Category Archives: Family

The Simple Woman’s Daybook + What I Wore On Sunday: Pastoral Farewell Edition

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY June 29, 2014

Outside my window… dark. It’s around 11 p.m. and I’m staying up and waiting for Freya to come in. She has become an indoor/outdoor gremlin after moving down here to Claremont and she’s not one of nature’s best camouflage jobs so I worry when she refuses to come in.

I am thinking… about Daniel working with the home teacher tomorrow that the school is sending out. She has no ABA training which is going to mean that I’ll have to train her in how to work with him. Oh freaking joy.

I am thankful… for my in-laws. They babysat last night so that Jon and I could go to the country club reception for the pastor of our church down here who is retiring after 40 years of ministry. (They also got Daniel to sleep even though he came and curled up with me around 1 a.m.) They watched him again today so we could go to church in the morning and the special service of farewell for our pastor in the afternoon. When we got home, my mother-in-law tucked me in with Edda and told me to take a nap. She is made of awesome.

In the kitchen… mint chip ice cream. I’m still pretty full from the reception after church but I needed something on my stomach to take pills.

I am wearing… my lavender Momcat shirt and black capri sweats from Target.

I am praying for… a good session with the home teacher tomorrow, for no more problems getting services for Daniel down here, for a few special intentions, for discernment in what comes next for us…

I am going… to hit up Target for Noxzema tomorrow. Daniel apparently smeared 1/2 a jar of it on himself during his “play bath” tonight and ran me out.

I am wondering… where Freya is.

I am reading… Out to Canaan by Jan Karon — continuing to read brainless stuff right now as I deal with the weightier things in my life.

I am hoping… the little monster comes in soon.

I am looking forward to… snuggling up with my house panther and going to sleep.

I am hearing crickets. It’s a relatively cool night outside.

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

I am pondering… various things, most presently popular artists performing with symphony orchestras. I could see it working for Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony 10+ years ago. (What? You didn’t know I like Metallica?) I’m a bit surprised at how it worked out for the Seattle Symphony Orchestra performing with Sir Mix-A-Lot and doing “Baby Got Back”. (If you don’t believe me, the video is here. It’s probably mildly NSFW.) I’m also kind of surprised at all the women who got up to dance on stage with him.

A favorite quote for today… “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” — Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV) which was quoted a lot during all the events for Dennis (the pastor who is retiring).

One of my favorite things… mint chip ice cream.

A few plans for the rest of the week: annoying various people and social agencies to get services for Daniel. It’s what I do best. 😉

A peek into my day… I’m using this particular topic for my “What I Wore on Sunday” meme picture. I wish I had gotten a picture of me in my super pretty clothes last night at the country club but oh well. This particular outfit worked for church this morning at St. John’s (I accidentally slept too late to go elsewhere), a trip to Michael’s/Target/Stater Bros. (grocery store), and then the worship service honoring Pastor Dennis.

What I Wore on Sunday: June 29, 2014

V-Neck: Kohl’s
Skirt: Kohl’s
Shoes: Naturalizer

For more, go see Emily and the other pretties at Fine Linen and Purple.

Funny story: My mother-in-law runs a Little Free Library in their front yard (I’m standing in front of the tables of books in this picture) and on Friday, I had just gotten home from picking Jon up at the train station in Pomona when I saw a mother and daughter walking away from the table of books. We greeted each other politely and then it clicked that I knew here from somewhere. It was Jamie from A Year in Skirts and Helping Each Other Every Day! I knew she lived in the area but I hadn’t realized how close she was. Even better, my mother-in-law knew who she was because I had showed her Jamie’s blog and she had been meaning to tell me that Jamie was one of the patrons. It’s a small world indeed. I think I shocked her when I pointed out how I knew who she was (which, by the way, is totally unlike me).

What I Wore On Sunday

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7 Quick Takes: Fundraising for Eastern European Ventures, Lincecum’s No Hitter, and Other Things From This Week

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Supporting a Missionary. My husband’s cousin Kelsey is going to be living in Lithuania for a year as the Resident Director at LCC International University. She needs to raise the $14000 for her living expenses, travel to Lithuania, etc. If you’d like to help, click here.

— 2 —

Adoption fundraiser. My friends Jake and Dalas and their two biological kids are in Eastern Europe adopting a little boy and a little girl. They have only a small amount (under $500) to go until their adoption is fully funded. Given that things could start getting more expensive if their daughter Janna doesn’t get a court date on Tuesday, they are seriously going to need the money. The plan was to be home by July 19th when their bio son turns 2 (and stops flying free) but things are getting fouled up. If you can kick a few bucks their way to get them fully funded, click here. In any case, keep them in prayer.

— 3 —

Speaking of orphans… Do you see this precious sweetling on my sidebar? Brett (the little boy on my sidebar) needs a mama. If you think you might be his mama, click on his picture with all possible speed. Currently, I’m crocheting a baby blanket to raffle off to raise money for his grant.

— 4 —

Timmy’s No-No. Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum pitched a no-hitter against the Padres last night. (Yes, I’m aware the Padres beat them the previous two nights. Hush!) I’m not surprised given that these are the Padres and he pitched one almost a year ago against them just before the All-Star Break. I’m conveniently ignoring the fact that the Giants fell to the Reds tonight and that they’re only 2.5 games ahead of the Dodgers. (Please, O Lord, let them not fall behind the Dodgers. Jon would not let me live it down! #mixedmarriage)

— 5 —

A funny. Someone posted the story of Shane, the Walmart deli guy on my wall and I just about died laughing this morning. Strangely, I could see my evil twin doing all these things.

— 6 —

Bedtime routine for Daniel. We’re trying to get a bedroom routine down for Daniel who is adjusting to life now that we’re living with our in-laws temporarily. Jon has been out of town all week so this is falling to me. I instituted the “at-8:00-we-start-winding-down” rule… which almost never works and we’ll lie on one of the beds in his room and go through flashcards as a way to (theoretically) calm down and then look at books. This almost worked tonight until he heard the front door open. At that point, he snapped awake and I had to restrain him and get him resettled while reciting hymn lyrics in a soothing voice. (It’s also at these times that I can’t *remember* large amounts of hymn lyrics when they take over my head at other times.) Repeating the Jesus Prayer ended up working. Currently, the little monster is asleep on the end of my bed with his feet hanging down. I will have to move him, lest he wake up in the middle of the night from all the blood pooling in his feet.

— 7 —

Cat wars. Up until now, I was under the impression that my black cat Edda was the mellowest little girl in the world. Not so much. She has been hissing and growling at my in-laws’ cats. Freya (my corpulent tabby patch cat) has also been attempting to supplant my father-in-law’s corpulent tabby patch as the queen of the master bedroom. Let’s just say the fur has been flying here.

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

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: June 24, 2014

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY June 24, 2014

Outside my window… sunflowers. It’s nice right now but should get to 88F today.

I am thinking… about the errands my mother-in-law and I will be doing with Daniel this afternoon.

I am thankful… that the move is over and we’re settling into things here.

In the kitchen… my mother-in-law is making salmon packets for my father-in-law.

I am wearing… black polo shirt, jeans, and flip-flops from Old Navy.

I am praying for… Daniel’s school situation to resolve, for some special intentions, for grace and guidance as I process the last month or so.

I am going… to drop off my little black dress to be mended on my way to pick Daniel up from summer school.

I am wondering… what our status will be at the end of the summer.

I am reading… These High, Green Hills by Jan Karon. I also read A Common Life last week.

I am hoping… Daniel goes down peacefully tonight and that we can get a new routine in place here for bedtime.

I am hearing my mother-in-law’s Roombas.

Around the house… Roombas are running, laundry is cycling, and I’m sitting in my room with my needy black cat.

I am pondering… too much mentally. Will have to journal some things out tonight.

A favorite quote for today… “What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it.” — C.S. Lewis

One of my favorite things… a place and time where my mind can be quiet.

A few plans for the rest of the week: errands on various days, sorting through boxes, shredding old papers and bills, and living where my feet are at the moment.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Quick Takes: What Has Happened Here

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7 Quick Takes

So I’ve been hard to find for about a week or so. Here’s what is up:

— 1 —

We packed up our parsonage. I am eternally grateful that my mommy is a project manager. It meant that my living room bookshelves, Daniel’s cave, and Jon’s mancave were packed a week ago Monday and my kitchen was packed last Friday.

— 2 —

We loaded up a 20-foot U-Haul truck. Can I just say that last Saturday morning was a bit tense for me and leave it at that? I wasn’t totally ready when the moving crew showed up and I’m grateful to the council president at Metanoia and at the other church helping us who were calming me down and telling me to stop apologizing.

— 3 —

We deep-cleaned our parsonage. By “we”, I mean Jon. Serious deep-cleaning to remove any trace of us there. A parishioner also came to us on Sunday, handed us a $100 bill, and told us to hire someone to come in and do the rest.

— 4 —

We had our last Sunday at Metanoia. It went well and they had a catered farewell luncheon for us after worship. We left with lots of hugs, a good way to go. One of Jon’s colleagues also came when he was done with his worship duties for the morning and that was really wonderful.

— 5 —

We headed south to LA. After discovering that our motel in Tulare didn’t accept cats, we had to do some searching before we landed at the Motel 6 in town which was more than happy to host our kitties. It was not the best evening but such was life. We had an easy time driving the rest of the way on Monday.

— 6 —

We moved in with my in-laws. We’ve taken over two of their bedrooms with our essential stuff and put the rest in storage. We’ve been unpacking and purging extraneous stuff for the last few days.

And before anyone asks, I get along well enough with my in-laws that people are shocked that my mother-in-law isn’t actually my mother.

— 7 —

We found a really good home for my boys. Integrating 4 cats into the clowder at my in-laws’ house was going to be dicey so we had been trying to find homes for the boys and Freya. Last Saturday, my mother-in-law got a call from someone who had heard about this and who wanted to adopt my boys. My mother-in-law talked to her and liked her immediately and called me to let me know. We had just started loading the truck so the timing of the phone call wasn’t great but I did have a talk with the woman and liked her. On Tuesday, I crated my boys and took them over. She was so perfect that I honestly feel no guilt in leaving them with her. She wanted older cats and she wanted brothers so they wouldn’t be split and she fell in love with my babies upon seeing them. It’s a win-win for them because they get a quieter house with no screaming 5 year olds.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kathryn (our host this week) at Team Whitaker.

This Past Weekend

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We’re in the process of packing to move right now so I’m going to be relatively scarce this week as I’ve been the past few weeks. I did, however, want to talk about my weekend.

Last week, I received the news from Margaret (my former church choir director in San Jose) that one of the choir members had passed away. Winnie stood next to me in choir for a year and a half until I left for college and then on any Sunday I happened to be home. She and her husband Jack adopted me as their surrogate daughter when I was 17 and they were at my wedding 12 years ago, the last time I had been in the sanctuary at ECA. The funeral was on Saturday and my parents were delighted to watch Daniel so I could go.

It was sad to be back at ECA for the first time in 11 years and to know that Winnie wouldn’t be there. I got big hugs from her husband Jack and I got to see people again that I hadn’t seen for years. One of them was Andy the folk choir director (the folk choir provided the music for the liturgy) and he invited me to come and sing with them on Sunday. I didn’t have any amazing plans for Pentecost so I decided to take him up on the offer. It was the first time I had been in the choir loft in years and I was also pretty amazed (as I had been the day before) that Andy’s musical setting for the liturgy was still present in the recesses of my brain and that I could recall it.

As I was standing in the choir loft on Sunday morning, I realized that the reason I know Rite II of the BCP so well is that I had Winnie praying it in my ear for so long. While I’ve been gone from the Episcopal Church for a long time now, the Book of Common Prayer still remains one of the sources for the words I use to express myself spiritually (the other being the Lutheran Book of Worship) and it all started in that tiny second floor sanctuary in San Jose.

I offer all this to demonstrate that you don’t have to say brilliant things, offer advice at every turn (in fact, don’t — I mean it), or be the perfect Proverbs 31/Titus 2 woman to bring someone to Christ. In fact, all you really have to do is love them and show them the faith that sustains you daily. I’m grateful that Jack and Winnie and really the entire choir at ECA adopted me back then — they are a large part of why I am a Christian today.

Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant, Winnie. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive her into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: What I Wore on Sunday Edition

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY June 1, 2014

Outside my window… warmish. Probably in the 80’s today.

I am thinking… about everything that has to get done in the next two weeks.

I am thankful… for the two men who stopped and helped me change a flat tire yesterday even though I totally had it under control on my own.

In the kitchen… grilled cheese sandwich made with pesto gouda and sourdough bread from Trader Joe’s.

I am wearing… navy blue shirt from Old Navy and black capri sweats from Target.

I am praying for… someone to be able to adopt 3 of my 4 kitties.

I am going… to be spending tomorrow morning at Les Schwab getting my tire replaced. Thank God for the spare in my trunk.

I am wondering… about a lot of the things in my life right now.

I am reading… At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon. I need some light reading and her books do the deal.

I am hoping… I can get boxes sourced this week.

I am looking forward to… Daniel going to sleep. He’s been in rare form today.

I am hearing Leverage on TV.

Around the house… things to pack.

A favorite quote for today… “The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of. Our attention would have been on God.” — C.S. Lewis

One of my favorite things… iced chai tea latté from $tarbux.

A few plans for the rest of the week: packing, ABA therapy for Daniel in the afternoons, packing, Daniel’s preschool graduation, packing, Ladies’ Night Out on Wednesday, packing, a meeting on Friday, packing, and possibly a funeral on Saturday.

A peek into my day… Edda and I before church. Everything I was wearing (black polo shirt and denim skirt) was inherited from my sister-in-law except for my flip-flops (Old Navy ), my Celtic cross (Fellowship Foundry, procured at Tapestry and Talent 19 years ago), and my house panther.

Edda and I before church.

What I Wore on Sunday

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The Simple Woman’s Daybook: May 26, 2014

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY May 26, 2014

Outside my window… hot. The high was 94F today. It’s hopefully supposed to cool off a bit this week though it will still be summer temperatures. *sighs* Definitely not helpful that we have a drought happening in California at the moment.

I am thinking… about everything coming up in the next few weeks.

I am thankful… for my in-laws and the way they’re helping us make some decisions right now.

In the kitchen… dishes!

I am wearing… my Run for Courage shirt and black yoga pants.

I am praying for… the ability to make good decisions, the strength to confront everything happening over the next few weeks, and for a number of special intentions.

I am going… to Trader Joe’s tomorrow. We need sourdough bread and I need some ginger mints.

I am wondering… why I seem to get stuck with the women who take Titus 2:3-5 literally and wax poetically about how they wish they had an older woman like that in their lives when they were young. They don’t care about making me into a Biblical woman — they just want to be able to boss younger women around because they think they *gasp* “know what it’s like to be a young mother in [my] situation”. Ummm… no.

I am reading… A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans.

I am hoping… that my hands eventually stop hurting.

I am looking forward to… having some of these decisions behind us.

I am hearing Jon typing on his laptop. Daniel is still asleep. *crosses fingers that he stays asleep*

Around the house… decluttering and organizing.

A favorite quote for today… “A towel, [The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can’t see it, it can’t see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.” — Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

One of my favorite things… quiet evenings after my precious sweetling has been knocked off his schedule and is being bratty.

A few plans for the rest of the week: ABA therapy every afternoon, a counseling appointment on Friday, and that’s pretty much it.

A peek into my day… My grandfather (an aviator with the U.S. Navy in WWII) and me probably 30 years ago.

My grandfather and me in 1984.

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