On the Mend

Good morning!

Isn't this picture just darling?  And it so perfectly depicts my life over the last week. Lots of resting, reading and warm comforting tea.  :)

Last Thursday morning I woke up barely able to get out of bed and over the last week I've been to the chiropractor 3 times, my doctor once and have tried two powerful but different medications with no relief.   I spend most of my day in bed as that is the most comfortable position.  Although I have not had an MRI to say 100% what is wrong it is the conclusion of both my chiropractor and doctor that I have a herniated disc at the sacral base which is also affecting the nerves to my legs.  I hobble along here at home with a walker for extra support.

The mending is coming very slowly and although it is frustrating I'm trying my best to see the good in it.  Yes, I've found some good in all of this pain.  I know many of you have been praying and I so greatly appreciate it and humbly ask that you continue to do so.
Have a wonderful day!

8 Random Things

Good Saturday afternoon!  It is quite dreary here and lightly raining.  I am cuddled under a warm fleece blanket and icing my back..  I woke up Thursday morning barely able to walk.  I've been to the chiropractor who says that I have a slipped disc.  :(  Sometimes the pain is excruciating and I obviously haven't been sleeping well.  The over the counter pain meds I've been taking are not even touching the pain so I did agree to a muscle relaxer which did help some.  What it did do was make me amazingly tired and I was able to sleep.  I took a 4 hour nap today!!!

As near as I can figure, I did this from vacuuming on Wednesday.  I don't usually vacuum because that is my son Christopher's chore but he had a busy week so I did it for him.  I felt the pull in my lower back but dismissed it and kept going.  Then off to the kitchen to peel potatoes and carrots which had be bending that the low back.  Other than these two activities I can think of nothing else that would have contributed the injury.  Thankfully my husband is home until Tuesday morning so he is running boys to their activities, cleaning house and cooking.  
I saw this idea at a friends blog and thought I would do it here on my blog too.

8 Random Things About Me:

1.  I once ran away from home.  I don't remember how old I was but I hid in our neighbors large bushes in front of his house.  I am sure my mother knew where I was because come supper time she opened the front door and yelled out that we were having spaghetti.  I came out from hiding and that is all I remember of the incident.

2.  I've always wanted to be a librarian.

3.  We have 6 cats, 2 dogs, 1 rabbit, a guinea pig and fish!

4.  My favorite meal is cream of turkey on biscuts (homemade of course).

5.  In 2003 I flew to Los Angels to sit in the audience of the TV reality show, The Biggest Loser.  I flew home the next day.  It was a fun experience except for the flight home which was very turbulent.

6.  I played the flute all through highschool and really enjoyed being in the marching band.  In the summer, when I was a child I would ride my bike and follow the marching band around our block when they would come by to practice.  I couldn't wait to be old enough to march too.

7.  I lived in Arizona for 2 years.  It is there that I surreneded my life to Jesus and he became Lord of my life.

8.  I only sleep in nightgowns.  I do have pajama pants but I only wear them around the house and switch to a nightgown for bedtime.  :)  I've always wanted a sleeping bonnet like Laura and Mary Ingalls wore to bed.

November Daybook

FOR TODAY ~ Monday, November 11th, 2013

 

Outside my window... The sun is shining but I'm not fooled - it is cold!!  

 I'm wearing... A kahkai skirt, red turtleneck and a brown quilted vest.

 

I am hearing... the boys finishing up their lunch and a meowing, Charlotte who is locked in the basement while they eat.  

 
I am thinking... about quiet time after lunch.  :o)

I am thankful... for the men and women who have served or are currently serving our country to protect our freedoms; especially my dad through his active service in the Army, and later the Army National Guard and now with his role in Beyond the Yellow Ribbon for Brown County.

 

{1966 - in Germany shortly after being drafted}

 

{Before deployment to Bosnia - 2003}

 

 

{Dad receiving recognition for his work with Beyond the Yellow Ribbon}

 I am going... to brave the cold and go for a quick walk outside after I finish this blog post. 

I am wondering... how to keep my lettuce and spinach from getting all slimy.  Any suggestions?  I buy organic spring mix and spinach and don't usually wash it as the container says that it has been triple washed but I'm wondering if I should remove it and let it dry fully and then re-box or bag it?  Suggestiosn?

I am reading... I am half way through First We'll Have Coffee, reading just a little each night while in bed.  I am also half way through What Do I Know About My God. 

 

 Around the house... Monday is laundry day and I need to go throw in another load and get the first load in the dryer.  The kitchen and back hall are cluttered with leaves that have blown in and desperately need to be swept up.  

 

In the kitchen... BBQ's for the boys' lunch and a salad for mine.  Dinner tonight is yet to be determined - most likely spaghetti.

 

 From the Learning Room... We met together for what we are calling "Morning Time' around 9 am and finished around 11 am.  After our morning time the boys worked on their individual work (math, science, english and reading).  I believe Christopher still has some work to finish up but is currently out playing football with Andrew.  

 

One of my favorite things...  warm drinks - coffee, tea, hot chocolate.  Mmm  

A few plans for the rest of the week:  A quiet week for me.  My dad will come up to take Christopher to his Civil Air Patrol meeting and Joanthan will take Christopher to Cyber Patriot training.  I love it when it works out for me to stay home! 

A peek into my day...  

 

 {lazy Emily}

~*~ Sunday Greetings ~*~

 

It is such a dreary afternoon, I do wish the sun was out.   Regardless, I'm enjoying a cup of tea while curled up under a warm blanket this afternoon catching up on some blog reading and going over our school plans for the week.  We are adding our Morning Time to our school day tomorrow and I'm excited. .  We'll gather together in the mornings for 1.5 hours and then the boys will be on their own to finish up their work.  Of course I'll still be available to oversee and help as needed.  You can see some of the resources we'll be using in the right hand sidebar.

 

I've begun Christmas shopping and hope to have it completed before the end of the month, except for a few homemade gifts which I'll finish up through December.  The biggest of these projects is an afghan that I am only about 1/4 of the way through.  Yikes!

 

Until next time, Sunday blessings!

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is
fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
-Psalm 16:11

November Daybook

FOR TODAY ~ Monday, November 4th, 2013

 

Outside my window... The howling wind of yesterday has been replaced with gentle breezes and steady rain.  A cool, cloudy day; perfect for staying indoors.

 

I'm wearing... A blue tiered skirt, red turtleneck and a white fleece zip up vest.  I'm quite patriotic today.  :o)

 

I am hearing... quiet - I can actually hear the hum of the refridgerator.

 

I am thinking... about leading a quiet and peaceable life for the next month.  For the last 2 months life has been moving so quickly and I feel a bit like I'm being forced along for the ride.  My prayer for November is for my life to be small and quiet at home. 

 

I am thankful... for life, my sons, snippets of time with my daughter, quiet evenings, candles, the Lord's direction in my life and His Word spoken and confirmed to me.

 I am going... have an eye towards God's blessings, this month as we, as a family, journal 30 things each day we are thankful to the Lord for.

I am wondering... If I could do all of my holiday shopping online and not have to battle the crowds and advertisements of instore shopping.  :)  I'm sure I will not be able to, but it was a nice thought.

I am reading... I have a new stack of books waiting for me to read!  I finished reading Women Living Well (I read it twice!).  I just started a book that I found at the thrift store called First We'll Have Coffee.  The title is what really grabbed my attention.  Coffee!!!  It is a collection of short stoies about a Scandinavian pastors wife. 

 

Arriving later today (hopefully) is Evidence Not Seen:  A Woman's Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II. 

 

Also in my bedside basket waiting to be read are What Do I Know About My God and The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur: The Woman Whose Goodness Changed Her Husband From Atheist to Priest.  The sub title of this book caught is what really caught my attention, I opened to read a few pages of the book and after reading the following, put the book in my cart: 

 

"My beloved wife, Elisabeth, prayed incessantly for my return to the Faith and to the practice of religion; day by day for this intention did she accept and offer up all her privations, sacrifices, trials, sufferings, and at the end, even her death. 

 

But she did this secretly, for she never argued with me and never spoke to me of the supernatural side of her life, save by her example.  She carried out herself the advice that she gave in her Journal:  "Let us not think that by our personal action we can hasten the coming of God's Kingdom in souls.... let us make this appeal to Him with the humble conviction that He alone will do what must be done, and will bring life to the souls for which we care and pray."

 Around the house... Jonathan is working today until 3pm and Christopher is still sleeping.  Andrew is with his dad in the semi for a couple of days, thus the "quiet".  

 

In the kitchen... I am using up the food we have in our cupboards and freezers and slowly transitioning to a simple, God created menu and going to avoid as much processed, sugar laden foods as possible. 

 

 From the Learning Room... a treasure of resources gathered together in a basket to be enjoyed daily.  More on this basket of liturgy soon.

 

One of my favorite things...  My children.  A days gone by photo:

 

 

 

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Praying for a quiet week of rest for my anxious spirit. 

A peek into my day...  a poetry selection to be memorized

 

This post is linked at The Simple Woman's Daybook

November Begins

Shalom and Happy Lord's day to you!  I am currently cuddled up in my living room under a blanket and enjoying a hot cup of coffee (with cream!) while listening to this new mp3 download.  I thought since the rest of the family is hanging out in the basement watching football it would be a good time to put up a quick post.

 

We celebrated Andrew's 11th birthday this past weekend.  I can hardly believe it has been 11 years already.  Time truly does pass so quickly and I need to be more intentional about my days so that they don't slip away with regrets.  

 

Thursday night after I tucked Andrew into bed I got out the party streamers and ballons and decorated his door.  When he woke up in the morning and opened the door to his bedroom he was "locked" in with party streamers running criss cross across his door way and balloons hanging from the top.   He thought it was a pretty neat start to his day.  :o)  He also got a special call from one of our favorite familes who sang to him.  Watching the smile on his face as they sang made my mama heart happy.

 

Later Friday morning Andrew's aunt Wendy came to pick him up and took him to lunch and shopping.  He came home with a box of over 400 football cards, quite a bit of candy and a happy smile on his face.  I'm glad he was able to enjoy his time with his aunt.  It was a special time for him.

 

Friday evening we had some cake and he opened a few presents.  One of which was more football cards that his brother Jonathan had given him.  Oiy!  Saturday morning we woke up early and headed to St. Cloud for a day of shopping and a special lunch and party at Chuck E. Cheeses.  We've never been there before and Andrew has always wanted to go.  He had a great time playing the games, spending time with his sister and opening the rest of his presents.  Can you guess what his sister got him?  Yes... more football cards!  We visited J.M. Cremps on the way home and Andrew bought more airsoft pellets and a small gun with his birthday money from the grandmas.  

 

It was a full and wonderful weekend celebrating our son.   Happy 11th Birthday Andrew, we love you.