My Heart Givaway

Pats having trouble with her computer in the country but will be here tomorrow nite for the givaway. In case anyone else wants to enter. A name will be drawn Monday nite.
Al

Giving My Heart Giveaway for 400th post

                                                       Giving My Heart Giveaway

This is a sneak peek on my giveaway for over 400 posts. I didn't want to take a picture of it finished, because sometimes surprises are more fun. There will be lots more than what is shown, so I think this one will be good for all Romantics. Signing up starts today until January 30th at midnight CST. This giveaway is for US states only---sorry, can't be helped.

I do have one problem and should I have to go into the hospital, the giveaway may be late sending off, but closing date will remain the same. As I said in my last post, I am sick and it's not getting any better with only 2 more antibiotics left to take.  I'm waiting for the doctor's office to open so I can try to get an appointment to have it rechecked, so prayers are still needed.

Now how about our Saints! I know that they are playing against Denna's Colts, but we are all hoping this will finally be the Saints year. They are finally AFC Champions.

Go Saints Go!

Well I have to lay down for a little while, nausea is taking over, so tell your friends about the giveaway. Love and Hugs, Pat

Home resting

I would like to thank Deena for posting for me. I am home now, but bed rest for a week. It turned out, I have a severe UTI, my white blood count is very low and I am dehydrated. They put an IV in as soon as we got there and pumped some fluids into me. I am on a strong antibiotic--Cirpro 500, but taking twice a day. I have to avoid contact because with  my white cells are so low, I can catch just about any bug out there. Can't figure out how I became dehydrated because I drink a lot of water and don't drink soft drinks. At least that explains why I was so tired all the time.. Thanks for any prayers you have to offer. This happened in 2003 and I ended up in ICU dying, only I was also malnurished. I have never had a urinary trach infection in my life, so I just thought the pain was from the scar tissue.

I am going back to bed---the antibiotics make me really nauseated, but they gave me something for that. I will post my giveaway sign up this weekend, so hope you all join and tell your friends about it. Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers to my email address. Love and hugs, Pat

Just to let you know

I AM POSTING THIS FOR PAT

I recieved this email from Pat on Sunday

.....

Also pray for me, I am on my way to the ER. We decided not to wait for the doctor to call. So please let everyone know.

I don't know if they will give me injections and send me home, but Al will let you or my blog know. 

Love and hugs, Pat

Waking up from Hibernation

I am just warming up from this deep freeze we were in and I didn't fare too well with it. Some days, I slept for 14 hours, then got up for a few hours, then down for some more sleep.
But I am now getting things together for my giveaway. Almost finished, so stay tuned. I can only afford people in the US to enter, so I apologize for that.

I hope everyone is staying warm. Al had some pipes that froze and he is trying to find out if one broke underground.

I said I would not complain this year, but I am so tired all the time, but hopefully when I see the Doctor on the 2nd, we can try to figure out what is wrong. I am happy and smiling, so I know it's not depression. Last night I was asleep for 8pm and that is so unlike me.

Please pray for the people of Haiti. I looked at a few pictures and it breaks my heart. I just wish more countries would help out. The number of deaths is staggering and they still have more to search for. Lord help them all.

Well better get back to getting my giveaway ready. I know most of you will like it---at least that is my hope. Lots of Love, hugs, and Prayers, Pat

Burrrrrr, Baby it's cold outside!

Roses still blooming with light freeze. If you look close you can see a little ice still on them. We never know what will bloom around here---our weather is so unpredictable. This time they got it right. It is downright cold and we are in a deep freeze.

I am lucky that I can let the water trickle because it won't hurt anyone. In the city, it causes pressure to go down, so Al shut his off and drained the pipes. He came here to relight the pilot on the central heating----I'm a chicken when it comes to gas and electricity. Last night I stayed under the covers and didn't want to get up. Tonight it is supposed to be even colder---in the very low  20s, then Sunday in the teens.

We lost a lot of oranges, but saved more than we need, so going to donate them if my siblings don't want to come and get them.

If I could keep my feet warm, I would be fine, but with the nerve damage, it feels like they want to break and I'm wearing 2 pairs of socks.

I will visit all of my fellow bloggers as soon as I can warm up. Wish the cord was long enough to bring the laptop to the bed.  So I will return soon to post my giveaway next week. I have to go to Crowley to pick up some goodies.

I know those of you up North and in the Midwest are having it worse than us and I love winter, but not in the teens---30s are my kind of weather. I pray you all stay warm and safe. There are many people here who are going to bed with little heaters on and 3 houses have already burned down. I think it would be cheaper to buy an electric blanket than lose everything you have and possibly deaths with fires. See you soon. Love, Hugs, and Prayers, Pat

An Almost Perfect Christmas

Our Christmas was almost a Perfect day, but Chris and David could not be home with us. This is my wonderful family, bottom row, left to right is Me, Pat, granddaughter Theresa, grandson Jacob, and Al

Standing from left to right is our oldest son Donnie, dil, Heidi and our youngest Jonathan.

Now you can see how happy I felt that day and for the first time in over 10 years, I was pain free. I just wish it could last forever, but I am enjoying it while I can.

Now Donnie's smile was worth a million bucks to me after not seeing him for 2 years.

Not many decorations this year, but having him home was the best gift after Jesus's birth.

Jonathan and Theresa in the kitchen having fun. Jonathan is 6 ft. tall, so you can imagine how tall Theresa is for being 9 years old.

That's my little angel and I'm praying Chris will have children, because I think Jonathan and Heidi

are finished having children.

She is such a sweet child, but when I have her and her brother together, they fight over such

silly things, so I try to have one at a time. Of course Jacob is at the age when it is not cool to hang with granny.

3 generations of Jochums, so hopefully when Jacob is old enough, finished with college and finds his mate, they will have a boy and we will have 4 generations. Al's mother is still living, but his dad drowned when he was about 3 years old, trying to save his nephew from drowning. His mom raised 5 boys alone at a time when there was no welfare for her.

Everyone, including myself, thought they were not ready to marry, but Heidi was pregnant and here they are together and will be married 15 years this April. Both have great jobs, but I always wished that he would return to college and get his degree like our other children and Heidi.

Here we are, the men in my life---Al is still a part of my life, even though we can't live together.

Chris, if you are reading this, we missed you and David, but we understand. Maybe next year, we can all be together and you and David will be married by that time.

Our Christmas was not about gifts, but about Jesus and Love of Family, so for me, it was the greatest gift.

Donnie left on the 28th and flew out on New Year's Eve, after visiting some of his friends. He rested and then caught a train on New Year's Day and spent a few days in Montreal. He will now leave for Portland, Oregon and will have his Christmas with Chris and David in Vancouver.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my family. We are very close and we all love each other unconditionally. They are my strength and it's what kept me fighting when I was so sick.

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families, because without family, there is a void.

We are having a deep freeze, but nothing like people are having in the Midwest and North, but with temps in the low 20s, we have to take precautions and get things as though a hurricane were coming, not to mention protecting pipes. There is a possibility of some snow mixed with ice. I like the cold weather, but not in the teens.

I wish all of you the best this year filled with many Blessings, lots of smiles and buckets of hugs. Take the time to say I love you or that you are sorry for hurting someone when you didn't mean to. Life is too short to hold grudges. Love, hugs, and Prayers. Pat