New Day Tuesday

[Harriet]

Hi to Norma! Are you in Arizona now?

((OKay's church family)) For 7 years I was the secretary for the Food Pantry here. We ran into some frustration - even trickery - for sure. My take on it is that there will always be a percentage of the help given that is regretted, or would be regretted if you only knew. But that has to be looked at as kinda "the cost of doing business" and it IS your business, and so you keep trying to get help out there in wholesome, needful ways. That's an interesting compromise to put tires on the car, offering safety, and opportunity overall, rather than specifics. Expensive, though. One valid point might be that others could be in need, getting up the courage to ask now, and too much to one family would limit the ability to help the next folks.

blessed said:

hello lucy sending you the energy of 100( straight out of college) teachers for the next few weeks

My mother used to say, "the young ones who can still get down in the floor in the circle to read". lucylee, I suggest you have the high-schoolers move the desks back and sit with you in a circle and read to them. I predict they remember those passages for their tests better than any others. Anyway, you need a good laugh. Oh, confiscate technology ahead of time - facebook you don't need.

socks - lots of net tutorials out there on using socks to roll damp hair, sleep on without pain, pull out for "instant" hairstyles in the a.m. (youtubes of "Sock bun", "sock curls") We did this a few times for dd and then she decided to cut her hair shorter. She suggested she might try it tonight anyway. I just put mine in a soft scrunchie because it's fast, but probably should go to more trouble.

That was a very nice "good morning" description, elly.

Lilac, surely the other mom only understood your dgd couldn't drive her child, not that dgd was stranded, too! My goodness - no child left behind! HRH lost his gall bladder at 50, so I don't know much about your dgd's prognosis. But I would guess she will just have to watch her diet in the future? HRH can eat certain meals (possibly too much protein?) and feel sick. Emptynester is more knowledgeable than I about this.

Mystery, it's not bad until you find the tv remote in the refrigerator. Nap well!

Morning Daily Card is done, outdoor chores done. Sitting with sweet potato and CUOPing.

[helia]

Interesting info on the use of old socks! I may have to try that.

Yes, that makes sense re: canned soups and white sauces, Mystery. The few recipes I did find w/out the canned soup did contain the ingredients for a white sauce.

Yes, I like Harriet's hug for ((OK's church)). What a tough place to be in from all sides! The pastor of the church we partner with in inner city Detroit has shared with us how there are some people he works with/encounters (all are in deep financial need) that he would never give a dime to, but there are others he would give the shirt off his back to. There are all sorts out there.

Random cleaning mystery here: I wiped down our main bathroom mirror Sunday a.m. It is now more smeary than it was before. I noticed this as I was cleaning it. I use windex; I tried a couple different clean rags and then a paper towel -- but the result is smeary. It's almost like there is wax on the mirror, which there shouldn't be. I'm going to try again today b/c of friends coming over tonight. Any wisdom?? --An employee at one of our favorite coffee shops told us once to use coffee filters, that they leave less dusty residue. I tried that once and did see a slight difference but not a huge one. I will try that again today, though the issue is smearing, not dust.

I got my last goals done, but they took longer than expected -- b/c yes, I still got distracted. They are now done and I have paid bills, online and snail mail.

Next:
-switch laundry; I'm working on getting caught up on towels
-lunch + Steinbeck

The sun is shining; it is beautiful outside! I may finish winterizing my gardens today.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Done my tasks at Presbytery. I still have to sort all the videos into alphabetical order within their letter, but that can wait until next week. And I need to contact the 'owner' of the videos (the library belongs to the next level up of church governance but we administer it) and ask if I can toss any duplicate videos as I'm sorting. The vast majority are on VHS and should be tossed anyway but that's another story.

I'll go pick up dh now, we'll have some lunch and then head off to do groceries. I'm in a hurry to get home because of ds.

[helia]

((Kathryn's ds)) I hope it isn't anything too serious and he feels better soon.

[Ivy]

Good Morning, Villagers!

I'm having a very "weird" day today! I got a completely off-the-wall out-of-her-mind reply email from somebody this morning, which has blown me away that she believes the way she does. Different strokes for different folks!

It's terribly foggy here. DH left for Costco. He'll roll back in here around 10:45 - 11:15 a.m. I'm still in my pajamas and robe. At least I'm covered up and am not running around in a nightgown.

I feel like turning off the computer, to start my day all over from the start, and give it a go again.

I'm unable to cuop this morning. There are too many for me this a.m. I think I'll go begin my day anew and will work on a ta da to get me "going" to report later. Maybe by starting my day over, it will be not so strange!

[Norma]

Not in AZ yet Harriet, but headed that way at 5 a.m. tomorrow morning. Last minute packing being done now so Mr. Guy can get everything loaded this afternoon. Marco the cockatiel goes in last in the morning. He is such a great traveler! We keep him covered until the sun comes up and then he greets us loud peeping. I love him so much. He is cute and funny. Mr. Guy talked with Sweetie this morning and we have a date for Saturday night.

I am reading OKay's post with great interest. Everything she is saying is resounding here as we have a situation we don't know exactly how far to go with it. Some years back when OG opened in Carson City we met the sweetest, cutest little gal and we both liked her immediately. Ever since we always ask for her and have gotten to know her quite well. She is divorced and has a 4 year old daughter. She lives in a tiny apartment and it is rough sledding. Now she finds herself pregnant again. No money, no insurance, baby daddy wants nothing to do with it - naturally! She has gestational diabetes now. The baby is due Januaary 11. And, so we are told by OG people her car is on its last legs. I am overwhelmed by what we found out yesterday. Mr. Guy, rather than give to charities and etc., has always picked out people who need help and has been very generous as to tips, gifts, etc. This little gal needs so much more help than we can (or want) to give. We want to help but don't know where to draw the line. Yesterday we took her a money gift, the little daughter a Christmas present and a present for the new baby. She has a church and between the church and her work friends they are helping where they can. We really really like her and know that she knows where (cont. on nedw post)

[Norma]

she has gone wrong and wants to right her situation, but she is overwhelmed with how she is going to do it all. I guess I am hoping some of you great gals can give me some insight on just what to do. She is worthy I do know that after having talked with some of her work friends. They all love her and will be helping out with baby shower and etc. I know this is one story of the millions out there, but when it is staring us in the face it is tough to know just how to handle it. Thanks for any ideas you have.

Anxious to get on the road in the morning. (It is supposed to be 78 in Apache Junction when we arrive Friday.)

[Lilac]

helia, you might try using full strength vinegar to clean the mirror. It cleans a lot of things.

Kathryn, I am so glad that your ds is at your home. This surely takes mental stress off of you, that you would have had otherwise.

Ivy, I am sorry that you received a disturbing email this morning.

Harriet, my dh had his gall bladder out 4 years ago at the age of 56. A lot of people have to watch their diets afterwards, also. Dh has never had another problem and can eat what he wants. Maybe the key is that he doesn't eat as much now as he used to. Dd2 didn't really want to go with the surgery. Her ex also went to the appt with them. I think they both realize that dgd16 won't be happy until it is out. Dh and I have talked about dgd16 issue. His youngest sister had a lot of stomach problems and had her gall bladder out at 18. Her problems didn't go away and she was finally diagnosed with Crohn's, which she is still dealing with today at 52. It is our hope that by having her gall bladder out now,it might circumvent her from further problems that could lead to Crohn's.

I was saddened today to read that the dm of a classmate of dd2s passed away at the age of 59. Her classmate died in June of an accidental drug overdose. He had had drug problems but had cleaned up. When he relapsed he must of taken a large amount that was required to feed his habit and it was too much for his system, since he had been clean. His parents were devastated. I am afraid the dm died of a broken heart. Her poor dh is quite a bit older. I don't know how he will deal with losing her. I will be keeping him in my thoughts and prayers.

I have accomplished next to nothing............

[Lilac]

(((Norma))) and (((Norma's friend))) I wish I had a solution and wise advice.

[MysteryWoman]

Awake again! I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm fully refreshed, but I'm a lot less out of it. Having lunch now (leftover corn chowder from the other day -- yum!); may take a walk after -- I imagine even a short walk in this brisk weather will perk me right up! It is completely overcast here, but rather bright. I guess they're not storm clouds!

Goodness, blessed, having floors sanded is a major undertaking! Good luck with your preparations.

OKay, I will also need to adjust my morning schedule to include some defrost time for the next couple of weeks that I'm driving the morning run. I've been lucky the past couple of days, but I can't count on that luck holding. We should all be so lucky (and diligent, I suppose) to be so fit in our old age!

Lilac, I would recommend "Why Bright Kids Get Poor Grades," by Dr. Sylvia Rimm. IIRC, there's not as much advice in there on how to deal with older children as with younger ones (she tends to see a lot of problems as involving an imbalance of power between parents and children, and it's hard for parents to gain back power when their children are at an age when their power should be increasing), but she does describe some archetypes of underachieving kids that may offer some insight. Of course, I may be a bit biased -- Dr. Rimm serves as a psychologist at our girls' school.

Speaking of which, I think I must be the only parent in the world who wishes their child has ADD. (Did I write this before? I can't remember.) After a couple of consults (and observing dd through the school year thus far -- she has brief weekly visits with all the new students at the school (well, I suppose not the kindergartners/1st graders, but those coming from other schools) to help them with the transition), Dr. Rimm strongly suspects dd has inattentive-type ADHD. I am just happy at the possibility of an explanation as to why dd spends three or more hours a night on homework that should take an hour or less and the possibility of some sort of resolution to the problem. We did a screening test at our last visit (the Tuesday before Thanksgiving) -- the results of the parent survey indicate a high probability of ADD. We were there at the end of the school day, so while she got surveys into the hands of dd's teachers right away, today will be the first chance she has to review the results. I don't know where we go from here if dd does have ADD -- clearly, a psychologist can't prescribe medication, but I don't know if this is something where we deal with our pediatrician or if we need to find a pediatric psychiatrist (especially given the family history of bipolar). I know a lot of parents don't like the idea of medication, but from my own experience, I know the right meds can make all the difference. Finding the "right" med and dosing, however, are not always easy.

elly, I misread your post at first and wondered about you wearing worn-out socks when you color your hair!

Mystery, it's not bad until you find the tv remote in the refrigerator. Nap well!

With the wintry weather, helia, might someone in the family be using moisturizer that has found its way to the mirror? When you said, "smear," my first thought was oil.

IKWYM about the VHS videos, Kathryn. They were taking over the library at the girls' former school. It was compounded in that some of the videos were inherited from the parish we had merged with, and the school principal at the time did not want to offend anyone by getting rid of them, and some were purchased through the public schools, and there were hoops to be jumped through to get rid of them. They're under control now, though. It's a shame you can't just convert them to DVD legally (after all, the "intellectual content" has already been paid for!), but even if you could, it would be time consuming. Good luck getting consent to winnow! BTW, I hope your ds and dfs are on the mend soon, though I gather mono can be a long row to hoe. The closest I've ever experienced was anemia in college, but that was just the fatigue, not the other symptoms mono brings on.

Good luck rebooting your day, Ivy!

Safe travels, Norma! Prayers that both you and OKay can discern the right ways to help out in your difficult situations.

Need to clean up lunch and finish laundry. I may get that walk in if there's time to do so before I have to leave for pickup. I am not going to try to post from the pickup line (ha! "pickup line" ) today; instead, I'll bring along some of the papers I need to weed through.

BBL, I hope!