Sunday Blessings

Good Morning OFF Family,

Coffee refill time.

Be right back.

I'm back.  

I appreciate the concern about my foot yesterday.  Please don't feel sorry for me.  I see this latest problem as a bump in the road, and I will get better, and will be swimming and exercising before we know it.  My doctor was very apologetic for not being able to get the pin out, and my needing another surgery.  I laughed and said, if it's weird and has to do with health, it'll happen to me.  I'm hoping that I won't be out of commission another two months, but won't be surprised if I am.  Not sure if you remember when I was in the hospital for two weeks off and on four years ago.  I had a visiting nurse for about 10 weeks after that surgery on my leg, for wound care.  Then, three years ago, the broken foot, and being stuck at my sister's with Mom.  Weird health, my body.  

Was hoping to get back to church this morning, but my foot hurts too much to drive, much less keep my foot down for an hour.  Hopefully, next week.  Other than going to the Christmas party for the children's program right before my trip, I haven't been to church, on Sunday, since before my surgery, in the middle of November.  I miss the worship service, and the fellowship with my church family.  I've had visits, and tons of help from friends though.  

Well, my ADD is kicking in, and I have stopped to do something else too many times to count.  So, I better get going.

Hugs and Prayers,

Trish

Trish,

Good morning. I know you will be back in the pool in no time and I know that you don't like us fussing over your toe, but girl, we worry.  But, you're right, all this will be over soon and you will be as good as new.  

Enjoy your coffee.  I'm sticking to my two cup minimum today....I have to get off of this stuff; although, coffee has some really good healing qualities, in moderation. 

Ladies,

You know that I have Yoga coach and a meditation coach?  Well, they both have their studios in the same building, which makes it nice.  Yesterday, was meditation day, so we are getting all ready to begin, and let me add that I am not a calm person by nature, and it takes a good 20 minutes for me to get totally relaxed. Susan usually plays some very soft music, she has lower lights and soothing colors in the room, the cushions we sit on our so comfy, and she burns very subtle candles...the ambiance is perfect for relaxation...so after about ten minutes, she begins talking, very softly, and she has me do the head roll that is meant to sort of get my neck muscles relaxed and it's not working and I am trying to free my mind and finally I'm about to give up and we start talking about kittens and how she has a stray that has had these gorgeous kittens...she is telling me about how soft they are and how they just cuddle up in her hands and I feel my neck muscles starting to relax and then from kittens, she goes to the top of my head fell the....you know, talking me through relaxing so I can meditate. I was with her for over an hour and no one else was in the session and sometime during the end before she starts the end of the routine, I feel so relaxed, and this is going to sound crazy, but my eyes are closed and I see blue...I am not kidding. I not only see blue buy all of my muscles have this very tingling thing going on...and when we are finished, I open my eyes and realize that sometime during the relaxation exercise, my eyes became flood gates and tears they were a rolling.  She told me that there comes a point in mediation when you can actually free up your mind so that all your muscles relax and that part of your brain that controls emotions will also relax and if you need a good cry, the tears will roll.  I have not been too receptive of the relaxation/meditation thing but I have to tell you guys that I am so stressed from work related issues (I have 12 students who work for me and three adults...well the students are adults too, but imagine, four graduate students from the English department--nerds and three graduate students from the communication department--not nerds and the four undergraduates) and the females, particularly the undergraduates and the communication tutors, fight all the freakin' time...it's like one giant class of high school girls...and the budget and the reports and the faculty and the courses that I teach...well, you can imagine. Then, the stress from my daughter and my daughter in law...well, my therapists said if I didn't find something to manage the stress, she was going to talk medication...maybe xanax or something and I am just not wanting to go that route, if possible.  So, I do the coloring for daily mediation, and then I go for the meditation and do the yoga, which helps too...After the perfect session yesterday, I actually should have gone home and stayed in the moment but nope, I had to do some shopping and but not even the crazies at Walmart could bring me out of my zen state....yeah.  

Today, I am going to sew: my great, great, great niece wants me to make her new cushion covers for her car seat...so I have to get that done and some blankets and a few diapers and covers....then I'll be done. 

I am off work tomorrow too so I am thinking of spending Monday in front of the sewing machine too...

So, ladies, I hope your day is good and you have a restful rest of your weekend...I am waiting for DH to wake up so I can make us our loaded oatmeal...today's berries will be a combination of fresh black berries and fresh strawberries--I have some pecans toasted already and I toasted the oats so when I cook them, they will have a nutty flavor.  I even bought heavy cream...we take our oatmeal serious...

I wish we could all sit down around a huge table and eat a bowl of hot oatmeal straight from my kitchen...would be fantastic.  Oh, I forgot...yesterday, I bought a 72 pack of colored pencils and they are wonderful...I tried them out last night and used the gold, silver, copper, and cobalt colors...they are beautiful....

Jeannie,

My oatmeal today had toasted walnuts and sliced bananas!  Yummy!

I'd be very interested to see your car seat covers.  Will you post pictures when you're done, please?

Vic

Very nice on the colored pencils. I remember having a set many years ago that I loved. They were soft and vivid...wish I could remember the brand. 

And the meditation reaction; I was having a massage once and went into that state. I was crying so much that I was embarrassed. But I love my facial/massage person. We are close because we talk and have become friends outside of business. She told me what your meditation person told you. I thing the massage puts me into a meditative state and I was stressed and sad. It always feels good to release that pent up sadness. I wish I had a personal teacher like you! I just use an ap...

Good morning Trish and Jeannie and all my sistas,

Trish, you are an amazing woman!  Your attitude towards health issues never ceases to astound me.  I have often thought that you sail (mentally at least) through health crises that would fell me!  Good for you!  

Jeannie, by all means, SEW!  For those of us who love it, it is our happy place!  I like coloring, too, but never seem to remember to do it.  I have books and pencils in my nightstand drawer.  Maybe I need to get them out where I can see them.  Out of sight, out of mind, you know?

Well, yesterday morning I got started on that fleece tied fringe blanket.  I got it all cut out before the boys arrived.  It was a gorgeous day and they wanted to go to the park, so off we went.  I took them to the little neighborhood park in my neighborhood and we practically had the whole thing to ourselves most of the afternoon.  Benny is just like Christie--a natural climber and has no fear.  Chris was in gymnastics for years and nothing ever scared her!  (SO unlike me!) Budder tries to do everything that Benny does.  A real case of "Monkey see, Monkey do!"  LOL!

There was a little circular sidewalk that meandered around the play area, so I walked that little lap over and over again for my own exercise.  The boys would try to chase me and Benny would say, "Go faster, Mimi!"  LOL!  Mimi was going as fast as she could!  

Anyway, after we came home, Benny wanted to take a bath in my bathtub.  He loves that walk-in tub!  It's almost as good as a swimming pool for him.  Budder, for some reason, is afraid of it and wouldn't get in.  But that's okay, because he laid down on my bedroom floor and went to sleep.  Glory be!  So I got to sit there and tell stories to Benny and I tied all those fringes into knots.  Good.  Finished that one.

Now for the bad news.  I blew my eating yesterday.  I decided to make cheesy tortellini soup in the crock pot before we left for the park.  I was thinking it was meat-free and something the boys would enjoy, etc.  Oh, dear.  I guess it was all that pasta, but it set off a tremendous craving in me.  I had bought a container of chocolate pudding for the boys and it's been in the frig all week and I haven't touched it, but last night, after they left, I ate every bite that was left.  Sigh.  Oh, well.  Today is a new day.

I think today I'm going to finally start sewing for MY BEDROOM and BATH!  I think I will tackle the window shade for my bathroom first.  FINALLY going to have my purple!!!  LOL!  It's going to be two sided--a lovely periwinkle floral print on one side and lavender striped ticking on the other.  It will roll up loosely from the bottom and I'll tie it with a wide lavender ribbon.  Chris is coming over this afternoon and I'll get her to help me hang the hardware for the curtain.  I'm copying a design I found on Country Curtains.  I hope it turns out as cute as their picture!  

Chris and I are going out to the lakehouse to get Butch's truck and bring it here.  Tomorrow I'll take it to the car wash and have it detailed.  Then I'll take pictures and see if I can list it on-line and sell it.  Wish me luck!

Speaking of tomorrow, I'll have the boys all day tomorrow.  It's going to be interesting.  But they should enjoy the outing to the car wash.  All little kids like to watch the cars move through the spinning brushes and suds.  And maybe we'll eat lunch at Chik-fil-a, which has a play place.  I can have a fruit cup!

So that's my plans for the day.  Hope everyone is feeling fine and doing well today.  Connie, I worry about you, darlin'!  I hope you are doing okay today.  

Love you all!

Vic,

the goods news about blowing our diets is that we have a new day to do it right....and don't beat yourself up.  

I drank a pot of coffee the other day and then followed it with two diet cokes (during the entire day), got home and opened my back pack and there were my daily measures of water, untouched.  So, we all have those days. Trust me, if I could eat the sugar, I'd be in a world of hurt. 

Sewing for me today sucks.  

Here is a tutorial for how I got the pattern for the car seat recover that I did for my granddaughter. http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2011/02/recovering-baby-car-sea t.html  Of course, it wasn't exactly this person's website but this is how I did mine.  However, I have always had the car seat with me when I recover the cushions and even though I have the patterns I used before, it's been a few years since my last one so I really need the cushions from the car seat my great, great, great niece is using. I looked at ordering new cushions so that is what I am going to do...She still has four weeks so by the time the replacement cushions get here, I will barely have time to make the new cover. I just knew that I would get a cheap used car seat but apparently they change the things up so what's old and being sold now may be off just a little.  But, when I get it done, I'll show you...

You can cover any of the baby products: swings, bouncy seats, etc.  The carseats come from the factory with that plastic like material, so when I cover mine, I make them totally washable.  

Hi All,

I will complain a bit first. I wish this OH thread showed everyone's comments above because I can never remember what has been said that I wanted to comment on. I suppose I could jot down notes but hell no, im retired! So I do the best I can. 

Today I tutor my little friend Emir. He is lagging in school, probably because he didn't learn English until he started school. I love him and his Mom so this is me trying to help the situation. Schools are not set up so well for the children that are having problems. The newest ideas are push hard and fast and hope the rest catch up. I think they are making some big mistakes with that but the powers that be are not usually listening to the underlings. That is the way of the world.

I'm feeling good about my progress these days, and I have to thank Jeannie and the New Years goals. The small goals that I set have led to more small advances in other areas, such as cleaning my sink and counters every night. It is a small step but big.

Time to get ready for Emir... Talk on....

Julia

Hi Ladies,

It's really cold here, at least we didn't get the snow they predicted At least it sunny today.im in a good mood . I went to church this morning. The preacher gave a good sermon and Sunday school we watched a video and it was getting good and had to stop it. Hopefully we will watch it next week to see the end. Not doing anything just listening to music and read the newspaper.  Yesterday I didn't turn the TV on until after 6 pm.

Everyone have a good day. Thoughts and prayers for everyone. 

Love and hugs,

Yvonne