Author Archives: Jen

About Jen

Jen isn't quite sure when she lost her mind, but it is probably documented here on Meditatio. She blogs because the world needs her snark at all hours of the night... and she probably can't sleep anyway.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: Answer Me This Edition

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY July 13, 2015

Outside my window… dark. When I opened this window to start writing, it was probably in the 70’s. I’m up in San Jose with my family so it’s about 10 degrees cooler than it is in southern California.

I am thinking… about the Social Security mess that is waiting for me when I get home.

I am thankful… for church and coffee with Rebecca yesterday and a Kohl’s trip with my mom today to get more shorts for me.

In the kitchen… Dad made spaghetti and sauce from scratch tonight.

I am wearing… a black v-neck and capri sweats right now. Earlier, I was wearing a navy blue “perfect tee” from Old Navy and khaki capris from Kohl’s.

I am praying for… a call for Jon and a bunch of special intentions.

I am going… to get a lot of walking done this week because a lot of places we go are within walking distance here.

I am wondering… about a lot of things in my life these days.

I am reading… The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows and listening to Killer Pancake by Diane Mott Davidson on my long drives.

I am hoping… to have as relaxing a week as possible.

I am looking forward to… the Bay Area Promise Walk on Saturday. I did the virtual one for my birthday in May because I didn’t think I’d be up here for this one. It will be the 5th straight year that Daniel, Mom, and I have done this particular one.

I am hearing… crickets chirping outside.

Crocheting… Daniel’s big boy blankie — it’s the only project I brought up with me this trip.

Around the house… quiet. Mom and Dad are in bed or headed to bed shortly, their cats are curled up with Mom, and Daniel is asleep beside me.

A favorite quote for today… “Reading mysteries: the recreation of intelligent minds.” — Donna Andrews

One of my favorite things… a decent iced vanilla latté.

A few plans for the rest of the week: playground time with Mom and Daniel, assorted errands, and the Bay Area Promise Walk on Saturday.

Post Script…

Answer Me This

Go see Kendra and the others when you’re done seeing my answers to these questions.

1. At what temperature do you keep the thermostat set? Summer, winter, day, night?

Good question. I can’t remember what the settings have been in our parsonages. I know that my in-laws have their A/C set to 75 in the summer and I can’t remember what it is in the winter because I never touch it and I haven’t paid much attention.

2. What is your favorite frozen beverage?

Probably a smoothie. I can’t drink so anything alcoholic is out. I haven’t had an Icee or Slurpie in years so those are out as well.

3. Where do you keep your keys?

In my pocket or on my desk. I have to be able to physically feel them so most of the time, they’re on me along with hand sanitizer and my cell phone.

4. Have you ever really been lost?

The only time I’ve been really super lost was when I was in London 17 years ago and I was with my twin brother and our friend Eric. We were trying to get from the Underground to our hotel and we got super turned around. This was, of course, before cell phones were common and we were almost too late to meet our parents to catch a taxi to the airport to make our flight to Dublin.

5. What is the last movie you saw in the theaters?

A live taping of Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me which was broadcast live to movie theaters around the country. The last actual *MOVIE* I saw in a theater was The Expendables and that was 5 years ago. (I’m really not a movie person.)

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Pretend This Has An Interesting Title

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Blech. I’m actually in bed right now sipping some Coke to see if it will help calm my stomach. My Annie’s Deluxe Shells and Real Aged Cheddar is not sitting well on my stomach tonight for some reason and I’m not feeling like staying up at the kitchen table when I’m feeling nauseous like this.

— 2 —

Hoping and praying for this! The weather powers-that-are seem to be predicting a strong El Niño this winter for California. For those who are confused, an El Niño event means a seriously wet winter for California, especially northern California, and this could really help with the current drought situation. The last really significant El Niño I remember was during my senior year of high school and it meant massive flooding in some places and huge storms in the Sierras. (And yes, I’m aware that “Sierras” is redundant.)

— 3 —

Simcha nails it again. Her latest excellence: Is Your Facebook Feed the Sea of Galilee or the Dead Sea?. The reason for its excellence: I’ve found the most ignorant people I’ve met to be the ones who surround themselves with people who think the way they do, believe the way they do, and vote the way they do. My blog readership is pretty diverse and I read a pretty wide variety of blogs as well. While I don’t agree with ever blogger out there, some of them say some interesting things and I think I understand why people might vote differently as I do as a result.

— 4 —

Taking a page from Bonnie. Bonnie usually starts her Quick Takes off with a song so here’s my latest discovery.

— 5 —

Wow. One of my friends from Reece’s Rainbow shared this today. You seriously need to watch it.

— 6 —

Why you should leave service dogs alone. Someone distracted a woman’s service dog, even after being instructed by the woman to stop petting him, and she was injured while having a seizure. Had her dog not been distracted, he could have signalled to her that the seizure was coming and they could have gotten her to a safe place.

— 7 —

Prayer request. If y’all could please pray that my car would be done getting fixed tomorrow afternoon, I’d appreciate it. I have plans to head up to San Jose on Saturday and I can’t do that unless I have my car back because my rental car from my insurance company has to be returned the day my car is done being fixed. If I’m in San Jose, it will be impossible as I’ll be 350 miles north of where I’d need to return it and pick up my own car. Thanks!

For more Quick Takes, visit Bonnie (our guest hostess with the mostest) at A Knotted Life. While you’re visiting, congratulate her on her little one who is due on January 1st.

#FiveFaves: Miscellanea (XXXIX)

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#5Faves

One

Simcha Fisher. She hit a home run yesterday with her post on how St. Maria Goretti did not die for her virginity and today’s list of 10 ways to insult Catholic bloggers is applicable across the blogosphere.

Two

Viperkeeper. Despite the fact that I am terrified of snakes and burrow under my covers to keep snakes from biting me at night (I’ve been doing this for 30 years, OK?), I watch his YouTube channel while trying to go to sleep

Three

My local $tarbux. They were swamped yesterday and gave me my latté for free as a way to apologize for the wait. They totally didn’t have to do it but I did appreciate it!

Four

This list of pastor’s wife confessions. I’ve been a vicar/pastor’s wife for almost 13 years and I find this list pretty accurate.

Five

Sleep I really am behind on it and am looking forward to getting some tomorrow morning once Daniel is off to school.

Go love up Jenna and the others.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: July 6, 2015

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY July 6, 2015

Outside my window… dark. It was a warm day today but I was in jeans because it was gray in the morning when I was having to go to the vet with my mother-in-law to get her Birman’s abcess drained.

I am thinking… about the various articles I’ve read on St. Maria Goretti today (her feast day) and how divergent Simcha Fisher’s article is from the others which totally stress how she died to protect her purity and OMG-teens-today-need-serious-help-keeping-their-virginity. Simcha’s point is that she was concerned about *HER ATTACKER* and his eternal salvation more than she was concerned about staying pure. I tend to agree as one hallmark of a saint is their selflessness

I am thankful… for my naps the last few days. VBS was awesome but it drained me as did the festivities of Saturday. Add in not sleeping well for whatever reason and I ended up with a pretty bad headache on Sunday morning that meant me skipping church because I was feeling so wretched.

In the kitchen… my mother-in-law just made a batch of peach jam.

I am wearing… black v-neck shirt and blue/white striped pajama bottoms.

I am praying for… a call for Jon, good MRI results for a friend’s baby, and a number of special intentions.

I am going… to try and get a walk in tomorrow, hopefully a long one.

I am wondering… why I watch Viperkeeper videos before going to sleep as I’m so incredibly terrified of snakes.

I am reading… The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows. It was on a site of 25 recommended reads for the summer. I also finished Ming Tea Murder by Laura Childs today.

I am hoping… they finish the body repairs on my car this week. As much as I like my rental (which is now a Ford Fusion as the Jetta had an oil leak), I really need my car bad as I’m heading up to San Jose this weekend and don’t want to have to pay extra to extend the rental when my insurance is footing the bill.

I am looking forward to… my physical therapist massaging out my neck tomorrow.

I am hearing… silence. It is lovely.

Crocheting… same old, same old — Daniel blankie and amigurumi stuffie.

Around the house… silence.

A favorite quote for today… “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” — Douglas Adams

One of my favorite things… being able to get the #1 spot on a waiting list for a book at a library.

A few plans for the rest of the week: PT tomorrow morning, various errands and things throughbout the week, meeting with the Social Security Administration on Friday afternoon (please pray for my ability to control my temper and not use words that will make baby Jesus cry because I am seriously aggravated with them for losing paperwork and being generally incomptetent), and heading to San Jose on Saturday.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

Answer Me This: 4th of July Edition

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Answer Me This

Once you’re done here, go see Kendra and the other lovelies that have answered the questions!

1. How did you celebrate the 4th of July?

My in-laws had some neighbors over for lunch in our lovely air-conditioned living room. Lots of food and lots of fabulous conversation. Later, we went to go see Jon and Daniel march in the Claremont Fourth of July Parade. (Anyone that wants to can march in it so you end up with some pretty interesting groups… including the local Buddhist monastery. It’s also a *VERY* heavily Democratic town so the local Democratic royalty get convertibles.) That night after Daniel and Jon fell asleep, we sat out on the cul-de-sac and watched the firework display from one of the local high schools.

2. Do you sunburn easily?

Oh yes. It’s pretty normal for me to turn into a tomato with hair if I’m out for a long period during the summer. Thankfully, my daily moisturizer has SPF 15 sunscreen in it which helps keep me from burning too badly while I’m out doing errands.

3. Hot dogs. Yay or nay?

Yay! If I want them, I have to cook them myself and as my George Forman grill is in storage, I don’t have them all that often these days.

4. Have you ever personally set off fireworks?

Yep, we got them from out-of-state a couple times growing up and then, I lived in places where they weren’t illegal… though they probably should have been in Montana considering how fire-prone the prairie was! Nine years ago, we and the other people in town were sitting on a parishioner’s porch (because this was a town of 12 people); and while they were setting them off, they set off some old ones that didn’t get enough height before exploding. Lo didst sparks come raining down from the sky and people start scrambling for cover!

I think the last time people set them off where I was physically present was in Jon’s last parish when the drug users living across the street decided to launch them at our tree. They got a bit pissy when I called 911 about it.

5. Have you ever jumped off the high dive?

Yeah, no. Serious fear of heights here.

6. Do you do anything weird in your sleep?

I talk in my sleep and I’m pretty sure one of my college roommate and I had some interesting conversations some nights when we were both asleep and talking to each other.

The VBS version of “Earth and All Stars”

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Here is the version of “Earth and All Stars” that Margaret put together from the list of things that the kids gave us that can praise God. This is the tune.

1. Rainbows and dirt,
Girl scouts and campers,
Sing to the Lord a new song!
Dinosaurs and sheep,
polar bears and penguins,
Sing to the Lord a new song!
He has done marvelous things;
I too shall praise him with a new song.

2. Tacos and fries
and people who love Jesus,
Sing to the Lord a new song!
Cupcakes and trains,
trucks and school buses,
Sing to the Lord a new song!
He has done marvelous things;
I too shall praise him with a new song.

3. Sunsets and space,
drums and princess Leia,
Sing to the Lord a new song!
Electric guitars,
trombones and clarinets,
Sing to the Lord a new song!
He has done marvelous things;
I too shall praise him with a new song.

7 Quick Takes: VBS Week

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Most *interesting* thing I heard at VBS tonight. I had to run Daniel home during my free period (he was in a mood and starting to melt down) so I was a couple minutes late getting back to start music with my oldest group. When I walked in, one of the boys said, “Oh good, you’re here. The Hippo Song isn’t the same without you… not that you’re fat or anything.” Ummm… thanks?

— 2 —

Best mommy line. From one of the teachers of the youngest group (preschoolers and kindergarten): “Hey! Arms and mouths to yourselves!” (I find it actually kind of funny that all three of the teachers for that group are moms with all boys.)

— 3 —

Speaking of that youngest group… I can’t remember which song precipitated it but they started all linking hands and dancing in a circle. (I think it was “Earth and All Stars”?) Margaret (the other young woman doing music with me and the lead on our team) and I were busting up laughing.

— 4 —

All the things that can praise God… We were trying to teach the kids some “adult music” this week and one of the things we did with each group was to get a list of things that could praise God so we could improvise some verses based on the suggestions. Some of the answers: tacos & fries, Dr. Who & Tardis, space, trombones, Princess Leia, jingle bells (one of our preschoolers wanted sing the song every day), dinosaurs, sheep, cupcakes, dirt, mac n’cheese, dirt, trains, and school buses. If I can get Margaret’s permission, I’ll post the verses that resulted.

**UPDATE** Margaret was chill with it so this is the link.

— 5 —

Mission accomplished! The two most popular songs this week were the two that I taught the kids: the Hippo Song and the Penguin Song. Apparently, my kids are going home and singing those songs every night… as are some of the VBS staff people because they have them stuck in their heads. In other words, I’ve managed to teach them that God made hippos and that penguins drink tea. My work here is done!

— 6 —

We need to invest in a church-owned selfie stick. Mother Kelli Grace (our vicar) had all the kiddos and staff crowd into two rows in the church so she could do a VBS selfie. Someone commented that we need a church selfie stick and I guess one of the men offered to bring his tomorrow. I remarked that one of our bishops has one and we should just borrow hers! Still, this is a church where worship selfies are normal so maybe we need acquire one for church purposes. (I’d pot the one from today but it would involve getting permission from all the parents of the kiddos.)

— 7 —

Totally over this freaking cough! Apparently, I’m coughing so loudly that I’m waking my mother-in-law up and likely to wake up my father-in-law down the hall. Oops! I’m thinking the M&M’s in the trail mix tonight were a bad idea? At least I didn’t try doing the popcorn!

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