Ice Storm

This is one of the worst ice storms we have had in a while. Lots of power lines down and lots of trees damaged or destroyed. We lost the power in our house yesterday afternoon and got it back for a while at least at 10:30 last night. It was off and on all night and came back on again this morning. So far it's holding out although it did blink a while ago and I thought we were in the dark again. The house stayed reasonably warm last night before the power came back on. We bought a bag of ice to put in the freezer to keep stuff in there from thawing out. It snowed for a little while earlier this morning but I think that's over for now. The wind is not blowing as hard as it was yesterday. Bill spent a long time this morning trying to get the ice off the windshield of our car, he ended up having to use a hammer. The light bulb in our flashlight burned out and we wanted to go to Walmart to get a replacement. Unfortunately they were completely out of flashlights and anything having to do with flashlights, also candles and oil lamps. Nothing like waiting until the last minute to get things. When this is over and they get supplies back in I'm going to stock up on flashlights, candles and I think I'll get a couple of oil lamps. We really need to keep stuff like that around because even though this storm was out of the ordinary we still get some pretty bad storms around here. I think oil lamps will give a lot more light than candles. Walmart was insanely crowded and they didn't open any more registers, the lines were really long. They used to brag about how if the lines are long they would open more registers but they don't do that anymore. Maybe they were shorthanded, maybe some of their workers couldn't make it in. Anyway we're home now and we're gonna stay.

I decided to go ahead and post the drawing that I did of the bird even though it's based on a magazine photo.



Here's a couple of photos of the ice that I took yesterday. It would be interesting to drive around town and photograph some of the damage but I don't want to get in the way of the workers who are trying to clear it out.





Looks cold doesn't it? Everyone in the East look out this is headed your way.

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17

Bad Weather Coming

We're supposed to have some really bad winter weather on Thursday, snow, freezing rain, wind. The freezing rain is the part I don't like. Freezing rain has a tendency to weigh down power lines and put you in the dark and cold. Hopefully that won't happen. Maybe none of it will happen, they've been wrong before. Today was gorgeous though.

I did two drawings the other day. I'm not sure I'll post either one of them. The first one, a bird done in colored pencil on bristol is based on a photo from a magazine. It turned out really great. I don't think I'll post it because copyright issues. I've posted a couple in the past and haven't heard anything but just in case. I've always used photos from magazines as inspiration for drawings and paintings. I certainly don't sell them or make a profit on them. I think they're great practice. The other drawing is an oil pastel based on a photo that I took. I'm not happy with the way it turned out. I don't know if I want to try and fix it or just start from scratch. It would probably be easier to just start over.

Several of the gluten free grains don't agree with me (in fact they made me throw up). Quinoa, I hate the taste and smell of that stuff. But since it's supposed to be so healthy I thought maybe I could develop a taste for it. No way! Shortly after I ate some of it I threw it up, made me sick all afternoon last Friday. Sorghum and flax also caused problems in the past. I checked on the Celiac.com's discussion board and found out that lots of people have problems with those things. Some people can't tolerate any grains at all, not even rice. Rice is my mainstay, I've never had a problem with it. No problem with potatos, corn or gluten free oats either. So, I'll stay with them. I have read that once the body starts to heal sometimes other things can be added in. Quinoa, never, I dispise the stuff.

I baked a chocolate cake from a Betty Crocker mix, gluten free of course. They make some pretty good gluten free stuff. I need to put icing on it now.

I need to brush Sassy, didn't do it last night and she can't go too long without a good brushing.

Photo of the day, taken a couple of weeks ago.



That is you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Romans 10:9-10

Day Off

I love days off but they just don't last long enough, the time just flys by. We got up at 8:00, had breakfast at IHOP (they are getting to know us), did our shopping at Walmart, the health food store and the pet shop, went home, ate lunch and took a nap. After the nap I decided to pull up some of the dead flowers in the flowerbed and trim some branches on a small tree that were rubbing against the house.

We had a nice little thunderstorm last night. They called it severe, I guess teeny, tiny hail makes a storm severe, no damage whatsoever but lots of nice rain. The counties Southeast of us were under a tornado watch and I think they had some tornadoes East of Dallas, nothing like that around here.

We decided to take a little road trip out toward the Refuge. The weather was gorgeous, temp in the 60's. We went down a couple of roads that we have never been down before, it's very pretty country out there. I took some photos but haven't loaded them on the computer yet.

I'm adding soy to my list of foods to avoid. At least large doses of it, as in soy milk. I drank one glass of soy milk every day for two or three days and I must say it did not agree with me. The same symptoms that you get with lactose intolerance only soy doesn't have lactose, so I guess you could call it soy intolerance. Soy does come from a bean but I've eaten other kinds of beans and they don't tear me up like soy does. So bye, bye soy.

Photo of the day, this was taken last week (I think). This is called "seagull on a rock."



For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39

MLK Day

We get the day off, whoo hoo! So we stayed up late last night watching the old Mummy movies from the 1930's and 40's. Today we'll probably start watching the new ones. They're all good for a laugh.

The weather is gorgeous out there. We'll probably take a little road trip later.

We only had 4 kids in Sunday School yesterday. I guess we should contact the absentees, I hope they don't have the flu or something. The kids are dependant on their parents, it the grownups don't want to go to church then the kids have to stay home too. Unless they ride the church van.

Last night I did another colored pencil drawing. I'm really happy with the results. It looks better in person than in the photo. It's based on a photo that I found in the National Geographic magazine. The mountain is called Mount Ngauruhoe (don't ask me how to pronounce that), located in New Zealand. Obviously it's a volcano. It's not erupting, those are just clouds around it.



Thursday we went out to the Refuge and took a few photos. It was cloudy and looked like it was going to rain but it never did. So here's the photo of the day, this is a cobblestone wall in the little park by the stream. You can see Sassy in there pulling on the leash. She has no patience with picture taking.



But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
Romans 8:37.

Sleepy

I feel like I could just curl up in a ball and sleep, sleep, sleep. Maybe that's because I didn't sleep very well last night. Every so often I have a night when I can't sleep and last night was such a night. I should have gotten up and read a book of something but I just laid there until I finally drifted off.

Yesterday I cleaned my shower, it was full of mold and soap scum. It took an hour to clean it because it was in such bad shape. I need to do it more often then it wouldn't take so long.

Our "injured" co-worker is finally coming back to work, he came back today in fact. Bill and I are off today so we didn't see him. It took him almost 6 months to recover from a sprained ankle and a broken wrist. He's only working part time right now because he claims he gets dizzy. I think it's all related to the stomach stapling surgery that he had last March in India. They messed up the surgery and he had to go back to India about a month ago and have it repaired. He has lost so much weight so fast that he looks like an 80 year old man and he's younger than me.

We went out to the Refuge today to play with our cameras. Apparently the hard freezes that we had killed a bunch of fish in Medicine Creek. There was dead fish floating around everywhere, very sad. The weather was really nice today, almost 60 degrees, humid and cloudy. Hopefully we'll get some rain.

We had breakfast at IHOP and when I asked for the senior discount the cashier said I didn't look old enough so she checked my driver's license. I think she was kidding with me, believe me, I look my age.

I took some photos on the Refuge but haven't loaded them on the computer yet so the photo of the day will be one that was taken a while back. I think that mountain is called Mt. Sheridan, could be wrong though, my brother would know he keeps up with such things.



The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.
Romans 8:16

Surprise

My husband surprised me the other day. He wants to learn how to do watercolor painting. I have a book that I got a while back that is for absolute beginners and he is reading that. We were in Hobby Lobby and found a kit, paints, brushes, paper, instruction DVD, etc that originally sold for $70 and was on sale for $15.95. Can't beat that, so we got it. The DVD looked like a lot of fun. He is a very creative person and needs an outlet. Years ago he made several small quilts and wall hangings. Lost interest in that then took up cross stitch. He made several beautiful cross stitch pictures, lost interest in that. Next he took up pottery and made several really nice pottery pieces, lost interest in that. So now it's watercolor, maybe this will be the thing he stays with. Even if it isn't I can use the paints and stuff. I want to eventually learn it too.

I seem to be on a colored pencil kick right now. I did a painting the other day and didn't care for how it turned out so I redid it. I like the second picture much better.

Today the weather was still cold but warmer than the other day. You could go outside and the wind didn't burn like it did on Thursday and Friday. Sassy got two good long walks today.

In church tonight the pastor preached about not being afraid in the new year. We really have nothing to fear, God is in control, He said He would never leave or forsake us and I believe it.

We had 7 members and 1 visitor in our 5th grade Sunday School. I had fun and I think they did too.

Photo of the day, my most recent colored pencil painting, drawing whatever you want to call it.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1

Artic Blast

Cold weather is coming, supposed to get down into the teens and serious wind chills. Oh well, it's winter after all. They're not saying anything about moisture, snow or freezing rain and that's good. The snow from our blizzard a couple weeks ago is nearly gone.

I haven't done any art work the last couple of days. I might start something after church tonight.
My stomach is feeling better all the time. I've been studying gluten intolerance and celiac disease. It takes months, even years for your body to heal. My problem is that I've never given it enough time. I get in to0 big of a hurry. It's been about 2 months now and I can tell a major difference.

I finished the back of my sweater and I've made good progress on the front. I've got enough yarn to make 2 more sweaters so I'll be busy for months. One of the other ones will be crochet and one knit. Then I think I'll take the left over yarn and make a snuggie for Bill. I found a free pattern for a crochet one at Hobby Lobby.

Photo of the day, another one that I took on our road trip last Friday.



For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

New Year

I didn't accomplish my goals last year. I don't call them resolutions, just goals. Actually they're more lifelong goals than just yearly ones. So, I'm going to list them again because I refuse to give up.

• Grow my hair out (I cut it really, really short last summer, liked it for about a week, maybe less). I love long hair and I intend to get mine long. It will obviously take longer than a year especially since it's starting from such an extreme short cut. I told Bill that I was growing it out (again) and he said to go for it, why not, if that's what I want and it is. Don't worry about what other people think, actually most people are too worried about how they look to care about my looks.


• Stay with the gluten free diet. I fell off of it several times and suffered for it. I've been gluten free for 2 months now and I'm determined to keep it up the rest of my life. Gluten free makes a major difference in how I feel, it's worth the inconvience.


• Lose weight, I did lose a couple of pounds. They say you should lose weight slowly but that's a little too slow. I didn't gain any, that's good.


• Work on my art. That wasn't a goal last year but it definitely is one this time. I love art but I've always lacked the self confidence to pursue it. But, I don't do it for a living, just for fun, so my work doesn't have to be perfect. I'm having a good time with it.


• Bible study and prayer. I think I'm doing pretty good on that but I need to make sure I don't let up.

We stayed home on New Year's Eve. We haven't been to a party in years. We're just not party people. I went to bed early and Bill sat up and watched TV. New Year's Day we took a little road trip up north of the Refuge, just driving around looking for things to take pictures of. They seemed to have gotten more snow than we did. There were some really big snow drifts out there. The temp got to around 50 degrees so it was a pleasant trip. Today was a lot colder, I don't think it got out of the 30's. We just went to the city park, Bill fed the ducks while I walked Sassy.

Today was the last day of our time off, sigh. The normal work week starts tomorrow. We'll have to get used to working full time again.

I decided to do something with my colored pencils. I have a really good set of them that I haven't used in a while. I found a blog where the artist uses colored pencils, beautiful stuff, inspired me to get mine out. Here is the picture that I came up with, the photo was taken looking toward Elmer Thomas Lake from the top of Mt. Scott.

I took a few photos on our road trip yesterday and here are some of them.

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:11