The Week In Review

 Every week is a little different. Some are better than others. This one had its good moments, but challenges are never far behind.

As I noted on my previous post, fall decorating has been happening this week. I love any kind of decorating so I've enjoyed putting out new things and seeing how my older treasures mesh with the new to create a look that is warm and inviting. Part two of the fall home transformation is forthcoming :-).

Back in March of this year I filed my taxes, like many in America. To this day I have not received my refund. Six months and I've gotten the run-around several times. Well, that's not entirely true. The first four months I got nothing at all. The nation was on shutdown, and that included the IRS. I tried calling multiple times but was unable to get a human being on the line. I called the IRS tax advocates who'd helped me last year, but they were closed as well. I mailed in my request for them to help, in case someone was at least collecting the mail. Nothing. Finally, on July 10 I was able to connect with the tax advocates who transferred me to an actual representative at the IRS. What they said was that they hadn't received the W-2's from my employer to verify if the numbers on my return were correct. I couldn't believe it. I personally had filed the quarterly reports, and my boss had made the payments via credit card on their website, so I knew they had the numbers. There was nothing I could do on that end, because once you call and they give you information, you aren't allowed to call again for 60 days. So I texted my boss and told her what was going on.

Within a couple of days she texted me back that her accountant had indeed filed the W-2's but he would send them in again just in case. The IRS finally generated a letter on July 22 stating that my return was being verified for accuracy. This letter should have gone out months before but because of the pandemic it never did. I was so annoyed, because they sent a generic form letter 12 days after my phone call that basically told me nothing new. Meanwhile I was checking regularly to see if my return was processed. No such luck.

September 10 was the 60 day deadline, which meant I could call the IRS once more. I tried a couple of different numbers but all I got was recording after recording and then got cut off. I decided to try the tax advocates again. I was able to get through to them after a 20 minute wait. Unfortunately they weren't able to help me as far as getting my return processed because they didn't consider me to be going through a hardship, since I'm not facing eviction nor having my utilities cut off. Once again, I was annoyed. It's like lending your best friend money and they promise to pay by a certain day, but when that day comes they ask if you really need your money back. The only good thing was that she transferred me to an IRS customer helpline. 

After a long wait I finally was connected to a very helpful woman who was on the phone with me for a whole hour trying to get the information squared away, despite their system going down several times. She was able to confirm that yes, they did receive employment verification, but with the pandemic and shutdowns they were way behind on releasing returns for payment. I couldn't understand how she, in Texas, could see the verification but the processing center, in Pennsylvania, hadn't. This rep told me there was a possibility that something else was wrong with my return, possibly with the credits. Since the system kept locking her out she wasn't able to tell me anything else, but instead gave me a number to call and see if they could help. I called but, yet again, the systems were down. I was told I could call them back or put myself on a 30 day waiting list for callback. I said thanks but I'd call them.

The next day I went out and picked up some groceries from Walmart and Publix. It wasn't a lot, just a few things I needed that I hadn't gotten the week before or that we'd run out of.

This was pretty much the bulk of what I got from Walmart. I did pick up a couple of things that weren't food:

The grays are starting to show again. Ugh. My hair grows so fast, which is a blessing and a curse at the same time. The sponges are the Real Techniques brand, because I can get two of them for $7.50 as opposed to the Beauty Blender that's $20 for just one. Most people will say the Beauty Blender is better quality. That might be so, but I love the Real Techniques sponges and they last me a good while if I keep them clean.

The Publix shopping haul was even smaller:

Basically I went to Publix for their deli ham and cheese which is my favorite, and while I was there I saw they had English muffins and Italian ices on sale, buy one get one free. And everyone knows Publix has the best sweet tea, and it was also on sale. Bonus!

Before going to the grocery stores I stopped at Home Depot. Back in June I was trying to do some rearranging in my living room and I'd decided to switch out a picture I had at the top of the stairs with something more open, like the wall art piece I'd bought for my master bedroom. I like changing things around like that. It's a metal piece and it looked so good in that spot, except that there were several nail holes in the wall that had been covered by the picture but wouldn't be by this metal piece. So I filled in the holes and got some paint from the garage that the previous owner had left. The main living area has two different shades of beige color, one slightly darker than the other. I looked at both paints and picked the one that looked lighter, since that's what I needed for this wall. This is what happened:

 I was absolutely mortified!! How had I picked up the wrong paint?! I looked at both of them again. I even tried the slightly darker one. Then I realized what had happened. The can of lighter paint was over 10 years old. This paint had obviously gone bad and had turned dark. I can't even begin to explain how frustrated I was! Thankfully I found a great piece at Hobby Lobby that covered the spot completely.

The original price for this wall sign was $60 but I got it on clearance for $17.50. I like it because it has no glass in front of it, so there's no glare from the window. 

So, back to Home Depot. I'd picked up a bunch of paint chips and matched the color as best I could, since the label on the paint can doesn't say what color they used and I can't take the spoiled paint because it's the wrong color. I settled on one paint sample that seemed to fit the bill, and I got a sample of it.

Ugh! I was close but this time it was too light. I was gonna add another coat to cover up the dark spot underneath (even though this paint is supposed to be paint + primer) but it would still be too light. Back to the old drawing board.

After I got home from grocery shopping I tried calling the number for the IRS that the rep gave me. I got a recording that said the call volume was too high and call again later. I'm not giving up. 

Oh, and did I mention the tropical depression that formed off the coast of South Florida on Friday that put all of South Florida on a tropical storm watch? Yeah, that happened. Thankfully it didn't amount to anything other than a lot of rain and wind but nothing out of the ordinary. Another bullet dodged. Sadly, it has turned into Tropical Storm Sally and is expected to become Hurricane Sally before it lands somewhere near New Orleans. Praying for these folks.

I got to serve in children's ministry this Saturday. Churches in South Florida are slowly starting to open again, though to limited capacity. I haven't served since the pandemic started back in March. It was great to get back to the kids and teach. 

And that's a glimpse into my week. Stay tuned, there's more to come. Have a blessed week.

My Not-So-Restful Saturday

Saturdays are typically busy days.  Finding time to rest on a Saturday is like finding a needle in a haystack - you might find it, but it'll probably hurt.

My boss MM decided to have a women's bible study class at work.  Her husband has been doing a men's bible study group on Thursday night for years, and he's been encouraging her to do the same.  I wasn't sure what to expect, especially since it was supposed to start Saturday morning at 9:30 and end at 11:30.  A two hour bible study?!  Sounded a bit lengthy, but I told her I would go so long as my son's eye was better.

I got up early and E's eye looked almost completely normal, praise the Lord.  There's still some irritation around the inner part of the eye but it's minimal.  I started getting ready but told my daughter I didn't think I'd go very early.  After all, Saturdays are cleaning day, and my yard needed a ton of cleaning!  As I was finishing my breakfast, I was telling my daughter something when we heard the sound of her dad coming.  I can't begin to explain how uncomfortable it becomes in my house when he comes over.  His attitude is one of negativity and complaining; he complains about his health, he complains about his job, he complains about his car, he complains about the kids, yada yada yada.  It's like he sucks the peacefulness out of my home.  He was here for about a half hour, which meant I was late to the bible study class, and quite honestly I wasn't in the best mood.  It's very difficult not to be affected by the atmosphere of negativity.  I could see, though, why God scheduled this bible study when He did.  It wasn't anything new, nothing I hadn't learned from studying God's word on my own, but just being in a room full of ladies who were encouraging, loving, and welcoming, lifted my spirits.  I was annoyed when I got there, but my heart filled up with peace as we prayed for the needs of others and I stopped focusing on myself.  I'll tell you what, when you're praying for the healing of a 12 year old girl with leukemia, all other problems become insignificant.

I left as soon as we finished so that I could attack my backyard.  With homeschooling, work, and everything in between, I hadn't had a chance to tackle the grass.  Add to that several days of on and off rain showers, and my yard was starting to look a bit Amazonian.  I started by clearing some boxes out of the garage - my son had taken a bunch of stuff to the dump, but he worked all day today so I just threw a bunch of stuff in the trash can.  I then had to go to the backyard and pick up several palm fronds and coconuts that had fallen yesterday thanks to the rain and strong winds.  I finally got to actually mowing the lawn, which took about an hour.  I did one side of the front yard, but not the other.  My neighbor on the left was having an open house and I didn't want to get her yard full of grass clippings after she'd cleaned it up.  My neighbor has had her house up for sale for a couple months now, on her own.  The neighbor on her left wanted to buy the house, and it looked like they would get it, but the deal fell through just a few days before closing.  All parties concerned were terribly disappointed, but as I told my neighbor, God must have something better planned.  As I was trimming some plants in the front yard she gave me the news: the house was sold.  I couldn't believe it - she'd only just given the house to her realtor a week ago!  What we found out was, homes in our area sell quickly.  It's a lovely neighborhood, right across the street from a park, the schools are excellent, and there is very little inventory.  Whenever a house goes on the market, it flies.  It'll be sad to say goodbye to them; we moved in at about the same time almost 15 years ago.  But I do understand her position: her marriage crumbled, she works far from the house, and taking care of her kids has become difficult when she spends so much time in traffic (and money on gas).  This is what is best for her family right now, so I know she's making the right choice.

Once I was done with the mowing and trimming, I came inside and ate some fish and chips with sauteed veggies that my daughter prepared before going back outside to clean the patio.  It had gotten so grimy thanks to the branches that had fallen on it last night and all the dirt from the wind and rain, it looked like the house had been abandoned.  I was out there for two hours cleaning, but I can say it looks a whole lot better.

I came inside and decided to heat up some frozen pizzas, which got devoured by my son E and my daughter.  It wasn't until my son R got home from work that I realized the significance of that:  today is 3/14/15, or 3.1415.  That's right, it's Pi Day, and my kids had pizza pie.  I had forgotten about it, so it was completely by chance that it happened the way it did.

Since it's the day before Sunday (and I was a filthy mess) I showered and did my hair.  I told my friend that I liked the Smoothing Therapy shampoo and conditioner except for the fact that they aren't very moisturizing like my OGX shampoo, and she recommended I use my regular shampoo first, then wash it a second time with the Smoothing Therapy.  I must say, it does make a big difference.  My hair feels softer and smoother doing it this way.  There is one thing though: I have to cut my hair.  I haven't cut it since October, and the ends are badly in need of a cut.  I'm gonna see about getting an appointment for this week, since my son is on spring break (Hallelujah!).

It was mani/pedi day as well.  I don't know why, but I find that giving myself a manicure and pedicure is relaxing.  Plus I like the way it looks when I'm done.

That was my day.  I had hoped for a slower paced day, but who was I kidding?  My to-do list was out of control, and needed to be tamed.  There's still plenty to do, but God willing I will make a dent in it this week.  As for now, I say, goodnight.

Product Review: Smoothing Therapy by Keratin Complex

A couple of weeks ago I got to my Sunday school class late - again.  Thankfully I wasn't the only one late that day.  There was only one other person in class, and she'd gotten there moments before.  We started talking about how we'd gotten up late and were rushed out the door, and she said she hadn't had a chance to wash her hair, which she does daily because her hair is so oily.  I told her I had the opposite problem: my hair is dry, and if I wash it more than twice a week it turns into a dried out,  frizzy mess.  I also mentioned that I have to use shampoos without sulfates, since these dull my hair color.  She also colors her hair, and told me the only product that works for her is one her mom, who is a hairdresser, sells at her salon.  She said she'd bring me some samples to try.  I left it at that; honestly, I didn't think about it again the rest of the week.

This past Sunday we come to class, and my friend had the samples for me.  I was so touched by her kindness in remembering, and I thanked her profusely, promising to try the products.  I'd just colored my hair on Friday, so I didn't wash it again until Tuesday.  As promised, I put Keratin Complex's Smoothing Therapy to the test.

As I poured the shampoo into my hand, the first thought that came to my mind was, "This is for oily hair."  It was very liquidy and didn't feel moisturizing at all.  I gave my hair its first wash; there was barely any lather.  That didn't bother me; shampoos with too much lather tend to have lots of sulfates.  This didn't seem to be leaving my hair very clean, though, and that did trouble me.  On my second wash it did seem to be doing the job, but it still felt kind of drying.  Then I used the conditioner, and again it didn't feel moisturizing in the least.  I looked over both bottles but neither one specified if it was for oily, normal, or dry hair.  It just says its for color care.  I was tempted to grab my OGX shampoo and wash my hair again, but I didn't feel I'd be doing the shampoo justice if I did that.  Besides, my friend had been so sweet to bring me these samples, how could I not give her the benefit of the doubt?  If I didn't like them I could be honest about it, but only if I really gave them a chance.  So, I finished washing my hair and prepared to dry it.  I did use my Kerastase Reflection Chroma Thermique heat protectant to protect my hair from the blow dryer and straightening iron, and a tiny drop of BioSilk because of the humidity - I use these regularly when I style my hair.  I dried and straightened my hair, and it looked...

A-MAZING!!!

I could not believe how shiny my hair looked!  I was so surprised, because the shampoo does not feel moisturizing in the least, but it gave my hair incredible sheen.  Admittedly, it isn't as soft as when I use my OGX products, but it did look fabulous!  Even more surprising was the next day - it looked like I'd just washed and styled it!  When I told my daughter that I'd used the products my friend gave me, she said, "I was wondering about that, and I was going to ask what you'd done to your hair because it looks really nice."  Yep, that good!

My hair looked great for 3 days.  This morning it looked droopy and in need of some TLC.  I wondered if the shampoo and conditioner had actually done so terrific a job, or if it was because I'd just colored my hair a few days before.  Was my hair still going to look as beautiful as the first time I'd used it?  The answer:  Yes!  I washed and styled my hair, and I can say that the color is vivid and my hair looks shiny and clean.

My final thoughts on Smoothing Therapy by Keratin Complex:

Pros - My hair looks like I just walked out of a salon, and the look lasts for a good 3 days.  It does a good job of cleaning my hair.  It keeps the frizziness at bay so I don't have to worry about my hair looking like I've stuck my finger in an electric socket.

Cons - This is not a moisturizing shampoo.  If you have oily hair, this will make you very happy.  If you have normal to dry or very dry hair, it's not going to feel as soft as a moisturizing shampoo will make it feel.  

Ultimately, it comes down to what's more important: hair that looks great or hair that feels soft and silky.  Mind you, my hair looks soft and silky, it just doesn't feel that way, at least not to me.  

Will I buy this product?  I have to say, I'm still kind of on the fence.  I like my hair to feel soft, and this product isn't meant for that.  But I can't help seeing how beautiful my hair looks and wanting that for keeps!  I'm gonna have to use this some more and see how it works over time.  Thankfully the samples are deluxe sized, so I'll be able to test it for longer than two washes.  My main concern of course is having my hair get drier.  We'll have to see.  I'll keep ya'll updated. 

Thoughtful Thursday

My second work week is done.  I'm really getting the hang of it.  There's plenty to do in the short amount of time I'm there.  I think I'm gonna like it.  God knew what He was doing when He put me there :-).

I'm still trying to work out my schedule and make sure everything gets done in a timely manner.  It's been working out great, which I'm thankful for.  I get up most mornings at around 6:30, wash up, get breakfast ready, wake up my son E, then sit down for my bible study in the book of Daniel.  At 9:00 we start school, and go straight through till noon or 1:00.  When it's time for my son to take his online lesson, it's time for me to get some housework done.  I do laundry, sweep, mop, dust, cook, whatever needs to get done.  At lunchtime we sit down to eat, then it's off to makeup and wardrobe to get ready for work.  Once I'm set I sit down with my son for more schoolwork before it's time for me to leave.  I pack my dinner - usually a sandwich and a box of vanilla yogurt covered raisins, along with a bottle of water - and head out the door.  It literally takes me less than 5 minutes to get there, and I work from 3:00 to 8:15pm.  Then I head home, finish cleaning up anything that didn't get cleaned up earlier, shower, and I'm ready for bed.  Sounds simple, right?  Except nothing ever goes exactly according to plan.

Wednesdays are the only day I get off work early - 6:00pm.  We agreed when I started working at the tutoring center that I would leave early on Wednesdays for church and Awana.  I love the girls I serve with, and I also love the opportunities to teach.  Our leader asked me last week if I would like to teach this week, and I said I would.  All week I wondered, "What was I thinking?!  I just started a new job!  I can't get ready to teach this Wednesday, I have too much on my plate!"  I prayed and went through the lesson book.  Only one lesson stood out to me.  It was a pretty sad story, which I don't particularly like telling, but it was the only one I could see myself teaching.  All week I wondered if this was the lesson God wanted me to teach, because I felt like I wasn't learning it the way I should.  Ultimately I just gave it to God and asked Him to speak through me.  Did He ever come through!  The kids were excited, the leaders were excited, everyone enjoyed the teaching, and I was amazed at how God put it all together!  As I told the leaders, it was definitely a God thing - no way could I have pulled that off by myself!  To God be the glory!

This morning should have been smooth sailing, but I woke up late.  Or rather, I woke up early which made me wake up late.  For some reason, I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, then I can't get back to sleep.  Last night was one of those nights.  I woke up at around 3:30 in the morning and didn't fall asleep again till 5:30, so of course I didn't wake up till after 7am.  Still, I was able to get back on track quickly.  E had a few lessons to do, and he got them done in 3 hours.  After that he worked on his community service hours.  I was right on time, till I stepped out the door.  My neighbor's mother stopped me to talk.  Her daughter is selling her house, and it was supposed to be purchased by the neighbors on the other side of her house.  Turns out the deal didn't go through, and they're back to looking for a buyer.  I felt bad for them, and I especially felt bad having to cut her off (politely of course) so I could get going.  Thankfully I got to work right on time.  I hate being late anywhere.

It was a non-stop kind of day.  Phones ringing, appointments coming in, students testing...we had a little bit of everything.  I told my boss it's a good thing I only work 4 days a week - I need 3 days to recover!  Actually, it isn't that bad at all.  I like the work, I really like the people, and I feel comfortable working there.  I cannot express how blessed I feel that God would give this gift to me.  It still blows my mind!

Tomorrow is a school day but not a work day; at least not at the office.  I have grocery shopping to do, then I have to color my hair.  I can't believe how quickly my roots have sprouted!  No way do I want to get dressed up for a wedding with all these gray hairs creeping out.  Funny, I've been taking biotin pills to help strengthen my nails, but it looks more like my hair is getting stronger and growing faster.  As if it didn't grow fast before!  My hair grows like a weed, and now it's really shooting up!  I'm gonna have to buy stock in the hair colorant business.  Our women's bible study group meets tomorrow as well, at 8:00 in the morning.  That means I don't get to sleep in tomorrow either.  I guess it's true what they say, a woman's work is never done.  Off to sleep I go (or at least try to!).  Good night ya'll, pleasant dreams.  

Satisfaction Saturday

Don't you love those days when you get to scratch stuff off your to-do list?  When everything you had planned actually gets done?  Those are satisfying days.  Today was one of those days for me.

I got up early but decided there was no need to rush.  The room felt chilly - it was 55 degrees and the breezes were keeping the house nice and cool, even with the windows closed.  I got up and started in the kitchen by taking some pork chops out, then making breakfast.  My son left for work before I got to the kitchen, and my daughter got home from dog-sitting shortly thereafter.  Once breakfast was done I called my youngest son, E.  Today was gonna be the day he finished the semester.  We had reviewed his science notes the day before, checked and double-checked, so I knew he was ready.  He wasn't so sure; just the thought of taking a test that was 1 1/2 - 2 hours long was enough to get his head spinning.  I encouraged him and reminded him he wasn't being timed, he didn't need to rush, and we had reviewed so he should be okay.  It took an hour and a half, just as the teacher said, and so far he has an 85%.  There are 3 essay questions that the teacher has to grade, but I think he did well.  Finally, he has turned in all his semester work and we can both enjoy the rest of this three day weekend.  Hallelujah!

Once he'd finished I started vacuuming the floors.  Two girls from church were coming over to practice for tomorrow's youth group worship, and once again my floors looked like they were growing fur.  I got the floors cleaned, then changed the bedding on all the beds.  With my son R having had pink eye, it was imperative that his bedding be washed, so I went ahead and did all the bedding.  Then I made pork chops, sauteed in tomato sauce with mixed veggies, along with white rice, black beans, and fries.  After having eaten pizza or Tyson chicken for the past couple of days, I was looking forward to real food :-).  My kids even complimented the meal.  I haven't made pork chops this way in a long time, and they were happy to have it again.

After lunch it was time to color my hair.  My roots were starting to take over.  Every time I look at my roots I'm astounded at how many grays I have towards the crown of my head.   I bought the same hair colorant I'd purchased last time, Clairol Age Defy, because I did notice that it covered my grays really well, and the color lasted for over a month without looking dull.  I think it also has to do with the fact that I'm using a shampoo that has no sulfates, but I still loved the way the color turned out the last time.  I'd been using 6R which is a medium auburn, recommended by my hair stylist, but when I bought my hair color the last time they only had 5R which is dark auburn.  Now when I went to Walmart to pick up my hair color, I noticed they had the 6R, but I chose to stick with the darker shade of auburn.  I love the way it looks, the way it covers my grays, and how it works with my skin tone.  From the moment I start mixing the color till it's time to wash it out takes just over an hour.  The box says to leave the hair color on for 35 minutes: 30 for the roots and 5 for the rest of the hair.  My stylist recommended I leave it on for 45-50 minutes on my roots and another 10-15 minutes on the rest of my hair.  This is because my grays weren't being completely covered when I left the color on for less time.  So for me, it's a mission getting my hair colored, washed, and styled, but I was determined to do it today and not go to church looking like a skunk head.  It turned out beautiful, and it was another item taken care of.

I decided to play with my makeup a little, too.  I have lots of eye shadows, and I wanted to try using a couple of them to see how they worked together.  The first combo I didn't like; there was too much shimmer going on and it was overwhelming.  The second one looked much nicer.  I used lavender with shimmer on my lid up to the crease, then a matte brown shade above the crease.  I lined my lash line with a purple liner, and it looked soft and pretty.  I didn't have anywhere to go, but I still enjoyed being able to do something just for myself.

We had dinner, then I decided I wanted to watch a movie.  I'd gotten three DVD's over Christmas and my birthday, but I'd only gotten to see one because, now that both my sons have Wii U's, they are on them every chance they get.  Tonight, it was my turn.  My daughter was on her Wii in the living room, and E was on his computer playing a game with his friend.  R wasn't home yet, so the family room television was free :D.  I grabbed the movie Mom's Night Out, a hilarious comedy, and proceeded to laugh my little heart out.  That felt so good!  I'd been wanting to sit down and watch this movie for a while, and I'm glad I finally got that done.

I couldn't believe the time when I finished watching the movie: it was just 7:30!  It was so dark outside I was sure it was after 9:00.  That's the problem with wintertime: short days.  I went ahead and cleaned up the kitchen.  My son went out with his friends, so the food I'd saved for him got put away in the fridge.  I'm sure he'll appreciate the leftovers for work tomorrow.

On a very positive note: I've been drinking lots more water everyday for just over a week, and I have to say I'm noticing a difference in my skin.  It's not as dry as it was before.  It's not greasy either, but it is glowy.  I'm sure my skin regiment is helping as well, but I changed my skin care regiment back in November.  Yes, I've seen improvement, but since drinking more water it's like my skin was bumped up a notch.  I'm liking this quite a bit!  I plan to continue with this little experiment and see how my skin looks at the end of the month.

I have to go do my microdermabrasion now, so I think I'll say goodnight, sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite.  God bless.

Just Another Manic Monday

I'm usually glad when Mondays roll around, unlike most people.  I appreciate everyday that I wake up and I'm alive.  Unless there are semester finals.  I don't appreciate Mondays quite so much when finals are involved.

I got up later than I normally would (seems like I've been saying that a lot lately) because we went to bed after midnight.  A full day of activities, including concerts, can drain a body.  I made my son a bigger than usual breakfast because he didn't get to eat dinner last night.  We went out for lunch and he did eat, but in the excitement of the night he never mentioned being hungry (though if he was, he sat too far away from me to tell me so).  When we got home it was so late there was no way he was going to eat, so I knew he'd be hungry.  I got myself a bowl of cereal, then reached for my English muffins.  What did I find in the package, but a couple of bugs!  Eww!!  I was so mad - it was an unopened package and I had to throw it all away.  Ugh!  I'm gonna have to figure out if those bugs came from my pantry.  If so, I'm going on the warpath!

My son's schedule showed a full day of work:  an English quiz, Algebra final (in 3 parts), music history final, Hope final and an Algebra live lesson.  I was sure it was going to be as hectic as last week, and he was just as tired as I was, maybe even more so.  We didn't even get started with school till 10:30.  He went to do his Hope final, knowing full well he'd have to pause it at 11:00 for his algebra class, but I knew that wouldn't be a problem.  He got halfway through the test, then went on to his algebra review.  In the meantime, I folded 4 baskets of laundry, then made fried chicken tenders with stuffing and gravy, and corn.  After lunch he finished the exam.  He scored an 84% on his multiple choice; there are 2 short essays that still have to be graded.  I feel like he was distracted, because he has a 93% in that class.  I decided he should take a short break, then we'd review for his music history test.  We went through all his notes and read absolutely everything.  He got a 94% on that test, which I was pleased to see.  Three finals down, three to go!  His algebra teacher had sent an email saying the class was not to start on the algebra final till Wednesday after last review class, so the only thing left was English.  It was a vocabulary lesson with a quiz at the end.  He wasn't very excited about taking the quiz, especially when it was 18 questions long, but I told him it was best to just do it and finish for the day.  When he clicked on it, it said the teacher had dropped the assignment.  His school day was done, and he'd finished everything in 4 hours.  Seriously!  I told him to sit down and either read or watch a documentary; he chose option 2.  Honestly, we could have finished in the early afternoon, had he not started so late and dragged his feet throughout the day.  He's not getting off so easy tomorrow; there's a lot of studying to do for his science exam, and he's got 2 live lessons as well.

My son R was feeling a whole lot better today.  He took Robitussin last night and was able to get a good night's sleep, which he needed in order to recover his energy.  I was so glad, because if he didn't sound better today I was gonna have to send him to the doctor.  Can't be taking any chances with the flu season in full swing.

Speaking of seasons, our rainy season seems to have returned.  We got rain on and off today, though nowhere near what was forecast.  At least there were no thunderstorms.  Yesterday I did my hair, then got caught outside in all that rain and humidity.  I was able to seek cover, but the humidity still did a number on me.  My hair looks awful today.  It's like I haven't washed or styled it in a week.  So not fair.

There really isn't much else to report.  I'm gonna clean up the kitchen, take out some meat, then shower and watch some television.  Hopefully I'll get to bed early tonight and get caught up on my shuteye.  Have a blessed evening everyone.

Wacky Wednesday

Why is today a Wacky Wednesday?  Because this morning the weather took a strange turn.  Yesterday it was in the 80's, hot and muggy.  Not overly muggy like in the summer, but after our run I felt stickier than I had the past month or so.  This morning when I got up it was 70 degrees, but the humidity was gone.  In its place was a cool breeze, cool enough to turn off the a/c and open the windows.  What's more, it's supposed to get down into the low 50's tonight after weeks of warm weather.  You just never know what to expect!

Our weather in South Florida has remained warmer than the rest of the state.  North Florida has freeze warnings in effect, and Central Florida has wind advisories.  My kids lament the fact that we don't have the different seasons like in other parts of the state, but I have no problem staying in the warmth.  I did the cold weather all my growing up years, and I have to say, I don't miss it.  I don't mind a little bit of cold; mid to upper 50's is fine with me.  The lowest I can accept is 49 degrees, and that's pushing it.  Not that I enjoy the heat and humidity; heat is fine, but humid weather I can do without.  I like it when it's warm and dry, and my hair looks fantastic.  Like today!

I woke up at 6:30 this morning, spent some time with The Lord, then got moving in the kitchen.  I remembered to take out some chicken tenders (yay!) so I got the crock pot out and started on my chicken taco chili.  This chili is loaded with beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, green pepper, and garlicky goodness.  It's healthy and tasty, and the best part is that I throw it all in the crock pot and walk away!  It takes 10 minutes to get all the ingredients in my slow cooker, 4 hours to cook, 5 minutes to shred the chicken, and before I can say, "Man that smells good!" our meal is ready :-).  I serve this with tortilla chips and nothing else.  It's a complete meal all in itself.

My son E spent the morning either on the computer listening to his classes or in the bathroom.  His colon was overly active today (yeah, I know, TMI.  Realities of life).  His music class is done, so all he had this morning was science and algebra.  Only his two most important classes :P.  E is really good at math, but he's not good at taking tests.  He gets overwhelmed really fast.  Science is a tricky subject: as in, the exams have lots of trick questions.  My son doesn't think in those terms; he's very black and white.  Multiple choice is fine with him, so long as there are 3 clearly wrong answers and one clearly correct one.  When there's 2 wrong answers and 2 possible answers, he gets exasperated.  The best thing he can do is be as prepared as possible, so that's what we're trying to do.

While he was doing science I did some cleaning and putting away laundry, then when algebra started I took a shower and washed my hair.  I knew that, with his tight schedule and Awana starting back up tonight, I might not have time to get myself ready.  While he ate lunch I did my makeup and dried my hair.  I've been considering whether to get my hair cut again or let it grow out some more.  My hair has been looking amazing.  It's responding really well to the OGX products.  I find that it doesn't get greasy as quickly as it used to, and when I dry it there's not a lot of frizz.  It also still has a lot of body the next day after I've slept on it.  Thanks to my amazing hair stylist, my hair is growing out beautifully.  It almost seems like a waste of great hair to get it cut.

Another thing I've noticed, is that I'm not taking nearly as long getting my makeup done, and it's looking better every time.  I think with all the products I got I was having a hard time deciding what to use, and I was going back and forth on whether to use this color or that, or this powder or the other.  I'm getting a good feel about how I want to look and the steps to achieve it, so makeup application is much smoother.  In all my experimenting I've found out things I never knew about myself.  For instance, I would never, ever purchase products with a peach undertone.  I was certain I needed pink undertones because that's what my mother uses and my skin is like hers.  Well, with some of the kits I've gotten from Bare Minerals there have been peachy tones, and I went ahead and gave them a try.  They work 100 times better on my skin than the pinks!  I made the erroneous assumption that whatever works for my mother must work for me because, hey, she's my mother.  The reality is, I have some olive in my skin which I inherited from my father.  I realized this when I got color-matched for foundation, and the color that works for me is medium beige, which is a neutral.  The pink foundation would have looked ridiculous on me, but the golden is too yellow.  I'm in between.  My daughter made the same mistake; she got medium beige because that's what I got.  When she went to Macy's with her dad to get her Christmas present, she got color-matched at the Bare Minerals boutique in the store.  She's a golden medium.  It works wonders for her rosacea because the yellow counteracts the redness in her skin.  Lesson learned:  always get color-matched.  Don't assume anything.

My oldest son texted me just after lunch.  He is so sick.  He's achy all over and has a fever.  Unfortunately he took Aleve, which he can only take every 8 hours, and the fever was back after 6.  I know he's a grown man (he'll be 28 years old in March), but he is still my baby, and knowing he's sick puts me in mom-mode.  Except when he's at work there's nothing I can do for him.  It's times like these I wish they were all little again and I could take care of them like a mommy should.  He got home and told me he'd taken ibuprofen.  I told him to get some rest, but he was sure he wouldn't be able to because he hadn't been able to fall asleep the night before thanks to the aches and pains in his body.  E and I left for church, and when I came home he was fast asleep on the recliner.  *Sigh*  When are they gonna accept that mama knows best?

Awana was great tonight.  I had a new girl join my group; her mom is a sweet friend of mine and I was excited to see her daughter moved up to T&T.  Unfortunately, most of my girls didn't come today.  There was the new girl and one other girl, and that was all for the third graders.  We joined the fourth grade girls and had book time with them.  After that it was our welcome back ice cream party!  The kids were so happy to get ice cream; I wonder if the parents were equally enthused about their precious little ones getting loaded with sugar?  Those kids will be bouncing off the walls for next few hours, LOL.

As we were leaving I noticed that it was cooler outside than when we'd left.  It's already 69 degrees.  It'll be interesting to see just how low our temperatures get tonight.  Guess it's time to break out the warm jammies ;-).  Good night, sleep tight.

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.  

Wonderful Wednesday

That's right, wonderful.  Why not?  We are 7 days away from Christmas Eve.  I think that qualifies as wonderful!

My day started early and pretty normal.  Cereal, toast and coffee for breakfast.  My son's schedule was pretty packed today for a change:  he had 5 assignments to do, but one he'd done yesterday and the other he'd started, so he was ahead of the game.  He also had 3 live lessons to attend, so I got him up early to get started - it was gonna be a busy day.  At 9:30 he logged on to his music history class.  The teacher never showed up.  I guess the class was cancelled, but search as we might we couldn't find any announcement from her.  I told E he needed to keep working even if the teacher wasn't there, so he worked on his music history lab:  questions regarding the music of the Renaissance.  At 10:00 am he logged in to his science class.  Another lab, but this one the class did together and she said he could use her notes and results for his portfolio.  He's gonna leave that assignment for tomorrow, since he has all of tomorrow's assignments caught up.  After that it was algebra.  This particular class was really important:  he hadn't done a collaboration for algebra, and if he didn't do this one he'd get a zero.  Not only did he do his collab, the teacher gave the class credit for 2 assignments with the one class/collaboration, so he's now done with algebra till after Christmas break.  Once that class was done he finished his music history lab and submitted it.  Two classes down.  He still has his PE assignment, and an English assignment for Friday, plus sending in the science lab.  Once that's done, he can relax.

Today's lunch was fried chicken tenders, stuffing with gravy, corn, and a salad with fresh greens from my garden.  This is a butter type lettuce but while it has some sweetness to it, it also has some bitterness, kind of like endive.  It's very crunchy too.  I'm really enjoying it.  There was a little housework to be done while my son took his live lessons:  sweeping up an enormous amount of dog hair (well, it felt enormous, anyway), cleaning the hallway bathroom, and getting a load of laundry in the wash.  Other than that there wasn't a whole lot to do.

Today was our church's end of year mid-week services.  I serve as an Awana leader, and my son attends youth group.  Both had their parties for today:  Awana had a Happy Birthday Jesus party, and the youth had their Christmas Fiesta.  I showered early and did my hair; it's been about 6 weeks since I got my last haircut and already it's getting harder to style because it's grown so much.  My hair grows like a weed.  I hear women complain about how slowly their hair grows.  Mine is the exact opposite.  Maybe it's all the vitamins I take or something, because my hair has no growth issues.  I've been using a sample of Matrix Oil Wonders Egyptian Hibiscus Color Caring Oil (say that three times fast) that I received with one of my Ulta orders.  It can be used before shampooing, before conditioning, or as an after conditioning treatment.  It's supposed to make color treated hair more vibrant.  I will admit my hair color does look brighter, but I don't know if that's because our humidity has gone down and my hair doesn't get frizzy like in the summer or during the rainy season.  So far my hair feels nice.  I would have to try it during the time when my hair looks its worse to see if there's really a change.

I kept my makeup look simple today, but I did try the new blush I got from Bare Minerals.  It is so pretty!  It's a light pink shade, not overly pink, very natural looking.  My daughter has been using hers too, and she likes it as well.  She's been having a rough time with excessively dry skin, though.  I don't know if it's because she was taking medicine for her rosacea, or if maybe it's the dryness in the air, but her skin gets downright flaky.  She's been trying different moisturizers but none seems to stop the dryness for very long.  She got some intense hydrating cream by Burt's Bees last night, and it seemed to be working - her skin felt smoother this morning.  When she got home from work I thought she looked much better, till she got up close to me and I could see the skin flaking under her makeup.  She's getting frustrated; whenever her skin starts to clear up from acne the rosacea flares up, and when the rosacea calms down her skin gets drier than the desert.  The cleansing products she's using work great.  It's the moisturizers that aren't doing the job.  We are on the search for a potent moisturizing cream.

Back to Awana:  our evening started out fun.  The party room, which is the school cafeteria, was decked out with balloons for Jesus' birthday.  After the pledge of allegiance and prayer, we broke off into separate rooms by groups for counsel time.  This is the time when the kids listen to a teaching.  One of the kids, who has Asperger's Syndrome, was acting up, so we took the rest of the kids while several of the leaders stayed behind.  It was a good thing we left - he became violent towards the leaders and one of the pastors and had to be held down by 3 men so he wouldn't attack one of the female leaders.  It put a damper on the festivities for the adults, but thankfully we were able to shield the children and they had a fantastic time.  We loaded them up with sugar before sending them home ;-).  I ate a bit too much as well; I'll suffer for this in the morning, I'm sure, but hey, Christmas only comes once a year, right?  Actually, the teaching was about was how Christmas isn't about shopping or Black Friday or gifts or food, it's about God so loved the world (John 3:16).  So really, Christmas is everyday, because everyday we are loved by our Heavenly Father.  That is a comforting truth.

We have no Awana now for the next two week.  I'm gonna miss my girls, but I'm also gonna enjoy my wonderful kids and vacation time.  Looking forward to that!  Good night folks.

Wednesday - My Crazy Day

We've arrived safely to the middle of the week.  It's Wednesday.  My crazy day.

I call it that because it's my son's heaviest school day.  He has 3 live lessons back to back, plus all his assignments.  While he is required about 5 hours of school per day, Wednesdays will typically run into the 7-8 hour range.  Which today is not so bad, since he's a couple hours behind for the week.  But the week has been, shall we say, a tad out of the ordinary.  You just never know.

I woke up this morning to rain.  Again.  Let me explain:  this has probably been the wettest year in the history of Florida.  We had rain almost every single day this summer.  I'm not even joking.  I was babysitting my cousin's kids during school break, and my hope was to take them to the park for play and exercise at least 3 times a week.  We probably went 3 times the entire summer.  When it wasn't raining, the park was flooded.  We stayed indoors and played board games.  Lots and lots of board games.

Our hope was that, once fall rolled around, the humidity and rain would go down, along with our temperatures.  And it did, for a while.  The rain slowed, the days got cooler and breezier, I even had the windows opened.  This week, however, it has been totally unpredictable.  We get rain, then sunshine, then rain again, then blue skies - all in the span of an hour.  Talk about bipolar weather!  The temps have stayed in the upper 70's for the most part, which isn't bad, but we are yearning for some 60 degree weather to come back!

At 10 am it was time for my son's science class.  Lo and behold, it was collaboration day.  Collaborations are group projects that the kids do during class, and they are required 2 per semester for science.  Well, E had done both in previous collaborations, so he didn't have to stay in class.  Yippee!  It allowed us to get a bit caught up before algebra class.

Today is also Awana.  Awana is our children's ministry program at church, and I'm one of the leaders.  I teach 3rd grade girls.  It's a ton of fun, and I have a small but enthusiastic group this year.  They are pretty competitive, though in a good way.  Lots of comraderie going on.

It's also hair day - I wash and blow dry my hair twice a week, Wednesdays and Sundays.  Today I used a sample of L'Oreal's Color Vibrancy Conditioner that I got from Ulta, a beauty supply store in our area.  I color my hair about every 6 weeks so a good conditioner is a must.  I'll have to see if this one does the job.  I already use L'Oreal's Kerastase to protect my hair during blow drying and straightening and it leaves my hair feeling soft and silky.  Of course now that we're in the fall and the humidity has dropped a bit, my hair is looking sooo much nicer.  I hate how my hair frizzes up in the summer.  Fall and winter mean good hair days.

Lunch and dinner today consisted of a family favorite, Southwestern Style Chicken Soup.  It has chicken and veggies so it's really good tasting and good for the body.  We eat it with tortilla chips for some crunch.

Yeah, so, that's been my Wednesday.  We are almost caught up with school now, tomorrow we should be right on schedule barring any mishaps.  We're learning that there are no guarantees in life, no matter how much we plan.  It's okay though; God is in control.  Good night y'all!