Thank Goodness for Kleenex PLUS!

Well, I think any blogging aspirations I may have had, have kind of faded into oblivion the past few days. Actually, most of life has been put on hold, due to a nasty head cold, flu-like symptoms, and a nagging sinus infection. At this point, what I can say is... Kleenex PLUS is the best thing to come along since soft-spread butter!!! I'll spare you the rest of the details and hope to be blogging again very soon.

Making a Comeback!

The last few days have been spent at the hospital- rooting for the very life of a wonderful man from our church family. Jim Purcell fell in his driveway this past week. From the outset, we knew he had fallen on his face, and his front teeth had gone through his upper lip. However, we didn't know how traumatic things were going to become. His wife and I were waiting for him to be brought back from a CAT scan whenever the Dr. let us know that he would be going straight to the trauma unit, because they had found blood on the brain. (He was on 3 different types of blood thinners and this was dramatically increasing the danger. During this time, he completely lost mobility in his right leg, and eventually his right arm.) After a couple more CAT scans, they found the blood was increasing, so he was taken for emergency surgery on Sunday morning. He pulled through the first surgery, and we felt good about that. The Dr. had warned us that this could continue to be a pattern. A few hours later, after yet another CAT scan, they found he was bleeding in another area of his brain, so it was back in for a 2nd emergency surgery. His precious wife asked the Dr. if he was going to make it and the Dr.'s reply was, "If I can get the bleeding stopped." How emotionally spent the family must have felt! It's really hard when you just don't know for sure how things are going to end up. The Dr. also said that if he ever saw a man with a will to live, it was Jim! And that made his medical staff want to fight all the harder to save his life.

Different ones have been asking about Jim... I am happy to report that he is starting to show some signs of recovery. He has been taken off the ventilator and talked to Dan today in somewhat of a coherent manner. The CAT scans they have done since the 2nd surgery show improvement. The Dr. did say that it would be 3 days before he can say for sure that he is "out of the woods". We're just trusting and believing!

The Dr. did say he would not regain the use of his leg, and possibly his arm. We'll see! Someone made the comment that "Jim wouldn't be driving anymore." Dan said, "If I know Jim Purcell, he'll be driving with his left leg."

Jim is a man of quiet strength. He loves children and always seems to interact in such a way that kids are drawn to him. He was the first one to take my son fishing. Dan was along for the trip as well, but Jim had invited and it was in his boat that Clayton caught his first fish.

His wife says, "I don't know of anything he can't do!" If something is broken, he will most usually always find a way to fix it. He has even sewn curtains for her. I don't know of too many men who would go out on that venture. Ha!

What was amazing to me was... even with a very black chin, a swollen, lacerated upper lip, a broken nose, and those not even being the serious things involved, he was still trying to get out the words "Thank you", whenever the nurse did something for him. And he was trying to say "I love you" to his wife. Those were some very precious moments in the midst of an extremely difficult circumstance.

We're still rooting for Jim!!

Joann's 90% Off Sale

For anyone who might be interested, I thought I would mention that Joann's Christmas Decor just went on sale for 90% off. This has not happened with left-over stock for quite some time. They have not been reducing beyond 75%. The rest has then been donated to the Salvation Army. I understand that stores have had a lot of Christmas merchandise left this year, that is why the switch in this policy has taken place. There are some great deals, especially on spools of ribbon, wreaths and garland. Our store is a Super Store with model status. I don't know how much merchandise the regular Joanns Stores will have left.
So... if you're not experiencing (as we are) the start of a "predicted" 7-10 inches of snow today... if you can even bring your eyes to look at Christmas decor again this soon after-the-fact... head on over to Joanns! I'm just SO ready to have it GONE! The fly-away glitter and the little red berries detaching from their stems have long since lost their attraction! :-)

Happy Birthday!!!

To a special person in our life:

My Mother-in-Law

A Winner!

I'm excited to announce the WINNER of my bloggy giveaway! Using an online random generator, the person chosen was Stephanie from Rhode Island at Stephanie's Mommy Brain! What a sweet lady! She will receive a Joann's Gift Card to use in whatever way she pleases.
Thanks so much to all of you for participating. Maybe we'll try it again sometime.

I was also SURPRISED to know that I had won something. Vickie, of the blog: Pursuing Simplicity, had offered a gift pack for the Mother of a Teenager. The gift set included a $10.00 gift card to Starbucks, some fine Dark Chocolate, and a book for parents of teenagers, Boundaries for Teens, by Henry Cloud and John Townsend. I simply left a comment, and I just found out I am the winner. I'm excited!! Thank you, Vickie!
She has some interesting posts, so check them out at pursuingsimplicity.blogspot.com/

If you haven't already, please take time to visit Shannon's great website, Rocks in My Dryer. She is the host for the Bloggy Carnival Give Away. She has a lot of fun and cool events going on there!

Give Away Carnival

Just for fun--- I thought I would participate in the bloggy carnival giveaway.
Denise Bittinger had a link to this site and I found it interesting... Just thought I'd try it. I'll let you know how it goes. :-)

I'm giving away a $10.00 gift card to JoAnn Fabric Store.
(I work there and it's a pleasant place to work.)

All you need to do is leave a comment and mention your favorite hobby, if you have one.

If you don't have a blog, please leave your contact information. You must leave a comment before midnight on Sat., Feb. 2nd.

I will be drawing for the winner on Feb. 3rd. The winner must contact me within 3 days of notification. No gimmicks, no tricks, just join in the FUN! Thanks!!

To link to other blogs which are participating CLICK HERE.

Need a Laugh?

Our little dog was groomed on Sat. and this is what he came back looking like.
We did not know this was going to happen.
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. lol. Mostly, we laughed.
He's looks so different!


The "new" Buddy

What had been his normal look.
This pic was taken a few months ago.

Changes and The Routine

The apple template was getting old, so I decided to switch to something different... kind of obvious, huh!

I don't know if it's because I'm a homeschool mother and this happens to be the month of January, but "routine" is a word I can relate to very well. To be honest though, many times I find comfort in the same location, same schedule, same friends, etc. Especially when I think of the alternative, such as the routine being broken by difficult and unforeseen circumstances. Which leads me to mention that I'm very thankful my husband is home after a stay in the hospital a few days ago- he was working in some fiberglass which caused him to develop an allergic reaction or a chemical asthma. His oxygen level began to plummet, among other symptoms. After being very miserable and suffering for about 3 days, he decided to go to the Dr... The Dr. sent him straight to the hospital. Breathing treatments, antibiotics and steroids have been his "story" since then. He's doing much better. We're so glad he's home! Routine is coming back into the Plemmons household slow but sure. And I'm seeking radiance in knowing God is with us in the routine OR extraordinary days of our lives!

A Very Impressive Cookbook!

Yesterday, Sherri Wolfe's mother gave me a copy of the beautiful new cookbook by the Women of Worth group in Hobe Sound, FL. The title is Kitchen Komforts. If you cook alot and sometimes go through the "What shall I fix for dinner today?" syndrome, this book is for you!! There are over 1,000 very practical recipes (which look to be extremely delicious!), and I'm so anxious to try them. Several names which I recognize have contributed their family recipes or recipes which have been a hit at church gatherings through the years. I noticed that you may order the book by sending $20.00 plus $4.00 shipping and handling to: Ruth Vernon, 8606 SE Alabama Place, Hobe Sound, FL 33455 (Also, I heard that they were going to be made available at IHC this year.)

I'm especially looking forward to trying:

Baked Vidalia Onion Dip

Blueberry Breakfast Sauce

Bonnymill Baked Eggs (A breakfast casserole which doesn't call for bread)

Cinnabon Rolls

Amish Barbequed Hamburgers

Rich and Creamy Potato Bake

Ho-Ho Cake

Easy Elegant No-Bake Cheesecake

Just to name a few...

A Gentle Reminder From My Teenager

Today, Amber and I were at our bank drive-thru. My patience was wearing thin and I voiced it by saying how it seems the tellers are slow at this particular bank and I always have to wait. Amber responded by saying, "Life is too short to....." I thought maybe she was going to say, "... to spend your life sitting at the bank." Ha! Instead she was saying, "Life's too short to spend time complaining about something such as this (beyond my control)." Thanks, Amber, for that reminder! God used it to cause me to stop and think of how few my complaints should really be in light of His wonderful blessings. Also, a good laugh was brought about by the whole discussion. (Just between us.)

Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift!

That's why it's called The Present!

Lord, help me to unwrap it in such a way that I try to make the very best of each and every moment possible.

Happy 1st Birthday, Bensen!!

My nephew, Bensen, turns one today! He's so much fun! It had been 7 1/2 yrs. since we had a baby in the family. Bensen has brought a lot of joy and laughter. Below is a clip I took at Christmas time of Bensen cooing on pitch. (Great-Grandpa Sneed sort of joined in part way through. He never claimed to have a knack for singing... Ha! And you can hear Mamaw's comment about not ever having seen a baby do that before!! The funny thing is- he only does it when someone else does it, and stops when they stop.)

I LOVE THIS!!

The Lord is gracious to those who serve Him;
Full of compassion to those who need Him;
Slow to anger for those who offend Him;
and of great mercy to those who seek Him!!

Don't know where I found this a few years back, but it is so TRUE!
What a great God!!!

And Happy New Year!!!

After spending a week in sunny southern Indiana and enjoying the fact that we didn't even have to wear a coat, we have come home to good ole Michigan and several inches of snow!!! It is beautiful!! Happy New Year One and All!!

Snapshots from Christmas

It is such a wonderful thing to gather with family for Christmas. I'm very thankful we were able to make the trip to southern Indiana this year. After an 8 hour trip, we arrived on Christmas Day around 5:00 in the evening. My parents, my sister's family and my grandparents were there to greet us. We had a scrumptious dinner and a most enjoyable time together. A man can be as poor as Job's turkey, but if he has a caring family- he's RICH!!! I know that we are so blessed!


My Mom's beautiful centerpiece


Together time-- Carson (My sister's son) and Clayton


Dad, Jeff (My brother-in-law) and Mom


Grandpa Sneed trying on his new suit coat


Carson and Grandma Sneed


The boys with Papaw and their airgun sets


Baby's First Christmas
Crystal, Bensen and Papaw


Our girl!


On Thursday the guys decided to go to the White Steamer (downtown restaurant
in Washington). Dan loves that place! I'm not so sure about it. LOL!
My Mom, sister and I took the kids and went to the BEST Mexican restaurant
anywhere- (in my opinion) Mi Pueblos!


Mom and Bensen


Carson with his favorite... Nachos Mexicanos


My sister ordered "El Presidente". You can't tell by the picture, but this plate was HUGE!!! We split it three ways.


On Friday evening, my sister invited us over for chili and a game night.
It was fun!


Dad and Mom


A wrestling match usually has a way of breaking out when you get
these three together.


I had so much fun with Bensen!!


Dan with Bensen


My sister's Colt's fans


Amber and Bensen


Crystal's hot wings are awesome!!


Crystal and Carson

In The Snow

Here's a quick snapshot I took of Clayton and Buddy playing in the snow today. This was taken before Clayton decided it was worth it to come in and get some snow pants on. He had a lot of fun. Brrrr! I wasn't out there long, but it really is cold out there. Buddy hops around in this snow like a kangaroo. It's cute to watch him. If you upsize the picture, you can see that his face is covered in it.

A Christmas Treat!

My sister passed this recipe along to me this week. Amber made them tonight and they are very hard to leave alone. They're great! I don't even know what they're called...
Here are the ingredients needed:
1/2 bar white Bakers choc. bark
1/2 12oz. bag of white Nestle morsels
Add dash of mint extract
Heat these in microwave dish until melted.
Dip Ritz crackers in melted chocolate.
Then sprinkle with Peppermint Andes Crunch. I found them in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips.
I tried several grocery stores before I finally found the Andes Candy bits at the Super Wal-Mart.

Thank God for Kids!!

What is a home without children? Quiet. ~Henny Youngman
As the song says, "We'd all live in a quiet house without Big Bird or Mickey Mouse."
In other words.... Life would have some pretty dull moments!
Their voices bring chatter, amusement, questions, compliments and sometimes an embarrassing moment or two... You never know what they will think of next and I love it!!
Tonight, Clayton said, "Mom, you know what I want to be now?" Answer: "A Train DEductor!"


Christmas Drama 2006

Our Trip To Florida :-)

Tonight we are visiting Hobe Sound Bible Church (Hobe Sound, FL) for their Living Christmas Tree presentation.......................................................
via the internet..... and don't we wish! (It did make for a great blog title though, didn't it!)
Actually, we really are enjoying a quiet winter Sunday evening here in southeastern Michigan. Church for tonight has been canceled due to freezing rain. We had the Black family here for dinner today. We've missed Amber. She's on her way back from God's Bible School and their Christmas program, which she attended last night. I had planned on making the 1 1/2 hour drive to meet Dan's sister to pick her up tonight, but decided against it due to the weather. Have a great Sunday evening!

Birthday Party for Jesus

Every year in December, our homeschool support group has a birthday party for Jesus. This year was no exception. It was held at our local library. The games and activities were geared toward the reason for the season, the birth of Christ. Our group leader teaches a cake decorating class at Michaels, so naturally she was designated to bring the cake. She even made a beautiful cookie bouquet. The kids had a great time.

A Neat Gift Idea

The theme for our Women of Worth meeting this month was "Candy Cane Christmas".
This was one of the door prizes. You can use most any candy for the top. This has fake snow and peppermints in the base of the Sunday dish, then a styrofoam ball which fits right on top. The peppermints on top were glued onto the styrofoam ball with hot glue. The curly ribbon (the curly ribbon on this one is white with the words Merry Christmas in red) and red pom pom is in the middle at the top with the two straws. Gift shops sell these for around $15.00. If you can find an inexpensive sundae dish, you can probably make one for approximately $5.00.