Flashback Friday- Pumpkins!

Happy Halloween, everybody!

come around

So the news is mostly good from my most recent appointment with Dr. BackPain.  (It was originally scheduled for Nov. 10th, but the office called on Monday to let me know that all the results were ready, so why not come in.)

Did you want the good or the less-than-good news first?  Good?  Okay, we'll go with that.

The good news is that there is no significant pinching of the spinal nerve.  So, that's good.  However, it seems that I have a condition called degenerative disc disease.  That is basically the excessive wear of the invertebral discs in the spine.  Fortunately, it seems that there is only one disc that this is currently a problem for, and that is the disc at the very base of my spine.

There is also no cushioning cartilage  for that vertebrae anymore.  I saw the MRI of my entire spine and all looks good, except for that one spot.  That is, of course, the cause of most of my back pain.  In combination, it seems that I also have a condition called Spondylosis and that has been causing the sciatic pain.

The treatments for such conditions are everything that I have been doing; physical therapy, stretching, heat or cold therapy, anti-inflammatory medicines.  I'm on about 1300mg of Tylenol Arthritis twice a day and that seems to be working.  The bonus to that is that it's not giving me the yucky side effects that some of the medications were that I was on, so that's good.

But the downside of having these conditions is that I am pretty much supposed to expect some degree of back pain for the rest of my life.  At least until vertebrae and disc transplant becomes a viable option. Because there is no way in hell  in the world that I am going to be able to modify my activity to never bend again.  Oh, yeah.

Dr. BackPain has ordered me to see a neuro-physical therapist twice a week for another six weeks.  Because I guess this therapist can better deal with the issues that my right leg has as a whole. ie: limited range of motion in the ankle, spasticity in the calf muscle, and that I can't wiggle my toes on that side.  blah, blah, blah.

Okay, on to the less-than-good news.....

When I was a child, I knew that my Mom always told doctors that my leg length discrepancy was five-eights of an inch.  So that's what I went with when I had given that information to my primart care provider when I went to see him in August initially.

Yeah, turns out, that was the case while I was growing.....now, not so much.

Those x-rays that I had at the beginning of all this have revealed that indeed, my right leg is shorter than my left.  But not by a measly 5/8"; no, try over one inch.  1.06 inches to be precise.  Yikes.

I should have known when I took off my left shoe in therapy and stood pretty much level that I was in trouble.  Craaaap.

I am still not in a place where I can deal with the mental issue of having an external shoe lift, and I wasn't even going to pretend that I am.  Unfortunately for me, I may never get there, but in order to maintain any kind of comfort, I will probably at some point have to fake it til I make it.

But knowing that I have been spending nearly the last twenty years compensating for the difference and that I'm indeed not in that place yet, Dr. BackPain has given me an order for the maximum internal lift, for now.  Knowing that my body will need time to work up to feeling okay on a level playing field, I have that option and when I have a follow-up appointment in January, we will together reassess to see where I am and what it is that I still need.

So, there ya have it.  For now.

Wordless Wednesday- Don't tell her but dishes aren't her chore.

ain't it grand

***WARNING!!  This may not be the post to read if you just ate, are planning to do so soon or have any kind of weak stomach!!*** You've been warned!  bwaaaahaaahaaa.

When I was growing up, we had to live survived by a certain rule.

"No puke or diarrhea, no fever- go to school."

Let me tell you that I am not one of my oldest child's  favorite people lately because of that rule.  And you know what?  I don't really care that Mr HomeRoom said that you need to stay home if you don't feel well- take some Pepto and go to school. Not to mention that I have already received an official letter from the office letting me know that he has already missed too many days of school this semester.  And we're just short of two months into the school year.

Several hours go by and no "come and get me" call, so I figure we are in the clear.  Imagine my surprise when around 12:45, I get a call, but it's to go and get the youngest boy.

His teacher will probably never tell him that he "can't" use the restroom ever again.

The call goes like this:
Caller: "This is Mary, from L****** school.  I'm calling because C has had an accident."
Me: "Oh?"
Mary: "I helped him into some clean clothes, but his teacher says that you need to come and get him because he needs a shower."
Me: "Do you know if I am expected to return him to school today?"
Mary: "That would be up to you."

Poor kid, he is so embarrassed.  When I tell him that it's time to go, he tries to tell me that he needs to go upstairs and get his stuff.  I'm not really hearing that so I say "We'll just get it later."

Then I look at the poor secretary and say, "Well, of it's all the same to you, I think that I'll just keep him home for the remainder of the day."

She smiles and tells me that that would be fine.

First order of business once we are home is that everything he's wearing or carrying in a plastic bag needs to go into the wash.  And then he needs to get into as hot a shower as he can stand.  He walks his completely naked self into the bathroom, I supervise that shower and the getting into fresh pjs.

Then true to form, he asked me for a snack.

Did I mention that this is probably not going to get me nominated for Mother of the Year?  For sure.  And why not?

I wasn't thinking when I let him have raisin bran AND a banana the previous morning for breakfast.  Explosion city.

That's okay; I don't have any room for a tiara on my nightstand anyway.

on the menu Monday

This week's recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman's site Tasty Kitchen.  This is an amazing site!  Browse through if you haven't lately; I'm sure you'll find plenty of tasty recipes!

And yes, I know that this is just a soup version of this post.  I promise that you won't care!


Baked Potato Soup (serves 6)


•4 Large Baking Potatoes
•2/3 Cup (11 Tablespoons) Butter Or Margarine
•2/3 Cup All-purpose Flour
•6 Cups Milk*
•3/4 Teaspoon Salt**
•1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
•4 Green Onions, Chopped And Divided
•12 Slices Bacon, Cooked, Crumbled, And Divided
•1-1/4 Cups (5 Ounces) Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Divided
•1 (8-ounce) Carton Sour Cream
•Chicken Bouillon (optional)


Preparation Instructions
Wash potatoes and prick several times with a fork; bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour or until done. Let cool. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; then scoop out pulp, and set aside. Discard skins.

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly.

Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons green onions, 1/2 cup bacon, and 1 cup cheese. Cook until thoroughly heated; stir in sour cream. Add extra milk, if necessary, for desired thickness. Add little bit of chicken bouillon for extra flavoring. Serve with remaining onion, bacon, and cheese.

*I used skim milk. Not that it makes much difference with all that butter, but..... 
**I increased the salt to 1tsp and also added 1tsp garlic powder at the same time...

Adding cold milk to the roux took forever for it to come together.  I heated half of the milk and should have heated the rest.... I just eventually cranked the heat and it came together.  Just don't turn your back, or it may scorch.  Yikes.

It took longer to put together then I would have liked, but the result was definitely worth it.  And don't let the serving size fool you; the boys and I all ate one bowl each and there was plenty left over. 

Now, I'm on a mission to see what can be done to lighten it up.....

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

First off, they don't read my blog, or at least I don't *think* they do. And that is okay.

I just wanted to pay homage to their marriage. Thirty seven years today* and that is getting to be a rarity.

They met in 1970 as high school juniors on a youth group hayride. It was actually a blind date set up by a mutual friend. He tells everyone that he knew he wanted to be with her right from the start. He could take her out once a week and then something dawned on him. If he went to church, he could see her. And if he joined the choir, he could see her then too. (He's so sweet.)

He played baseball in high school and even though they went to different schools, she was at the baseball games cheering him on.

(The little boy is my Dad's cousin, Robbie. He was about 4 at the time and is in just about every reception pic.)

They graduated high school in June of 1972 and were married that October. And the rest, they say, is history. I came along in '74, my sister in '78 and our brother in '84.

What they have together is amazing. Sure, they fight sometimes; nobody's perfect. But one thing that I learned from them is that you never give up on someone you love. If you value your marriage, you'll do the work that it takes to make it something special. It's not an easy ride, and there is no magic pill, but if you work at it, it can be an incredible experience. And how lucky we are, my sibs and I, to be able to have grown up with that Godly example of marriage.

It means everything to me.

originally published Oct 23, 2008 *updated for 2009

Seven Quick Takes

This week, I decided to participate in "7 Quick Takes Friday".  You know, for all that stuff that rattles around in my head that I never find worthy of creating a whole post.

Here goes....

#1.  Jill at Scary Mommy was taking entries to win a Flip Camera this week.  As much as I thought that a Flip Camera would be fun to have, I am in no position to admit my parenting failures to the world.  Not that I don't have them, believe me, I do; I just don't think that they need to be out in the open for the general public to beat me about the head and shoulders with, ya know.  I do hope that my friend, Missy at Are You There God? It's Me. wins though.  Just the first story in her entry is priceless.

#2.  I am so sick of hearing about H1N1.  Really.  Our county was going to vaccinate kids for free with parental consent, but Jon decided that neither boy was getting in on that.  I was really on the fence about it, honestly.  Now, of course, notes came home that the clinic for the schools has been delayed.  Should I mention that out of the 14 students in Caleb's class, seven were out sick yesterday?  Seven.  We already dealt with "seasonal flu" in this house WEEKS before the official start of the season.  If H1N1 knocks at my door, I may not survive it.

#3.  So far, we've had to threaten to take trick-or-treating away from Caleb if he doesn't get his work done at school.  And I'm happy to tell you that it's working like nothing else ever has.  What I wonder is what we use for the next thing.....it's not like we can say "No turkey for you, son" and he'll actually care.

#4.  The boys learned a valuable lesson this week.  Thanks to their dad, they learned the value of taking proper care of ones teeth.  I was all prepared to take a picture and post it when Jon came home with what remained of his two teeth that had to be extracted, but it was way too disgusting to even talk about here.  Trust me.  I will probably never have to remind either boy to brush or floss ever again.  And the good news is that you can teach an old dog new tricks Jon learned his lesson too.

#5.  I am really hoping the MRI that I had this week amounts to something.  I'm gonna be some ticked if it comes back clean and this doctor starts thinking that this pain is all in my head.  The shooting pain that has run down my leg for the last two days is certainly NOT in my head.  Not even close. But I think that I will never, probably will should at some point come around to the idea that it's okay if she wants me to wear a shoe lift, even if it is external as far as the shoe goes.  Mom told me that at some point, comfort needs to take priority over vanity.  I should get there in this life time.

#6.  Jon's neice, Heather, is getting married this Saturday.  She was six years old when I joined this family.  I've had the pleasure of watching her and her siblings grow up and that has been a lot of fun!  She is a great young (she's 21!) lady; kind, caring, loves to laugh and loves her family.  She and her fiance Bill are great together and I am so happy for them both.  Now if I can just make it through those two pieces she asked me to sing, it'll be good.

#7.  You know what I like most about living in no man land?  That I have to take the back roads to get anywhere.  And this time of year, that is the way to go.  The scenery has been absolutely breathtaking as of late.  Even now, with most of the trees being slightly past peak, I still enjoy taking in the beauty.

order

C: "When were you and Daddy married, mama?"

Me: "In 1995, sweetie."

C: "How old was Matthew then?"

M: *rolling eyes* "I wasn't born yet, silly."

C: "Oh." *long pause*  "Then I wasn't born yet either, huh?"

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday- Happy Anniversary, baby!

October 21, 1995

.....sorry about the picture quality. It's a picture of a picture. We were married in the stone age, you know.....

bent

Before today, I liked to think that I had a pretty high tolerance for pain. I considered myself able to withstand all kinds of crap, get up and move on. After all, it's in my blood.

It seems I was delusional. ahem

I survived the electromyography. I had myself prepared for the needle part of it, what I wasn't prepared for was the DIGGING that was done with a couple of the needles. Was that really necessary?

Doctor BackPain tried to throw me off my game by commenting on the magazine that I was looking at when she came into the room. It was Cooking Light and there was a piece on several yummy ways to make mashed potatoes. I love mashed potatoes.

And then she and the tech started to talk pie while I lay there feeling like a human pincushion on the verge of some screaming that would have landed me a starring role in any Friday the 13th movie. Blueberry, cherry.....

Anyway, I'm getting lost here.....ahem.

You know what else I wasn't prepared for? The electric shocks. No kidding. Dr. BackPain never said a word about that on Thursday. NOT. ONE. WORD.

When the tech uttered " it's not pleasant ...", my first instinct was to sorta blow her off. She doesn't know how tough I am.

Boy, was I sorry about 2 shocks in.....

I've done childbirth with only those IV drugs are are "supposed to take the edge off", which, by the way, didn't work for me, so I know how that goes. Ask Jon how his left hand felt for weeks after Matthew was born. He left the delivery room with a bent wedding ring. That's right, I bent that sucker nearly into an oval while it was on his hand.

But I'd do it all over again to never have to experience today ever again. Like, ever.

One shock almost made me cry. And I'm fifty percent Nichols, and they know tough. I'm the kind that only cry at sappy Cheerios commercials about being together for Christmas.

*sniff*

on the menu Monday

Seeing as we haven't done one of these posts in quite awhile, I figured it was time.

This week's recipe doesn't have a name, seems that I call it something different every time I make it. haha. Ya know, since it's my recipe.

Here's what you'll need:

6 large baking potatoes

1/2 stick butter, melted

1 cup sour cream

1 pound bacon, diced and cooked til crisp

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

garlic powder, salt and pepper

***feel free to substitute anything you like; low-fat sour cream, turkey bacon, diced ham, no meat, different cheeses. The sky's the limit. Once, I even used 1/4 cup of Tastefully Simple's Bacon Bacon....worked great!***

Anyway, here's what I did for the recipe this week.

Bake 6 large/medium russet potatoes. I *know* that this process can be done in the microwave and that's fine if you wanna do it that way. Me, I prefer the crispy skin that oven baking provides, so I do it that way. I baked them at 350 for about 90 minutes once I pricked them, sprayed them with cooking spray and sprinkled them with salt.

Once they come out, they look like this:

Next, once they are cool enough to handle, split the potatoes length wise and scoop out the pulp. You'll be left with 12 potato boats, as it were, for the yummy stuffing.

Here's the potato, sour cream, and spices ready to be mashed. I use a potato masher and just go to town. You may need a splash of milk if the mixture is too thick.

Then you add the bacon and one cup of the cheese. The other cup of cheese is for later!

Stir to combine and stuff into your potato boats.

Now at this point, I typically stop and place the potatos in a baking dish and refrigerate them til I need them.

Then I have my oven preheated to 350 and bake the potatoes, covered in foil for about an hour. **If you were to make them not so far ahead of time, I would start with 20 minutes and work from there.** I then take them out and sprinkle the rest of the cheddar on top of each potato and put them back in the oven for 5-8 minutes.

When they come out, they look like this! Yumm-o!

We typically have these with just a green salad for a simple dinner.

Six Word Saturday

Well friends, another week is behind us, which makes it time for Six Word Saturday, hosted by the blogger at Call me Cate!

Wanna join in the fun or see entries of others? Click the button below!

My entry:

Challenging times just make us stronger.

tiles

I spent a lot of time flat on my back on a cold, hard x-ray table. Around 45 minutes, as near as I can figure.


While I'm staring at the ceiling, at first I wonder if anyone actually counts all the dots on the tiles as they lie there. And I decide that I'm not that motivated to actually be one of those people. Then all I can think is how thankful I am that the reason I was there can be taken care of. That while painful and aggravating and annoying are all words that describe my situation in a medical sense, there are words that my situation isn't.


life threatening

hopeless

Then right there on that table, I just started counting my blessings. Since I was under orders to not move, for the whole time, be it four or forty-five minutes, what else was I supposed to do?

"Alright, hold your breath." God is good
'bbbbuuuuzzzzz' This doctor knows what she's doing.
"Okay, breathe." Considering my start in life, this could be so much worse.

When I was finally allowed to get up from the table, I couldn't. My back had stiffened up to the point that I thought that a crane was going to be necessary to get me off that table.

Thank goodness that wasn't the case.

I have to admit, I'm not without a breakdown moment in this though. Seems that one test that I am scheduled for next week involves needles. Now, generally I'm okay with needles; I've had so much blood drawn in my life that I'm surprised I have any left every time they go for a vial.

But this test involves multiple needles and no one is drawing blood.

Scares me a bit.

And I also realized that all my life, through almost every medical issue that I ever experienced, I always had my Mom by my side.

She and Dad spent countless hours at the hospital after I was born @28 weeks.

I'm sure that she was with me when I had heel cord surgery at age 3. After all, she's in the pictures.

She's written in my baby book that she was with me when I had to ride in the ambulance after I hit my head at school and had a seizure. I was seven then.

She was also with me, that I vaguely remember, when I again had heel cord surgery at age 7. The best memory of that time though was that Dad came to visit me at the hospital and he ordered me real food. I remember being so happy.

And she was right there when I was on the verge of giving birth to Caleb. I'd had a very challenging pregnancy and I remember being so scared. Just the sheer number of doctors and nurses in the room had me in a panic, but she was right there, telling me that she was sure that everything was going to be okay.

But she wasn't there today. And circumstances being what they are, she won't be able to be there Monday for this needle-y procedure nor Thursday for the MRI.

And I wish she were.

all the pieces

Remember this post? Well, here's the update.

I made an appointment with my primary doctor and he ordered some xrays. And he ordered some physical therapy. I wasn't going to go, but they called me, so I didn't have a reason not to make an appointment right there on the spot, you know?

So, I went to my first appointment on September 11th, and it was BRUTAL. Man alive. I could barely walk when I got myself home.

Current findings are that my right hip muscles are weak, DUH, I have degeration of the lowest vertebrae of my spine and there is slippage of that disc. The slippage of the disc is what was (and has been) causing my sciatic pain.

Good times.

So this morning, I am headed to another clinic to see the neurologist who works closely with my physical therapist. She is going to get an accurate measurement on my leg discrepancy among other things.

I have a brand new pair of Nike shoes that, when I take the left one off, I am pretty balanced. That spells certain doom for my hope of getting away with not needing a lift of some kind.

*Deep breaths, deep breaths*

I'll try and remember to keep you updated as things progress.

The good news is that unless the neuro orders more therapy, I am done. I went to physical therapy twice a week from the 11th of September til last Friday. I am still doing my exercises that I have been given, but I am on the downside of about 36 hours of sciatic pain from not stopping and listening to my body, and I am trying to manage the pain without the medication. So for now, specific strengthening exercises are on the back burner.

When I actually do that, listen to my body and rest when needed, it works. Surprise, surprise. Needless to say, but you know me.....my physical therapist just grinned when I told him that if I did what I was told, I was in no pain. Huh.

I never said I wasn't stubborn.

Wordless Wednesday- Give the weather 5 minutes, it'll change.

Give Thanks!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
His love endures forever.

to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.

who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.

who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.

who made the great lights-
His love endures forever.

the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.

the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.

to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.

and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.

with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.

to him who divided the Red Sea asunder
His love endures forever.

and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.

but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.

to him who lead his people through the desert,
His love endures forever.

who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.

and killed mighty kings-
His love endures forever.

Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.

and Og king of Bashan-
His love endures forever.

and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.

and inheritance to his servant Israel;
His love endures forever.

to the One who remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.

and freed us from our enemies,
His love endures forever.

and who gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven
His love endures FOREVER!

originally published February 3, 2009

sometimes, I like to brag

With my posts last week about C, I have to turn it around this morning and tell you that I am so proud of him!

You knew it was gonna happen at some point, right?

We'd been studying together for a health/science test that he had to take on Thursday last week. It was a unit about keeping your teeth healthy and eating healthy foods. He got a bit annoyed with me when I had him recite the four types of teeth and the 5 food groups FIVE TIMES EACH.

Oh, the horror.

But I am thrilled to tell you that it paid off with a score of 100%! He was so excited!

And the other boy? Amazing. He's involved in his first year of the teen quiz program through our denomination. I had warned him that sometimes the transition from children's quizzing to teen quizzing is tough- it works completely differently. He was okay with that and wanted to give it a try anyway.

Well, he missed the first meet of the year last month with all that Influenza type A mess that we had to endure. But he was ready for the meet this past Saturday. Even though he huffed and puffed at me several nights last week when I told him to go study rather than take in a cartoon marathon.

Again, the HORROR!

But he found that all the studying paid off. Imagine that. He ended up taking third place in the rookie division and brought home a shiny new medal as proof! Woohoo!

And the best part? Neither one of them burst into flames.

parenting failure #4,632....or something like it.

Actual mileage may vary, you know.

Remember my post from the other day? All that trouble that we seem to be having getting C to walk the "straight and narrow"? Of course you do.

I'm here to tell you that as the parent of a very strong-willed 7-year old, I have sunk to a new low. The really sad part is that it didn't even work. *sigh*

In my frustration the other night, I resorted to bribery. Yep, that's right folks, bribery. I told that kid that *if* he were to sit nicely on the bus, both to and from school, AND if he behaves as he were expected in the classroom, he'd receive a reward.

The reward? I'm getting to that. Patience, grasshopper.

We have struggled mightily to find this kid's currency. You know, the thing that makes the light come on and he thinks, "Man, I gotta behave."

Losing a stuffed animal didn't seem to be it. Monkey the Snake came to us from the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago and he has been on vacation for the last 2 weeks. Because my children do not read this blog, I can tell you that Monkey was not on a permanent vacation, as it were. He's relaxing in the cupboard. And my guess would be that his very wise vacation destination is why we haven't seen any of Mickey's relatives yet this fall.

*knocks feverishly on wood*

***I know that I just jinxed myself. From wherever you are, you'll be able to hear me scream. I promise.***

So, my thinking was that I'd tap into that child's love of dessert. Namely ice cream. Remember, I said they don't take after strangers....ahem. So, I told him that *IF* I got a good report from school, or NO report as the case may be, I'd see to it that before bed, he could have a bowl of cookies and cream covered in chocolate syrup. Yum.

Of course, his eyes lit up right away at that suggestion.

And whaddaya know, it worked. Except he got distracted by a piece of chocolate (proof, of course, that he is my son) and decided that it was good enough. It wasn't until I was tucking him into bed that he remembered that he'd been promised ice cream for good behavior.

I used it to my advantage, of course, and just told him that he could use the free ice cream the next day, if he behaved.

Here's the part of the story where we are back to square one. You guessed it, he didn't remember that he'd been promised ice cream; and worse yet, the bus driver threatened to go to the principal over the behavior of several of the boys on the bus, ours included.

And his classmates were briefly entertained by the spectacle of him hanging upside down in his chair.

Oy. That kid takes after his father. ;)

whole lotta nothin' goin' on.

We had a great weekend at laymen's retreat. We were in Manitowoc right on the shore of Lake Michigan and the scenery was GORGEOUS! Our speaker was wonderful, the hotel staff were excellent and we had some great times with old friends too. For me, the only nerve-wracking part was that I got recruited to lead music at the last minute....but I got reports that it wasn't as bad as I thought. So that's good.

Mid-term grades came home today. Let's just say that if we paid for grades, on one hand we'd be broke. But I guess it would all balance out on the money that we'd save on the other hand.

You know how they say "they don't take after strangers"? You don't? Well, they do....or at least my Mom is known to say that. Anyway, can I tell you that right now, I wish the opposite statement were true. I wish that we weren't having so much trouble getting our second born to follow the rules. To say that he's been in his room a LOT as consequence would be an understatement.

And that kid knows what he's doing too. EVERY DAY, we go through the rules.....and almost every day, the minute he is out of my sight, one or more rules get broken. And he's doing things that he KNOWS he shouldn't. Like knocking a little girl's papers out of her hands just because he was "mad" at her. And being disruptive in the classroom by hanging upside down in his chair. And then there's the fact that he doesn't seem to possess the ability to understand that he needs to SIT ON THE BUS. Or maybe he just doesn't care. He just shrugs his shoulders and grunts when we ask why he can't remember that he needs to sit for HIS SAFETY. He gets so distracted by others around him that he loses his head.

Dang.

On the upside, after a day of soaking rain, it was absolutely gorgeous out today. I wish that I could live where it is sunny and around 60 degrees all the time. Heaven, I tell ya.

Well, that's about it. I haven't even started either of the paperback books that I bought with my birthday money last week, but I did get the living room windows cleaned inside and out. So that's something.

I'm out.

Retreat!

All I have time for this morning is a quick post. Lay Retreat weekend is upon us and we are SO excited! Excited to get away and have some alone time, excited to see old friends, excited for what God has in store for each of us!

I have spent most of the last two days working on the power point for the sessions. I get excited while putting together the presentation because it gives me an inside track on what we will be singing!

The leaders of retreat are personal friends of ours who work very hard getting the weekend together and making it enjoyable for everyone. And that really is an understatement, I have to tell you. They are both incredible people with servants hearts and retreat wouldn't be nearly as fun without them.

Before I go, please pray for Amanda over at "Popp"ing out one letter at a time. Her little one, B was in the ER last night with breathing issues. That's a scary place for both little ones and Mommy alike. Thanks, friends!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Trick or treat!

**With nothing much to write about today, I've taken some help from this great site.**


Today, the following is posed.....




***Okay, so you obviously didn’t you get the memo that informed you that we’ve moved Trick or Treat to tonight instead of on Halloween. You have no candy in the house and all the kids are ringing your doorbell, what will you hand out for treats?***



Well, knowing the old rule that everything home made must be thrown away, I do know that if I could, I'd run quick to the convenience station on the corner and grab a case of candy bars. I know, it's cheating. And none of those silly 'one bite and you're done' types either....full size bars are the way to go!



But, if I wasn't going to be allowed to sneak out of the house for a run, the only thing that is in the house right now is a "big pack" of strawberry Nutri-grain bars. So the first 16 little beggars would be in luck and then I'd just have to turn out the porch light and pretend not to be here.



What would YOU do?