Thankful in November

As I grow older, I realize more and more what a blessed life I have - and how good God has been to me and how much I have been given. I haven't gotten everything I ever wanted when I wanted it - but I see how God's Hand was in everything that has happened to me, even in the darkest times and hardest days. I deserve nothing - none of this - not this family, not my home, not my church, not my friends. And yet, God has daily loaded me with benefits of which I was sometimes not even aware. His mercy has been great - and His long suffering has been, well, LONG. He continues to work on me and love me - and I want to be aware of His goodness.

My birthday is this month! And I have loved that it is on the very last day of the month - easy to remember - kind of a nice, even date: November 30. This year, I am looking at so much to be thankful for as I approach another birthday: nearing the end of what has been a very enjoyable pregnancy, nearing the end of my 30's (a decade in which I have "grown" so much - often through trials, but always with God's grace right there when I was ready to receive it), and nearing the end of 6 1/2 years of employment at my church & its Christian school (my last day of working in the office is on my birthday!).

This month I want to express and focus on how truly thankful I am - and so I am planning "30 Days of Thanks". It isn't original to my blog - though there isn't any other blog that I know of doing this - but I did steal the graphic from another website! ;) I'd love it if you joined me - if just in dwelling on your own blessings each day in the stillness of your own heart. Blessings are all around - some tiny, some almost going unnoticed, and some are HUGE, in-your-face obvious! I am working on my negative attitudes lately, hoping to form new habits of dwelling on God's goodness instead of on the negatives of the world. I know I won't feel thankful every day - and I know my life won't suddenly turn into Pollyanna-World - but I am looking forward to finding joy in every day despite circumstances and despite myself.

31 Weeks!

I get weekly emails about our baby's development. It is so amazing to me how God allows a baby to develop, how He has already planned each detail - truly a miracle. We are entering week 31 - I've got about (hopefully) 6 or 8 more weeks to go before we meet this little girl:

Your baby continues to grow and develop inside of you. Measuring 16 inches long, she weighs 4 lbs. 4 whole pounds, wow! And from this week, until 2 weeks before birth, she will gain about a half pound every week. (I'm particularly happy to hear the baby is supposed to be about 4 lbs by now - I've only gained 6-7 lbs total at this point, and having started out overweight, I am thinking maybe I can come out of this pregnancy "even" - especially since I'm "older" now and I know my metabolism isn't what it used to be! Yes, sadly, I'm vain enough to be thinking about this.).

As you've probably noticed, she is moving around quite a bit in there! It's not uncommon for her continuous movements, which may feel like somersaults, to be keeping you up at night. Her arms, legs and body are also filling out as she continues to develop fat underneath her skin, making those kicks and prods feel even stronger than last week. You may even see an arm or a foot move slowly across your belly! (YES, so true! And my husband has finally been able to feel - and SEE - her move too)

New belly pics coming soon.

Noah, Get Your Ark!

It's been raining and raining and raining for days on end. But it hasn't really mattered because we have been so busy. I just realized that I have been at work for 9 week days in a row - sometimes not a full day - however, after being spoiled by my part-time hours, this has been an adjustment!

Even this morning, we had to be at our clinic by 8:20 a.m. so Andrew could get caught up on his immunizations. It took an hour before we were seen ... so I spent some quality time with my son in a little doctor's room. Finally, Andrew got 2 shots, and we were released. We stopped by the grocery store to take advantage of a few sales there. On the way back to the car, Andrew was running through the rain after putting the cart back into the store, and he hit the deepest puddle in the parking lot full throttle! We had to stop by the house and get his clothes and shoes changed. Finally I got him back to school.

Now that I'm sitting here in my quiet house, listening to the rain, I think I am going to take a NAP! :) ahhhhhhh, I've missed my days off!!

The Little Sister Test

Tonight my kids got an opportunity to see how they would like having a baby in the house. My friend needed child care for her granddaughter for a few hours while she went to a college night class. It helped that the baby was a very good, very happy, very out-going 1-year-old.

Anna took to the "big sister" role immediately - and the baby responded! It was a lot of fun - and a lot of work! Books had to be read over and over ....

but even the kitties cooperated with the baby, and everyone stayed happy!

Of course, there were a few precarious situations that found a baby in need of rescuing - but Anna was ever vigilant.

It was a good experience for my kids to interact with a little one - and to realize that it requires work, responsibility, and a gentle hand. By the end of the night, Anna was admitting she was TIRED ... but she is very excited about becoming a big sister.

Surviving or Thriving?

This past week the thought was presented at church that some Christians just "survive" each day - and others THRIVE in their Christian lives.

It really struck me because at the end of a long work day, I often will make the statement that I survived another day in the office ... or I survived another week ... or we survived another crisis with someone we have to deal with. I have survived a lot, if you listen to me long enough: things I didn't want to do, people I didn't really want to talk to, situations I didn't want to face. I've "made it through" (same terminology as "surviving") another unpleasant task or managed to deal successfully with something I thought was going to be hard. I think I set myself up mentally sometimes to anticipate a situation being hardly "survivable"!

I've always been somewhat of a negative thinker - though I prefer to call it "being realistic"!! I dread tasks before I ever have to do them - or I anticipate that facing a certain situation may be harder than it really is. I prefer contemplating worst-case-scenarios rather than best-case-scenarios. I often wonder how I'll badly fail or how poorly I'll perform instead of how I'll succeed. It's something I've really had to work on - and my husband, who is an eternal optimist, really completes me in this area. If it weren't for him, I'd be an unbearable downer!

As I've often heard or read, a negative Christian is a poor testimony! It is very humbling to me. Some of the people who come into my office at the church & its Christian school don't go to church anywhere - and all they know of church and God and Christians is who and what they see right there! I'm not saying I am the "only Jesus they may ever see" because there are so many GOOD examples of Christ and Christian attitudes every where in our church & school, but I can contribute to my GOOD witness instead of the same negative words they may hear anywhere else in a secular environment. If Christians are to be "different", it has be right down to thinking and perspective.

While I don't subscribe to the whole "power of positive thinking," I do know that being negative is directly against what God has promised us in the Bible. We can "do all things through Christ"; we can have "peace that passes understanding"; we can have "life more abundantly"; we can "overcome the world"! Of course, there will always be situations we have to be "realistic" about - Christians can't live in oblivion - but even then, the approach to the circumstance should be different if we know God is truly in control. I do think there is a lot of truth to the statement that a Christian should strive to thrive, not just to survive.

Oh, and the irony within this is if you LOOK at the first words of my recent, previous post!!!!!!! :-O

Recap of the Week

We survived!! This last week met my expectations - it wasn't "bad", it was just "busy" as I knew it would be. I know some families live at this pace, but I am just not organized enough, don't have energy enough to do it! I'm just too much of a homebody to run around like this every day of the week. It went something like this:

Monday after working all day, I took the kids to piano lessons and then got to our church's ladies meeting a little late afterward. It was a nice meeting - and being around my church friends and eating their food (!!) always makes me feel better, even though I was glad to get home that night.

Tuesday I had a doctor appointment. I had to eat my 20 jelly beans for the glucose tolerance test an hour before the appointment. It wasn't as yummy as it sounds, actually - but better than the orange-sugar-concentrate drink I've had before! I just wish they had let me pick the colors of the jelly beans! I don't like red jelly beans -and there seemed to be a lot more red ones than any other color! Thankfully, there were also purple, green, and white ones (which I really like). I actually LOVE black jelly beans - and I love black licorice - but I read recently that pregnant women are to avoid all things licorice. Bummer. In this case though, I won't be needing any more jelly beans until Easter!

My appointment was fine - my sugar level was 125 (fail is between 130-140 for most doctor's purposes). They tested my iron levels as I tend to be anemic - but I didn't hear back with the results. I talked to the doctor a while - he went over the VBAC again and then asked me to also consider/research a scheduled c-section as well. In the end, he will do what I want, of course, but now I've got a lot more to think about! I'm just praying for wisdom to do the RIGHT thing for the baby.
I worked the rest of the day on Tuesday in my office - but I did get a chance to sneak in a quick trip to Target before I went in. :)

Wednesday was another busy day - our children's choir performed for church that night, which is always a blessing! Thankfully we had so many good helpers that I didn't even have to stay with the kids after the singing, and I got to be in "big church" instead.

Thursday I worked til 3 p.m. when a friend relieved me in the office for the last 2 hours of the day. Dan too had to stay for Parent-Teacher Conferences. I was so thankful for the chance to run an errand and get home as I had an extra child at my house as well. I made the kids spaghetti. It's always so funny to me that after a week of thrown-together meals and quick-fix dishes, that when I cook something as simple as spaghetti with garlic bread, my kids rave as if I'd slaved over the stove all day! :)

Friday was another hectic day! We had the health department come in to vaccinate about 50 children (4 year olds through 3rd graders) whose parents had consented to them getting the H1N1 vaccine. We've never done anything like this before in our school - but it went ok. Of course, we had a few screamers and a few leery children - but since most of the kids got a nasal mist, it wasn't too bad. I had to help during the whole process - and I am amazed at the nurse who came to administer the vaccines. She came all alone, armed with her shots and nasal mists, and totally took control of the situation. Thankfully the parents of a few of the worst cases were there - and one mom and her son ended up lying in the floor (!!) to get the kid his shot!! I was thankful to NOT have to deal with that one. I now know more about the whole H1N1 vaccination process that I ever thought I'd know - and I can even answer questions about it intelligently (I think!). :)

Today Dan's parents came to see us. They came with us to the kids' piano recital this afternoon.
Andrew played a patriotic number that he has been working on since July - it combines The Star-Spangled Banner, Dixie Land, and a few other songs:

Anna played 2 songs out of her lesson book:

Dan's parents left after the recital as Anna had said she wasn't feeling well. She has a low grade temp of 99.2 degrees. Dan's dad is very nervous about illness so they decided to not spend the night with us. Anna was sad because she thought it was her fault - but one has to understand that Grandpa is quite a germ-a-phobe - and perhaps rightfully so this flu season. :) Right now she is on meds and feeling ok - we'll see how this progresses. As for me & Dan, we are wiped out, resting on the couches, and watching college football. It makes me appreciate these moments so much more after a crazy busy week like we just had. Home is sweeter tonight.

I Have A Feeling...

...that I will be very absent from my blog for the next week. It is going to be a crazy busy week for me coming up. My lovely part-time work schedule will temporarily turn full-time once more while my co-worker goes away for the week. Not only that, but we have a church ladies meeting and other things scheduled for the week that will eat up my time and attention and energy.

I hope to make a menu plan so my family will not be stuck eating hot dogs and mac-n-cheese (though they actually LIKE those foods!!) all week. I may throw in a frozen pizza one night - ha!! I will miss my days at home - but it's just for ONE WEEK. I can do it! :) I do have a reprieve as I have a doctor appointment on Tuesday morning, which will take up the morning hours as my doctor is 50 miles away. I have my glucose tolerance test - and I love that this doctor does NOT make you drink that nasty, thick orange-sugar drink. I just have to eat a special brand of 20 jelly beans prior to the blood draw! I *love* jelly beans! :)

If you know my family, please pray for my dad - he had prostate cancer surgery yesterday (a cryo-surgery procedure) and tolerated it pretty well. He should be home today.
My brother was diagnosed with the H1N1 virus on Thursday - and since starting Tamiflu treatment, he is doing a little better. His wife is about 36 weeks pregnant, so she too is being treated with Tamiflu as a precaution. They also have a 3-year-old who they are trying to keep well.

My doctor ordered the H1N1 vaccine for me, but I am not sure how how the supplies in this area of the country are holding up. I have never had any kind of flu shot in my entire life - then again, I've never had a real flu as such. I am willing to get the shot this time as the doctor (and several other health care workers I know) has convinced me that it will not hurt me and will be good for the baby's immunity as well.

Have a great week, everyone who stops by my blog. See you when the dust settles!

Tea Inspiration

My friends and I LOVE tea. We've shared years of tea times together with each other and with our girls. When I read this blog entry, I could so relate!! Whether you like tea or coffee or Coke, it's a nice read:
Tea Story

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance

October 15 is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day:

President Ronald Reagan's Proclamation in October 1988

This day comes right before the anniversary of my own miscarriage, which happened on October 17, 2002. I can't even begin to explain how this one event affected and changed my life over the last 7 years. And yet, there are so many women (or should I say couples) who have had much deeper losses than mine - multiple miscarriages, stillbirths, and infant loss due to SIDS, accident, or disease. Some don't have any children yet, and some never will. That is something I can't even begin to imagine, but I have often heard that God doesn't give you grace until you need it.

In any case, I could write a book about the last 7 years - of how God worked and taught me things I would have not learned had I not gone through a miscarriage and what He revealed to me about myself in how I handled my grief and feelings in the years after (not always in the right way) and in my willingness to accept God's will over my own (often reluctantly). I have realized most of all what a fragile gift life is. I do not take my children for granted, and now that I have been given one more chance to experience pregnancy, I feel so undeservedly blessed. God has fulfilled the desire of my heart so completely. I would like to think that if I had never been able to have children, I could still accept God as enough, as all I need; but I am not so sure I could without much, much more grace. My thoughts today are with those I know who have experienced the loss of a baby or child ... and I hope they will let God be their comfort as they remember.

My, How They've Grown!

Most every year in October, we have the kids' Between-the-Birthdays pictures taken. Andrew turned 11 years old in September, and Anna will be 9 years old in November. We have the pictures done "professionally" even though it cost us more money then we probably should pay at this time in our lives. But I have tried to take pictures like this - tried to find backgrounds & poses & lighting that's just right - and well, I just don't have that photographer's eye - or equipment!! We see it as an investment in our memories, a documentation of the passage of time. Definitely worth every penny!

Our children's pictures line our stairs as you go up to their rooms in our house - and from age 4 months to now, you can see the growth and maturing process. Sometimes I take my time as I go up to put away laundry or to check on bedtime activities, and I am amazed at how fast time has gone by - at how good God has been to us to give us two healthy, happy children - and lately, I've been pondering how our 3rd little one will fit into the picture of our family. We can't wait to meet her and are thankful for the opportunity to watch her grow up as well. Andrew


Anna

Buzzing about "Draw and Write Through History"

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!! (said in my best White Rabbit voice - from "Alice in Wonderland"). I was to do my very first review for Mama Bzz - and the blog tour of reviews started yesterday (Monday, October 12). We were out of town all day, actually since Sunday, so I am just now chiming in ... and I am SO excited to finally share about the book I was given to review.

First some very important business: The product was provided by C.P.R. Publishing for this review.

The book that was sent to me is the first in a series of four Draw and Write Through History books. You can find out more about this and other volumes at the Draw and Write website.

This first book covers "Creation through Jonah". It is recommended for children age 8 and older; however, it can be adapted for younger children as well. In fact, that is exactly what I intend to do with this book in the near future!
This book is also probably most used/recommended for home-schooling families (it is written by a homeschooling mom of 7), but I can see how it can go beyond the homeschool classroom. I, for one, do not homeschool. My children attend a traditional, Christian school, but the lessons in this book can certainly supplement what my children are learning at school and church in Sunday School, Bible Class, and History class. It covers a variety of interests such as art/drawing and historical facts while enforcing good handwriting skills at the same time. You just need some paper and a good set of sharp pencils and colored pencils (oh, and an eraser!).

Below is a picture of the beginning of the lesson on Noah. If my children complete this assignment, I can see them putting it into a notebook (the written page along with their drawings) to be something to look over again. (Any bad picture quality in this blog entry is my own fault, not that of the book, which has EXCELLENT and clear pictures and graphics).



Like I said, the book covers a variety of interests - drawing (see a sample lesson here), writing, learning new facts, and challenges to research time periods on your own. Lastly, I wanted to mention that I think I will be adapting this book to use for my little Wednesday night children's group at church. I usually work with children age 4 through those who are in 1st grade. Some of the drawings are simple enough that I think they can attempt them, as well as the stories being familiar enough to share the facts mentioned in this book. I checked with the book's copyright policy, and it says that if you are a school teacher or a homeschooling parent, you have the publisher's permission to photocopy parts of this book for use in your classroom as part of your lesson. I am going to inquire if that includes children's Bible class teachers or even Sunday School teachers.

On a personal note, I am glad the book uses all Scripture quotations from the King James Version of the Holy Bible as this is the version I am most familiar with - and it is the version that my children use in their curriculum at school (A Beka).

If your interest is piqued, you can purchase this book and its 3 companion volumes from the Draw and Write website for $12 each (or $40 for all 4 books!!) or from Amazon. If you'd like to hear what other reviewers are saying - to include moms who have used this book in their homeschooling - check out the links at Mama Bzz.

Thank you, Carylee Gressman (and Peggy Dick) and CPR Publishing for the opportunity to have volume one of this well-done, well-organized, and FUN learning experience to share with my children, church friends, and blog readers. It was MY pleasure!

28 Weeks

If you've ever been pregnant, doesn't it seem at some point like you've been pregnant FOREVER! In a way, I'm glad I still have 9 to 12+ weeks to prepare until this baby is born (I'm really, really, really hoping for a Pre-Christmas baby - even though I'm not due until January 4th). But in another way, May - when I found out I was pregnant - seems like an eternity ago - and December/January seems like an eternity out into the future. Even as the baby is kicking & moving around inside of me, it is hard to believe that I am going to have another child!!

What is going on with your baby during week 28?

Your baby's lungs are starting to produce surfactant, a detergent-like substance that prevents the lungs from closing in and instead allows for expansion to take in air. This increases baby's odds at surviving if born early. While babies are able to more than survive when born weeks early. The odds to do better outside the womb increases, when they inhabitate the womb longer. Your baby approximates at 14-16 inches (35cm) with full length being 15¾ in (35cm). Baby is about 2.5 pounds (1.1kg) in weight.

Game Day at Our House

I personally am not a big sports fan ... but I married one. Well, Dan is discerning about his sports - he really only follows Cardinals baseball (the season just happens to run from April until way into October!) and college football - cheering for his home state team of Iowa and my home state team of Tennessee.


I grew up (from 6th - 12th grades anyway) in Knoxville - and consider it "home" because my parents still live there - even though I was born in Germany and spent the first four years of my life there and then briefly living in Virginia after that. When you live in a college town, you can't help but cheer for the university team as their influence is everywhere. My husband actually attended the University of Tennessee (of Chattanooga) for ROTC, so he has more of a link to UT than just being married to me. And so, we cheer for the Vols - who this morning beat the University of Georgia. They needed the win as they were losing their position in the SEC pretty quickly. Win #1 of the day for our family's teams!

Later this evening, Dan's home team of Iowa - the Hawkeyes, the team he has followed since he was a boy - will be playing Michigan. It is televised here in Missouri (third week in a row Iowa has been on TV here), so my husband is a happy man. Let's go Hawks! (That reminds me that Andrew could say that by the time he was 3 years old)

Dan grew up all over Iowa but spent the most time in the southeastern part of the state - and the closest MLB team to them was the St. Louis Cardinals - so that is a team he also followed since he was a child. He listened to their games on the radio - and still does sometimes for nostalgia's sake. Dan's family did not have a TV for a long time while he was growing up, so he loves books and radio sportscasts as a result.

The Cardinals have one last chance to get another step closer to the World Series ... can they get it together?? We'll see tonight when they play the Dodgers - game 3 of their series.

I'm sure in the light of eternity all this effort and money spent on sports won't be remembered - but for now, it makes life on this earth just a little more interesting.

Great Pet Tricks

Rain, rain, go away! It rained all night - we are under flash flood warnings in this area. Creek HutchHaus is already overflowing its banks. After a restless night listening to a thunder storm, it would have a been a good morning to just sleep in. However, today is school picture day - and everyone needed to be inspected before school. Anna even got her hair curled a little.

And so, another day is underway!! I am looking forward to being home all day again today - puttering around, cleaning up this & that, cooking something yummy for dinner, and well, probably taking a NAP! :)

First thing after the family went to school, the pets had to be dealt with! And so, with my jammies, pink fuzzy robe, and husband's rain coat on -camera in hand - I stepped out into the rainy morning.

This is Penny, our blond Lab + Husky mix. There aren't enough dumb blond dog jokes out there to explain Penny. Yet you might actually say that she is quite amazing! What other dog can tie this kind of intricate knot with a chain around a deck leg ... it's practically Houdini-like. Unfortunately, she has not yet figured out how to UN-tie herself from such a knot ... and she probably spent a cold, wet night stuck under our back deck even though she has a fairly large dog house, all cushioned with a lovely big doggie pillow.

For her next trick - she dug UNDER our fence - yet again (Labs are notorious diggers!) - and ended up where she loves to be - OUTSIDE the yard!

Sadly, she was still chained to the tether and couldn't run away like she might have liked to, but she is still pretty proud of herself!

By 10:30 a.m., this is what our living room looked like. I am thinking of investing in a sun lamp! There is a cat in this picture - she is a master of camouflage!

With the help of a camera flash, there she is - along with clutter I need to straighten up today!
And with this silliness out of my system, I am off to begin cleaning something or organizing something or well, maybe taking that nap!

Fall - Revisited

Ok, ok...today I'm feeling like I'm the minority ... all day long I've been reading Facebook status updates about "beautiful fall colors" and blogs that scream:

"I love autumn. It is my favorite season by a long shot."
written by Wendy at the Shabby Nest - granted, she lives in New England - and New England IS the Land of Autumn.

and

"Fall is definitely here in East Tennessee and I am loving it."
as stated by my frugal friend Lori - and East Tennessee & the ridges around the Smokies ARE also lovely in the Fall. I give her that! Maybe I'd have a reason to love Fall if I ever moved back "home" to Knoxville!

But here in Missouri (Misery?), it was cold, wet, rainy, and gray this morning as I awoke. As I looked out the window into the darkness, I saw our dog had dug herself under our fence & was sitting pitifully in the rain, stuck outside the chain link fence as she was still attached to the tether we have to keep her on so she doesn't run away at night! Nothing like sloshing through the slick, wet grass - downhill - in your jammies, a pink fuzzy robe, and your husband's rain coat at 7+ months pregnant to rescue a dumb dog who immediately pounces on you with muddy paws. Yeah, Fall is SO great, people!! (Laugh, please!!!!! I'm being REALLY sarcastic here!)

Good thing I haven't been "sleeping in" lately as my brain is way too active way too early ... but I did stay in my pink fuzzy robe an extra hour (or two) this morning as I puttered around my (cold) house. I refuse to turn the heater on yet to take the (supposedly wonderful?) "chill" out of the air.

I may lose one of my best friends here by saying I'm still not agreeing with you all that Fall is THE BEST season. I stand by my previous blog entry's opinion. I never said I hated Fall - and you all can continue to LOVE IT all you want. I just will stick with my preference of Spring & Summer. ;)

Anyway, on to less controversial topics: can you all believe I have entered the THIRD TRIMESTER of this pregnancy!!!? I can't! And I'm living it. It's almost like an out-of-body experience for me to look in the mirror and see myself pregnant, except that my body is so off-balance right now and getting a little achy with ligament stretching that I am often reminded it is TRUE! :) and I love it!! I enjoyed my other pregnancies too - but this one has been such a huge (ironic to say HUGE here, considering my condition) blessing - very little sickness, very little weight gain (don't worry, I had plenty of weight to start out with!), and just so much joy at the thought of experiencing something I never dreamed I'd have another chance to do! Every day and every little kick & push from the inside is so precious to me. What a great privilege I've been given - and I appreciate the many who share this joy with me. That's something we can all agree on, I think! :)

Autumn Confession

Even though I have "decorated" my blog for Autumn, and even though I like a pumpkin patch trip as much as anyone, I have a confession to make only to you, my trusted bloggy friends. I am telling you because you know I am being a little tongue-in-cheek - and yet, this is the TRUTH.

ok, here it is:

I really don't like fall.

I know, I know ... how can I *NOT* like trees with leaves turning brilliant colors ... and I do ... somewhat. I grew up in East Tennessee, after all, where the mountains are SO beautiful in the Fall - for a few weeks anyway. Then the trees are all barren and gray for what seems like FOREVER.

Hay stacks are neat; whimsical scarecrows are adorable enough; and gourds are an interesting object of God's design, for sure! HOWEVER, the "chill in the air" means it's about to get REALLY COLD soon ... and mornings are so dark, especially after the whole "Fall Back" time change thing. I don't like to get out of bed when the sun is not yet there to greet me. Well, ok, I never really ever LIKE to get out of bed (not even on my birthday or at Christmas morning), but dark & chilly sure doesn't motivate me much.

And it is dark so early in the afternoon too ... which makes me want to just curl up in my bed and be unproductive or sit on the couch with a book in front of a warm fire place (alas, my house does not have a fire place)! There are perks of Fall, if you have the leisure time to enjoy them - laziness seems to be conducive to this season for me.

Lastly, Fall means that WINTER is on its way - and I don't like Winter much more than I like Fall - except for SNOW DAYS!! :)

Yes, I enjoy hot chocolate, warm cider, and apple-crispy baked goods. But I also DO NOT really like pumpkin-tasting-anything. (I know, I know - it's un-American, but remember, I'm 100% biologically German! Pumpkins are not a big crop in Germany & not native to my taste buds.)

So, my favorite season is SPRING ... and I like SUMMER too. I once had a doctor say that she thought I might have SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) because my migraines are more frequent during this part of the school year (fall/winter) along with just not having as much energy this time of year.

PHEW - now that I have that off my chest ... please don't hate me! I have held it in for a long time now - while my friends and co-workers all around me the last few weeks have celebrated Fall and have been talking up all the positives of this season, I have just kept my mouth shut!

I am thankful for the seasons -and that I live in an area where we experience all four. I see God's wisdom and His beauty in each season. I am thankful that He provided special flavors that we associate with each season - and colors that go with each one as well. Life is far more interesting with the ever-changing look and feel of creation. I'm ok with Fall right now - but truthfully, I'll be anxious for it to get to be SPRING again! :)

Pretzels

Today was pretty much an unproductive day for me. I was just too tired to do much of anything, and I've had a headache all day. There is only so much Tylenol a pregnant woman should take before starting to worry about harming the baby and damaging her own liver. I have drowned myself with water just in case I'm just dehydrated. In between cat naps, I did have to bake pretzels though!

Why pretzels?! Because on Thursday I was at a sports pre-season tournament with our school - and the concession stand was selling these beautiful soft pretzels. I should have just shelled out the $1 to buy one -but I didn't. And I have thought about soft pretzels ever since! I wondered if one of them would make me feel better today??!

I found this fairly easy - somewhat time consuming - pretzel recipe on allrecipes.com

1 - (25 oz) - packet of active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (no hotter than 100 degrees)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp baking soda
2 Tbsp coarse salt (I used kosher)

Sprinkle yeast over water in a bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes

Stir in 1 1/2 cups flour, vegetable oil, and table salt to make a thick, smooth batter. Add in 1 1/4 cups flour. Knead dough for about 5 minutes on a very well floured surface. Form dough into a ball, cover with a cloth, and let rest for 1 hour.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (my tip: do NOT use wax paper like I did!)

Cut dough into 12 even pieces. With floured hands, roll each ball into about an 18-inch rope & lay on baking sheet in a pretzel shape. Let pretzels rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat over to 475.
Fill a saucepan about 1/2 full with water, bring to boil on the stove. Add baking soda. Working with one at a time, drop pretzels in boiling water for 1 minute. This will form a "skin" on the pretzel.

Pictured below are some of my pretzels already boiled - and a few raw ones waiting for their bath. The shapes definitely aren't perfect!!
Sprinkle boiled pretzels with coarse salt.

Bake in pre-heated oven until golden, about 12 minutes.

The verdict: not bad!! I tried a pretzel immediately upon coming out of the oven - and I didn't like it as much as I liked the pretzels later when they were cooled. They did satisfy my craving, but sadly, they did not cure my headache.

Pass the Clorox Wipes!

Tonight I am sitting on the couch - in my favorite night gown (a really long, flannel one!) and my pink, fuzzy robe - with my feet up. It's been that kind of day, truly even that kind of week! My kids are in their rooms, doing their own thing - and my husband went to a church insurance seminar with our pastor and won't be home until really late. The quiet is very welcome, and the calm is bliss!





The flu season seems to be upon us. We've had so many kids with fevers and stomach bugs at school and church. It makes you want to wear a surgical mask and wipe every surface with a Clorox wipe! I am not an extreme germaphobe, but I also have a healthy fear of sickness and medical emergencies.





That said, today I had my first real experience with what I consider a medical emergency! My son's teacher became ill very suddenly this morning just as school was starting. She had enough presence of mind to send a student to the office to get help. I was available, and by the time I got to the class, the teacher was sitting at her desk, completely still. When I asked her if she was ok, she did not respond. Her pupils were completely dilated, and she was just staring. After about a minute, when she still did not come out of it, I told one of the students to go to the office and have the other secretary call 9-1-1.





During all this time, my mind was racing! I wasn't sure if I should check for a pulse (she was just so still, so unresponsive) or try to get her laid down in the floor so she wouldn't fall off the chair and hurt herself. I told another student to get my husband, who has far more experience with emergency situations having worked in a combat support hospital in Iraq and having some Army medical training. By the time Dan got there, she had finally responded to me and said she thought she was ok. I was so thankful she was talking! Dan talked to her a while, making sure she was aware of her surroundings and such -and I went to call her husband.





By the time I got back, she was already getting her lesson plans organized so I could take over her class. I was able to walk her to the foyer where she could wait for the ambulance and her husband.





Of course, the class had experienced all the events as well. There were 3 girls who were particularly upset - but we started our school day and had prayer (I'm so glad I work at a Christian school!!). Everyone calmed down (to include me!), and the rest of the day went by fairly well.





The teacher came by later. It was good for the students to see that their teacher was okay! She had refused the ambulance ride to the hospital and promised to see a doctor, which she did. His assessment was that she had a combination of a stomach flu and exhaustion (she'd just returned from a trip that moved her elderly mother to her home, as well as having recently been exposed to the stomach flu). It could have been a cramp in her vagus nerve (in the intestinal area) had caused the unconsciousness spell. Her blood pressure was extremely low as was her temperature when the EMT evaluated her this morning. So, she is home, also resting, and hopefully will be OK and back at work on Monday.





As for me, I have all the confirmation in the world that I know I can handle myself in a minor medical emergency, but I am certainly not cut out for being a nurse, doctor, EMT, paramedic, or anyone else associated with illnesses!! I am so thankful things today weren't as serious as they could have been - I'm also stocking up on Clorox, Lysol, and Germ-X to protect my family from illness as much as possible!

Playing Homeschool

Occasionally my children will ask me why we can't just homeschool. I think their intrigue with the idea is much like mine: you set your own schedule. Well, you CAN set your own schedule, and everyone I know homeschools somewhat differently, according to what works for them. I have a feeling that if we home-schooled, we'd all sleep in til after 8 a.m. - then leisurely get around to school eventually. To be a successful homeschooler, I think I'd need a lot more discipline than I have, but in any case, I know there is a reason that my children need to get up and go to school each week day.


Today we had sort of a "home school" day with Anna. She had a doctor appointment at 9:00 a.m. - and our clinic is in a town the total opposite direction of school and probably almost 20 miles from the school. We had another appointment at 1:00 p.m. today, so instead of running from one end of the state to the other to drop her off late and pick her up early, I decided to just ask Anna's teacher if we could get her work for the day so she could be absent.

I was so glad I got in to the doctor! Anna has some severe eczema flares going on right now. Both my kids have always had eczema (or atopic dermititis). I have never seen it this bad before where Anna has huge spots of redness on her arms that remind me of leprosy - and her fingers are cracking because of the dried out skin irritation. Our old stand-by Eucerin cream is not helping at all.

While at the clinic, I decided I'd better ask them about updating Anna's immunizations because I realized she had not had any since she was 2 years old in November of 2002! She did get one shot today and will get 2 more in 2 weeks. She's pretty proud of herself that she didn't cry :)
Currently we are both "working" at the dining room table - and I will say I kind of like it! I love being home ... and I love being home with my family even more (although that said, I do enjoy a quiet, empty house as well sometimes!). Well, must go help Anna with her Language assignment. Have a great day!