An Encouraging Word

and no antelope.


http://www.crosswalk.com/news/commentary/11642711/


Just what I needed to read.

Expectations

I set high expectations for myself in certain areas.

Today I didn't meet some of those, and honestly, I'm feeling a little loser-ish.

I am counting the days until December 26th.

$200 Giveaway

Chef Boyardee is giving a $200 gift card away. You can read all about it here.

We were MIA

One of my friends thought something terrible must have happened to someone since she couldn't reach me on the phone for a couple days in a row.

Nothing terrible.

Just ballet!

My beautiful children

Digging out

Last night I cleaned a large spot in our den. Then I sorted several large boxes of junk. We moved my sewing table and stuff to the clean spot in the den. The corner is empty - waiting for the arrival of the treadmill. I have to unbury the treadmill. It's covered with junk. Once I get that done, and the treadmill is moved to its new location we can start thinking about putting up the tree.

I found some important papers while I was sorting, so I'm happy about that. But I'm always left with a box or so of stuff I don't know what to do with. That is frustrating to me. But for now, I've slid the box under the sewing table. I can deal with that later.

DH worked on getting some stuff cleaned out of the garage. Hopefully we can get both vehicles back into the garage soon. And he was helping me last night, too. He found all the Wii games and put them in the correct cases, and he cleaned out the stuff under the couch and chair.

Hopefully we can dig out from under the piles of junk and get ready for Christmas.

Cripple

The last week has been busy. Appointments and 2 ballet performances. And now I'm walking a little hunched over. My hips and lower back are not good. I try to not sleep in one position all night, but I have been waking up on my back - not good.

My sneezing, coughing ballerina is asking for rice for breakfast. She's a nut.

Stubborn Bird

Last night we ate turkey. But the dumb thing was so stubborn! I put it into the oven around 5 pm. I was expecting it to be done by 7:30. That was still later than we usually eat, but I didn't want to leave it in the fridge much longer. The meat thermometer finally beeped. The bird was done about 8:45. Good grief. We ate the rest of our meal and sat around the table for about a half an hour while we waited on it.

Everyone thought it was worth it, though. I quartered a Granny Smith apple and put it in the turkey. It made the whole turkey so juicy! The kids gushed to the point of obnoxiousness; but it really was very yummy!

So. Last night Little Boy went very low. We treated it until his sugar was "normal." But last night he went high. And this morning he was over 300.

The moral of the story? Cook the turkey first thing in the morning.

That stupid little red button never did pop up.

Christmas song quiz

Last night the ladies at church met for our annual Christmas party. I printed this quiz and had people work in groups of 3. One group got 24 answers correct. How many can you figure out? They are not all carols; some are "secular" Christmas songs. There was a LOT of laughing and groaning when I read the answers. We had a good time.

Just a couple thoughts

Last night DH and I were sitting in the den at the computer - talking. Baby was coming from her room. I'm not sure where Little Boy was. She called, "Daddy? Brother? Anybody?" LOL

This morning I was talking to her about eating her breakfast. I told her I was not going to fuss at her, but if she didn't eat what was on her plate, she could not have any food until lunch. She wasn't very happy. I think she thought she could try to make me laugh and I might change my mind. She put her fingers at the corners of my mouth and pushed up. "Smile. Think happy thoughts." I told her I AM thinking happy thoughts - like one where my little girl cheerfully goes back to the table to finish her breakfast.

FROWN.

Tonight is our Ladies' Fellowship Christmas party. It isn't here. That's the best part. LOL I do have a couple things I want to get done, but I'm just not going to stress about it.

Last night we had to buy a bottle of test strips at the pharmacy. Little Boy opened the last package and we didn't know it. We've ordered more through our mail order place, but they may not get here until the end of the week. A bottle of 50 strips cost $60. Sigh. Oh well. We have to do what we have to do.

Our dinner last night wasn't so bad. We ended up sitting across from the couple we had hoped to avoid. They are from our old church. She can be very moody, and he likes the sound of his own voice. And he thinks he's witty. But I asked a couple questions, and he talked for quite a while. He filled the quiet. And my chicken marsala, wild rice, cooked carrots and French silk pie was very yummy. And we were child-free for the first time in months, I think.

I bought a couple of sticker Advent calendars through CBD. The kids alternate which calendar they remove the stickers. It's working very well. They are getting excited. I'm sure they'll be much more excited if/when I get things cleaned up and we can put up the tree and decorate.

Sigh. I'm really struggling to get in the mood and am just depressed in general. I really think much of it goes to not seeing MY family at the holidays.

Oh well.

Tired

I'm kind of dragging today. Thankfully that didn't keep us from making forward progress in school today.

Last night the kids went to G&Gs house, and DH and I went to church. Funny thing - no one asked where they were. Hmm. But we had a nice time by ourselves. When we got home, I grabbed a soda. It wasn't decaf. So about 2:30 am, I was wide awake. And I stayed awake until about 4:30 am. I don't do well w/o my rest.

Tonight we're supposed to go to a dinner at a fancy restaurant w/ the other couples on the board at the union. Not looking forward to it, really. And DH REALLY isn't. Oh well.

I think I'll take a nap this afternoon. I wouldn't want to get cranky tonight. @@

Christmas is

frustrating.

I don't know what to buy for my kids. And they're fairly easy to buy for. But we are cutting back on our spending once again, and I want to spend wisely.

I know I'm putting this stress on myself. And it's not that necessary.

Bah.

Drama

I'm hiding from drama right now. I deactivated again. My younger sister and youngest brother are the center of December drama-fest 2010. And my niece has jumped into the ring.

I'm so glad I scheduled my next therapy session for 2 weeks from today. I went back to therapy for the first time since July. A lot has happened, but mostly I wanted to talk about how down I've been. I've started back on Wellbutrin. I would love to crawl into bed and stay there until Dec. 26th. But I have two small birds who are rightfully excited about the big day. So for now I'm faking it. I don't really want them to know that I'd be fine skipping Christmas. There really isn't a specific reason why I feel this way. But there are many reasons I feel this way, I guess.

Looking forward to the new season of White Collar in January. I guess it's something.

Crazy Dreams

I woke up angry, again. Another crazy dream. But I know where this one came from. My kids frequently pretend they are getting married or that they are married. (They're 5 and 7.) I told them yesterday that it would be like Daddy and their Aunt C. getting married; that it would be gross. And a couple weeks ago, I watched that sick show "Sister Wives". So last night I dreamed that my husband was also marrying his sister. I tried to act like it didn't bother me. I think I was trying to use reverse psychology. But when they were getting into DH's vehicle, I ran outside and went nuts on them both. My MIL was following me, trying to tell me I was wrong - that everything was going to be ok. I completely lost it, and I woke up angry.

Thankfully for DH, this isn't one where I'm mad at him all day. Just a little nauseated. blech.

Little Boy's artwork for his sign

Baby is a princess. Little Boy is a soldier, of course.

Monday, Monday

So glad it's not Sunday.

Ha.
Sunday's are rough on us. DH is on last shift, and when I woke up yesterday and looked at the clock I about freaked. 8:10! Why didn't he wake me up! Then I realized he wasn't home yet. He had to work over and got home about 20 minutes later.

So I rushed us around getting ready, and walked out without my Bible. ugh.

We made it through the morning, and came home. We are trying to do something new. Instead of stopping to get McDs on the way home, we come home and make our own sub sandwiches. WalMart has some yummy wheat rolls that we use. Chips, applesauce, a couple little cookies, and I think it's healthier than McDs. And I think a little cheaper, but I'm not sure. I do splurge a little and get some different cold cuts and cheeses. It's a switch, anyway.

Then it's naptime, and when we all woke up and ate supper (Baby is SOOOO slow!) ran out the door and got to church, I was exhausted. I took the kids next door for "class". We worked on some things for the Christmas "program". ahem. It's going to be so small, it's almost pitiful. But I think the kids need to get up in front.

We got home and Daddy was awake. The kids about tackled him. I love it that they are excited to see him. We watched AFV, and it was bedtime for babies. :0) Daddy left for work and I had 2 hours of me time.

That 2 am alarm clock is a killer, though. I was almost out of bed when I realized what it was. I checked Little Boy. 66. sigh. Gave him 2 glucose tablets and waited 15 minutes. Called DH and fell asleep on the phone. He woke me up. Checked son again, and gave him a pretzel. It's amazing how he can eat in his sleep. His number was 213 this morning. Like DH said, this all falls under the heading, "It never makes sense."

It was a little after 5 when Little Boy climbed into my bed. His bed was wet. He flopped for awhile; I really wanted to knock him out, but I was too tired to lift my hand. DH got home at 7:20 and LB got out and DH got in. And I got up. @@

I drank some coffee this morning. I don't usually drink coffee. But I think this morning it's essential to functioning.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Macy's parade, yummy turkey, cranberry sauce, carbohydrates out the ying yang, pumpkin pie, kids, husband, in-laws, Prevacid and Wellbutrin.

Yep.

It's going to be a great day.

It's in the oven

I fixed a crustless pumpkin "pie" for Little Boy's sake. I reduced the sugar and substituted brown sugar Splenda. I was about to pour it into the baking dish and realized I had forgotten the eggs. Yikes. I was told I didn't need to bring anything, but I need to make sure LB has dessert.

Libby's Crustless Pumpkin Pie
Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 55 mins
Cooling Time: 2 hrs cooling

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
3/4 cup granulated sugar (1/4 c. brown sugar Splenda & 1/4 c. granulated sugar)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
Whipped cream, (optional)

Directions
PREHEAT oven as directed below. Glass baking dishes without crust require a cooler oven, and in most cases, a longer baking time.

SPRAY with nonstick cooking spray or lightly grease bottom of baking pan or glass baking dish.

PREPARE filling as directed on 15-oz. or 29-oz. can of LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin. Pour into pan or dish.

BAKE as directed below or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.

COOL on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.


LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin 15-oz. can recipe (Makes 8 servings)

9-inch-round glass pie dish: 325° F; bake for 55 to 60 minutes
10-inch-round glass pie dish: 325° F; bake for 45 to 50 minutes

8-inch-round cake pan: 350º F; bake for 45 to 50 minutes
9-inch-round cake pan: 350° F; bake for 35 to 40 minutes

8-inch-square baking pan: 350º F; bake for 45 to 50 minutes
8-inch-square glass baking dish: 325º F; 55 to 60 minutes

9-inch-square baking pan: 350º F; bake for 35 to 40 minutes

11 x 7-inch glass baking dish: 325º F; bake for 45 to 50 minutes

13 x 9-inch baking pan: 350° F; bake for 35 to 40 minutes
13 x 9-inch glass baking dish: 325° F; bake for 40 to 45 minutes

Facebook

is deactivated for now.

October

Where has this month gone? I have no clue. And I don't know why I haven't been blogging. There have been plenty of things to write about, but I just haven't been in the mood.

So here it is the 31st, and I just feel blank. I taught a Teacher Training/Refresher class this past Thursday. I was so excited to share some new things, and it seemed like everyone was overwhelmed. I had two people (well, 3 if you count my husband) give me positive feedback. The rest all looked scared. So Friday I walked around the house crying all morning. I don't know if I was just so hyped up that emotionally the only direction to go was deep depression? Isn't there a happy medium somewhere? LOL I still feel whipped, but I keep telling myself that Satan is attacking me. He does not want our church to succeed.

Little Boy's #s have been a bit high so we increased his Lantus dose by one unit. It seems to be helping. We had been giving his Levemir shot at night, but when we switched to Lantus, the endo had us start giving his shot in the mornings. This means that when it starts to wear off, it's at night and morning. This prevents extreme lows at night. This prevents Mommy and Daddy from worrying about Dead-in-the-Bed Syndrome as much as we had before the switch. Of course, this doesn't guarantee anything. It kills me to hear of children who die in their sleep b/c their # drops too low. I cannot even imagine finding my child lifeless in his bed.

Just another burden to keep giving back to Jesus b/c I keep picking it up, I guess.

Busy

It's been so long since I posted here. I've just been so busy. Homeschooling two little people, trying to keep up and even get ahead (hahahahaha) at home, and church.

Church has been taking a lot of our time lately. And I need to get ready for church, so I'll have to post more later. :0)