Tackling Tuesday

Don't you just love appliances?  I think appliances are awesome.  I love that I can sit with my son and do school while the dishes and our laundry are being washed.  Even my meals can be cooking in my crock pot - if I remember to take the meat out the night before so it isn't frozen in the morning.  As my kids would say, epic fail.

The funny thing is, I checked the kitchen last night to make sure I'd taken care of everything.  I was satisfied that everything had been cleaned up, but I totally didn't think about the next day.  The first thing that I thought of when I woke up was, "I didn't take out any meat, did I?"  So there went that plan.

I went to the kitchen and looked at my meal plan for the next two weeks.  I decided I could make empanadillas, which are Puerto Rican style meat pies, similar to Jamaican patties but the pie crust is pastry dough.  My kids are never gonna complain when I make empanadillas.  They are E's favorite food.  He has mentioned it to me on multiple occasions.  Whenever I say we're having empanadillas, his face lights up.  I put the ground beef package in warm water while I made breakfast.  I've been having cereal and an English muffin the last couple of mornings; keeping it simple now that school is back in session.  I knew it was gonna be another busy day, so I prayed for wisdom and patience and got my morning started.

First up was music history.  There was a recorded review he had to listen to, then he took his unit exam.  He got 100%.  Woohoo!  Next was supposed to be his English live lesson, but it was cancelled.  Instead the teacher did a Q and A for kids who need help with their English thesis.  Since E's sister is an English tutor we decided it was more important for him to get caught up with his other classes.  He still hasn't finished his PE assignment, and he hadn't even started on science.  I decided he needed to do science next.  He says he hates science.  He enjoys the material, but it's a lot of reading, and kids with dyslexia read slower, so it takes him longer.  I usually read the material out loud for him because he's more of an auditory learner, so that's what we did.  It was really interesting stuff, on soil and soil formation.  He took the quiz at the end; he has an 80% so far, and there are two essay questions the teacher has to grade before he knows what his final grade is.  Two down, two to go, but it was lunch time.  Time to make the empanadillas.

I made white rice and black beans to complete the meal, then sat down to rest awhile.  I'd put some clothes in the wash, cooked, taught, and I needed a little break before continuing.  The break wasn't very long.  We got started on his Leadership final exam after lunch.  There were 3 review classes he had to listen to, and a review worksheet to work on, then he did his test.  He got 100% on the multiple choice, and now he has to wait to see how he did on the essay questions.  It was a relief to be done with that.  He worked on his PE assignment some more, but then it was time for exercising.  We hadn't run with our running group since right before Christmas.  The church had a service on December 23rd so no one was running, and December 30th I had my cousin over at the house.  The group runs on Sundays at the park across the street from our house, but I was sick the week before and this past Sunday was the funeral.  So I wondered how I was going to do any running when I'd been on hiatus for two weeks.  Well, I actually jogged quite a bit, and fast walked the rest.  It was over a mile when all was said and done, and I felt great.  Thankfully it wasn't too hot; it's a bit humid but nothing like the summer.  We're supposed to be getting a cold front sometime tomorrow, probably in the evening.  It'll be a welcome change from this weird weather we've been having.  It looks cloudy and dreary most of the day, it's hot and humid but we've only gotten rain in the early morning hours.  I appreciate the rain but I sure would like to see the sun a little more.

Back to the running.  We met up with the group and the pastor that leads the group came over and gave me a hug, expressing his condolences.  He asked how we were doing, and I told him we were fine, since we'd known for some time that Grandma wouldn't be with us much longer.  I have not truly grieved her death, because she was in so much pain during the last months of her life, that it's a relief to know her suffering is over.  But as he started talking to me about his own experience when he lost his father a few years ago, and I saw him get teary-eyed, I thought I was going to break down.  I know that Grandma is with Jesus and she is in the best hands, but I also know we loved her very much and she will be missed dreadfully.  I hadn't thought about it in that sense; all I could think was that I didn't want to see her living so miserably.  She'd always been so active, and suddenly she was in terrible pain and confined to a bed.  She is dancing with the angels now, and I'm thankful for that, but I have to accept that it's okay to grieve.

We came home and I quickly jumped into the shower.  I was sweaty and sticky, but also energized.  I hope that doesn't mean I won't be able to get to sleep!  I'd better make sure I take chicken out tonight before I go to bed.  Good night folks.

Saying Goodbye To Grandma

This year started on a sad note for us.  Having to say goodbye to a loved one is never easy, but it does help us appreciate the moments we had.  It reminds us of how precious life is.

I woke up feeling a bit better this morning.  It was 7:30 and for the first time in days I felt well rested.  I showered and washed my hair.  It was my intention to wash my hair last night, but my son's friend left later than originally planned, and once the Benadryl kicked in there was no way I was gonna start blow drying and styling my hair.  I ran a bit late today; well, more than a bit late, but part of that was E's fault.  He's a turtle most mornings.  I got to Sunday School after the class had started, which I hate because everyone turns to look at the late arrival.  My SS teacher has been sick with bronchitis so our class combined with the young adult class, making it even more awkward.  Since I was late I couldn't tell everyone about Grandma; I did tell a couple of people from my class who had been praying for her, and they were very compassionate.  After class I went down to a very moving service.  Pastor Ray had all the men come up to the front of the church, where he prayed for them to be good leaders of their homes in the new year.  It was such a special time, watching these men of God commit to being leaders in all things, the home, work, community and church.  He then spoke about the vision for 2015: to be a church of disciples that makes disciples.  The emphasis is to train people, to mentor them, to help them grow in their walk with God.  It was so encouraging!  We want to see our church grow, and to do that we all have to do our part.  Lord, help me do mine!

When we got home I was starting to feel stuffed up again, so I made a pot of chicken and dumplings, because ya'll know, nothing makes a body feel better than comfort food.  Chicken and dumplings makes my mouth dance and my stomach smile.  I hoped it would help me feel better, since I had to finish folding laundry as well before we headed out to the funeral, but I was feeling short of breath and was dry coughing, an indication that asthma is coming on.  Much as I hate it, I used my inhaler, and that did alleviate the breathing problem.  Once my nerves settled, we headed for the funeral home.

I should explain the circumstances with the family.  Since my husband and I separated, his immediate family has basically forgotten that we exist.  I have not heard from or seen my mother-in-law, sisters-in-law or brothers-in-law in almost 4 years.  There are family members that still talk to us, but his parents and siblings have chosen to ignore us.  So going to this funeral for his grandmother meant that I would have to see them, and I didn't know how that was going to go over.  I prayed about it, asking God to help me deal with this situation in a way that would honor both Him and grandma.  We arrived at the funeral home and my daughter was texting some friends from church who had said they would try to come, when we looked up and saw one of the pastors and a couple of the guys from her church, one who works with her at the office and another young man.  They'd come to accompany us and encourage us, which really meant the world to me.  It made going inside a little less daunting.

We were met by my cousin's husband, who has come to my daughter's church a few times.  He quickly went to get his wife, who was in tears but so glad to see us.  She was even happier when she saw the pastor was there.  We were able to go in and spend time with her and her mom, and one of the guys prayed with us and with them.  The whole time we were there, my kid's father stayed as far from us as possible.  His siblings also kept their distance.  Other family members came over and greeted us, but his mother and siblings looked at us from afar and then ignored us.  Honestly, I think it was for the best.  I didn't want anyone making a scene.  Grandma deserved better than that.

We stayed for about an hour and a half, then I told them I was sick and needed to go home.  It wasn't nearly as awkward as I thought it would be, and for that I'm thankful.  What bothered me most was the fact that their dad stayed away from his kids, then when we were leaving the kids went over to him and he said, "Thanks for coming."  Really?  Thanks for coming?  It disappointed my daughter tremendously, which in turn upset me.  But seeing as that was the worst part of the night, I feel like it didn't go off so bad.

So now we're back home.  My nose is stuffed up again.  I'll have to do something about that.  School starts up again tomorrow, so I need to be alert and rested.  I'm gonna wash my face, get into my jammies, and hopefully get a full night's sleep so I can be ready for homeschooling.  Good night everyone.

Saturday, Busy Day

I'm starting to think this nasal congestion is beyond allergies.  I can't feel this lousy just from pollen.  I must have caught something.  Ugh.

I went to sleep early last night thanks to Benadryl.  After having a sleepless night all I wanted was rest, but I couldn't fall asleep without breathing.  My nose was that stuffed up.  The Benadryl was wonderful - it unclogged me and got me sleeping, both of which I desperately wanted and needed.  I woke up at 7:00 but didn't get out of bed till 8:00.  I was checking my phone, then spent time praying for all of Grandma's family.  I feel for them.  This is a difficult adjustment.

As I made and ate breakfast I went over the menu plan and looked through my pantry to see what I needed to buy.  Today was grocery shopping day.  I usually like to do my grocery shopping on Friday, but since I had the little kids here with me, and I felt terrible with all the sneezing, I decided I'd do it today.  I didn't feel much better, and the stores were all packed.  I went to Winn-Dixie first since they had country style ribs on sale, and I went ahead and got a few other items from my list, specifically produce which is always better there than at Walmart.  I spent $39 out of my $300 budget.  I had been budgeting $175 per week, but since I'm shopping for 2 weeks worth of groceries I try to stay at or around $300 to save some money.  I headed to Wally World next.  I tried really hard to stick to my shopping list, and for the most part I did.  The total was $112.  My last stop was Costco.  I walked in and headed towards the back of the store to get eggs (by the way, what is up with the price of eggs?!  I used to get 3 dozen eggs for $3, now they cost $6!).  I saw a large, comfortable, beautiful sectional sofa for $999.  Now, I am not a fan of sectionals; never have been.  I like moving the furniture around, and sectionals limit the positions you can put furniture in.  This sectional, however, is designed so that the shorter end of the sofa can be changed from the right side to the left.  That's convenient!  My only issue with this piece of furniture is the color:  it's a cream color fabric.  I fear it getting filthy and full of dog hair.  Still, it was pretty.  I can't afford it, so I moved on.  I got the items I needed, and spent another $39.  So, all in all I spent $190 for 2 weeks worth of groceries.  Granted, the only meat I bought (other than a couple of bags of Tyson chicken) was the ribs.  I still had meat from my last shopping trip.  That's where a big chunk of my food budget goes.  I have to feed this family of carnivores, and right now beef is extraordinarily expensive.  I'm so glad I was able to stick to my menu and my budget.  I have more than enough money to spend from now till my next shopping trip if I run out of anything.

My cousin texted me while I was at Walmart.  She told the kids about their great-grandma.  The 8 year old cried.  She's old enough to understand that she won't be seeing grandma anymore.  The 5 year old also cried, but I suspect he was crying because everyone else was crying.  He's too young to fully understand the concept of death.  The 7 year old is the most troubling; he has not cried, and refuses to talk to anyone about his feelings or about anything.  He told his mother that he is sad, but he doesn't want to talk about it.  I think he's in shock.  He was very attached to his great-grandma, and I don't think he fully accepts that she's gone.  I told her everyone expresses their grief differently, and to give him time.  He may want to grieve privately, or he may not be ready to start grieving yet.  It's so hard trying to explain death to small children, but it has to be done.  It's a reality of life.

Lunch today was Tyson popcorn chicken and curly fries.  Yeah, I was tired when I got home.  I think I'm tired because I'm not breathing properly; this congestion has me blowing my nose constantly, only to end up more stuffed up than before.  Darn sinuses!

My son E had a friend over.  This was one of his few buddies from school.  E has invited his friend to youth group and he's enjoyed it.  I'm so proud of my son for reaching out to others as Jesus would.  I pray he will always be a faithful believer in Christ.

*Post Script:  I fully intended on finishing this blog post last night, but I was so congested and feeling so yucky that I took a Benadryl before doing my facial cleaning and exfoliation.  I fell asleep and remembered I hadn't finished my post at midnight, when I had the full effects of the medication and was pretty sure I wasn't getting up.  So here it is, a few hours late.

Throwback Thursday

I don't typically do Throwback Thursdays on Facebook, or Flashback Friday for that matter.  I've put up a couple of pictures of myself with my kids, who then proceed to chide me for posting their childhood pictures on Facebook.  Today's throwback is more about remembering.  No pictures needed.

I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night.  Between a stuffed up nose that barely let me breathe, and a couch that, while comfortable, isn't my normal sleeping arrangement, it was 1:30 in the morning before I was finally able to lie down (not completely flat, or my nose would get all stuffy again) and get some sleep till about 7 am when the orchestra in my yard started their morning chirp.  I don't hear the symphony in my bedroom, but in the family room...my word, are those birds loud!  There was no way I was going to get anymore sleep, so I got up and checked on the kids.  They slept like angels on my bed.  Little sweethearts who had no idea that their beloved great-grandmother, whom they've lived with all their lives, is now in heaven.

I thought about Great-Grandma Maria, a woman who always cared about the needs of others before her own.  She raised her 10 children, plus several orphans that she felt sorry for.  She helped raise grandkids and great-grandkids.  She rarely complained about anything, and always had a good disposition.  Sad as it is to say goodbye, I can't help but celebrate her long life.  She is no longer in pain, no longer suffering.  For that, I can rejoice.

The middle child got up at 8:30 looking for breakfast.  Thank God I always keep a box of Cocoa Puffs in the house, because he has lots of allergies and is somewhat of a picky eater.  The other two kids got up an hour later.  My son R was playing on his Wii U and he let them play along - boy were they excited about that!  As they played I put away some more Christmas decorations, but I was moving slow.  I'd taken some Tylenol Sinus which states that it's a non-drowsy formula, but that never is true with me.  All sinus medicines make me drowsy, or at least leave me feeling drained.  Add to that my lack of sleep and it's easy to understand why everything I did was in slow-motion.  After playing video games for a little while, the two older kids did some homework.  I think it's ironic that so many parents say they could never homeschool their kids, meanwhile my niece, who is in third grade, got two homework packets plus assignments on Reading Plus and Reflex Math, both programs on the computer.  Her brother is in second grade, and he also got two homework packets.  Their mom says the kids come home each day with no less than 6 pages of homework, each.  I'm so thankful I get to be my son's teacher, and his assignments are nowhere near as overwhelming!

Their mom came to pick them up just as they were sitting down to pizza.  She told me that the funeral for Grandma will be on Sunday, and the burial on Monday.  She looked like she was running on auto-pilot; there are so many preparations to take care of, that she hasn't really sat down to grieve.  I know the time will come, the realization will hit, and the grief will manifest itself, but for now she is trying her hardest to be calm, for the sake of her kids.  I admire her resolve to protect her children.  I also feel for her and her mom.  They've been Grandma's primary caregivers for as long as I can remember.  They will feel the loss most profoundly.

After they left, I finished making lunch.  White rice, pinto beans, ground beef and tater tots.  This is my family's favorite meal of all time.  It's also really simple to make, which is good when I have lots to do, like today.  I wanted to finish getting as much done around the house as I possibly could so I could get some rest.  I finished eating, and began taking the lights off the Christmas tree.  I heard a truck stop in front of my neighbor's house across the street: it was FedEx.  Molly began growling at the door, and I laughed at the fact that FedEx can't even deliver a package to our neighbors without her getting upset.  I was actually calling her away from the door, saying, "That's not for us, Molly!" when my daughter says, "He's coming this way."  Sure enough, the FedEx guy was coming to our door.  "Hmm," I wondered, "what did R order?" Because if it had been my daughter's package she would have said so, and I knew it wasn't mine.  I hadn't ordered anything.  I was sure it wasn't mine.

It was mine.

My daughter got the box and said, "It's for you, Mom.  It's from Bare Escentuals."  I couldn't figure out what they were sending me, unless...the sweepstakes?!  But no, it couldn't be, because they would have advised me first, not just shipped a box to me.  Then my daughter says, "Maybe it's that order that you called to cancel."  No, couldn't be that either.  The duplicate order was caught in time.  That's what the customer service rep had told me.  Well, there was only one way to find out.  I had to open the package.

There it was, all the product that I'd received on December 24th, the shipment I'd called to cancel.  It had shipped anyway.  What's more, the packing list showed the order total: $0.00.  My daughter quickly told me I had to call them, but I checked my credit card statement first.  Maybe they'd charged me after all.  I wouldn't complain; after all, I'd be paying for one order when they'd shipped two.  But no, there was no charge on my credit card.  So, I called and explained to a new customer service rep what had transpired since December 23rd.  She listened, read the notes on the order, then told me that, while they had tried to cancel the second shipment, it had obviously not been cancelled.  Since this was a replacement shipment it went out as no charge, so therefore, Merry Christmas, the order was free!  I could not believe it!  That's two shipments of $116 that I got FOR FREE!!!  We were elated! Once again, I raved to the rep about how much I love Bare Minerals and how happy I am to receive so much great product!  Since the original order was half mine and half my daughters, and since we'd both already gotten our half the first time, we decided to swap.  She got what I'd ordered, and I got what she ordered.  Oh, I am so thrilled!!  The first thing my daughter said to me was, "Now you really don't need to be ordering anymore makeup!"  I have to agree.  I have enough to last me for quite a while.

It was a whole lot easier getting the house back in order after receiving that wonderful little gift.  I believe God sent that to us to brighten our day just a little.  We are still kind of in shock about Grandma, even though we knew this day was coming, and that it would arrive sooner rather than later.  And while we are saddened by her loss, there is also relief.  Grandma was very ill the last 9 months of her life.  She'd always been an energetic, independent woman.  In the end she was bedridden and miserable.  She had multiple bowel perforations that could not be operated on due to her age and her ailing heart.  She had 3 heart attacks this year; how she survived them is nothing less than a miracle.  She was too weak to walk, too sick to eat, and all she could do all day was sleep.  Now she is in heaven, where there are no more tears, no more sadness.  She can walk again, dance even.  How much better she must feel!

I stopped for dinner, but I can't say if it tasted good or not.  That's one of the things I hate most about being congested - my taste buds don't function like they should.  My nose has been stuffy on and off all day.  The sneezing has been powerful too.  I'm almost afraid of sneezing and my nose flying off my face.  Of course, that might bring some relief :P.

There are still one or two items that need to be put away, along with all the outdoor decorations, but I'm too tired to finish that today.  I took a hot shower hoping it would clear up my sinuses.  I should be able to get everything done tomorrow, along with grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning...I sure do hope I feel better tomorrow so I can get everything done.  My kids are asking that I watch them play their NintendoLand video game.  I think I'll do that for a little while before I head off to bed, Benadryl in hand.  Good night everybody.

2015, A New Year Begins With Cheer, Ends With Sadness

The year ended with a bang - or rather, a whole lot of bangs.  Man those fireworks were loud!  I wish I could say we were partying and celebrating with lots of horns and streamers.  Nope; we were home, my 2 youngest and I, and we hugged and said Happy New Year, then went to bed.  R, my oldest, did go out with his friends, but the rest of us relaxed at home and tried to keep Molly calm.  All the noise made her jumpy.  We ushered in the new year the way we'd like to live the rest of the year:  quietly, peacefully, joyfully.

I slept later than usual this morning.  It was 7:30 before I opened my eyes.  There's only one reason that ever happens: I'm not feeling all too great.  My allergies and my sinuses are not working well together, and it seems the allergies are winning.  I've had to take my allergy medicine twice today which is unusual this time of year.  My eyes are itchy too; I wondered last night if it was the makeup that was making my eyes itch, but I'm not wearing any now and still they are itchy and watery if I don't take my sinus medicine.  I'm really praying the weather makes a change.  It's warm and humid out, and that's making the pollen happy and me unhappy.  I've heard others are suffering as well.  If only it would rain, and the temperatures would drop, we'd all feel a whole lot better.

Today has been "put away the Christmas decor" day.  I need to get it all packed up before Monday when school starts up again.  I've gotten a lot done, but I'm not nearly finished.  I started at 10:30 this morning, after having breakfast and watching Shelbey's new video on her 2014 favorites.  The first step is to put away all the ceramic music playing figurines in their respective boxes.  This is probably what takes me the longest.  I have kept each of the boxes and packing material that my collectibles have come in.  This not only keeps them protected, it helps them retain their value.  Not that I'm selling them anytime soon; I don't think their that valuable yet anyway.  But to me they are.  I began selling Christmas Around The World before my son E was born, almost 20 years ago, and each year I added on to my extensive collection.  Each piece has memories attached to them, and I want to preserve them as long as I can.  So I bring the boxes out and get to work packing them away.  Once that's done, the tree has to be put away and the furniture put back in its place.  My daughter wants me to leave all the furniture the way it is; she thinks it's pretty comfortable.  Besides, she and her brothers do most of the moving, and I'm sure she's trying to get out of having to do it ;-).  I said I'd think about it.  The biggest issue is the furniture that's in the living room.  That's the first room in the house, the room everyone comes into when they enter our home, and the furniture in there right now is what the kids had when they were in college up in Central Florida 3 years ago.  You'd think that furniture that's only 3 years old would look pretty decent, but these were purchased at a furniture outlet store at a cheap price.  The furniture is all saggy and uncomfortable.  It isn't dirty, but because it sags it looks dingy.  I'm not in a position to buy new furniture right now, so I've covered the sofa with a blanket to try and hide how bad it looks.  It's not working too well.  That's why I prefer to have the sofa and love seat in the family room, where it isn't seen.  That isn't very accurate, though.  Whenever we have people over, they all congregate in the kitchen and family room anyway.  My dream would be to get Laz-Y-Boy furniture for the living room.  We got Laz-Y-Boy for the family room about 12 years ago, and that's the furniture we have there now.  It is the most comfortable furniture I've ever sat on, even after having it all these years.  It has been our everyday furniture, too, not the fancy stuff that nobody sits on.  This furniture has taken a beating, yet it still looks nice.  Maybe I need to start saving for that.

My daughter volunteered to bring pizza which was welcome since I was tired from working.  We took a break to eat, and afterwards I decided I'd put as much away as I was going to for the day.  So I started cleaning up the kitchen, and my phone rang.  We had been waiting for this news, but it's still painful to hear.  Grandma Maria has gone to be with Jesus.  She lived a long and fulfilling life; now her pain has ended, and she can be at peace.  For the family it is very difficult, even though the news was expected.  She was and will always be much loved.  Saying goodbye is never easy.

My niece and nephews will be coming to stay overnight, since their mom has to take care of the details.  So tonight's post will close a bit early as we grieve our loss and rejoice at heaven's gain.  Remember to hug your loved ones today.  We are not guaranteed tomorrow.  Good night.