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ya gotta be kidding...

We bought a microwave today. Whohooo! Until I got it home, out of the box and on the counter. It's too big.  As in, I have NO room on my counter beside the stove. AT ALL. So tomorrow morning it will go back in the box and will be exchanged for a smaller model. I'm blessed to live in a country, where exchanges are possible. I'm blessed to live somewhere where we have multiple choices in appliances. I'm blessed to have a semi-open schedule tomorrow so it can be returned. I'm blessed to have multiple things to cook with so it's a luxury item and not a necessity. And yet I still hate returning and exchanging things. 2013...the year I WILL rejoice and be glad!

getting started

It's not a lot, but it is a start. I made out a menu for next week. Granted, it will be changed and modified as the week progresses. But nevertheless, it is a menu. And simmering in the crock pot now? Chicken chili. And since it's just two of us, that will last us through Sunday night. So on the schedule for this next week: finish a quilt top put up Christmas decorations get caught up on ironing And the other things (taking relatives to the doctor, enjoying last days of Bobby's vacation time, making out a budget for next year, etc) are just normal routine housework items that don't make it on my "special schedule". So that's a start...2013, here we come!

rolling

One of the disadvantages to family living far away is that you seldom see them. One of the advantages to family living far away is that when they do come to visit, everyone tries to spend as much time with them as they can, and it makes the holiday seem longer and bigger than it really is. So this morning, I have one bag (reading stuff) left to unpack from our weekend trip to Alabama to see my family (I'll have to post pics later), I'm already on laundry load #3, and I've got some general housework (bills, sweeping, etc) to do before we rejoin the Bryan clan for another day of puzzle-working, game playing, chatting with the TN tribe who is "home" for two more days. AND, today is my parents 50th wedding anniversary. Kudos to you Mom and Dad, for putting up with all of us, for loving each other through the hardships (cancer, auto-immune diseases, moving, ministry jobs, etc) and teaching us all that it's okay to laugh, to cry, and to admit you're wrong

more favorites

Last night we got home in time to watch the Charlie Brown Christmas special, though I missed part of it because of laundry. :/  And then immediately afterwards NCIS: Los Angeles came on, which is one of the few shows I actually try to watch. One of the things I love about the internet is that if I miss a show (which is often), I can watch it online whenever I find the time. I contemplated watching the Muppets Christmas program, which was also on last night, but since it was a 2 hr show that put it a little lower on my radar. The Muppets are always good for a few laughs, but it's just tradition and heart-warming to watch poor old Charlie Brown agonize over the commercialism of Christmas. And it doesn't look like we'll see the story about Ralphie this year, either, which is another all time favorite. What I do hope to see this holiday season is the movie Elf. I've never seen it, but one of my nieces constantly tweets phrases from the movie and even follows a charact

nothing new under the sun

When I was a kid, I always wondered about that verse in Ecclesiastes that says there's really nothing new on earth. Nothing new? Preposterous! But now I'm old (according to my niece, but then she also told me in the same conversation I couldn't be married because I didn't look like a married woman should look...still puzzled on that one!) and I realize that history really and truly does have a way of repeating itself. If you need proof of that, just look at the world of fashion. (That's a semi-joke, by the way.) Several months ago, a couple in our church took a sermon on the prophecies of Jesus and their fulfillment, and started writing them into readings, and slowly selecting songs to go with them. They had NO idea what was going to take place 2 days before this service was to be performed. One of the things I've always loved about the Christian faith and its Scriptures is that it doesn't gloss over the ugly of life and the consequences of sin. One of t

Sunday is coming

On days like today, I'm reminded of that old sermon "It May Be Friday, But Sunday is Coming." 18 years ago this week, my family had an experience that shook my very faith to its core. There's not a holiday season that goes by that I don't remember, don't hurt some inside, and re-ponder some of my old questions. This weekend brought a lot of that all back. I'll just say this: I have a lot of mixed emotions on gun ownership. I have a lot of mixed and heart-rending thoughts on mental illness. I think it's time everyone took their heads out of the sand on both, specifically Christians.

2nd favorite

I love stockings. Growing up, it was the first thing we did on Christmas morning. Stockings held the basics: toothbrush, toothpaste, hair accessories (for us girls), one tiny gift and then...CANDY!!! Always hershey kisses, years when finances were good we got peanut M&Ms as well, and peppermints. Mind you, I don't like mint (my parents used them as cough suppressents during church) so in my way of thinking the peppermints fell in the category of "necessities" along with the toothbrush and toothpaste, but since I've become an adult I've discovered that no one else thinks like that. But I digress. After I left college and headed overseas, my teaching teammates (and roommate) were horrified to discover that I didn't bring my childhood stocking for Christmas. I didn't tell them that my parents had six stockings and five of the six were identical. Dad wrote our names on masking tape and taped them on each year. So for my birthday that year, I got a st

decorations, 3

If you have ultra-conservative views on the sanctity of Christmas or very stringent theology, you don't want to read this post. That's my one and only warning.     Today's decorations...the first of my nativity sets. :)   It's not actually the first nativity set I've ever owned, but it's the first one I've put out this year and it's VERY special to me. :)  (In case you've not been to my house or read Christmas posts from years gone by, I have quite a few nativity sets. They're one of my 2 favorite decorations.)   Someone very special gave this one to me a few years ago, even though he thinks such things are a bit sacrilegious.  My parents have a Native American nativity set that my brother gave them several years ago and it has a teepee for the stable. That bothered this person, and I horrified them even more by laughing and saying, "If I ever find one in bears, I'll be very tempted to buy it."  So imagine my surprise

decorations, 2

 Several years ago my parents gave me a table set of blue candle holders with a matching fruit bowl. I used them for a little while, then they went in the China cabinet. While at JoAnns, I found these silver candles on clearance, and decided it would match the set perfectly. I already had the silver leaves from last year, but after fitting them in the bowl realized there wasn't enough. So I headed to Michael's, only to discover silver is not the "in" color this year and I was stuck with what I had. So I added toile and hershey's kisses to cover up the empty spots. I told Bobby I  knew a silver table runner would match this and make it look more magazine-y, but my grandmother made this, and it seemed stupid to buy something I don't really need when I have something I already like. It's not often I take the tablecloth and pads off the dining room table anyway, so there's really no point in buying something extra. I think my grandmother would be pro

Christmas decorations

I've been taking my time putting things up this year, instead of trying to get everything done in 2-3 days. Here's our first tree to go up:   the topper :)   the bottom; what the state knows/does best What? You didn't know the red & white of Christmas represented the Crimson Tide?   Different team, I know. But the fierce competition wouldn't be there without the rival!     Yeah. Even if it's the "other" team, it's still from my home state! I've seen a few ornaments that have the state bird, motto, etc, but they were super expensive. Spending a large amount of money on a glass ornament is crazy, especially when you consider the floors are hardwood and my hands are clumsy. Those aren't good combinations. But since it's a small tree, I don't need to add much more. :) And this is tree #1.

simply the best

The first year we were married my husband pleasantly surprised me. I know how much he hates to shop, and I know it's impossible forhim to wrap presents. I full expected a box to arrive from one of 2 places, and that would be Christmas. So imagine my surprise that first year when I got a phone call from my mother-in-law, asking if I had ordered anything from two places. It had Bobby's name on it, but her address. :) I told her I hadn't, but I'd check with him and see. Not sure if he forgot to tell her they were coming or in the busyness of life she forgot, but she wrapped my presents for him. Now THAT is a super nice Mom-in-law. And form my birthday, his best friend helped him out. In less than 2 weeks, I will enter a new decade. There's a good possibility we will be out of town on that monumentous occasion, so yesterday I was very surprised when my mother-in-law showed up. Well, not so surprised that she came bringing some gifts, but with this:  a birthday cak

small towns

Yesterday as we were attempting to create 2 sets on stage, our pastor walked in and said "You've got a lot done." I don't remember what my comment was, but I was feeling like the set was thrown together and a bit on the tacky side. He laughed a little and said, "Well, you know, it's Bethlehem. It's just a dirty little town." I was shocked speechless. When I think of Bethlehem I think of white buildings stacked on a hillside. Maybe it's from seeing too many sanitized Christmas cards. Yet if you look online, the images aren't too far from what we see there. I'm sure back in the day there were very few pristine cities. But then it got me to thinking about home and how people viewed the county where I grew up. There are some very nice homes, but often you can't see them for all the trees (though the tornadoes 2 years ago took care of a large chunk of that problem). But for the most part, the town is made up of very small and simple mi

crazy

Last night was one of those crazy nights where we needed to head home as reasonably as possible, and it just didn't seem to be happening. The music men were going to clean off the stage for the play set-up, and I didn't stick around to see that it happened. And so I dreamed about it last night. Celia and I arrived on SATURDAY (which is the dress rehearsal, NOT our stage prop time), and found not only were the musical instruments off the stage, but the stage itself, the curtain, the overhead...all of it was GONE! Not moved, but gone. As in, there was a cement floor and unpainted grey cement walls. (Which everyone from our church knows the wall behind that curtain is painted and there's carpet under the staging that matches all the brown everywhere else!) All that was there was a metal pipe that had previously held the black curtains (as opposed to our nice little curtain rods). They had THOROUGHLY done their job. They even moved out the choir risers, so the kids were volun

exercise

They always tell you to exercise with a friend. That has never appealed to me. Until now. This afternoon we were told that Bobby needed to do arm exercises (since he can't walk and we need to help the blood flow to the pressure sores he's been fighting since the beginning of Oct). Bear in mind he's had no exercises since I don't know when. So tonight he said we needed to exercise. I pulled out my old arm weights, put them on him, and grabbed my dumbbells. We laughed. We exercised. He quit and informed me I had to keep going. I have to admit to laughing at him, especially when he told me I may have to drive him to work tomorrow. I think this is delightful payback for those days when I started at the gym and could hardly move to do his exercises in the morning, much less get him dressed and transferred. And since I have been woefully inconsistent (ahem, okay. Basically not going) at the gym since October, this is good motivation for me to get back in the routine

December 1

The Alabama tree is up. :) It's not even 3' tall, goes up quickly and is VERY easy to decorate. So easy, in fact, I wish (as I do almost every time this year) we did not have the 7' green monster we have. Whoever came up with the idea of creating Christmas trees taller than the average person needed their head examined. I can assure you, if I were into the real tree thing, I would NOT be buying a tree bigger than me. So today is the day I'm putting our tree up. I'm 3/4 of the way through the lights and I'm already starting to get aggravated with the whole tree thing and how pointless it is when I decided it's time to take a break and do something relaxing for a few minutes. I am taking a different approach this year. I'm actually leaving the dining room table OUT (as opposed to pushed against the wall to make room for the tree and still let Bobby have a path through the room) and it's already decorated. We may actually eat supper in there this mo

character flaws

There's no such thing as perfect people. There's no such thing as a perfect life. So come as you are: Broken and scarred, Lift up your heart and be amazed, and be changed, By a perfect God. ~ Natalie Grant , Perfect People       Having five family units in one household over Thanksgiving brought about some interesting dynamics and interactions. Some still make me laugh. Others left me wondering if I were a parent, what kind of parent would I be?   The last two weeks as I've acted and interacted with people, I've been very aware of the shortcomings of both myself and others. I've had to go back and read I Corinthians 13 once or twice this week (thanks for that recommendation Sara Mincy!) to be reminded of just how radical God's love is (and how we're supposed to be emulating that love to others!).   As long as I live on this earth, I will always fight fears and disbelief. I will also struggle with certain issues. Some personality

blessed

This weekend I was talking with my 8 year old niece. I don't remember the exact conversation, I just know that my response was "I'm blessed." She tilted her head, looking at me with a skeptical look. "I am. I am truly blessed." She shrugged and gave me a wrueful grin. "In a weird way," was her response. "It may be weirdly blessed, but I'm still blessed." was all I was willing to concede. And there are days (okay, sometimes HOURS and MINUTES) when I have to constantly remind myself of that. So here's my weird blessing list for today: Charleston "Charlie" James Blake, great-nephew #8 (he's actually the 5th nephew, but number 8 in line of the greats) arrived this morning. Both mother and baby are doing well. My friend Jen Beatty was sent home from the hospital and contractions have ceased. All is well. (She's not due until the end of January, and has had some complications in the past.) The kids'

just in case

Since my older sister and I both live far away from the rest of the family, we rotate which holidays we make the long trek home. For example, last year we did Christmas in AL, so this year it'll be Thanksgiving. So this next week my family will unite and celebrate the following events in the space of three days: Thanksgiving My Mom's 70th birthday (Nov 25) Christmas My parents' 50th anniversary (which is Dec 27) and the Iron Bowl (the Alabama/Auburn game, for my non-Bama readers) One of the many crazy things I'm assembling to take with us: cookie cutters and decorating supplies. the state of Alabama a football helmet The last year we were all together for Thanksgiving and the game, I brought these in (along with an elephant...ROLL TIDE!, a tiger paw, and a star).  As if these weren't enough, my nephew and middle niece decide to create scoreboards, along with their predicted scores for the outcome of the game. This year I'm cheating though, and

blessed

Psalm 103 emphasis and commentary mine Bless the Lord , O my soul , And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord , O my soul, And forget none of His benefits ; Who pardons all your iniquities , Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit , Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion ; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle. The Lord (the Almighty, Creator God...all caps!) performs righteous deeds And judgments for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness . He will not always strive with us , Nor will He keep His anger forever.   He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities .   For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the ea

translations

On Wednesday nights our church has been doing a study on the names of God and their meanings in the original Hebrew writings. I've missed a few weeks, but last night was very interesting (not to mention timely!) Adonai - Lord and Master, plural form. Translated as Lord in English. In the Hebrew, this is the word used when referring to deity. Adon - Lord and Master, singular form. Also translated as Lord in English. In the Hebrew, this is the word used when referring to humans. Servanthood and slavery as so taboo and villified in our culture that I don't think we fully grasp the implications of this term people used in prayer to God. It certainly made the texts of Abram, Daniel, and others as they spoke to God take on a slightly different meaning. They had a recognition of their place in God's order that I think we Americans sometimes miss. Last year for Christmas I gave Bobby a PBS DVD series called "Manor House".  Characters in Britain applied for the op

dongxi

Dongxi (pronounced dong - she) is the Chinese Mandarin word for "stuff".  I think it's one of my top five favorite Chinese words. Sometimes I think I have entirely WAY too much. As in, I'm prepping for a trip and am thinking I might not ever fit it all in the van. Or I need to clean off the kitchen table and I'm wondering where everything came from. But yet, we're also blessed with it as well. A friend called me this morning. He was excited because his five hour chemo treatment (according to the receptionist) is actually a 2-3 hour treatment (according to the nurse who gives it). So after we got off the phone and I shot up a quick prayer, I immediately started thinking through all the things I would take to a long appointment like that. My ipad, a book, a sketch book, quilting squares a magazine, some water and gum. And the reality is, I'd be doing good if I used one of them. I guess I over-prepare, or overpack my dongxi. Always have. Last night

scabby

WHOHOOO! Yes. That was me. My underarm and chest are officially scab-covered, meaning I can leave the house! :) On my errand list for today: Food Lion bank dry cleaners Agri-Supply Target then rush home and tackle housework and projects before starting supper so we can head to the funeral home later tonight. And one really cool crazy thing? I can see orange leaves from the window by the front door. Yes, it is time for Thanksgiving!

decisions, decisions

Next week we leave for Gatlinburg to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, the Iron Bowl, and my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. I'm not even sure how to begin packing for all of this. Here's what I do have: food items for a turkey craft puzzles anniversary gift for my parents and a growing list of food items to take with us/purchase when we get there Holidays, here we come!

a funny wedding cake

We went to the State Fair last month, and this wedding cake just made me laugh. This is one of those things that I love but would make my mother shake her head and say, "Now, Monica..." I love that God created us all with different viewpoints. :) I can't find the close-up photo I took of the bride & groom, but they're to the right of the cake. Love the bananas, the monkeys playing patty-cake up front and the traditional see, speak, hear no evil monkeys. It's just a hoot!

colors of fall

 I didn't have time to grab my good camera as the sun was starting to set and I knew it get it quick or don't get it at all.  First time I've noticed the colors in the pond.

be still...

I was a bit frantic before the election started trying to get life lined up and organized as I knew things weren't going to slow down anytime soon. Or so I thought. Last week during Early Voting I developed a sore under my arm. I thought it was from pulling ballots all day at the ballot table, so I put cream on it that night, and shrugged it off. Then I woke up during the night with the most horrible burning and itching imaginable. The next morning I had quite a bad rash. We thought it was an allergic reaction to something, and so the rest of the week I smothered it with antiobiotic ointment and anti-itch medicine and dealt with it. When I had twinges of pain, I thought it was just sore muscles. Monday evening my arm was slightly swollen and very red in the lymph node area, and I knew that meant an infection. So Wednesday when the elections were over and it hadn't cleared up, I called the dr to make an appointment. I fully expected to get a steroid cream and be told it wa

:)

After getting Bobby out the door this morning, I went back to bed and slept and slept and slept. If I didn't have an appointment soon, I think I could easily sleep the day and night away. But I did want to quickly post some things I'm thankful for: 1) the election is over. 2) As a poll worker, I was VERY excited about the turnout and attitude at the polls on election day. Despite the huge turnout for early voting, election day was still very busy. 3) All but one of my precincts had a great day. 4) No "get to x precicnt immediately and if you can't diffuse the situation with an irate voter we're sending the police" phone calls this time. 5) Laughter. 6) Poll workers who don't get angry or pouty when you correct them, and who are correctly following procedures on follow up visits. 7) Sleep. 8) I'm not much of a fashion fan, but I've always appreciated how Michelle Obama dresses her girls in appropriate attire. I don't know whether or

blessed

Saturday evening at 5:45pm there was whooping and shouting and cheering and clapping at Wake Tech's Main Campus. What? You didn't hear us? It was the sound of relief and rejoicing as poll workers closed the door behind the last voter and took a few minutes to pause and laugh before starting the task of take-down and clean-up. There were many jokes of "we deserve a t-shirt that reads 'I survived the2012 Election' and I was very pleasantly surprised to look up at 6pm (I was on my knees pulling wrapped, unopened ballot packages from the cabinet) to find almost ALL of my fellow poll workers pitching in and helping the ballot table workers clean-up. And I think it's safe to say that TEAM was an accurate description for our site's pollworkers. For eleven days straight, strangers (or slight acquaintances) of different political parties and walks of life worked diligently to process the voters and ensure the process operated both accurately and quickly. It wasn'

little big sighs :)

Today we had the cutest little Asian girl prancing around the ballot table while her Dad was patiently waiting. A worker decided to ask her a few questions to help keep her still, and here's there conversation: Worker: What are you going to be for Halloween? Child: in a whisper, Tinkerbell. Worker: Tinkerbell? Girls nods. Worker: Not (and she names two other names I'd never heard of but which made the girl grin and shake her head no.)? Girl: I've already told you. Tinkerbell. Worker: Because she's pretty. Girl: rolling her eyes and saying in an exasperated tone , Because she's GRE-en and has WIIings. We were still laughing about that later. Green and Wings. What more could a girl want?

a reminder

I've been reminded this week of our ladies' study from a few years ago where we focused on "whatever is true".  This last week I've been continously amazed at the number of people who hear or think something (about a wide variety of things) and decide it is true without investigating or thinking or studying the matter at all. And of course, with election season upon us, I deal with people on a daily basis who like to rant and be heard. Thankfully of the 800+ voters we handled yesterday, there were only 2 or 3 that way. And when you stop and think about it, that's not too many. What I am seeing more of, and has taken me by surprise, is helicopter Moms. It's not uncommon for a Mom to say "This is my child's first time to vote, and he's unsure or has some questions, etc"  But it is uncommon, and strange to me, that a parent will say "I can't....because I have to help my child vote." or "Can we share a voting booth? It&

today's thankful list

chocolate chip cookies Facebook choir practice laughter freedom a crazy dog friends the internet my husband running water clean water indoor plumbing sunshine vehicles abundantly stocked grocery stores hugs smiles the end of this round in the incubator only 2 chicks

tick, tick, tick

There have been some nights when I absolutely could not sleep and I could actually hear the clock in our bedroom ticking out the seconds. THAT is annoying. Thankfully, that was not the case this last week, nor do I expect it to be the case anytime during the next six weeks (unless I forget and drink caffeine after 4pm again). Yesterday during the kids choir practice time, a child raised her hand and wanted to know why anyone would want to be a star. (The play is about a boy who wants to be a star in a play, and he ends up getting a role as understudy and at the last minute is in the play and actually points the way to the Star of Bethlehem). She only knew the term as in "twinkle, twinkle, little star". I'm not sure I adequately explained it to her. Yes, I am certainly used to working with older kids. I feel unorganized this year. We chose this play because it could easily incroporate all age groups under 6th grade, should hopefully take less practice time, and yet I

my thankful list

I started to title this post my Monday thankful list, but then I realized today wasn't Monday. :/ But here we go: 1. anticipation of holidays & fellow family members (on both sides!) who like to work puzzles 2. cookies, specifically chocolate chip 3. sweet tea 4. a supportive husband 5. electricity 6. laying hens 7. friends who like to read 8. belonging to a church of compassionate people 9. being an American citizen where everyone has the right to an opinion 10. checklists

time warp

I have my Thanksgiving decorations out. :) My husband was a bit disconcerted by that. I didn't tell him that I had briefly contemplated pulling out Christmas stuff so I won't be rushed later. But in my mind, I know once Tuesday of next week comes, I have no more free time before Thanksgiving. That scares me more than a little. So my grandma's little ceramic turkey is on the dining room table, along with a fall flower arrangement.  I don't think I'm going to mess with a pumpkin this year (although I'm sure the dog would love it). And today I remove the egg turner from the incubator and have the pleasure of cleaning up two bad eggs, one of which has cracked, while returning the others for three more days of resting in the heat before hatch time begins. Could someone please remind me why I didn't just toss them? I tell myself I'm not a hoarder, but I do hate for things to go to waste. We watched our first episode of Hoarders a few weeks ago and on one o

not so simple

Someone in my family gave me a request for Christmas a while back that I thought would be very easy.  My family meets for Thanksgiving this year, so that means all my Christmas stuff for that side of the family needs to be completed by then (although I'm hoping we can take a trip in either right before or right after Christmas). So I thought I could go online, fill out all the information, upload a few photos, and boom! The personalized calendar is done. But no. It can't be that simple. I'm missing a few photos, as well as a few birthdates since that person decided it wasn't enough to do our extended family, but aunts and uncles and all their descendants should be included as well. And of course, they have a list of all that stuff SOMEWHERE, but has no clue where. This "easy" project has taken me all day and I'm still not finished. I have to remind myself that quilting takes weeks, if not months, so I should be enjoying this process. My brain's not

a classroom of 30

For 6th-8th grade, I was in a one room classroom at Victory Christian Academy. We called it "The Learning Center".  Using an ACE curriculum, 6th-12th grade used an old sanctuary of the church where we had desks with dividers along every wall and in the middle of the room. It was an interesting experience that came with many life lessons. I'm guessing we had 30 students in the whole room. Of course, being in middle school, we watched the high schoolers like crazy, and took note of everything they said and did. One of the high school boys that all the girls were crazy about was very quiet. He interacted with everyone equally; he didn't treat us middle schoolers as stupid; he lived his faith. I had the utmost respect for him and hoped when I grew up I'd find someone similar to him to marry (and I did! :) This week his 20 year old son Trent died. I've never met his wife Lorna, but they have been SO heavy on my heart ever since I heard the news. I find myself ut

goose hunting

This past Saturday we took advantage of the wonderful weather and did a little yardwork, in between visits from great nephews. And I'm happy to report that A) I finished thinning out the irises by the back ramp and B) the older nephew seems to have lost interest in chasing my chickens. :) The new game is "goose huntin'".  Grab a toy gun.  Aim at the geese on the other side of the pond. (and or course, you get them all)  Move to another location, and hope younger brother doesn't throw his gun in the pond. Isn't that what you do with stick things? Oh wait. This one clicks.   I like this game much better. And it's even okay if they decide to "shoot the fish" at feeding time. That game works even better, for when the fish take their food out of sight for moment, Trey really thinks he's succeeded. :) 

rain

What happens when you try to stay relatively dry while getting the dog in the car before you head to the vet: Buster's appointment is now rescheduled for Thursday. I guess I'll spend my afternoon sewing and cleaning after all.

a new normal

Tonight we meet with someone in hopes of providing some encouragement as they learn to deal with a new normal. Changes are hard to deal with, regardless of what area of your life they impact. The challenge for me is reminding myself that it really doesn't matter how my life compares to anyone else's situation. We deal with our life; we're happy. When we start throwing other people's view of normal into the mix, things get choppy. And even in the disability world, normals vary from person to person. Sometimes I head to the forums to find out what others are doing or how they're handling certain problems, and I always come away shaking my head at some of the staunch opinions. For example: wheelchair cushions. These air/foam cushions are the first line of defense against pressure sores in the worst places, yet every person has a different need in a cushion because of body types, wheelchair use, and mobility amount. The other day I read at least two postings ranting a

election crunches

It's here. Well, it will be here as of 9am tomorrow. Election training. Tomorrow is hurdle one. Monday is hurdle two. Tuesday is hurdle three. Then I have 10 days to totally familiarize myself with the manuals. On October 24, the insanity begins. 10am-8pm days (except for weekends which are slightly better) until November third when early voting ends. November 4th I pick up supplies for the regular election. November 5th I'm on call. November 6th my phone starts chirping at 6am and I gladly turn the phone off and return it to the Board of Elections at 9pm. Perhaps I'll have time in my ten days off to schedule several blogs to upload. I'm sure I'll have tons of stories that I'll desperately want to tell you but can't, but know this: Nothing aggravates me more than to hear someone criticize the Wake County Board of Elections. People who do show how little they actually know about what's involved and how much work takes place behind the scenes.

shoes

Yes, I know this is my second post for today. Yes, I can do that. :) One of the crazy things about life with a disability is the difficulty in finding shoes. It throws a whole new kink in things. I think I've shared in the past how I hated shoe-shopping as a child because stores never carried extra-wide widths, or they'd have two options out of the 30+ shoes in my size. But that is a blessing when I compare it to trying to find shoes for my husband. When you sit in a wheelchair all day long, your feet swell. Yes, he does boost to shift his upper body and he can twist and turn in his seat, but his feet basically stay planted in the same spot (unless something bumps them or he uses his wheelchair feetplates as a bulldozer, which happens fairly often). And if your feet swell and your shoes are fitted, it not only cuts out the circulation in your feet but leaves horrid marks and sores. So shoes have to be soft and expandable. That's issue #1. Side note: 32 years ago, at

eggs

Egg production is one of those things you have no control over. One day your chickens lay 8 eggs; tomorrow it may be 4.  Though usually, when that happens, it means they are laying somewhere else. And we have searched for that elusive nest, and finally found it, but only because a hen emerged at the "wrong time." She wasn't too hapy to see me when she came out.     And this is the view from standing up...just a few eggs.    This was the view when I got down on my hands and knees...um...quite a few more.   It was 21, to be exact. Green, blue, brown, cream... in other words...almost ALL of our birds have laid an egg there at some point in the last month.   They are now in an incubator. This was not a chore I anticpated on having this fall. Is it evil to hope none of them hatch?