Category: Home

25 Dec 2024 Merry Christmas and Creativity

by saymber, posted in Food, history, Home, Leading Life by Example, Spirituality and Religion, Writing and blogging

How are you creative?

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you! The past couple of days have been full of blessings and I am so grateful! On Christmas Eve I went with my Aunt Ruth and Uncle John to my cousin Tony and his wife Tawna’s house for a wonderful meal and visit. They ordered a feast through the restaurant Cracker Barrel and everything was so good! We were joined by Tony’s son and his wife who is in the process of becoming a doctor and Mitchell was just promoted to Captain! They may be moving to Arizona so that made this visit even more special!

A Captain and a lovely doctor in the making!

After dinner there were gifts to open and everyone was too full for dessert! We got to see Tawna’s little old man dachshund Eli – so sweet!

My earth angel Tawna
Tawna and my cousin Tony – these two are so dear to me! Part of my earth angels here in Idaho

Today I was awakened by a call from my Aunt to wish me a Merry Christmas which was so sweet. I was in bed late as I woke up at around 3 am and had trouble going back to sleep. I had one of my shadow people dreams that scared me awake. I got up and Link and I went over to my Aunt and Uncles house for Christmas dinner. They had the table set with nice plates and the turkey was already cooked. They did the bag kind and it was perfect – so moist and tender! They made a bunch of dressing which is my favorite side dish. We had mashed potatoes and some salad. Everything was so good! We watched the squirrels and birds they feed at the feeder they have. So cute and entertaining! After dinner there were a couple gifts to include a new baby for Link. Ruth got him to tear the paper off which surprised and delighted me! He’s never done that before. He hid it somewhere we couldn’t find. He does that with his favorite toys. My Aunt is one of his favorite people! Then we watched a holiday edition of Sister Boniface which is one of our favorite shows we watch when I go over to their house. I didn’t have room for dessert so they sent me home with leftovers and pie. What a special day!

Uncle John and Aunt Ruth more earth angels

As I reflect on this holiday I find myself feeling so grateful and blessed! So many special memories have been made with my family here. They help chase the Grinch I can be away this time of year!

My creativity these days is this blog. Writing is my only real outlet these past couple of years.

This passage is very fitting for how my family is: and is teaching me to be:

1 Corinthians 13New International Version

13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poorand give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b]but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies,they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror;then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.But the greatest of these is love.

20 Dec 2024 Fun

by saymber, posted in animals, Bipolar life, Home, Spirituality and Religion, Writing and blogging

What was the last thing you did for play or fun?

Good evening to you. Hope this finds you well. In answer to today’s prompt the last thing I did for fun is play with Link my dog. Sometimes in the evening he gets a wild hair up his butt and wants to play with his partially broke down chewy or one of his favorite babies he likes to hide in plain sight. He’s irresistibly cute when he does this and I just have to join in the fun!

Link with a toy my Aunt Ruth gave him that is one of his favorites! He’s looking a little unkempt – before getting groomed!

Psalm 59:16New International Version

16 But I will sing of your strength,
    in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
    my refuge in times of trouble.

11 Dec 2024 Favorite Physical Activities or Exercises

by saymber, posted in history, Home, human rights, space, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs

What are your favorite physical activities or exercises?

Hello there! How are you?! I’m doing ok. I’ve been watching the news reports about objects they claim are drones flying over New Jersey and other parts of the world for weeks now. They had a hearing about it just yesterday and the FBI claims to not know what they are. One news report I heard today is there is an Iranian mothership bought from China in the ocean where these are allegedly coming from. It’s so bizarre because they are not the normal size of most drones people have access to. Some have been reported to be the size of a small SUV! With the recent hearings about UAPs and our being told we are not alone – that we are in fact being visited by beings or objects from other worlds or dimensions, I think it’s all connected somehow. I don’t think we are alone and I have been waiting all my life for the truth to be revealed! In yesterday’s hearing they were asking why if they are drones and a possible threat to the security of the citizens they are flying over they aren’t being shot down. I don’t think they are sure what to do about this! They didn’t have a definitive answer. They have put zero dollars in the budget for this sort of thing. Some people suspect these are not of this world but being put out there to act like something we already know so we won’t be afraid when the truth comes out. I saw a report of a man in New Jersey taking matters into his own hands and shooting at one of them as it flew over his house – he was arrested. People are alarmed over this! Something is happening and I hope it’s not just smoke and mirrors to distract us from matters affecting all of us. This year is definitely closing out on a weird note!

Whew! Now to today’s prompt! The one physical activity that I enjoy is walking even if it’s hard for me to do with the Mal de barque syndrome going on. I force myself to go with Link at least once a day. We go around the block. I am winded but we do it and it’s good for both of us. There was a time in my life, well most of my life, that I was really active. I ran, played volleyball, worked out at the gym, danced, road bike and did yoga as just a few examples. Now that I have put on so much weight and have balance issues with the Mal de barque syndrome – walking is really all I can do along with sit-ups and arm exercises. Slowly I am losing weight.

This passage from Ezekiel and messages in Revelations makes me think that people writing about these experiences back then were much like people of today trying to describe what they are experiencing in New Jersey and other places in the world right now. Sometimes words aren’t enough!

Ezekiel 10-11New International Version

God’s Glory Departs From the Temple

10 I looked, and I saw the likeness of a throne of lapis lazuli above the vault that was over the heads of the cherubim. 2 The Lord said to the man clothed in linen, “Go in among the wheels beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And as I watched, he went in.

3 Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court. 4 Then the glory of the Lord rose from above the cherubim and moved to the threshold of the temple. The cloud filled the temple, and the court was full of the radiance of the glory of the Lord.5 The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far away as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty[a] when he speaks.

6 When the Lord commanded the man in linen, “Take fire from among the wheels, from among the cherubim,” the man went in and stood beside a wheel.7 Then one of the cherubim reached out his hand to the fire that was among them. He took up some of it and put it into the hands of the man in linen, who took it and went out. 8 (Under the wings of the cherubim could be seen what looked like human hands.)

9 I looked, and I saw beside the cherubim four wheels, one beside each of the cherubim; the wheels sparkled like topaz. 10 As for their appearance, the four of them looked alike; each was like a wheel intersecting a wheel. 11 As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the cherubim faced; the wheels did not turn about[b] as the cherubim went. The cherubim went in whatever direction the head faced, without turning as they went. 12 Their entire bodies, including their backs, their hands and their wings, were completely full of eyes, as were their four wheels. 13 I heard the wheels being called “the whirling wheels.”14 Each of the cherubim had four faces: One face was that of a cherub, the second the face of a human being, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

15 Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures I had seen by the Kebar River.16 When the cherubim moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the cherubim spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not leave their side. 17 When the cherubim stood still, they also stood still; and when the cherubim rose, they rose with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in them.

18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim. 19 While I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground, and as they went, the wheels went with them. They stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

20 These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the Kebar River, and I realized that they were cherubim. 21 Each had four faces and four wings, and under their wings was what looked like human hands. 22 Their faces had the same appearance as those I had seen by the Kebar River.Each one went straight ahead.

1 Dec 2024 Meant To Be

by saymber, posted in history, Home, Leading Life by Example, space, Spirituality and Religion, Writing and blogging

Hello to you from frosty Idaho. I had to scrape frost off of my windows before church this morning! Something I have been following lately is the increased reporting of lights in the sky to include right over the Capitol building on Thanksgiving! Interesting times we are living in.

Lights captured over the Capitol building

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14137567/Mysterious-lights-Capitol-Hill-sparks-fears-UFOs-Washington-DC.html

Today’s message at Grace Bible Church Middleton was from Christmas Story Meant To Be – Garden of Sorrow. Pastor Jayson was in Genesis Chapter 2 and 3:

Genesis 2:8-9New International Version

8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 3:1-4New International Version

The Fall

3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.

Out of these scripture we are told that God gives us great gifts but what God gave as a gift became a gift of sorrow by what Adam and Eve did by eating fruit from the one tree God told them not to eat from. The garden became a garden of sorrow instead of paradise. We are reminded in this season of gifts that it’s not entirely about the manger – Jesus’s birth – but ultimately the cross he would die on for that first sin and all sin that has followed.

This message makes me reflect on my walk of faith and all the ways I have fallen short – eaten fruit from the forbidden tree, broken commandments. I am so grateful to be knowing Jesus more and more. I have so much yet to learn! It’s important to know it’s never too late to know him.

30 Nov 2024 Thanksgiving and Favorite Things To Wear

by saymber, posted in Food, Home, Spirituality and Religion, Writing and blogging

What are your two favorite things to wear?

Hello to you this Saturday afternoon. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving at my cousin Heidi’s house along with her husband, my Aunt and Uncle and my cousins son, wife and two children. There was so much food I didn’t have room for dessert! We had turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, stuffing, pistachio pudding salad, raspberry pudding salad and rolls! Whew! What a feast! It was so nice to be with everyone! I am so blessed to be here and be able to share the holidays with such loving family.

What a wonderful meal and company!

I caught a slight cold that showed up yesterday and is still hanging around today. Hope I wasn’t contagious to the family! No Black Friday shopping for me. From what Tik Tok was showing there weren’t a lot of shoppers. Apparently there just weren’t that great of sales to make it worth it. I’ve never been a fan of crowds anyways!

Todays prompt is hard to answer as the only things I wear on a favorites basis is jewelry. I have a ring engraved with the phrase “Not all who wander are lost” and my Metatrons Cube pendant I wear each day. I used to have a tie dye t-shirt I loved to wear a lot but I wore it out! When I couldn’t wear it in public I used it as a night shirt until it fell apart. Wearing stuff until it falls apart is something I do a lot!

  • Psalm 100:4-5“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations”. 

20 Nov 2024 Positive Thinking in Uncertain Times

by saymber, posted in history, Home, human rights, In the News, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. Hope this finds you well. As I write to you I find myself feeling grateful to be living in the United States. In so many regions of this world there is uncertainty. When I see news reports coming from the Middle East and the Ukraine and Russia I feel that gratitude even more. I feel bad for these and other parts of the world not being safe, struggling to get food, drinking water and shelter. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to be a parent in these war torn regions! Every day there are bombs, gun fire and rubbled buildings- bodies of children wrapped in sheets.

I’m trying not to succumb to fear and paranoia of it all but it’s hard. These are uncertain times. Times to take out our gratitude lists and seek the light amongst the growing shadows. I am including all world leaders in my prayers and positive thoughts despite being very disappointed in decisions they have made and are continue to make. There doesn’t seem to be a guard rail for President Biden with his policies regarding the Ukraine.

I am hoping things will get better in January. Until then I hope things don’t escalate to a point of no return! I will try and remain positive. Now is the time to lean heavily on faith in Christ. With everything happening and happening so fast we must lean on our faith!

Matthew 24:6-8King James Version

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

17 Nov 2024 City

by saymber, posted in history, Home, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs

What is your favorite place to go in your city?

Hello to you from snowy and wet Idaho! I had snow on my car this morning before heading to church. I wanted to mention my cousin and I ended up going to Applebee’s on Veteran’s Day. They had a wonderful menu just for us veterans! We both had the 6 oz steak, broccoli and garlic mashed potatoes. It was very good. This was the first time I have taken advantage of such a thing. We agreed we would make a tradition out of it!

Today’s prompt is thinking about a city but I live in a town (for now! We are growing fast!). My favorite part of where I live is old town. Middleton was established in the 1860’s and is the oldest settlement in Canyon County. This is where the history is. There isn’t much left of old town Middleton – a lot of vacant buildings. There are a couple churches, the community center, the police station, modern stuff like a gas station and Subway. A couple businesses like a hair salon, a dog groomer, The Chap Wine and Tap, The Original Sunrise Cafe, 208 Burger, Kravs and Tacos El Rancho. Our Grace House is one of the only homes on Main Street. Because of the way Middleton is it is pretty much set the way it is. Growth has only happened to the outskirts not within where the historical buildings are. They built a Jack In The Box and Dairy Queen within the past couple of years. I hope Middleton will stay on the small side but with all the new developments (housing) I doubt it will stay small for long. The town next to us, Star, is experiencing growth we cannot with the way Middleton is laid out.

Today’s message in church came from a couple that was invited to share their stories of trials and tribulations within the past couple of years. They are business owners, home school their children and are active members of Grace Middleton Bible Church. With more commitment to the Lord, they have experienced more trying times but have remained faithful. I have been enjoying the interviews with members of our church. It seems like the more you are devoted to the Lord the bigger target you become for attacks and challenges!

Lamentations 3:22-23English Standard Version

22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;[a]
    his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

6 Nov 2024 He Won

by saymber, posted in history, Home, human rights, In the News, Politics and Government, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs

Hello to you. Hope this finds you well. I woke up this morning to the news that Donald Trump won the election and not by a little bit either! My prayer before sleep was that Gods will be done with the outcome and I guess that was his answer!

Now we will see what having him re-elected will mean. One concern I have is about him wanting to expand the quest for liquid gold as he calls it- specifically fracking which is toxic to the environment and drinking water. I am excited to see what RFK Jr. will do if Trump follows through with appointing him at the head of government agencies like the EPA and FDA. America is needing some massive changes to get healthy again. I am also curious to see if Trump will follow through with appointing Elon Musk to be in charge of streamlining government agencies.

Overall I am hopeful that things will be less chaotic this go around! I listened to VP Harris’s speech today and felt her concession to Donald was very graceful. Honestly I didn’t expect Donald to win by such a wide margin! So let this next chapter begin!

Matthew 20:25-26 says, “But Jesus called them to himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant”. 

5 Sept 2024 Pets and Time

by saymber, posted in animals, Home, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Writing and blogging
Henry and Spot are together again

Hello to you. I hope this finds you well. I’m feeling a bit off as I write to you. I’m sure it will pass. I found out yesterday that we lost another family pet. It was my ex in-laws Yorkshire terrier Henry. I don’t think we ever get enough time with our pets. If only we could get one more meal, walk, cuddle, play session, treat, howling chorus….just never enough time. There is little consolation. There is little closure as when it’s time to say goodbye it is us that need to hear from animals one last goodbye and all they can do is look into our eyes and see the pain their leaving is causing. They can’t give us what we so dearly want, their lighted eyes simply twinkle out. Their breath ceases. When we had to say goodbye to four of our animals – two dogs and two cats I nearly lost my mind. I had been with my cats 14 years and Sam was like a son. Pieces of my heart and soul shattered. I am dreading the day Link and I will be parted. He will be 9 this year! He’s a senior dog now! We will just have to cherish our remaining years and not focus on what we can’t control. Death has no master but Jesus Christ. I have faith that when my time comes I will have a lot of greeters with paws!

Corinthians 15:26—27, 54–57When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.

28 August 2024 Something to Write About

by saymber, posted in Home, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Writing and blogging

Hi there! How are you doing today? I hope this finds you well. I am trying to write a little more often and it’s kind of hard. Being single and living alone with my sweet dog Link – not going out much makes for not much to write about! Most of the outside my home activities are family, church and medical appointment related. Starting next month on Tuesdays I will be joining my Aunt for a Bible study called One in a Million. This study will go on into November. It will be nice to have an opportunity to make new friends! People my age are still working so most of the people will be older and retired. As a newer Christian it will be good to learn more and have the opportunity to ask questions.

Recently I had the question about being baptized as a baby versus being baptized as an adult. The difference is not having a say as a baby and my parents choosing versus my being an adult and making a conscious decision to follow Christ. So at some point I may decide to get baptized as an adult!

Sometimes I feel like I’m holding back from being all into following Jesus. Part of it has to do with each of the episodes I’ve had being Bipolar. Each episode involved religion and Jesus. This last episode that landed me in the hospital and trouble with the law was because I felt Jesus was taking too long to return so I was going to push things along! So I have been avoiding becoming overly religious for fear of what could happen! So much of my life I have been into death and darkness – my early life began with such things losing my Mom so young. I’m grateful to be surrounded by loving family both by blood and by church. They are helping me navigate this phase of my journey.