Category Archives: Gold Country Life

{Virtual} Coffee Date (vol. 8)

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{Virtual Coffee Date}

Once you’re done here, go visit Karianna and the other coffee drinkers.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I’m pondering the idea of doing NaNoWriMo again this year though I’m not sure if it would be a murder mystery or just chick lit. I’m also going to offer to kill people off for a charity donation again.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I kind of wish the NCIS sitch was resolved in one episode instead of two. I’m glad that NCIS: Los Angeles resolved themselves in one episode tonight.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I have to go yell at Social Security tomorrow though my appointment is supposed to be with someone who has a brain. Hopefully, this gets them off my back and lets me know what I need to do in the future to keep them happy.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you how much I loved the rain, the hail, the thunder, and the lightning on Saturday. I don’t think we’d seen decent moisture since maybe March or April.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I’m happy that Thomas’ boys have made it to 22 weeks and how I’m praying that they’ll make it to at least 24 weeks in utero to give them the best shot at life.

Thanks for having coffee with me. I, like Karianna, am burning the midnight oil. See you next week!

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: September 23, 2013

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY September 23, 2013

Outside my window… dark. It’s 2:15 a.m.

I am thinking… about my next move on Words With Friends. (I’m writing this in between ads.)

I am thankful… that Thomas’ sons have been able to stay in utero for another week and am praying they can stay in utero for longer.

In the kitchen… dishes to do.

I am wearing… my black “Governator” shirt (I am Californian after all!) and black running shorts.

I am creating… the bare bones of blog posts.

I am going… to hope I can get myself organized for the week tomorrow morning (well… technically today).

I am wondering… when Daniel’s hitting and head-butting will stop. I’m still surprised he didn’t knock out one of my front teeth on Saturday.

I am reading… Sundays in America by Suzanne Strempek Shea. I’m hoping to finish it this week so I can move on to Pastorix by Nadia Bolz-Weber.

I am hoping… for a quieter week.

I am looking forward to… all premieres of all my favorite shows.

I am pondering… waaaaaaay too many things.

A favorite quote for today… “The risk in seeking and finding God in all things, then, is the willingness to explain too much, to say with human certainty and arrogance: ??God is here.?? We will find only a god that fits our measure. The correct attitude is that of St. Augustine: seek God to find him, and find God to keep searching for God forever. Often we seek as if we were blind, as one often reads in the Bible. And this is the experience of the great fathers of the faith, who are our models. We have to re-read the Letter to the Hebrews, Chapter 11. Abraham leaves his home without knowing where he was going, by faith. All of our ancestors in the faith died seeing the good that was promised, but from a distance…. Our life is not given to us like an opera libretto, in which all is written down; but it means going, walking, doing, searching, seeing…. We must enter into the adventure of the quest for meeting God; we must let God search and encounter us.” — Pope Francis in his interview in America Magazine.

One of my favorite things… iced vanilla whole milk lattés.

A few plans for the rest of the week: ABA therapy for Daniel on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, getting Daniel a flu shot on Tuesday, fighting with SSI on Wednesday, and hopefully not much else.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Quick Takes: Jaguars, Prayer Requests, and Twitter Personalities

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Colbert does it again. Stephen Colbert takes on allegations by FOX Noise that the Syria conflict is a sign that the apocalypse is coming. You know, I’d believe the verses they were citing… if they didn’t refer to the fall of Jerusalem in the 6th century BCE.

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive

— 2 —

Orphans. Do you see these two lovely children?

L-R: Brett and Iris
BrettIris

Brett still needs a mama. Iris finally has a family committed to her and they are compiling their dossier to send to her country.

Click on their names to see their Reece’s Rainbow pages.

— 3 —

Prayer Request. One of the benefits of blogging is that you get to meet interesting people as well as people who you swear live inside your brain. Thomas in both of those categories. He has the strange habit of saying things to me that make total sense after I’ve been struggling with them and I think the two of us could probably solve the problems of the world if we could sit down for an extended period of time.

Right now, Thomas is dealing with some devastating news. His wife is pregnant with their twin boys and having complications at 21.5 weeks that might cause her to lose the babies. We’ve been asked to take part in a novena to St. Gerard on their behalf, ending on September 24th. If novenas aren’t your thing, please just pray HARD.

— 4 —

Another prayer request. Elizabeth of Keep On Spinning got some craptastic news: the cancer is back. She’s been fighting this for 5 years — since just after the birth of her son George. They’re doing a massive amount of testing but it’s looking like this is a fast-growing one. Prayer is needed.

— 5 —

Anonymous Twitter profiles. Christianity Today interviewed Rev. No Respect and Church Curmudgeon in a two-part interview. Part I is here. Part II is here. I recommend both parts.

— 6 —

Forty to Forever. Wanna help out some orphans? I’m part of the Forty to Forever fundraiser and we need prayer warriors. If you’re interested, here’s the sign-up page.

— 7 —

New jaguar. Nope. Not the car. The Sacramento Zoo is getting a new one and the old one is shipping out on Sunday. I might be persuaded to make a trip to the zoo this weekend to say good-bye. Once the new one comes, it will be mentored by the zoo’s female jaguar, Tina.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

Five Favorites: Miscellanea (XVI)

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Five Favorites

One

Doctors who suture stuffed animals while they fix their humans. This story is tear-jerking. It took five minutes to suture the hole in the stuffed wolf’s shoulder, bandage the “wound”, and put it in a mask and gloves. However, this is a 5-minute job that a young boy is not going to forget. (Ask me about my stuffed cat “Sam”.)

Two

ABA tutors who use every trick in their arsenal to get children to comply. Daniel has been in an “I-really-don’t-want-to-work” mode this week and EG (his Monday/Wednesday/Friday tutor) has been finding new and creative ways to reinforce him when he complies. (Translation: “he rewards him when he works.”)

Three

Thomas. My blogging buddy Thomas has a really precarious situation on his hands. His wife is pregnant with his twin sons and is experiencing serious complications. We’re being asked to participate in a novena to St. Gerard for them, ending on the 24th. If you’re not Catholic, please just pray.

Four

Iced whole milk vanilla lattés from It’s A Grind. I had one on Monday and it was the best one I’ve had in ages. Peet’s is also good. $tarbux, not so much. (They’re too stingy with their shots and their syrups.)

Five

The Giants’ 19-3 victory over the Dodgers. Yes, they lost to the Mets tonight and that fateful game was almost a week ago but they shut down the freaking Dodgers and set a record for the largest number of points scored by any team at Dodgers Stadium. It’s makes their abysmal record worth it.

Go love up Hallie and the others.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: September 15, 2013

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY September 15, 2013

Outside my window… dark here. It was warm and sunny today.

I am thinking… that it’s going to be a crazy week.

I am thankful… for those praying for Thomas.

In the kitchen… dishes to do.

I am wearing… Jon’s “Red Green” shirt and black sweats.

I am creating… blog post coding for the week.

I am going… to hope I can be productive tomorrow.

I am wondering… what this week holds.

I am reading… Sundays in America by Suzanne Strempek Shea.

I am hoping… our beginning of toilet-training Daniel this week goes well.

I am looking forward to… an iced vanilla latté at some point this week.

I am learning to read labels better so I don’t accidentally buy the wrong thing. (Not that it happened to me…)

Around the house… decluttering and shredding to do.

I am pondering… too many things internally.

A favorite quote for today… ??Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.?? ? C.S. Lewis

One of my favorite things… calm and quiet.

A few plans for the rest of the week: ABA therapy on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, a pediatrics appointment for Daniel on Wednesday, and (I think) a massage for me on Friday.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Quick Takes: eScapegoat, What I’m Reading, and Problems With Halloween Costumes

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Orphans. Do you see these two sweet children?

L-R: Brett and Iris
BrettIris

Brett still needs a mama. Iris finally has a family committed to her and they are compiling their dossier to send to her country.

Click on their names to see their Reece’s Rainbow pages.

— 2 —

eScapegoat. Do you need to atone for your sins? You’re in luck! In Biblical times, the high priest would attach the sins of Israel to a goat and set it free in the wilderness. These days, you can do it all online!

— 3 —

A note to my black cat. Edda, I love you very much. You are a wonderful house panther with a coat made of satin. Having said that, you are very difficult to see at 1 a.m. when I’m staggering to the bathroom and it means that I might accidentally step on your tail. I’m sorry if I do but you should have let me put that glow-in-the-dark collar on you so I could know where you are.

Snuggles,
Mommy

— 4 —

Hiccups. I’ve got pretty bad hiccups right now. Sometimes, I’ll get them pretty badly and I guess this is one of those times. Want to leave me your favorite hiccup cures in the comment section? Please and thank you. 🙂

— 5 —

Word, Kelly. Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum has a wonderful post on the problems with Halloween costume companies. Seriously? A zombie sock monkey costume? A bat fairy? Sexy “Oscar the Grouch”? I am so not looking forward to picking out Daniel’s Halloween costume.

— 6 —

Book Club. (No, I’m not part of one.) I’m currently reading Sundays in America by Suzanne Strempek Shea and I still want to smack her every time she brings up how gays and lesbians would not be welcome at the churches. Princess, you don’t know that! Of course, next on Mount TBR is Pastorix by Nadia Bolz-Weber who has a habit of not being safe for work… or admitting I know in the presence of parishioners. (If you don’t know who she is and why this might be controversial, the website for the book is here.) I don’t necessarily agree with her on many things but she has a habit of saying things that I think the Church at large needs to hear about grace.

— 7 —

Sigh. The Giants are playing the Dodgers and the Dodgers are ahead by a run. It’s going to be a rather irritating night if they win. (For those who are new, I grew up rooting for the Giants and my husband Jon is a fan of the Other Team.) Then again, the Giants could pull this out of the bag but I’m not holding my breath given their current season and place in the standings.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

{Virtual} Coffee Date (vol. 6)

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{Virtual Coffee Date}

Once you’re done here, go visit Karianna and the other coffee drinkers.

If we were having coffee, I’d introduce you to Miss Isabella Heaton… formerly known as my Reece’s Rainbow Guardian Angel child, Kaia.

Miss Isabella Heaton

Isn’t she adorable?

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you about torquing a muscle in my neck while holding Daniel’s head still so his audiologist could take molds for hearing aids. I’ve been getting intimate with some Flexeril and Aleve (which I’m not supposed to have) ever since. It was for a good cause though — the bear child will have hearing aids in 3 weeks. God willing, it will help with him developing speech.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you about breaking my keyboard. My H key was sticking so I pried it up to see what was wrong… and broke part of it off. I need to go track my new one and see when it should be arriving…

If we were having coffee, I would tell you about the amazing visit I had with my family this weekend. Mom and I went to Whole Foods with Daniel, took him to the local nursery where I had him find me flowers and things that were certain colors, got lots of coffee at Peet’s, and had fun attempting to avoid the heat. My dad was also adorable with him. (He and Daniel just understand each other.)

Thanks for having coffee (or tea) with me. See you next week!