Getting to Know The In-Laws At The Lake

We had a fun day last week where the grooms family invited us to their lake house so we could get to know them. 

They own a duplex that the grandparents bought, and then eventually, the other side of the duplex owners needed to sell so they were able to get both sides of the duplex with a fun in-between deck. 

Of course, with the drought, the water was super low and we had to walk a ways to get to the lake, but in other years, I am sure it is high and right behind the house. 

Their family gets together there regularly and has traditions there. They have boats and fun water toys, a rolling dock, their own boat ramp, a fire pit, swings, and I wasn't feeling well so I didn't explore in the few hours we were there. 

It was a steep canyon drive to the lake and I was fighting a migraine before we even left for the lake so the first seconds in the house were to release the pressure by visiting the white throne. ha ha. Here is a post about my sinus migraines and what I take to help with them.

After that visit, I had to take more medication in hopes I could get feeling better before the return trip over the mountain pass so I wouldn't have that build up of pressure again.   

The girls played games with the new family members and I had a really good visit with one of Princess Three's new sister-in-laws. She is adorable and has a few kids and sadly, since our visit, her mother passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack. It was a shock to the family and I have said a little prayer often as if you remember, my daughter Princess one lost her mother-in-law in the same way just a few months ago. It makes me a bit nervous for my own health as I am not in the best of shape as you all know. We wish the best for their family. 

I thought of all the times we will be seeing the grooms parents in the next many years. Baby births, baptisms, and special milestones that mark passages of time. It was like I was looking many years into the future at each event and how the couple will change as time passes, and what their golden years will be like.

It was fun seeing this little passage of time of their lives going forward. I hope it truly is the vision of happiness I imagined. 

It was nice of his family to open up their family cabin / lake house to let us enjoy a bit of their world and get to know them better. 

Have a blessed day!

What a Day - Blessings Abound and I am EXAHUSTED

I ran into a worker from the local food bank where I am on the board. He said they had large amounts of apples and carrots in 50 lbs bags that they can't give out fast enough. 

I went down after closing as they were busy today, and I filled my car with 15 cases of apples and four, fifty pound bags of carrots to distribute. 

I distributed from just before 5 p.m. until arriving home at 9 p.m. They had 1 pallet taller than me and more on a second pallet. 

While distributing, I had a distinct feeling I should stop at a certain home. I went to the door and asked if she would like some and noticed tears in her eyes. While walking to the car to show her what I had, I noticed a penny in the grass. Because it has "God's" name on it, I always pick them up as if our flag shouldn't be on the ground out of respect, neither should our Lord's name. It is always on HIS errand, or when I am under great amounts of stress that I find money. I feel it is HIS way of reminding me to Trust HIM when I am in the MOST need of HIM.

That friend confided in me she has been struggling for a few weeks with great issues in her life and was at her whits end just before I stopped. She had been praying when I came. I told her about my "stress vitamin therapy" that is on my home page on the left side. Here is a link to that page. I felt that is what she needed as I have been there a few times during my divorce where I was at the bottom feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. I share on several posts in the past how there were a few days where I was just at bottom and my mother called and reminded me to take my vitamins and made me promise to take niacinamide and so I went out and found some to take. I felt great in about an hour. When we are under stress, we need B vitamins. Anyway, I shared that with her and felt God had me go so I could help her. 

I was waiting for someone to come to the door at another home, I looked up and saw a really beautiful cloud formation so I took a picture. I am so grateful for my eyes.

It was so hot and I was dripping sweat and purple in the face and another couple donated a drink and other generous items to my distribution today. I have a couple that are both very ill and I was able to catch up on how they were doing. Another couple lost a child recently, and I was able to ask how they were doing. Another family I hadn't seen at church recently, so I invited him to come and asked them to please sing as since COVID, people aren't singing and I feel like I am singing a solo each time we sing a hymn. He said he would come. 

I kept some apples and carrots to use at the family reunion and feel so blessed that the food bank has been such a source of blessing in my life for 18+ years! 

I haven't had much sleep trying to prepare for the wedding and reunion, but I know they will be good and are both such joyous events, that I hope to be able to get enough sleep to enjoy them without being tired. I feel very blessed. 

Have a blessed day!

Honda Giveth and Honda Taketh - Ha Ha My Brother-in-Law Giveth

Since Princess Two has a new car, I am trying to fix up her old 2007 Honda Pilot for my use. I am still giving Gratitude for my friend Julie and her husband who made her getting the new Pilot possible. 

I paid my daughter $5000 for the car, and in my area which has larger families, it goes for about $1000 more than in other areas of the states. On eBay and other areas, it goes for about $6000. So, it could go for $7000 in the area. It may even go for a bit more, due to low mileage.

However, it needed all new tires, an alignment, the CD player wasn't working, it needed detailing, the doors weren't staying open, the springs in the second seat are bad, and there is a cigarette smell. I have spent the last week, putting in a used stereo, added a Bluetooth, USB, and aux cord component. 

I steamed the entire interior scrubbing every surface, got four new tires, ordered new door checkers to keep the front doors open, got the parts, asked my brother-in-law to help me figure out how to take off the interior door panel so I could install the parts I bought. I was able to install the cd player I got from a junk yard by myself, but I don't have the tools needed to get the door panel off, so I figured if he could get the panels off, I could install the parts. 

When I opened the packaging from a Honda parts place I ordered off of Amazon, one of the bags was open and the part looked scratched, like someone had tried to put it in. My brother in law said it was new even if it was scratched, so we went ahead and tried to put the parts in. 

The good news, is that the drivers side door part is the right one! The bad news is that the passenger door side part, the open and scratched part, didn't fit, wasn't the right part in the parts bag. 

The best part of this entire thing, is that I got to hold my nieces baby while he put the part in! He didn't want me to take a picture, but in the end I got one. 

I laughed when I opened the part and saw that the Tracking number on the package had a 111 on it! I have so much going on currently that I have been a bit stressed. 

It has been comforting to see all the 111's, finding coins to remind me to Trust in God, and seeing rainbows, and hearing songs that are important to me. Yesterday, I was talking to my sister about wedding plans for my daughter on the phone and the song playing on the overhead at the store is one that is specific to my individual family. We all used to sing it while growing up together and sing it often wen camping together. 

I contacted the parts company today and left a message and haven't heard back on the other part, but all I have left to do hopefully, is get the alignment done. 

I also noticed that when looking up the cars online, that Honda Pilot for that year was one of the top 10 rated cars. I hope I can get it to where I can drive it. I may see if I can replace the seats with ones from a newer version since the cloth seats are holding the cigarette smell and car seats have overrun the springs. Maybe if I can replace those, I can drive the car without allergies. 

Any way I look at it, I can still sell the car for what I paid for it! I didn't want Princess Two to have to worry about selling her car and knew it needed some work. I LOVE that I can charge my phone now in it, and that I can now listen to my audio books on the CD player. I enjoy listening to them as they help me stay awake. Here is a link to my love of those.  

I am so grateful to have cars that run and work properly. I am grateful for family who will help me fix broken things! I am grateful for friends that care enough to help my daughters be safe! I am feeling very blessed!  

Have a blessed day!

Five Years of Blessings Since Princess Five's Big Roll Over Accident

I have wanted to write this post for a few days as it is the five year anniversary of Princess Five's roll over accident. She has mostly recovered and can do most everything she was able to do before the accident. 

She was showing someone last week how she still can't move her arm out to her side at shoulder length and bend her elbow down like a scarecrow, but she can do almost everything else. She also has a dead spot on her arm where she can't feel things, but over a few years, she started getting some tingling back into her arm in that spot so some of the nerves have grown back. 

The only other thing that didn't heal quite right is that her left shoulder hangs down a bit lower than her right. Her clothes will drop off that shoulder but at least it is near perfect and functional. 

Below are links to the accident in order of how it went down.

Here is a link to the accident post sharing pictures shared by those on the scene. 

Here is a link to me meeting her at the hospital getting there just before the ambulance!  

Here is a post two days after where I share about angels watching over her.

Here is a link to her suggesting you wear your seat belt a year five years ago today. 

Here is a link to a video showing how far she flew from the road a week later. 

Here is a link to a post about those that helped her about two weeks later. 

Here is a link to a picture of the car after the accident. It is still a wonder she is alive! 

Here is a link to her shoulder many months later where she could lift it above her head but still wasn't 100%.  

Every time I pass that area of the highway where she rolled her car so many times, I give gratitude to God for allowing her to live and be part of my world. She is such a light to so many and each day with her is a blessing! 

Have a blessed day! 

How To Organize Car Repair Receipts, Warranties, Oil Changes, Tire Rotation, Registration & Insurance

I want to share in this post how I organize my car papers, tire warranties, oil changes and tire rotation schedule, repair receipts, registration and insurance information in the car glove or jockey box. 

My Honda has a radio code that needs to be input every time the battery is disconnected. I replaced the radio and needed to put the new code from the other salvage Honda into the new car. While I was putting the new information in and after I got new tires today, I needed to update my information on the tire warranties. Walmart didn't give me any information on the tires until I asked and had to have them write the warranty on the tires on the paperwork. I was super frustrated as they are selling "Warranties" for $10 each tire to people and never even mention that the tire company offers warranties on the tires so their tire warranty is not used as they know and probably use the warranty on the tire first if you go in with a tire issue. 

I decided to share the information on how I write the warranty information on tape or on the item. I have another video on how I write it on anything I purchase so I don't forget that I have a warranty, or have to go to the file cabinet and dig for the warranty information if something goes wrong. Here is a link to that video. 

I have the papers in order of date and the new receipts go in the front so I can find them, the registration and insurance information go to the back so I can get to them quickly if pulled over, and the manuals for the car are in the center. 

I put the warranty information for anything that deals with the car on tape on the holder for the car papers so that they are easily visible and a reminder that I have a warranty on the item as so many times, we just replace the items not remembering there is a warranty. Now, I will know for sure what the tires warranty is on the new tires. 

Have a blessed day! 

Bunko Is Back On After Covid

We have had our bunko group going for over 20 years. I started it to make some friends and to befriend others. 

It has been such a blessing in my life and in the lives of others as we lost a few members and gain a few more. I was sad when COVID stopped us being able to meet together. 

The first month, one of my friends tried to host over a zoom meeting but many hadn't figured out Zoom yet and there wasn't many online. She did a cute questionnaire about each bunko player and gave points if you could figure out who the question was talking about. 

I was supposed to host the next month but we decided things weren't moving quickly and we had better shut down to follow local guidelines. I did a drawing with my girls at Christmas to give out the gifts I had stored for all those months and get them out of my garage. 

I was going to host in August and start it back up, but one of my dearest friends said she just missed it and wanted to host in July even thought we knew there would be people missing. It was so nice to be able to meet together with many of my long standing friends and I got a wonderful gluten free meal as her son is also gluten free.

It was wonderful that I also won a prize for Princess Three to match her decor for her new home when she gets married soon. We decided to just start the calendar over rather than trying to redo what was missed, so I am not going to do August as I have the wedding and a reunion I am doing that month, so it is nice I don't have to worry about that now and can use that time to recoup my energy after a crazy month! 

It was fun to catch up as one of my friends shared her son had twins, another moved her sister in next door to be able to help with her Autistic son. Another is becoming a grandmother for the time, and my beautiful Princess three getting married and much more going on catching up with the lives of my friend.

I am so happy to be getting things back to normal after over a year of crazy. 

I hope you are also getting back to normal. Have a blessed day! 

Wedding Shower Number Three - Meeting The Grooms Family

We had the last shower this past weekend! I got up really early and on my way through her town, picked up Princess Two. We drove to the city where Princess Three lives, and got there just in time to drop all our stuff off where were would be staying with Princess Three's housemates. 

We then went to the shower and met everyone. It was so nice to finally get to meet the women in her fiance's life. The sister-in-laws planned a "Citrus or lemon" shower. Both of her in-laws recently had babies and I held a baby for most of the time which was heavenly! 

His sister-in-laws were adorable, and it was so hot outside as our local shower was. I wish I could still be a "outdoor at 100-degree" people. 

A funny thing happened while we were visiting. Her fiance has two sister-in-laws. 

They were telling me that they had 4 things in common, but my daughter only had one of the four things in common. They both met their husbands while serving as missionaries. They both have a sister named Jana. They are all older than their spouses. And, their father’s birthday is December 5th. I said, “Princess Threes dad’s birthday is December 5th!"

They all screamed and got excited saying she fits into the family perfectly! It is so sad to me that my daughter had no idea when her father’s birthday is. He has been out of her life for so many year, why would she know it? It made me think how little my girls really know about their father as the youngest was in diapers when we separated. 

It was so cute how excited the in-laws are about having my daughter in their family. I am glad she has people that are excited to be in her life and willing to do anything they can to make her shower wonderful and enjoy spending time with her. It has to be healing to her soul! 

My sister-in-law lives near her and knows the grooms family, so she and one of her daughters showed up, and we had a great visit. Also, Princess Two used to live in that area and worked there for years. She had an old coworker that knows the family show up and was so complimentary of Princess Two. 

After cleaning up, we asked my brothers family if they wanted to join us for sushi, and we all met up for a sushi dinner and it was good to visit with my brother that I don't get to see often. 

I didn't get to spend much time with the grooms mother much as she was being a good hostess, but the next day we were able to visit and I will share about that later. 

It was a good weekend. Have a blessed day!

Finding Collectables At Thrift Store To Sell For Profit - Gratitude Moments!!

I have been manifesting what I need and want for many years now. It is the reason for my blog and YouTube channel names. I have gratitude frames where I place things that I am grateful for or feel are blessings. I made a video today where I share things that I felt blessed to find at a thrift store today that I can sell to earn some money for new tires for my new / old car. 

I also see rainbows when I am a bit stressed and that reminds me of my mother. I have blogged about this for years, here is a link to the first post about this. 

I found a record with a rainbow on it made into a bowl today. You can find many posts about this on my blog. I also share in this video about my finding coins when stressed about money and I am reminded to "TRUST IN GOD" and here is my first blog post about that linked HERE. You can search for more of these posts on my blog.

I also mention seeing 111's in my life and here is a link to the original blog post about that as well. You can find all the posts about this on my blog as they always happen when I have lots going on and am a bit stressed. 

God is always so good to provide me with the things I want and need. All my family and friends say, "If you ever need anything, tell her as she always finds anything she is looking for." I am always asking people to tell me what they are looking for as when you say something out loud, it creates and starts that process in motion. 

Just like the book "The Secret" shares, you can manifest what you need by just focusing on it. I have been so blessed in my life to continually get the things I want and need. My life is so blessed as these type of things happen all the time. I hope you are as blessed! 

Have a blessed day!

We Have A Venue For The Wedding Reception

Princess Three was looking for a venue for her wedding reception. She really would be OK without one, but it is important to the grooms family, so she has chosen to have one. 

His family didn't want it to be in a church or cheap venue, so they suggested an outside venue. Princess Three really likes this back yard venue and I didn't even know that was a thing. I guess you can rent peoples back yards for weddings and receptions and other parties or events! 

Wouldn't it be amazing to have a yard that people would like to rent!? I told my friend that hosted her outside shower last week, that she could rent out her back yard for over $1000 an event! They offer about 6-8 tall round standing tables, and 6-8 round sitting tables along with two rustic looking tables for gifts or serving. 

They also have a wooden bar you can use to serve drinks. They have a garage with a fridge/freezer for staging and I think they have chairs for the sitting table. They have some tall paper shaded lamps to light up the yard a bit and also lights strung over the grassy area. 

They have wooden decks at the back of the yard and a bathroom off the back of the house. I kinda wish there was an indoor air conditioned area but my brother said they would bring over their motor home so we can have an air conditioned area to cool down while setting up. 

Princess Three is so cute that she had pictures of the venue / yard and then drew cute little people around the picture to show how she wants things lined up. 

My sweet sister is going to haul up all the decorations and Princess Three found a few things nearer her area to borrow to save us from having to drive the bigger items to her area. It will be so nice to have the reception before the wedding so that they can leave right after their wedding to head on the honeymoon. 

I can't believe it is coming so quickly! What an exciting time ~ I am so excited for this new adventure in her life! 

Have a Blessed Day!

Little Blessings Everywhere

It has been a long weekend and I didn't feel all that great even though good things were happening. 

I will share about the weekend hopefully tomorrow. I did want to share a few little blessings that happened this weekend. 

Princess Two knows how often I take Sudafed due to my sinus migraine problems. Here is a link to that post. It used to be so easy to buy the 100 count bottles for $1 before they started using it for drug making. Now, it is over the counter in the pharmacy and I can only buy a few boxes every six months or so. So, Princess Two paid for a few boxes for me this weekend to replenish my supply as it has been a rough year. 

This year has been a bad, especially the past month or so. I have thrown up twice in the past month for headaches and that is really a rough time for me. I sometimes can go a year or more without throwing up. She was with me both times I threw up this past month, so I guess she knew I was having a bad year with that. 

She paid for two boxes of the name brand product which is $20. It was so sweet of her to do that for me on her own. I felt very blessed that she thought of me. It is so frustrating that druggies make us have to go through that. 

Then on the way to another wedding shower, I stopped to use the bathroom at a thrift store but was in a hurry. I walked down the isles quickly trying to get in and out of the store in less than 10 minutes and I noticed some metal candlestick holders that looked like real silver. I looked at the bottom and they had plastic on the bottom so I think the people pricing figured they had to be fake or plated. I know that they used to start weighting the thinner silver candle stick holder to make them seem like solid silver sticks which are worth much more. 

I could clearly read "Sterling" on the bottom of the candlesticks and they were only $1.50 each. So for $3 I got two sterling candlesticks! Great buy! 

When I was driving home tonight, it was 96 Degrees and my car overheats in the hot weather and I have to take an hour break on long drives to allow the wiring to cool. I have posted about this in the past. Here is a post about that. 

While driving the long drive home tonight, there were three complete stops on the highway where traffic was at a stand still and I was really worried my car would overheat. The first two spots I didn't see any accident or sign of why the traffic was stopped. The third stop was horrifying. I saw over 20 officers over the three stops. The third stop was where an SUV drifted and hit the cement middle barriers over a small bridge. The car was totaled and there had to be fatalities and the debris was all over the road and there were police officers everywhere taking measurements and using different tools. 

In that moment, I flashed back to five years ago this week when Princess Five had her rollover car accident and how blessed we were that she survived as the people in that car were probably not as lucky. 

It made me realize that the big things that bother you are really little things! I said a prayer for the people in the car and made my way home. With being stopped in traffic at 96 degrees and worrying about overheating, the clouds opened up and dumped just enough rain to take the temperature to 69 degrees within five miles from the accident! The temperature didn't stay that low as within another five miles or so, the rain had stopped and we were back up into the 90's, but that small rain burst cooled my car just enough to make me not have to worry about it breaking down. 

I felt that God was watching over me knowing it had been a long and stressful weekend. I was so grateful to get home. 

Have a blessed day!