I am sorry for my absence from this blog. It has been with good reasons.
For one thing, I have been completely engrossed in reading Pride and Prejudice, which I started a week ago Saturday, and just this afternoon finished. I hope that my writing will not be too affected by the reading of Miss Austen's fine novel, and her refined manner of using the English language. I must admit disappointment upon finishing that there wasn't more to read. On every other account, I am quite well satisfied. Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet's romance concluded quite satisfactorily, and their happiness ever after was assured.
Now that all that is out of my system, there have been other things keeping me away from my computer in the previous days. I absolutely had to get my Christmas shopping done this week. For the first in three weeks, my husband did not have to travel for business, and he was able to be home with the children for me in the evening so that I could shop kid-free. One evening after returning home from 2 hours of shopping, I wrapped presents for a full 4 hours. That was thoroughly exhausting!
This week was also the "Winter" party for Big Girl's Kindergarten class. The party was my major responsibility, being the homeroom mom. I coordinated the volunteers, and prepared the craft, and fielded the inquiries of the other parents concerning the party. The craft had to be partially assembled for the sake of the kids' ability to finish it in the short time allotted, and I also had to take pictures of each of the children in the class as it was included as part of the craft. As luck would have it, there were 2 students absent on the day I first took pictures, the day of the field trip. I had Big Girl identify her classmates to help me figure out who was missing, and she misidentified one of the boys, so I had several pictures to take this week, and then get them all printed. After getting those printed, I cut them out with my oval-shaped cutters from my scrapbook supplies, and affixed one to each of the penguins which were to be completed by the children. The party was a complete success and I was very pleased to have it all done with within two minutes of the allotted time. The party was to last from 11:15 to 12:15, and I turned it all back over to the teacher at 12:17. Up and down the hallway, the other parties were still going on. Big Girl's teacher was most appreciative to have time for a bathroom break before taking the children out for recess (as if they needed ANOTHER recess!). The best part was that the clean-up was so swift and painless. While a parent was reading a book to the class at the end of the party, other parents were stripping the tables of their butcher paper coverings and the room was returned to its pre-party state with ease before the book was finished.
The most fabulous of this past week's happenings was the celebration of my decade of marriage to my sweet husband. Friday, December 19th, marked our 10th anniversary. While it seems hardly possible that so much time has elapsed since our wedding day, it also is hard to believe that only so little time has passed, as I can't remember life before being married to him. He sent me a dozen roses which arrived mid-afternoon on Friday, after all the party craziness was over. Then my mother took the children home with her and we had a most elegant date. We went to the fanciest restaurant either of us has ever been to, and ate the most expensive meal either of us has ever eaten. I had filet mingon for the first time in my life. I think I can handle that every 10 years! Hubby learned the hard way, and most expensive way, that he does not like the taste of duck. I'm sorry for his being punished for stepping out and being adventuresome. I would rather he be rewarded for it, but the duck had an unexpected twang, and nothing could be done about it. Dispite that, we had a lovely time. It will be cherished memory for us both.
One thing is certain. Even knowing my husband as I know him now, with all the knowledge gained in the last 10 years, I would still marry him without one moment's hesitation if I were to have it to do over again.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
This Week, Part 3
The last thing I blogged about was Tuesday, right?
Wednesday was Big Girl's OT evaluation. I took Little Girl to my friend since it was my "day off". I then came home and finished up the paper work for OT that Hubby was supposed to have done a couple weeks ago. (He got a few pages into it and quit.) I fielded a phone call during that time, and scrambled to get it all done. I was nearly late picking up Big Girl from school.
Big Girl was happy to come with me. It was another surprise pick-up. She seems to do better with her school work when she doesn't know something is coming up. When she does know, she watches the clock and doesn't get any work done. There was more paperwork for me to fill out when we got there, and I diligently set about it while BG played in the waiting room. I had told her she was there to play, and she thought that was it. After about 10 minutes, she was totally bored. Poor kid.
When we were finally called back, we went into a room with some more toys while the therapist talked with me for another 10 minutes or so. Big Girl thought that was what she came there to do, and had exhausted the toys in half the time. They were really babyish toys, so I'm glad she wasn't entertained by them very well.
After the consultation, the real fun began. Big Girl thoroughly enjoyed playing with the therapist. They did all kinds of things - swinging on various swings, playing with a ball, wheel-barrow walking, balance beam (4 inches off the ground), drawing, stringing beads, peg-boards and more. Some of it she could do, and some she really couldn't do at all. At the end of it all, the therapist recommended OT every week. For multiple reasons, I'm not ready for that, and we're only going to start going every other week, but not until January.
After the OT evaluation, Big Girl and I went to lunch at Luby's, just around the corner from the OT place. She was in a terrific mood. She had really enjoyed all the things she got to do at OT, and then to get a special lunch out with Mommy was clearly a bonus. We had a lovely time together. I so enjoy spending one on one time like that with her. It doesn't happen all that often these days since she started school. She's a very interesting person, my Big Girl.
After that, I took her back to school, and went home to enjoy my last hour and a half off before Christmas by taking a much needed nap. Half an hour in to my nap, Hubby came home early from work rather unexpectedly. He ended up getting Big Girl from school and Little Girl too, and let me sleep. I ended up sleeping 3 hours! I needed every bit of that. It was like the Sunday afternoon nap I never got on Sunday.
Wednesday night was my night to serve in AWANA, but I was also needed for some choir stuff. So Hubby subbed for me and let me do the music thing, since he's not on the schedule this week, and didn't need to be there for practice. He took the girls home and put them to bed, and I was up at the church until nearly 10 PM. It worked out beautifully.
Thursday was the first Kindergarten field trip of the year. The kids got to go to a local theater and see a Christmas production for kids, and then to the park after for a picnic lunch. Parents weren't invited to come to the theater due to limited seating, but we were encouraged to meet them all for lunch. Little Girl and I did just that. It was a bit later than usual for lunch, and the buses bringing the Kindergarteners were a little late. It all added up to Little Girl's desperate need for a nap long before the play time was supposed to be over. Here's now I know she's hit the wall: she cries about EVERYTHING. Some one bumps her as they run past and it's the end of the world. Her jacket slips off her shoulder, and it's time to cry like the world is OVER. There's no mild irritation with her. It's total overreaction, the sky is falling at every turn. NAP TIME!!!
By the time we got home (the park was pretty close, about a 3 minute drive), there was only time for a short nap. 45 minutes of sleep was all she got. Poor baby. She could have used another 2 hours beyond that! But I had to wake her up to go get her sister from school.
Both of my girls were pretty tired. The field trip had really exhausted Big Girl, and they didn't get their usual rest time at all. We had an OK evening, considering everyone was pretty tired. I even managed to make a dinner that included vegetables.
Friday was a low-key morning with too much to do in the afternoon. Well, one thing out of the ordinary, but it fell at the absolute worst time of the day. I had a rehearsal with a ladies trio up at the church at what is usually Little Girl's nap time. Any other week when she'd have had a consistent nap every day, that might not have been a problem. This week, it was a major problem. For the first 15 minutes of the rehearsal, she was whiny and fussy, crying for no reason. Then I finally gave in and held her. She fell asleep in my lap. I don't remember the last time she fell asleep in my arms before that. Her sleep couldn't have been very sound (I was singing the whole time), and it certainly wasn't long enough. We had to leave and go get Big Girl from school.
We spent some time with my mom, who I had asked to get Big Girl for me since the rehearsal would make it tight for me to get her on time. We ended up spending nearly an hour in my mom's classroom, much longer than expected. We came home around 4:00 PM, and the wheels came off for both the girls. And Hubby was working out of town, so there was no one coming home to relieve me. I sent both girls to their rooms until they could stop crying. I needed a time out.
I totally wimped out on dinner. We went to Sonic. I'm not proud of it, but I did that with Hubby's blessing.
Wednesday was Big Girl's OT evaluation. I took Little Girl to my friend since it was my "day off". I then came home and finished up the paper work for OT that Hubby was supposed to have done a couple weeks ago. (He got a few pages into it and quit.) I fielded a phone call during that time, and scrambled to get it all done. I was nearly late picking up Big Girl from school.
Big Girl was happy to come with me. It was another surprise pick-up. She seems to do better with her school work when she doesn't know something is coming up. When she does know, she watches the clock and doesn't get any work done. There was more paperwork for me to fill out when we got there, and I diligently set about it while BG played in the waiting room. I had told her she was there to play, and she thought that was it. After about 10 minutes, she was totally bored. Poor kid.
When we were finally called back, we went into a room with some more toys while the therapist talked with me for another 10 minutes or so. Big Girl thought that was what she came there to do, and had exhausted the toys in half the time. They were really babyish toys, so I'm glad she wasn't entertained by them very well.
After the consultation, the real fun began. Big Girl thoroughly enjoyed playing with the therapist. They did all kinds of things - swinging on various swings, playing with a ball, wheel-barrow walking, balance beam (4 inches off the ground), drawing, stringing beads, peg-boards and more. Some of it she could do, and some she really couldn't do at all. At the end of it all, the therapist recommended OT every week. For multiple reasons, I'm not ready for that, and we're only going to start going every other week, but not until January.
After the OT evaluation, Big Girl and I went to lunch at Luby's, just around the corner from the OT place. She was in a terrific mood. She had really enjoyed all the things she got to do at OT, and then to get a special lunch out with Mommy was clearly a bonus. We had a lovely time together. I so enjoy spending one on one time like that with her. It doesn't happen all that often these days since she started school. She's a very interesting person, my Big Girl.
After that, I took her back to school, and went home to enjoy my last hour and a half off before Christmas by taking a much needed nap. Half an hour in to my nap, Hubby came home early from work rather unexpectedly. He ended up getting Big Girl from school and Little Girl too, and let me sleep. I ended up sleeping 3 hours! I needed every bit of that. It was like the Sunday afternoon nap I never got on Sunday.
Wednesday night was my night to serve in AWANA, but I was also needed for some choir stuff. So Hubby subbed for me and let me do the music thing, since he's not on the schedule this week, and didn't need to be there for practice. He took the girls home and put them to bed, and I was up at the church until nearly 10 PM. It worked out beautifully.
Thursday was the first Kindergarten field trip of the year. The kids got to go to a local theater and see a Christmas production for kids, and then to the park after for a picnic lunch. Parents weren't invited to come to the theater due to limited seating, but we were encouraged to meet them all for lunch. Little Girl and I did just that. It was a bit later than usual for lunch, and the buses bringing the Kindergarteners were a little late. It all added up to Little Girl's desperate need for a nap long before the play time was supposed to be over. Here's now I know she's hit the wall: she cries about EVERYTHING. Some one bumps her as they run past and it's the end of the world. Her jacket slips off her shoulder, and it's time to cry like the world is OVER. There's no mild irritation with her. It's total overreaction, the sky is falling at every turn. NAP TIME!!!
By the time we got home (the park was pretty close, about a 3 minute drive), there was only time for a short nap. 45 minutes of sleep was all she got. Poor baby. She could have used another 2 hours beyond that! But I had to wake her up to go get her sister from school.
Both of my girls were pretty tired. The field trip had really exhausted Big Girl, and they didn't get their usual rest time at all. We had an OK evening, considering everyone was pretty tired. I even managed to make a dinner that included vegetables.
Friday was a low-key morning with too much to do in the afternoon. Well, one thing out of the ordinary, but it fell at the absolute worst time of the day. I had a rehearsal with a ladies trio up at the church at what is usually Little Girl's nap time. Any other week when she'd have had a consistent nap every day, that might not have been a problem. This week, it was a major problem. For the first 15 minutes of the rehearsal, she was whiny and fussy, crying for no reason. Then I finally gave in and held her. She fell asleep in my lap. I don't remember the last time she fell asleep in my arms before that. Her sleep couldn't have been very sound (I was singing the whole time), and it certainly wasn't long enough. We had to leave and go get Big Girl from school.
We spent some time with my mom, who I had asked to get Big Girl for me since the rehearsal would make it tight for me to get her on time. We ended up spending nearly an hour in my mom's classroom, much longer than expected. We came home around 4:00 PM, and the wheels came off for both the girls. And Hubby was working out of town, so there was no one coming home to relieve me. I sent both girls to their rooms until they could stop crying. I needed a time out.
I totally wimped out on dinner. We went to Sonic. I'm not proud of it, but I did that with Hubby's blessing.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
This Week, Part 2
I left you last after my Sunday of worship and work. Hard, back-breaking work.
Monday I was sore.
Monday I became facebook friends with my piano teacher from college. He had been on facebook since July, and yet it took me nearly 5 months to find him. I had done a search for him more than once on facebook, and he never showed up (that I saw) until Monday, when someone I knew commented on a photo of his or something like that.
I had things to do on Monday that didn't get done. I'll admit it. I spent way too much time on facebook Monday. I didn't go grocery shopping, and I didn't even put Little Girl down for a nap. I just couldn't tear myself away from the computer. Bad me. I scanned and uploaded just about every high school picture I have of my friends and me. I had to disassemble a framed collage to do that. It was a very involved task, one that could have waited for another day when I didn't have actual things that needed to happen. Oh well. What's done is done, and I'm glad to have the pictures out there. When you put out pictures like that, people tag the people they know who are in the pictures, and then you get connected with the people you weren't connected with, and the circle grows and grows.
Tuesday was a busy day. First thing I had to make up for having not grocery shopped the day before. Then I met with some friends to hang out and pray, and let our girls play together. That is where the interesting part of the week really gets rolling. (I know, I'm into the second post, and it's only NOW getting interesting. Sorry, folks. This is my place to tell as detailed a story as I want.)
When we prayed together, aloud, God spoke a couple of things directly to my heart. 1) Now is not a stepping stone to the next thing. Now is the destination. What are you waiting for? And 2) Little Girl will be a huge asset to the kingdom of God, and her heart will be on fire for God if she can see it in you.
Whoa...
God had me all stirred up at that point. This last year, since losing my father-in-law, has been a rough road, and I have been slowly coming back to a right relationship with God. I have accepted my father-in-law's death (though I still miss him very much, and will always!), and I've seen some seeds planted in Big Girl as a result. If his passing means she will join us in heaven one day, then I know it was worth it. Anyway, my heart is coming around after that huge season of suffering following his passing.
I went home, and immediately walked up to the school to get Big Girl. On the way home, I was reminded that there was a women's ministry meeting Tuesday night, planning the upcoming ladies' retreat. I had the thought, I should go to that. Maybe whatever God has for me NOW has something to do with that. I really had no idea what.
After I got back home, fed the girls a snack, I sat down at the computer for the first time that day, and my piano teacher popped up in a chat window (the one I had just become friends with the day before). We had a few exchanges of chit-chat, then he asked, "what's going on with you?" So I shared with him the stuff God had revealed to me earlier. As I was sharing with him, it became clear to me that what I had to do at the meeting was to offer myself up to lead worship, or at least play the piano for it. It was no coincidence that this man who is so tied to piano in my life hadn't shown back up until then. When I realized all of this, I started shaking, palms sweating, you name it. But I knew in my spirit that God was calling me to offer that up.
This may not make sense to my readers, so let me explain. I started taking piano lessons when I was 3 from my mother. I continued to take lessons throughout my childhood, with a couple breaks here or there. It was a constant struggle between my mom and me about piano practice. I had enough talent to fake it, mostly. Finally when I was in 10th grade, I was in band and choir at school, and I really didn't want to do the piano thing anymore, so I quit. Then when I was a music major in college, I had to take piano again. I still didn't like practice, and got a D my first semester from the teacher I'm now facebook friends with. (I made a lot of mistakes that first semester, and that was just one of them.) For some people, the thing they fear most in the world is speaking in front of people. For me, it's playing the piano in front of people. My knees knock together, my hands shake. I'm stiffening up nervously right now just thinking about it. It's not a place I want to be, offering that up to the women's ministry at church.
So I went to the meeting, fully expecting to offer to play, and they'd say, "thanks, but no thanks," and move right along. And that's nearly how it went, only I didn't say anything. The pastor's wife got up and started talking about registration, and hostesses and stuff like that. She mentioned the lady who is doing the worship leading and another doing the speaking. I sighed, relieved. I volunteered to help with registration. I can do that. I can make a database and enter information and keep things organized. I'm good at that sort of thing. (I have a database for my homeroom mom stuff, after all!)
After the meeting, a friend of mine needed to talk to me about something, so we sat there a few minutes. I shared with her that God was stirring something up in me, and went through the whole thing with her. (Incidentally, she went to my college and also knows the teacher I'm talking about.) Before I could get away, she called the pastor's wife over and had me tell her. When I started to say the words, they barely came out. I was flooded with fear and trembling. I did say what I had to say. I obeyed the obvious thing God called me to do that night. She and my other friend prayed over me before we left. That was a truly special moment, one I hope I never forget.
So now it's not up to me. Whatever happens with my piano playing is in God's hands. When He calls on me to practice, I pray that I will. I pray I will practice with a happy heart and not the same rebelliousness I showed my mother for all those years.
After I got home, I was chatting with another friend (the one I met at Chick-fil-a that day and got a free milkshake from the manager), and God showed me something else. I had to completely reject playing the piano for 10 years so that I could separate my mother's love from it. Growing up, I had it in my head that my mother's love was tied to whether or not I was playing the piano. That was not the reality, but it was my immature perception. Now that my mother's love and favor toward me has nothing to do with piano, I can enter that back into my life without the same feelings of worth or worthlessness being tied in. (Now I know my mother's love is based on my having given her grandchildren!! HA HA!)
God knows what He's doing as he weaves the intricate tapestries of our lives. It's utterly amazing.
That brings us up to Tuesday night. Wednesday and Thursday will have to wait for another post.
Tonight the song in my head is "Africa" by Toto. Here's why. This video is a really good one. You should watch it and enjoy. It's not the video for "Africa." It's better than that. All will be made clear after you watch.
Monday I was sore.
Monday I became facebook friends with my piano teacher from college. He had been on facebook since July, and yet it took me nearly 5 months to find him. I had done a search for him more than once on facebook, and he never showed up (that I saw) until Monday, when someone I knew commented on a photo of his or something like that.
I had things to do on Monday that didn't get done. I'll admit it. I spent way too much time on facebook Monday. I didn't go grocery shopping, and I didn't even put Little Girl down for a nap. I just couldn't tear myself away from the computer. Bad me. I scanned and uploaded just about every high school picture I have of my friends and me. I had to disassemble a framed collage to do that. It was a very involved task, one that could have waited for another day when I didn't have actual things that needed to happen. Oh well. What's done is done, and I'm glad to have the pictures out there. When you put out pictures like that, people tag the people they know who are in the pictures, and then you get connected with the people you weren't connected with, and the circle grows and grows.
Tuesday was a busy day. First thing I had to make up for having not grocery shopped the day before. Then I met with some friends to hang out and pray, and let our girls play together. That is where the interesting part of the week really gets rolling. (I know, I'm into the second post, and it's only NOW getting interesting. Sorry, folks. This is my place to tell as detailed a story as I want.)
When we prayed together, aloud, God spoke a couple of things directly to my heart. 1) Now is not a stepping stone to the next thing. Now is the destination. What are you waiting for? And 2) Little Girl will be a huge asset to the kingdom of God, and her heart will be on fire for God if she can see it in you.
Whoa...
God had me all stirred up at that point. This last year, since losing my father-in-law, has been a rough road, and I have been slowly coming back to a right relationship with God. I have accepted my father-in-law's death (though I still miss him very much, and will always!), and I've seen some seeds planted in Big Girl as a result. If his passing means she will join us in heaven one day, then I know it was worth it. Anyway, my heart is coming around after that huge season of suffering following his passing.
I went home, and immediately walked up to the school to get Big Girl. On the way home, I was reminded that there was a women's ministry meeting Tuesday night, planning the upcoming ladies' retreat. I had the thought, I should go to that. Maybe whatever God has for me NOW has something to do with that. I really had no idea what.
After I got back home, fed the girls a snack, I sat down at the computer for the first time that day, and my piano teacher popped up in a chat window (the one I had just become friends with the day before). We had a few exchanges of chit-chat, then he asked, "what's going on with you?" So I shared with him the stuff God had revealed to me earlier. As I was sharing with him, it became clear to me that what I had to do at the meeting was to offer myself up to lead worship, or at least play the piano for it. It was no coincidence that this man who is so tied to piano in my life hadn't shown back up until then. When I realized all of this, I started shaking, palms sweating, you name it. But I knew in my spirit that God was calling me to offer that up.
This may not make sense to my readers, so let me explain. I started taking piano lessons when I was 3 from my mother. I continued to take lessons throughout my childhood, with a couple breaks here or there. It was a constant struggle between my mom and me about piano practice. I had enough talent to fake it, mostly. Finally when I was in 10th grade, I was in band and choir at school, and I really didn't want to do the piano thing anymore, so I quit. Then when I was a music major in college, I had to take piano again. I still didn't like practice, and got a D my first semester from the teacher I'm now facebook friends with. (I made a lot of mistakes that first semester, and that was just one of them.) For some people, the thing they fear most in the world is speaking in front of people. For me, it's playing the piano in front of people. My knees knock together, my hands shake. I'm stiffening up nervously right now just thinking about it. It's not a place I want to be, offering that up to the women's ministry at church.
So I went to the meeting, fully expecting to offer to play, and they'd say, "thanks, but no thanks," and move right along. And that's nearly how it went, only I didn't say anything. The pastor's wife got up and started talking about registration, and hostesses and stuff like that. She mentioned the lady who is doing the worship leading and another doing the speaking. I sighed, relieved. I volunteered to help with registration. I can do that. I can make a database and enter information and keep things organized. I'm good at that sort of thing. (I have a database for my homeroom mom stuff, after all!)
After the meeting, a friend of mine needed to talk to me about something, so we sat there a few minutes. I shared with her that God was stirring something up in me, and went through the whole thing with her. (Incidentally, she went to my college and also knows the teacher I'm talking about.) Before I could get away, she called the pastor's wife over and had me tell her. When I started to say the words, they barely came out. I was flooded with fear and trembling. I did say what I had to say. I obeyed the obvious thing God called me to do that night. She and my other friend prayed over me before we left. That was a truly special moment, one I hope I never forget.
So now it's not up to me. Whatever happens with my piano playing is in God's hands. When He calls on me to practice, I pray that I will. I pray I will practice with a happy heart and not the same rebelliousness I showed my mother for all those years.
After I got home, I was chatting with another friend (the one I met at Chick-fil-a that day and got a free milkshake from the manager), and God showed me something else. I had to completely reject playing the piano for 10 years so that I could separate my mother's love from it. Growing up, I had it in my head that my mother's love was tied to whether or not I was playing the piano. That was not the reality, but it was my immature perception. Now that my mother's love and favor toward me has nothing to do with piano, I can enter that back into my life without the same feelings of worth or worthlessness being tied in. (Now I know my mother's love is based on my having given her grandchildren!! HA HA!)
God knows what He's doing as he weaves the intricate tapestries of our lives. It's utterly amazing.
That brings us up to Tuesday night. Wednesday and Thursday will have to wait for another post.
Tonight the song in my head is "Africa" by Toto. Here's why. This video is a really good one. You should watch it and enjoy. It's not the video for "Africa." It's better than that. All will be made clear after you watch.
This Week, Part 1
Today I have so much to say, and I'm not quite sure where to begin... I guess I'll start with Sunday, since the last time I shared anything was Saturday. So here goes...
Sunday at church, Hubby was playing drums, and I wasn't singing on stage. Usually it irks me somewhat to sit and not be singing, and I sit (or stand, as appropriate) there hearing all the mistakes being made by the people who are singing on stage, jealous of them, nursing my bruised pride that I was not chosen for that Sunday. (Pretty awful, I know.) This week, I was not in that frame of mind at all. I was there, where I usually sit with Big Girl (before she goes off to Children's Church), happy for the people who were singing their hearts out to God on stage. Sure, I still heard stuff that I would have sung differently, but in my heart I didn't respond like I usually do. As the morning's worship service went on, I was aware that there was a difference, and I was happy about it. I was having a "Yay, God!" moment for most of the service. When the invitation came, I was bowing my head, still in my introspective mode, thanking God for the attitude improvement, when I was tapped on the shoulder. The worship leader wanted me to go sing for the invitation (several of the other singers had left). So I did get to sing after all, when I wasn't looking for it, or jealous about it. God gave me a little gift in that, I believe. He blessed me for my good attitude.
Then Sunday lunch, we went to one of our favorite local Mexican food restaurants. It makes my taste-buds happy to eat those fajita beef/chicken combo quesadillas! Little Girl didn't eat much that day. Big Girl ordered a peanut butter and jelly taco, which was a mistake for her. She had a very hard time when the peanut butter and jelly started dripping out the back end of her tortilla. Lesson learned. She won't get that again.
As he was leaving church to join us to go to lunch, Hubby was approached by another band member who lives out in the country and whose wife runs a business with their stables, giving riding lessons and boarding horses. He is building an office for her, and asked for Hubby's help Sunday afternoon. My husband is not a typical guy. He is strong, but he's not handy. I build the IKEA furniture at our house. I see how it goes together, and he just doesn't really. Plus, he worked Saturday out of town, and hadn't had a weekend yet. He's also scheduled to work out of town this Saturday, so he knew he wasn't getting another day off for a while. He also doesn't do very well being thrown a change in plans at the last minute. All of this added up to his not going to help. But I am quite handy. I do see how things go together. I may not be as strong as he is, but I thought I had something to offer, so I went in his place.
There were four or five people working the whole time I was there. The first thing we did was secure braces to hold the framing square. (For my female readers, that means there were 2x4's going all sorts of diagnoals, nailed at the top of the framing, and we were securing the bottoms of those diagnoals to hold the tops of the framed walls in just the right spot so the room would be as square as possible.) There was a carpenter at the top of the frames, watching to see when we got it to the right spot, Mike (whose place it was) with the nail gun, then me and another girl leaning on or pulling the braces until it was in the right spot and holding it until Mike could nail it. That didn't take very long.
Then we hoisted trusses to the top of the framing we had just squared. This was the second story, by the way. The trusses were on the ground when we started. Another helper had shown up between the bracing and moving the trusses, so that was good. Mike and Judy stood on the ground, lifting the truss to me, Candace and the carpenter, John, who stood on top of a first story roof and then lifted slid it up to the second story and let it go to rest across the framing. One time we didn't quite push it far enough and it teetered like a see-saw for a minute, until John could push it around some more and move it out of the way for the next truss to come up there. There were 13 in all. It was interesting how Candace and I went from being timid about grabbing them and lifting them at the beginning, to practically doing it without John's help by the end. I also lifted sheets of plywood, one at a time, standing in the bed of a truck, up to Mike who was then on the first story roof. There were 30 sheets of plywood. After that, some of the help had to leave. Candace and I helped Mike measure and cut plywood for the outside of the walls on the first story wall until the sun went down and we lost our light. It was an afternoon of hard labor.
And I don't have time today to go into all of what I want to get out here, so I'll have to leave Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday for another post.
The song in my head comes from my husband's facebook status update. His update: "Hubby" liked it, and nearly 10 years ago put a ring on it. I thought he was being sweet, and he was. But that status sentence came from his having the Beyonce song, "All the Single Ladies" in his head. When he was working out of town last weekend, he had to drive people's cars for the study, and he doesn't mess with the people's radios when he is in their cars. That song came on while he was driving someone's car, and so it got stuck. It would have been sweet if he hadn't then made me listen to that song. So if you want to know what I'm talking about, here you go. If you want to skip listening to the song in my head today, that's OK with me. I completely understand. I wish I had had that option...
Sunday at church, Hubby was playing drums, and I wasn't singing on stage. Usually it irks me somewhat to sit and not be singing, and I sit (or stand, as appropriate) there hearing all the mistakes being made by the people who are singing on stage, jealous of them, nursing my bruised pride that I was not chosen for that Sunday. (Pretty awful, I know.) This week, I was not in that frame of mind at all. I was there, where I usually sit with Big Girl (before she goes off to Children's Church), happy for the people who were singing their hearts out to God on stage. Sure, I still heard stuff that I would have sung differently, but in my heart I didn't respond like I usually do. As the morning's worship service went on, I was aware that there was a difference, and I was happy about it. I was having a "Yay, God!" moment for most of the service. When the invitation came, I was bowing my head, still in my introspective mode, thanking God for the attitude improvement, when I was tapped on the shoulder. The worship leader wanted me to go sing for the invitation (several of the other singers had left). So I did get to sing after all, when I wasn't looking for it, or jealous about it. God gave me a little gift in that, I believe. He blessed me for my good attitude.
Then Sunday lunch, we went to one of our favorite local Mexican food restaurants. It makes my taste-buds happy to eat those fajita beef/chicken combo quesadillas! Little Girl didn't eat much that day. Big Girl ordered a peanut butter and jelly taco, which was a mistake for her. She had a very hard time when the peanut butter and jelly started dripping out the back end of her tortilla. Lesson learned. She won't get that again.
As he was leaving church to join us to go to lunch, Hubby was approached by another band member who lives out in the country and whose wife runs a business with their stables, giving riding lessons and boarding horses. He is building an office for her, and asked for Hubby's help Sunday afternoon. My husband is not a typical guy. He is strong, but he's not handy. I build the IKEA furniture at our house. I see how it goes together, and he just doesn't really. Plus, he worked Saturday out of town, and hadn't had a weekend yet. He's also scheduled to work out of town this Saturday, so he knew he wasn't getting another day off for a while. He also doesn't do very well being thrown a change in plans at the last minute. All of this added up to his not going to help. But I am quite handy. I do see how things go together. I may not be as strong as he is, but I thought I had something to offer, so I went in his place.
There were four or five people working the whole time I was there. The first thing we did was secure braces to hold the framing square. (For my female readers, that means there were 2x4's going all sorts of diagnoals, nailed at the top of the framing, and we were securing the bottoms of those diagnoals to hold the tops of the framed walls in just the right spot so the room would be as square as possible.) There was a carpenter at the top of the frames, watching to see when we got it to the right spot, Mike (whose place it was) with the nail gun, then me and another girl leaning on or pulling the braces until it was in the right spot and holding it until Mike could nail it. That didn't take very long.
Then we hoisted trusses to the top of the framing we had just squared. This was the second story, by the way. The trusses were on the ground when we started. Another helper had shown up between the bracing and moving the trusses, so that was good. Mike and Judy stood on the ground, lifting the truss to me, Candace and the carpenter, John, who stood on top of a first story roof and then lifted slid it up to the second story and let it go to rest across the framing. One time we didn't quite push it far enough and it teetered like a see-saw for a minute, until John could push it around some more and move it out of the way for the next truss to come up there. There were 13 in all. It was interesting how Candace and I went from being timid about grabbing them and lifting them at the beginning, to practically doing it without John's help by the end. I also lifted sheets of plywood, one at a time, standing in the bed of a truck, up to Mike who was then on the first story roof. There were 30 sheets of plywood. After that, some of the help had to leave. Candace and I helped Mike measure and cut plywood for the outside of the walls on the first story wall until the sun went down and we lost our light. It was an afternoon of hard labor.
And I don't have time today to go into all of what I want to get out here, so I'll have to leave Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday for another post.
The song in my head comes from my husband's facebook status update. His update: "Hubby" liked it, and nearly 10 years ago put a ring on it. I thought he was being sweet, and he was. But that status sentence came from his having the Beyonce song, "All the Single Ladies" in his head. When he was working out of town last weekend, he had to drive people's cars for the study, and he doesn't mess with the people's radios when he is in their cars. That song came on while he was driving someone's car, and so it got stuck. It would have been sweet if he hadn't then made me listen to that song. So if you want to know what I'm talking about, here you go. If you want to skip listening to the song in my head today, that's OK with me. I completely understand. I wish I had had that option...
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Kids' Craft!!!
I'm so excited today about the kid craft I thought up! I've been wanting to make an ornament with Little Girl's picture in it this year to help compensate for the fact that by this time in Big Girl's life, she had already been in school, making picture ornaments for a year or two, and there are already several pictures of her on our tree. There's one little picture of Little Girl from last year in her Sunday school class, and the picture they used isn't a very good one. She had taken off her headband, and her hair is a mess.
Last night I attended our church's Women's Christmas Dinner. It's a very special event every year, and it's always a fun night. Each table is adopted and decorated by a hostess, and each table is different. They're all beautiful in different ways. This year, the table I sat at was a hybrid of Christmas and Valentiney things, with the theme of John 3:16. There were all the figures from a white ceramic manger scene with red hearts on a black table cloth. It was very elegant. It inspired my ornament idea.
I got peel and stick glitter foam in 8.5/11 inch sheets. I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make red and silver hearts (I had to finish the cutting job with scissors, but it made enough of an impression to see where to cut). I cut a circle hole in the center of the red hearts (with my old Crative Memories circle cutters) for a picture of the girl(s). Then on the back of the silver heart I wrote with a black sharpee, "God loved us and sent His son. I John 4:10" (That's one of the verses they learn for Cubbies.) I made enough hearts for my girls and my neighbor's girls. She and I had been talking about doing a craft together with the girls.
After my girls watched me cutting out all these hears, they had ideas about other shapes they wanted to make for ornaments for grandparents (be surprised when you open your Christmas presents, please!).
It wasn't until after we cleaned up the mess we had made on the table that I found a paper for Big Girl's homework for this week. She has to make something that represents how our family celebrates the holiday. How perfect!! And it's going to hang in the hallway at school for a week. I'm so excited to put this ornament with the scripture on it in the public school. I really didn't set out to do that. It just worked out that way. Isn't it great when God does that?!
Thanks to a Paul Shanklin parody I heard on Rush yesterday, I have Abba's "Dancing Queen" in my head today. *Sigh* Sorry, folks.
Last night I attended our church's Women's Christmas Dinner. It's a very special event every year, and it's always a fun night. Each table is adopted and decorated by a hostess, and each table is different. They're all beautiful in different ways. This year, the table I sat at was a hybrid of Christmas and Valentiney things, with the theme of John 3:16. There were all the figures from a white ceramic manger scene with red hearts on a black table cloth. It was very elegant. It inspired my ornament idea.
I got peel and stick glitter foam in 8.5/11 inch sheets. I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make red and silver hearts (I had to finish the cutting job with scissors, but it made enough of an impression to see where to cut). I cut a circle hole in the center of the red hearts (with my old Crative Memories circle cutters) for a picture of the girl(s). Then on the back of the silver heart I wrote with a black sharpee, "God loved us and sent His son. I John 4:10" (That's one of the verses they learn for Cubbies.) I made enough hearts for my girls and my neighbor's girls. She and I had been talking about doing a craft together with the girls.
After my girls watched me cutting out all these hears, they had ideas about other shapes they wanted to make for ornaments for grandparents (be surprised when you open your Christmas presents, please!).
It wasn't until after we cleaned up the mess we had made on the table that I found a paper for Big Girl's homework for this week. She has to make something that represents how our family celebrates the holiday. How perfect!! And it's going to hang in the hallway at school for a week. I'm so excited to put this ornament with the scripture on it in the public school. I really didn't set out to do that. It just worked out that way. Isn't it great when God does that?!
Thanks to a Paul Shanklin parody I heard on Rush yesterday, I have Abba's "Dancing Queen" in my head today. *Sigh* Sorry, folks.
Friday, December 5, 2008
UG - We Make Fire
This week has been all over the place, as far as our weather is concerned. Early in the week it was mild, and playing outside in the afternoon was pleasant in a sweatshirt, if not just a little too warm. By Wednesday, a T-shirt and jeans was just right. Then the cold front came Wednesday night, and it's frigid out there. We've had freezing overnight, and super cold days with lots of biting wind. And that's why last night, Hubby and I made a fire in our fireplace. It was a first for us. We hadn't lived in a house with a fireplace until last year, and for some reason, the fire we tried to make last year never really caught on. I think the wood was wet or something. This year the wood (from the same wood bundle) was just right and caught on fire right away. We turned the gas completely off after a little while, and just enjoyed the warmth from the flames licking the wood. Ahhhh... it was great! I sat by it the whole evening, poking it and keeping it going until bedtime.This week has been a good one in a lot of ways. We (the girls and me) have been playing outside with our fantastic neighbors every day for at least an hour. Even yesterday when it was super cold. The poor little girls had pink noses, but they wanted to play until the sun started to go down, and it got obviously colder.
While they've been playing out there, I've been dealing with the Christmas lights. I've had a bit of a situation on my hands in that regard. Last year I put lights up on the small hedge row in front of our walk up to the front door (it runs parallel to the street from the driveway to the door). I also wrapped the two large trees in the front yard. But this year, I stole the lights that wrapped the outside trees to put on the Christmas tree inside, so I had to buy more lights to go on the trees outside. I also decided to put lights on the hedges that are between the walkway and the house, in front of our big window, so I had to buy more lights for that too. Last year I had no problems with any of the lights I bought, they all worked. Now I'm realizing what an anomaly that was because two thirds of the lights I bought this year have not worked. I've already returned one box and bought another, and now I have more to return. (I wish I had tested them before I wrapped the trees!) I can't get them back into the box, and at this point I don't care. Wal-mart can take their made-in-China junk and shove it back in the box for me. I am not buying any more lights at Wal-mart. *End of rant.*
I have been listening to King's X in my car this week, and it's the "favorites" CD compiled by Hubby that today's song in my head comes from. It's called "Freedom," and it's got a killer riff right from the start. This video has a little extra thing the beginning, but you can hear the song. King's X is a three piece band, and they are every bit as good live as they are on the CD. They originally recorded this song as an extra track for the European release of Ear Candy in 1996. They redid it, lowering the key (they aren't as young as they used to be!) and changing a couple lyrics, and put it out on their 2005 CD release, Ogre Tones. The Ear Candy version is better, but the song is still good. (All this extra King's X trivia comes to you courtesy of Hubby's mega- super- UBER-fan status, and my years of listening to him talk about the band he loves nearly as much as me.)
Monday, December 1, 2008
The Rest of the Thanksgiving Holiday
When I left you last, I was about a third of the way through my recovery from being sick on Thanksgiving Day. I progressed through Friday, getting better and better to the point that I knew I'd be fine Saturday when I went to bed Friday night. And i was. I woke up Saturday a new woman! Which was a very good thing because I was hosting a little party Saturday. Some our dear friends who we used to go to church with years ago came over, and their daughter who is going to be 13 years old this week, and my parents came over for food and games. It was great fun. Seeing "Clare Bear" makes me feel super old because I used to babysit her. In fact, Hubby and I babysat her together once when she was 2... how time flies! I think everybody has friends like these, you love them dearly, and life gets in the way of everyone just sitting down and getting together for much too long, but whatever the interval, you have a blast every time you see them, and the love hasn't faded one bit. If you don't have friends like that, you should go get some. Our gathering was centered around lunch, and by 5:00 PM or so, everyone had left.
It was about then that my husband didn't feel too well. He laid on the couch for the rest of the day. He was not himself. Normal for him is sitting in front of the computer, playing games or reading online. Sacked out on the couch in front of the TV, like he was on Saturday, is NOT normal. He had a fever even.
While he was "keeping the couch warm,"
the girls and I put up the Christmas tree. After I put the tree up, branch by branch, and did the lights, one layer of branches at a time, I sat on the floor and unwrapped ornaments. The girls came over to me, got an ornament and took it to the tree, and then back to me and so on until 
all the ornaments were on the tree. Little Girl's work is pictured to the right. Apparently, if the branch isn't falling off the tree, it can handle another ornament! I can count about 14 ornaments on these two branches alone! It was the second time I've had a little helper. Last year Big Girl was my only helper if I remember correctly. This year it was definitely more fun than it has been in years past with two little elves on the job! In the picture on the left you can see the distribution. Big Girl's work was quite a bit more spread out than Little Girl's, but still, it required some reworking after they had finished.
When I'm coming down the stairs, I can see the tree. When I'm sitting in my favorite place on the couch, I can see the tree in the reflection on the china cabinet. We have it on a timer, so it's on in the morning when we get up, and we can go to bed with it lit at night, and not have to mess with anything. I really like having it up. It makes me feel all happy inside. Christmas is coming!
Today, while the girls were playing with the neighbor girls outside, I did the lights outside. Well, I did some of the lights outside. This year, in unpacking the tree, I found a strand or two of lights out that I had used on the inside tree in the past. So I dug into the lights that I used outside last year. So now I need to go buy some more lights to put outside. I still have the "net" style lights over the shrubs. Tomorrow, if I can get the laundry done, then maybe I can go shopping and get the lights.
Tonight's dinner is yummy chicken fajita leftovers. I just love chicken fajitas! And I love having enough leftover to not have to cook again. Unfortunately Hubby is still feeling icky, and is afraid to eat. Oh well, I guess there's more for the rest of us. (Now that I've taken a break to eat, and washed the queso off my fingers.... )
I wish is weren't the case, but that Subway commercial jingle is what I have in my head. Does that count as a song? Well, that's what's playing today. Enjoy... anyone want a five-dollar foot-long?
It was about then that my husband didn't feel too well. He laid on the couch for the rest of the day. He was not himself. Normal for him is sitting in front of the computer, playing games or reading online. Sacked out on the couch in front of the TV, like he was on Saturday, is NOT normal. He had a fever even.
While he was "keeping the couch warm,"
the girls and I put up the Christmas tree. After I put the tree up, branch by branch, and did the lights, one layer of branches at a time, I sat on the floor and unwrapped ornaments. The girls came over to me, got an ornament and took it to the tree, and then back to me and so on until 
all the ornaments were on the tree. Little Girl's work is pictured to the right. Apparently, if the branch isn't falling off the tree, it can handle another ornament! I can count about 14 ornaments on these two branches alone! It was the second time I've had a little helper. Last year Big Girl was my only helper if I remember correctly. This year it was definitely more fun than it has been in years past with two little elves on the job! In the picture on the left you can see the distribution. Big Girl's work was quite a bit more spread out than Little Girl's, but still, it required some reworking after they had finished.When I'm coming down the stairs, I can see the tree. When I'm sitting in my favorite place on the couch, I can see the tree in the reflection on the china cabinet. We have it on a timer, so it's on in the morning when we get up, and we can go to bed with it lit at night, and not have to mess with anything. I really like having it up. It makes me feel all happy inside. Christmas is coming!
Today, while the girls were playing with the neighbor girls outside, I did the lights outside. Well, I did some of the lights outside. This year, in unpacking the tree, I found a strand or two of lights out that I had used on the inside tree in the past. So I dug into the lights that I used outside last year. So now I need to go buy some more lights to put outside. I still have the "net" style lights over the shrubs. Tomorrow, if I can get the laundry done, then maybe I can go shopping and get the lights.
Tonight's dinner is yummy chicken fajita leftovers. I just love chicken fajitas! And I love having enough leftover to not have to cook again. Unfortunately Hubby is still feeling icky, and is afraid to eat. Oh well, I guess there's more for the rest of us. (Now that I've taken a break to eat, and washed the queso off my fingers.... )
I wish is weren't the case, but that Subway commercial jingle is what I have in my head. Does that count as a song? Well, that's what's playing today. Enjoy... anyone want a five-dollar foot-long?
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