In The Refiner's Fire

I Did it! I'm so proud of myself! I acutally walked into a store, bought nothing that wasn't on my list and walked out WITH CHANGE in my purse! Whoo hoo!!! Since I had $12 for this week, that's a major feat - considering I needed milk, fruit and baking powder and hoped to score a few other good deals along the way. So.... here's the loot: Store #1: Cub Foods Total Spent: $5.96 Kraft Mac and Cheese: 4 boxes x $0.25 = $1 (Store coupon pricing) Green Giant 5lbs Russet Potatoes: 1 x $0.98 = $0.98 (Store coupon pricing) 5lb bag Harlson Apples: 1 x $3.98 Store #2: Rainbow Foods Total Spent: $4.63 Gallon Roundy's Milk: 2 x $2.19 = $4.38 Roundy's Chunk Cheese: 2 x $0.99 = $1.98 Roundy's Chunk Light Tuna in Water: 1 can x $0.79 = $0.79 Roundy's Baking Powder: 1 can x $1.19 = $1.19 2.95 lbs Bananas x $0.55/lb = $1.62 Bar S Franks: 2 x $0.68 = $1.32 - $1/2 coupon = $0.32 Mi...

This has been a bumpy month for us. It started out so good with my surgery going so very, very well and the fridge and pantry being so well stocked by my folks before they headed back home. ...then it seemed like things started to fly apart all at once. ...A broken plate...a broken futon...running out of several things in the cupboard...John not really getting well...Missy getting sick...me getting sick...the weather stripping on the van...the water softener having a canary and spewing water all over the floor...finding out we need to buy Buddy yet another pair of Tap Shoes for dance class (his feet just keep growing!)...John having two paychecks this month below our normal 'budgeted' amount due to various reasons...having to somehow pull an additional $1000 out of that monthly budget to pay my tuition... ...and I could continue. Still, there are many blessings: Time and a flexible schedule. Far and away the biggest blessing this month is time. My schedule is flexible enough t...

It's been a whole week now (well, it will be this evening!) since I got my high fever and offically came down with this crud. I'm still tired, but overall feeling MUCH better. I'll take a nap today, tomorrow and Sunday and then hopefully be back to normal. On the docket for today: Washing the bedding (almost done with this one!) Grocery store run (busy day tomorrow and I don't want to over-do it!) Paying a couple of bills Working on my paper for class A little ironing (if I'm really on the ball, but this can wait if need be!) Plus the nap. That's it. Nothing more. I'm still feeling a bit like a slug, but I know what can happen if I over-do it too soon and don't want to end up there. So, taking it easy today still but slowly getting back into the swing of things. It's nice to be feeling the end of the tunnel up ahead. I write "feeling" because that's how I can tell. My head isn't stuffy anymore. My energy is slowly coming b...

Well, I'm fighting the 'crud' again this week, so we're eating pretty simple around here. We have LOTS of food in the house so I'm trying not to buy much and eat from the 'pantry', so to speak. Breakfast is usually cold cereal or oatmeal, unless otherwise stated, though I'm thinking of trying a new recipe I have for peanut butter and jelly muffins for Thursday morning. We'll see. Lunch is leftovers or sandwhiches unless otherwise stated. Monday, 10/26: Dinner: Chicken Noodle Soup and Cornbread Tuesday, 10/27: Dinner: Spiced Pancakes with Fruit Wednesday, 10/28: Dinner: Baked Chicken, Sweet Potato Fries, Steamed Broccoli, and Fruit Thursday, 10/29: Dinner: Baked Pork Chops and Acorn Squash, Lettuce Salad, and Fruit Friday, 10/30: Dinner: Leftovers or Homemade Pizza and Breadsticks Saturday, 10/31: Breakfast: Out for all (Monthly Bible Studies) Lunch: Tuna Sandwiches, Fruit Dinner: Hamburger Gravy with Noodles, Steamed Broc...

Being home last week with Missy should have told me I was going to get sick myself. That's usually what happens. And it did. Friday night I came down with a bad fever, shakes like I couldn't believe, and a terrible headache. Ah yes, the flu. Probably H1N1 but we don't know. We're now being told that the flu that John and Missy had were most likely this H1N1, after being initially told it wasn't, and that is most likely what I am now getting over too. So I've been sleeping the last 4 days - or the bulk of it anyway. Starting to feel better today but I'm still tired. I think today is a good day for sleeping and reading and maybe a little embroidery. And that's about it. I folded and put away a basket of laundry Monday and wiped myself out for the rest of the day. Then yesterday was like taking 2 steps backward. Definitely don't want to do that again! I'm taking this entire week off of everything outside of home - no class, no work, no choir,...

We found out yesterday that Missy can't go back to school until Monday at the earliest, preferrably Wednesday next week. We're hoping it can be Monday since she's obviously better and getting tired of being home with the parents! :) She is so used to having someone her age around to play with that she just gets tired of playing with us or by herself (which she does very well, I might add). I am going to take her in for school pictures tomorrow - I was told I can bring her for that but she can't stay for class. So, John has the day off and I'm back in class today. There's just enough time to finish my presentation and then go to class tonight. I did a quick run to the local library last night and got my ducks in a row for my presentation today, I just have to tweek it and make sure it makes sense! We have a busy weekend with company coming up, so I am grateful that Missy is feeling well. It's amazing how grateful I am for my normal schedule when things ...

I had hoped that Missy would feel well enough to send her back to school and daycare today but that's not the case, so we're home again today. I'm beginning to feel like I've been AWOL from work/school! Yes, I have good reason to be gone (and honestly wouldn't want to be there with a sick child at daycare - if they'd let me send her - or with a sick self either) but I'm starting to feel the responsibilities I have ther piling up on my shoulders. I discovered yesterday that mornings are better for working on schoolwork with Missy home, rather than afternoons, which had been my original plan. I can sew quilt squares with her wanting to help me or interrupting me every 5 minutes. Reading a 10-page, small-type article from The British Journal of Educational Psychology and actually comprehending it, not to mention taking coherent notes, for a project at school, not so much! :) So, we'll see how today goes in terms of getting schoolwork done. It frustrates...

I got home from school yesterday and had a moment of panic. Missy had a fever of 101F and that meant I needed to quickly find a sub for my class coordinator position at Jazzercise this AM as well as figure out how on earth I'm going to actually get the schoolwork I need to get done this week done as well as finishing off a couple of birthday presents by this weekend. Never fear! The good Lord provided - three people to sub for me (my franchise owner got a good laugh out of that!), a daughter who no longer has a fever and is perfectly content eating goldfish crackers, watching movies and dozing on the couch, and the two hours I would have spent at Jazz to cut out quilt squares and sew. I will work on the homework stuff while Missy is sleeping for an afternoon nap today. We're pretty darn sure that what Missy has is what John had right after my surgery - a nasty, but short-lived virus (about 36 hours) and not the H1N1 that's been running around. If she's feeling a lot b...

Hurray! That title doesn't have a "bummpy" in front of it! Not that I couldn't have put one there - I woke up a whole whopping 30 minutes before I had to get myself and my 2 kids out the door this morning, including showers, clothes, etc. plus an afternoon's worth of toys packed too - but it certainly isn't as bumpy as the last two have seemed. I did manage to get us out the door and the two kids dropped off at Sunday school (it felt SO WEIRD just to drop them off and leave - I wonder how other people do that regularly?) and then drive across town (thank heavens for Sunday morning lack of traffic!) to the retreat to hear John give his last talk. He did AWESOME! I am so proud of him and feel so very, very blessed that he is my husband. Just hearing the team members praying for him (they do laying on of hands before and after the talks) and thanking God for how he has impacted their lives even if only met him on this retreat was amaizing. I know beyond a sha...

So... I had $15 left for groceries this week. I blew it. I spent $41.56. That's $26.56 over - more than my alotted weekly budget. *Sigh* I had a list longer than my arm, and I realized we were out of TP too. Plus, I'm tired and back on antibiotics and have two cranky kids - all the result off my late night last night and our busy day yesterday (not the antibiotics, but the rest of it). So I decided to just wing it. I used 1 coupon - a store coupon for 78-cent frozen veggies - and that's it. I did buy stuff on sale. Does that make up for it? :) Here's what we got: 2 gallons of milk 2 36oz apple juice 4 bunches broccoli (I'll blanch and freeze 2 of these for later.) 1 white onion 5 lbs potatoes 3 lbs bananas 1 1-lb bag frozen green beens 2 lbs pears 1 1/4 lb sweet potatoes 4 cans Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup 2 8oz cans Tomato paste 1 bag oyster crackers 1 box Animal crackers 1 bag brown sugar 1 bag coffee 1 carton ice cream 1 block chedder cheese 1 bag shred...

I meant to post yesterday. Really I did. Life happens - nothing bad, just good and busy. So here's part of the reason I didn't bog yesterday: Yep, we carved Jack-o-Lanterns. Four of them! The two on the left were drawn by Buddy and the one on the right by Missy. Yep, they all have glasses - John and I have glasses and the kids keep asking for them even though they don't need them. The flower one is mine - trying to get rid of the bruised/cut spots on the outside of the pumpkin. We also have toasted pumpkin seeds (I spent almost 2 hours going through all the guck to get out the seeds) in two different 'flavors' and I have apples in the dehydrator (my house now smells like apple pie!). In addition I spent some time at John's retreat listening to him give his first talk on God's Grace. It was awesome! Then I ened the day with a 2 1/2 hour conversation on the phone with my cousin. It was so good to talk to her - it had been a while! Which meant I didn't get ...

John headed out the door today to work at a men's retreat this weekend. He is the assistant spiritual director for the weekend (one of 2) and is giving two talks on Grace. He is nervous and feeling a bit out-of-sorts since he missed their last pre-weekend with the flu. That means it's just the kids and I! I'm feeling better - it's amazing what sleep can do! - but I'm thinking that it's going to be a weekend of books and movies and crafts rather than anything more exciting. The kids got a whole stack of books from their preschool book order yesterday so maybe we can spend some time reading those. I have a trip to the Library planned and carving the pumpkins into Jack-o-lanterns. That's about it. The kids get to spend Sunday with our friends while I go listen to John speak and then later in the afternoon go back for the closing service. Can I ask you to please keep John, the workers and those attending in your prayers? They would greatly appreciate it!

Just when I think things are getting back to normal, life happens again. I spent most of last night up with the worst sore throat I've had in YEARS. It hurt to swallow at all! John kindly suggested I take some Advil but I declined, as a single swallow of water almost wouldn't go down. I got about 1 1/2 hours of sleep total over 8 hours. Not so good. So, I called in sick to work today. I didn't have any meetings so it's not that big of a deal. But I feel like it is. Days like today make me feel like I'll never get where I believe God is leading me. Like I will be sick for the rest of my natural life. My head knows that this is a virus - the doctor said so, and I know it's been going around and around and around at preschool and daycare. My daycare lady has even had it for the last week or so. It's not contagious by now but it's certainly enough to make me feel truly icky. (Yes, that's the technical term). I know that by the beginning of next...

I caught something this weekend. "The crud" as we call it around here. Brought home by the kiddos and generously shared. At my doctor's appointment yesterday he said I have to be careful that the virus I caught doesn't open the door for a bacterial infection. This is especially important since I still have open areas in my sinus cavities. Bacteria infection + unhealed area = not a good situation. :) So, I did go work out today (that was encouraged - to boost my immune system). I'm taking extra Vitamin C (also encouraged). I'm back on my Vitamin D prescription (also encouraged). Drinking lots of water, taking naps and trying to not push myself too hard to complete things. (Again, all encouraged). *Sigh* I loved being back in the swing of things. I loved being able to chase after my kids - something my heart has been yearning for for two years now. I loved being back to my workout and seeing everyone again. I know all the rest and everything else is necessary ...

I planned two weeks this time thanks to our stock up weekend! I have some kid-favorites on the menu that we rarely eat this weekend because John is at a church retreat Thursday through Sunday and it's just the kids and me at home. We're also eating cheesier than normal this weekend since the three of us love cheese and John can't eat it. Thought I'd treat the munchkins and make life easier for me at the same time! Breakfast is oatmeal or cold cereal unless otherwise stated. Lunch is usually leftovers unless otherwise stated. Sunday, 10/11: Brunch: Pancakes with Frozen Strawberries Dinner: Spaghetti with Lettuce Salad Monday, 10/12: Dinner: Baked Chicken, Steamed Carrots, Roasted Potatoes, Fruit Tuesday, 10/13: Dinner: Soft Shell Beef Tacos, Fruit Wednesday, 10/14: Dinner: Baked Salmon, Acorn Squash, Wild Rice, Fruit Thursday, 10/15: Dinner: Leftovers Friday, 10/16: Dinner: Macaroni and Cheese, Fruit Saturday, 10/17: Breakfast: Oatmeal...

....Outside at least. Inside we're still pretending it's October! We have 4 1/2 inches of wet, heavy snow on the ground. (Here's the snow sticking to the top of our patio table umbrella.) I'm definately not ready for this! Yet, I keep thinking it could be worse. We could have lost a chunk of a garden that is a main source of food for us. We didn't. We could not have winter clothes, coats, snowpants or hats or have to make all these things by hand. We have all those things. We could have no money to buy boots or mittens or have ot make these by hand. We do have the money and a store to buy them at - it just takes some wiggling of the budget. We could have to carefully ration our fuel to stay warm. We don't. We could live in an area that is inaccessable from the outside during winter. We don't. We could not have access to police and fire protection and medical care during bad weather (or for other reasons). We have access to all three no matter what the weathe...

It's another bumpy Sunday here. I officially caught the crud that's been running around our house. About mid-afternoon yesterday, I felt like I had been doused in boiling water and felt limp as a dishrag. To bed I went. Took a 4 hour nap. Ate dinner and went back to bed. Up at 8am this morning. Clipped a couple of coupons, ate a very small breakfast, took a shower. Went back to bed. Up ate a snack, checked my email, now I'm writing this. Then I'll go back to bed again. Uff da. Just when I think everything is ready to get back to normal, reality hits. The good news? John and the kids made it to worship - though they missed Sunday school. I'm starting to feel better - at least a little bit. The kids actually took a nap today. My fever is pretty much gone, I just feel like I've been hit by a truck! I don't have to go in to work until Wednesday, though I have my final follow up from surgery appointment tomorrow. Not too bad. Not to mention that I think w...

We've done two additional things today that have added groceries to our stockpile. First, a trip to the apple orchard. This is included in our entertainment budget, so we get apples and pumpkins without adding to our grocery bill. We got: 1 peck fresh Paula Red Apples 2 small pumpkins 1 large pumpkin For $16 dollars! The pumpkins will actually be carved, but I will toast the seeds for snacks and that also means I can cook the 2 pumpkins the kids brought home from their school trip to the pumpkin patch! Second, an actual trip to the grocery store. We decided after looking at the sales, to put another $10 overtime toward stockup groceries this week and kidnap $10 from next week's groceries. We got: 4 boxes of pasta 8 cans tomato juice 3 cans beans 3lbs bananas 3lbs grapes 2 15oz peanut butter 1 15oz ketchup 1 box macaroni and cheese 1 bottle chili powder 1 6oz chopped walnuts All for $17 dollars. I made up a 2-week menu plan and my plan for next week is to buy fruit, lettuce, m...

I'm not doing so hot this month so far with the $25/wk budget. The deals are good and we've ran out of so much. *Sigh* So much for practicing thriftiness this month! We had to buy a few things for preschool this week again. Having twins and having the kids bring snacks in alphabetical order by last name means that we get to send snacks two weeks in a row. I have the string cheese and baby carrots that I bought week to send and we added pudding cups and will add more fruit to go with the string cheese. First run this week: Sam's Club. John has some overtime this week so we decided to take $15 of the overtime money and another $10 in left over from last week gas money and do a little stocking up. The stock up purchases: Lemonade Mix Chicken Nuggets 90% Lean Ground Beef (5#) Rosemary (clearanced) Sage (clearanced) Preschool Purchases: 40 100% fruit juice boxes Pudding Cups (20 for school, 16 for us) Additional Purchases: 1 1/2 doz eggs 2 gallons of milk 1 whole pineapple 1...

They had been predicting snow in the forecast for this weekend all week. I really thought they were kidding. I mean, it's only the 10th of October! Usually we don't get snow until at least November, if not after Thanksgiving. Well, we woke up to a dusting of fluffy white. Yes, the grass is poking through. No, it really doesn't cover anything but the roofs. Yes, it will probably melt by noon. But it's snow. And two happier pre-schoolers you have never seen! "Mama! Mama! It snowed! It snowed! Can we go sledding?" I had to work really hard not to laugh. And I feel so very blessed that it takes so little to make my kids so happy! What more can I ask for?

I'm having a good week Devotionally speaking! What I'm reading is really relevant and 'speaks' to me. I like it when that happens. It seems like I always have some times when I read my Devotional Material and say "Ok, what on earth am I supposed to get out of that?" I'm so glad that yesterday and today are not in that category! Last night John and I were talking about a discussion he was having in one of his seminary classes about how society today is not marriage friendly. The media - or at least 98% of it - protrays relationships of all kinds in poor ways, with spouses, kids and parents, and friends being rude and disrespectful to each other, backstabbing each other, complaining to high heaven about the little things that each other does. Are John and I perfect at being a couple? Heaven's no! But we don't deliberately demean, belittle, give the silent treatment, expect the other to read our mind, or call each other names. Our children aren...

I'm back to class today. It's an evening class and I still have a bunch of reading to do before it. No matter - I have time and can read faster now than I have in a while! :) The chicken for dinner tonight is in the crockpot, my bags are packed (except my laptop), I have a snack to tide me over from lunch until I get home and have dinner, and I have my ducks in a row to stop at the public library on the way up to school. I even have put the last little bit of laundry away and tidied up the house for John and the kids when they get home today. It's good to be back - even though the time off has been nice. It's nice to cross things off my to-do list. It's nice to be learning intellectual things again. It's even nicer to be back full force on the path that God has set before me. God is good! Always.

I was doing my morning devotional and the scripture for today really reached out and grabbed me: 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 (NKJV) Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption in herit incorruption. Behold, I will tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Th...

Each month I pick a couple of 'character' things to work on. This month it's thriftiness and self-control. Given the current state of our budget and that I'd like to lose 6-10lbs by the end of the year, those are very current topics. We've had the futon break beyond repair, a plate crack in half, half the stuff in our cupboards run out, we're currently completely out of anything drink except water and out of eggs. I need new glasses and we had the weather stripping come off the front window on the van. The hinge on the front storm door is about to bust in half (it's very close) and we have a list of things we need for winter as long as my arm. Not to mention that Buddy needs shoes - badly! In addition to that, my Dad bought a mountain of junk food. And I made a batch of my most favorite cookies in the whole wide world yesterday. Then, this evening I opened the local paper and saw an article that just made my blood boil that was about our church. It's an ...

I officially over did it yesterday. It felt so good to have energy again that I didn't know where to stop! So, I woke up this morning physicaly weary. But it's a good weary. A weary that comes from doing more than I should but also from knowing that I will be able to do all that again. It's a weary that comes from accomplishment. After I posted yesterday I did another 8 loads of laundry (don't ask!), put together my day planner for October and scheduled my next 2 weeks, cleaned the bathroom, made an enormous batch of cookies by hand (my mixer is too wimpy to handle it), made dinner, made popcorn and on-the-stove hot cocoa, got the living room and kitchen cleaned up for John's Bible Study, made and ate dinner, washed dishes (we don't have a dishwasher), did a little reading for school, put away the laundry, vacuumed the family room and then got the kids ready for bed and watched a movie with them while John's Bible Study was meeting. I also got to bless Joh...

God has been working hard in my heart and mind over the last couple of years. I've always been a my way, my time, my agenda, my schedule and my plans kind of gal and it's been particulary touch being ill (especially without any type of diagnosis for two years - I'll write more about that later!), and not being able to meet the agendas I had set for myself. In the last few weeks - ever since my cousin died (which I'll also write about later) - I've been convicted of a few things. I've been working to do things I shouldn't be doing, I've been too focused on myself. Me. What I want to do. Not what I should be doing. Not what God wants me to do. I have always felt that God has called me to be a scientist, a Physicist to be exact, and a professor as well as a wife, mother, daughter, friend, etc. That part hasn't changed. What has changed is my additional agenda. Nothing like being sick to tell you what you really don't need to do! Keeping my house...

It's 1015am here. I have been up since about 5am. I actually got about 7 hours of sleep with only one wake up! Yippie! In the half hour before John's alarm went off, I just decided to lay in bed and listen to the rain drum on the roof rather than pushing myself to get up and get rolling. I love that sound. *Sigh* Because I like it so much, I didn't haul myself out of bed until John started wondering where on earth he'd put his work keys at 605am. After a bit of a scramble we found them and he was off. So I made coffee and drank some and rocked. What a lovely way to start the day! What I'm lovin' is the energy I have! I've already gotten so much done and will be able to get much more done today. I will probably need a short nap - I'm feeling like I will if I'm going to be doing coherent reading later today - but that's fine. I'm still recovering. So far today I've changed all four beds, 6 sets of towels, the sofa slipcover, and ...

I had my surgery follow up appointment today. Everything looks really good and I can get back to normal activities as soon as I feel up to it! Whoo hoo! I had the spacers taken out - I'll spare you the details since it was pretty gross, but they were HUGE. I can feel the difference and can breathe freer than I have for literally years! My energy levels have now officially shot back up high enough that I'm actually giddy - John and my Mom both commented on this! Just to demonstrate how high they are now, here's what I did today on 9 hours of mostly uninterrupted sleep: Surgery follow-up appointment. 2 hours at JoAnn Etc. buying material for Halloween costumes, Christmas Outfits and some odds and ends to finish some other things off. Lunch out with Mom and Dad (Dad's treat). Cleaned out the sewing area (it still needs more but it's a start). Ran errands with Dad. That is between 9am and 330pm today. Any one of those activities would have drained my energy before o...

Back to normal this week after surgery last week - back to work/class on Thursday for me at least. Mom and Dad are heading home either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on my doctor's report Monday, so it's back to normal kitchen activities as well. Breakfasts: cold cereal or oatmeal (unless otherwise stated) Lunches: leftovers, sandwiches (unless otherwise stated) Sunday: Brunch: Baked Eggs, Cinnamon Rolls, Bacon and Melon Dinner: Homemade Macaroni and Cheese, Chicken Quessedillas, Fruit Monday: Dinner: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Lettuce Salad, Fruit Tuesday: Dinner: Homemade Chicken Nuggets, Carrot Sticks, Apples Bible Study Kickoff Snacks: Homemade Chips and Salsa, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Hot Cider, Hot Cocoa and Water Wednesday: Dinner: Homemade Pizza and Breadsticks, Lettuce Salad Thursday: Dinner: Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, Fruit Friday: Dinner: Leftovers Saturday: Breakfast: Oatmeal Muffins, Peanut Butter-Banana Smoothies Late Lunch/Early Dinner: Chili, Cornbr...

I didn't get much extra done in September, with trying to get ready for school, finishing up my written exam, applying for a last minute job (that fell through), burying my cousin, getting the kids into preschool, helping with a huge fundraiser for my (deceased) cousin's group home and prepping for surgery. I did get two Lutheran World Relief quilt tops done for our quilting group at church. They turned out pretty good and the quilting group will back and tie them and send them off. They're not the most beautiful quilts ever, but they'll keep someone warm and let them know they're loved and prayed for. It makes me feel so good to think I can do a little bit of good for the world from my own home! What do you do to make you feel connected and help the world?

Can I tell you how completely cool my parents are? I've been out with surgery, and my parents have been running the show since John has been out with a cold/flu thing. They have spoiled us completely rotten with junk food, cooking, cleaning, child care and free groceries! So my fridge and freezer are well stocked! Stock up items include: a huge block of cheddar cheese (I don't know the weight off the top of my head, but it's huge!) 4 20 oz packages of boneless, skinless chicken breast 2 20 oz packages of boneless pork chops 10lbs of potatoes a dozen oranges 10lbs of flour 2 3-packs of shortening sticks 2 lbs of cornmeal 5 lbs of apples 16 oranges 3 tubs of ice cream 1 box of ice cream sandwiches Not to mention all the chips, crackers, yogurt, fruit, and meat that they've purchased in addition. Last night Mom made an awesome baked whole chicken with baked butternut squash served with cut up fruit for dinner. It was super yummy and we have enough leftover for at least an...

I never ever thought I would write that having surgery is a blessing. But it has been. I closed out September by having sinus surgery on September 29th. I was scared stiff - by the descriptions of the recovery, the fear of having a puffy black and blue face that would scare my children, of being the terrible patient that I tend to be during recovery. The reality: even before I was awake enough from anesthesia for the nurses in the recovery room to notice, I knew I had made the right decision. The terrible pain that had been predicted? Less than half of what I've been walking around with daily for the last 8 months. Mostly feeling like I've run face first into a brick wall, but in reailty not enough to notice unless I touch it or bump it on one of my kids. The puffy, black and blue face? Some slight brusing under one eye that looks like I didn't get enough sleep. Some very slight puffyness around my nose that you don't notice with my glasses on. The terrible patient? I...