Monday noon

• dinner (beef burgundy) was perfect, if I do say so myself, and will attempt another dishy dish this next weekend, and using cooking wine worked really well

• might try coq au vin next
• also, robert duvall's movie 'get low' was a treat...more serious in content than the trailer leads you to believe, but still, he's wonderful in anything
• great weather today with the storms moving on east---breezy and just right for hanging out clothes
• oldest daughter at my mom's---taking her mcdonald's for lunch and a gift she bought her as well
• plain old navy bean soup for dinner---must keep it down to earth here since we can't eat french food every night!
• the forsythias look beautiful in the front yard (we have 5 of them) and the yellow is so snappy
• will share a knock/knock joke before leaving...hope it makes you chuckle like it did me
• knock/knock
• who's there
• little old lady
• little old lady who?
• i didn't know you could yodle

Yeah, maybe a pathetic attempt at humor, but I loved it.  Hope you all have a sweet day, and can fit in something fun to make it sparkle.

Thousandth post

 
Just noticed on my dashboard that this marks number 1000 in my writing here. Doesn't seem that long. As I topple over into a new era of writing wondering if I need to change my tone. I tend to whine and grumble a lot, especially lately, but have never been a blogger who was too awfully caught up in pleasing the crowd. I enjoy comments like the next guy, but don't write in order to get a response. It's more of a therapy for me.

I do know that I tend to be obsessive, and my mother has been my current one. With spring being in the air, though, I'm feeling a creative mood come over me and feel more myself, especially today. With us going to church last night, today is wide open in front of me and looking mighty restful. I'm in bed with the window open beside me. It's a mild day, sprinkling every so often, and the temperature is in the low 70s, and the sun is beginning to peek out. Really perfect. I've begun dinner with the bacon simmering (never have boiled bacon before) for Julia's Beouf Bourguignon (having a dickens of a time spelling it each time I type it out). 

Will focus on cozy homey sorts of things, and not worries.  Those will rear their ugly heads soon enough.  Today is all about dinner and rest.  And for that I'm thankful.

Saturday evening

By golly, I'm tired. Had to go grocery shopping again, and got Mom some stuff as well. While the work load isn't double, it is half again as busy with her being down. My goodness. I got dizzy in the store while fourth son and I went up and down the grocery aisles, and had to mentally keep myself on top of things. I felt that exhausted.

Let my lifestyle now be a warning to any of you who have family issues to deal with. Remember to rest.

My problem is that I take all of this too much to heart. My stomach churns (as it is today) or my head will ache, or I get all wound up with putting too much of myself into my mom's situation. Incredibly hard to do otherwise, and I'm failing miserably in taking care of myself.

So, bought ingredients for Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon (and using cooking wine being that we're tee-totallers, and hoping we can fool the meat into thinking it's real wine) and will commit myself to cutting up two small roasts, drying off the pieces and browning them---and just savoring the process. I'm so excited, partly for the little net bag of boiling onions I got as well. They're cute little beggars. I need methodical work at home that will distract me. Plus, tomorrow is supposed to be a lovely day, or least that's what I heard.

And being that tomorrow is cooking day, am glad I took the kids to church tonight. A very sweet service, to be sure. A contrast to the visited church last week with the noisy pastor. The quiet message tonight was very restful.

Will go now. Am pooped and ready to continue this pleasant evening. Take care.

Even pugs are important

Cool story.

I mentioned the other day that our pug, Daisy, was diagnosed with a bladder infection and bladder stones last Saturday. The doctor said she might have to have surgery in a month. Well, after I spent a few days grieving over this, I did some research on what we could do to help her out...the goal being to reduce the size of the stones in hopes of them possibly dissolving. It can happen. She's already on an antibiotic for her cough and the infection, so I added cranberry pills to that. Supposed to help in tandem with the meds. And we've substituted the pugs' tap water with distilled water. The thing is, diet is crucial to the stones forming.

Here's the cool part.

Our next-door neighbor called me this afternoon, saying that a friend of hers had given her a HUGE bag of dog food that she couldn't use with her dogs, and asked if we wanted it. Get this, I looked up the food and the particulars and it appears to be a perfect diet for Daisy.

I love it.

And the saga continues...

Had another doctor's appointment for my mom this morning, and all went well. The doctor said that the x-ray doesn't show much improvement, but at her age, that's probably not surprising. Mom said, though, that she saw the x-ray after they took it...and that to her it looked knit together. Wonder what she saw. I didn't see anything, and haven't been in the x-ray room with her, so not sure what the protocol is in there. I tend to run when radiation's about, so am clueless.

Anyway, she'll start physical therapy soon, and is spending her morning on the phone finding out if she can line up someone to do this at her house. That'd be wonderful for everyone (speaking mostly of myself, of course!).

I'm glad she feels a perk from the appointment, regardless of the x-ray kurfuffle, since I was so concerned for her emotional state yesterday. Anyway, she pretty much disregarded the doctor's comment that the film didn't look any different, and I guess if that makes her happy, then that's okay as well.

My only caution at this point is regarding her driving. He said she might be able to think about driving in 2 weeks, and she latched onto that like white on rice. I was motioning to him to move it further away which garnered me a tiny little grin from him, but I could tell that he was trying to encourage her but be realistic as well. Said she had to have good range of motion in that left arm first. In the car afterward, she asked how I thought the appointment went and I told her that she's got to take it slow. Then she asked what I thought slow meant. Shoot, in her mind she's already driving across town. This is the woman who refuses to be taken to church or anywhere because she says she's unsteady on her feet. Or maybe it's all about independence. I don't know about that, but do know for a fact that when/if the day comes when my mom doesn't need to drive---well, that's the day someone else will have to do the talking to her.

Makes my head spin. I want to support her, but tend to be the realist here. I can dump water on anyone's plan in a heartbeat, ask Gary. But I think I see things as they really are and not like someone *wants* them to be.

Time to go drink some of my Yogi tea again.

Book recommendation

Finished reading a really good book this afternoon called 'Imaginary Jesus' by Matt Mikalatos.  It's free for a limited time at Amazon in Kindle form, and that's how I got my copy.  It's all about the pretend Jesuses that we tote around and allow to run our lives, being a far cry from Jesus Christ, Son of God.  The book is written in an amusing way at the start, and the author is funny throughout, but when he talks about the real Christ, the joking is all set aside.  We treat the Lord in such a trite way, and this book puts Him back on the throne.  I so enjoyed it.

Will get back to Paul E. Miller's 'A Praying Life' again tonight.  Had the Mikalatos book sitting in my Kindle for a few days, and am glad I've had my head in both books at the same time.  Must be I needed a real taste of reality---of believing that God really is taking care of everything.  I sometimes forget.

Must go drink my tea now and eat a Cadbury creme egg.  The storm is almost completely past us now, and all is well here at home.

Sometime on Thursday

Took the kids over to my mom's this morning.  We had spa time...she needed personal grooming done, and I'm sure she felt better afterward.  It's frustrating, though.  I was expecting her to seem stronger and more able to cope, and am hopeful every time I go over there, but this time was disappointed.  While maybe her arm is healing on the inside, her spirits are low.  Told her we'd take her to our church this weekend, but she didn't say much to that. She says she's not ready to go to hers, and I said that if she goes with us she can be totally anonymous.  Nobody knows her there, and we'd be there as a support system.  We'll see how she feels once she's mulled over it.  One thing, she keeps saying she's unsteady on her feet, terrified of falling again.  Still, you have to move around sometime, don't you?

I'm not prepared for her to be so introspective.  This broken arm has broken her spirits a bit as well.  She's at the place now where she's lost her enthusiasm.  Nobody told me it'd be this way.  At the doctor's, it's all about physical healing, but spirits don't enter into the conversation.  And it's hard to be on this side of the situation, powerless to change her, but that is her prerogative.

Can't put myself in her place.  I try, but can't.  I can imagine, though, how maddening it has to be to have to have help bathing.  For me that'd be an ultimate humility.  No, help going to the bathroom would be at the top. 

Oh well.  Went to the health food store for my iron and picked up some Yogi Calm tea as well.  Thinking I should've bought more than one box (slight effort at humor).  My emotions take a beating when I leave my mom's house, and the sticky feelings of sadness of the situation hang on for awhile.  Probably the weather that literally whooshes through here later on tonight will be a distraction.  Hope not too much of one, though.

Take care all.

Chuck Swindoll's 'Paws & Tales' (with giveaway)

Chuck Swindoll's video series, 'Paws & Tales--biblical wisdom for kids' is such a sweet video.  And as a long-time fan of Swindoll's, I'm not surprised that he offers entertainment for children like this.  To my delight, the stories are interesting, even for an adult.  Sometimes children's videos can be a bit repetitive, but I didn't find that to be true in this one.

And as a guideline as to age appropriateness, our youngest who's eight, watched it from beginning to end and enjoyed it, but said it was more suited to kids six and under.  There you have it, a review from a child herself, and what could be more helpful?


I highly recommend this video (Series 1) and any others which would be in the series, if they follow true to how this one was done.  And additionally, you can find more information at their Twitter page.  There you can find links to the homepage for the series, and links to corresponding videos.  And here's a link to a video to watch.  Love the thoroughness of the marketing.

And as a plus for any of you interested in a free copy of the DVD I've reviewed, leave me a link here and I'll select one person randomly on March 1st to receive a coupon for a free copy.  It can be redeemed at your local bookstore that offers the DVD.

(i received this DVD free to review from tyndale)

Excellent book on prayer

Second son passed a book along to me, after he saw my enthusiasm for Robert Benson's books on prayer.  This one is called 'A Praying Life' by Paul E. Miller, and while I'm not very far into the book, I am on page 77 and can honestly say that it's totally amazing me in terms on how prayer can be such a frustration.  This writer is so down to earth, not showy at all, and he admits to being flummoxed by prayer.  He says he has times when it seems like 'what's the point?'---admittedly an issue with me.  The ever-present mindset of thinking that God would do 'it' anyway, no matter what 'it' is, whether we voice a prayer or not. 

That's so a 'me' thought process.  Not proud of it, but there you have it.

I won't gloat about it anymore, but it is the perfect read for me right now.  I'm in such a rut of frustration with life sending me curve balls and my glove being inadequate to catch what's being thrown at me.  Must remember that the Father's glove is much more able to handle these sorts of situations.  I'm weak and He's strong, and that's sort of where my life needs to be.  I wrestle with that, though, anyhow.

Even today, talked to Gary on the phone and told him I was surprised at the rain that fell today.  He laughed and said it wasn't my rain and so wasn't my call.  I told him that it's not my reign either.  Guess that's true.  It's God's plan, and I'm a participant, but I'm not the storyteller.

Phew!

Seems to me that my mind has turned to mush.  Told Gary last night that my ability to express myself in words has gone to the dogs as well.  When I write something, especially reviews lately, what I see when I read over my work is this:

I like this book.  It is good.  You should read this book.  It makes me happy.  (all said in a strong, halting and illiterate-sounding Southern accent) 

Maybe I'm weary.  That's it.  I'm just plain tired.  Truly, that's likely my main malfunction.  I'm in bed now, taking a few minutes before starting dinner.  Got schoolwork done this morning, along with about 5 loads of clothes that the kids hung out.  Had a bite to eat then took 2 boys with me to run errands.  What began as only buying dinner for tonight expanded into getting Mom's shopping done which we dropped by her house, a Target run for coffee on sale plus dog food, dropping off library books, and a stop at Walgreens for a couple of items.

Guess once I read over that list, I can account for the weariness more clearly.  Huh.

One the bright side, Gary and I are going to have a movie night with Robert Duvall's newest called 'Get Low'.  I think Duvall's a hottie, even with him old enough to be my father.  Still that charm comes through.  Oh, and read that he's an accomplished tango dancer.  That information doesn't hurt a bit!

'The Miracle of Mercy Land' by River Jordan

The best thing about River Jordan's books is that they're full of surprises.  Rarely do I anticipate the next plot twist, and her main characters are always engaging.  They're just plain likeable. 

Her new book, 'The Miracle of Mercy Land' is about a woman, Mercy, who begins her grown-up life in the big city, or as big as she's willing to live in.  She's a back woods girl, but in order to grow into an adult, moves to a place called Bay City.  There she ends up being the side-kick of the small town editor, Doc, and her life takes on a comfortable dailiness. 

The story begins to shake up a bit when Doc shows Mercy a book he claims just appeared on his desk one day, and he has no explanation for it.  The book is magical, or possessed one, and they're not sure which is correct.  Suffice it to say that it has some sort of power that consumes their everyday lives.  From that point on, the tale kicks up a notch, as the stories of folk's lives start to finish begin to pour out of the pages.

I won't tell you more, but do highly recommend this and each of River Jordan's fiction.  Good stuff!

(i received this book free to review from waterbrook/multnomah)

Another this and that sort of day

• taking the day off from school for president's day---ahh
• thanking you for the interest in our new vinyl flooring in part of the kitchen...will post a photo or two later on
• daisy the pug's cough is a wee bit better today, and for that we're very thankful
• considering with oldest daughter a 'sort of julie&julia thing' with digging into one of our old cookbooks and doing a long-term whateveryouwantocallit
• enjoying the weather today---overcast, yet not rainy and in the 60's
• really enjoying river jordan's book 'the miracle of mercy land' that i'll review soonly
• making chicken and stuffing for dinner
• hoping my only outing today is down to the drugstore for a soda and maybe something fun
• praying for work for gary's shop this week---long, dry spell
• getting over a sermon i heard yesterday---visited a different church and this guy was a bit too much in my face to suit me.  don't like loud voices and have never felt the the Lord was one for hollering when He'd be talking to the multitudes at the river anyhow.  talk softly to me and i'll listen harder, you know?
• strongly desiring our across-the-street neighbors will be quiet today---they congregate and multiply quickly and are very noisy when there's a holiday
• a day for puttering, putting away, dusting and resting
• deep breaths

Well...

Woke up this morning to the sounds of a neighbor revving their car engine repeatedly, and I thought it was a motorcycle.  It was that loud.  And our next door neighbor let out one of their dogs EARLY, and he proceeded to bark, and bark, and bark.  Then, figured, what the heck, so I got my tea and noticed that Daisy the pug was coughing like she had a year ago when we had to take her to the emergency vet.  Well, she just wasn't getting better and we were all getting antsy listening to her.

So, one son called the vet. near us to find out how late they'd be open, and two of the kids went with me to take Daisy.  Well, turned up she had the same prognosis as last year---a kennel cough sort of thing (even though she'd been vaccinated---huh), but what really got to all of us was the diagnosis of a bladder infection (no surprise), but further noted as bladder stones which will require surgery.

Hasn't life been eventful enough for us lately?  Yeah, I thought so too.

So, after a 3 week round of antibiotics, we'll schedule the surgery, praying all along that a miracle will happen and she'll be healed completely, or that the stones will begin to shrink.  Why not, right?  I'm not saying that lightly, but admit that my faith can be a bit thin. 

On other fronts, Gary had been working on the floor (mentioned below) all day with one of the boys, and it's like plumbing.  It's never quite as easy as you hope.  He had to re-do the threshold to the backyard, and repair a place where the old tile had been mended and had worked its way up again.  Now he's finishing out the edges.  Bless his heart, I know his knees are screaming and he's just about done in.  Keeps on truckin' though, as is his way.

Home improvements

This weekend, part of the house will be a disaster zone.  Some of you will remember when my husband and the boys put in the new wood kitchen floor over the main area, but we still have icky vinyl tile in the area that used to be the breakfast room.  Now it's the "here's where we dump stuff when we come in from the backyard---spare shoes and all assorted stuff" room.  There are a couple of bookshelves in there for cookbooks and book pile run-off, plus the deep freeze and a long table Gary made that's intended to be a craft/sewing/art space for me. 

Hoping the new floor we're going to put in (peel 'em and stick 'em) will transform the room from blah to ah. 

So, tonight will unpack the bookshelves and drag everything else out of there so as to be workable.  I'd take a photo of the floor now (patched vinyl, not pretty), but my battery is dead on my camera.  For once, I'm glad of that!

My goodness, we're all into fixing things the past week or so.  New faucet for bathroom sink which Gary put in, plus plumber repaired leaks in tub faucets.  Bought black enamel to freshen up bathroom floor, which we'll tile when more money trickles in----and it all makes me feel happy.  New stuff is always a rush.  And this old house is beginning to grin a little.  It doesn't like to look broken either.

'The Promises She Keeps' by Erin Healy

'The Promises She Keeps' by Erin Healy is a winner. I'd already enjoyed Healy's writing both with Ted Dekker and in her previous book,'Never Let You Go', and was definitely pleased with this one as well.

The story begins with scenes from two main characters, Chase and Promise. What was intriguing about the story was learning about both autism (Chase's dilemma), and cystic fibrosis (Promise's disease), and how these conditions filled their lives and the lives of those they loved. I was very ignorant of both before reading the book, and feel better educated, though it didn't feel like an agenda of the author to set the reader up like that.

What I so enjoyed was the way the writing circled around those two characters, and like an autistic person requires (as in the case of Chase) to have things 'just so', Healy put the reader into the story by weaving in the extreme placement of his drawing papers and pencils/chalk. What appeared to be an over-use of detail in the story's beginning, was exactly that, and rightly so. Chase had to have things in particular places all of the time or his center got rattled. Love the way the writer did that. It made so much sense.

The book was unique and suspenseful, and there were no lagging places. She's got a clever way of writing, and while a Christian bent wasn't very obvious, Chase was a strong believer and that plays into the story from time to time. It was a classic good versus evil tale, but with twists I've never seen before. I look forward to reading more of Healy's work.

(this book was provided free for me to review from booksneeze)

Hmm, hmm, HMM, hmm to me...

The beginnings of another good day.  In celebration of, ahem, MY birthday, I'm treating myself to take-out fish and chips from a place near our house.  I'm thinking it's the only place in town (that I'm aware of) that serves it.  Sad, but true.

Anyway, that's my plan.

And forgive me for gloating about my birthday.  But it is mine!  Do something sweet for yourselves to share in the celebration.  I insist.

A good day

Seems to me the trick, if there is a trick, to finding peace in situations that slap us upside the head---is to not allow them to 'define' us. It's so easy to get so caught up in difficulties that we almost become those problems. We allow them to dictate who we are and what we do.

That's what my mom's broken arm has done to/for me. I've made it my centerpiece, and have sort of left my own life by the wayside.

Her dependence on my family, and me in particular, has rocked our boats, but I think as we get used to it, we're dealing with it a bit more realistically. We're fitting it in a tiny bit better. Well, some days maybe not, but most days maybe it's not so rattling. Or maybe I said that backwards!

I called her doctor's office yesterday morning to move her visit to next week, and felt so in charge afterward. Now, that's another thing. To feel some sort of control over a new situation is helpful as well. That way I/we don't feel controlled, but part of the controlling. Does that make sense? Afraid I've felt steamrolled off and on, and just this simple phone call really was a perk. Strange how that happens, isn't it?

Well, today ought to be lighter. We did the grocery shopping late yesterday afternoon, and took Mom's stuff over to her. The kids will eat lunch with her tomorrow, and we might do the bathing/hair routine. It's her call. I have today off from daughterly duties and can take a breath. Thankfully, the talk Mom and I had about her dressing each day struck a chord. She's wrestling on her jeans and slip-on shoes rather than staying in her pajama pants and slippers. Hard to manage, yes, but necessary to a mental state that encourages healing. Bedclothes are comfy, but not conducive to a feeling of health on a daily basis, that is if they're worn all the time. Least that's what I think.

Meatloaf for dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy and English peas. Wish you were here, truly, because your sweet comments are like gentle hugs. Women do that so well.

And the day steadily improves...

Varied thoughts, but they do go together

My life and I aren't on good speaking terms just now.  Feels like I got 'hold up' along the way, and in the meantime, misplaced my personal road map.  I'm confused.

Took my mom to get her Sarmiento splint yesterday, which just looks like football shin guards to me.  But still, unique in their own way.  She'll be able to have it taken off for her bathing, which will be nice for her.  I'm going to call and have her doctor's appointment moved from this Friday to next week, since it seems a tad overwhelming to do two big events in one week.  It's tiring for everyone.  Well, selfishly, I wanted a day that wasn't hijacked by a scheduled duty. 

And I'm not handling things with much grace lately. 

I want my own life back, but it's not due to return at any time soon.  My mom said she figured she'd be washing her own hair before a month's out, but I don't see it.  Her left arm has little range of motion in terms of putting it over her head.  The break hasn't healed much, if at all, and it's a waiting game. 

Thinking that being a daughter isn't my strong suit.  Shoot, being human is difficult enough right now.  Waiting for the plumber to get here and repair our dripping tub faucets.  Even that small situation is enough to make me slightly crazy.  Like ordering pizza on the phone, there are just some things that ring my bell.

Feels sorta good, though, to put my struggles out there to read.  To keep a record of days and weeks that don't go to plan.  And to see that God hasn't abandoned me, but is standing guard even when I'm a mess.  And I do feel a mess.

Saturday noon

Got all my running around done yesterday with the plan of being home ALL day today.  So far, so good.  Had some paperwork to complete in regards to the kids' homeschooling, and with that done, the day spreads out in front of me.  We have groceries in the house, and I made Boston Baked Beans last night, to have tonight with hamburgers.  I'm kinda sorta caught up.

But the coming week is already sounding busy in my head.  With getting Mom's bathing/hair-do doing including rolling up tomorrow, taking her to get her new splint on Monday,  plumber coming on Tuesday, buying Mom's groceries somewhere in there, and wondering how the tail-end of the week will go, I'm having to do personal attitude adjustments so I don't falter.  Well, I'll falter, just hope it's not too much.

If the Lord is wanting me to shine during this time, I'm afraid I'm disappointing Him.  I wring my hands a lot, and look around the house not knowing where to start.  So I don't even begin.  Know what I mean?  My center of gravity appears to have moved, and I need some grounding.  

Just today.  Don't borrow trouble.  Just now.

To Fairycake girl

Wendy...you must send me your email address.  You pop into my head more often than you'd imagine.  Please write to me to catch up!  You can find me at:  herbgardener AT netzero.net

'Lost in Austen' season one

Watched the 4 episodes of 'Lost in Austen' (mentioned here last night) and just finished them up.  This is season one.  Apparently season two isn't available to download just yet.  Or seems if you have certain types of satellite t.v. it's been shown that way.  Dunno.  Anyway, you can see previews here at OvationTV. 

It was so relaxing, but will add a disclaimer.  There are several instances of modern-day crude talk, which to me takes it out of the 'family viewing' category, but I enjoyed watching it on my laptop all by myself!

Tonight's entertainment

Just bought 'Lost in Austen' through Amazon's Video on Demand.  The previews are wonderful, and a perfect escape.  Jemima Rooper, who was Roberta in 'The Railway Children' stars in this.

Totally dishy.

About noon today...

    

Third son's outing this morning.  It was COLD!

The lull before the snowfall

 

Awake too early, and not ashamed to say that 5:30am is too early to climb out of bed.  Besides, it's dark then.  Somebody please tell our shepherd/husky, Opal, that's she's being insensitive with her clattering around the living room waiting for her breakfast at that hour.

But it was a morning of 'I can't get back to sleep already' so after telling the dog to chill, I got back into bed and thought about it.  The spell was broken, and sleep was impossible.   Anyway, climbed back out of bed at 7am, which is more realistic, but I'd already been awake for 1-1/2 hours, but who was to know?  Nobody's going to pat me on the back about it.  Sounds as if I'm lining up for a cranky morning, doesn't it?  Nah.  It's supposed to snow, and a good one as well.  Might have all my chickens at home as a result.  The restaurant where two boys work might be closed and oldest son works across town, and since he doesn't leave until 4pm or so to work today, he might be stuck here as well.  Oldest daughter is already off today, so I'm sort of pleased at how the weather is possibly going to pan out.

And, Gary and I made a quick trip to the grocery store, last night, for the obligatory bread and milk, including ingredients for a HUGE pot of chili.  Now, if I can focus on just simple tasks today and not borrow trouble (i.e. worrying about my mom and her broken arm, or our yellow Lab., Olive, who is very sick and having to be watched carefully), then the day should pan out sweetly.

Seems for me life is taking on the flavor of looking past difficulties to the blessings on the other side.  Trouble is, I keep getting caught up in the middle.  Must work on dealing with frustrations and not allowing them to simmer inside.  My husband has taught me how to let off steam, but I'm still learning.  He's the type who'll blow and get on with life, not holding grudges, but having a healthy attitude about life in general.  Me?   I tend to be over-sensitive and liable to have migraines and other physical manifestations of stress.  We won't go into that.

Well, the pugs are cold and needing a lap.  Think I'll go provide one.

Reading and resting

Ti-erd.  Took the least one out for a bit at noon, and came home aching for my bed.  Naptime is such a wonderful invention, I don't know what women do who don't indulge.

I remember reading a book several years back, and I think it was Mary Webb's 'Precious Bane' or maybe 'The Country of the Pointed Firs' by Sarah Orne Jewett.  Regardless of which book it was, there was a character who was an older woman (I'll take issue with the older woman part, though) and she just didn't have it in her to be very energetic.  Even our second son joked on Sunday saying that in the olden days I'd be the woman in the lace cap who had to sit in her rocker for the afternoon, just taking it easy.  He was being silly, but wasn't too far off the mark.  I figure multiple childbirths have taken their toll.  Least that's what I'm going to say when folks ask me!

So, resting this afternoon.  Reading 'The Woman in Black' by Susan Hill which is so far a wonderful ghost story.  Hope it keeps up.

Paintings, books and tunes

 

This painting is by Eugene von Blaas, Italian 1843-1931, La Dama De La Rosa (detail), and is so beautiful.  Found the complete piece online, and it's prettier in this 'chopped' version, which someone shared on Tumblr.  The faces of his subjects look a bit like silent movie characters---overly made-up and sort of unrealistic.  But this painting with the young lady's head missing is, to me, perfect.  But then again, I do love pink.  Makes it a tiny bit mysterious to not see her face, I think.

Now am all tucked into bed with my new books.  Fourth son confiscated my new/used copy of 'Miss Hargreaves' by Frank Baker.  I received my copy of 'The Rector's Daughter' by F. M. Mayor today (free with Swagbucks through Amazon), and at the library picked up a couple of on hold books---'The Woman in Black' and 'The Man in the Picture' both by Susan Hill.  They're ghost stories, and have wonderful reviews.  Will pick up one of those later on tonight, or Molly Wizenberg's 'A Homemade Life'.  Began hers the other night and it's a very sweet cookbook/memoir.  Can a person write a memoir at around 30 years old?  Apparently so!  Miss Wizenburg has, and done a very good job of it.

Now listening to RED's new CD, 'Until We Have Faces', that oldest daughter bought for her dad.  Love those guys. I'm talking about RED, of course. :)  Gotta love middle daughter's MP3 player I'm borrowing.

Late Monday morning

Trying to focus before the day wears very far.  It's easy to take on the whole week in one mental gulp, and honestly, I'm not ready for that.  I was listing out loud the things that have to happen, and oldest daughter reeled me in, reminding me to do just today.

She's absolutely right.  I tend to borrow trouble, for the simple reason that I like to know what's up ahead.

I do have to take the boys to work, unless I can enlist oldest son to do that.  And I do have to do some certain tasks at home.  Those are the grounding things.  Vacuuming and dusting, washing clothes, tidying shelves.  Mundane occupations are good for my head, allowing the harder stuff to fall into place more smoothly.  With my Mom's broken arm drama, our lives here have taken second place in my affections.  That's *not* a good idea.  Have got to be better at focusing and prioritizing.  Yeah, my mom's very important, but if my home life feels scattered, then I do too.

So, taking a deep breath and starting up again.  Tiny breaks are so valuable in giving me the opportunity to re-group.

Oh, and by the way, it's been snowing!

A sunny Sunday afternoon

Have taken the weekend off from duties at my mom's.  After being there to bathe her and do her hair on Thursday, and then to get her to the doctor's on Friday (which was stressful, only because it's all so new to us, plus it took 3+ hours, start to finish), I was so drained yesterday.  Just sort of crashed.  Plus my anemia was sneaking in again, but bought some more good stuff at the health food store today, so all will be well in that area (Tina, I'm telling you this!).  Wish I could take generic drugstore iron, but it's just not strong enough.  I get all pale-looking and know that the dizziness and headaches are just around the corner.  Don't want to go there.

Anyhow, have to take Mom to a place to get a Sarmiento splint this week (Gary's offered to take her, and was even there for her appt. on Friday...he IS a prince), and not sure when the home spa treatment will be scheduled for her besides.  She likes to be all clean and shiny when she goes out, which I can't fault her for.  'Course she's only gotten out for the doctor's, but it'd probably be good for her to let us take a drive now and again.  She says 'no' however.  She's so scared of falling again, and won't even step out the door to the carport to get her mail.  Will be interesting to see how that changes as she heals.  Might not.

And to wrap up this informative post, our son Joshua, has won a writing contest set up by author Cornelia Funke (who wrote 'Inkheart'...the book/movie).  He was one of 8 finalists and is mentioned on her website.  He's beside himself with excitement, which means he looks a tad dazed.  Actually, we all do!

Time to rest now.  Reading a library book called 'Saving Cicadas' by Nicole Seitz and oldest daughter says it has a surprise ending.  And my free Amazon books came yesterday as well.  I'm all set up.

Take care, now.

Moved back

Well, I tried Wordpress for a few months, and have found that Blogger is much more user-friendly.  Sorry if this makes any of you shake your heads.  It's not intentional. :)  I'll now stay put for awhile.

Dan Allender's 'Sabbath'

Dan Allender's book 'Sabbath' is not what I expected.  And while I appreciate his direct attack on the legalism that cripples so many people and their participation in the Sabbath, the book seems to be more focused on the individual's pleasure in the day and not the honoring of God.  He overuses adjectives to sell his point of view, and is more effusive than necessary.  I don't believe that the Sabbath day is meant to be one big love-fest, but instead is to be spent in honor of our Creator.  Allender seems to be more into a partying mentality.

Several sentences in the book jumped out at me, and not in a good way:  "The Sabbath is the weekly entry into a taste of lavish, sensuous delight." --p. 79  "If we aspire to a more life-giving delight, then we will need to go further into the heart of the Sabbath.  It is a simple principle:  we get of God what we desire."--p. 95

In reference to Sabbath wine, he writes:  "There are many words for intoxication in the Bible, and the phrase 'gladdening the heart' implies a sweet, slight rounding of the edges, a warm, gentle buzz.-----It takes the edge off, doesn't distort with true intoxication, and allows an entry into pleasure that may not be possible without the dollop of a small draft."--p. 130

Purely on the basis of Allender's unusual point of view, I'd not recommend this book.  A deep respect for God the Father seems to be missing, with the reader being led on a merry journey to hedonism rather than worship of the Creator of the Universe.  Or maybe I'm just being overly legalistic. 

(this book was provided free to review from thomas nelson/booksneeze)

Friday morning

Thought I'd let this journal background come out and play for a bit. Tweaked and doodled with computer stuff last night, and couldn't come up with anything new that dazzled me. So, back to the tried and true.

Middle daughter and I will take my mom to the doctor this afternoon. And hoping that the forecast that shows on the weather map will hold off until we get back. There's quite a bit of snow showing up to the west of us, and I'm not keen to drive in it, especially her car. She's unable to easily climb into my Suburban, so we'll go to the doctor's in her's.

Had to shake myself a minute ago as well. Her appointment is at around 2pm, and I was figuring we'd get to her house at 1:15pm or so, to allow her to get her things together, etc. Then it hit me that she can't even get dressed by herself. Guess I'm still not prepared mentally for all of the details that I'm responsible for. She is getting stronger everyday, but it's amazing how a broken arm can be so debilitating. 'Course her age is a huge factor.

Must go now and find a good mood to wear. Honestly, the one I have on now just won't do.

Wednesday after dinner

Will be at my mom's in the morning to help her bathe and wash her hair. Then the fiasco of me setting her hair will come into play. She was sweet about saying she liked the way it looked after it dried and was combed out last week. 'Course she's a captive victim and can't fuss too much. The girls will do her nails, so that they look pretty again. All in all, she'll have a spa-like day. Plus having the kids to visit will be a perk. Her first appointment with the doctor will be Friday and we'll be able to see her progress with the broken arm. She's not seen him since the first visit. We're prettying her up so she feels good beforehand.

Looking forward to time alone tomorrow afternoon as well. I need it. But will stop at the dollar store first, though. I celebrate the February carousel of gifts for Gary in this month since our anniversary (Saturday will mark 28 years), my birthday, and Valentine's are all the same month. He gets a tiny gift each day. Need to get several little somethings tomorrow to see out the week. And on Saturday, we'll use the gift cards given to us by the boys' boss at the restaurant where they work. Oh, and one more thing...one son is training to be a cook there. Pretty neat.

Will go now. A hot cup of Darjeeling is waiting.

Late Tuesday

Lots to say. My goodness. And my head is definitely in a better place than 2 days ago.

*God is faithful, even when I'm not. Learning all the time.
*Praying about stuff doesn't always return what you expect. God's ways are often out of the blue.
*Ann Voskamp's book 'A Thousand Gifts' causes me to cry whenever I crack the cover. This could take awhile.
*Listening to this song that oldest daughter found online, and if you stick around to listen to the advertisement afterward, you can hear Sam Elliott. A double treat. Ahem.
*Mom's able to be alone at night now. Yay.
*Holding off turning the heater on as long as possible. Ten people filling up a house is often ample heat, without additional help.
*Got the taxes completed. Phew. And it really didn't hurt at all. The only difficulty is when they're done by someone who's slightly dyslexic (and that would be me). Funny how 3's and 8's look alike, as do 2's and 5's.
*Reading 'Trouble the Water' by Nicole A. Seitz, when I'm not getting all worked up reading the other book.
*Have ordered 'Miss Hargreaves' by Frank Baker, and 'A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from my Kitchen Table' by Molly Wizenburg with my free Amazon bucks, earned with Swagbucks.
*Feeling a bit of a spiritual breeze blowing through the house. Taking a deep breath.