Three Stones Gone.

So relieved.

So thankful.

I am safe.

Right now in this moment.

I am safe.

Pain and fear change you.

So every day I say.

In this moment,

I am safe.

Love to all of you wonderful praying friends.

And to the ones who don't really like praying....I love you too.

Donna

Negatory, Big Ben

So I came here to tell you that I took my Covid test this morning.
It was negative.

So I am to isolate and then have my surgery on Tuesday.

Things went very quickly. I closed my eyes after telling the nurse I was afraid.
I never saw the swab.  I sat on my hands.  She said it would take five seconds.
It was pinchy and scratchy and hurt when the swab hit the back and swished around.

But, it was not horrible.  It just hurt some.


Now as for my title.  Negatory Big Ben.

As I was going to type Negative as the title....
Negatory Big Ben. Sprang to my mind.

I didn't know where that came from but google did.

It's from a song called Convoy.

McCall. 1975
The song made it to number ONE!

So. That is how my brain works.
Words and lyrics jumping around like pop corn!

And so it goes.

Donna

The rolling stones....

Please, if you will...notice the dates on this Facebook post.

These things pop up in my memories.
 Here is the amazing situation I've got going in 2020.


I've been having kidney stone attacks for a month. 
Had an x-ray this week and I indeed have a stone that is moving into place to cause havoc.
I will be having surgery on June 2nd.

The Doc will go in and blast the trouble maker and hopefully get the other stones (2) that have been sitting in my kidney for all these years.  We take their picture every year and they don't change.  But this month, one of the bigger stones has decided it's time to go.

The procedure is not bad.  But guess what?  I have to get a covid19 test at some drive up place.
This test looks ghastly.

Have any of you gotten the swab test.  Tell me it doesn't hurt.  Tell me it's not bad.

I don't mind the throat swabs.....

I would much rather give blood.  Wish that was a choice.


Tell me it's no big deal.  I need to know.


Big chicken,
Donna

There goes my baby.

Katie is moving to an apartment this weekend.  

She is looking forward to the freedom and well...

the freedom.

haha...

She is not going far.

We are wishing her well

and sending her off with real love and virtual hugs and kisses.

And so it goes

and so it goes....

Be always coming home

Mom

Be always coming home....

Oh but all the wonders I have seen
I will see a second time.....










The door is always open
Your pictures on my wall
Everyone's a little broken
And everyone belongs.


Wishing you all a good mother's day....
remembering your own mother
thinking about your children

I am thankful for all I have been blessed with.

Encourage one another,
Donna

forever

The half-life of love

is forever.

~Junot Diaz

storytime

The Great Realisation by Tom Roberts





I hope there is a reset. 
We can do better.

Donna

God will care for us.

How about this perfect Wisconsin shirt?

The Midwest Girl is so much fun!

https://shopthemidwestgirl.com/

I've wanted to share this charming, informative piece by talented artist https://www.kalbarteski.com/

I have two of K. Barteski's  pieces coming in the mail soon.

I'll share them when they arrive. 

I've been doing quite a bit of retail therapy the last few months.

This is unusual for me...but these are unusual times.

I feel happy to support the small shops I love.

Here is a sweet portion of a speech the Queen gave when she was a young girl.

What a great message.  

For God will care for us.

That is just the best.

Encourage one another,

Donna

still hoping

“To love means loving the unlovable. 

To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable.

 Faith means believing the unbelievable.

 Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.”

~G.K. Chesterton

Still hoping and waiting,

Donna

Poppy Seed Bread

My dear quilting friend posted a recipe for a nice loaf of bread....
I wanted to make it.  But, alas, there is NO YEAST left on the planet.

So I decided to make a quick bread.
I had all the ingredients except butter flavoring.

I checked out what Target had in the baking aisle.

The whole section was empty.
Every flavor....gone.

I asked my resident baker if he thought it would be okay without it.
He said yes.

And so.....

I share with you a delicious, throw back recipe. 
This is from my sister Cindy.


Poppy Seed Bread

Preheat oven 350°
grease and flour two loaf pans


3 cups flour
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. baking powder


3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups cooking oil
2 1/4 sugar
1 T. poppy seeds

1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 t. almond flavoring
1 1/2 butter flavoring


Mix wet ingredients, add dry ingredients, mix for 2 minutes on medium.

Bake 1 hour.  Check at 50 min

****

Now make the glaze.

1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 t. butter flavoring
1/2 t. almond flavoring
1/2 t. vanilla


Stir and pour over hot bread.


Cool- remove from pan.
wrap and refrigerate. (I don't do this)

I just love the glaze on this bread.  I made 1/2 the recipe...but used almost the full amount of glaze.
I should have just gone with it and used it all. 



What are your quarantine favorites?

What are you five must haves?  desert island foods?


Encourage one another,
Donna

Unspeakable love

There is a sacredness in tears.
They are not the mark of weakness, but of power.
They speak more eloquently than 10,000 tongues.
They are messengers
of overwhelming grief,
of deep contrition,
and unspeakable love.

~Washington Irving



It has been ten years since Suzy died.  I want to tell you about her sons and her grand-babies but that causes me the overwhelming grief spoken about above. 

How I wish.....


She is always on my mind and forever in my heart.
Beloved sister.


Love you, Mean it
Donna Elsie

Gladden the hearts of those who travel with us....

My friends, life is short, and we do not have much time to gladden the hearts

of those who travel with us, so be swift to love and make haste to be kind.

And may the blessing of the One who made us, 

and the One who loves us, 

and the One who travels with us, 

be with you and those you love this day and always.

Amen.

~ Adapted from Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821–1881)gl

Encourage one another,

Donna

p.s. The baby above is Asher but he reminds me of River in this picture.  

Holy ground is here.

"No matter where life takes you... the place where you stand at any moment is holy ground.  Love hard and love wide and love long, and you will find the goodness in it."

~Susan Vreeland



Encourage one another
Donna Elsie

Will. Rise.

“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.”

~Victor Hugo

Encourage one another,

Donna

Blinded by the Light..a delightful movie

This is a great, fun, sweet movie....with amazing music... :o)

It is free on Amazon Prime.


Encourage one another,
Donna

Hear our prayer, Lord.

View this post on Instagram

Since so many of us are missing our Sunday services or traditions, sharing these prayers written for my church this morning. Sending a hug to all.

A post shared by Savannah Guthrie (@savannahguthrie) on Mar 22, 2020 at 10:52am PDT

I stumbled upon this last night and I think it is calming and beautiful.
I am going pray with them every day.

Hear our prayer, Lord


Donna

just love

“We must be careful with our lives, for Christ's sake, because it would seem that they are the only lives we are going to have in this puzzling and perilous world, and so they are very precious and what we do with them matters enormously.”  

~Frederick Buechner

Encourage one another

Donna

Easter Blessings

"The very first Easter taught us this: that life never ends and love never dies."

~Kate McGahan

"Where flowers bloom, so does hope."

~Lady Bird Johnson

God bless you, this Easter day.

I hope,

Donna

There is a hope.

We have lost most of the things that help us celebrate

the Easter season: Church services, lilies, choirs singing, dinner with family.

But that does not stop what happens in our hearts as we reflect on what Jesus has done for us....

and how we will respond to that love.

I think it's kind of good.

Love

Donna

Unforgettable

“I'd like to add some beauty to life," said Anne dreamily. "I don't exactly want to make people KNOW more... though I know that IS the noblest ambition... but I'd love to make them have a pleasanter time because of me... to have some little joy or happy thought that would never have existed if I hadn't been born.” 

L.M. Montgomery


I love to share what I see and hear.  It's grown up show and tell.  The good parts.  You know.

I got it from my mom.  She delighted in nature and loved to point out the ducks that flew into our pool or the mesmerized deer on a winding road in northern Wisconsin. She wore tap shoes to parties and laughed the loudest.    She made things pleasanter.
She added joy and beauty just by being herself.

It's her birthday.

Happy Birthday Mom.


"Unforgettable in every way
And forever more, that's how you'll stay"


Encourage one another,
Donna Elsie

You need this today, don't you?

Have a listen to this sweet story, kind words and pretty cello.
Thank you Brad Montague for adding to the beauty.






Encourage one another
Donna

p.s. Brad is the author of the Kid President series that we all love so well.

Slice of heaven

My cousin, Paul, mentioned the following quote in his sermon last Sunday.
I know you all will love it.



“Every time I wonder who I should love and for how long I should love them, God continues to whisper to me: Everybody, always.”

~Bob Goff



Isn't it incredible?
Remarkable?

To see people all across the nation doing this thing,
this unselfish thing, this sheltering,
for someone they do not know.

In our divided country, people have become their best selves because of this crisis.
They are sacrificing so that others may live.
Putting others before self.

Whether it is going to work so others may eat.
Going to work so others may breathe.
Going to work so that others may live.
Staying home to make the way easier for others.


I am so thankful to ALL who are choosing to love others.


It is a slice of heaven I never imagined I'd see.


Encourage one another
Donna


****

34 “Then I, the King, shall say to those at my right, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, into the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me water; I was a stranger and you invited me into your homes; 36 naked and you clothed me; sick and in prison, and you visited me.’

37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Sir, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you anything to drink? 38 Or a stranger, and help you? Or naked, and clothe you? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’

40 “And I, the King, will tell them, ‘When you did it to these my brothers, you were doing it to me!’

Matthew 25

Pray for New York

Join me in praying especially for the people of New York today.

Help.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Joy on purpose.

"We made a choice to do joy on purpose. Not in spite of life's sorrows. But because of them." 

~Katherine Center

It's a constant head game to keep the bad thoughts away.

I am choosing to fight the gloom with positivity.  

I glob on to stories about potential treatments, stories of flattening the curve, 

stories of people encouraging people and stories of charity toward others.

I nearly had a panic attack yesterday at Target.

My heart was racing and I was afraid my breath was short and I darted away from anyone I saw.  

I'm a chicken.  It's true.  

I applaud the medical workers who walk into a 'burning building' day after day.

God bless you all.

But I do come home and breathe...

I listen to another doctor on youtube on how to be safe.

I read another article on how it is contracted....

and I pray for the people on my bathroom wall list and the prayer goes on and on from there.

My mind is set.

I will choose joy.

Encourage one another,

Donna

p.s. thank you for the quote Jep

Encourage one another!

Melinda shared this with me today!  Isn't it wonderful and inspiring?

We are replacing scary negative thoughts with positive encouraging thoughts and it really works!

Love and prayers,
Donna

What happens matters.

Katie is finally home.

I am thankful that this little chick is in our cozy nest.

March

The sun is nervous

As a kite

That can't quite keep

Its own string tight.

Some days are fair

And some are raw.

The timid earth

Decides to thaw.

Shy budlets peep

From twigs on trees,

And robins join

The chickadees.

Pale crocuses

Poke through the ground

Like noses come

To sniff around.

The mud smells happy

On our shoes.

We still wear mittens,

Which we lose.

John Updike

One day at a time,

Stay home.

Save lives.

What happens matters.

Love you guys,

Donna Elsie