Not Much Going on Here. AT ALL.

So pretty soon here (I hope!) we'll be getting some new windows and siding on our house.  Yep, Hardie board stuff.  But our house is partially brick on a cement foundation, so I'd been painting the foundation and some trim and bla bla bla in coordinating colours, so that when the siding goes up it all looks ok.

I don't know how painters live through their training and become old painters, because I've injured myself doing this.  First off, there's a ton of scrubbing and scraping to be done, carrying of stuff back and forth and all the weird ways one must contort one's body for hours at a time to do the job well.

Rose followed a magnetic mosaic pattern on this art project.

And keep in mind, I'm only doing the foundation bits!  I'm not standing on ladders or scaffolding or anything really crazy even.  But somehow I've managed to injure myself so badly that I've had to go to the emergency room for the pain.  They think it's a rotator cuff injury maybe, they don't know for sure except nothing is broken.  Sent me  home with a prescription for like, 10 measly pain pills and a "hope that works!"

Well.  I don't find that adequate medical care, really, but things were so dreadful youbetya I filled the prescription at 4:58 on a Monday morning and stopped in at the donut shop next to the pharmacy when it opened at 5 to get the kiddos a dozen donuts and a free coffee for me.  (I don't know why but there are some stores that give out free coffee on Mondays if you're buying a buncha stuff.  I needed the coffee anyway and the kids like donuts, right?)

Then I followed up with my family physician in the hopes of REAL medical care.  He made the doctor in training do all the paperwork and listening and then he came in and just poked me in the general vicinity of my shoulder only one time and - based on my unfortunate reaction - declared the whole area so bad off that he couldn't even test where the swelling was!  So.  Steroids and crap and I don't know what else has been prescribed.  I have a drug schedule and a follow-up appointment and yes, I will time the meds so that I will just cringe through however long it takes and not do any dope-driving.

So anyway, if it turns out there are weird unpainted patches on the back of the house this winter, I've just decided it's looking "good enough," ok?  I'm done until spring or rather?  Patrick is gonna take over in the spring.

OH.  The x-rays I got at the hospital show I have some pretty bad arthritis.  I sort of felt like I had it for several years now but then I rationalised that I was too young and so on.  Nope.  I have arthritis and it shows up on x-rays from the neck down.  Yippeee!

Woodjie HATES art but humoured me anyway to make me happy.  He loves me bunches. :)

Anyway... all that to say?  Right now, I'm hanging out at home and not driving anywhere.  Also I hate prednisone.  At this rate of weight gain on that drug?  I will have my own "slobby and staying in bed/ strangers must wipe my bottom when I poo" TV series in about a year.  It's discouragin', folks.  Hopefully I bounce back pretty soon but meanwhile I am doing all sorts of non-cooking activities at home with the little homeschoolers.  Every art project that's been lying dormant for a while and just about every book is getting a good going over because why not.

This week I got a jury summons also!  I hope they buy, "I'm not sure if I will be able to drive by mid-December and also I'm homeschooling a disabled kid" as an excuse but if not, maybe I will have to show up all doped up and do the best I can with impaired judgement and all that.  I hope not for the defendant's sake but I'm not going to jail for failure to appear on top of all this going on, thanks.

I'm wanting to enjoy my new siding when-ever it comes in and gets popped up on my house and I can't do that from prison.

Oh well, I'll keep you posted.  Please mentally correct any grammar mistakes and incoherence in this post as it was written in a pretty cheerful but rather impaired state - thanks.  xx

Travel While You Still Can!

Royal Jordanian Airlines is probably not the only business that was banking on a Clinton win hours before the election. Now to read it, it seems like one of those jokes that is "too soon."

Veterans Day

Remembering my grandfather, James Barron, on Veterans Day.  He served at the Pentagon with the War Production Board during WWII. 

The Living Room is NOT for Living In.

okay how my mom just gonna close down the living room for a month ?? pic.twitter.com/ALDzJbC8AK

— nick denbow (@nickdenbow11) November 5, 2016

A mother posted a note indicating that the living room was NOT to be used until Thanksgiving.  It's been shared about a billion times on Twitter and on the news sites, but I don't see what's so unusual about this.  Growing up, we had an entire living room we weren't allowed to enter except on Thanksgiving, Christmas or "very important person visiting" occasions. The thing that is odd about the tape and the note is that such things have to be explained. We just KNEW that the room was not to be entered. No note required.

It would be nice if we had a few extra rooms to cordon off in my own home today, but I'm not that organised and/or I don't live in a large enough house considering the number of children here.

So, We Had an Election...

You know Trump was most certainly NOT my first choice as a presidential candidate.  That being said, I'm quite relieved (happy, even!) that Mrs. Clinton is not going to be our first female president.  Eight years of Obama and friends was quite enough, thankyouverymuch.

I shouldn't be, but I'm really VERY surprised by the immature and (dare I say?) hateful behaviour of many of my liberal friends toward anyone and everyone who would vote for Trump.  For my part, I would never assume any of my liberal friends who voted for Clinton really thought she was all that great, and I most certainly would never ascribe every word she says and every character attribute she has to them had she won. Yet that's precisely what I see many of my (perhaps former) liberal friends doing with Trump and his supporters. 

Whatever happened to taking the high road and losing gracefully?  I'm pleasantly surprised to see that that is exactly how Mrs. Clinton and President Obama are behaving, with class and dignity.

Just so you know, it's my blog.  You already know exactly how I feel about Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton, so no political comments on this post please.  Not here and not today.  Today, please say something kind or say nothing because I will delete any rancorous comments or... well?  Anything I feel even might stir up drama... thanks for respecting all your fellow commenters.  God bless xx

Brave Girls 365-Day Devotional

I wanted to get The Brave Girls 365-Day Devotional from Tommy Nelson for my eight-year-old daughter Rose's Christmas.  It's just such a cute little powder pink book with sweet girly characters that I know she'll just love it.  This book is a hardcover with over 400 pages, but it's friendly and casual reading. 

I like that each of the Brave Girls characters are from very different family situations and ethnicities, but all of them are learning to be kind to one another and serve God just as they are.  One is even homeschooled!  Naturally, this is the kiddo who has the most trouble with going along with the crowd.  (Hey, as a mom?  I get why her mom thinks homeschooling is best for that child.)

I've also enjoyed reading the "Prayer Pointers" included with each day's devotional.  That's exactly what they are - pointers or things to consider thinking and praying about.  The book gives a sense of direction without smothering.  No one girl is presented as the "good" or "bad" child - we all of us struggle to do the right thing sometimes.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Just Humour Me and Read This, OK?

I want you to do something.  Go take a look around your house.  Do you have a working smoke detector near your kitchen?  Do you have one near the sleeping areas of the house and at least one on each floor?  I'm asking this because I'm seeing folks who do NOT.  And it gets me worried.  So I'm blogging.

And please would you check on your elderly friends and relatives?  Maybe even be a little nosy. We're dealing with some elderly folks who forgot that they had over 200 pounds of ammunition and a bunch of butane lying around.  Not even kidding.  I'm all for "live free or die" and all that but please don't take that too literally and bring the whole 'hood with ya.  (Yeah, it's been dealt with... but sheesh).

I just received this fire safety guide in my email a few weeks back from ConsumerSafety.org and thought I would share it with you. Another thing I've found very helpful are the talks our local fire department gives in the community from time to time.  Your fire department may help you with fire prevention and often, they give smoke detectors for free or reduced cost to people in need.

I hope everyone is having a great week.  Sorry I haven't been blogging as much as usual... we've been dealing with stuff don'cha know.