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.

Wacky Weather Wednesday

I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone.  I've walked into another dimension, one with temperatures way below what they normally are this time of year.  We woke up to 47 degrees today.  This is highly unusual in South Florida overall, but even more so at the beginning of December.  We typically don't see temps this low until late December or early January.  For us, having temperatures in the 40's on Christmas means we're gonna have a cold winter; it's December 10th and the forecast calls for 40's and 50's for the next week.  I think it's safe to say, this winter will be frigid.

Today my son had a pretty packed school schedule.  Interesting how it works:  Monday and Tuesday we had nothing to do other than school, and his schedule was light.  Tonight we have church; E has youth group and I serve in Awana.  So of course today he has a heavier schedule :P.  I'm thankful, though, that homeschooling gives us such flexibility.  He finished one of today's assignments yesterday.  His music assignment isn't due till tomorrow so it's not pressing.  He has 3 online classes to attend today, plus his English and science assignments to turn in.  Once that's done, if he has time he can work on music or leave it for tomorrow.  He doesn't feel pressured by deadlines, yet he's way ahead in all his classes.  Public schools could learn a lot from homeschool.  Of course there are the cons, the inevitable glitches that come from doing schoolwork (or any other kind of work) over the internet.  The connection to the school link was giving us problems.  I literally had to shut down my computer and start it back up because it just froze.  The good thing is, all the live lessons are recorded, so if my son needs anything he can always go back and listen to the lesson again.  They've really taken care of things.  Once the internet was back on track, he finished the classes he needed to get done.

After our run yesterday I decided the weather was perfect for putting up some Christmas lights.  I only wanted to get them up around the garage and the entrance; it's hard to get around the plants and trees on the other side of the house.  E and I worked for an hour, and it was looking really good.  Then I tried to plug them in.  I'd done it again.  I put the lights up backwards.  The plug is on one side of the 2 car garage, and the outlet is on the other side of the entryway.  I can't put an extension cord without it going all over my driveway.  It was past 5:30 and starting to get dark, so I had to quit my work and leave the lights to be fixed today or tomorrow.  I was so bummed; my intention was to surprise my daughter when she got home from work.  She was surprised, alright.  First thing she said when she walked in was, "Do you realize the lights aren't turned on?"  And then she laughed at me.  I'm glad I was at least able to bring some comic relief into her life :P.

My first Bare Escentuals order came in today!  Let me just give a quick rundown of all I got:  first off, I got 2 Prime Time eye primer shadow which I am SO glad I got.  I've always had dry skin, but lately I've noticed my skin getting oilier around the t-zone area and especially my eyelids.  I cleanse and moisturize daily so I know that's not the reason; it's just my skin adjusting to a new season of life I suppose.  I'm not upset that my skin has gotten a bit oilier, since it was always so dry.  It just means I have to take measures to keep my skin from getting too oily.  It also means I have to make adjustments in my makeup, hence the eyelid primers.  With such oily eyelids my eye makeup would crease and the colors would blend, making them look mushed up if that makes sense.  I have been using my regular primer on my eyelids and it has helped, but I'm hoping these primers which are also base shadows will do a better job.  The colors are nude glow and gold nugget; nice neutral transition shades.

Also for the eyes, I got 3 new eye shadows.  Oasis is a stunning green which I'm really excited about because I don't have any green eye shadows!  Brown eyes look very nice with green eye shadow so I can't wait to try it, especially since it looks like a nice holiday color!  Mai Tai is more on the orange-y side, brighter than I'm used to but I have to actually try it and see how it looks.  Lastly, Velvet Vanilla is a light powder similar to Vanilla Sugar but not as glittery.  I also got a much needed eyeliner pencil in bronze - my brown pencil is down to almost nothing since it's the one I use the most.

The blush that came with the set is called Exhilarate, and it's a bright rosy pink.  I've needed blush for some time; the one I have I need to layer on thick so it'll show.  That defeats the purpose of trying to use less makeup.  This color looks really pigmented and it's a lovely shade of pink.

Next, lip colors.  I got a beautiful lipstick/lipliner combo in Get Ready which is a dusty rose color.  I usually use brighter pinks but this is a pretty color for evening.  Then I got 2 lip glosses, one called Plumtini (easy to guess what color that is) and the other Apricot Nectar (also pretty easy to figure out).  These are mini sizes which are fine; I don't usually use lip glosses except over lipsticks if they are drying.

The kit brought a nice two sided concealer brush.  While I wasn't looking for one, I'm glad this one came with the set.  The large side is perfect for under the eyes, and the smaller side is great for around my nose which gets red especially during allergy season, so this was a great plus.  Add to that the pastel yellow makeup bag and I got 13 items for $30.  Happy birthday to me!!

Awana went very well tonight.  It is awesome to hear the girls encourage one another, and oh how they learn those bible verses!  I'm privileged and humbled that God would use me to plant His words in their precious hearts.  I wonder if these girls know how much I learn from them and how much they bless me each week.

We're back home now.  It's just me and E; my oldest son R is at work, and my daughter A is at a funeral.  A girl from her youth group sent a group text out yesterday asking for prayer for a girl in her dance class; she'd passed out and wasn't breathing, and the ambulance had rushed her to the hospital.  My daughter told me it was a girl who'd been to youth group before.  Shortly afterwards she got an email from the church asking for prayer as well.  A couple of hours later she got the news that the girl, who was just 11 years old, was now with Jesus.  Apparently she'd had a heart attack.  I guess she had some undetected heart disease, though I don't know for sure.  I cannot imagine the pain and anguish her family must be feeling right now; just thinking about it drains me emotionally, and I didn't even know the girl.  It's a reminder that our lives are fleeting.  We have to live each day like it's our last, because tomorrow is not guaranteed.  I will be praying for this family.

The dishes are washed, everything's put away, it's time to get washed up and ready for bed.  Oh, in my kit I also got a sample of Bare Minerals' Active Cell Renewal Night Serum.  It's a product that helps "maximize cellular renewal and hydrate skin overnight," to provide "skin that looks firmer, healthier and younger."  Sure, I'll give it a try.  I don't know that I'm gonna be dishing out $50 for one fluid ounce of this in the future, but I'm not against trying out a freebie.

That was my day today.  Thanks for stopping by.  God bless.