This spring has been very unusual in Texas. It has been ultra hot for almost two months (8o's and 90's) about 10 degrees or more above average. The worst of it, though, is that we have had almost no rain for months and it has been very windy most days here, so the fire danger has been very high. Warnings and alerts have been issued reminding people to be careful. Some have still carelessly ignited infernos that have destroyed many houses.
A major fire in west Texas still blazes but is under control, last I heard. Many houses were lost. Lately, last Sunday, a fire down in Austin, near the edge of town blazed and destroyed 100 acres and 11 houses went up! A homeless man decided to cook his breakfast behind or near a convenience store and left it unwatched to go in and buy beer. Terrible tragedy!
That same afternoon, just north of Austin, around the corner from my house at the next street,(one house kitty-corner from ours) a fire started right next to the road, likely from a cigarette, which burned into that neighbor's yard and along the border of the street up to the fence. The fire engine arrived quickly and put it out so there is just a small burned area as a stark reminder that the danger is everywhere.
Firemen were not so handy out in another county just south of Austin this week. Someone was barbecueing on the second story porch in a neighborhood and embers blew and ignited a home next door, plus another caught fire also. It takes longer to respond when the trucks have to travel farther. Everything is like tinder in Texas is seems. When rain finally arrives, lightning may spark more fires.
The fire near my house has prompted me to consider more carefully what we should do in case of a dreaded fire. So once again, I discussed with the children what to do in case of fire, how to get out, and where to meet, etc. For those of you in Texas, it might be wise to have certain things that you value ready to take should your worst fear happen. Important papers here are already in a fireproof safe, so ideally I can think to grab such things as my Bible and purse. One friend and I had an idea to put all favorite family pictures on a CD to be ready to take so they would be replaceable. Another copy could also be buried in a waterproof container in the yard somewhere as an extra precaution.
To anyone in Texas reading this, I urge you to have a fire emergency talk with your children just to be on the safe side. It may save your lives.
Blessings,
Melanie
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Spring-cleaning
The sunny days and blooming of flowers here in Texas always remind me of the fresh start of spring, and it always puts me in the mood to purge the old and make more beauty bloom in my home. This year, I decided to start with the worst tasks of all: the refrigerator and the bathroom. I just do a room every few days so I don't become over-exhausted. What a relief to have them finished so the rest of the house will now be a breeze to clean.
Earlier this week, I first tackled deep cleaning both the bathrooms and won that battle alone in less than two hours. The weekly cleaning only takes about 20 minutes, so this seemed like a lot of work. The shower curtains took the longest even with my trusty squirt bottle. Such a sense of accomplishment to have it finished after I put the freshly laundered blue rugs back in place.
Last night I found some free time to clean the dreaded fridge, and I could hardly believe that my two youngest boys were begging to help me do the back and bottom of the fridge, until I realized it mainly meant that they could stay up late. I do a regular cleaning and wiping every two weeks usually, but some spills that go behind and under the shelves are harder to get to, hence the need to take everything out, including the drawers and shelves, just to reach that. To get the drawers out, we had to pull the fridge all the way out, so Dad and the older two boys did that for me.
After getting the shelves out, even when the boys saw the mess of hardened strawberry juice and picante sauce, they were eager to help. So we spelled each other in reaching in and softening the mess with the squirt bottle and then scrubbing. Even found the missing Twix bar unopened that one son was missing since his birthday(threw that out!). Now, it looks so very clean and they were well rewarded by me for their efforts to help old mom reach and scrub. I was more tired from that workout this morning than they!
Next week, it looks like the laundry room and organizing kitchen shelves and pantry will take priority after school and chores. This job of organizing is more fun. I also need to start yard sale boxes at the same time as well as decide on my homeschooling needs for next year because the used book sale is just weeks away here.
Doing the boys room always proves interesting , too, if time permits. Organizing it is worth the challenge though. Since they "faithfully" do their beds and floor and no food is allowed in there, their room is never really dirty, just gets massively cluttered to me. It is always nice to have neater closets and shelves and dressers. Plus,when I do it, they want to try rearranging soon, but I have to think out how it would work best before starting.
Hope all of you are eagerly enjoying the added exercise of making your rooms pretty and neat.
Joyfully,
Melanie
Earlier this week, I first tackled deep cleaning both the bathrooms and won that battle alone in less than two hours. The weekly cleaning only takes about 20 minutes, so this seemed like a lot of work. The shower curtains took the longest even with my trusty squirt bottle. Such a sense of accomplishment to have it finished after I put the freshly laundered blue rugs back in place.
Last night I found some free time to clean the dreaded fridge, and I could hardly believe that my two youngest boys were begging to help me do the back and bottom of the fridge, until I realized it mainly meant that they could stay up late. I do a regular cleaning and wiping every two weeks usually, but some spills that go behind and under the shelves are harder to get to, hence the need to take everything out, including the drawers and shelves, just to reach that. To get the drawers out, we had to pull the fridge all the way out, so Dad and the older two boys did that for me.
After getting the shelves out, even when the boys saw the mess of hardened strawberry juice and picante sauce, they were eager to help. So we spelled each other in reaching in and softening the mess with the squirt bottle and then scrubbing. Even found the missing Twix bar unopened that one son was missing since his birthday(threw that out!). Now, it looks so very clean and they were well rewarded by me for their efforts to help old mom reach and scrub. I was more tired from that workout this morning than they!
Next week, it looks like the laundry room and organizing kitchen shelves and pantry will take priority after school and chores. This job of organizing is more fun. I also need to start yard sale boxes at the same time as well as decide on my homeschooling needs for next year because the used book sale is just weeks away here.
Doing the boys room always proves interesting , too, if time permits. Organizing it is worth the challenge though. Since they "faithfully" do their beds and floor and no food is allowed in there, their room is never really dirty, just gets massively cluttered to me. It is always nice to have neater closets and shelves and dressers. Plus,when I do it, they want to try rearranging soon, but I have to think out how it would work best before starting.
Hope all of you are eagerly enjoying the added exercise of making your rooms pretty and neat.
Joyfully,
Melanie
Monday, February 14, 2011
Surprise Valentine Pancakes
An early morning surprise awaited me this morning. My three musketeers, as they call themselves, had been secretive yesterday evening, and I found out why today! They knew I had to take my son for the breakfast shift before school, so they had a surprise waiting when I emerged from my room at 7: 20. I found out that the ringleader, 12, had arisen at 6:30 am and gotten the other two (age 10 and 7) up and quietly gone to the kitchen where they started Bisquick pancakes for mom.
Seth later said he had divided the recipe to use only a fourth of each ingredient to make three pancakes, (right down to 1/2 an egg!) and tried to shape them in hearts. One was heart shaped, but the best part of all was that even though they love pancakes more than mom, that they only made some for me and ate cereal themselves. Such sacrificial love! What a joy to discover that they love me more than pancakes!
We had a nice time, too. They wanted me to "eat in Luxury" so they said I had to sit on the couch. Mind you, this statement was quite amusing because our couch desperately needs recovering (I have half the material I need to do it so far.) Anyway, then they made me relax and drink some apple juice with ice while they finished arranging my pancakes on a plate and put the powdered sugar on it (my favorite!)
I enjoyed my pleasant but quick meal, and prepared to take my son to work. After I told them thank you so much and was about to leave, Seth remembered he had something for me. He had made a balloon and decorated it to look like me(?) and had made a heart and a very sweet note about all the things he loves about me. I was very surprised.
So the day has started out very lovely. On top of that, they said they are planning to make lunch (pizza boats) and supper (to be decided), too!
My first three sons(now in their 20's), who also claimed to be the three musketeers when they were young, would not have thought of such a thing at that age (as I had never taught them to cook) but, when they were grown, they began to do special things, on occasion, that warm my heart.
Well, I hope all of you enjoy a pleasant day with your children whether they show their undying love or not. They do love you, you can be sure of that!
Rejoicing,
Melanie
Seth later said he had divided the recipe to use only a fourth of each ingredient to make three pancakes, (right down to 1/2 an egg!) and tried to shape them in hearts. One was heart shaped, but the best part of all was that even though they love pancakes more than mom, that they only made some for me and ate cereal themselves. Such sacrificial love! What a joy to discover that they love me more than pancakes!
We had a nice time, too. They wanted me to "eat in Luxury" so they said I had to sit on the couch. Mind you, this statement was quite amusing because our couch desperately needs recovering (I have half the material I need to do it so far.) Anyway, then they made me relax and drink some apple juice with ice while they finished arranging my pancakes on a plate and put the powdered sugar on it (my favorite!)
I enjoyed my pleasant but quick meal, and prepared to take my son to work. After I told them thank you so much and was about to leave, Seth remembered he had something for me. He had made a balloon and decorated it to look like me(?) and had made a heart and a very sweet note about all the things he loves about me. I was very surprised.
So the day has started out very lovely. On top of that, they said they are planning to make lunch (pizza boats) and supper (to be decided), too!
My first three sons(now in their 20's), who also claimed to be the three musketeers when they were young, would not have thought of such a thing at that age (as I had never taught them to cook) but, when they were grown, they began to do special things, on occasion, that warm my heart.
Well, I hope all of you enjoy a pleasant day with your children whether they show their undying love or not. They do love you, you can be sure of that!
Rejoicing,
Melanie
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
On the Mend
Well, it sure is good to be getting back to a regular schedule now. Still had the two younger ones with mild reoccurring fevers last evening so had to take care of them. We all slept well all night though for the first time. Yay!
It is so very cold again today: maybe 20 degrees at present and may get up to 30 today. Snow is predicted even! We will stay cozy and warm if the electricity stays on. It went off for 20 minutes this am. I really do
wish I had thought to buy hot chocolate, but I may google a recipe from cocoa powder, sugar, and milk which I do have. :-))
We have to catch up on a spelling test today and rearrange the schedule to extend school a couple extra days in May to make up for sick days. It will be smoother to adjust it, since everyone is still not up to par yet with their coughs and all, than to push to "catch up" and risk more problems of relapse. I always set the schedule for each year to end around the 20th of May or sooner so that there will be room to adapt anyway and still finish by the end of May.
Time to get to work. We are starting late since I let them sleep in to stay warm when the electricity was off.
I hope you enjoy a special day with your students, too!
Melanie
It is so very cold again today: maybe 20 degrees at present and may get up to 30 today. Snow is predicted even! We will stay cozy and warm if the electricity stays on. It went off for 20 minutes this am. I really do
wish I had thought to buy hot chocolate, but I may google a recipe from cocoa powder, sugar, and milk which I do have. :-))
We have to catch up on a spelling test today and rearrange the schedule to extend school a couple extra days in May to make up for sick days. It will be smoother to adjust it, since everyone is still not up to par yet with their coughs and all, than to push to "catch up" and risk more problems of relapse. I always set the schedule for each year to end around the 20th of May or sooner so that there will be room to adapt anyway and still finish by the end of May.
Time to get to work. We are starting late since I let them sleep in to stay warm when the electricity was off.
I hope you enjoy a special day with your students, too!
Melanie
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Fevers and Flu
It is amazing how fast children can get sick. Within a day after I wrote the last post, The older two were coming down with something, had sore throat and slight temps. I didn't worry as that was manageable, until Thurs. when their temps. hit 103 and rising that morning and sore throat and cough. It was time for the doctor.
While waiting for the appt., their temps went to 103.8 and 104. Very aggressive virus, so, since Jr. strength wasn't working, had to switch to adult ibuprofen. It worked so well that their temps. were embarrassingly normal when we got to the doctor. The strep test was negative, so that left the evil flu. By evening, the third son had it, and by morning the last one.
We turned the living room couches and the lazy-boy into beds as an infirmary so that I could keep watch on each for temps, giving medicine, ice water, cool baths, etc. through each of the three nights (while I was starting to feel bad). Two were almost better by Sunday, except their coughs, so they waited on the rest of us and rested in between. Monday all of us were feeling better, but still tired and the coughs are less frequent.
Tomorrow we will try a half day of school. It will be good to eat something besides soup and crackers and applesauce and yougart again, too.
Tonight, we all went to our own beds, but I couldn't sleep still as one woke me once already, so I am writing this. I am tired but restless, but want to be sure I don't miss a need. Luckily, my husband did not get this flu, and I hope he doesn't! I am glad that my case was comparatively mild, PTL!, so that I could care for the others. God was good to see us through this so well, when it hit so unexpectedly. We have since learned that there is a LOT of this going around our area. Well, time to try to get some sleep again. I can hear the promised cold front sweeping in with its winds. A perfect start to February. :-)
Recovering my joy,
Melanie
While waiting for the appt., their temps went to 103.8 and 104. Very aggressive virus, so, since Jr. strength wasn't working, had to switch to adult ibuprofen. It worked so well that their temps. were embarrassingly normal when we got to the doctor. The strep test was negative, so that left the evil flu. By evening, the third son had it, and by morning the last one.
We turned the living room couches and the lazy-boy into beds as an infirmary so that I could keep watch on each for temps, giving medicine, ice water, cool baths, etc. through each of the three nights (while I was starting to feel bad). Two were almost better by Sunday, except their coughs, so they waited on the rest of us and rested in between. Monday all of us were feeling better, but still tired and the coughs are less frequent.
Tomorrow we will try a half day of school. It will be good to eat something besides soup and crackers and applesauce and yougart again, too.
Tonight, we all went to our own beds, but I couldn't sleep still as one woke me once already, so I am writing this. I am tired but restless, but want to be sure I don't miss a need. Luckily, my husband did not get this flu, and I hope he doesn't! I am glad that my case was comparatively mild, PTL!, so that I could care for the others. God was good to see us through this so well, when it hit so unexpectedly. We have since learned that there is a LOT of this going around our area. Well, time to try to get some sleep again. I can hear the promised cold front sweeping in with its winds. A perfect start to February. :-)
Recovering my joy,
Melanie
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
All In A Day's Work
Hello Everyone!
I am so glad that January is almost over! The sun has returned for the whole week which is such a help even though it is still cold. Before my daughter left for college, we started on a quilt for Veith, and did some mending on her things to get her ready.
Now that Harmony is back at college, life is settling into a new routine of sorts. Everyone misses her so much! It is my turn on the rotation with the boys to do the dishes and table. I feel quite sad when I start to set her place and realize that she is gone. Doing up the dishes by hand takes some extra bit of our time. We try to not to run the dishwasher much to keep the bills - water, electric, and gas water heater- lower. It does add a bit of satisfaction at least to put that "Joy" in the water and scrub things sparkling clean. Makes me wonder how I managed to do it so long ago when I had ten place settings to clean by hand three meals a day.
These colder days keep our schedule more relaxed since we don't go very many places when it is chilly. The main creative thing we did two weeks ago was to make a bunch of Thank- you notes a bit late for the Christmas gifts they received. (Better late than never!) And a couple children have a few lessons to catch up on that will keep them busy this week. I never like to finish January unless everyone is generally caught up in their schoolwork. I encourage all of you to do a special review of where your students are and adjust for their needs, too. Aside from our usual school day, we are actively doing home remedies for our allergies that have hit our area, mainly cedar fever and mold spores. Luckily, we are still well enough to do schoolwork, with a box of tissues to share :-))
For fun we are practicing learning calligraphy and bowling skills indoors until the weather gets warmer. Then we will take up kick-ball which seems to be becoming popular here. The bonus is that they can learn running bases for baseball at the same time. They are starting to beg to get seedlings started. I may actually try it this year. We have also done some organizing and played a few games to liven things up a little.
Our evenings are mostly spent reading, playing with Legos, or listening to Jonathon Park some nights. I work on writing up tests for the boys, doing e-mail, or sewing for my doll dress business. Have a soft-bodied doll almost ready for the website, and is she ever cute!
Then, Veith has to be driven to work and back most nights, so I sandwich supper in-between. We finally got in some driving practice together in the neighborhood last weekend. He did quite well! But the hand maneuvers for turning corners still need refining before we go anywhere over 15 or 20 miles an hour :-)) This is my fifth child l've taught to drive. It is always good to see their confidence and carefulness improve with their skill.
Today, for excitement, after starting laundry, I did some sewing/ mending on my husband's duffel bag and my son's favorite pair of socks. Later, I have to go to town with the boys when I drop Veith off to get just the right ribbon or yarn to make hair for those dolls. Plan to make chili or a chicken casserole or the like for dinner, too. Yum!
Later this week, Andrew will help me put my pictures of the doll and a couple new outfits up on the website. Please, check out harmonydollfashions.com if you get a chance in February. Thanks!
Hope all of you have a great finish to January!
Melanie
I am so glad that January is almost over! The sun has returned for the whole week which is such a help even though it is still cold. Before my daughter left for college, we started on a quilt for Veith, and did some mending on her things to get her ready.
Now that Harmony is back at college, life is settling into a new routine of sorts. Everyone misses her so much! It is my turn on the rotation with the boys to do the dishes and table. I feel quite sad when I start to set her place and realize that she is gone. Doing up the dishes by hand takes some extra bit of our time. We try to not to run the dishwasher much to keep the bills - water, electric, and gas water heater- lower. It does add a bit of satisfaction at least to put that "Joy" in the water and scrub things sparkling clean. Makes me wonder how I managed to do it so long ago when I had ten place settings to clean by hand three meals a day.
These colder days keep our schedule more relaxed since we don't go very many places when it is chilly. The main creative thing we did two weeks ago was to make a bunch of Thank- you notes a bit late for the Christmas gifts they received. (Better late than never!) And a couple children have a few lessons to catch up on that will keep them busy this week. I never like to finish January unless everyone is generally caught up in their schoolwork. I encourage all of you to do a special review of where your students are and adjust for their needs, too. Aside from our usual school day, we are actively doing home remedies for our allergies that have hit our area, mainly cedar fever and mold spores. Luckily, we are still well enough to do schoolwork, with a box of tissues to share :-))
For fun we are practicing learning calligraphy and bowling skills indoors until the weather gets warmer. Then we will take up kick-ball which seems to be becoming popular here. The bonus is that they can learn running bases for baseball at the same time. They are starting to beg to get seedlings started. I may actually try it this year. We have also done some organizing and played a few games to liven things up a little.
Our evenings are mostly spent reading, playing with Legos, or listening to Jonathon Park some nights. I work on writing up tests for the boys, doing e-mail, or sewing for my doll dress business. Have a soft-bodied doll almost ready for the website, and is she ever cute!
Then, Veith has to be driven to work and back most nights, so I sandwich supper in-between. We finally got in some driving practice together in the neighborhood last weekend. He did quite well! But the hand maneuvers for turning corners still need refining before we go anywhere over 15 or 20 miles an hour :-)) This is my fifth child l've taught to drive. It is always good to see their confidence and carefulness improve with their skill.
Today, for excitement, after starting laundry, I did some sewing/ mending on my husband's duffel bag and my son's favorite pair of socks. Later, I have to go to town with the boys when I drop Veith off to get just the right ribbon or yarn to make hair for those dolls. Plan to make chili or a chicken casserole or the like for dinner, too. Yum!
Later this week, Andrew will help me put my pictures of the doll and a couple new outfits up on the website. Please, check out harmonydollfashions.com if you get a chance in February. Thanks!
Hope all of you have a great finish to January!
Melanie
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
New Year Blues
Hi Everyone!
Since I was raised in Michigan, I always have the irresistible desire to hibernate in January.
I only wish we could have some snow here in Texas, too, to make it seem like a legitimate
reason to have a sabbatical month to just stay home and enjoy my family and get away with a little reading and organizing. Some years I have actually managed it!
Other years, like this one, when I plan to rest and stay cozy, the Lord has other ideas. There are people to care for at home and away, and, Alas, I still need milk and eggs every few days, and my son still needs to be driven to work. Since I don't hang a "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door (though I have THOUGHT about it :-)), a neighbor came by and blessed me with gingerbread cake, and two days later another friend came by with three kinds of tea (to warm my heart as well as my hands no doubt!) God seems to know that misery loves company and has arranged that I not be given time to be too alone with my SADD syndrome. Getting out in the sunlight helps ALOT, so I have to journey out to greet the day and at least check the mailbox or just go to see something in the yard that the boys beg me to see.
Soon, also, there is a missions conference at our church in the middle of the month with several families with 4 children each that I will enjoy meeting.
Also, my daughter's birthday is next week. It will be just a family celebration, before I say a tearful good-bye when she returns to college. Learning to live without her all last semester was an opportunity to accept being the only girl in a houseful of guys. It was great to have her home through the holidays. I was so surprised to have my son from Wisconsin home for the whole week. Andrew's parents arrived for the whole week, too, as well as my daughter and son and his native friend from Papua New Guinea. Arranging beds for all was made easier when Grandpa and GranD chose the new Motel6. That left one son on a sleeping bag and the two couches for two willing sons. Feeding thirteen every meal all week, and eleven all the next week, left very little time for rest or reading. But I was rewarded by their compliments that it was so much better than that college food. (though I personally would have loved all their choices every day when I was in college)
And they gifted me by raking all the "millions" of leaves and cleaning the backyard! I was so grateful for their thoughtful help!
Now it is January and time to start schooling all the children again. My sabbatical will have to be sandwiched inbetween all the activities this month. My children surely couldn't live without their annual January homeschool bowling day either, I am sure. Not even an allowance for them this year to help pay for it. Times are tough. My son's paycheck came in time to let him buy the last two $2.50 pizzas at the store with the free bowling coupons on them so that will help.
It is great when you discover that your children are catching your frugal ways and benefiting from it even.
Still, since even the sun hides, I really have to struggle to cheer myself up in January. This week though I had a really good laugh. My 2nd son is working a second job as a pizza deliverer and saving all his tips (to finish flight school) in a special bucket and depositing in the bank at intervals.
Well, he thought he would be funny and decided to put a slit in the cover and leave it in the hall, so that we couldn't miss it, with a message scrawled in marker. Flight Tips: Donations accepted.
When my husband saw it, he promptly wrote a tip about adjusting the flaps before landing and pushed it through the opening. AH... flight tips... We all caught the spirit and started writing our own. Be sure you have enough gas before take off. Have fun. Never push rudder when you need aileron, and others. Boy is he in for a surprise when he opens it to count his tips "money."
We sure had a good laugh!
The other thing I got to do over the holiday was taking my 16 yr. old son to get his driving permit. In Texas there is a new law that stopped the use of the previous inexpensive state curriculum (which I had already used successfully with the first four children), and instead, requires parents to spend money on only approved, and costly, courses to qualify to teach their own child after registering with DPS. After registering, my son paid for his own online course out of his paycheck. It said to use their materials and set aside the DPS packet. When we completed level one, it was finally time to go take the test for the permit.
Knowing it would be a two hour wait (this is my fifth child to process) we took books to read. Well over an hour later, we were called. Wow, But ... what is this? They seem to have lost my registration! After a futile wait of 10 or 15 minutes, they finally reached someone at their own driver's ed dept. only to be told they couldn't find us in their registry. I told them the check number and date, but they said that wasn't good enough.
(and I had left their packet at home since I wasn't supposed to need it...) To make it a three hour wait instead of 1 1/2 I had to go back to my city to my bank and get a copy of the front and back of that check ( and for good measure returned home for the packet) just to go back and wait only another 10 minutes this time (Whew!) to show them the proof so he could take his computer permit test, which he passed easily. (91%) Boy was I glad! By the time I got home, it was time to start dinner for 10 this time. The next morning, we went to the high school parking lot to practice. He even got the 15 pass. van in a left parking place perfectly that day. What a relief.
SO my "vacation" did have some reward in all my labors, and I AM thankful for the new year as it always is refreshing to have a new start, soo.. why the blues? I think I can explain...
One son went to Alaska a couple years back and took pictures of snow sooo cold it was BLUE. Maybe that explains why I get the New Year "Blues." :-)) I freeze in Texas when it is 40 degrees! My favorite present two years ago was a thick soft green blanket from my brother. If I could stay in it with a book and a cup of tea until January is over, I would. Alas, my family still likes to have clean clothes and eat three meals a day. Now, layers of clothes have become stylish for me so I can function each day for my family.
Time to make a list of goals for the year. I met one last year with my husband's help. Starting my website and blog was it, and I hope I have more time for writing this year. Check back to see if I find more to write.
If any of you out there also get the New Year Blues, consider this...
When you feel down in the mouth, remember Jonah, .... he came out all right. :-))
Digging Deeper to Find Joy in January,
Melanie
Since I was raised in Michigan, I always have the irresistible desire to hibernate in January.
I only wish we could have some snow here in Texas, too, to make it seem like a legitimate
reason to have a sabbatical month to just stay home and enjoy my family and get away with a little reading and organizing. Some years I have actually managed it!
Other years, like this one, when I plan to rest and stay cozy, the Lord has other ideas. There are people to care for at home and away, and, Alas, I still need milk and eggs every few days, and my son still needs to be driven to work. Since I don't hang a "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door (though I have THOUGHT about it :-)), a neighbor came by and blessed me with gingerbread cake, and two days later another friend came by with three kinds of tea (to warm my heart as well as my hands no doubt!) God seems to know that misery loves company and has arranged that I not be given time to be too alone with my SADD syndrome. Getting out in the sunlight helps ALOT, so I have to journey out to greet the day and at least check the mailbox or just go to see something in the yard that the boys beg me to see.
Soon, also, there is a missions conference at our church in the middle of the month with several families with 4 children each that I will enjoy meeting.
Also, my daughter's birthday is next week. It will be just a family celebration, before I say a tearful good-bye when she returns to college. Learning to live without her all last semester was an opportunity to accept being the only girl in a houseful of guys. It was great to have her home through the holidays. I was so surprised to have my son from Wisconsin home for the whole week. Andrew's parents arrived for the whole week, too, as well as my daughter and son and his native friend from Papua New Guinea. Arranging beds for all was made easier when Grandpa and GranD chose the new Motel6. That left one son on a sleeping bag and the two couches for two willing sons. Feeding thirteen every meal all week, and eleven all the next week, left very little time for rest or reading. But I was rewarded by their compliments that it was so much better than that college food. (though I personally would have loved all their choices every day when I was in college)
And they gifted me by raking all the "millions" of leaves and cleaning the backyard! I was so grateful for their thoughtful help!
Now it is January and time to start schooling all the children again. My sabbatical will have to be sandwiched inbetween all the activities this month. My children surely couldn't live without their annual January homeschool bowling day either, I am sure. Not even an allowance for them this year to help pay for it. Times are tough. My son's paycheck came in time to let him buy the last two $2.50 pizzas at the store with the free bowling coupons on them so that will help.
It is great when you discover that your children are catching your frugal ways and benefiting from it even.
Still, since even the sun hides, I really have to struggle to cheer myself up in January. This week though I had a really good laugh. My 2nd son is working a second job as a pizza deliverer and saving all his tips (to finish flight school) in a special bucket and depositing in the bank at intervals.
Well, he thought he would be funny and decided to put a slit in the cover and leave it in the hall, so that we couldn't miss it, with a message scrawled in marker. Flight Tips: Donations accepted.
When my husband saw it, he promptly wrote a tip about adjusting the flaps before landing and pushed it through the opening. AH... flight tips... We all caught the spirit and started writing our own. Be sure you have enough gas before take off. Have fun. Never push rudder when you need aileron, and others. Boy is he in for a surprise when he opens it to count his tips "money."
We sure had a good laugh!
The other thing I got to do over the holiday was taking my 16 yr. old son to get his driving permit. In Texas there is a new law that stopped the use of the previous inexpensive state curriculum (which I had already used successfully with the first four children), and instead, requires parents to spend money on only approved, and costly, courses to qualify to teach their own child after registering with DPS. After registering, my son paid for his own online course out of his paycheck. It said to use their materials and set aside the DPS packet. When we completed level one, it was finally time to go take the test for the permit.
Knowing it would be a two hour wait (this is my fifth child to process) we took books to read. Well over an hour later, we were called. Wow, But ... what is this? They seem to have lost my registration! After a futile wait of 10 or 15 minutes, they finally reached someone at their own driver's ed dept. only to be told they couldn't find us in their registry. I told them the check number and date, but they said that wasn't good enough.
(and I had left their packet at home since I wasn't supposed to need it...) To make it a three hour wait instead of 1 1/2 I had to go back to my city to my bank and get a copy of the front and back of that check ( and for good measure returned home for the packet) just to go back and wait only another 10 minutes this time (Whew!) to show them the proof so he could take his computer permit test, which he passed easily. (91%) Boy was I glad! By the time I got home, it was time to start dinner for 10 this time. The next morning, we went to the high school parking lot to practice. He even got the 15 pass. van in a left parking place perfectly that day. What a relief.
SO my "vacation" did have some reward in all my labors, and I AM thankful for the new year as it always is refreshing to have a new start, soo.. why the blues? I think I can explain...
One son went to Alaska a couple years back and took pictures of snow sooo cold it was BLUE. Maybe that explains why I get the New Year "Blues." :-)) I freeze in Texas when it is 40 degrees! My favorite present two years ago was a thick soft green blanket from my brother. If I could stay in it with a book and a cup of tea until January is over, I would. Alas, my family still likes to have clean clothes and eat three meals a day. Now, layers of clothes have become stylish for me so I can function each day for my family.
Time to make a list of goals for the year. I met one last year with my husband's help. Starting my website and blog was it, and I hope I have more time for writing this year. Check back to see if I find more to write.
If any of you out there also get the New Year Blues, consider this...
When you feel down in the mouth, remember Jonah, .... he came out all right. :-))
Digging Deeper to Find Joy in January,
Melanie
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