Category Archives: Southern California Dreaming

#FiveFaves: Miscellanea (XXXIV)

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#5Faves

One

My Bible study. One of the ladies put on a tea for me this morning and we had quite a feast between the treats my mother-in-law sent for me, the scones/lemon curd/jam/tea that M brought, and the brownies that one of my choir people brought. There were only five of us but I couldn’t ask for five more wonderful women.

Two

A Screwtape Letter for the Unappreciated Mom. Someone in #Cathsorority posted this and I resonate with it so very much. Another way that Screwtape and Wormwood tend to work is through older women I encounter who start harping about how *THEY* never got to read books when their kiddos were little or how *THEIR* husbands never watched the kids so they could go have an hour or two of respite. Seriously, I wish these women knew how much their kvetching makes the young moms want to distance themselves as far from them as possible, causing them (in some cases) to leave the Church.

Three

This article on the measles. Because of my vaccine postings, several people pointed out this article on measles to me. For those in a “tl;dr” mindset, the gist is that scientists have discovered that measles effectively erases immunity to many diseases to which the body has seen before. When kids are vaccinated against measles, they’ve found a drop in mortality to other diseases. This, to me, is a pretty compelling reason to VACCINATE YOUR KIDS.

Four

Murder mysteries. Seriously, I’m loving my “cozies” (the genre of murder mysteries I tend to read) because they give my brain a vacation from the day-to-day stuff I’m forever thinking about and working through internally.

Five

The NCIS franchises. I got caught up on NCIS while I was in San Jose and I’ll be working on getting caught up on NCIS: New Orleans starting this week. I have some crocheting to finish and it should give me something to watch while I do.

Go love up Rachel and the others.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: May 10, 2015

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY May 10, 2015

Outside my window… dark. I’m blogging late yet again. It was in the 80’s today though it has cooled down to the 60’s at this time of night.

I am thinking… about how to deal with my troll who has followed my husband on Twitter in an attempt to get information about me.

I am thankful… for the opportunity to see a good friend of mine from high school yesterday. I also got to finally meet his wife and 13 month old daughter.

In the kitchen… some sushi from Trader Joe’s.

I am wearing… light grey v-neck and capri sweats.

I am praying for… a call for Jon, relief from my neck/back issues, and for assorted other things.

I am going… in for bloodwork and a x-ray tomorrow morning. Whee!

I am wondering… how to make the fly in my room go away. I kind of wish that Freya was in a hunting mood, even if it meant her leaping on my head.

I am reading… Sinister Sprinkles by Jessica Beck. I’m caught up on Donna Andrews’ work and also read/finished Fatally Frosted by Jessica Beck. I started reading Being Mortal by Atul Gawande and put it down in order to get it on my NOOK as something to read when I finish all of Jessica Beck’s work.

I am hoping… to upgrade my NOOK with any birthday money I get that isn’t going to bills.

I am looking forward to… the wi-fi getting fixed so I don’t have to stand in the kitchen to get a signal in order to post this entry.

I am hearing… Jon’s CPAP machine. (I managed to kill the fly by closing my laptop on it.)

Crocheting… Daniel’s big boy blankie and the amigurumi stuffed animal from last week.

Around the house… everyone is asleep except me.

One of my favorite things… working wi-fi. *sighs* #FirstWorldProblems

A few plans for the rest of the week: bloodwork/x-ray tomorrow, PT and errands on Tuesday, Bible study on Wednesday, and heading up to San Jose on Friday to be with my family for the communal birthday weekend.

A peek into my day… Freya sitting on the piano and getting it furry.

Miss Freya on the piano getting it furry

Post Script…

For my 35th birthday on May 19th, I’m walking a 5K to raise money for preeclampsia research and awareness. If you’d like to sponsor me, click here.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: The No Wi-Fi Edition

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

The Internet situation. OK… technically we *do* have wi-fi but the signal is really bad at the bedroom end of the house right now for whatever reason and I’m having to head back to the kitchen in order to post this entry and to send email. Given how little sleep I’ve gotten over the last few nights and the amount of email I need to write, this is a bit irritating. I’m looking forward to Sunday when my father-in-law can install the new modem and I can do things like blog while waiting out Daniel falling asleep in his own room.

— 2 —

Vaccine Take #1. This past week, we got an email from my Daniel’s pediatrics practice saying that they will not be accepting any new patients who are not willing to vaccinate their kids. Any current parents of patients who are not adequately vaccinated have been told to work with their pediatrician on a plan to immunize their kids. This is a pretty diverse practice with at least one of the pediatricians being somewhat open to homeopathy and some alternative forms of medicine so I have a feeling that there are going to be a number of medical offices that adopt a similar policy.

Obviously, there are going to be exceptions to the rule such as cancer patients, kids who have had transplants, etc. and I think one of the deciding factors is that we’re close enough to Anaheim (where Disney is located) that people are 1-2 degrees of separation removed from one of the measles patients from the outbreaks earlier this year. (One of the pediatricians has privileges at two hospitals in Orange County, including CHOC where all the “interesting” cases get sent.) LA County has also seen some deaths of kids from pertussis (whooping cough) so I think the doctors are just not taking any chances.

— 3 —

Vaccine Take #2. One of the annoying things about the Internet is that people can post complete and utter lies and misinformation with no impunity and some of them even create names for the sites that sound like they’re actually legit. (Example: Vaccine Liberation Army.) My recommendation is that you look at whatever studies/papers/articles they cite in their original forms rather than taking the site’s word for it. At the very least, the abstract of the study/paper/article is online and you can see what it actually says. I give this advice not only for the sites like Vaccine Liberation Army but also for any other sites including the CDC. Two other reputable sites are the AAP Immunization site and the Vaccine Education Center site from CHOP.

— 4 —

Just when we got drought-tolerant in California. We got some rain last night — not enough to help significantly but we did get some. My parents were spreading the bark over the lawn they removed and had to stop because it was raining so hard and there was thunder and lightning. (My dad’s comment is that they were “drowning in irony”.) It also did something to the phone systems at my church because they’re down today and our vicar had to put up her cell phone number as the main contact number for everything until further notice.

— 5 —

Promoting truthiness in South Carolina schools. Stephen Colbert just announced he would fund every existing grant request for South Carolina teachers on the Donors Choose website. I know some teachers in that state and what he is doing is huge. (By the way, Donors Choose is a *fabulous* organization and their thank-you notes are freaking amazing.) If I didn’t already love Stephen Colbert before, I think I totally would now.

— 6 —

In other shocking news… I was at a follow-up appointment with my new physician assistant and she was looking over my vitals and decided to take my blood pressure again. Apparently, it was really low and she is of the opinion that I need to stop my blood pressure meds temporarily because I might not need them. Considering the screaming hissy fit I threw 3 1/2 years ago when I was put on them by one of my doctors in northern California, I’m pretty happy because it’s one less pill in my pill box.

— 7 —

Speaking of blood pressure… Elevated blood pressure is one of the warning signs of preeclampsia. I’m walking a 5K on my 35th birthday in a week and a half to raise money and awareness of the other warning signs. Want to sponsor me? Click here.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: May 5, 2015

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I did this last night and then WordPress ate it… twice! We’ll try again now.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY May 5, 2015

Outside my window… gray. It’s making it really hard to get up and start my day.

I am thinking… about going back to sleep… and fighting that thought.

I am thankful… for Jon getting Daniel off to school this morning after I turned my alarm off in my sleep.

In the kitchen… just microwaved some beef stroganoff from Trader Joe’s.

I am wearing… black v-neck shirt and jeans.

I am praying for… a call for Jon, relief from the wrist/hand pain, discernment in where to go for a few friends in their marriages, and for the usual special intentions.

I am going… to Target and Trader Joe’s later with my mother-in-law.

I am wondering… how best to deal with a troll situation.

I am reading… The Nightingale Before Christmas by Donna Andrews. I finished Some Like It Hawk! and The Good, the Bad, and the Emus by her this last week as well as reading Glazed Murder by Jessica Beck, whose books might become a new series for me to read obsessively.

I am hoping… the new router arrives soon so I can actually do things like check my email without having to be in a specific part of the house. (The main router is being catty and a new one is on the way.)

I am looking forward to… seeing my family in a couple weeks.

I am hearing… Daniel’s LeapPad.

Crocheting… Daniel’s big boy blankie and the amigurumi baby shower present for the friend.

Around the house… I have the washer going and I’m pretty sure there are other robots or machines working.

One of my favorite things… murder mysteries — both reading and writing them.

A few plans for the rest of the week: errands today, Bible study and doctor’s appointment on Wednesday, Daniel’s peds opthalmology appointment on Thursday, cleaning our crap out of the storage unit at some point, and whatever else comes up.

A peek into my day… This is in honor of Star Wars Day yesterday. I also didn’t know that Icelandic Lutherans were a cult. 😉

Post Script… I’m doing a 5K walk to raise money for preeclampsia awareness and research on my 35th birthday which is May 19th. If you’d like to sponsor me, details are at http://promisewalk.org/insteadofatattoo.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

#FiveFaves: Miscellanea (XXXII)

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#5Faves

I’m fighting some pretty bad insomnia due to the 96F heat here today (no, I am not kidding) so here are some things that I’m loving right now.

One

“Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit that I *gasp* like something by her but it’s a good song for my life right now…

Two

Donna Andrews’ books. Absurdist literature meets murder mysteries. I’m reading Some Like It Hawk! right now and the town of Caerphilly is having a street fair kind of thing to get the buildings back that were foreclosed upon by the former mayor who allegedly embezzled the redevelopment funds and didn’t pay on the note. The lender has armed guards guarding the courthouse to make sure that nobody brings any food into the town clerk who has sequestered himself in there and the townfolk refer to them as “flying monkeys” because of their uniforms. It’s good enough that I’ve been blowing off online time to read it.

Three

Daniel. My kiddo saw his doctor on Monday and we found out that he has gained 3 pounds since the last time and is now 3’11” which means he has 14 inches to go before he surpasses me in height. I think my mother-in-law has an online pool going on when that will be. #shortpeopleproblems

Four

Cool sheets on bare skin. It’s getting me through the heat wave.

Five

Trader Joe’s. It’s simply the best store out there. End of discussion.

Go love up Rachel and the others.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: April 26, 2015

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY April 26, 2015

Outside my window… dark. It’s 11:30 here on what was actually a very nice day — one of the first in the last week or so when I haven’t had a headache from all the pressure changes. I don’t know what the ultimate temperature was outside but I was comfy in shirt sleeves.

I am thinking… about all that I need to accomplish this week.

I am thankful… for Daniel going to bed at a decent hour tonight. He didn’t go down until almost 9 p.m. last night and woke me up at 5:30 this morning. Not good.

In the kitchen… it’s clean except for my dishes in the sink. I will probably make something I can eat on for a couple days but I haven’t figured out what it will be yet.

I am wearing… my Run for the Little Flowers shirt and black capri sweats.

I am praying for… a call for Jon, for my grandma’s neurologist to figure out what is going on, and for some special intentions for various people in my life.

I am going… to the bank and a few other places tomorrow.

I am wondering… when I’ll have the time to formulate the post I’ve been wanting write on vaccines. It sure didn’t happen this weekend!

I am reading… a lot of things at the moment. I finished Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans on Friday and I think y’all need to go out and buy it as well as her book on Biblical womanhood. Other than that, I’ve read/finished Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg and read/finished The Real Macaw by Donna Andrews. Next on the agenda: Some Like It Hawk by Donna Andrews.

I am hoping… to actually be productive tomorrow.

I am looking forward to… Bible study on Wednesday.

I am hearing… Seven Songs by Amanda Opelt. She is Rachel’s younger sister and anyone who pre-ordered Rachel’s book got a download code for Amanda’s debut album. I’m liking it — kind of bluesy folk rock.

Crocheting… edging on an afghan for a wedding shower present, Daniel’s “big boy” blankie, and an amigurumi stuffed animal for a friend.

Around the house… silence. I am the only one awake (as usual).

A favorite quote for today… “For me, talking about church in front of a bunch of Christians means approaching a microphone and attempting to explain the most important, complicated, beautiful, and heart-wrenching relationship of my life in thirty minutes or less without yelling or crying or saying any cuss words.” — Rachel Held Evans, Searching for Sunday

One of my favorite things… Bejeweled. It’s my go-to thing for sorting out my brain.

A few plans for the rest of the week: sort/clean out storage unit, Daniel’s doctor appointment on Monday afternoon, Daniel’s IPP with the Regional Center on Tuesday afternoon, Bible Study on Wednesday, and whatever comes up in terms of readying stuff to be moved to my sister-in-law’s house on Saturday. Oh yes… also the bridal shower on Saturday so the afghan needs to be done.

Post Script… This is a song I heard on Air1 these past few weeks that I’m loving. It’s “Brother” by NEEDTOBREATHE.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Me Running My Mouth Again…

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Can we say “duh”? News flash: Measles Vaccine Still Doesn’t Cause Autism. The paper on this is here. I will be writing more about this in order to explain the scientific bases of all of this in the next week or so.

Until then… VACCINATE YOUR FREAKING KIDS!!!! And for those who claim a selective/delayed vaccine schedule is a good thing, your argument has been proven invalid in this study.

— 2 —

Wonderful concert. I was blessed to be able to hear the Claremont Chamber Choir sing tonight at the Drinkward Recital Hall at Harvey Mudd College. One of the basses was conducting it as part of his studies toward a DMA in Conducting. It was interesting to watch Dr. Charles Kamm (the actual director) sing because he was so expressive and looked like he was having a lovely time.

Seriously, one of the positives of my living situation is that I have free concerts in the community that are of serious quality. Tonight’s concert was a collection of madrigals and folk music from around the world and it was heavenly.

— 3 —

Rachel Held Evans’ most recent book. I finished Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans today and I highly recommend it to anyone wondering why Millenials are leaving the faith in droves as well to those who have left the faith and might be slightly amenable. Rachel’s sister Amanda is a singer/songwriter and she composed a few songs based on the sacraments framing the book. Everyone who pre-ordered the book received a download code for the album and I found them to be positively fabulous.

Another person created seven pictures of birds based on things they read in the book. I think my favorite one is for “Communion” and involves hummingbirds drinking around a flower.

— 4 —

A thank you. I was at Target with Daniel this afternoon and decided to have him put stuff on the belt to practice good behavior while shopping. The woman in front of us watched for a bit and complimented him on how he was doing. She then looked up at me and said, “You’re a good mother.”

I honestly don’t think she realized how much I needed to hear that after Daniel had a rather public tantrum on Sunday.

— 5 —

On the subject of kids and cats… I saw this online a few days ago and had to share. It’s a tongue-in-cheek list of reasons that kids should never have cats. It’s amusing to say the least.

— 6 —

Love. I’ve missed two Sundays due to fibro-related fatigue so Bible study on Wednesday was one of my chances to connect to church. I ended up sitting next to one of our founding members M who is 94 and reminds me so much of my grandma. Our priest was passing around pictures she took while walking the Camino de Santiago last year and M had just gotten shots in her eyes so she couldn’t see them. I spent much of Bible study taking her hand and pointing out various things in the pictures for her. When Bible study ended, she gave me a hug and told me she loved me.

No lie, it brought me to tears at that point and remembering it brings me to tears now because she reminds me so much of my grandma who I thankfully got to see a few months ago (for the first time in 4 1/2 years) but who I miss dreadfully. (She’s in Washington and I’m in southern California.)

— 7 —

Weekly trash-talking regarding baseball. I do believe my boys (the Giants) done swept my husband’s boys (the Dodgers). And wait… don’t I recall Jon saying that he’d get a pedicure in Giants’ colors if they swept like that? To the nail place we go!

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.