Another has gone home.

Keith's dad Gerald has died. Gerald has been passively ill for a few years.  Just a few months ago the decision was made that he move to a nursing home, it was a difficult decision. Gerald physically was declining, mentally declined.  The hopes and desires of course were different, the truth was it was not healthy nor safe for Mary Lou or Gerald, for him to stay home with her.

A week ago Hospice who helps with the care of Gerald, notified Mary Lou that Gerald was actively dying.  This was the beginning, and could take some time.  With my own father it was about a week. The next day the offer and acceptance of him moving to Hospice house- This was a great relief and blessing.  The house, as Keith described it, was beautiful, it was a ,'home', it reminded him of Geralds childhood home, Keith had known from visiting his grandparents.  It is an older home, two story, and filled with antiques, the only part not 'homey' the hospital beds, but the atmosphere made up for this.  

The next day Keith's brother made it in to town, and saw his father, as it was, just a few hours before Gerald went home to our father.  Gerald left this world, peacefully and quietly, and answer to prayers in the quiet of the morning, just he with the Lord.

The out pouring of love that followed was amazing.  The perfect timing for so very many to be at the service amazing. The many people that came to honor Gerald, amazing.

This service for Gerald actually revived him, in all of our hearts and memories.  Gerald had slipped away from us all, the man we had seen for the past few years was not the man Gerald had been.  The man Gerald had become died, but the Gerald we knew and loved was honored at the services was brought back to life in our memories. Our Gerald, 'Big G', Gia, Brother Petty is alive and well forever more.

Topping things off

We are in the process of roofing. Still.  The metal came in. Pretty and silver. The shortest piece it 3' the longest is 29" approximately 18" wide.  

The order of build is to do the  back porch then the back main roof- front porch and front of main roof.

Brian and Keith began the back porch. The lining up of the first piece and the next few was most tedious. They intended on having all of the porch finished by the time some awesome friends from church and work came in, so the 'hardest' could be worked on when there were many. It did not happen that way. 

Steps to be taken, are get a section of metal, the 20+ sheets have to have one on each end and NOT bend it. Lay it down- pull the blue protection plastic off of the outside, flip it over and run 1/2" foam tape down the middle (to prevent Oil Canning?) Then hook onto rope and clamp so the on the roof guys can pull it up the ramp, which Tanah says looks a 'little like a good slide'. 

We set up an assembly line and it worked pretty well, as long as I did not get cocky and try to show Jack how to really put the tape on straight, the WRONG side.  And as long as we did not have two Geologist putting on the tape, the WRONG side 5 TIMES!  

The wind cooperated pretty much all the time.  Only picking up at the end of the day Super bowl Sunday, actually just in time for all to make their parties. Freeing Keith from being the friend they hated for abusing their friendship and causing them to miss the game. 

Since then we have had a couple of good un windy days, Keith worked on the sides of the front porch, and another friend showed up one day to help him do that, just because he felt he might be needed.  God has provided.

We had all intentions to finish the roof this past weekend, when Lee came in town bringing Evan for a visit.  We had decided to pay Lee the $ for the flight for Evan to come home would be like killing a bunch of chickens, getting more help, getting to see Evan, getting to see grand kids.  IT WAS A GREAT PLAN, just not for the same reasons we had.  

As it was, Gerald, Keith's dad passed away just before their coming in, so we had a memorial service to attend, and they were all able to be here.

The wind blew like CRAZY all this time, building to a crescendo on Sunday as everyone left to 40 mile gusts. Keeping us from deciding to do some work to make up for lost time.  We have lost nothing. Keith is emotionally and physically wiped out, being on a roof is probably the last place he should be right now.

God has been ever present in this build.  Most recently it has been in the use of our church body.  The men that have come to help us, have been a blessing. More than just physical labor, but spiritual growth. Asking for help is the last thing, we, Keith, will do. We both feel we have jumped into this with both feet, and should not expect, ask, even desire others to even dip a toe in of their own. We are learning. Just as these men were giving their time to us, I was hearing a on ipod Daily Bible, of Moses who received help to hold up his hands to help the Israelites to victory in war. In the same reading Moses was advised to accept help in ministering to the Israelites.  Receiving help is also a service, as well as giving it. I am thinking even more so, it takes humility.  

So today as we have forecast of 60 mile gusts, we are standing back and knowing HE is in control, and as much as we want this done now, God will bring this home to completion in His time.  We have placed the scripture, 'As for me and my house we will serve the Lord' literally everywhere on this home.  Cut into the concrete on the porch, written on the styrofoam wall,I intend on stenciling this on my walls, and it is in our hearts.  We must know this and allow this, thus allowing God control of this, His home. We have been blessed beyond what we deserved. We have the desire to let Him use this home for His work, and want to be vessels for Him. So we wait and learn.

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Ok here are some more pictures-- I have been receiving requests of our progress-- I do not know if you can tell, but we HAVE been working- We put down the underlay for the roof, it is not as easy as it looks (if it looks easy). Actually the we consisted of Keith all the time and Brian with about 3/4 of it and then Keith had to settle for me for the last 1/4. We started laying it on a Saturday afternoon, and did the front porch. Sunday we were going to start the main roof, which has a bit more pitch.

I was some what nervous about this part. The angle is such that you have to lean all the time, more than it looks you would. My knees have become most uncooperative since my being sick, don't know why, or what, just know they REALLY hurt. The right one hurts to straighten and the left to bend. So sitting in a crouched position unrolling a huge roll of paper on a 12:5 pitch roof in the wind AND being a clutz makes me nervous. So I prayed for strength and ability all day Sunday before we began the roof. Just as I was climbing the ladder to begin this endeavor Keith's phone rang, it was Brian, my strength and ability calling, to see if we needed any help!!

The guys got all the front pitched roof done and the back porch. Keith and I finished the back pitch in two more afternoons. Keith has lots of holes in his tongue from biting it those two days.

The electric is mostly run, that took many days and wire.

I have 3600 square feet of 800 polishing and then 3600 square feet of 1500 polishing and probably a densifyer or sealer finish to go and the floors are finished. I have run 4 different grinds and will have run 6 rounds of polish- 36,000 feet of grinding polishing. NEVER NEVER again, the floors will be great, but NEVER NEVER again. We will be selling the grinder polisher-- we bought it for 7000$ and a little extra for the last polish pads and densifiyer-- If we sell if for 3000 then we will have 1$ per square foot floors... Anyone buying?

We are pretty sure we have the doors 'done', except for the front door Keith is proposing to build. Some friends just unbroke ground and we purchased some of their doors from them.

God has blessed us with a change in the building weather, our construction people are getting hungry and beginning to come to us for work and are actually coming DOWN and competing with each other on prices.

Steel prices came down this week so our roof cost will too.

What we are fixin to do:

Roof this weekend

Finish polish

Run rest of plumbing (exhaust)

Air ducts for air/heat ( need to have them 'compete' more)

Dry wall and texture

Doors hang

Master bath: toilet, sinks(have)build tile shower, bath(have)

Texture paint Master bed

The cabinets have been purchased!! They should be ready at end of February-- Again a God send. The cabinet maker, the timing, the cost, all perfect. After we had figured we could not afford anything but prefab and wondered if that would be worth it.. Here is this, they will be knotty alder, exactly what we want!!

Our hope is to be to a point of moving in it by April-- basically kitchen and master finished and the rest to be finished within a few weeks and $$ of that.

I gotta go and grind-- more soon--

STILL building a house

Okay my house is not finished. I was most sure that 6 months would be plenty of time to build a house.  Or at least be MUCH further along than we are. We really have been 'doin sumthin' the whole time. But obviously NOT ENOUGH.

We (Keith and some of his guys from work) started the electric this last weekend.  That to did not complete in one day-- It should in another.  

We did find that there are a bit more 'little things' the framers did askew.  So we are contemplating NOT using them for the dry wall work-- IF we do, I will be more aggressive and bossy(bitchy) with them while they are here.  The little things may be the norm, a few inches off here or there, a wall/door misplaced, (they fixed it,but it messed up a bit of my concrete floor, so I will have to become creative with the holes) A couple of walls were not anchored to the cement wall, which would really be an issue if they fell down.  Little things.... One of the little things was on the raising of the trusses, they (after much instruction of NOT to) put one too close to the gable, leaving us short one on one end.  They had to build another for that end. The end that got too many we had a room designed in the attic that might one day open into the living as a loft-- an after thought, but the truss guy designed it so we could do this.  The moving of the truss though made it so it would be impossible to open this loft to the living without much redesign.  So brain storm of Meg Ash and I was to put the opening to the room on the outside of the house, with stairs going up to it from the outside-- Like Doc's office on Gunsmoke.  -- It will be Keith's poker room and or 'doghouse'.  I keep trying to convince him to put a toilet and sink up there also, but so far he thinks the work will be more than the convenience. 

The porches look great.  

The roof metal guy is coming tomorrow to give us some estimates and measure

The jury is still out on the loan.

We brought the second set of doors home with us after Christmas (Keith went and picked them up in Houston)

We bought the master bath.

We have only had two really big arguments since last posting.. pretty good for the circumstances-- one of them being KEITH.  

It has been a few days-- So much to do this time of year!  Our Christmas was a completely new experience for us! A multitude of 1st.

1st Christmas to not have to put up a Christmas tree: One would not fit in our lovely abode. We thought of Christmas lights, but thoughts of Randy Quaid's character in National Lampoons Christmas danced through my head.  

1st Christmas in many many years to not spend it in Midland in my home.  We have hosted Christmas for YEARS. Without a house it was impossible. 

1st Christmas to spend in San Antonio.

1st Christmas no stockings were hung

1st Christmas to have 4 grandchildren-WOW. What joy!!

1st Christmas to have Christmas begin on the 23 and go through the 25-- Two Christmas celebrations with the two families.

1st Christmas to not have a house

1st Christmas none of my children are 'living' in my home.

1st Christmas to not have parents. This was sobering.  Last Christmas was the first without Dad alive, we had eased into his not being with us the year before, with him not being able to come to the house, and us visiting him at the nursing home.  Last year doing for Mom and making sure she was taken care of for Christmas seemed help with the missing of Dad. 

For the past few years I had been the 'Santa' for all of the gifts Mom and Dad had given to others, even the gifts they gave each other.  Mom would call often with the question of if I had taken care of so and so and what they were giving to whom, wondering if there should be more etc. She would have me pick out my own, insist to see it, since she knew I would sometimes NOT do this, it seemed self indulgent to me. This year of course none 'from' Mom and Dad. I missed it, even if it was really 'from' me. 

Mom had tried to 'back out' of last Christmas, which we spent at Brian and Ashtons for the main meal and present opening.  I was insistent and did not let her give in to her maladies of the day, and I am so very thankful! Had that been the case I would not have the last picture of her with me.  As small item, but with so very much meaning for me.

This bit of sadness did not 'ruin' my Christmas! Actually just the opposite, it made everything so much more precious. The time to share with the boys and their families, the grandkids, even the candlelight service, that Dad enjoyed so much in the past, was so very special.  I have my memories of Christmas past, with my parents, my family as a child. I can remember the love and the joy we shared.  I treasure that. 

This year as I watched my own grown children with their families, their children, making traditions, in their own homes, telling their children of Christ's birth, I felt pure joy. Joy of God's plan to save us. Joy that His plan is so constant so precise.

I was born to a young woman with no way to care for me, I was born without parents, with no one who wanted to keep me to love.  God had a plan. A perfect plan for me.  God gave me parents, brothers, a family. God gave me a husband a companion. God gave me children, 3 sons. God gave me daughters when my 2 sons married. God gave me grandchildren. 

The love continues. 

He continues the love. 

More of my Wellness.

Last posting of my illness, I was on the mend.  The diagnosis a bit of a mix of things. That was on a Saturday, the following Monday was even more.

I woke up and readied for my shower and looked down at many many bruises and tiny red spots all over my body.  Frustrated does not even describe what I felt. 

 I called the MD office, I could not do a walk in in the AM because they had a staff meeting, so come at 2pm and they would fit me in.  They did, at 4:30-  Dr. Sponsel was not pleased with what was happening, with my body. The possibilities ranged from virus infecting blood to leukemia and even possibly other cancerous things.... He ordered blood work and a full body scan, to have results before Thanksgiving.  

Dr Sponsel is a Christian, who professes his faith with absolutely no qualms, very refreshing and mentoring to me.  He said he knew we were to have faith in these matters, yet he also believed God wanted us to have comfort and peace, and that having answers to things would bring this, even if it was 'bad news'.  

Well some answers did come on Wednesday, before TG.  I had no blood platelets and spleen enlarged (must go 'with' platelet issue because scan did not come in for another week)

AND I had MRV/Epstein Barr virus-Which is MONO, a herpes virus.   The latter concerned me so much for the grandchildren, I had the nurse immediately call the MD back, before any more explanation of my diagnosis, so as to know if I had endangered them.  The call back was relieving, the infection needs to be of the slobbery kiss transfer, or more (thus the 'kissing disease') And if they were going to get it they would have already had it from me AND I was no longer infectious.  WHEW.

The next news was on my platelets, and bleeding from missing them.  I was not to bump into things, brush my teeth too hard, nor play with the grandkids in a way that would result in bumbs or  bruises, or I would start bleeding and they would take my spleen out. MMmh. "Could I fix this by drugs or eating broccoli or something ?" 

"Nope."  

"Ok, how long do I walk around like a china doll?"

"At least 4 weeks, it takes platelets some time to replenish from nothingness, IF they do."

"IF?"

Probably will, since probably removed by virus(and found later RX given also)but some do not replenish properly if caused by other things. You will need to come into office every week to get platelets counted to make sure they are going up, for a few weeks,starting Monday."

So there I was, monophied, bruised, but NOT diabetic,nor leukemic. Blessed.

Monday, I went in to give blood.  I commented that I assumed the body scan was 'good'. They checked and found it had not come in at all as they had planned, so it had been overlooked. Whoops.  They then seemed to be a bit concerned again, maybe for chicken counting before all eggs in. They were going to call as soon as records found and reported to MD.  Tuesday, they called... MIRACLE to be documented. My platelets were completely normal, no issues at all, I would not need to come in again for any more rechecks. 4 weeks had turned to 4 days.    The scan had also been found and studied, completely clear (except morning BM still present to photographed, but we all know that I am 'FULL of IT).

Since this I have also found that my Mono,was a 'relapse', like all herpes virus can do.  I had mono previously in life and the stress of all of the illness/dehydration and ? triggered it to raise it's ugly head.  Dr. Sponsel and we are not thinking Mono was the primary cause, he still thinks it was toxins in the body that sent me over the edge-- The tannins and fermented of the Wurstfest, cement poisoning when cement ate through my skin and into blood stream, pituitary tumor messing with adrenals all the time, celiac(autoimmune disease) =dehydration and total body collapse-- And God can heal anything anytime, even before we know what we need healing from.. 

I was very sick, I was very aware of this and so very distressed at the thought of not being around for my family, my grandchildren births, graduations, marriages. So aware of missing my blessings, should I be called home now.  I was on my knees. I asked God for my healing and he gave it to me.  No diagnosis needed, only my God's healing hand.   

It always takes something like this to bring things into a new,better light. To show what we take advantage of. The 'things' being our blessings.  I am blessed, I am always blessed, and rarely do I actually look at and treasure up my blessings as I should.  There are still many many things I wish I 'do'. I know I should, because God has given me these things, yet I 'do' not enough with them.  

*My Grandchildren-- more time, more goings on, -go ahead and splurge.. 

*My Boys- more time, more 'talks', tell them more about me-- who else will?

*My Talents- use them, try them, - failure is not using them

*My Family- God gave them all to me, bio and adopted and legal they are all 'real' to me  and , I need to grasp those gifts.

SteveMikeLinda(s) YvonneAnneTeriJulieBeckyCheyanneTomTommyPaulWendiNealGingerDeanAshley

JoeyPattyFranMaryLeMonicaGeneJennyDianeCandiceJamieCodyNeal(s)TravisNathan

KarenTanahVioletGarySuzyFranBlaineJames(s)MaryLouAshtonBobbyColleen

JustinMegMelissa(s)JoeyDeuceM'lissaChrisTheresaLeeEvanTyBrianTrentDavidJoeEmory

RustyJuneChadErinChelseaZachGabDallas(s)AndrewLeslieKennethBryanDanielRachelEJ RebeccaJeffScottStephanieBrittanyMaryChristineKatyMKenzie

*My Husband- a perfect fit, my protector and friend. I need to know that and rejoice.

*My Friends- more than I know,more than I deserve.

The framing has been completed. The trusses should go up tomorrow, and then the decking. Yes, that is a cat on top of the wall, and 3 dogs in the house.(Hobo is the dark brown new 'find'.

The delay from illness and lack of follow through and change of roof supplier has taken it's toll.

We will not have a house by Christmas. But that was probably really NOT going to really happen, anyway. WE will have a roof though, we will be dried in. Hopefully we will get a loan for Christmas. (Pray for such!)

The crew that are doing the frame work are again a God send. They are local too, the out of towner we thought would be the 'better deal' was 3x more than this crew. These guys are great, they helped me fix some walls that changed up because I just found 2 of my showers 'moved' thus a few adjustments had to be made-- But they really helped a great deal made sure everything centered etc. Like they actually care! The second day they were putting up walls, it was COLD even had some snow flurries.