Archive for March, 2004
Ramblings
Well, my “mood” from yesterday has passed (mostly)…along with my terrible back pain. I literally couldn’t breath very deeply without sharp stabbing pains on my whole left side around the ribs and under the shoulder blade. I have scoliosis (sp?) and that shoulder blade “sticks out” a bit and it’s just a troublesome area anyway for me but I’ve never, never had pain like that there before! Ugh. Colored my whole outlook! After I posted yesterday, I didn’t do anything I said I was going to do. I did nothing but feed the children and then sit/lay on the couch and read. Then, I fed them dinner and we all went to bed. My parents will be here in an hour and the kitchen is a disaster. I’ll just have to ignore the car parts as best I can…and my office area…receipts, papers, bills…stacked on my desk along with some books, extra computer equip. and cameras and their accompanying gadgets…sigh. At least I won’t have to clean the guest room as they will only be spending the afternoon and then heading home. Dad (Mom?) will be up again next weekend apparently to attend the Sportsmen’s Show just for the afternoon again and then they will be up again for Easter spending the night this time I’m sure. That should give me plenty of time to clean the guest room…which also serves as my sewing/craft room…which explains why it’s messy… [wink]! Anyway, the rest/relaxation in the afternoon plus a half glass of wine in the evening helped my back. It doesn’t hurt now although it still feels “not right”…
I said my “mood” had *mostly* passed…that’s because it’s still snowing…hard! It quit in the later afternoon/evening yesterday but began again some time early this morning. BIG, BIG flakes too! 6 inches yesterday and they say another foot today!!! Well, I guess since we didn’t get any snow to speak of last year (maybe a foot the whole winter!!!), we are making up for it this year. Getting last years snow and this years in one season. Humph. The trees and such do need the water…I can’t begrudge them that I guess… :-/ Did you know that if it weren’t for our snow fall every year, Alaska could be classified as a desert?! That’s how dry it is here otherwise. Well, up here farther north. In the panhandle, it rains a lot. (Rainforest area.) Think of Seattle’s percipitation. So, desert in the northern regions…rainforest in the southern regions… Ok, enough of the AK Geography lesson! 
So, with my backache yesterday, we didn’t celebrate our 1 year old’s bday. But, that’s what my parents are coming for so, although it bothered the rest of the children that we didn’t actually do anything on Q.’s day, he doesn’t realize it… Today works just fine. 
With that said, I do need to go and prepare for a celebration this time!!! 
This is just a better day all-round to have one…despite the snow…!!!
Take care everyone! And, have a blessed Lord’s Day tomorrow if I don’t get back here between now and then! (I’m not sure if we will be having worship here at home again or not…Q. is still quite rattlely in the chest and I’m still getting over this head cold… We’ll see…
OK - Bye!
Well, I’m just feeling annoyed and bummed today! This co-op thing has been something I’ve looked forward to doing for a while but it seems to have hit one snag after another…at least a half dozen…not much really in the grand scheme of things…but really annoying!!! I won’t list them all but the latest is that one of the people who order through me received two item that apparently she didn’t want or order. I looked through the list she gave me and sure enough these numbers weren’t on there. However, there were no descriptions because faxing her order wasn’t working and we were down to the wire so she simplely emailed me item numbers. I had to call in the first order and it seems the person taking the order got a letter or number transposed or something but won’t admit it’s their fault simply becaue they “read” back the order to you. Without descriptions from the other lady I was in the dark about the actual items she wanted. Anyway, what a mess. I feel obligated of course to refund her $ for these items…although I don’t fully feel I’m at fault…but I do accept the responsibility…so that means I’ll be stuck with items I don’t want or need and out $$$ I can’t afford to be out. Argh. One of the items she said she could donate to the food pantry if the company wouldn’t take them back… It would be a little easier to deal with if this particular person wasn’t *family*! Anyway, it will all work out I’m sure…I just didn’t want to be doing this right now…perhaps on another day when I’m feeling better and don’t have other things I desperatly need to do I could handle it better…with computers, etc. everything is supposed to be easier right?! HA! NOT!
I also have a headcold. I’m thankful it’s only a cold but the stuffy head just makes this more annoying to deal with.
I’m bummed because it is SNOWING again!!! There was about 2 inches when I got up around 7am. Now there is about 6 inches and it is still coming down fast with big flakes. Mind if I cry!? Waaaaah! 
I’ll that progress we made this week with the wonderful sunshine… 
So, that’s put me in a “mood.”
I should be pursting with happiness though as our little guy is 1 YEAR OLD TODAY!!! But, that makes me kinda sad too… This is the closest of spacings between our children and I feel I haven’t had this little guy for our baby long enough… This too I’ll get over I’m sure…
It just one of those days. :-/ I’m feeling out-of-sorts and cranky dog-gone-it!!! I don’t want to be…
Oh, also, we are having guests this weekend and the house is in need of a good cleaning. sigh. Dh is working on our vehicle again so I have ‘Burban seats, car seats, auto parts,etc. cluttering up the living room again. (Can’t be in the garage because they’ll get dirty while he is doing the work he has to do…)
Oh, and my back hurts from different things (over the years) but was exasperated yesterday by making bread and standing in the kitchen all afternoon yesterday cooking other things. Mostly it was the bread though. Ugh. I’m saving for a good mixer…but it’s taking too long!!! It’s annoying when you are trying to provide wholesome things for your family to eat and yet it literally hurts to do so. :-/
Sorry to vent like this.
There was one exciting thing this morning that lifted the spirits a little…THE COYOTE WAS BACK!!! I got some good pics this time with the digital. Yay! We watched him for a long time digging in the snow, walking around the yard, looking back at us… It was really neat!
Must run and put some semblence of order to this place as a birthday celebration is in order!!!
I really hope you all have a great weekend with your families!
Past Week
Wow, my apologies! This last week really escaped me! I spent Wed. thinking it was Tues. Thurs. thinking it was Wed. and so on and so forth… We are home from church again this Sunday (I know it’s Sunday! LOL) with sick children. The older two didn’t get very sick. Mostly just colds for them and they are completely well. But the other three… sigh. That stuff with the deep cough. Even the poor baby. Amazingly enough, dh and self didn’t get sick at all. Well, at least I don’t think I did… I did have some tummy troubles this week but we suspect it is due to a milk intolerence. We don’t “do milk” around here. We eat dairy…cheese mostly, occasionally cream cheese and yogurt, etc….but we don’t “drink milk” per say. This was a milk week. All of that listed plus ice cream and milk with cookies (not on the same day LOL). I think I was on overload. We suspect an insensitivity for me anyway but this week proved it. Oh the nausea and intestinal trouble. Mostly, vanilla ice cream, once my favorite flavor - sniff!, does me in *every time* now… Mint chocolate chip doesn’t. It’s a weird thing I can’t really pin point but recognize…if that makes any sense. In other words, I handle all the other stuff in small doses just fine but vanilla ice cream…it doesn’t matter the dose or how often. Ugh. Also, my father has Celiac and that may be a possiblity for me and one or two of my children. (We haven’t been tested/biopsied as he has.) That can result in not being able to digest milk properly. Anyway, I think that was part of my “loss of time.” Feeling not so well left me in kind of a haze. Feeling not well but feeling fine makes for “time-warp” I think. Well, that’s part of it anyway. I was dealing with other “sickies” and business stuff and housework…and something else… I think you get the picture.
So, here I am. Taking a few minutes while the rest of the family is straggling up to touch base. We’ll have Family Worship soon. Get everyone awake, dressed, etc.
You all are anxiously awaiting the answer to the quiz aren’t you!? Most of you answered correctly. If I hadn’t known what it was, I would have been the only one who guessed “Lilac.” I resembles a spindlely lilac bush we planted a few years back that is wonderfully tall (as dh anyway) and blossoms with the most beautiful and fragrant flowers now! I’m so proud of that “little bush” overcoming it’s hard childhood and growing up so well! (Btw, as a little aside, I got my hands in some dirt yesterday!!! Yay! Granted it was *potting soil*…but, between that and the sunshine we’ve been having, it felt GREAT! ) You probably have all suspected though, with such an easy quiz, that I probably had an “alterior purpose” anyway. So, without further ado, here is the answer!
A blessed Lord’s Day to all!
Sick
All the children ended up ill in some degree this weekend. Oldest son has a deep bronchial cough and is the worst off…fever, etc. Youngest daughter is next then the baby. The oldest two children are about the same…was mostly just a cold for them. So, we hung around the house this weekend and had church at home too. Got a lot of business stuff done, some housecleaning I’d been neglecting and then some sewing on Sunday. All in all, a domestic weekend…
It has snowed off and on since my last post. Go away, go away! We exceeded our *yearly* average back in early *Dec.* I don’t know what the stats are now as we purged ourselves of the TV again so I haven’t been catching the nightly news. I generally don’t search it out otherwise…and we don’t receive thenewspaper. I think I’ve mentioned all of this before… Anyway, I’m curious now so I’ll probably go looking for it soon. At any rate, as they chant in the second “Frosty” movie…”NO MORE SNOW! NO MORE SNOW! NO MORE SNOW!” Are you sick of me talking about it? Me too!
We’re getting a late start on homeschool today as dh had me busy with some things this morning and the children took the opportunity to dawdle in their chores. (We’ll be at it now until dinner time forces us to stop.) Finally, they are done and I must skeedattle!
Until next time…
ps - don’t forget to vote in the quiz below if you haven’t all ready…
It seems…
the harder I think about Spring the harder it snows! Yup, it’s been snowing all afternoon. Pretty hard for a while and now it’s letting up. Daddy took the 3 girls sledding. Both of our sons are here napping. The oldest son isn’t feeling well…headcold and slight fever…the baby is simply following routine. I’m taking a break from cleaning off the kitchen counter. When I’m finished here, and with that, I’ll be finishing my workout as well.
Before I go, since I have had “gardening on the brain” lately AND because I know you all like quizzes so much ;-), I’ll leave you with one I created myself.
If you are so inclined and want to leave your guess in the comments section, please do!
I’ll reveal the answer in this here blog next week.
For those in warmer climes, do a little yard work for me ok?!
A blessed weekend to all!
Various Things
Last Friday, as I was getting ready in the morning for the homeschool conference, I found my first grey hair. My dh was totally unsympathetic. He’s been getting them slowly here-n-there over the last few years and I think he was (secretly) glad I’d finally caught up to him. Just kidding! That kind of thing doesn’t phase him much so he would naturally be nonchalant about it…sigh. It actually didn’t affect me too much either as I’ve been anticipating it. After the birth of child #3, and definitatly after #4, I started to grow coarse *black* hairs scattered around on my head…just a few but enough that I thought surely one of them would eventually be the first grey one. I know it was one of the black ones because it grew right in the middle of the hairline at the top of my head. I must have shed it latently postpartumly because one day it just wasn’t there…and now where it used to be was this grey one…yes, *was*…I plucked it. So, now, they will attack with a vengence right?!?
I received news early Sunday (3/7/04) that an uncle had died on Saturday. I didn’t grieve as hard as when our friend died a couple of weeks ago though (in fact, that’s still painful). He was a low character and it’s almost a relief he’s gone. On the other hand, there are not-too-bad family memories. Also, although he was loathsome, I feel very badly he just “didn’t get it” and lived in such a miserable state, died in such a miserable state and will (more than likely) spend Eternity in a miserable state {{{shiver}}}. Sigh. And, there’s the fact that it’s (death) starting to hit my parents generation…
On a happier note, I worked out (an actual “workout” not just sledding, etc.) for the first time in a long time. I did 1 mile in 20 min. on my *new treadmill*!!! I felt great the rest of the day! The best by-product is the suppression of hunger. You don’t feel hungry as often the more regularly you exercise. The goal is at least the same everyday except Sundays.
I did a bunch of business computer work today also. Been neglecting it as one ftp program I had was glitchy and I wracked my brain trying to figure it out and then gave up and downloaded a 30 day free trial of another which ran out a week or two ago. So, I spent a while figuring out the glitch in the first and now all is well. Our site is finally coming together. Keeping a stock of inventory is a bit difficult though as everything he finishes seems to sell right away. No complaints there!!! If that’s the only problem there ever was, I’d be extremely content!
I need to list the words Q. says again for posterity…but, speak of the little rascal, he wants up from his nap. I’ll have to write them down on paper because now I’m distracted and can’t think of them all. It’s at least 10 now…
I know there are other things I wanted to say too…they’ll just have to wait ’til next time…
Terrific Weekend!
What an absolutely terrific weekend we’ve had!!! The convention was a success and we heard encouraging, funny and practical talks from James and Stacy! They are very personable and easy to get to know. Unpretencious and friendly folks. It was such a joy to meet with them. We also had the pleasure of worshiping with them yesterday and having a potluck at the small home-fellowship we attend. Sweet, very sweet! I also must say that James and Stacy’s two eldest daughters and two youngest daughters came with them and they are indeed delightful! The evidence is clear that their parents live out what they are “preaching.” If you are a member of a homeschool association, please recommend them as speakers. If you are influential in this area of your homeschool association, please invite them. You will not be disappointed! I have pics to share but I have yet to put them in an album, etc. Hopefully this evening… We are all very tired but pleasantly so. After fellowship, we can home and did pretty much nothing! LOL The children played and dh and I mostly read and napped. Everyone finally got to bed at their regular times and now I’m up at mine (around 7am) for quiet time feeling almost like normal again. It was hectic but we wouldn’t change anything. Families were blessed hugely this weekend and God was glorified - which is most important and makes serving one another better than I can say.
A blessed day to all!
Tamara and eldest daughter Moriah
~ Mother and Daughter’s Tea ~
