Category Archives: Family

Five Favorites: Miscellanea (XXII)

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Five Favorites

One

My father-in-law. He’s been my “other dad” for 14 years, 12 of them legally. He is an amazing pastor, a brilliant musician, and awesome enough that he wore the cat ears I sent him for his graduation from the CATS program at Fuller to his hooding ceremony. He tells me daily (I live with them) that he loves me and that he’s glad that I’m part of the family. His birthday was this past Tuesday and I am incredibly grateful for another year with him.

Two

My mother-in-law. She is totally a Proverbs 31 woman. Today alone she came with me to the library to watch Daniel while I checked out some books and fed/watched him so I could shower/eat before choir practice.

Three

Martyrs reading Joel Osteen tweets. I tip my hat to Priest’s Wife for this. It seriously brings home the ridiculousness of Joel Osteen’s preaching and the heresy of the Prosperity Gospel.

Four

Singing in the church choir. I joined the choir at the church I’ve been attending and ended up being the only choir member there for the first 10 minutes of practice. It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know the director,Dr. Robert Sage, better. He’s a professor at Azusa Pacific, the director of the Claremont Symphony Orchestra, and a friend of my father-in-law. It was a fun evening to sing with the choir and I’m seriously looking forward to singing under Dr. Sage while I’m down here.

Five

Calm and quiet. It’s how I’m recharging right now. It’s also in short supply with Daniel these days.

Go love up Mary (our guest host with the most) and the others.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: September 7, 2014

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY September 7, 2014

Outside my window… sunny with some clouds. I’m hoping the clouds cool things down because our heat index is in the triple digits.

I am thinking… about the sermon I heard this morning, especially the part about treating people like Gentiles and tax collectors if you can’t resolve things with them. It’s from the Gospel according to Matthew who was… a tax collector. A call to show mercy, much?

I am thankful… for my mother-in-law taking over Daniel this morning so I could go to church and worship. We still haven’t gotten good church behavior down with him and so my very awesome and wonderful mother-in-law babysits so I can go and be fed. I have some ideas for practicing sitting through church this week and I’ll let you know if they work.

In the kitchen… Daniel and I unloaded the dishwasher. I haven’t cooked anything today but I know my mother-in-law made something with pesto for my father-in-law’s lunch so it smells heavenly.

I am wearing… a purple heather shirt from Old Navy and black capri cargo pants from Kohl’s. Oh yes.. also flip-flops from Old Navy. (I live in mine.)

I am praying for… a call for Jon, for various people dealing with various illnesses in my life, for discernment on a few issues in my personal life, and for a couple special intentions.

I am going… to probably do a Target/Trader Joe’s run with Daniel later today to give him a chance to get out of the house because it’s too hot to go for a walk.

I am wondering… about a couple things I read online recently.

I am reading… Eggs in Purgatory by Laura Childs. (It’s part of her Cackleberry Club series.) I read/finished Gone with the Win and Clam Wake by Mary Daheim this week. (Dental appointments are good for that.)

I am hoping… Jon gets a few funeral calls this week.

I am looking forward to… the weather eventually cooling down one of these days.

I am hearing… Daniel rumpusing in the other end of the house.

Around the house… laundry-folding is happening intermittently in the kitchen, I’ve unloaded the dishwasher/reloaded it, and I think my mother-in-law is adding stuff to it so we can start it.

A favorite quote for today… “We were promised sufferings. They were part of the program. We were even told, ‘Blessed are they that mourn,’ and I accept it. I’ve got nothing that I hadn’t bargained for. Of course it is different when the thing happens to oneself, not to others, and in reality, not imagination.” — A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis.

It came up in a conversation on my Facebook wall with one of my mom’s former co-workers regarding a blog post on Victoria Osteen’s comments about how we go to church for ourselves because God wants us to be happy. *hears the Osteen-is-a-heretic alarm sounding*

One of my favorite things… quiet. I’m a mom and an introvert after all so it’s something I crave but don’t always have.

A few plans for the rest of the week: my father-in-law’s birthday is tuesday but that’s just about it, I think.

A peek into my day… It’s time for another link-up!

What I Wore on Sunday

It is hotter than Hades here so I went for incredibly airy and cool clothes, ones in which I can joust with palm branches or fix a flat tire.

As you can see, I take Sundays very seriously. Here I am attempting to play good hymnody.

Me pretending to play the organ.

Unfortunately, adorable children do have to be tickled on occasion.

Tickle fight.

Jen
Shirt: Kohl’s
Skirt: inherited it from sister-in-law who probably thrifted it.
Shoes: Naturalizer

Daniel
Shirt: Promise Walk for Preeclampsia 2014
Shorts: Circo (I heart Target.)
Sandals: Circo

Here’s a lovely close-up of the skirt and shoes. I’m one of *those* people who wears long skirts to church and never bears their shoulders EVER. (It’s not a religious thing. I’m just short and I can’t sew. I also get kind of sick of having to play with liquid nitrogen yearly because I get interesting spots on my shoulders.)

My hemline and shoes.

Here’s another picture of my precious sweetling helping my mother-in-law by putting out the children’s books for the Little Free Library. He’s got about 18 inches to go before he is taller than I am. (See? I really am short.)

Daniel putting out the books.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook. Go see the pretty ladies at Fine Linen and Purple for what everyone else wore today.

7 Quick Takes: Vaccines, Cobras, and Cats That Are Grounded

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Word, Simcha. Simcha Fisher had a really wonderful piece this week on science, Catholicism, and fear. I remember people spitting nails over her post on vaccinating her kids so I wouldn’t be surprised if there is some blowback on this one. (It turns out I was right: She put out a response today addressing the behavioral and spiritual components.) Given that I have a suppressed immune system (thank you prematurity!) and I live with two other people with suppressed immune systems (again, thank you prematurity and thank you cancer!), all I have to say is, “Word, Simcha.”

Seriously, the whole CDC whistleblower thing on Facebook was stupid and I have to bite my tongue in several groups that I’m part of because of the large number of “anti-vaxers” that are present and get pissy because I would be hesitant to let their unvaccinated kids play with my kid who has a suppressed immune system. Oh… there’s also a higher risk of febrile seizures for kids on selective and delayed vaccine schedules — click here for details.

— 2 —

One of the stupidest things I’ve heard in a while. A few months ago, someone shared a blog post in one of my Facebook groups that set off my “brain exploding” filter. Apparently, the author of the blog post argues that diseases like mumps, measles, and chicken pox aren’t bad because they survived them as a child and don’t remember them being particularly awful.

Yeah… no. I think somebody needs to turn in their license to breed.

John Cleese on stupid people.
(HT: Giphy)

The author may not remember these diseases being particularly bad, but my parents and in-laws sure do. They remember women losing their babies because of measles and rubella as well as classmates being hospitalized. There’s also the fact that I’d prefer not to watch my kid suffer from a disease that we have the capability to prevent, especially as getting any of those diseases would likely land him in the hospital.

— 3 —

Help Give A Child A Shot. Angie of The Jammie Girl wrote a post this week about Walgreens’ program to donate immunizations to the Third World for every shot they give from September 2nd through October 13th. I have to have a flu shot because my father-in-law has multiple myeloma and me getting the flu puts him at serious risk, so I’ll be heading to Walgreens in the next few days. (There’s also my child who hasn’t met a virus he hasn’t wanted to befriend and those friendships have an annoying habit of landing him in the ER.)

— 4 —

Preeclampsia Registry goes global. My email from the Preeclampsia Foundation this morning spoke of the Preeclampsia Registry being accepted into the Global Pregnancy CoLaboratory. It’s funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of its PRE-EMPT initiative and it means that there will be funded research studies into the causes and pathology of the condition. For a list of some of the studies, click here. If you’re a preeclampsia survivor and haven’t joined the registry, please click here and share your information.

— 5 —

Cobra fun. For those who haven’t heard the news, an albino monocled cobra (basically, a white cobra) escaped from someone’s house and bit a dog. Thankfully, it was a dry bite (the snake has either been defanged or the venom glands have been removed is what they’re guessing) but said snake is loose in Thousand Oaks, California. It’s about 70 miles from here (thus I’m not going to see it) but I’m still not happy about going outside.

On the other hand, a number of fake Twitter accounts for it have sprung up and those are pretty amusing. (Here, here, here, and here.)

**UPDATE** The cobra has been captured.

— 6 —

Cobra-pranking. There’s a backstory on this one: When I was 4 or 5, I was terrified of cobras and other kinds of snakes getting into my room at night and biting me. My parents calmly explained to me that there were no cobras in San Jose, California… and then found out a few years later that the mascot of the middle school I attended was the cobra. (Go Castillero Cobras!) It has become a running joke in our family so the news of the albino cobra on the loose in Thousand Oaks led to a lot of interesting things being put on my Facebook wall.

I had taken my mother-in-law to Target and while talking to the cashier, the two of them decided to prank me by announcing over the loudspeaker when I arrived that a white cobra had been spotted in the store and Target wasn’t responsible for anyone getting bitten. (She had also joked to me when she called me to tell me that she was in line that she wanted to yell “cobra!” to scatter people so she wouldn’t have to wait so long.) Apparently, I took too long to get there so this cashier went on break before they could prank me; but she was pretty proud of herself.

See? I get no respect.

— 7 —

My in-laws’ cat is seriously grounded. My in-laws’ cat Felicity escaped out the back door and is refusing to come in. I’ve done the cat call, left her treats, etc. and now all I can do is wait up for her. She doesn’t have the best sense in the world and I’m a bit concerned about her becoming coyote chow…

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

Five Favorites: Dental Work Coping Mechanisms

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Five Favorites

I had to have dental work done today so these are my favorites related to that.

One

My mother-in-law. She took care of getting Daniel off his bus today as I was at the dentist’s office and she took Daniel out with Jon a bit ago so that my father-in-law could have a nap and I could lie down and deal with the headache from my jaw being propped open for 2 1/2 hours.

Two

My dentist. She is a lovely Iraqi woman who wears beautiful scarves… and her concern today was to put me in the least amount of pain possible. I was supposed to have a root canal and two fillings (broken tooth that formed a food trap) but the broken part didn’t extend down to the nerve so she didn’t want to mess with it. Instead, they shaped it for a crown and did the two other fillings. I’m grateful that she has this attitude because it means my bill will be much lower and I’m not in as much pain.

Three

My 6 year old iPod nano. I charged it for the first time in 4 years today (haven’t had to use it since 2010 because it was mainly what I used to listen to music at work in Montana) and spent most of my time in the dentist’s chair listening to Bach and classical music from various iTunes playlists on my computer.

Four

Aleve. I’m not having serious pain right now. Granted, it’s early yet but the numbing is almost gone from my jaw and I don’t have more than a headache.

Five

Jamba Juice. I needed something I could just drink for lunch today and the smoothie I got had the right combination of protein and carbs. It allowed me to have something on my stomach so I could take the Aleve and the cold was therapeutic.

Go love up Heather.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: August 31, 2014

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY August 31, 2014

Outside my window… dark. It was seriously hot today — 96F.

I am thinking… about the Victoria Osteen debacle and the various quotations from Luther’s works that apply.

I am thankful… for my mother-in-law letting me sleep in the last few days because I’ve been up dealing with a sick kid or on-call in case we have to do an ER trip.

In the kitchen… clean. I just loaded the dishwasher.

I am wearing… my MomCat shirt and black capri sweats from Lands’ End. I generally write this at night and these are usually my sleeping clothes.

I am praying for… Mary of Passionate Perserverance as she and her husband make decisions regarding their daughter Courtney.

I am going… to hopefully catch up on sleep tonight.

I am wondering… about a number of things in my life that I can’t talk about on here.

I am reading… Gone with the Win by Mary Daheim — it’s one of her B & B mysteries so it makes fun of a number of Seattle institutions and landmarks. I finished up all the scrapbooking mysteries by Laura Childs and have ordered all of the Cackleberry Club books of hers from the library.

I am hoping… to have a good day with Daniel tomorrow as he’ll be off school for Labor Day. We might hit up the mall to go for a walk.

I am looking forward to… my dentist appointment on Tuesday, hoping that we will get me into an endodontist with all possible speed to fix my broken tooth and end my jaw pain.

I am hearing… Mary of Passionate Perseverance doing her “Coffee for the Heart” video from this past week.

Around the house… quiet — I’m the only one up.

A favorite quote for today… “The Christian says, ‘Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or to be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same.”

One of my favorite things… ice. Chewing it numbs my jaw a bit.

A few plans for the rest of the week: dentist appointment on Tuesday morning, doctor’s appointment for Daniel on Tuesday afternoon, and whatever else comes up.

A peek into my day…

Daniel in his school shirt.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

What Marriage is Teaching Me: August 2014

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Mi amiga Amanda @ Worthy of Agape has a new link-up called “What Marriage Is Teaching Me”. If you want to take part this month, go here.

So what is marriage teaching me right now? Well, we’re currently living with my in-laws and waiting for another call while Jon makes his living supply-preaching, performing funerals, and performing marriages. It’s nerve-wracking for me because I’m the one who handles all the finances and I’m having to mentally calculate how we’re going to do certain things like pay insurance, make the car payment for my car, and pay for things that are necessary like prescriptions and school clothes for Daniel. (He is in a public school but they require a uniform so I had to pick up things for that.)

One good thing about this situation is that it isn’t new to us — we were in a similar situation 4 years ago and I know what is absolutely essential and what I can cut to save money. My anti-depressants = essential. Pedicure = kind of sort of essential because of the potential for things to go badly with my feet very quickly. Manicure = not essential. Eating out (other than date night) = not essential. We don’t watch TV (my in-laws don’t have one connected to an antenna or anything) and we don’t have smartphones so we’re not looking at huge cell phone bill for a potential data plan.

I’m learning in my marriage that we do much better if we tackle things together rather than me tackling them by myself. Money is a painful topic to discuss but putting either of our heads in the sand and hoping that it goes away is going to make things worse instead of making them better. Together, we can come up decent solutions that aren’t going to cause one of us resentment and force the other to be the enforcer.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: August 24, 2014

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY August 24, 2014

Outside my window… dark and cool. A nice change from the heat of the day.

I am thinking… about the errands I have to do tomorrow morning while Daniel is in school as well as the dental work that will be coming up.

I am thankful… for my mother-in-law watching Daniel this afternoon so I could have a much needed nap.

In the kitchen… pesto tortellini tonight.

I am wearing… a plum heather shirt from Old Navy and black capri sweats from Target.

I am praying for… a new parish for Jon, healing for some of the people in my life, and for some special intentions.

I am going… on “epic errands” tomorrow morning.

I am reading… Skeleton Letters by Laura Childs. I’m binge-reading all of her scrapbooking murder mysteries.

I am hoping… Daniel does well this week at taking the bus to school. I’m also hoping that we have the same bus driver as last week because she was very nice.

I am hearing… my girls being nocturnal.

Around the house… silence as I’m probably the only one up.

A favorite quote for today… “Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and go well with ketchup.”

One of my favorite things… ice chips.

A few plans for the rest of the week: working on my proficiencies for ODesk, doing errands as needed, and whatever else comes up. I don’t know that I have any really major plans.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook