Good News This Rainy Day

Thursday, February 21, 2008

We have had good news today! DH and I drove into Houston to the Medical Center, which is a small city within a city; high-rise after high-rise of medical, hospital, research, emergency and educational facilities; an amazing and overwhelming maze of buildings, parking garages and people running around in scrubs. We are so blessed to have it so near! There is a specialty facility for any kind of illness imaginable. We were going for one of DHs regular checkups for bladder cancer. Several years ago, he had to have over 17 tumors removed from his bladder. He underwent surgery and chemo and has had only one recurrence. You know how you get the jitters though, each time you walk through those laboratory doors for further tests! Well, everything looked so good, he doesn't have to go back for a year! Thank the good Lord! We stopped to have lunch and celebrate at the Olive Garden Restaurant on the way home - gotta love that pasta, soup and salad! We were able to stay away from the bread sticks today :-)

I thought this was a bit interesting/weird... The last time I went to Houston, this was not there, and that was only about 2 weeks ago. It is on the way to Houston beside the freeway. It appears to be torsos of several of our US Presidents. I don't know why they chose these particular ones. I believe it is going to be some type of a restaurant park with a water feature running through it. As you can see, they are rather large stone renditions. I recognize Bush, Washington, ??, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Kennedy. Any clues on the third from the left? Now, my other news isn't as awesome, but sure makes me a happy camper. I won a bid on ebay for the cutest little white Singer Featherweight sewing machine. OMG, I definitely do not have the fortitude for gambling or bidding of any kind - I was a nervous wreck the last five minutes when someone tried to overtake me! It was down to the wire for sure, but I won! I just know I will really enjoy using this little guy. This machine was produced in Great Britain in the early 1960's and it is so cute - this is my first Featherweight and I understand they are just little work horses. It will be nice to have this to take on retreats instead of packing my larger machine.

Oh yeah, another tidbit of good news. Our duck, Buffy, has been coming home to visit each day. She goes back and forth now to the pond across the street. I think she figured out where the food is and comes over daily to visit and fill her tummy. We are planning on getting some baby ducks when it gets warm and are hopeful she will adopt them. Here are a couple of shots of her today...visiting our front pasture and in our pond in the rain. I just think she is so cute and she listens so intently when I talk to her - just look at that expression!

I don't really have any stitching to show you since I have been on the run lately. While at the Medical Center today, I continued sewing on my Memory Pages. I decided that they look better when I sewed the lace onto the little pages, and then the little pages onto the background all by hand - just has a smoother look. It will take a while since I have over 20 little pages to do, but it will be worth it. It is always nice to have something to keep my hands and mind occupied while waiting in doctor's offices or on rainy, dreary day such as the one we are having today. Aren't we CQer's fortunate to love hand-sewing so much?

Once we got home, I ran off a copy of Pam Kellogg's E-Book, Elegant Crazy Quilt Seam Treatments that I had recently purchased and downloaded, and my DH and I decided to make a run to Office Max so I could get it bound. I snapped this picture of a Texas longhorn who resides down the road as we left. This is actually a female and she was giving me a "don't mess with me" attitude. I think they are intriguing - from a safe distance....I'm not messing with something that has horns that big!

Anyway, Pam's book is 42 pages and I knew I would use it more effectively if it was bound. Office Max can punch and spiral bind it for you in about five minutes if they aren't busy and it costs less than $4.00. I have taken many of my books that are even already bound to get them changed to spiral bound so that I can open them flat while I am using them. They just cut off the regular binding and then punch and spiral bind them - works like a charm. They also put a clear cover sheet on top and a vinyl sheet on the back as well. I have purchased some waste canvas and want to try some of Pam's wonderful designs. You can purchase her E-Book at her website: http://www.kittyandme.com/

My bible study today involved the Transfiguration of Christ. I don't know about you, but I had heard and maybe read this account once or twice, but I had never really studied it in debt before and therefore, it didn't really mean a lot to me personally. But, I found as I studied it, I began to really understand more about this particular incident in the life of Christ and it became such a vivid and beautiful picture....Christ's face shining like the sun, garments brilliant and dazzling white - Christ in His glory. It is hard to even imagine. And, then add to that, the voice of the Almighty. What a special gift for James, John and Peter to be witnesses to this - a preview of Jesus' true glory. Was this for Jesus or for His disciples or both? I truly believe that it was for both. With Jesus' impending suffering and crucifixion, I believe He received strength and encouragement from His Father God, Elijah and Moses. But I also believe that this served to strengthen the faith of Peter, James and John and emphasized Jesus' glory and that He is truly "the light of the world". I think what really struck me most was something I had never really thought about before, however. And, that is, Christ had a choice. Jesus certainly had the power to depart earth and return to heaven (just as Moses and Elijah did here after they spoke with Christ) - He was sinless. But, He CHOSE, to endure the cross so that you and I can receive salvation and share heaven with Him. Once again, "amazing love".