Sunday

Good evening everyone,

   I'm feeling the urge to write again so I'd better get my heart down on the blog before the urge leaves me for another month.  We are doing good, but Mack has had a bad cold, fever, chills for the last 2 days...but doing better today.  Since we have been living without TV since the fire we sure have been getting tons more rest.  I think Mack picked up a bug on our trip back to Prescott a week or so ago as he did most of the driving.  We had to get papers signed with FEMA for the clean up process to be done in the next few months, and we sifted through some of the ashes to see if there was anything left there for us to salvage.  nothing much was left except our round fire pit, a wind chime, a bird bath, and bird feeder (my daughter gave me) and a pumice stone, and a Tea Cup.  THATS IT!! yikes.  thought maybe alittle more might have survived but it didn't.  

  We were thankful to get to stay with friends and see the whole bunch of old friends we care about but won't be around much anymore because of moving to AZ.  Its always hard to say good bye to ones we have enjoyed so many good times with. We had left on a Wednesday, drove straight though 15 hours and dealt with the house Thursday and Friday and came back to Prescott Saturday late.  We left the cats in the apartment with David to take care of them.  They were much less stress not having to make the trip and it was so wonderful not to worry at all about them.  It felt weird not to have them with us all the time...guess they are really our cutie babies now.  

   

This is Keto before the fire!

This is Keto giving Wiley a bath on  the end of our Bed tonight!  

this is a nightly ritual!

This week I finished a String Bette Bag for Nicole for the new Grandchild baby bag.  So it was Blue and turned out pretty nice.  I just never know if it is gonna turn out or not as each one turns out so differently. Got it done and in the mail.  Yeah!  Now I am working on a quilt for a wedding a week from Saturday.  I do hope it gets done before the wedding.  Another PicNic Wedding quilt to celebrate life with.  I hope it is used for that as I just love picnics the best part of life.  So many fond memories with my kids and with my family growing up too of just enjoying some beautiful places together.  

    Got to talk to Eric, little Jase, and chatted with Nicole too this past week.  It is always so wonderful to see them on FaceTime.  It makes my day.  found this picture that Eric & Nicole and Jase scribed their names into Bamboo over in Hawaii one day on a hike this year.  Pretty cool to do that!  I bet Jase will remember this someday and do it for his little boy or girl too!  They are having such a full experience over there and now preparing for another little baby boy to be born very soon into our family again. I am so over the top with excitement and I get to visit March 20 to April 3rd.  The new little one will be 2 or 3 weeks old when I get over there and just can't wait to enjoy the welcoming of little Landon to the world!  God is just so good to us...he knows our hearts long before we know what we need.   I'm just thrilled.!!

This picture below is the sun setting on Indian Head Mountian in Big Springs, California.  I use to see this sight every evening when we lived there and would never get tired of the beauty there.  I will always miss it in my heart...even though it was a harder time of my life it was a very beautiful one though.  God knew I needed all that lovely stuff in my view to get through it all. Thank goodness I had the children to keep my heart together in  one piece.

  Below is a picture of our friend Cliff when he was fishing last year at Paradise lake with Mack.  I love that this picture captures the fun of enjoying the day fully by getting the line untwisted.  This is who we stayed with on our last trip up to Paradise.  Cliff and Fern put us up in their RV and fed us so sweetly with great dinners.  It was wonderful and we both thank you for your hospitality!

   this picture was taken a few months ago of Eric my son, as they prepared to promote him to Sargent Major.  He has done so amazingly in the military and I am so proud of him for keeping true to what he felt he must do.  Its been a full life for them, and he has accomplished much.  

Well, that is about it for now.  we are getting ready to call it a day.  Another exciting Friday night with no entertainment except the cats and our computers!  Thank you for listening and hearing all the same stuff you probably have already heard.  Love and miss you all!
God Bless, and I hope someday to see you all again when I visit back in California.
Hugs & Prayers,
   BJM

https://youtu.be/yOEviTLJOqo

After Christmas

January 4th, 2019
  Well Got my ticket to so see Eric, Nicole, Jase, Jayla & Landon--Newborn to be grandson in March.  He is due after Feb 28th, but I think they will deliver him March 6th, 2019.  I will get there March 20th afternoon and stay for 2 weeks.  Just can't wait to see them it has been so very long, over a year.  Only sent them gift cards this year for Christmas as there has been too much confusion in our lives to celebrate life normally.  So will look to the new exciting event that will be here before we know it...yeah!!!

Its official also...Eric got promoted to Sergeant Major!  Wow and more Wow!  He never ceases to amaze me with his ability to do so much in his life.    

Our life now in AZ is settling down to a pattern.  Looking for houses in the area as often as we can and going to look at them.   the pictures are beautiful of the houses and usually when we get to the house it disappoints us and we become more sadden that we might not ever find the right place.  Next week we plan to go back to the Paradise house lot and try to go through some of it to recover anything that might be worth salvaging but as more and more time goes by i'm getting better and better about the letting go process.  New thing s will its place and a new direction will bring just as much satisfaction as before.  

   I'm really liking the new Canyon Bible Church that we are attending with Karen & Rodger Wynott. 

They are my neighbors from Van Nuys, Ca when Bonnie Jo was a Baby and they are helping us find a home as he is a Realtor.  God works in mysterious ways and I am so very thankful he has provided all our needs and more through this whole ordeal.  

The weekly podcast of their 3 pastors Sermons are excellent.  Last week it was on Psalm 73.  Very very well done!

           Every so often I get to talk to my friends in Paradise, Ca.  It just warms my heart to hear their voice again and usually try to catch up when I am sewing in the afternoons.   This sermon is excellent and was the week when both Mack and I attended together.  It was a great Sunday and will remember it always.  I trust that God is working all things to the good for us as he knows what is best.    So much pressure in the settling of our old house and property that there are tons of big decisions to make and Mack has been having to do it all.  I am so very grateful he has been handling it all. 

  http://canyonprescott.org/sermons/sermon/2018-12-30/is-god-really-good

   Here are some older photos of our old house before the sliding glass door was put in and the patio covering was taken down.  It was a very pretty back yard patio  and I do miss my plants.

 This Chinese Lantern in the background is the only thing in the back yard that went untouched by the fire storm.  We brought it back with us to Prescott and now it is sitting once again in David & Irene's backyard.  Mack was very happy it survived, as it meant a lot to him and he lost everything else in that darn fire.

This is how I feel with the New Grand Baby Arriving soon!  Just so unbelievable!

 I love these scrappy slippers that I found in my old pictures....maybe someday I will try to make them for my new wardrobe.

I think I need a birdfeeder just like this.!!

TJ made this more me on mother's day one year.  I think I still have it in storage still.  It was the funniest day I ever had at Disneyland.  All 3 of my kids were together and we had one laugh after another!  Nancey Joy was with us and took this picture too!  Many happy times together!

This is the top of it and Eric in his 4H outfit and  Mack at the top left over seeing us.  this was in my skinnier days.. 

Love Psalm 91!!

Well I have rambled on and on about a lot of stilly stuff.  Life has changed drastically and I think looking back a little helps me get greater perspective on our present stage of events.  Yes we will find a new home again and this is all in Gods Timing and God's hands.  We just have to shut down the worrying when it looks like nothing is happening in the right direction.  We are well, have enough food and energy to create projects (like for my new grandson etc) and I look forward to the new exciting things that await us this next year 2019!  

  I want to thank everyone (you know who you are) that have blessed us with so many gifts, unexpected gifts, and so much love from the depts. of their hearts.  Makes this bleak dessert sojourn not so terribly feeling like it could be.  Everyone has been so Loving and we both appreciate it all!

   Thanks for traveling along with us...it's been one heck of a ride.  Love you all!

P.S. I did finally buy some cowboy boots.   

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sermons/id964702369?mt=2