Quick Updates from the Moderators Showing 1,801-1,850 of 2,648

[Jina]

Lola wrote: "I just got some terrible news, one of the Black Hawk pilots that crash offshore in Hawaii was my Niece Katie's Husband. He did 4 tours in battle and was finally staying home. They have 3 little chi..."

Dear Lola,
Words can't express how sorry I am for your family's tragic loss. My husband Michael and I are members of the Patriot Guard Riders. I can see if there is a chapter in Hawaii that can escort our fallen hero. The PGR will do all they can to help your nieces family. With your permission to email the President of the PGR and inform them of the loss. I dot want to intrude or assume the escort would be welcome but I am putting the offer to notify them so they can help up for your approval. Again so sorry. Your family is in my prayers.
With love and respect,
Jina and the girls

[Lola]

Thank You Melinda! I haven't heard any more, will keep you informed when I do. Love Lola

[Melinda]

Lola wrote: "Thank You Melinda! I haven't heard any more, will keep you informed when I do. Love Lola"

Thanks. Know it is hard especially with the fact that it happened over water.
Keeping you all in my prayers.

[Melinda]

Jina wrote: "Lola wrote: "I just got some terrible news, one of the Black Hawk pilots that crash offshore in Hawaii was my Niece Katie's Husband. He did 4 tours in battle and was finally staying home. They have..."

Jina,
That is nice. I did not know the name of the group that did that.

[Lola]

Dear Little Sister,
Thank you so much ! I will have to get back to you, I will let you know when I hear anything about Katie, I do not have her phone number. I will call my Sister Verna she is in contact with Katie. Her Dad my Brother C.O. and I had a big falling out and haven't talked in years. Love Lola

[Lesley]

Lola wrote: "I just got some terrible news, one of the Black Hawk pilots that crash offshore in Hawaii was my Niece Katie's Husband. He did 4 tours in battle and was finally staying home. They have 3 little chi..."
Thinking of you all at this sadest of times x

[[deleted user]]

I am so, so sorry to hear this. I've been offline, editing, all day so I'm late checking in. My heart breaks for your family. xo

[Lola]

Hi All,
Thanks for all your sympathy, I can't believe Steve is gone! 4 tours overseas and an accident at home. Crazy. Love Lola

[Lola]

Someone has a Birthday coming up , wink wink Linda ! On Monday the 28 th. Linda did I tell you that you and my Sister CooCoo who passed away last year have the same Birthday ? I miss her everyday. So it is great to have someone to celebrate the day with. Love Lola

[[deleted user]]

Lola wrote: "Someone has a Birthday coming up , wink wink Linda ! On Monday the 28 th. Linda did I tell you that you and my Sister CooCoo who passed away last year have the same Birthday ? I miss her everyday. ..."

I just got a little reminder in my tickler file that Linda is celebrating a birthday next Monday! Any birthday wishes, ma'am?

[[deleted user]]

Lola wrote: "Hi All,
Thanks for all your sympathy, I can't believe Steve is gone! 4 tours overseas and an accident at home. Crazy. Love Lola"

I'm so worried about our service men and women these days. Two collisions and a helicopter crash, all so tragic. My dad was in the Navy and when he was deployed, we were sick with worry, especially during the Vietnam war years when he was part of a destroyer group. My heart squeezes every time I see the news. Lola, again, my deepest sympathies to your family. God bless every single service member and each family affected by the current tragedies.
P

[Melinda]

Lola,
Good reminder for all of us that things change in a blink of an eye.

I understand because even when my aunt the passed in Feb, at times I forget . We were 12 years apart and did a lot together when I was growing up and beyond.

The younger the person is, the hard it think it is right.

Keeping your niece and the children especially in my prayers.

[Lesley]

In case I forget, Happy birthday for Monday Linda, hope you enjoy your day. x

[Linda]

Thank you, everyone, for the birthday wishes. Strangely enough, it really doesn't feel like a big deal. I guess once you pass 55 you just wake up and say "Hey, I made it another year." lol

I have been busy the past few days and have neglected you all.
Lola, I am so sorry for your loss. I pray for all who serve our nation, whether it be our service men and women, firefighters, police, diplomats, and missionaries. They risk their lives every day and I am so thankful for their dedication to their vocation. I will keep your niece and her family in my prayers.

I have canned vegetable soup, dehydrated cherry tomatoes and preserved them in olive oil with a rosemary sprig, and pickled some cherry tomatoes with pearl onions and a few of the tiny carrots from my garden. I have had so much fun with my garden this year. Dave said he is going to make a larger space for me next year.
We had our son's future in-laws over for dinner last night. It was really nice. I like them a lot. My son smoked two pork shoulders and made pulled pork. I am more of a veggie girl so I was more happy about the collard greens and fried corn. lol. It's the southern girl in me. I sliced some of my heirloom tomatoes and I was in heaven. lol My son's future mother-in-law, Sylvana, loves deviled eggs so I made two dozen. Lord knows there is no shortage of eggs around here. They had a good time watching the chickens obsess over the corn cobs and Lucy, our dog, stealing them from the chickens. Never a dull moment around here.
Well, I am going to get busy now. I pray you all have a wonderful day and be blessed beyond measure.
Love, Linda

[Lola]

Hi Linda,
Thank you ,I still haven't heard anymore from my Sister I will have to give her a call. Steve was Hollywood handsome and a great Husband and Dad, he will be missed.
I am so glad you are having a good harvest! I am going to put in more raised beds next year ,I love how weed free the bed we made this year is. I made stew yesterday even thought it was in the low 80's, I couldn't wait for cooler weather lol . I used red baby potatoes, carrots ( they are finally getting big) green beans , the small onions and celery, all from my garden, it was so good even better tonight because a storm has move in today and has cooled it off a lot . I am a veggie girl too so I made mine without meat. I will have to can some veggie soup too now that everything is ready, it will be so good this winter .
Love Lola

[Melinda]

Linda,
Do have a recipe for the pickled some cherry tomatoes with pearl onions ? It sounds good but we have never pickled tomatoes.

[Jina]

I agree with Melinda. Is there a way to share some recipes or even wine or other recommendations? I am always looking for new recipes or even meal pairings like whats a good wine if I am having fish for dinner etc...
So glad the gardens are a success this year. I wish I had a garden but maybe next year.
Love to all,
Jina and the girls

[Linda]

I have had an idea for a while now to put together one of those fundraiser cookbooks for CF in the honor of baby John. Is anyone interested?

[Lola]

I will help with what ever you need ,Linda. I have some great recipes. Love Lola

[Linda]

Lola wrote: "I will help with what ever you need ,Linda. I have some great recipes. Love Lola"

I ordered a starter kit from the company. It looks really cool. They have a website where team members can go on and download recipes. www.morriscookbooks.com is the URL. I will read the info they sent me and let you know the details.
Love Ya, Linda

[[deleted user]]

Hi ladies... I've been in San Diego at a work conference; heading home today. I'm wondering if a FB group might work for the recipe and wine postings, especially since the photo capability is so much better there, and you can upload live video too. Just a thought.

If that doesn't sound useful, put on your thinking caps & fire your thoughts my way!

P

[Jina]

Paula wrote: "Hi ladies... I've been in San Diego at a work conference; heading home today. I'm wondering if a FB group might work for the recipe and wine postings, especially since the photo capability is so mu..."

Dear Paula,
I think a facebook cause page would be great! Linda, I will help with recipes. My mom has wonderful recipes and canning tips.
Love to all,
Jina

[Linda]

I'm not sure how a facebook page would help with the fundraiser cookbook. Would everyone go to the website and check it out? They have a lot of tools to work from and do it yourself plans that can save money per book. If we started a Facebook page we could use it to market the fundraiser and maybe even get donations higher than the book price. Maybe Emily could help promote the site. I have thought about this for some time and think it is a great idea to give to CF. Perhaps we could contact the CF Foundation for permission to use some of their material as an intro to the cookbook. So many thoughts in my head right now. Check it out and give me some feedback, please. Love, www.morriscookbooks.com/

[Lesley]

Linda wrote: "I'm not sure how a facebook page would help with the fundraiser cookbook. Would everyone go to the website and check it out? They have a lot of tools to work from and do it yourself plans that can ..."
Linda, It looks as if the morriscooks web site would help you prepare the cookbook and then use a facebook page as part of the fund raiser. How are you going to collect the recipes and photos toput in the book. You are going to have alot of work preparing it. You could possibly ask Emily to write a foreword for it. Have you asked Emily which website she uses for prepaing her cookbooks? xx

[Linda]

Lesley wrote: "Linda wrote: "I'm not sure how a facebook page would help with the fundraiser cookbook. Would everyone go to the website and check it out? They have a lot of tools to work from and do it yourself p..."
I am still in the planning stages. There is a section where participants can add their recipes online once the account is set up. I have not spoken with Emily about it yet. I wanted to see how many members would want to be involved. It is a big task to undertake but I think if we could do it as a group it would be successful. I would love to do this for Emily, she has been so gracious to us. I will go onto the site and set up an account and get back to everyone after they commit to helping out. I don't want to do this on my own. I am calling our group "The Sisterhood of Eternity Springs".
Love, Linda

[Jina]

I will help with favorite recipes and I am sure I can help in other ways too but I havent ever been part of a cookbook outside of my family's cookbook we update every few years. I will ask my sister for suggestions as she has put together similar things for her church and for a couple foundations that helped her when she had her first son at 20 weeks. He was so tiny and had complications. I think it is so great that you have been thinking about this. Such a wonderful and giving idea. I know it will be a success since we have this great group to support and encourage.
Love,
Jina

[Linda]

Okay ladies,
I have set up an account at typensave.com for the cookbook.
the user name is "CF Fundraiser"--your PW will be "custard796".
You can log in and see what you think. I did not set up the personal pages because I want feedback on what they should be. I really liked the cover and inserts because it reminded me of Eternity Springs and Celest Blessing. I picked all the free options to keep the cost down. Let me know what you think.
Love, Linda

[Dixie-Lee]

I have some fav recipes I could share too.

[Lola]

I will help any way I can. Let me know of any expenses and I will share in the cost !

Everyone please pray for all of my Family in the Houston & New Orleans area. Yesterday was nerve racking, one of my nieces was up on her roof with her 5 grandchildren, 1 only a couple of months old and the rescuers could not find them, they were finally rescued by helicopter late yesterday. We could use a few prayers sent our way too, the smoke as gotten worse ,it is really get to Wolf with his Asthma . You know it is getting bad when I am looking forward to winter ! I think we have seen a blue sky 2 or 3 times in the last 2 months.
Love Lola

[Linda]

Lola wrote: "I will help any way I can. Let me know of any expenses and I will share in the cost!

Everyone, please pray for all of my Family in the Houston & New Orleans area. Yesterday was nerve racking, on..."

Oh, Lola, I am so sorry about your family. I did not know your family was in that area. Prayers are certainly going up for them. I have been concerned about that fire near you. If you have central air in your home perhaps you can get some kind of filter to clean the air. I know there are also single standing units that you can buy to do the same thing. With asthma, it would be a good thing to have anyway, since allergies can be a trigger for respiratory problems. Check Amazon, they have everything and, they deliver quickly. I will be praying for you all. The fires are bad this year. The ones in Oregon are making my dad have problems as well. I heard last night that we are going to see some of the smoke in our area soon as well.
We got news yesterday that Dave's brother is moving back to Montana to be the Director of the Montana Center for Inclusive Education. I know he is happy to be moving back home. He has been in Richmond, VA for some time working as Director of the Virginia Department of Education. Now we have a reason to visit Montana again. Be still my heart. If we could make a living there we would be back in a minute. We really would have loved to purchase the home Dave's dad built in Columbia Falls, but it was just not possible at the time. It was so beautiful.
Thank you for your offer to help with the cookbook. I am really hoping we can be successful. I have an appointment this morning so I need to get busy.
My prayers will be with you today.
Love and hugs,
Linda

[Linda]

Dixie-Lee wrote: "I have some fav recipes I could share too."

Dixie-Lee, Thank you so much for offering to help with our cookbook. Everyone is welcome to contribute. Just go to the site
www.typensave.com and sign in. It will lead you to the recipe input section. The site is very user-friendly.
Thank you again,
Linda Manthey

username -CF Fundraiser
password -custard796

[Dixie-Lee]

Linda wrote: "Dixie-Lee wrote: "I have some fav recipes I could share too."

Dixie-Lee, Thank you so much for offering to help with our cookbook. Everyone is welcome to contribute. Just go to the site
www.typen..."
thank you very much Linda ! :-)

[Melinda]

Linda,
I can contribute some recipes. Sorry about the fires out West.

A lot of weather stuff going on. Know I am praying for all of you and your families.

[Lola]

Thanks Linda ! I got an email from one of my nieces ,everyone is safe now! That lifts a weight off my heart. I was born in Houston and met Wolf there. We moved to Austin then up here to Montana. Funny I have lived in Montana longer than Texas. Which city is Dave's Brother moving to? I love living here, except for the smoke lol. Soon I will be griping about the cold ;D Love Lola

[Lola]

I just got an email from Audible 2 more of Eternity Springs books have been recorded, Reflection Point and Miracle Road, Yeah more to re-listen to ! Love Lola

[Lesley]

Praying that everyone & their families stay safe wherever you are at the moment xx

[Jina]

Dear group,
Sorry I haven't been on. I have been in the hospital this week. I went to the ER on tues and got discharged on Friday afternoon. I was severely dehydrated and had a colon blockage. I lost 17 lbs in 3 days. Im still sick. I had to have 3 IVs and shots in my stomach. I have slept 4 hours in 3 days. I hurt so bad I cant lay down and have to walk or crawl to get around.
Linda, I will log into your site when I get feeling a little better. I have gotten together a variety of recipes that are my favorites or remind me of Eternity Springs books.
Love to all, I will check back after a few hours.
Jina

[Lola]

OMG Little Sister,
I wish I was closer or that I had won that powerball so I could just buy a jet and fly there ! Do not worry about anything but getting better! We All Love You , Your Big Sister of the Heart Lola

[Jina]

Lola wrote: "OMG Little Sister,
I wish I was closer or that I had won that powerball so I could just buy a jet and fly there ! Do not worry about anything but getting better! We All Love You , Your Big Sister ..."

Thank you. Love you too Sis!
Hugs,
Jina

[Melinda]

Jina,
I thought something was off. Know you are in my prayers. Too far away to do much . Take care of yourself so you get better.
Melinda

[Jina]

Melinda wrote: "Jina,
I thought something was off. Know you are in my prayers. Too far away to do much . Take care of yourself so you get better.
Melinda"

Thank you Melinda. You are so sweet to me. I hope work is going well.
I had an idea of something to add to Lindas cookbook. Since our current book has "glamping" we could put in things that would be good tips or recipes or activity ideas a person would do if they went glamping in Colorado. I also made some coloring pages of scenes you might find on a vacation to Eternity Springs surroundings. Its just an idea. Give me feedback and I will try to upload one of the colorinng scenes I made.
Love and hugs to all. I am feeling a little better today but still so weak. I feel like I got thtew off of Murphy Mountain or Sinners Prayer Pass.
Love,
Jina

[Lesley]

Jina wrote: "Dear group,
Sorry I haven't been on. I have been in the hospital this week. I went to the ER on tues and got discharged on Friday afternoon. I was severely dehydrated and had a colon blockage. I lo..."
Jina, hope you are improving & your pain is subsiding. It seems so unfair that you keep having so much 'thrown' at you all the time. I don't know where you continue to find your strength from. Thinking about you & your family, kove & hugs xx

[Linda]

Jina wrote: "Dear group,
Sorry I haven't been on. I have been in the hospital this week. I went to the ER on Tuesday and got discharged on Friday afternoon. I was severely dehydrated and had a colon blockage. I lol..."

Oh Dear Lord have mercy, Jina !! If I could get there I would be there in an instant. PLEASE, take care of your self and do not worry about the cookbook. We can hash that out in good time. The most important thing right now is for you to heal and to have your strength restored. Your body needs rest in order to heal.
I know you have been trying to lose weight, but girl, let's not do it that way again, lol. That alone would wear me out, lol. Not that I couldn't stand to lose it, lol. Let someone else carry the burden for a little while and just rest. I'm sure the girls will dote on you, they are such sweethearts. I love you, my little sister, and want only the best for you. You are one in a million. God blessed us all the day we came together on this site and I am thankful for the bonds we have formed here.
You are in my thoughts and prayers. May God bless you and, in His mercy, may you be restored in body and in spirit.
Hugs, Linda

[[deleted user]]

Hello, Sisterhood...

It's been several days since I logged on, and I apologize for that -- but I've had some health issues of my own to deal with. Nothing serious, but enough to get me to pay attention and listen to my inner voice. I'll catch up now --

1. About the Cookbook FB page - Based on the group's feedback, it seems the FB page can wait until we are much farther along in our planning - actually until we are ready to start pre-marketing. It's also possible that Emily might let us just post ordering links to her fan page, without having to create our own page. Time will tell, so for now, we can table that to another place on our to-do list.

2. JINA -- OMG. I'm so sorry to hear you've been ill. I've been hospitalized three times in the past for upper and lower intestinal blockages - back when I had Stage IV endometriosis. It was horrendous. When they did my hysterectomy, I had two bowel resections at the same time because the endometriosis was all over my abdomen. Since then, I've been fortunate not to have any additional problems. Of course, being nurses, Ray and I always get the worst of the worst, so when his appendix ruptured five years ago, he had to be readmitted for a "paralytic ileus" - a frustrating complication involving the gut that kept him in the hospital for a week. This happened at the same time I was recovering from neck surgery at home. We were a mess. That was the holiday season to end all holiday seasons! Anyway, I hope you feel much better soon and DO NOT RUSH yourself or push too hard, lest you end up in the hospital again. You hear me, woman?

3. RE: Fires and Smoke. Montana, Oregon, California, and Washington have all had terrible fire seasons this year. There are 19 wildfires in California today. In Northern California, we are socked in with smoke from the fires north of us as far as Oregon. This on top of triple-digit heat all week made for a miserable combination for anyone with a chronic illness. Ray and I took the dog out for a walk on the dam today and it was so hazy from the smoke, we had to cut it short -- and we don't have any respiratory illnesses. It's just miserable. We live in a valley and the smoke gets trapped by the high pressure in the air - we can't see the hills on the west side of town. Like our Montana sister, I'm counting the weeks until the rainy season gets here and the weather starts cooling off.
4. Lola - I'm so glad to hear your family is safe. I can't imagine the nightmare of losing everything and praying for rescue from a rooftop. It blows my mind. I would volunteer in the relief efforts if I could - but since I can't, I'm donating every chance I get.
5. I have recipes to share - but I need to go to the website and set myself up - I'll try to do that later tonight.

Finally - I have to tell you all, my health issues of the past two weeks helped me realize that I'm burned out in some areas of my life. I'm sure it's temporary, the product of a difficult summer of family challenges, job pressures, and other things that are less important. Reading about the challenges some of our group members are facing - and have faced since the first of the year - is staggering sometimes. I've decided to let go of some things and take off some of the pressure that is fueling the fire so I can devote time and attention to recovering from this sense of overload. I've implemented some simple strategies - like not turning on the computer, staying away from my phone, keeping the TV off, backing down from social media, and caring less what other people think. Turning off my inner critic whenever she points out one of my flaws. In exchange, I'm exercising (mildly, at the moment) and I've taken up crochet again - a simple pleasure that calms me inside and out. I still hope to finish the first draft of my manuscript early this fall, but I want to enjoy the writing process, and for me, that means no deadlines.

I may not be logging in every day but I will be thinking of you even when I don't. I don't plan to give up this group - just some of my book promotion activities; and I'm going to stop doing book reviews on someone else's timetable. I have so many books on my iPad that I haven't had time to read - or re-read - and there are so many new books coming out every week I can't enjoy the ones I have. Reviewing has become an obligation and a chore - and that's not how I felt about it four years ago. I want to regain my passion for reading and blogging - but it's going to take time. So as soon as I finish the few ARCs I have to catch up on, no more for me until sometime in 2018, if ever.

If any one of you (or more), feel led to participate in this group as a moderator, please let me know. We started out with 4, and now Emily and I are the only ones left - and Emily is busy creating the books we love to read, so I think she'd be delighted to welcome one or two more mods to the group.

That's all for today - back to work tomorrow - I'll check in again in a day or two. xoxo

P

[Lola]

YEAH!!! We had a cold front come through with strong winds and almost all the smoke is gone at least for today.We can see both of the Mountain ranges. It feels so good to walk outside and not smell smoke ! We have 40 wildfires in Montana, I pray this cold helps the brave fire fighters and smoke jumpers that are fighting to save our state!

Paula,
I am so sorry you have been ill too. You and Jina need to take some time to rest ,don't you wish we could all meet at the smelly springs at Angels Rest ! Remember You are Loved ! Lola

[Lesley]

Ladies, Please all look after yourselves, take all the time you need to recover and stay safe everyone. We will all be here for each other in any way that we can. Love and hugs to all.

[Jina]

Paula wrote: "Hello, Sisterhood...

It's been several days since I logged on, and I apologize for that -- but I've had some health issues of my own to deal with. Nothing serious, but enough to get me to pay atte..."

Dear Paula,
I hope you feel better soon. I know you will feel better when you are reading and writing for the enjoyment of it. Mom got me a book once after my divorce. It was kind of a instruction guide to help a woman go from being a "we" or "us" back to living in an "I" or "me" life. It was a wonderful book it helped a lot with codependency issues. Woman are nuturers, care givers, taking care of all around them. I see that in you often. You want to help everyone and do, but you take less and less time for you and your pursuits. I even see it in your reviews. You want to please the people who are needing your reviewing service. Your reviews are some of the most wonderful I have read. You dont give away plots but teasers to help pull people in to be interested in whichever you are reviewing. That dedication to the authors you serve is valuable but it drains you. I hope you find your peaceful medium. For yourself, the craft you love and your health. I would love to help with moderating. Many times I think of a question or observe something from the books we read but I dont post the question or thought, (sometimes because I think to myself "Random much Jina?!" or that my thought isnt worth mentioning.) I guess you arent the only one being overcritical.
Thank you for your concern. And I have had an ileus before. Very painful. My whole family has digestive issues so I guess I will have to stay more vigilant in what I eat and drink from now on. I am trying to rest. My body is so sore. They had me in restraints for the worst of the painful time and I dont remember it but they said I would go completely tense and do bridgeups and scream out. Evidently the doctor said my writhing around for 36+ hours would be like spring training football practice. So I am resting as best I can. I am not doing errands, Sam has been wonderful in taking care of shopping and things and they all help me get what I need. So "Yes Mom, I will behave myself" (I think of you like the "Mama Bear" of our little sisterhood we got going here. BTW I know I dont say it enough but you have given us many great gifts from this group, laughter, friendship and family, wonderful books and so much more. Thank you.
Love and hugs to you,
Jina

[Jina]

Ps. I am glad you are crocheting again. Its such a wonderful art and its getting to be a lost art. I would love to see a picture of your project.
Love
Jina

[[deleted user]]

Jina - You crack me up. Here you are, recovering from an incredible illness, and offering to moderate!! Pot-Kettle, lady! Seriously, thank you for your kind words. If you're serious, I will add you to the moderator list, but if anyone needs more "me" time and less caretaking, it's got to be you. If it's a joy and not a burden, I'd be delighted to have you join the mods team.

So happy about the smoke clearing in Montana -- I wish I was up there today! It's a lot less smoky, but our "cold front" brought 90 degrees, which honestly is a relief -- we do have a bit of a breeze helping us out, and I can't believe how excited I am that it might drop to the mid-80's this week.

I'm supposed to be working on a clinic project right now, so I'd better sign off - will check in tomorrow!

[Jina]

Lesley wrote: "Jina wrote: "Dear group,
Sorry I haven't been on. I have been in the hospital this week. I went to the ER on tues and got discharged on Friday afternoon. I was severely dehydrated and had a colon b..."

Dear Lesley,
Thank you for your sweet thoughts. Thats so nice. As far as my strength, it's slowly coming back but friends like you with your prayers and encouragement and support, you lift me up when I am down. I hope all is well with you and your family and that you are enjoying your summer. Hugs to you my friend.
Love,
Jina