Blessed

Happy in my new car

I noticed some things today. 

First, I have to tell you some stories. 

Blessing:

Two weeks ago my darling boy received the priesthood. This is a big deal in our religion as he gets to pass the sacrament and has some additional responsibilities. He was given the priesthood by his Dad which was lovely, Matt did a very good job. It was neat for all of us to be there and see Aydan receive this special blessing. 

He doesn't look happy but he didn't know I was getting him in the picture...First fast offering trip

Problem:

It happened to be fast Sunday so he was responsible to visit families in a loop close to our house to pick up fast offerings and deliver a newsletter from the ward. I didn't really know what was going on but was happy to help him finish his job of the collections. As we drove around the neighborhood it was cold and rainy. We stopped and waited at several houses and on our last leg of the deliveries my car exploded. Ellie screamed and JUMPED to get out of the car but there was no handle to the door on the back seat. It had broken off so she was stuck. Copious amounts of steam began to pour from the car and the worry of what in the world was I going to do began to settle in. I called my parents and couldn't get a hold of them and then I called my brother. Aydan ran off in the rain on foot to finish the job of collecting. I was annoyed for a moment that he would run off but then so proud that he did so he could finish the job. Anyway, my car was toast. After a few hundred dollars of repairs and a warning from my mechanic that a lot of other work needed to be done I decided it was time to let go of the "old girl" as we lovingly called the Honda. A few things that were wrong with the Honda, the gear shifter got stuck and so I had to put a key in to get the car to drive, the keys were so worn out they were stripped and wouldn't turn the ignition she had to be re-keyed. The rear view mirror was cracked, the windshield was cracked across the whole front. There were only two and a half doors with handles that the kids would scrape their hands on if they didn't open the door just right. The air didn't work well and if we were stopped at a light and it was over 80 degrees the car would overheat. I duct taped the big hose that went into the engine because it was cracked. Only one window rolled down...mine thankfully. But she was good to us and got us from point A to point B for five years with out a payment. I was grateful.

Blessing:

Having the car break down was a frustrating moment in time but one that I realized was just part of life and something that needed to be worked out and NOT the end of the world as I would have felt a few years ago. With my parents help I was able to buy a new car. My Dad worked his salesman magic on the car salesmen. It is so nice and I am so grateful because I don't think if I hadn't driven that old Honda for five years I would have appreciated the new car as much as I do now. It was a little lesson in sacrifice. My kids when I pulled up to get them Monday morning for school were SO excited. They said, "Can we roll down the windows?" Yes, I said, you can roll down the windows and we drove to work with the windows down and the breeze running through the car. Plus, it smells SO good inside. The first picture of this post is of me in the new car. That's why you get a selfie. 

Problem: 

I have been running and training a bit for a little race. My legs have been stiff and my knee is causing me some trouble. I also have a bit of a circulation issue with the veins in my legs. It isn't a big deal but if I am up on my legs a lot (i.e. teaching) the front of my left leg will ache and be heavy. Like, really achy I can't describe it but I have to lay down and elevate my leg the only thing that helps is to get off of it. A few years ago I had a varicose vein stripped from that leg. Anyway, in an effort to help not be so stiff I started doing a yoga video three times a week. That began to relieve the tension in my hamstrings but I couldn't find anything to help the achy circulation issue. 

Blessing: 

In my effort to find a solution I began to look online and see if there was anything I could do besides wear my compression hose and elevate my leg. I came upon this gem that has given me a lot of laughs. In fact I sent it to my Mom and when she called me we just sat and laughed on the phone for a few minutes without saying anything. Laughing is good medicine. 

Leg Pain Solution According to the Internet. 

Problem:

The children's Dad is out of town nearly this whole month. First, I must say that I LOVE having my kids. That is not the problem. Also, their Dad being gone is not the problem we totally support him in hos endeavor to work and provide. However after all of the extra days and extra groceries I have found that there is not much money left over for anything. In fact there isn't much for the extra groceries either and we have had to tighten the purse strings and make do. I need to say..we are not suffering its just not a time to be spending. That is all. 

Blessing #1:

My friends parents are snowbirds and she called me this week saying that they cleaned out their fridge and she can't even fit all the food. She asked if I would come and take the rest and so I did! There was a lot of good stuff in there and it filled the fridge and pantry. 

Blessing #2:

 A friend of mine just brought over a box of freshly canned food canned by HAND. YUM. I can't even tell you how grateful I am for this because I know how hard it is to can! Plus, aren't the cans so pretty! 

I have to say something about this picture. My Grandma passed away in February and this is her china cabinet that she gave me. I love it. I polished it and put some blue glass on top. She had a collection of blue glass up on a shelf in her basement. We all loved it. She gave me two items of her blue glass and I added my own. It is like a little bit of Grandma is here. When it is humid outside and we walk in the house the wood from the cabinet smells like her house. I walked in one day and said, "Why does it smell like an old lady in here!" But then, I realized it was my favorite old lady and as I breathed in a bit deeper and paid attention to the smell I caught a hint of Chanel No. 5. Now that is a blessing, plus doesn't that look so cute there!? I love it so much. I am grateful for the new piece of furniture. Mostly, I am grateful that every time I see it I think of her. 

Blessing #3

Bread. My friend's husband works at a popular restaurant that will not serve day old bread. He brought the left over loaves home last night and she called me to come get some. YUM! What a blessing. 

You know life has its problems but if you pay attention you will see that it all works out in the end. There is no need to worry. I know who is in charge and I am grateful for a God who loves me and takes care of me. We are blessed. 

XOXO-The Sunny D.. Count your many blessings name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.