal on this post. It may be a bit graphic for some to view. I do this in honor of my little one, because he has been so strong and courageous through it all. Perhaps someday someone reading this post can gain insight or strength from knowing how other families cope when faced with a similar situation. It isn't easy, and the journey has just begun, but we have faith in God that this time of healing will pass quickly, and all this will be just a faint memory.

I am so in awe of this little man. He continues to smile, and is slowly becoming the cooing, laughing baby he always was, in spite of the pain and discomfort he must be feeling at times. He turned six months old the day he went home, and his parents bought him a cake and lit candles for a 'half-year' celebration. We were so blessed to be there and be a part of their celebration too. And yesterday when we last saw him, he did seem much improved. It seems every day that passes means he is getting better. These are just a few of the pictures we took:

This is day two after the surgery in ICU: THE FACE OF COURAGE!

This is day three in ICU:

Day Four in ICU, being held by his Mommy

Oh, Lord God, as I write this, you know how much it hurts to see his ordeal, but also, I am so grateful that you brought him through the surgery and he is home with his family, and he is a strong and healthy baby!

It has been hard for all of us, and certainly for our precious Elias as well. He had to be away from his beloved Parents during the past week that they were in the hospital with Owen. For us as adults, it's hard because we know our pain threshholds, and to see such a tiny little baby have to go through this is mind boggling.  I simply cannot begin to fathom this incredible process. It is so hard to find things to be happy about or to laugh or to rejoice about anything. I force myself to smile but inside I am wrought with sadness and pain. And then I remember that as per Scripture, I am to rejoice in all things. I just have been feeling so many emotions, both sadness and joy, sometimes all at once. God knows my weaknesses, and I know my Lord Jesus intercedes on my behalf for my shortcomings. Alas! I am such a weakling. And then I look at this tiny giant of a human being, and I know, it is because God is with him, as God is with all children. When I first saw Owen in ICU, I began to cry, and the nurse said that I didn't need to cry, that Owen was a healthy baby. She kept saying, "he's not sick, you should see some of the other kids we have here in ICU...they're really sick." And I understand that, I know that we have so much to be grateful for. But it doesn't hurt any less to see your loved one in that condition. It's just part of the whole situation. I just have to remember that always after the darkness, the light shines brightly again. And so it will be with these painful days. When they are long gone, we will all smile again and truly appreciate all the wonderul blessings we enjoy and take for granted.

I called my Son today and he says Owen is doing fine, and that he keeps getting better. I know the Lord will continue to minister to him and to strengthen him and to heal him. I have absolute and complete faith in my Savior. We do appreciate all the prayers from everyone. Thank you! I hope this post can be a blessing to someone, somewhere, someday.

Love,