suzsea's Xanga Site

April 1, 2008

Don't forget to vote.
iliveinmycamera

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I have mentioned this web site before but today's topic was so important that I just had to copy the whole thing here and post. We (our family) have seen first hand how detrimental bitterness and anger can be in a person's life and how that not only affects them but everyone around them. The longer it is not dealt with the worse it becomes and the more dangerous it is to A. yourself B. relationships and C. people pulled in to the situation just because they are friends (or family) with you or through observance. It effects the lives of others more than you know. Others suffer because of it.
There is just no place in our lives for bitterness to brew (not just in a marriage but in every relationship) even if you are not a follower of Christ. I speak from having to deal with it myself at one time.
Anger and bitterness will destroy your mind and body no matter who you are and it will rob you of the joys of life. It will eventually catch up with you and be your demise.

This is from An Help Meet for Him
written by Kerry.

FORGIVENESS

Have you cleared the record of your husband’s “faults and failures” and chosen to love him in spite of them, as God does you?

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven
you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Being hurt by other people, including our husbands, is inevitable.
We must know how to respond to things like this. Jesus lived the
perfect example which we see all throughout the New Testament. One
particular verse says, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them
which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” (Matthew 5:44)

It doesn’t feel good to be betrayed and lied about. We’re in the
middle of a hurtful situation here on the mission field. Some of the
Papuan people are betraying us and spreading lies around. It is very
tempting to openly express our anger at these people, but we must keep
a forgiving spirit in all of this. What would become of the little
church here if we, as missionaries, were not Christ-like? By the way, God is also doing great things right now, which is probably why we’re having so much opposition!

You probably agree about the importance of my husband and I being
loving and slow to anger toward the people to which we’re ministering.
I believe our marriages are just as important, though. Josh just
mentioned the other day how nice it was to come home to a peaceful
haven. He is thankful he doesn’t have to fight another battle when he
comes home. (That doesn’t mean that I never get angry with him and
always respond in the right way.) We strive to keep open communication
lines with each other.

Bitterness and unforgiveness can affect your physical health and it
permeates all of your relationships. If you want lasting love you must
have a spirit of forgiveness. Let nothing between you and your husband.
If you’ve already got a list of things you are upset or hurt about
don’t let them fester any longer. Sit down and try to understand his point of view before you seek to be understood.
(This is a crucial point and I hope to write more about it soon.) Write
out what you plan to say or practice saying it aloud. Next, find an
appropriate time to talk with your husband about these issues. Try not
to lose control of your emotions and lash out at him in anger. It won’t
help anything. Read more about forgiveness and resolving anger in these
articles:

Series on Forgiveness

The Secret to Forever-Love

March 31, 2008

Hello All....
My son Will just entered one of his photos in the photo contest over at iliveinmycamera!
You can vote for your favorite. The subject this week is flowers.
Voting ends on Friday at midnight.
Please go vote!
I am so proud of him.
- 11:28 am
- Comments Off

March 23, 2008

The Tomb is EMPTY!

Well, except for some peeps that I put in for the kids....
We made this "tomb" years ago to put Jesus in on Good Friday. I
had a photograph of the actual tomb and just kind of went off with some
spray paint and a box and added a few rips to look like the picture. We
roll the stones in front and close off the entrance. On Easter morning
the stones are rolled away and Jesus is no longer in the tomb wrapped
in linen cloth. I still get the tomb out and this morning it had a
hollow chocolate bunny in it for Will and some marshmallow peeps for
Elisabeth. (No one is too old to get a special surprise treat!)

Our Easter morning was so beautiful today. The sun was shining, the sky
was heavenly blue and the air was crisp. We celebrated the
resurrection of our Lord together as a family in our little "home
church."   Last evening we went to my in laws for dinner and had a lovely time together. It was very special.   Today the kids and I spent the day with my cousin's family and extended family. We were truly blessed with such sweet fellowship this weekend.
But we sure miss Casey.

I hope you all had a most joyous Easter!

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I've been reading the book....Passionate Housewives Desperate For God. My oh my it is mighty fine ladies. Might I encourage you to get a copy and read it?
I am a "Keeper at Home" and so many times I have been criticized for being so....my daughter is constantly being "attacked" for her convictions as well. God's word is so clear to us in this area and therefore we must obey. We tried it our way once and it wasn't pretty. The Lord delivered us from that working outside the home situation with a mighty hand. We had to pay the consequences and we sure aren't going to make that mistake again. Never again will we venture out from the covering my husband...and her daddy.
So, when I find an article about this or another keeper at home wife and mother or daughter at home...I am so encouraged and blessed. Not too many pastors have the boldness to speak from the pulpit on this issue either. Here is an article that is right on target and may the Lord bless Tami for posting it.
Here is the link to her site so you can read it for yourselves. Please read it.
I know...many will disagree with me. It is not with me though...it is with God's word.
The Bible says it and I believe it.

We are so blessed to have literature like the book "So Much More" and DVD's like "Return of the Daughters" available to us. I implore you to get a copy of each of these, especially if you are a daughter at home, a man of marrying age or if you are a daddy.
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Some musings from our trip to the west coast.
We took a drive to La Jolla and got to watch the mamma harbor seals with their babies. The sea was gorgeous that day.....I hope you can see the beautiful blue. My aunt and uncle are so full of life and energy. They love to take visitors all around to see the sights and the beauty of creation.
We also got to tour the air craft carrier USS Midway.   Will and I climbed all the way to the top to the captain's bridge. If you know me well at all...you will know I am afraid of heights but when I am in California...for what ever reason....I do not have my regular fears. So, going to the top of the ship was a major feat for me....but it really was not bad at all. My son Will is good for me that way. He is encouraging but not pushy and he is very in tune to how to help me feel secure. He is going to make a great husband some day!

So I will leave you with some photos of the harbor seals in La Jolla and the Midway docked in San Diego, Point Loma...and a really neat pier where you can stay in a little cottage over the ocean in Mission Bay.

So that's how they get those sheets pressed!

The dining room where you can wear your jumpsuits.

A view from the bridge.

Cabrillo National Monument

Point Loma Light House

Once a homeschooler, always a homeschooler...proof that he was learning something.

Crystal Pier Hotel and Cottages

March 13, 2008

EDIT:
Here is a drawing for an absolutely beautiful quilt and some other things!   The quilt is so colorful and cheerful. All you have to do is leave a comment on the site and you will be included in the drawing. It ends on March 19th.
Please check it out.

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It is time to post something...anything. I am tired of looking at my last post!

I had the absolute pleasure of traveling with my two children....hmmm....young adults, for 11 days.
We flew to Arizona to meet Casey's folks and his brother and sister. In between there and home we drove to southern California to see my aunt and uncle..cousin and family and another uncle and one of his boys..another cousin. It has been quite a few years since I have seen them all.

My dear husband stayed home with Melvin and worked on some needed home repairs and popped into work to keep up with things he had to do. My mother in law made sure he had dinner every night. I think she really enjoyed seeing him all those evening.

Well...we had a great flight with no hitches and it took us about 24 hours to adjust to the time change only to drive an hour ahead and then back again with the time change and then home.
We also were able to meet our xanga friend Kelly and her two sweet daughters for lunch....at my favorite restaurant "The Old Spaghetti Factory."   I've only been there three times in my life but it remains my favorite...except of course my Greek restaurant that closed.
We won't mention that I ate TWO helpings of spumoni ice cream, will we??? They were small and I can't find it around home so...I got my couple of years worth anyway.
We do regret that we were unable to visit another xanga friend...and a personal friend before we knew about xanga. Jordan is pretty much the one instrumental in these two meeting in the first place. I'm so sorry Jordan and Luke.

We certainly enjoyed meeting Casey's family and getting to know them.   I will let the kids tell about it all though. We took a ton of pictures too. Once I get them all situated I will post a few.
It was a thrilling day heading out there and boy, was it a sad one leaving. So glad I had a bunch of tissues with me! Let me say this though....God's creation is amazing. I saw things I did not even know existed. My aunt told me the landscape would be varied and interesting along the 6 hour drive out to them...and it sure was.   God's had was everywhere. I hope some of our pictures will portray that.   I have never enjoyed 6 hours in a car as much as I did those.
Another way God's hand is so evident is in the bringing of Casey and Elisabeth together. What a joyous time for them and for us.   David and I are so proud of them and their goals and convictions. They have certainly covered so much ground in these months of courtship and the prior several months as we got to know Casey better. Only the Lord could have done this and to see them together fills David and I with such peace and contentment.

Be encouraged all you young ladies! The Lord hears your prayers and do not ever give up hope or lower your convictions or standards. Be patient and wait upon the Lord. Stand firm and do not be dismayed.

It sure is the best climate on earth!

February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day

One Little Rose

I'd rather have one little rose
From a garden of a friend
Than to have the choicest flowers,
When my stay on earth must end.

I'd rather have one loving smile
From friends I know are true,
Than tears shed 'round my casket
When I bid the world adieu.

So bring me all your flowers today;
Whether pink or white or red;
I'd rather have one blossom now
Than a truckload when I'm dead.

-Author Unknown

This was one of my mother's favorite poems and she
kept a copy of it in her wallet. I thought I would pass it along to you today.
She was 46 when she died as a result of breast cancer. I was just 15. She
would be 84 this year. My mother and dad were married on Christmas Eve 1941.
She was 17. After my dad enlisted in the Army Air Corp she managed to end up at
Grand Island AAFB, Grand Island, Nebraska with him. She was a dental
assistant. She was a GI sweetheart and was featured in the base newspaper and I
have that original paper. Here is an "Official Photograph" marked USAAF on the
back.

The newspaper was called "Strictly
GI" and is dated Saturday January 27 1945. I tried to scan the article from
the paper but it is not coming out so well...very grainy and hard to read. But
here is what is says under her photograph in the paper.

"If you should peek out from behind
the dentist's drill long enough, gentlemen, you might meet our GI Sweetheart of
the week. She is Mrs. Gloria Mast, blonde-blue-eyed dental assistant at the
station hospital. Gloria has been working at the field for better than six
months now, and her husband is one of the pioneers of GIAAF, having been here
nearly two years. Gloria hails from *********, but she thinks highly of her
temporary home in G.I.. Reading is her favorite hobby, and though her husband
is an x-ray technician, we don't need the ray machine to see that Gloria is a
knockout!"

Since it is Valentine's Day here is
another one with she and my dad.

Ahhh...and while romance is in the air...take a hop
over to this
site to see something
very special that directly affects our family!!! I have
one beaming daughter floating around the house today.

Oh and I just cannot forget my man!
Here we are
at one of our family's favorite spots.

And....I could not forget my baby
boy!
This one is when he still fit on my lap.

And now...

Hold on to your Valentines.....they
are so precious, aren't they?

February 4, 2008

The real Tom makes his presence known.

Okay.....so Casey and Kim want to know 7 weird or random facts about me.
You probably already know some of them....but here goes....

First the weird ones....

1. I drink at least one cup of frozen wild Maine blueberries every day....ground up in my personal juicer.

2. In 1980 I was caught between the electrical arc of a running microwave oven and an ungrounded oven(did not know it was not grounded.) I was cooking dinner...fish in the broiler and something heating in the microwave...I was opening the microwave door and remembered I better check the fish in the oven so grabbed the oven door at the same time...instantly I was rendered stiff and solidly attached to both door handles unable to move...with the currant running through me. It took two grown men to pull the oven door off the the stove to free me. I suffered NO burns on my skin but did end up with a finger broken in two places from the ripping me off the oven door. My EKG was so wild and bizarre I was held in emergency for a good bit. This is something I NEVER want to go through again as long as I live...in fact I am so grateful I did live through it. I am very leery of electricity and live wires and those huge transformers or anything like it.

3. I saw Misty of Chincoteague stuffed...as in taxidermied...that was a very strange thing for me.

Random......

4. I stood in Mary Queen of Scots bedroom in Edinburgh Castle. (This was a fascinating experience.)

5. One of my most favorite things to do is to walk the beach...rain or shine.

6. I've been spit at by a walrus...up close.

7. I spent two entire summers as a live-in camp counselor at an Easter Seal camp for physically and mentally handicapped adults and children in the mountains of northeastern NJ.

I would like to tag....Ana, Sharon, Sheri, Donna, Amelia and Mari and any one else who wants to do this...just let me know when you post it.

February 1, 2008

The Rainy Day

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the moldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the moldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

Oh that makes my life sound so morbid...but it is not! Today however began with lots of ice. Even walking on the grass was treacherous for man and Melvin(our dog.)
Now it is pouring and I suspect as the temperature drops it will again be dangerous to be on the roads tonight. It truly was a dark and dreary day...on the outside.

Well...Dr. Mom and Nurse Will are running out of gas. Our patient is much improved today but looks like a lopsided chipmunk. I am sorry to say no photos have been allowed.   My weariness has come from trying to come up with food for several different diets and having failed a big batch of lactose free vanilla pudding. It ended up being vanilla vichyssoise.    Oh and I failed again at another small batch.....ELISABETH I need you!!! I use to do all this before she took over the kitchen, so I can do it again! So on the stove top I now have...one small pot of tomato soup, one pot of chicken broth with orzo pasta, and in the fridge I have various flavors of jello...because Will won't eat Elisabeth's strawberry flavor I made him cherry, one and half failed vanilla puddings, vegetable soup and mashed potatoes, a batch of leek broth....and a bowl of cool whip....oh and 1/4 can of sliced peaches....not counting all the regular food in there....the chewables.   Providing good nourishment is the key to good health and healing....how am I doing?

Dog bite update.....the biter is still alive and acting normal, for him. The department of health nurse said that was an excellent sign...as he proceeded to give me a detailed description of death of a human by rabies....ummmmmmm, NOT exactly what I wished to hear at this point. I tried with all my wits to block out all he was saying.   Let's move on to something funny....shall we?

I love to laugh...and often get too silly for my own good....and being silly and making the patient laugh when it hurts is just not nice, is it? But I did...and I am. Laughter is good medicine too. Today in the mail we got one of those packs of about 100 advertisement cards with some sort of gardening themes. So while the three of us were eating our various lunch foods I was sorting through them making silly comments. I got to one that is a clock...like a cuckoo clock only a "sculptured cardinal announces each hour with a happy chirp!" Elisabeth tried so hard not to laugh....because you see...she has a real life cardinal who will not leave her alone. He is always at her bedroom window. He never goes to any other window. His name is "Tom"....you know, like in peeping Tom? He is here all year long and no matter what we try he never will go away. We tried colored construction paper taped to the glass, soap smeared all over the outside, pulling the shade, and applying those cling on hawk silhouettes.   He still comes by every day. The cats love to sit on her desk and observe his interesting behavior.    He sits on the ledge and looks in and then he continues to fly at the window and bonk it with his beak over and over again....directly onto the hawk silhouette too.    He has his certain times of the day which he is most active and she can tell the time just by that. One day I came in to see him and say hello....(we've taken to just saying "Hi Tom" now...what else can we do?) and lo and behold he had berries smeared all over the glass where he was "knocking"....I guess he was sharing his meal with Elisabeth! His mate often sits in the mock orange bush right by the window just watching her hero.

So, we will pass on the lovely "Hand Crafted Cardinal Cuckoo Clock" this time.
We've got our very own cuckoo cardinal.
He must be pixilated!

This is not Tom, but a good resemblance.

January 30, 2008

Thank you for all your prayers and concerns. So far so good. The dog is in containment (which just means he is in his home) being watched for any change of behavior. I am doing okay. The thing looks way worse than it feels today but after Tuesday I will breath a bit easier....if all goes well.
I sure don't want those shots....after I heard a detailed report about them.

Tomorrow we are taking Elisabeth to have her wisdom teeth out. Oh lovely day! We have the jello all made and a bunch of packs of pudding for me to make when we get back. She is a bit nervous about the whole thing and I keep getting twinges of panic then I remember it is not me getting the surgery, it is her. I have way too much empathy for my own good. Let's just hope the anesthesiologists remember she is allergic to something in the "cocktail" and they don't use it. I will be sure to remind them.

Change is not always my friend but I took the plunge and went for a whole new look. This is a bit more like the real me and I think I needed the change. Although I am going a little nutty at this point after trying to figure it all out. Time to call it quits for tonight.

Thanks again to all of you.
Have a blessed day!

January 28, 2008

My Favorite Things

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels

Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles

Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings

These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes

Silver white winters that melt into springs

These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites !!! !!! !!!!!!!! !

When the bee stings

When I'm feeling sad

I simply remember my favorite things

And then I don't feel so bad

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Oh it is a long story.....but boy was I surprised when our neighbor's three dogs were suddenly holding me hostage first in my car then in our house.....then two of them treed our cats. That is when I decided to go out and defend my pudders. The two big ones are relatively friendly....but they were determined to get our cats. They were trying to jump up the tree. The other less friendly little dog was down in our yard. I was right out front and decided there was no way I was able to stop these big dogs and get them back into their fence. Poor Melvin(our dog) was going crazy inside and I have to tell you this was going on for a good bit....like several hours. As I turned to come inside I suddenly felt PAIN in my leg and looked around to see the little dog hanging on to it. The coward....he waited until I was heading inside and he ran to grab hold of me! Yes..yes...I know better than to EVER turn my back on a dog....but he was so far away. No excuse...I will NEVER do that again! I am so thankful the other dogs were preoccupied with the cats because they could have joined this little monster when they saw him attached to me. This would be the weekend my husband was away...and I had just dropped my son off at a friends. Elisabeth and Melvin (who I am so grateful is a kind dog) were trapped inside while I got me a big stick and ran out to my car to drive myself to the urgent care medical place. No stitches but lots of pain and lots of ick...they cleaned it and bandaged it and I got a tetanus shot and antibiotics which is a whole other story(pharmacy issues) and finally got home where I was to keep my leg propped up for two days with warm compresses. Bless my daughter's heart for taking good care of me......while I watched movies and read. She had my favorite tea all ready for me when I got back.
So far I things seem okay I think....there is a lot more pain today but the whole area is majorly bruised and you can see the remains of the little beast's jaw marks....and of course his teeth marks. Now here is the scary news.....the owners are not sure of when he had his last rabies shot. Ugh......
I am waiting for the vet to open to call and see myself. Oh please let's hope he has had one within the time frame that I do not have to go through those rabies series shots.

So that was my weekend! I would much prefer last weekend when it was just the dryer breaking and the toilet over flowing.

Edit: Sad news....his last rabies shot was in 2004...a one year vaccine. The latest I hear is that he has to be contained for 10 days and observed for certain behavior. The good news is that hopefully because he is not a stray and does not get out roaming around (like the other two) he just may be rabies free...most likely. He is still a mean old beast though. Maybe, maybe...I don't have to go through the shots???
I am trying to be a good witness through all this. I am sure the Lord has something in mind.

Also....any advice as to natural treatments I can throw into the mix? I am already doing mega doses of Vit. C.

And yes....the report goes to the department of health and then they contact the owner and hopefully me.

January 20, 2008

Ahem....
My dryer broke while the last load was in the washer. This tragic experience comes right on the heals of our oven dying and right before our commode decided to have a major over flow.
It was a cold, cold day...it was a Sunday. I had no choice. Grabbing
the sunshine while I could, I took all the laundry out to the wash line very early. Sunday was our coldest day of the year (so far) with some nice wind too. We had
a high of 24...less with the wind chill.
The laundry was out there blowing and blowing and a few hours before dark I went out to bring it in. Someone should have taken a picture of me out there in the wind and
COLD (19 degrees at this point) and trying to fold it as I took it
off...as I yanked it off the line. Yes, yanked. It was frozen at all
the spots where the clothespins were, and then some. Next time I will wear
gloves.
Ahhhh...nothing like freeze dried clothing.

Frozen Laundry by Stevan Dohanos