The Week In Review

The past week has been a such whirlwind that my head is still spinning. Let's get right into it.

January 3 began with a police visit at 2:00 am. I was sound asleep whenever the doorbell rang, and the officer asked if everything was okay because they'd received "multiple" calls about fighting. The only people in the house are me and my son E, and we don't fight with each other in our sleep. I told him that there weren't "multiple" people complaining, just one person complaining over and over. The officer said he knew the history and left it at that, but my sleep was disturbed the rest of the night. I was not happy.

Imagine then my surprise when the police came to my door yet again, this time at 12:15 in the afternoon with the strangest request. My neighbor called them and asked if they would do a mediation, because he didn't want any more problems with me. He admitted to them that he played loud music and would leave both the music and the tv on all day to annoy me. I was originally hesitant, but the officer said she and her partner would be present, and since he was "extending the olive branch" I should give him a chance. I reluctantly agreed, telling her that I didn't trust him. She told me they weren't there to hash out the past but to try and find a way to move past it and have peace.

At first everything seemed legit. He said he wanted us to get along and not have any more problems. He said he had done things wrong but he wanted to stop. I told him I wished him nothing bad, that I didn't care if he played music or watched television so long as I didn't have to hear it, and that I was willing to forgive and move forward. There was one thing I would not do, however. I would not lie and say that I was banging on his ceiling or causing any of the noise that he insisted I was doing because I wasn't doing it. I even said to him that if I'd done it on purpose to annoy him I'd have no problem admitting it to his face, but I hadn't done it. That upset him. He pulled out sheets of paper where he'd written when I'd supposedly made all the noise but the officer told him to put it away. She reminded him that the intention was not to go over what had been done but how to move forward. I said that maybe the problem was the plumbing; I'd had to run out of the shower twice because the police were at my door, so maybe the shower was making the noise. He said no, it's not the plumbing. I asked that we try an experiment: one officer in his house, one in mine, and we'd try to figure out where the noise was coming from. His answer was, "This is ridiculous, she refuses to admit anything," so that once again the officer had to tell him that wasn't what they'd agreed to. 

One of the officers asked if I would be willing to exchange phone numbers with the neighbor so that if there were noises or anything we could communicate with each other. I was not willing to, but my son E said he would. They exchanged numbers, then the officers agreed to split up and see where the noise was coming from. The results were inconclusive; while it was true that if someone walks across the laminate floors with shoes on it can be heard in his house, it doesn't explain why he hears the sound when no one is walking on the floors. Neither the shower nor the toilet could be heard in his home. I told the officers we would do our best to keep the noise down to nothing whenever he was home and we'd see where it went from there.

The next three days were wonderful. There was no noise, no police, no complaints. My son and I tiptoed around and made every effort to keep the noise levels low. I was cautiously optimistic. Little did I know how quickly the honeymoon would be over.

Thursday January 7 my son received a text message from the neighbor at 5:00am asking if I was upset because he'd turned off his fan. My son came to my room and asked me if I was okay. I was asleep and said yes. He asked if I'd heard the neighbor turn off his fan. I told him I couldn't hear his fan on or off because I was sleeping. My son texted him back and went to sleep.

Around 10:00am my son looked at his phone and realized the neighbor had sent multiple text messages stating that he'd thought we could work things out, that he couldn't do his teaching job if he didn't get any sleep, so on and so forth. My son texted him and apologized for not getting back, but explained that we were both sleeping and weren't making any noise. He sent a barrage of text messages saying that he had a new recording method that the officer had recommended and that he now had proof of all the loud noises we were making. He said he would start calling the police daily so that they could begin to issue tickets for noise violations. My son told him he was sorry that there were noises but they weren't being done by us and left it at that.

I called the officer he mentioned and found out he'd tried to get her to come and "do something" the day before. She told him that there was no criminal activity so there was nothing she could do. She suggested he record the noise but that was pretty much it. I told her I was going to buy myself a video camera to record myself at night while I slept to show that the accusations were false. While we both agreed that I shouldn't have to go to those extremes, I could see no other way. I ordered the video cam. That night my son went to visit friends and stayed over their house, and I stayed with my daughter because I didn't want to stay home by myself.

Saturday afternoon my son received more text messages, this time with threats. He sent pictures of some recording apparatus and stated that he would be downloading all the noise going on and was forwarding it to the Department of Children Services. I was absolutely livid! My son was beside himself. He told me, "This man is the lowest of the low. He's despicable." I took my son's phone and answered the man that we would be following the officer's recommendation and blocking his number, since he clearly had no intention of fixing any problems and insisted on continuing his harassment of me and my son who is 21 years old and not a child. Communication with him ended immediately.

I could hardly think straight at that point because I was so angry. I began asking my friends to pray for me. We went to church that night and I asked for prayer there as well. It helped immensely to lay this at the Lord's feet and ask for guidance.

The next day I called the police and made a formal complaint. The officer I spoke to let me know that it is in the history that this man admitted to the noise he made and that he did it to annoy me, which is to my advantage. It's intentional infliction of emotional distress. I sent a long email to another attorney friend and I'm waiting to hear from him. The first lawyer I turned to told me he was busy with a court case and would get back to me. That was over a month ago and I don't feel like waiting any longer. If this friend of ours doesn't get back to me soon I will seek another attorney. 

This has gone beyond simply being an annoying neighbor; this is defamation of character, harassment, and abuse. I've found out since then that he did something similar to the previous owner. Whenever she began complaining of his noise he said she was an alcoholic, which was a lie. I'm shocked at how a person, a school teacher no less, can be so filled with evil. 

I'm thankful that God is with me. I still pray daily for this neighbor in hopes that God will do a miracle in his life, but I'm also preparing to prove my innocence and stand against the lies and falsehoods. God has not given me a spirit of fear but a spirit of power, love, and a strong mind (2 Timothy 1:7). I will stand up for the truth, clothed in the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). If you believe in the power of prayer, please pray with me and for me. I appreciate it more than you know.      

When Life Isn't Perfect

There is so much I love about my new home. The size, the layout, the view...location, community, and most of my neighbors. But nothing is ever perfect, is it? Except that what was at one time slightly annoying has become harassment and unpleasant.

From the first month after we moved into our new home, I noticed that one of my neighbors would play music pretty loudly. Not overly obnoxious, but loud enough that I could hear it throughout the day. At first I thought it was a teenager, because it was one rap song playing all day on repeat. It was just the kind of thing young kids do whenever they really like a song. In time, however, I realized there was one person  living there: a gentleman, in his 50's in my estimation. It seemed odd that a grown man would be playing one rap song over and over, even when he wasn't home. I attributed it to him wanting it to sound like someone was home whenever he went out, though it continued to play even whenever he was home.

One of my neighbors saw me one day and asked how I was liking my new home. I told her I was getting used to living in a townhouse, since I'd lived in a single family home for over 19 years. I mentioned not being accustomed to the sounds and music, and she immediately stopped me. Turns out the lady who sold the house to me had problems with this same gentleman because of all his noise. Apparently the problems escalated to the point that she decided it was better to leave her home of 23 years than to put up with a troublesome neighbor. She had thought his problem was mainly with her. I wanted to believe the same thing. I don't like judging people based on their experiences with others. I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

As time progressed the music became louder and would go on longer. Other neighbors also asked if I'd met or had problems with this gentleman like the prior owner had. I resisted any gossip and simply said I had not met him. Even the air conditioning technician who came to clean the lines for my air conditioner asked if I was having issues with this neighbor. I couldn't believe how many people knew about this situation! Still, I didn't want to take his behavior personally.

In January our church did a 21 day prayer and fasting. We were asked to give up something and use the time to pray for different things. We had a list of options but of course we could pray for anything we felt called to. I decided to pray for this neighbor. I put aside all social media and began praying earnestly that God would give this man peace and heal him from any hurts. He seemed to me to be very angry and bitter, and I prayed that God would take his pain away from him. Whenever he played his  music loud I would play worship songs. It was an ordeal; I felt like the more I prayed the more agitated he became. Then during the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, the music stopped completely. I figured he had gone away for the long weekend, but even when he came back he didn't play his music all day long, and when he did it was for a short amount of time. I praised God for this breakthrough and continued to pray for him. Life started to calm down and I was enjoying my home more and more. Then the pandemic hit.

My neighbor is a school teacher, so whenever our state issued the stay at home orders he stopped working. Since he is a physical education teacher he doesn't have a classroom per se, so he wasn't teaching from home like many other teachers. It wasn't too bad at first; the music became more frequent but not as frequent as it had been whenever we first moved in. As time went on, however, things began to worsen.

One Sunday in August I was in my kitchen preparing breakfast when I began hearing pounding on the walls. My first thought was that my neighbor was fixing something in his home, though why he would choose Sunday at 9:00 in the morning was beyond me. The pounding was not consistent with hammering, though. It was just a strong, rhythmic pounding that went on and off for about an hour. At 10:00 I sat down to listen to my old church's service. At 11:00 am there was a loud knock at my door; actually, it wasn't a knock, it was pounding as loud as what had been going on earlier on the walls. I jumped and ran to the door, thinking there was an emergency, or maybe the house was on fire. No, it was my neighbor, telling me to stop making noise. I looked at him in total confusion. I answered, "That wasn't me, I thought it was you!" But he'd already turned around and stormed away before I was finished speaking. I called out to him that it wasn't me but he ignored me completely. I was so shaken after that, it took almost an hour before my nerves calmed down. I sat in my office playing solitaire to try and relax; then at noon the pounding at my door returned. He told me he'd heard it again. I tried to nicely explain that, while I was sorry he was upset, whatever he was hearing wasn't coming from my home. I was sitting in my office and not even walking around. He tried to blame my son, who was sleeping. It was like he didn't listen to a word I said. Instead he threatened to call the police and report me to the HOA if he heard the noise again. I told him to go right ahead because I knew I wasn't making the noise.

I began to pray even more for this man because I was convinced there was something wrong with him. He proved this to us about a month later. Again on a Sunday morning, this time at 7:30 am, he came pounding at my front door demanding that we stop "banging". My son came to the door with me and I told him we were sleeping and no one was banging on anything. Just as before, I hadn't finished my sentence when he turned and stormed off. At that moment my son E and I both said, "He is disturbed."

Never in my life had I been in such a situation with a neighbor. I talked to my daughter and son-in-law and said I was going to talk to the management company. My son-in-law told me they wouldn't do anything because this is a civil matter; if he showed up at my door again I should call the police. I took his advise and said nothing. I wish I'd spoken up then.

Last week I received an email from the management company stating that it had come to their attention that I was making loud noises after 10:00 pm and I was to stop. I was absolutely furious. Not only was this a bold faced lie, this neighbor was the one that would bang on the walls at all hours of the day and night, play loud music, turn his television on at 6:00 am and leave it on after he left for work, and I had not complained. Yet here he was making false accusations about me! I immediately answered the management office back and told them the whole situation. Since it was later in the day I decided I'd call in the morning, which I did twice but got no answer. I left messages, sent an additional email, but I heard nothing. I was determined, though; I would not let this man malign me with his lies.

Sunday morning I got up at 8:00 am. My son and new daughter-in-law were coming down to visit and I was so excited! At around 8:30 I hopped into the shower to wash my hair and get ready. I began to hear what sounded like very loud music, which surprised me because not only was the shower running but I had the exhaust fan on which makes noise. At first I figured it must be outside, but as soon as I shut the water off I realized that it was coming from my neighbor's house! I got out the shower to brush my teeth and the pounding began in full force. At this point I was done. I called 911 and reported the harassment, asking that an officer be sent over immediately. The 911 operator told me they would send the officer to my house first, then they'd go over to the neighbor's house. As I waited, I heard the volume go down on the music. I was a bit upset because I thought the police wouldn't hear how loud the music was. When the officer came to my door I found out he'd gone directly to the neighbor's house because the music was so loud it could be heard in the street. He was told to stop blaring his music. What was his response? He told the police officer that he was playing his music that loudly because I'd been making noise at 6:00 am. Another big fat lie! I said so much to the officer and told him we were asleep at 6:00. I also told him that this had happened before and that I believed the gentleman to be disturbed. The police officer was sympathetic and told me to call anytime if it happened again.

I emailed the management office a third time. Then I found out from another neighbor who had also heard all the noise that the association managers were working from home. So I called Tuesday morning and left a message. I received an email (finally!) from two different managers stating what my son-in-law had already told me: that this was a civil and not an association matter, and that while they were looking at what could be done, it would be necessary for me to call the authorities if it continued to be a problem. The senior manager did say to document everything and keep them informed.

Monday was quieter and calmer; I had strong hopes that this episode would be the last. No such luck. Tuesday he turned his television on very loudly, then left for work. He turned it off when he got home at 2:50 in the afternoon. He was quiet for the most part after that, and I was thankful for it. However, I was awakened today at 4:08 am to pounding on the wall. It happened once that I recall so I said nothing. Then at 6:00 am the television turned on. I thought about calling the police at this time but decided to wait. At 7:10 I could hear the music start. I got up and could hear two different kinds of music coming from different areas of the house, along with the television set blaring. I called the police, but he was very sneaky. He bolted out the door, so that when the police officer arrived he was gone. The officer told me he could hear the music playing and that yes, it was loud, but no one answered the door. I informed him that the gentleman had left for work and the officer was surprised that he had left the music on. All he could tell me to do was wait until the neighbor got home, then I could call the police again if the music continued.

Sure enough, my neighbor got home at around 3:30 pm, turned off one stereo but raised the volume on the television set. I called the police again. The wonderful officer that came spoke to him and quickly realized where the problem lies. He could tell that my neighbor was being childish and spiteful, and he did not believe the lies that were told to him about me or about my son. Then he checked his records, and was appalled to see that they've been receiving complaints about this gentleman since 2017. He has been warned, and if there are any further complaints he will receive citations for each one.

Does this make me feel better? Not at all. My desire is for this man to find peace, and freedom from his anger and bitterness that can only be found in Jesus Christ. If you are reading this and you believe in the power of prayer, would you please add this man to your prayer list? Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) I believe this promise is for anyone and everyone who will believe. 

The Week In Review

I thought I'd update y'all today on everything that got done - and everything that didn't.

I say what didn't get done because I had scheduled an electrician to come this week and change out the light fixture in my entryway, the one that is too high up for me to reach. We agreed on Thursday at 9:30 am, so I got up bright and early to be ready. Just as I was about to brush my teeth I got a text message: the electrician's daughter was sick, had been taken to the doctor, and was given a Covid test. Although the electrician had no symptoms, since they didn't have results yet he wisely decided to cancel all his appointments until they knew for sure. I haven't heard back from him, so I don't know if he'll be available this coming week. It's a reminder that, while I make plans, God decides what gets done and what doesn't.

A lot of studying was done this week. I was serving in children's ministry on Saturday so I had to study the lesson. This was week 3 of our ladies bible study so I had to prepare for that as well. We studied Matthew 25:1-13, the parable of the 10 virgins. And my son had his Astronomy final plus a research paper he had to turn in, and he asked me to help him study for that. He's done very well in the class thus far, but the final was a disappointment. The professor directed the class to a study guide which my son worked on, only to find out none of what was on the study guide was on the actual final. He ended up with a 68%, much lower than any of the quiz grades he's had. However, since all his other grades have been good, I think he will end up with either an A or at least a high B. Since this is just a gen-ed class I'm not concerned. It's still a good grade for what was a pretty difficult class, and he did it in 8 weeks so I'm proud of him.

Thursday was a day of unexpected stuff. Around 8:30 at night I got a call from my son-in-law. He was at a local gas station whenever his car battery died. Thankfully I have charger cables - though at first I couldn't remember where I'd put them (they were in my toolbox) - so E and I were able to get his battery jumped so he could get home. My daughter had been using his car to go to work because she needed new tires, and my son-in-law is currently working from home. Now this little predicament meant she couldn't take his car until he got a new battery, and she'd have to get her tires changed right away. I teasingly told them it's a good thing I live nearby. I was able to pick them up and/or drop them off at Pep Boys so they could get their vehicles taken care of.   

When my daughter's car was ready she asked if I'd go with her to TJ Maxx to look for some bathroom decor. She and my son-in-law are remodeling their master bath and she wanted to look for some new towels and organizers. I can't say no to TJ Maxx; it's my favorite home decor store because I always find great decor at even greater prices. I'd mentioned before on my blog that I was thinking of upgrading my bedding, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money. I'd looked at Costco since they usually have some high quality affordable bedding, but I hadn't seen anything lately. Then I saw this at TJ Maxx:

And this is why I love this store! Y'all, this comforter is so soft and luxurious! It came with 2 standard sized pillow shams and the cost is $39.99. I could not believe it was so inexpensive! I couldn't wait to put it on my bed and see how it looked.

While I was at it I picked up some new pillows. The pillows I had were very soft, a little too soft for my liking. I picked up these extra firm pillows for $16.99 for a set of two. 

I tried several different options on my bed. This was the first idea I had.

I folded the current bedding, which is a mint green bedspread, and put it over the new comforter. I also used all the pillows I had on the bed previously and added pillows in the new pillow shams.

I then put the fall pumpkin pillow in front of it. I love that pillow so much, and it ties in all the fall colors that I've added to my bedroom, so I knew I wanted to incorporate it.

I liked the idea of keeping the bedspread folded onto the comforter, but I felt like it covered too much of it, so I folded the bedspread further. Now the comforter showed up more, and it looked like a fancy hotel. This was much better, but there was still something I wasn't feeling that I couldn't put my finger on. Yesterday I tried something else, and I think this is my favorite.

I took off the throw pillows with the teal design and left just the plain teal pillows along with the fall pillow, and I think it's just enough. I figured out that it was too many pillows and that was throwing me off. I feel like now it's just the right amount, and all the fall colors make me smile.

As my daughter looked at bathroom decor, I spotted something that was perfect for my own bathroom.

I knew I wanted to change my shower curtain. Not because I didn't like it; it's a very pretty and simple design, just what I like. But I had a bit of a mishap with the shower curtain and some Clorox cleaner.

I cannot even express how upset I was whenever I saw that I'd gotten Clorox cleaner on my new shower curtain! Thankfully it was at the bottom and it stayed covered by the bathroom vanity. Still, I knew it was there and I wanted to get a new shower curtain; I just didn't want to spend $25+. That's what this one had cost at Target (I had a gift card so it was free to me). The curtain I found at TJ Maxx had all the colors I love and it was only $14.99 - $10 cheaper than the one I already had but much nicer quality in my opinion.

The bathroom went from this:

To this:

It may not seem like a huge change, but to me it makes the bathroom seem brighter and more cheerful. I am so happy I found this shower curtain!

This week was also bittersweet for me personally. My oldest son R got married yesterday. In California. That's where his fiance has been living with her family. I wanted to be at his side on his special day. That had been the plan since they got engaged last year. Then coronavirus hit, and California has so many restrictions that it would have been a waste of time to travel all the way there and not be able to celebrate with him. So we stayed, and I cried. We love his new bride, my new daughter-in-law, and my one comfort is knowing she never wanted a big wedding to begin with, so she got her wish. But oh, how I wanted to be there! Still, I know God is in control, and He has gifted me another daughter, so I will rejoice in that. Welcome to the family AB!

That's my week's highlights. Looking forward to what God has in store for me next.

Mid-Week Update

This past Friday I purchased a weed eater/blower combo.  I needed both of these to tidy up my yard.  I know we had both a weed eater and a leaf blower, but everything points to J having taken them with him when he left, and I've been in need of both ever since.  My friend IV gave me a $10 off coupon from Lowe's, so my daughter and I trekked over to see what was available.  They had this combo by Worx on sale for $119.  It's lightweight and battery operated, which is good because the other options are electrical (power cord being dragged everywhere), or gas.  The weed eaters we've had in the past have been gas powered, and they're good, but they are a pain to get started.  This one should be much easier to use.

I intended to do some backyard trimming on Saturday to test the weed eater out, but it poured.  Our rainy season has begun; mornings are clear and sunny, while afternoons are torrential.  There has been some flooding in areas of South Florida already, and we're just getting started.  Sunday was church and I'd just done my hair, so I wasn't going out in the heat and humidity.  Besides, it rained again.

Monday I figured I could get my son R to help me out, since Mondays he doesn't leave for work till 4:30.  I pulled the weed eater out, easily put the parts together that needed assembling, then realized the batteries had to be charged.  Somehow I knew that would be true, but at the moment I didn't think about it.  By the time the one battery was charged it was time for me to go to work.  So it didn't happen.

I charged the second battery as well, but yesterday I got busy vacuuming, putting away laundry, cooking, and getting ready for work, so I didn't even think about doing outdoor work.  It looks like it might be today.  Let's hope that it's today.

I don't have to worry about the front yard, though.  We have new neighbors that moved in about a month ago.  As I'd been doing before, I mow the grass that is on the side of their house that's attached to mine and swept up the grass clippings for them.  In return, they trimmed all the edges in my front yard and did a beautiful job.  As I tell my kids, kindness repays kindness, and if you want good neighbors you have to be one first.  I'm so thankful to have nice people living next door.  They're a nice couple in their 30's with twin girls and a golden retriever.  My daughter likes the golden retriever best ;-).

I hope to be taking pictures of some stuff I've done to the house; not a whole lot, but I did get rugs for the family room because the room felt empty.  Work has been a bit boring; I've gotten so caught up with my work it's like I'm constantly looking for something to do.  Tonight is children's ministry night, so I leave work early.  Our children's ministry is doing Summer Avengers - Heroes of the Bible.  We've studied Noah, Abraham, and Moses last week.  It's a good series, and so encouraging to see the kids excited about learning bible stories.  It's the highlight of my week.

That's it for now.  Happy first day of July!

Merry CHRISTmas!!

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Galatians 4:4-5

The day is finally here, and what a lovely day it is.  Weather in the low 70's, overcast and breezy but not rainy, a tad humid but not too bad.  I love living in Florida!

Despite having gone to bed at almost 2 am, I was awake at 6:30.  Granted, I napped on and off from 11:30 till 1 am, but I think my body is on a clock that can't be adjusted.  I didn't mind, though; who can be upset about waking up early Christmas morning?!  I got washed up, then woke my little monkey up.  I laughed at the fact that it was 7 am and he was still asleep.  When I asked him why he was so different from other kids that wake up early, he shot up and said, "That's right, it's Christmas!"  His siblings were already up so we got started opening presents right away.  I definitely wanted to do this before their dad showed up.  Christmas is something I don't want to share with him, at least not right now.  Their father cares too much about the financial aspect of a gift; a present that isn't expensive is not a good present.  I'm very different.  I look for things that I know people will enjoy, regardless of the price.  If I find a nice shirt for my son and it only costs $7.00, I will still get it because it's something I know my son will like or that he needs.  His dad would be appalled at wearing something worth so little.  It takes all the fun and joy out of exchanging gifts if someone is constantly asking, "How much did that cost?" or "What did you pay for that?"  Even stores matter to him.  He won't wear something from Kohl's because his clothes have to come from Macy's or JC Penney.  I don't want my gifts to be looked down on, or my kids thinking their gifts aren't good enough.  So we opened our presents and enjoyed seeing what we all got.  My oldest son R got us all these really cute pillows that look like books.  He gave E a Treasure Island pillow, his sister got Alice In Wonderland, and I got my favorite book since I was a teenager, Sherlock Holmes.  It was such a cool gift!  He also gave me a cookbook, Ree Drummond's A Year Of Holidays, with all kinds of holiday recipes.  She is a favorite of mine, so I could not be happier!  I got 2 DVD's from my daughter, Annie Claus Is Coming To Town which is a super cute (sappy) Christmas movie that I totally love, and a collection of Disney's Herbie movies.  My youngest son gave me another movie I've been wanting for a while, Mom's Night Out on blu-ray.  It is one of the funniest movies I've seen, I highly recommend it!  Of course there was all the makeup I got from Bare Escentuals that I didn't have to pay for, which made for an even brighter Christmas!  My kids also liked their gifts, which was a combination of video games, board games and clothes.  Then I went to the kitchen to start making breakfast while they called their dad to come open presents as well.  As I made buttermilk pancakes and crispy bacon, my kids opened some very nice gifts from their father:  each of the boys got a Wii U console with games, and my daughter got clothes and makeup that she really wanted.  When it came to them giving him his gifts, it was clear what his favorite was.  R bought his dad a high-end pillow, made with Egyptian cotton, hypoallergenic, original price of $80 that he scored on Cyber Monday for $25.  A got him some Nautica perfume which he liked as well.  As for the facial products, he didn't seem impressed.  I don't think he realized what these products cost, but I didn't make a big deal about it.  It's Christmas, and I wanted to enjoy the day, not be upset by people I can't change.

After that I spent a whole lot of time getting the house back in order.  I make sure we have a couple of trash bags to throw away all the discarded wrapping paper, but I always keep the boxes, bags, gift tags and tissue paper.  Reduce-reuse-recycle!  I don't recycle the wrapping paper because it's hard to reuse once it's been cut and taped and the kids rip into it, but I keep everything else.  The tissue paper is the trickiest, making sure it's folded properly and not torn.  I filled up a bag with reusable tissue, then packed everything away in the closet.  There was plenty more to pick up and put away, too.  My son E was overwhelmed with the amount of clothes he got:  there were 2 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of sweatpants, and 11 new shirts in different styles and colors.  You must understand, my son likes to wear the same 3 or 4 shirts ALL THE TIME.  It drives me nuts!  He has a closet full of shirts that he doesn't wear because either they don't fit him the way he likes, or don't fit him at all, or they have some kind of design he doesn't like.  His dad had bought him lots of Ecko Limited t-shirts but he doesn't like the bold designs on them.  This time all the shirts are plain round or v-neck tees, but it was so many he was sure he'd never get to wear any of them.  His older brother had a talk with him, and told him it was important that he make the effort to wear them, otherwise he would appear ungrateful.  He gave in and put on a dark grey shirt which looked really nice.  I'm hoping that once he gets used to the idea of having lots of nice clothes he won't feel like they're taking over his closet.  I did go in and pulled a bunch of shirts that he doesn't wear to take to Goodwill.  Once I'd done that the closet appeared empty, making it seem like there weren't that many new clothes after all.  I don't know if he's fully convinced; my son is a creature of habit, and new things don't fall into his habitual behavior.  As I told my daughter, he definitely isn't a girl.  Girls would love nothing more than to receive a boatload of clothes for Christmas!

I started lunch just after noon.  The turkey was done from the day before; all that was needed was some mashed potatoes and green beans.  My best friend IV stopped by as I was cooking, and brought a Christmas present for us:  tickets for Winter Jam next month, and tickets to see Chris Tomlin in February.  I know she spent way too much money on these and I told her so, but she loves going to concerts and loves for me to go too.  I've told her I can pay for my own tickets but she goes ahead and buys them before I have a chance to get them myself.  I'm gonna have to figure out a way to stop this; I don't want her to get into a financial bind because she's being too generous with her money.  I got her a simpler but much appreciated gift:  the newest Tim Hawkins DVD.  Tim Hawkins is the funniest comedian I've ever listened to, and because he's a Christian my whole family can listen and not worry about him saying anything crass, inappropriate or vulgar.  It's family friendly laughs, and I don't think anyone can resist a good laugh!  After lunch all I could hear throughout the whole house was my son E playing Wonderful 101 on his new Wii U.  His brother had set both up before going over to visit his best friend since high school.  Today is not only Christmas, it's his best friend's birthday, which makes the visit extra special.  

Another neighbor stopped by and brought us a tin of Belgian chocolate covered wafers and cookies.  Oh my word, these cookies are SOOO delicious!  I'm afraid I'm gonna put on the 5 pounds I've struggled so hard to lose!

I cleaned up the kitchen, then sat down to watch Annie Claus Comes To Town.  I love sweet, romantic movies, and if they revolve around Christmas I love them even more!  Afterwards my kids wanted to play with their board games.  Even though it was just A and E because R had gone out, we still had fun playing The Logo Board Game and Say Anything.  I always get my kids board games for Christmas because we are board game lovers.  Board games, card games, word games, you name it, we play it.  What we won't do is play for money.  We compete fairly (no cheating allowed in my house), and we challenge each other.  Most importantly, we keep it fun.  

I've showered and moisturized, and now I'm going to relax with my new cookbook, researching new recipes that I want to try.  It's been a wonderful day, a day we celebrate because Jesus came to this earth over 2,000 years ago with the purpose of restoring our relationship with God.  Yes, my kids got me some nice gifts, and they are very happy with the presents they received, but ultimately the greatest gift of all is salvation through Jesus Christ.  I can live without anything, but I cannot live without Jesus.  We worship Him and praise Him, and we celebrate this momentous occasion, His birth.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas as well.  Good night now.  

Monday Quiz About Me

Welcome to my Monday Quiz post, courtesy of Heather at Acting Balanced.  Heather provides 4 questions, and I get to ask one question for my guests to answer on my blog.  Are you ready?  Here we go:


1. What are you thankful for this year?
That my two older kids don't have to work on Thanksgiving and we can all be together.

2. What was your special dish that your parents made for you while growing up?
My mother's lasagna was something we looked forward to.  She had to be in the mood, though.  She'd make her own sauce and shred her own mozzarella, and for a family of 6 it meant a lot of work.

3. How long are you willing to wait for someone before you give up?
For someone to what?  To show up when they are expected?  A half hour.  To call?  Maybe a little longer.

4. What is your favorite quote, poem, song lyric or prayer?
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6.

And my question:

5. New recipes for Thanksgiving, or tried and true ones?
I'm sticking with the tried and true menu that my family loves.  Turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn on the cob, salad, and crescent rolls.  You can never go wrong with the family favorites.

The Week in Review

I didn't do a Thursday post because...I just didn't want to?  Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.  I wasn't in the mood to blog yesterday.  Today is a new day, and here's some of the stuff that has gone on and some of my thoughts for this week.

 - The pumpkin spice craze continues.  This week my son R brought home a couple of loaves of Pepperidge Farms Pumpkin Spice swirl bread.  Oh, sooo good!  Then last night he brought me a bag of Hershey's pumpkin spice Kisses.  It's like having a pumpkin pie or pumpkin spice cake melt in your mouth!  I love pumpkin spice anything, so all these new products are obviously targeted at me!

 - Speaking of Target, I had to stop there after picking up my son E from school this afternoon.  My coffee maker, which is pretty old, had started shutting off for no reason.  It would turn off for a few minutes, then turn on again.  I knew it was probably on its last leg, and I'd included a new coffee maker on my shopping list, but for the past 3 or 4 days it hadn't acted up, so I thought maybe it was a power surge or something.  I went grocery shopping and crossed the coffee maker off the list.  Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I got home I noticed the coffee maker had shut down again.  Only this time, there was no resuscitation.  It had completely died.  I was not too happy that it waited until AFTER I'd come home from Walmart to take its last breath.  On our way to Target we got caught in a drenching rainstorm, so bad I could hardly see where I was going.  Thankfully, though it would have been a shorter drive had I taken the expressway, I felt the Lord nudge me to take the frontage road instead.  With so much traffic and so little visibility, it was a much better option.  I'm happy to say I found a really nice Mr. Coffee 5 cup programmable coffee maker with stainless steel carafe, on sale for $19.99.  And what's more, by the time we'd finished shopping, the rain had stopped.

 - My son E and I have finished the book of Genesis and have started reading Exodus.  It's our goal to read through the Bible together, one chapter at a time, discussing as we go.  I know it'll take a long time, but the benefits are worth the effort.

 - My oldest son R started school this week.  He's working towards his bachelor's in...something to do with computers.  I think it's like IT stuff, or web design.  Or both.  He's told me before, but so much of what he says goes over my head.  Still, I listen.  That's what Mom's are for.

 - For some time now I've watched very little network television.  The commercials are not only too frequent, they are offensive many times, and with the presidential election coming up they are outright nauseating.  We've taken to watching Netflix quite a bit, and I've begun watching Leave It To Beaver episodes.  The nice thing is, my son E has enjoyed sitting with me and watching it too.  I laugh at the jokes, but also at things that weren't meant to be funny then but are hilarious now.  Like the fact that Wally and the Beaver get to watch a double feature film at their local movie theater for $.25 each.  That just blows my mind!  Mostly I like to watch it because the comedy, while sometimes corny, is so innocent and clean, not like many of the shows on television today that have off colored jokes or some sort of agenda behind them.  How I miss shows about everyday people and everyday lives, like Leave It To Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show, The Cosby Show...realistic without trying to be over-the-top, and stories anyone could identify with.

 - I measured my 12 year old son yesterday, and found that he's now 5'4" tall.  That's my height.  He's an inch taller than his sister, which doesn't please her in the least (she says she got stuck with the short gene).  I can't believe how much he's growing.  His dad bought him a pair of sneakers at the beginning of summer vacation, size 8 1/2.  I decided to get him a pair of sneakers for school, since the sneakers his dad bought are white and they'd get ruined.  His new sneakers are size 9.  I know shoe sizes can vary, but I also know this kid is stretching out, and with boys the feet grow first, then the height catches up.  My son's wish is to be as tall as my brother who is 6'.  Who knows, he just may get his wish.

 - I read some very sad news this morning.  One of my favorite Christian writers, actress Lisa Whelchel (Blair from The Facts of Life) has divorced her husband of 24 years.  When I read this, I felt my heart land in my stomach.  Divorce is difficult, it's painful, and for a devout Christian it's even more heart wrenching because we know how God feels about divorce.  I'm sure it's not a decision she and her husband made without careful consideration, but that still doesn't make it any easier.  My prayers are that they can heal from this devastating time, and that their children are able to cope with it also.  Although their 3 children are grown, it doesn't make it any less painful for a child when their parents separate.

And that's my life so far this week.  Tomorrow is Family Fun Night at our church, and I only hope and pray the weather isn't like it's been these last few nights, with rain and thunderstorms.  Have a wonderful and blessed weekend.