Isn't Technology Wonderful!

I got my husband a new toy for Christmas… usually they get us a new one then they enjoy it. But I did it this year. lolol. I got us, might as well be honest, I got it for both of us. It is a Memorex turntable that has a USB plug. It is soooo cool. You can take your old records and record them onto your computer with the software that was included. You can then listen to them or burn cd’s or upload them to your ipod. I feel really uptown. Got us an ipod too. I just have to remember not to have the ipod close to my pacemaker…hmmmm.

Needless to say, I have spent the evening listening to old albums and recording them. Talk about memories… and I just started. Don Williams, Mac Davis… now I am dating myself. It’s so much fun…just a kid at heart, what can I say. I know what I will be doing in January. I have a lot of albums and 45’s at our house in Arkansas. We may have to rent a trailer to come home next week.

Technology is wonderful! I am amazed at times what is available. I thank God everyday for giving someone the knowledge and the capability to invent items like for example a pacemaker. Without mine, I would not be here, along with a lot of other people.

We are going to be in Arkansas for 12 days, not sure if I will get a chance to write anything during that time or not. Will be busy enjoying my grandkids. But I do wish everyone a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! Be safe…and God Bless!

“Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:16 - 17

For A Reason...

I am a firm believer everything happens for a reason. We do not always understand what it is. And I really believe there are some things we are just not supposed to understand. But still…

Last week I wrote about our quiet week…what a difference a week can make. Tuesday evening, I was doing our laundry, as I was walking down the hall and heard this awful noise coming from the washing machine. So of course being the detective I am, I decided to check it out. To my surprise, the tub was full of water, at the beginning of the wash cycle, humming. Humming is fine, but it was sitting still. No agitation, just humming. I proceeded to change the different cycles and still all I could get was a low-pitched hum. The kind that just kinda grates on your nerves. So I shared the news with my husband, and he was just as thrilled as I was. I wrung my clothes out by hand and placed them in the basket for the fun trip to the laundry mat. Did I mention how much I hate laundry mats…

So Wednesday off to the laundry mat I went, jeesh the price has gone up since I had to use one. At least I only had to wash I could dry them at home. Took all afternoon to dry them, but hey at least I was at home.

Wednesday afternoon, the repairman came out and took the front off of it, and hooked up his little computer, and informed us it was the drive coupling broke. With the service call it would be $169.00, but (there always seems to be a but in there) since there was a little oil slung on the outside wall, he did not think it was worth fixing. But he did give us coupons to use at the store and only charged us $65 for the service call. How lucky can you get? My first thought was, “Lord how are we going to do this before Christmas?” “How can we swing this?” And I felt his answer immediately…Give it to me…lay it down and I will take care of it. So I immediately started praying about it.

I then got online and found a used machine on craigslist. It was 3 years old and $75. Such a deal… I talked to the mom and she said I would need to call back on Friday. The machine was her son’s. Meantime on Thursday, we went and priced new ones. We could not touch one like ours for under $600, and who can afford that right before Christmas. Friday evening I called and talked to the son, and he said to call him back on Saturday and he would meet us with the machine. Needless to say, when I called on Saturday, his mom informed me that she sold it that afternoon. She apologized and I told her that was ok…not to worry about it. I knew the Lord was going to take care of it for me, but dang he sure is slow sometimes…lolol (just kidding Lord).

I had to run to the store, so I picked up one of the free trader papers on the way out. Opened it up and there was the ad. Washer Heaven… (who says God does not have a sense of humor) they had refurbished machines, so I called the number. The man came out that night and picked our machine up and returned it tonight. He replaced the coupler, the transmission, readjusted a few things and installed it for $100 with a 2-year warranty. Praise the Lord!

So we are just enjoying doing laundry like never before. What I really enjoy is watching the Lord work, and how He answers prayers, but in His time frame and His way.

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

A Quiet Week

It has been a very quiet week in the Fastenau household. Stan has been sick with an upper respiratory infection and on antibiotics. So needless to say we have not had any adventures this week. We do not even have our Christmas decorations out. We usually always do that the Friday after Thanksgiving.

We did enjoy our 2nd Thanksgiving meal Saturday with Patt; it was very good, still munching on leftovers. Why do we always make so much food for Holidays? Is there a law that says you have to have leftovers? Our first dinner was with my daughter and her family in Arkansas the Saturday before.

Last night while it was snowing, I ventured outside with my camera. I wanted to try and capture the snow in front of the streetlight with my 35mm. So of course, I took several pictures trying different settings; maybe one of them will work. I had to laugh, the neighbors were watching me from the window, wondering what in the world I was doing. They should know by now, I’m different…and proud of it!

It was so peaceful outside, so quiet, and so beautiful. And I couldn’t help but wonder about the night the Christ child was born. What did the sky look like, besides the star? Was it cold? Or snowing? Did Mary and Joseph realize their baby boy would provide the way for me to go to Heaven, for everyone who accepts Him in their hearts and lives for Him, to reside in Heaven when they leave this world?

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2: 10, 11

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

A Time To Be Thankful

We are back at home after 12 days in Arkansas. Still recovering, sign of age I guess…lol. We had a wonderful time; Eden is getting so big and so vocal. She is a mess. I still have to get my pictures developed. I do have a digital, but it does not do a real good job inside, so I used my 35mm instead.

Bless her heart she was sick when we got there. She was not able to go back to daycare until Tuesday. She was running a high fever on Friday, so her mommy stayed home too, but Granny and Pappo kept her on Monday. Personally, I think it is a ploy…she was sick the last time we were there too. I think she just wanted to stay with Granny. We will put it to the test in December, when we go back. No, she was sick…I think.

We had Thanksgiving Dinner on Saturday at our house at Appleton. The kids came and my second kid Leslie was there. Unfortunately, Cain was not there, he was at his mom’s, but we did get to spend some time with him. We had such a good time.

This time always reminds us of why we are Thankful. So let me share with you why I am thankful this year.

I Am Thankful For…

…my husband, my best friend, my soul mate, Stan. He has added so much to my life. I love him with all my heart. I love the way he loves my kids and my grandkids. That means so much to me.

…my daughter, she is also my best friend. We have been through a lot together. She understands me like no one else does.

…my grandbaby, Eden. Wow…she has come so far, she is so strong, and has overcome so many hurdles. She totally amazes me everyday!

…my grandson Cain. He is so soft spoken, but full of life. I love to hear “Grandma Mel.”

…even my son-in-law, Clint. He makes my daughter happy, and that makes me happy. He is a good person and has a heart of gold, but don’t tell anyone, it would ruin his reputation.

…Stan’s niece Patt. She lives with us, and without her I would not have as much free time to enjoy my life with my hubby. She makes my life easy and has become a very good friend.

…and his family. Most of them have welcomed me with open arms, and for that I am thankful.

…for a mom and dad that loved me, they may not of said it as often as they should have, but I knew they did. I have a lot of good memories.

…for my family and friends that I have not mentioned here. You know who you are and I love you…all of you!

But most of all, I am thankful for a Heavenly Father who loves us, like no one else can. Even when we mess up, He still loves us!

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” 1 John 2: 1 - 3

Sunday Afternoon Adventure

There was an AKC Dog Show held at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds in Springfield today. The Ozarks Kennel Club was holding it. My husband and I decided to check it out, it was free, and neither of us had ever been to a dog show.
We were both surprised at the number of out-of-state vehicles and the number of motor homes in the parking lot. It was held in the Arena Building, which had bleachers on both sides and a dirt floor in the middle. There were people and dogs everywhere. There were approximately 1,100 dogs entered in this two-day competition.
Every size and breed was represented. We sat and watched the Hound, the Herding, the Terriers, the Sporting and the Non-sporting classes show. I was amazed at these dogs. They were so in tune with their master. It was like they were the only ones in the room, and their primary goal was to please that one person. They would take their jaunt around the circle with their head held high knowing their master was pleased. Even when they were one of the winners who took one of four places, their eyes did not leave their master.

How wonderful it would be if our main goal were to please our Master following Him, not taking our eyes off Him.

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23

FYI – I will be in Arkansas for a couple of weeks celebrating an early Thanksgiving with my daughter and family. And of course spoiling grandkids! I am sure I will have pictures and stories to share when we return. Lucky you… God Bless!

Autumn Leaves and A Time To Reflect

Today my husband and I drove over to Maple Park Cemetery here in Springfield Missouri. This time of year it is a photographer’s paradise. I love taking photos, capturing moments and feelings in pictures.
I walked the cemetery snapping away with my 35mm and my digital. My husband diligently followed in the car. He is so good to me. But, not only is He good to me, my Lord and Savior is good to me. Not over a week ago, I was on the disappointed side because the leaves and colors of the trees just didn’t seem to be doing anything. But, oh my, the colors in that cemetery were unbelievable. So needless to say, I had a long talk with the Lord. As usual, I asked for forgiveness for not being patient, for not waiting for His timing and His purpose. Looking at the colors of the leaves and the Hand of God all around, I just can’t fathom how anyone cannot believe in Him. All they have to do is look around. He is so good to us!

“Be still, and know that I am God:” Psalm 46:10a

To See More Pictures go to my Webshots page by clicking on “Pictures I Have Taken.”

GOD BLESS!

Typical Grandma

Halloween is always such a fun time for the kids. I used to love getting costumes together and figuring out how we could achieve whatever Janice wanted to be. I was looking at pictures the other day and ran across one when we were both dressed as clowns. I had to laugh at the expression on Jan’s face, I am not sure if she was trying to figure out the tongue, or if she was thinking you are really strange. Take a look and decide for yourself.


Kids grow up so fast. So if you have young ones at home, enjoy every single moment. It is a real good idea to keep a journal, and jot things down, cute things they say, or things that they do. Believe me, it is hard to remember some of the stuff as years go by. I am doing a book for Eden, called Grandma’s Story. It will take me years to get it finished, but I will give it to her on a special day. Sorry I am wandering…lolol.

I enjoyed making Eden’s costume this year, she was going to be a mermaid, but decided to be a princess. Her bubba was a cop. He is his daddy made over. Just had to share their pictures too. What can I say… I am a typical Grandma!

Life Is Good

Wow… It’s hard to believe it is already Monday. Where did this week go? We had a quiet week here in Willard. Life is so easy. I can do what I want, when I want, and if I want. I am married to the sweetest most easygoing man I know. At times, I pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming. This week was a slow week; we did not do a lot, just worked on genealogy, and played games against each other on pogo.com.

A lot of friends have told me I have it made. Stan’s niece, Patt lives with us. She has some health issues and moved in with him and his previous wife about eight years ago. She helped take care of his wife in her last days.

Anyways, Patt loves to do housework, yard work and loves to cook. So basically all I have to do is keep our bedroom and office clean and our clothes washed. I enjoy our trips to Arkansas, because I cook there, and I do love to cook. So, life is really good.

Saturday, we did take a drive to a little town northwest of us. Working on genealogy, I ran across a site, quite by accident. I had put my mom’s name in the search engine and a memorial on findagrave.com came up. It surprised me, but I was very touched and honored to see it there. It is a free site, where cemeteries are listed, and information is posted. There is even a place where you can leave flowers and notes if you wish. Anyway, we both joined the site, and now we enter different memorials and take volunteer pictures for people. That is what we were doing yesterday. We went to two different cemeteries in our area, taking pictures for people. Then we upload them on the site, in the appropriate place. This is a wonderful tool for people researching dates for genealogy.

It was such a beautiful day yesterday. I also managed to take a roll of pictures on my 35mm of the trees and beautiful leaves. Hmmmm…I guess you know who checked most of the headstones yesterday.

Life is good! What a difference a few years can make.

"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." Psalm 27:14

Fall Is Here...

I love this time of year, the leaves are turning beautiful colors, and there is a little chill in the air. You can see pumpkins and scarecrows on every corner. Soon the leaves will need raking, and in the country you can smell people burning them.
It makes me reflect back …I think you tend to do that more as you get older. As a kid we always camped on weekends, when we lived in Illinois. There were about 4 or 5 families that would go together, two of mom’s sisters and their families.
This was perfect weather for the big campfires at night. Roasted hotdogs, marshmallows, pies made with the irons, and ‘Smores, hot chocolate…mmmm, you can’t get much better than that. We would sit around the campfire listening to our parents telling crazy stories, laughing and enjoying life. Those were good times.
It didn’t matter that mom and dad had worked all week. They packed the camper Friday night, and then we would drive 2 hours early Saturday morning, only to come back home on Sunday evening. And they never complained about being tired.
I hope when my daughter reflects back over her life, she can remember lots of good times. But most of all when my Lord looks back over my life, I hope He is pleased with what He sees.
“…he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.” Psalm 96:13b

Eden Jade's Story

So sorry for the long blog, but just felt like this was something the Lord wanted me to share.

Do you ever have one of those days where nothing goes right? You feel like you should of stayed in bed, with the covers pulled up over your head? Just not feeling up to par? We all have those days once in awhile. But for me all it takes is a phone call from a little girl in Arkansas saying “Hi Ganny.” And just for a split second the world stops and everything is on track again. Eden Jade is my fix, just those two words. Yes, she does have me wrapped, but let me share her story. There is also an album of Eden’s story in my pictures.

She came into this world on July 14th weighing 5lbs 4 oz and 17 ½ inches long. She was approximately 6 weeks early. Momma and Daddy knew immediately something was wrong when the nurses let them see her for a second in passing, and then whisked her off to the nursery. Being the person I am, standing at the window was not enough; I had to get a closer look. I was allowed to go in and take a couple pictures. They had an oxygen tent around her and monitors on, and a suctioning tube going down her throat. I have to admit I was scared. Usually as a mom we think we can fix everything for our kids, but not this time. After what seemed like forever, they informed us that they felt it would be better to transfer her to Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. She would be taken by med-flight.

My heart was breaking for my daughter. It was hard enough, Eden was my grandbaby, but she was Jan’s baby. And to see your kid hurting, and upset, it was almost more than I could take. So I proceeded outside to get some pics of Angel 1 and talk to our Lord and Savior. I watched as they disappeared in the distance, feeling at peace knowing she was in God’s hands. Eden’s daddy and the other grandparents followed her to Little Rock. I stayed at Russellville with Janice and we went down the next morning.

Eden was hooked to a ventilator, so she could breathe easier, along with a lot of monitors. At 3 days old, exploratory surgery was performed where they found a blockage. They had to do a small bowel resection. They removed about 10 inches of her small bowel that was not developed properly. She also had a blood transfusion.

She had a very bad case of reflux. Everything in her tummy would come up in her mouth if she were on her back. Also she aspirated if she took anything by mouth. They performed a nissen procedure, where the stomach is brought up over the end of the esophagus and stitched, which helped with the reflux. They inserted a button in her stomach for G tube feedings.
Finally at 3 weeks old mommy could hold her for the first time. Praise the Lord! And 3 weeks later she got to come home.

Eden never knew what a bottle was, she was tube fed through her button, until she was about 21 months old. You can tell in the pictures she had no idea what to do with her birthday cake at a year old.

She is 27 months old now and still has to drink thickened liquids, but she finally got her button out in September. She can now eat anything and everything she wants. She is a happy go lucky little girl who is not afraid of anything. Her momma is very brave and has met every hurdle head on. I believe those first 3 weeks, although family could not hold her, someone bigger had her right in the palm of His hand. I would like to thank everyone at Children’s Hospital, the crew in Angel 1, the staff St. Mary’s Hospital at Russellville, and her therapists, but most of all…Thank you Jesus!
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Road Trip

I have just spent all evening scanning and posting pictures to my Webshots account from our trip to Washington DC. These are accessible to you here, by clicking on the "Photos I Have Taken" link on the right side.
We were in DC for 4 days, however we took two days to drive up and 2 coming home. We had a wonderful time. DC was a place I always wanted to visit. Stan used to work in DC years ago, but it was my first time, and I might add probably my last. What is the saying been there, done that, not doing it again...
It is a very interesting city, a very busy city. There is a lot of history there and the architecture...wow! I tried to catch some of this in the pictures. A friend, Leslie gave me a personal tour of "The National Archives Building." A very interesting place, especially since I am into genealogy. Lots of information available.
We hit most of the Memorials and Monuments. There were two that really touched my heart. One was the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier," in Arlington Cemetery. We were there at the Changing of the Guard. It was awesome, there were probably 100 people watching, but yet you could of heard a pin drop. And the Viet Nam Memorial...soooo many names. My brother was in Nam, Thank God he made it home.
I was surprised at the amount of trees and flowers around town, and how clean it was. Traffic was horrible, we used the subway most of the time, along with everyone else. I remembered real quick why I left the big city of Chicago.
All those busy people, I couldn't help but wonder if I would ever see them again...Heaven maybe?
"Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few..." Luke 10:2

Genealogy - Another First

Genealogy - boring??? I used to think the same thing. Someone would mention that they were looking into their family history and I would automatically think...they need to get a life. How boring can you get?
But actually it can be very interesting, and quite addicting. I started on my mom's side. Her maiden name was Reynolds. I have traced the trunk line back 62 generations to the year 0193. Yngvi - King in Turkey. There are better records if there is royalty involved.
According to the Wikipedia, Reginald de Dunstanville Reynolds FitzRoy was the Sheriff of Devon, Earl of Cornwall and was an illegitimate son of King Henry I of England and Lady Sybilla Corbet. Reginald was in our trunk line - 25 generations back.
I am now working on the branches, filling in holes, researching different questions. My great-great -great grandma was full blooded indian, and I am trying to find her name.
I also am looking forward to researching my granny's side. I found out last year that she had a different mom than her brothers and sisters, no one could actually tell me what her name was, but prayers were answered when one of my aunts found their marriage certificate. So now I will have something to go on.
There is alot of information available online and at the libraries. And of course, older relatives can tell you alot. I wish I would of listened more and asked my mom and dad questions about their grandparents.
I would like to challenge everyone, check out your family history, do some research, talk to your parents or grandparents about their relatives, while you can, it can be very rewarding.
Finding out we were related to King Henry I was exciting, but I already knew I was a child of the King! The One who really makes a difference if we just let Him.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Are We Tooo Busy???

Do you ever feel like the world is passing you by? It seems like the older you get the faster it goes. We get so busy... Busy with work, or raising kids, or your favorite hobby. And before you know it another year has passed. And you look back and wonder what have I accomplished this year? Did I do anything important... have I made a difference?
I think we all feel this way from time to time. Life is soooo busy. And hectic at times...
Our preacher has been discussing how we need to stay alert, and be ready, and we need to do all we can to spread the gospel. Things that we have all heard before in church, but somehow this time it made me really take a look at my life. Maybe that is why I am stepping out on a limb, with faith, by doing this blog, that it will touch somebody, remind them that Jesus loves them just as they are. That He is always there for us, He does not move. "If you don't feel close to God, guess who moved?"
So with that said, we will see where this takes us...
Until next time....God Bless...Nel
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in te name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am withyou always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:19, 20

What In The World Am I Doing???

I think I have totally lost my mind... a blog. Who would of thought it??? I have no idea what I am doing...so please be patient with me. I guess I am just proving to myself that I can do it!