the last 9 weeks

I have been recuperating from a total knee replacement...here are some of my thoughts and progress!

Saturday June 4 , 2011
slight cold, sinus pain, low temp and a scratchy throat. Babysitting kids from the recliner.

Sunday
lunch canceled with the other grandkids, they have chicken pox
Need to calls Doctor's office if I can still have surgery.

Tuesday June 7
to the hospital 6:30 am, lots of blood work, IV started after two trys.
Don't remember much more till in recovery. Very cold, warming me up with blankets, hearing voices that they need to get my temp up. Anesthesiologist looking at ultra sound for the femoral block. Woke up in my room , nurses looking for Steve who was still in Home Depot thought he had more time.

Day1
The Cryo/Cuff on my knee feels like 20 lbs. It continuously keeps my knee cool, when the nurses remember to keep it full of ice.
Two compression cuffs on my legs, catheter, and IV. I'm hooked up to 5 things in the bed.
My dressing is very bloody and I don't want to see the incision or the dreaded "STAPLES".
my right hip hurts a lot.

Day2
Lots of visitors Pastor John, Wendy, s-i-l Debby, Ben and Amber, Mitch Heather and the boys.
received a smiley balloon, diet pepsi, and a bouquet of Lupines.
trying to figure out my pain control, don't like the fuzzy head feeling. Femoral block wore off!
Dr says leg will swell more and bruise more. Use walker for at least 10 days..my whole leg in the next few days turns purple.

Day3
Blood pressure too low for the pain meds, received another IV. bad head ache

Day4
Going home this after noon. Keep dressing dry, staples out in a week. Physical Therapy in the hospital walking the corridor and climbing small steps, good foot up bad foot down continue PT in your home.
My view for the next 6 weeks..Camp is perfect for the recuperation, two stairs to enter , step in shower, commode beside the bed, hand rails in bathroom, and a raised toilet seat.

Day5
Steve is great at keeping track of the medicine, making meals, cleaning up and emptying ..
Met with out patient PT evaluator, will start PT on Monday. Making myself useful on the couch going through buckets of family photos 20 years worth and putting them in chronological order.

Day6
Very sore seems like all I do is pee, very bruised, tired of the couch, feeling restless.

Day7
Medicine causing strange dreams. Trying to stay focused mentally can't focus on a book so trying to set up July calendar. Mom out for a few days, She's had both her knees done.

Week2
Meet Debby my in home PT great lady makes me cry then says that's enough for todayVery encouraging and knowledgeable. Feel like I've been hit by a truck, one step forward 2 steps backward. Great family visits and friends stopping by.
More pain as I do more and stretch more. I take the walker into the shower with me, Steve has a chair ready after wards and helps me dry off and changes the bandage. I still have no desire to see the incision. How can I bend it and move the way PT wants if I see what holds it together?
Putting together a puzzle, cool rainy weather, bored. Starting to have lots of muscle spasms in my thigh, very uncomfortable. nauseated in the mornings, klunky feeling behind the knee.. really questioning if this was all worth it feeling down. Got to get out side...
Walking on the deck and doing my marching exercises.feels so much better to be out side for a bit.Sat at the table for my meals. Got my knee to bend 101 deg.Sat on the deck visiting with friends for several hours icing my knee. Out and about the yard with the walker. Trimmed some evergreen trees. Sat in the back of church with 2 chairs and lots of pillows . Iced my knee on the way back to camp in the car. Still lots of pain and aches and bruising. These are a few of my cheer leaders and always ask about my knee.

Week3
Got the staples out of my knee, all 13.They were smaller than paper staples! I was thinking electrical staples, a little patient education before surgery might have helped. Klunking should pass as knee gets stronger.
BEFORE

AFTER

Last week of in home PT soon to be going to Foothills in Cornish. Slept 8 hours without narcotics.Walked down to the beach and back with Deb the PT, very shaky. Sat out on the deck and hulled strawberries.Lots of naps in the afternoons. Reading again,my head is less fuzzy. Discouraged I can't do more. Doing exercises in bed before getting up. 4-5 hours between pain meds. Only taking narcotics at night. Gave up the walker.

Week4
Vicky and twins arrive for 10 days , a good diversion. Small projects, painting chairs, out side a lot, great weather.PT at Cornish less pain more movement. Swelling going down, Walking to the light house , and to July street. Using the chaise lounge on the deck with pillows and my "blankie"
Walking more. Lots of muscle spasms at night and very achy at the end of the day. Told to drink more water.Keeping the knee and thigh wrapped in blanket seems to help. Lots of activity with the 4th of July weekend.

1Month post op
feeling better, more confident, and seeing progress. Great encouragement from PT.Having family and friends in and out, meals, flowers, games together, really help. Took a day trip, first long trip in the car to Moxie days where Steve was a food judge. PT says I'm doing great and ahead of the game. I will have swelling for several more months give it a full year to recover, My goals were so unrealistic, that was the reason for my for my discouragement . TIME. Out and about each day, down to the beach , up to the Eastmans. Still can tolerate the grocery store with hard floors and cold AC. Gave up the cane and toilet seat booster. feeling human.Swimming in the lake, sweeping , cleaning, and trying to be productive. Took care of Grandson for the weekend.Week6 Sleeping through the night. More family arriving. Walking the "loop". swimming with out a noodle.Saw the Dr again, He was surprised at how well I was doing, still klunking behind the knee, lower leg still feels bruised. Driving the car locally. Walked July street "loop". too hot , sleeping on the living room floor, no problem getting up and down from so low.

Week7 Last week in Maine. Can see my knee cap and defined thigh muscle. Picking blueberries with the boys.

Swam to the Eastman's dock and back. Walked the Maine beach in the thick sand. Did well on the bus to Boston, got assistance the rest of the way to Quito. Van ride to Shell.

Modesty: The Modest Woman's Allegiance

Remember Jenni from the beginning of the chapter? A friend graciously confronted her concerning her immodest dress, and encouraged her to take a closer look at what God’s Word had to say about modesty. When Jenni pasted 1 Timothy 2:9 back into her Bible and began applying its truth to her heart and life, her perspective of modesty and eventually her wardrobe underwent a complete transformation:

As my friend shared her concern and listed specific articles of clothing that drew attention to my body, I was sobered. Lord, is it pride that motivates the way I dress? Does what I wear actually cause my brothers to stumble? Do I bring reproach to your name? I immediately acknowledged my desperation before God and began to plead for His mercy and grace to reveal the sin within my heart and assist me to change.

I began to study God’s Word, read material addressing this issue, and listen to C. J. Mahaney’s teaching on “The Soul of Modesty.” By the grace of God, there was no resistance in my heart but a passion to change. God illuminated the simple fact that it is my heart that dictates my appearance and wardrobe. I was faced with the question, “What statement do my clothes make concerning my heart?” The pride and ambition to exalt self were made very clear. My motives for the way I dressed were to promote self rather than Jesus Christ.

I began to understand the heart and soul of modesty. Modesty is humility expressed in dress, a desire to serve others, neither promoting nor provoking sensuality or lust. It is rooted in a desire to lose any and all consideration of self and live hidden behind the cross of Christ. I became more and more aware that my dress was not an outward expression of the gospel or humility. I began by aggressively examining my wardrobe.

My husband, Jon, and I spent a lengthy period of time examining every article of clothing, prayerfully considering which pieces were inappropriate. By the end of the examination my wardrobe had considerably diminished.

To be honest, this has not been easy. Even though it has been a year since cleaning out my closet, there are still many moments when I struggle picking out my outfit for the day, being dissatisfied with my limited wardrobe. It has been crucial for me to question my motives morning after morning, which helps me to see that what is most attractive is my desire to please God, not my outward appearance.

It is something that I must daily fight — to flee worldly desires and pursue godliness in this area. This requires daily application and frequent reminders. I have had the “Modesty Heart Check” posted inside the bathroom vanity so that it can serve as a reminder every morning before I leave the house. I have identified specific areas where I am uniquely tempted and then spent time purposing how I need to change. And when I purchase clothing, I always show my husband, Jon, to be sure that it is modest.

Dressing modestly blesses my husband because it is a way that I can save myself and my body for him alone. And it also serves the other men around me by helping to guard their hearts against temptation. By pursuing modesty in spirit as well as in dress, I can bring glory to Christ and further the gospel.

Some of you may wonder, like Jenni once did, why make such a big deal about modesty? More importantly, why does Paul? Is it because we’re conservative people? Is it because we have personal preferences about how women should dress?

No. The reason is the gospel. Modesty is important because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s why Paul is concerned about it. He isn’t simply a “cultural conservative.” This isn’t Paul’s version of The Book of Virtues. For him, the issue of modesty is about the gospel.

And that’s why you should be concerned about modesty as well. For when we take a broader look at 1 Timothy 2:9, we discover that these instructions about women’s dress are set in the context of the gospel:

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. (1 Tim. 2:3–6)

The gospel message is the motivation for modest dress.

The woman who loves the Savior avoids immodesty because she doesn’t want to distract from or reflect poorly upon the gospel.

R. Kent Hughes puts it like this: “Paul’s overriding concern was that the way Christians deported themselves would not detract from but enhance their gospel mission.” *

We have a gospel mission: not only to preach Christ but to live in a way consistent with our profession of faith. As women, you can detract from the gospel mission by dressing immodestly, or you can enhance the gospel mission by dressing in a way that reflects the transforming power of the gospel at work in you. The humble woman, the modest woman, is concerned about the lost. And her dress reflects that concern.

Make this your aim: that there be no contradiction between your gospel message and the clothes you wear. May your modest dress be a humble witness to the One who gave himself as a ransom for all.

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Taken from C.J. Mahaney’s chapter “God, My Heart, and Clothes,” in the book Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World, © 2008. The book will be available from Crossway in September. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.

I PUT THIS PICTURE IN HERE BECAUSE THESE LADIES IN MY LIFE ARE AN EXAMPLE OF GODLINESS. THEY TEACH YOUNG WOMEN ,BY EXAMPLE,WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT INNER BEAUTY, THEIR OUTER BEAUTY REFLECTS THIS.

ponderings

Gentleness begins with strength,

quietness with security.

A great tree is both moved and unmoved—

it changes with the seasons,

but its roots keep it anchored in the ground.

~ Rachel Held Evans~

a great reminder

Modesty Checklist
Carolyn Mahaney
“… Women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with
modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls
or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess
godliness – with good works.”
I Timothy 2:9-10
First, it’s time for a heart check…
“How does a woman discern the sometimes fine line between proper dress and dressing to be the center of attention? The answer starts in the
intent of the heart. A woman should examine her motives and goals for the way she dresses. Is her intent to show the grace and beauty of
womanhood? Is it to reveal a humble heart devoted to worshipping God? Or is it to call attention to herself and flaunt her beauty? Or worse, to
attempt to lure men sexually? A woman who focuses on worshipping God will consider carefully how she is dressed, because her heart will dictate
her wardrobe and appearance.” -- John MacArthur
\ What statement do my clothes make about my heart?
\ In choosing what clothes to wear today, whose attention do I desire and whose approval do I crave? Am I seeking to please God
or impress others?
\ Is what I wear consistent with biblical values of modesty, self-control and respectable apparel, or does my dress reveal an
inordinate identification and fascination with sinful cultural values?
\ Who am I trying to identify with through my dress? Is the Word of God my standard or is it the latest fashion?
\ Have I solicited the evaluation of other godly individuals regarding my wardrobe?
\ Does my clothing reveal an allegiance to the gospel or is there any contradiction between my profession of faith and my practice
of godliness?
So, I’m ready to leave the house, but I still have to do a modesty check. What are some things I should look for as I stand in front of my mirror?
Starting at the top…
\ When I am wearing a loose-fitting blouse or scoop neck, can I see anything when I lean over? If so, I need to remember to place
my hand against my neckline when I bend down.
\ A word on purse straps: How could a purse possibly be a modesty concern? When you’re wearing the strap across your chest.
Regardless of the shirt you’ve got on, this accentuates your chest and creates a temptation for men.
\ If I am wearing a button-down top, I need to turn sideways and move around to see if there are any gaping holes that expose my
chest. If there are, I’ve got to grab the sewing box and pin between the buttons.
\ Am I wearing a spaghetti-strap, halter-top, or see-through blouse? Not even pins will fix this problem! Most guys find these very
unhelpful. It’s time to go back to the closet.
\ Can I see the lace or seam of my bra through my shirt? In this case, seamless bras are a better option.
\ One final shirt check: Does it reveal any part of my cleavage? Does my midriff show when I raise my hands above my head? Is
my shirt just plain too tight? If the answer is “yes” to any one of these questions, then I need to change my outfit.
\ Are my arms or any part of my body exposed by see-thru or sheer covering?
Moving on down…
\ Does my midriff (or underwear) show when I bend over or lift my hands? If so, is it because my skirt is too low? Either my shirt
needs to be longer or I need to find a skirt that sits higher.
\ I also have to turn around to see if what I’m wearing is too tight around my derriere, or if the outline of my underwear shows. If
so, I know what I have to do!
\ The “sit-down” check applies to my skirt or dress as well. And I must remember to keep my skirt pulled down and my knees
together when I’m seated.
\ And speaking of skirts, watch out for those slits! Does it reveal too much when I walk? Pins are also helpful here.
\ Before I leave, I need to give my skirt a “sunlight check.” Is it see through? If so, I need a slip.
\ Finally, I must remember to do this modesty check with my shoes on. High heels make my dress or skirt appear shorter.
\ And don’t forget – this all applies to formal wear as well.

Gardening

My way to rest and to have fun is to create gardens. When we moved to our house( May 2009) in Shell it was pretty much an empty slate. Some plants that were originally planted have been removed and put in other places . I've bought a few roses and antheriums but mostly have just taken cuttings from other gardens. Everything readily roots here in the warm went rain forest.I could not create with out my faithful helper!!!the back porch then, now there are night blooming Jasmin, passion fruit vines and many potted plants



the begining of the rose gardenwith in a year and a half, everything grows really fast here

before the vegetable garden
the vegetable garden has produced papa chinos, squash, basil, tomatoes and zuchinni


this garden between the trees is mostly ferns and the trees have been planted with many orchids from fallen branches of other trees


this tree out front had some plants and orchids, we expanded it and have added more plants

a touch of spring

I've missed seeing seasons change. So when I was called to PA this winter to help my daughter's family , I thought I might see spring. As a thank you to me for coming , Vicky and the babies and I went to the Philadelphia flower show.
It was held at the convention center in the middle of the city. US cities are so different from the South American ones I've been in , much safer, and more diverse . I waited with the stroller on a corner while Vicky went into a store for egg rolls I was uneasy she said it's perfectly safe which it was...















The theme was spring time in Paris















The simple~

we got some great ideas and were inspired















The intricate~















the designs were amazing , who would have thought to roll ferns in to this...


all flower material


















this was a great vertical display















For me this was the best display, square "trees" filled in with many different plant material









The babies loved their first flower show!!














HAPPY SPRING

more sweetness

the rest of the story

More pictures of Feb1 and beyond!

Vicky designed and made all her baby room decor

And knit both the babies their own hats!, Edens while she was in labor...Grammy finished it up as the focus was lost on others maters.. a real P31

Ezra was first and Grammy got to see the grand entrance! 6 lb 8 oz ~20 1/2 in


we had to wait a while longer for Eden... but all was well! Even if she didn't think so...
6lb 13 oz~20 1/2 infrom the moment they were born their personalities shone through!
Daddy keeping occupied while Vicky got mended
Mommy finally gets to see and hold the babies...then the big brothers!
At home!!