Thankful Thursday: Enlightenment

I love when the "LIGHT" is turned on and I get the

OH WOW, Moment

I have been seriously studying the Old Testament

There are so many AMAZING Women

in the scriptures.

One being The story of the widow women

in 1Kings 17:7-16

A story I've known all my life,

yet this week it struck me differently.

What Faith and Obedience

Could I have walked in her shoes?

Seriously...

If someone said to you,

feed me before you feed your starving child, that you thought would soon die?

WOW, and when she fed the Prophet (it doesn't say she knew he was a Prophet.)

she did not run out of food.

Not only did she not run out of food but later when her son became sick and near death and the Prophet Elijah brought him back to life.

Her Blessings of Faith.

What more would a Mother want then God to help look out for her children because of her faith.

I've seen the blessing of 'having an abundance' because of service.

This sacrifice she had was a true test of faith.

I love studying the scriptures.

I believe it helps keep our focus on whats important.

FAMILY

I love the promise that if we read them daily

we will have hope and courage in our daily battles

along with no fear of whats to come.

I often think of the time in history when people died for a copy of the Bible.

I am thankful for this gift now.

I won't take it for granted.

It makes a difference to me and my family.

ps... secret?

;)

Thankful Tuesday: The Cookie Dough is GONE

Oh Yes,

the Diet was on...

3 weeks ago

It's just been a perfect chance to eat SALADS

with Mr. Clark

and then...

OK you don't want to hear my zillion excuses.

On Sunday

I caved.

I made a batch of cookies

they didn't make it to the oven.

I LOVE cookie dough :(

and now its gone.

So Back to the big D again.

When I take measurements

I don't care about my hips

I have none

First time in my life I've had

a top half...

Loss of my belly would be an added bonus.

:p

BUT

It is my HEAD

OH MY

seriously

It has spread and I don't look like myself, --to myself.

?

So... LOL

I just want to reduce my Head Size...

So the diet is Back ON!

p.s I have a secret... I can't tell... and its killing me.

So for now,

I'll stick with this-- the "COOKIE DOUGH IS GONE!" hee-hee

Awe, the Gift of time...

Mr. Clark and I made a list of things we would do if we DIDN'T have to go on Dialysis.

and if he regains his eyesight back.

Yesterday we got word that if he maintains his diet and health like he did last month we can buy some time.

Even qualify for a Kidney Transplant.

OH WE ARE CELEBRATING!

For his eyes.

Our last appointment the Doctor said,

"if I hadn't seen them before I'd think I wasn't looking into the same eyes.

We have to feel a MIRACLE has happened.

We've seen where we were headed.

A wake up call for sure.

So bucket list here we come!

We feel like we've been given a little extension on our quality of life.

IT'S WORTH NO SALT, RENAL, NO POTASSIUM DIET!

We've seen how much "cheating" brings you down in a matter of day's.

I remember going through the last 5/10 years thinking his 'daily'

nausea and throwing up was just life.

Amazing what DIET can do.

He has not been sick since he went on this diet.

The attitude, "just a little bit won't hurt" doesn't work anymore!

TO LIFE.

AND THE GIFT OF TIME.

ALASKA HERE WE COME!

"Otto"

Thankfully we have a GREAT Kidney Doctor.

That asked, "why don't you have an insullin pump?"

After our explanation...

He called his friend and Endo Doctor.

By the following Tuesday

We had an appointment.

Two weeks later...

His pump is installed

Life is wonderful!

His sugars are balanced.

He say's he feels better than he has in years.

And Mr. Insulin Pump is NOW his new BEST FRIEND

It's name is

"Otto"

Otto (Auto) pancreas

Ot-to check your blood sugar

Ot-to give me some insullin

Ot-to make me feel better :)

Another BLESSING

+*¨^¨*+ TOGETHER FOREVER+*¨^¨*+

This is the song my Auntie sang for my Mom at her funeral. AWESOME! Can't believe I found it! TEARS It cuts off the beginning which say's " It's hard to say Goodbye and let go," (FROM EARLIER POST TITLED: I missed the pic)

I Missed the Pic.

A Reflection of my Mom. ( a crochet tableclothe she couldn't finish) The basket it is sitting in is a very, very old basket. My Mom cherished it.

OMG

I missed the PIC...

I can't believe it and today I am kicking myself.

My beautiful Aunt Jill and Uncle Don

and Cousin Jon

Stopped by my house yesterday.

(From Washington State)

It was EMOTIONAL

for both My Auntie and I

It had been 12 years

Twelve years since my Mom passed Away

My Mom passed away on Auntie Jills Birthday :(

And My Aunt (who has an amazing voice)

Sang at her funeral.

It wasn't just an ordinary song.

Michael McLeans "Together Forever"

It was a song that My Mother picked,

and requested that Aunt Jill sing it.

It was words expressing My Moms "GOODBYES"

My Aunt had an incredible challenge.

Conveying her message without emotion.

Now in our family.

We are a crying bunch!

So she asked my husband

Mr. Clark

to give her a Priesthood Blessing

of courage.

and then the moment came.

Aunt Jill turned from the crowd and paused.

She then turned around and sang the song Perfectly.

It was the most amazing moment of my Moms funeral.

And we knew it was a blessing from Heaven.

My Mom said, "GOODBYE"

My Auntie is the most SPECIAL person you'll ever meet.

I have wonderful childhood memories of her.

She lived close by for a while.

She was the FUN Aunt.

That invested her time in us kids.

She has always had a special place in my heart.

So seeing her yesterday was a HAPPY REUNION.

We had many tears!

A lot of reflections of My Mom

And it's wonderful to spend memories with her.

She is so much like my Mom.

It felt like my Mom was standing by my side.

It was a much needed moment!

Thankyou, My Auntie

I LOVE YOU!

Another Busy Week

Well this month has been a whirl wind... What FUN it has been! And now things are TOO QUIET! We are gearing up for this week. Tomorrow is a BIG DAY for Mr. Clark. He is getting his Insulin Pump installed. We have waited for this day for the past 10 years. *note: our mistake was not finding a Dr. that WOULD give him one. It would have extended his quality of life. Grrrrrrr.... It will save him from a zillion shots (the Grand-daughters will miss the OOOOooooooowwwwww Pappa Clark screeches!) and it will help him to be more STABLE. WE CAN'T WAIT! We go to the kidney doctor again on Friday. We are hoping we get hear better news. The last time we went was traumatic. We are over it. We have appreciated a few weeks of a little NORMAL around our house and it has seemed wonderful. We cried a lot when the doctor said that ugly word (I can't even say it!)but now we are ready for what ever comes our way. I have to say, "God has given us a breather, we are grateful for extended seconds in every day that we have a good quality of life."

May this bring you COMFORT My Friends. A Hard Road ahead. XO

Woah- It's Wednesday!

Passed Thankful Tuesday. So, WOAH its WEDNESDAY--been a BUSY WEEK. Sent Elyse back to Utah on Monday. Many Tears. Its so hard to see the kids go back to their homes. We've been so lucky that our kids have been able to take the time to come out to visit us. We hung out with my friends children while she traveled to girls camp. We always have a party! They woop on me in the game TROUBLE and UNO! Bubbles, movies and catching grass hoppers! Last night I dreamt Mr. K let them loose in the basement! We had a fun day! We've had the Jiles over for dinner everynight. They are waiting for their daughter/sister to get back from girls camp so that has kept us entertained! Thursday, Mr. Clark and I are going to Oklahoma to "Girls Camp" (for our church) for the night and then bringing the girls home. Pics to follow. THANKFUL FOR A BUSY WEEK! Our house is too QUIET without company!

Our Weekend with Elyse

More Fun at CowTown!

Mr Clark showing Elyse how to change her bulbs in her car. And YES, she was a greasy mess!

The Fun at Cow Town in Wichita. It's an old pioneer village. Then Lunch. The special thing about our Shoppin' 'til we're droppin' Is that Mr. Clark sat in a chair in the center of the mall and had a snooze. When we went to check on him he kept sending us back to do more shoppin' We really enjoyed our day!

God Bless you my Friend

I was gone from blogging just a few days. It is crazy how life can change in a moment. While I am cuddling over our daughter, My blogger friend lost her sweetheart. Words can't describe how sad I am for her. We have had a great time building our friendship through blogging. She is like a Sister, my friend. We have had a few things in common. One being our husbands struggle with the effects of diabetes. So her loss has really hit home to me, with Mr. Clark traveling the same difficult road. But for my friend it was a complete shock. And I think... what would I do in her shoes? Mr. Clark and I have talked this over together and try to prepare for the what if 's but no one can understand until it happens to them. I know she is STRONG in her faith and this will help comfort her. I know Prayers are POWERFUL and I am praying for her. I know she would do the same for me. My heart aches for my friend. Although Faith and Memories console us, the day's ahead will be the most challenging. Prayers for my friend. I am here now and always.

Our Daughter is here!

10 Cent bunch of Bananas... I'm Baking!

Here is my REVIEW from the Sour Cream Banana Bread Recipe I made from All Recipes.Com. --- Eeewwww... The cinnamon in the bread and the dusting cinnamon ruins the banana taste. So I'll stick to my ol' favorite recipe. The dough was to die for so I thought it would be scrumptious. Sorry...

Yep, At Sam's Club they had Bananas 10 cents a bunch. So today, I'm making Banana Bread! Summer shouldn't be a baking time but this was a steal! I also found a different recipe on "allrecipes.com" I love this web site. I follow the reviews to choose recipes from,

I've found some great recipes. This one had a twist -

"Dusting the baking pans with cinnamon sugar gives these 6 (medium) loaves a gentle spice undertone." In my opinion: NOT... but it is a great idea for ZUCCHINI BREAD

Plus Sour Cream in the recipe makes it perfect. I love it! So I thought this one would be a hit. Not so much...

SO I ERASED IT

Back to my Favorite... Banana Sour Cream Bread

From: Nita

Sour Cream in this recipe works great. My moms recipe called for sour milk. So my friends recipe is so similar.

I love it

~It is tried and true~ Preheat oven to 375

. Grease 2 - 7X3 loaf pans (I have a medium pan) 1/2 C. Butter

1 C. Sugar

2 Eggs

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

4 Tbl. Sour Cream

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/8 tsp. Salt or not

2 C. all purpose Flour

1/2 C. Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Cream together: butter and sugar. Mix in Eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla. Mix in Salt, baking Soda and Flour. Stir in Nuts. Divide into prepared pans Bake 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Smore Brownies- Mmmmm

Check out this recipe for Smore Brownies. My new fav. because I'm a marshmellow fanatic! The recipe is on this link: makingmemorieswithyourkids.blogspot.com

4th of July

OK so that wasn't what I expected... But the kids will have fun! It's raining so it will be an inside game :)

A Little festive?

Project #1

My Dads Favorite Holiday!

He was like a mad scientist on the fourth of July!

He loved blowing tuna fish cans in the air like a rocket with a fire cracker.

"A tuna fish can", you might ask

That was the cheapness coming out in him!

I think he hoarded them from my Brother Kents (illegal collection!)

Firecrackers are illegal in Utah

Did he ever act like a kid with the fireworks.

He loved watching everyone have fun.

We loved watching him have fun :)

Miss the traditions as a kid

Lehi fireworks every year.

Better than that...

Sitting on Aunt Sherrons lawn or on the Mills Hill,

with all the Aunts and Uncles,

watching them too.

We didn't plan to party hard this year.

Just gonna sit on the deck and watch the neighbors magnificent firework show.

But we are.

So I've been racing and chasing to find some fun things to do.

Been checking out everyone's fun ideas on blog spot.

You might have noticed by my new crafters buttons on the side bar.

Spent the entire day looking at every one's creativity.

What fun.

Got a little inspired!

Haven't been in the crafty mood for years.

So stay tuned for the finished projects.

Hopefully they will happen this year!

LOL

Thats me!

Full of good intentions

I'm sewing!

See ya

HAPPY 4th of July!