Happy Day Before Christmas

Christmas. The season of happiness and cheer. Of family and festivities. That's what many say Christmas is all about, right?

The truth is, Christmas isn't always a happy time. I'm not referring to the "stress of the season" because we are oh so busy with baking and shopping and parties. I'm talking about sadness, tragedy, heartbreak. The Christmas season is not devoid of these things.

Last year my ex-husband J's brother was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in early December. Long before Covid became a thing, his family was dealing with this terrible news. They tried everything: surgery, chemo, radiation, rehab. None of it worked. They gave him months to live. His family prayed for a miracle, and he lived longer than the doctors expected, but on October 15 he succumbed to the cancer. He would have turned 49 the following month.

Two months prior to his passing, Grandma was told her kidneys were not functioning well and she would need to go on dialysis immediately. She refused. Her emotional pain was so great that she declared if her son died she wanted to die as well. Her five remaining children begged her to go for treatment. Brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, all tried to reason with her. She would not have it. She'd lost her mother 5 years ago, her sister 2 years later, and her husband of 59 years in September 2019. All these she'd managed as best she could, but the impending death of her son was more than she could bear. She gave up.

On December 16 I got a call from J. He was in hysterics. His mother was dying. I asked what was going on but all he could tell me was that, since the death of his brother, all his mother talked about was dying. I had to calm him down because he was absolutely frantic. After talking with his cousin, I found out Grandma had been taken to the hospital the previous week because her liver was functioning at 4% and she had sepsis. They began dialysis immediately, but it appears it was too little too late. Over the weekend she suffered 1-2 strokes (not sure how many, conflicting reports) and then a minor heart attack. At one point she coded and was revived, but never regained consciousness. The oldest daughter was asked if they should revive her again if she had another episode, and she told them no. There was no knowing if she had brain damage or how much. They again hoped for a miracle, knowing full well it didn't look good.

On December 21 they extubated her. She passed away in the hospital near midnight on December 22. J and his family are devastated. They lost their brother just two months ago, and now they lost their mother three days before Christmas. My kids are very sad as well, because they've lost their grandmother and because they know how much their dad is hurting.   

Despite the sadness and tears (and I've shed many), I can say there is still joy this Christmas. Not happiness; happiness is a product of our circumstances, and these don't warrant any happy feelings right now. But there is joy. Joy is a product of the Holy Spirit, and surpasses our circumstances. It's the joy of knowing this life, filled with disappointments and heartache, is not all there is. It's the joy of a Savior that came down from His comfortable home in heaven to reside among us (Matthew 1:23). He did it because He knew we needed saving, and He was willing to take the punishment for our sins (Philippians 2:6-11). We have joy because we have hope beyond the troubles of this world, and that hope comes from the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-5) whose promises are true. 

Loss teaches us to appreciate what we have and those we've had. It reminds us to look at those around us and hug them tighter, cherish them more fully. No, I can't say I'm happy today. But I have much to be thankful for despite my unhappiness. I hope you have happiness this Christmas, but if you don't, I hope you know the joy of the Lord.   

The Week In Review

It's been a week of ups and downs. That's fine if you like roller coasters. Me, not so much.

Monday we were awaken at 5:35 am to the police at my front door. Apparently, they'd received an "anonymous" call stating that there was furniture being moved around in my house and the sounds of a domestic disturbance. Both my son E and I were asleep and there was absolutely no sound coming from my home. I had to explain that my neighbor continuously accuses me falsely of making noises when in fact he is the one making all the noise. Thankfully, one of the officers has come on several occasions whenever my neighbor has called, and said the complaints have been determined to be unfounded. Nevertheless it was unnerving, especially considering what was coming up later that day. 

My son E had his dental appointment to remove his wisdom teeth that afternoon at 2:00. I am so incredibly thankful for the group of women in my Bible study class who prayed for my son's surgery. Everything went well, and while he was in a tremendous amount of pain that first day, it has lessened to the point where he is no longer in any pain. There is still some swelling inside his mouth which prevents him from chewing anything too hard, but he is able to eat. Good thing too - the medicines he is on (antibiotics and anti-inflammatory) make him sick to his stomach if he doesn't have any food in his system.

Sadly, just before we left for the dentist, I received a frantic call from my ex-husband J. His mother is dying. Back in October, J's brother succumbed to a brain tumor that was first detected in December of last year. Surgery, chemo, radiation, all tried but none worked.  He was a month shy of his 49th birthday. It was an extremely painful time for the family, but none suffered more than his mother. She had been told just a couple of months before that her kidneys were starting to fail (she is diabetic) and she would have to start dialysis. She refused. Her children begged her to reconsider, but she said if her son died she wanted to die as well. I believe that, having lost her husband in September of last year and finding out her son was dying of cancer, while her daughter had a double mastectomy in July, was too much for her and she was suffering from severe depression. At 77, her body can only take so much. Late last week she was vomiting and couldn't hold any food down. Her oldest daughter took her to the doctor, who told them her liver was only working at about 4% and she needed to go to the emergency room. Once in the hospital she was put on dialysis, but within a couple of days she suffered two strokes and a mini heart attack. As of today she is on a respirator, her vitals are stable but she is in a coma, and doctors don't know how much brain damage she's suffered or if there is any brain activity at all. She has been completely unresponsive since the strokes. The family is devastated. It's easy to say that the cause is her kidneys or the diabetes or the strokes or heart attack, but I believe she is dying of a broken heart. It has broken my own heart; no one can understand her pain unless they've experienced it themselves. We are all praying for a miracle, or for the Lord to take her away from her suffering. 

I did some more Christmas shopping on Friday, just last minute items and stocking stuffers. I was happy to go out. My neighbor left his tv set blasting from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm in his bedroom (which is directly below my master bedroom). While it's easy enough for me to close the bedroom door and not have to listen to it, I knew it would be the prelude to more harassment. I was right.

Saturday he got up at 10:30 am and began randomly punching the walls. I ignored it. Then around noon, he began blasting the tv set in his bedroom again while punching the walls. I was able to record him on my phone, then I called the police. My son needed to take his math test and he needed a quiet room to take the test in. My bedroom usually fits the bill, but with all that racket it was impossible. The police came, heard the noise and the recording, then tried to talk to him. Again he blamed me, said I was the one making all the noise, then told them I'm attacking him because he's Jewish. I had no idea he was Jewish. The man has a life size Buddha outside his front door; why would I think he was Jewish? Even his last name isn't Jewish. Once again, the Lord opened the eyes of the police and the sergeant recognized that the man is suffering from mental illness. He told me they would be investigating him to see why there are so many reports and complaints against him.

I'm so thankful for the gift my son R gave me for my birthday.

Monday morning I installed the Ring video doorbell beside my front door. It's been working like a charm. It allows me to see what is going on without having to run downstairs which is a huge blessing. 

And that brings us to today. We got home just a little while ago from having lunch with my daughter and son-in-law. They took me out today because tomorrow is my birthday. I didn't want my daughter to rush home from work to take me out to dinner, so instead we went out today. We had a lovely and pleasant afternoon walking around the mall after lunch and enjoying the gorgeous weather that December brings to South Florida. I am thankful that the Lord has seen fit to grant me another year with my loved ones. I pray that this next year I can live even more for Him, glorifying the Savior for all that He has done.

Have a blessed week y'all!

Recipe Time: Chocolate Pudding Pie

Happy Thanksgiving y'all! It's the big day, and everyone is feeling thankful despite 2020 and all its mishaps. Many are having smaller than usual Thanksgiving Day festivities and keeping it simple. I'm glad; hopefully we'll stop focusing on football and Black Friday and start focusing on thankfulness and family. 

I want to share a quick and easy crowd pleasing dessert: Chocolate Pudding Pie. I can't take credit for this one; it's off the book Quick Fixes From Brand Name Mixes. It's also a recipe that's probably all over Pinterest. Some call it pudding pie; this book calls it Creamy Chocolate Pie. Regardless of the name, it takes just a few minutes to put together and stick in the fridge, and on a day like today where there's so much going on, simple is often the best way to go.

To make this pie you will need:

1 3/4 cups cold milk (I use Lactaid 2% but any milk will do)

2 pkgs. chocolate or chocolate fudge pudding mix, the 4 serving size

1 tub Cool Whip (or in my case, Great Value whipped topping. It's all the same)

1 pie crust - graham cracker or chocolate flavored, your choice

That's all you need. You might even have these things in your cupboard, but if you don't they're easy to find in your grocery store. Let's put it together.

Step 1: Pour your milk into a large mixing bowl.

Add your pudding mixes and beat with a wire whisk. You can use your mixer if you prefer, but I didn't want to dirty more than I had to.

Get it as smooth as you can, but keep in mind it's gonna be thick.

Fold in the whole tub of Cool Whip or whatever whipped topping you're using. If you have the time you can make some homemade, but this is supposed to be quick and easy.

It'll look kind of like a chocolate mousse whenever you're done. Avoid the temptation to eat it straight out of the bowl.

Instead, as a special treat (and because it's Thanksgiving) get yourself an Oreo pie crust. I found this one at Walmart for just $2.00. Again, you can make your own, but why?

Spoon the filling into the pie crust and smooth it out. I like to put a dollop of the filling right in the middle as a decoration, but you can line the top with Oreo pieces, chocolate chips, Reese's Pieces, anything you like. Once again, keeping it simple here. Once you're done, put it in the fridge to set.

Keep in mind that this pie needs to be refrigerated for at least 4 hours to properly set. Overnight is best. It took me all of 10 minutes to grab all the ingredients, make the filling, put it all together, and clean up. And what did it cost? Like I said, the pie crust was $2.00. The Jello pudding boxes were $.98 each, and the whipped topping was $.82. I already had the milk on hand, so I spent a grand total of $4.78 to make the boys in my family very happy. And they are worth every penny and then some. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

2019 - New Year, New Family Member

A new year brings new promises, new expectations, new trials. 2019 was no different. It was a year filled with so much change, I won't forget it anytime soon!

My daughter A had begun dating C in September 2017, around the time Hurricane Irma hit. Their relationship blossomed. They had the same interests, values, beliefs, sense of humor...he was everything she had prayed for, and she was exactly what he had hoped for. So it was no surprise when C came to me in early February to ask for my daughter's hand in marriage. It brought me great joy to know the man my daughter had fallen in love with would be her partner for life.

The proposal was so sweet. One of their first dates had been to one of those escape rooms, where you're given clues to go from one room to the next and have to "break out" in a specified amount of time (typically one hour). Neither had done one before, so they thought it would be something fun to try. Both had enjoyed it and especially enjoyed knowing they'd experienced for the first time together. C decided he would recreate that date which had been so special to them. So he arranged with the owners of the escape room to have one of the clues be a love letter he'd written for the occasion. March 1 he picked her up and they went on their normal Friday night date. When they entered the room, the employees were taping while my daughter picked up the "clue". Behind her C was on one knee, and when she turned around he popped the question, to which she quickly responded Yes! What a joyous blessing that day was!

Now, as we all know, dating is not addressed in the Bible. That's because in biblical times parents chose their children's spouses. Sometimes this worked out well; as parents, we all want what is best for our children, and we would hopefully pick wisely for them. Of course, if the parents were more concerned with their own interests and not those of their children, this method would fail. Today, young people choose for themselves who they will marry through the process of dating/courtship. Even though the process has changed, I believe we can still learn from Scripture the best way to go about dating, courtship, engagement and marriage.

The Bible teaches the importance of marriage vows. These are not to be callously broken. It is a lifelong commitment (Genesis 2:24). God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16), He hates adultery, He hates immorality. He tells Christians not to look for a marriage partner outside of the faith (2 Corinthians 6:14). He spells out the roles of husbands and wives (Ephesians 5:22-33). All these things should be considered before committing to marriage, because there is nothing worse than living miserably married. Therefore, a courtship shouldn't be rushed. I've seen that people tend to show only their best side when dating, especially during the first year of dating/courtship. Each person is on their best behavior, watching their words and actions so as not to drive the other away. But when they've dated long enough, and become comfortable around each other, that's when the little "quirks" start to appear. Sometimes they're insignificant; no big deal, easily adapted to. Other times they're red flags that shouldn't be ignored. The person you marry has to be someone you respect, so ask yourself, "Do I respect this person? Do I see myself in a lifelong partnership with this person?" If the answer is no, run, don't walk. If the answer is I don't know, stop. Be wise. Talk to someone you trust. The person you are considering may be a nice person, a good person, but not the right person for you. Take your time and make the best decision.

Once you're certain that this is the person God has led you to, the person He has chosen for you to spend your life with, then what? I know people have different opinions on this point, but my belief is that, while dating and courtship shouldn't last less than a year, engagements should be short. Why? For starters, we do not want to give the devil an opportunity to use us (Ephesians 4:27). It's easy to fall into temptation when emotions are running high. Secondly, Scripture teaches us how highly God views engagements. When Joseph found out Mary was pregnant with Jesus, the Bible tells us he was going to secretly divorce her (Matthew 1:19). Yet, they weren't married. But in God's eyes, an engagement is as serious as marriage, and should not be defiled. If you're absolutely sure this is the spouse for you, I believe the sooner you get married the better.

Now, I realize that weddings take time to organize - if it's a big wedding. However, that doesn't have to be the case. My daughter and her fiance got engaged March 1 and were married June 21, just 2 1/2 months later. They chose to have a small wedding for two reasons: first, they wanted to cash flow the wedding, meaning no credit card or any other type of debt would be incurred with their nuptials. Second, they had a budget for the wedding and the honeymoon, and they wanted to spend more on the honeymoon. I appreciated and approved of this decision. While I love weddings as much as the next person, the truth is it's only a few hours and then it's over and the real thing begins. The honeymoon, the time when life as husband and wife begins, is much more important. So while the wedding was a small event of only 50 guests, the honeymoon was a Mediterranean cruise that took them to Spain, Italy, Monaco, and several other places, and that time is precious to them.

I am so happy and so very thankful that 2019 gave me a new son. We love C to the moon and back! I can say with confidence that he's everything this mama prayed for. Ah, but the changes had only begun! There was more, much more to come.

Monday, Monday

Another week starts, and life goes back to (semi) normal.  School, work, home...it's our routine, yet it's never exactly the same, is it?

Folks don't like Mondays.  They see it as the end of the weekend, the beginning of the work week, back to the old grind, etc, etc.  I don't know why people look at beginnings in such a negative way.  Yes, you will go back to work, or school, or whatever it is that you do when the week begins.  Why is that bad?  Most people like habits, whether they be good or bad.  Your "day off" is over?  Another one will come.  We have to try and be more positive.  Be thankful that you're alive.  Look forward to what can be accomplished.  Set goals, make lists, try something new.  Mondays can be wonderful with the right perspective.

I got up bright and early, knowing that our school week was starting up again and that the semester will be over in less than 3 weeks.  There is plenty to be done, and I'm ready for it (I hope!).  I made breakfast, then went over my son's schedule again.  It was pretty full - 5 classes for today.  We started with music history.  It was a review for his unit exam on Renaissance music.  He actually did pretty well, considering he hasn't even thought about the Renaissance for the past two weeks.  We then went on to English, where he's finishing up his thesis on Letter From Birmingham Jail.  There was a tutorial to watch first, and again he seemed to remember everything that had been taught in the last month.  Yay!  From there he went to his Algebra class, where the teacher was doing a review for his unit test.  He admitted that he didn't remember anything.  Nothing.  I couldn't believe it - math is his favorite subject, especially algebra.  Hmm.  That would require some review time.

While he listened to his algebra class I made smothered pork chops and buttered noodles for lunch.  I like making things that are quick and easy, and this is one of those recipes.  While I had lunch I was looking up ways to reduce the bags under my eyes.  I've been noticing them lately, not dark circles but kind of baggy eyes, and no, they are not attractive.  One video I watched talked about the reasons why we get bags under our eyes:  lack of sleep, and not drinking enough water.  Well, I can understand lack of sleep; having been sick the past few days I wasn't sleeping as I should.  And yes, thinking about it now, I realize I haven't been drinking as much water as I should.  So I'm going to make some adjustments to make sure I get back into a more steady routine.  I think with the holidays, Grandma's passing, and all my sinus congestion (which is greatly reduced today, praise The Lord) my routines have kind of gone out the window.  With school starting back up my hope is that I can schedule myself better with my meals, water intake and sleep.

As my son and I got back to his essay, I got a text from my sister.  My brother was in a car accident.  He's fine, but he says his car was totaled.  It was one of those moments when your heart stops for a split second even though the words "He's fine" are staring right at you.  My brother hasn't been driving very long; he's lived in New York all his life, and with public transportation in the city it's really not necessary to own a vehicle.  He's moving to Ohio in the next few months, though, so he got his license and purchased a car, which he will now have to repair or replace.  I'm just thankful the car took the brunt of the hit - a truck side-swiped him, then left the scene.  I'm sure he's shook up, but he's alive.  That's what matters.

School took 7 hours today, partly because there was a lot of work to be done, and partly because my son was having trouble getting back to the swing of things.  I'm hoping tomorrow is better.  He took a pretest for algebra and got a C.  Not very good, but it showed him where he needs work, and why it's important to check your work.  We will most likely work on math and science the most this week, along with finishing his PE wellness plan assignment, due on the 16th.  For now, I'm gonna shower, then I'm gonna give myself a mani/pedi.  It's been a busy day, and I need some relaxation.  Good night!

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.

Monday Musings

A new day, a new week.  A year ending and a new one beginning within days.  Change is in the air.  Some good, some not so pleasant...

I was so tired last night, I don't even remember what all I posted.  I'll probably go back and re-read it to see if there's any grammatical errors.  I'm somewhat of a grammar Nazi; I hate it when the English language gets butchered.  I want my blog to be as error free as possible.  I know that doesn't always happen - I've gone back and seen things misspelled and kicked myself for it.  But at least I try to do justice to my blog by writing properly.

One thing I didn't mention last night was my children's great-grandmother.  Great-grandma Maria is my children's great grandmother on their father's mother's side.  They have known her all their lives, and she babysat my two older kids when they were little tykes.  Despite health issues in the past, including colon cancer, she has rallied and come off her sickbed multiple times.  She is made of some sturdy material!  About a year and a half ago, her eldest daughter experienced complications during open heart surgery, and unexpectedly passed away.  She was in her mid 70's, not a young woman but to a mother she was still her child.  Grandma Maria's health began to steadily decline after that.  I think the heartache of losing her daughter was more devastating than any illness, including cancer.  Since April we have watched her deteriorate from an active, alert woman to a bed-ridden shadow of who she was.  I cannot express how sad it is to see her in this condition after knowing her for over 27 years as a strong, independent, caring human being.  She has always put the needs of others before her own, and she's been a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and even great-great-grandmother.  Grandma Maria lives with her daughter and granddaughter, the cousin who came over to visit last night.  I asked how she was doing, and we were told that the priest had been called.  Grandma Maria has been a devout Catholic all her life, but it wasn't about religion with her.  She cares about people, and about serving.  What an awesome example of Christ she has been to her entire family!  At 94 years of age she is the family matriarch, having lost her husband 25 years ago.  We know the Lord will be taking her home soon, and it will be a bittersweet time for us.  She is so frail, so sick, that it pains everyone to see her suffer, but saying goodbye is a hard pill to swallow.  My prayer is simply that the Lord would take her in her sleep so she and her loved ones caring for her don't have to suffer further.  She has always tried to honor God with her life, and I know He will honor her integrity as well.

On to my day...I spent the morning cleaning the family room and dining room.  Our dog Molly spends a lot of time in the family room on the rug, or at the back door waiting to be let out, so that area gets filled with dog hair and drool.  I tried to get my Dyson vacuum cleaner fixed but I can't figure out what is wrong with it.  I'm gonna end up having to take it to get repaired.  I used our smaller vacuum but it takes longer because it isn't as powerful.  After cleaning up I started cooking for today:  baked ziti, french bread and a salad.  I have plenty of lettuce in the yard, so once the baked ziti was out of the oven I went out and cut off some lettuce leaves.  I brought them into the kitchen and threw them in the sink to wash.  As I was pulling the leaves apart, what should hop out of the sink (almost on my hand) but a little frog.  It was obviously hiding in the lettuce leaves looking for bugs.  I let out a scream, not because I'm afraid of frogs but because it caught me by surprise!  My boys jumped up to see what had caused the ruckus.  They just laughed, then R got a glass and picked it up off the kitchen back splash and took it outside.  I'm glad, because I didn't want it to stay inside the house.  Poor little critter would have died.

After lunch I took my son E to the bank to cash out his coin bank that he got from his dad for his birthday.  According to his dad there was about $180 that he had collected.  My son had a few coins that he added to it, and I gave him a few as well.  As we put them in the machine and watched the total go up, my son was getting more and more excited, hoping it would get up to $200.  Actually, the total came up to $223.45.  He said his face hurt from smiling so much.  This will be the money he uses to get the longboard he's been wanting.

Another gift my son got for his birthday was a new Nerf gun.  This one is a Zombie type, I guess for hunting them.  My son has a collection of Nerf guns, which he forgets he has until he gets a new one.  Then he and his brother start sneaking up on each other and everyone else, shooting them with Nerf guns.  Which is proof that men are just boys in big bodies.

I got some more floor cleaning done before it was time for dinner.  After I ate I proceeded to give myself a manicure with the new nail polishes my cousin gave me for my birthday.  The package says they're nail lacquers so they should last longer than regular polish.  We'll have to wait and see.  They are a set, one mauve/taupe kind of color called May Flowers, one vibrant baby pink called Gorgeous Gerbera and one rose gold top coat with glitter.  I used the mauve/taupe color on all but my ring fingers; on those I used the baby pink and put the glittery top coat on top.  It looks really cute and girly, maybe a bit too youthful but who cares?  They say you're as young as you feel, and I feel like I'm still in my 30's.  Most days.  Some of the time.  Okay maybe closer to my 40's but still, that's younger than I am now.

Other than that it's been a slow kinda day.  I watched a few videos on youtube, and I'm gonna take a shower now.  Maybe I'll watch a movie afterwards, now that my son has let the television alone for a while.  That poor TV is getting some usage now that there's a Wii U attached to it ;-).  God bless and good night.

The Last Sunday of the Year

Ever have a lazy day?  One where you just hang around and don't do anything but rest and get waited on the entire day?  Yeah, me neither.

I was kind of running slow this morning.  My nose was stuffy, my throat was kind of sore, and my sinuses were somewhat inflamed.  What is it about Sundays that I wake up feeling under the weather?  Speaking of which, what is up with our weather?!  Ours has been in the 80's.  I'm not even kidding.  It is winter and our temperatures get into the low 80's in the afternoon.  The humidity comes and goes, but just the other night the fog was so intense my son says he couldn't see 5 feet in front of him when he was driving home from work.  Thank The Lord he got home safe!  I think the weather has affected my allergies, because I don't feel sick like I'm getting a cold.  Whenever I cough it's because my throat feels dry or irritated, and I wake up with post nasal drip (which I HATE!).  I'm hoping we get some cooler weather in the next few days to counteract all these allergens, but gauging by the forecasts it doesn't look like that's gonna happen anytime soon.

So anyway, my morning started out sluggish.  I showered, washed my hair, then went into the kitchen to get something to eat.  Once again this week we weren't having our regular Sunday school class, instead it would be one combined class.  Again I knew I would miss it, because I wasn't feeling up to being in a large room full of people and me with my drippy nose.  I took my time getting ready, and I looked really nice if I do say so myself.  I put on my new skirt with the tank top, then went into my closet to see what I would put over it.  First off, I put on a light sweater in black that my daughter gave me because she doesn't like wearing it anymore.  I thought it looked nice, except that it's kind of long.  I asked her what she thought, and she shook her head no.  So I went back and pulled out a white sweater with green polka-dots that matched the skirt.  Again my daughter responded in the negative.  So I pulled out a short sleeved jacket that I normally wear with its matching navy blue skirt.  The blue of the jacket matched the blue of the skirt.  I figured she wouldn't like that one either but I didn't know what else to try.  The minute she saw me she said, "That's the one!"  It was my least favorite look, in my opinion, but she convinced me it looked nice so I went with it.  For makeup I did the same look I had yesterday.  I used my Pretty Wild kit from Bare Minerals which has matte eye colors in lavender and moss green, but I perked it up by using an eye primer with some shimmer to it.  It livened up the look a little without being overpowered in glitter.  I also used a new eyeliner pencil in brown, one of their Round The Clock liners.  It went on smooth as butter, and it was so velvety!  I couldn't believe how pretty it looked.  My hair also looked nice, though I knew what would happen the minute I walked out the door:  frizz city.  I put some anti-frizz serum when I styled it, and hoped for the best.

Pastor Ray continued last week's sermon on The Original Christmas based on Luke 2:10-14.  He was on fire preaching The Word today!  Whenever I hear him preach, I am challenged to give God my very best.  That's what His Word should do for all of us - give us a desire to do more and be more like Him.  Even though I didn't feel great health-wise, spiritually I felt renewed.  I had thought about staying home because I wasn't feeling my best, but I'm glad I didn't.  His Word revives me.

When I got home I felt like I wanted to eat something comforting.  I threw a frozen pizza in the oven for E and made myself a bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon.  That there is comfort food for me.  It warms my tummy and makes my heart smile.  Something that simple can make me feel like new.

My daughter got home early from her church.  She works at the church so she usually stays later, but the youth group didn't meet today because of the Christmas/New Year holiday, so she was able to leave earlier.  After lunch we went to Ulta to get credit for the starter kit I gave her for her birthday.  I had ordered the set online, so before leaving the house I got the packing list from the shipment and printed off the invoice so that I wouldn't have any trouble getting the credit.  Ahead of us was a lady who was trying to get credit for a cream she'd purchased, apparently she felt the price was wrong or something, but she had no receipt.  She left in a huff because they could not give her credit without the receipt.  I was kind of wondering if they'd give me a hard time too, but not at all.  When I told the lady I wanted credit because I'd ordered the wrong color and showed her my paperwork, she smiled and said, "That's everything I need."  They offered to credit my card or issue a store credit, and my daughter opted for the store credit, which was fine by me because that way she could get what she wanted and I wouldn't have to keep tabs of how much I owed her.  She quickly went through the store, but we found very little.  Turns out they were sold out on a lot of items because of Christmas, and are waiting for a stock shipment to be delivered tomorrow.  My daughter was looking for some makeup brushes but all she found was one.  Since she has the store credit I'm not concerned; she can buy something another day, or she can place an order online.

From there we went to the mall.  Her dad gave her a beautiful Michael Kors purse for her birthday, but the style isn't what she would have picked out for herself.  It's a sort of messenger bag with a drawstring at the top.  The problem is, the drawstring doesn't open completely, so it's hard to get anything inside the bag.  She wanted to see if there was any bag she could exchange it for that would work a little better.  I parked where we always park, next to Sears.  I totally forgot that Macy's is on the extreme other end of the mall :P.  That's how often I shop there (which is never).  We went to take a look at the bags to see what was available.  I was taken aback; these purses are ridiculously priced!  I mean seriously, the cheapest bag we found cost $198 ya'll!!  Her dad had some sort of coupon because he only paid $157 for the bag he got her (it has a return label that they scan and it shows the price that was paid).  Still - $157?!  It's not like the bag is gold plated!  We looked at other bags but none were in her price range, so she decided she would make this bag work.  Can't say I blame her.

Later on my kid's cousin came over with the kids, bearing gifts.  This cousin is actually my children's second cousin, and I've known her since she was 4 years old.  Now she's a mom of 3, and I got to babysit her kids over the summer.  The kids brought me a belated birthday gift, pink nail polish in a pretty set.  They also brought me electronic Yatzee, which I thought was cool since I'd taught them to play the old style Yatzee over.  We played tons of board games when I was sitting them and they learned so much, especially about good sportsmanship.  We had a nice visit, even though it went on till pretty late.

It's almost midnight now, and I'm ready to hit the sack.  Lord willing I'll post more about our visit with family.  For now, all I can say is, good night.  

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.  

Observing My Senses

For today, July 27, 2013...

I am seeing...dark clouds. Grr! I'm having family over for a barbecue today and I don't want it to rain! Oh well, looks like it might be indoor grilling instead. 

I am feeling...better after taking my allergy medicine last night. My nose was too stuffed up for me to sleep. 

I am hearing...my son's computer. He likes to play Minecraft. 

I am tasting...nothing right now. I had a sandwich for breakfast. Maple honey ham and Swiss cheese on an English muffin. Lunch will be burgers on the grill with tater tots. The kids love tater tots (and so do I). 

I am smelling...my son's breakfast. He hasn't eaten yet. 

It just takes a moment to observe your surroundings. Won't you join me?