I’m pondering a guest posting series on my blog dealing with Proverbs 31. Would any of my chicas be interested in guest-posting for me based on a verse from Proverbs 31:10-31?
7 Quick Takes: The State of My Hand, Basketball, and Me Being Opinionated
Advocating for Brett and Kaia. We have a new Facebook group for Brett as well as one for Kaia. Click on their pictures for more information.
O.M.G. NCIS!!!! It was an emotional episode this week and of course, it’s a two-parter so I have to wait until next week to get some resolution. Argh… **SPOILER ALERT** It was almost tear-jerking to see Ziva holding her father’s dead body and to see Vance when he found out his wife was dead. I’m sure this will cause an international incident of some nature and I can’t wait to find out what the two sides are.
I want to be Rachel Held Evans when I grow up. I finished A Year of Biblical Womanhood on the drive to Claremont as well as reading Evolving in Monkey Town. I’m currently re-reading the Biblical Womanhood book for the simple reason that she manages to strike a balance between being faithful to Scripture and decrying practices that are wrong. She also takes Debi Pearl to task which makes my heart sing because Michael and Debi Pearl are sick people whose books have caused deaths from child abuse and domestic violence.
Holy basketball franchise, Batman! The Sacramento Kings might be moving to Seattle so the news tonight (Wednesday — I write my Quick Takes over the period of Tuesday to Thursday) is pretty much all focused on the fact that it might happen. Their owners are a bit of a joke here so I think it’s 50/50 in terms of how people feel about this. I think it would be a bummer for Sacramento to lose the Kings but I’ve also never been tempted to go to a game so it’s one of those things that I wouldn’t miss.
The People’s Choice Awards. I missed the People’s Choice Awards tonight because I was at Ladies’ Night Out for church so I went online to see who won. I thought it was kind of a mixed bag. I’m glad that “The Big Bang Theory”, Steve Harvey, Nathan Fillion, Emma Watson, and the Hunger Games won. However, Twihards winning? Gag me! I also think that the Potterheads, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Emily Deschanel, CSI, and NCIS were shortchanged. Oh well… it’s viewers voting and there’s no accounting for taste.
The state of Jen’s hand. I really should have bitten the bullet and headed to the ER on Thursday because my hand was locked up and throbbing by the time I got into see my nice LCMS PA on Friday. She gave me antibiotics and a tetanus shot. I like her but her medical assistant is a wench. It’s like she hates patients because she was incredibly testy with me when she found out that I hadn’t filed an incident report about the bite. (I’ve been bitten 15 million times by my cats.) Miss Congeniality also had to give me my tetanus shot and while it didn’t hurt, I had to lie down to do it (upper arm) and I have a knot in the spot where she gave me the shot. When I asked her about pain, she dismissively told me to take Tylenol or Advil. Given that they gave me Darvocet the last time I had one of these (which also included a 102F fever for a week), I was not feeling happy about that and sent her to ask the PA. She acted like I was giving her an impossible task and I told her sweetly that I was going to occupy her waiting room until I got a satisfactory answer. (I know how to be a condescending wench when it suits my purposes.) After 5 minutes, she grudgingly came out and told me what my PA had said about the dosing (which is what I expected — 600 mg ibuprofen 4 times a day). The antibiotics and shot helped to unlock the joints in my hand and helped with most of the pain. Driving is still horrific and I’m still having pain in my fingers. Thankfully, this shall pass.
A Compelling Question. One of my Facebook friends posted an article from the New York Times that posits the question of whether forgiveness can play a role in criminal justice. I highly recommend the article as it asks a question that effectively turns the justice system upside down, especially when it comes to capital cases. The defendant still ended up serving a large chunk of time but the victim’s parents got closure and forgiveness. It was fascinating and I recommend it as reading material.
For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.
The Simple Woman’s Daybook: January 7, 2013
FOR TODAY January 7, 2013
Outside my window… dark. It’s almost 2 a.m.
I am thinking… that the antibiotics might be working — I’m not in half as much pain as I’ve been in this week. (Stupid cat bite infection!)
I am thankful… for my awesome LCMS PA who saw me on Friday and gave me antibiotics. Apparently, all the stuff I was dealing with in December was in my chart or the providers talk amongst themselves because she knew all about Daniel’s illness last month. It was nice that she asked.
In the kitchen… dishes to do.
I am wearing… blue shirt and black sweat capris.
I am creating… squares for an afghan when my hand isn’t throbbing.
I am going… to hope I can get to sleep tonight.
I am wondering… about the true use of the word “engage” in theological practice and discussion.
I am reading… A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans — re-reading it after my long drive back from southern California. I tried reading Montana by Debbie Macomber and threw it in the back seat after 30 pages because it was crap. I lived in Montana for 4 1/2 years and I can’t say that I knew of any militias while I lived here, especially in Sweetgrass proper or the Sweet Grass Hills. I used to *work* in Sweetgrass — there’s nothing up there except a bunch of import brokerages, ICE, and Border Patrol. It would be the stupidest place to have a militia with that much government around.
I am hoping… that my citrus-colored tabby decides to come and hang out with me after I get this done.
I am looking forward to… NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles on Tuesday as well as Ladies’ Night Out on Wednesday.
I am learning patience and self-care. (I’m craptastic at both.)
Around the house… toys and Christmas stuff.
I am pondering… way too many things which is why I’m up blogging.
A favorite quote for today… ??Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.??
— C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
One of my favorite things… a half steak/half chicken burrito bowl from Chipotle
A few plans for the rest of the week: home with Daniel today (tomorrow), Morning Prayer on Tuesday, Ladies’ Night Out on Wednesday, and copy-editing the rest of the week while the bear child is at school or sleeping.
Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook
7 Quick Takes: Lots of Orphans, A Cat Bite Infection, and Harry Reid
Prayer Request. I have an issue with my right hand that I *think* is a cat bite infection. It’s painful and swollen and my joints are really stiff. I can’t get in with my awesome LCMS physician assistant until tomorrow (Friday) morning at 10 so could you pray that whatever is going on would please not get worse before that point? Thanks!
Urgent diaper drive. A family “in country” adopting two little girls is having a diaper drive because their daughters’ baby house is too poor to afford enough diapers for all the kids and it’s at the level of a child getting one diaper per day. They’re raising funds to buy as many packages of diapers as they can to donate to them. If you’re interested, click here to go to the entry on Orphan Report with the Chip-In link.
Brett needs a mama. Brett is back on the Reece’s Rainbow website after the Basas were unable to complete his adoption due to his needs added to Dariya’s (“Delilah” on Reece’s Rainbow) being too much for his adopted family to handle. It was a painful decision for them to have to make and they are still really feeling the emotional repercussions of making it. On the other hand, watching them go through it means that I know better how to advocate for him. So… if you know a family who needs an adorable little boy who *loves* books, let them know that he is available.
Kaia also needs a mama. This is Kaia.
She also needs a mama. Could you be that person? Click on her picture to learn more about her.
Giveaway for Katya. I heard from Hevel about a giveaway to help Katya, another little girl adopted from an orphanage, the dental work she needs. The prize is a $tarbux giftcard, some chocolate and peanut butter candy, and a beautiful flower pin.
What Harry Reid did yesterday at 5:03 p.m. while we were waiting for the House to vote. I pondered whether or not to link this because Lawrence O’Donnell was making it all “rah rah Harry Reid” but I thought the fact that O’Donnell talked about how Senator Reid was able to do it with the active though invisible help of Senator Mitch McConnell was cool. I still think Senator McConnell is a putz but it was refreshing to hear about how things actually *do* get done other than the public fights that the media reports.
One more prayer request. Please keep Jen Fulwiler (our usual Quick Takes host) in your prayers as she’s dealing with bi-lateral pulmonary embolisms. They just announced that they’ll discharge her and treat them at home but she’s still “standing in the need of prayer”.
For more Quick Takes, visit Hallie at MoxieWife.Com.
The Simple Woman’s Daybook: January 1, 2013
FOR TODAY
Outside my window… dark — it’s almost midnight and I’m the only one awake except for possibly my in-laws’ rotund orange tabby patch female.
I am thinking… that I really need that massage scheduled on Friday — lots of lower back and neck pain.
I am thankful… for a good road trip to see family this Christmas.
In the kitchen… not home yet but probably fast food tomorrow night when we get back.
I am wearing… blue shirt and blue striped flannel pajama bottoms.
I am creating… squares for a stained glass blanket.
I am going… HOME!!!
I am wondering… what is causing the lower back pain.
I am reading… A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans. I actually finished it on the way down to southern California and read her other book Evolving in Monkey Town but it was good enough that I’m re-reading it and I want to be her when I grow up.
I am hoping… the citrus-colored mancat on my foot is amenable to moving shortly.
I am looking forward to… my massage on Friday.
Around the house… quiet other than the citrus-colored cat purring like a jet engine and the whalebone tabby snoring beside him.
A favorite quote for today… this, the first two lines of which were quoted by my mother-in-law a day or two ago in the car while on errands to Michael’s to get yarn..
“For God’s sake, let us sit upon the ground
And tell sad stories of the death of kings;
How some have been deposed; some slain in war,
Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed;
Some poison’d by their wives: some sleeping kill’d;
All murder’d: for within the hollow crown
That rounds the mortal temples of a king
Keeps Death his court and there the antic sits,
Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp,
Allowing him a breath, a little scene,
To monarchize, be fear’d and kill with looks,
Infusing him with self and vain conceit,
As if this flesh which walls about our life,
Were brass impregnable, and humour’d thus
Comes at the last and with a little pin–
Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!”
— William Shakespeare, Richard II
One of my favorite things… citrus-colored cats and whalebone tabbies.
A few plans for the rest of the week: driving home tomorrow, massage on Friday (and possibly a doctor’s appointment).
Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook
7 Quick Takes: Russian Adoption Issues, Apocalyptic Rainstorms, and Classless Individuals
This little girl needs your help. Her name is Kaia and she needs a mama. Is there a chance you might be her mama? Click on her picture to go to her profile.
Please help if you can. The Wade family got special permission from a Russian judge to come back and get Ivan ASAP but they need to raise the funds to do it. If you can spare any money at all, it would help immensely — I know that my donations have been in $5 and $10 increments.
The state of the bear. Daniel has recovered from the excitement of last week (febrile seizure, high fevers for two nights, Urgent Care appointment…) though it meant that he was extra cuddly this last weekend. I didn’t make it to church on Sunday because of him nor did I make it to Christmas worship because he and Edda were both asleep on my lap. The Christmas morning snuggle was wonderful because I could just watch TV and enjoy the quiet. We’re with my parents right now and he has all his normal energy back so he has been running around, opening and closing doors, and being silly. Currently, the little bear is eating Cheerios in the booster seat next to me which is why I’m getting these done. 🙂
Mmmmmm! My mom made these cookies and added dried cherries. They are totally wonderful and quite addictive. I might have to make them for church one of these days.
Need an ark, please. We were wondering if church was going to be cancelled last Sunday (the 23rd) because we were having serious rain with wind. The same thing happened on Christmas Day — serious rain with lots of wind. Apparently, I missed the newscast where the Christmas rain was in the forecast because it was a nasty surprise when I was having to head to the laundry shed to get clothes to fold. It followed us to San Jose and was around yesterday, which made it hard for Daniel (wanted to go OUTSIDE and run around) and me (needed to go for a walk to stretch out my back). It was clear today and chilly for everyone except for Jon and me. Apparently living in Montana and Minnesota toughened me up to cold because all the other moms on the playground were in parkas and I was pushing Daniel on the swings in just a long-sleeved shirt.
Pottymouths. Jon and my dad are watching The Big Lebowski and it seems like every other word is an f-bomb. Seriously guys? Is it necessary to the plot of the movie? This is probably why I rarely see movies ever, either on TV or in the theater.
Parenting fails. On Monday, I was at Les Schwab (a tire shop) getting an alignment done and a mother and son came in. The woman grunted at her son to move the coffeetable in the waiting area and put her feet (which were in really disgusting-looking Crocs) up on it when he moved it. I was sitting there looking at her with complete revulsion and shock. Really, wench? Do you think this is your living room at home? Are we conveniently ignoring basic rules for how to act in public? It got better after she chastised her son for using the word “sucks” because it “wasn’t classy”. I would probably have said something (and my Twitter peeps heard ALL about it) except that her tattoos were a bit menacing (thanks to all the prison shows I watch, I know what some of them mean) and my self-preservation kicked in to keep me from opening my mouth. But seriously… epic parenting FAIL!
For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.
December 25: Spread the Good News
OK… it’s not Jon celebrating Christmas worship — he is still spreading the Good News. Props to our outgoing office administrator for snapping the picture.
Merry Christmas!