garden update

The radishes are doing pretty fab. My Mom and I get a chuckle out of the "radish patch". We planted the radishes from seeds (compared to almost everything else with starters). When Mom planted the seeds, she just pushed back the dirt in a small square and scattered the seeds in the little patch. So when all the shoots came up, they were really close together. We didn't get around to thinning the radishes until they were pretty big. So we're going to have a lot of radishes this year! Have you ever tasted a homegrown radish? Delish! Very intense flavor. And very crisp.

On to the broccoli. We didn't cut it soon enough. I asked a lady down the street (who has a garden) when to cut our broccoli. She said that if you wait until it has flowers, it's too late. Ours has flowers. It's kind of a bummer, too, because it takes up so much room but there's not very much yield.

Everything else seems to be coming along splendidly. I did read on a gardening website that lettuce can be sown for a fall harvest at the beginning of July. So we plan to harvest our Romaine lettuce and sow more seeds. That will be fun!

How is everyone else's garden doing?

wastefulness

Here's a mumble-jumble of thoughts in my mind on wastefulness.

#1 - I clean houses for people. The thing that I have observed the most is the quanity of things that people have. It truly amazes me. As I clean, I think, "One of the downfalls of America - commericalism". American people have to have just to....have. (Does that make sense?) I'm not talking about a shelf full of books. What I see is just stuff. Stuff that's not used. Stuff laying in piles. Just stuff, stuff, stuff. Sometimes after work, I want to come home and purge my bedroom. I am just reminded not to be consumed with having things. People have things and are not happy. It's so wasteful to have too much stuff.

Which leads me to my second point.

#2 - I believe that sometimes, Americans are too busy. Disclaimer: I know that there are seasons in time when we are busier than others. However, I think because we are too busy, we waste money. Example #1, if someone is constantly running helter-skelter, the tendency is to continually eat out which equals extra money. Example #2, if we're too busy, we tend to waste money by carelessness such as misuse and misplacement. I think about a family that I work for. They are so busy with activities, they don't have time to care for their things (ie - in laundering, in use). Things get thrown around and beaten up so much but because they have the money to replace, it doesn't matter. That thinking is so wasteful, it makes me sick. We don't need a lot of things to live. My opinion is better quality, high price, and smaller quantity is more efficient than poor quality, low pice, and big quanity. By not taking care of things that we have purchased with the money that God has allowed us to have, we are displaying an attitude of wastefulness. Ok, I'm not saying that we need to live in a hole and eliminate our activities just to take care of our things. But I contend that, at times, there are things in our lives that can be eliminated so that we are not constantly running about hurried-scurried with our brains fallin' out. I've just been irritated by some things, as you can tell. I typically only write opinion posts after I've been irritated.

Which leads me to my third point.

#3 - No, I am not an environmentalist. No. No. No. However, living like the typical American is wasteful. Think about all the plastic that has been thrown away. Think about all the paper we consume. Think about all the extra stuff we have. Think about the time and energy we waste running frantically from place to place because it's required by society. YES, I know that the earth was created by God for us to use and enjoy but that doesn't mean that all of sudden, we just spend, spend, spend and waste, waste, waste. That's not being a good steward.

I just think it's better to live a simpler life. It's good to drive places and enjoy the things that are around us. It's good to try to grow (some) of our own food. It's good to recycle (to an extent, not overboard and weird). It's good to give away things that we don't use instead of throwing them away. It's all good.

It's all good.

Was that a mumble-jumble?

yes...no...maybe so???

These are silhouettes of my Mom when she was a little girl. I thought they were beautifully, wonderfully vintage so I snagged them before she could say no! :) I hung them on the end of my four poster bed for a bit of whimsy. However, ever since the bathroom was remodeled and my bedroom repainted, I've had hardly any decorations up on the walls.

Here's a "before" picture of my dresser with nothing above it.

Here's the "after" picture. I still think the top of the dresser is a little cluttered. But since I only have a bedroom to decorate and not an apartment or house and there is not much flat space, I kinda have to go with a bit of a cluttered look if I went pictures and knick-knacks out.

What do ya'll think?

bus decorations

Our new memorization is Psalm 23. I'm bragging just a little but here's a list of what the kids have memorized on our bus: the books of the Bible, 10 commandments, days of Creation, they are familiar with the Beatitudes, Psalm 100, plus the regular Bible verses they learn each month on the bus and weekly in Sunday school. I am so proud of them! And I pray that some of these kids will grow up to be future pastors, missionaries, and laymen in the church.

Here is where each car starts.

Each kid has a car with their name on it and they will move from sign to sign as they complete each sign.

The cutest little decoration ever; but because it is HOT outside and the windows have to be OPEN, the poor little guy had to come down. I'm still pondering what to do with him.


the new welcome sign

yes, I still love you!

So sorry that I haven't been blogging regularly. Now as I type this, I think of others who take their lack of bloggging with wonderful stride. No apologies from them. But I have noticed a few other gals my age that haven't been blogging as much either and they apologized. So my apologies. Life has just taken over.

I guess I'll write about what has been consuming most of our time and energies these days and that is my Granny. I spent the night with her last Thursday night which was the same day that she was released from the hospital. I thought I would get intermittent sleep. Are.you.kidding.me.?? Right!! Basically, I slept from 10:30-11:00PM and 4:45-6:00AM. Goodness! It was a really rough night. My term: the mother of all nightmares.

The good people at her assisted living center said (all of a sudden) that she would need 24/7 care. Oh, okay! After they had said that she would be just fine living at the assisted living center and that they could handle her just fine. My poor mother. She has been running helter-skelter since my Granny broke her hip almost two weeks ago. After that proclomation from the fine folks at the assisted living center (hereafter: FFALC), my Mom called around and hired a care giving service to come stay with Granny for two nights in a row. She was supposed to be transferred to a rehab center on Monday (yesterday).

Since that didn't happen, I decided to stay the night last night to keep in the good graces of the FFALC. Last night was marvelous compared to Thursday night. I actually did enjoy intermittent sleep. My Granny is doing better (said hesistantly). We're moving her to the rehab center because she gets more therapy there. At the asssisted living center, the therapist only comes three times a week. At the rehab center, she'll receive therapy twice a day. The rehab centers around here is a nice name for a nursing home. And we have always said that a nursing home is the very last resort. But that's what we're gonna have to do. I honestly believe that my Granny will be able to make a speedy recovery. She is in excellent health except for back problems and now this hip problem. The goal is to get her back to her assisted living center soon! We're even reserving her room for a little while until we can gauge how quickly (or slowly) her recovery is going.

So there you have it. My update.

I did some re-decorating on the bus we use for Sunday school pick-ups. Pictures will be posted soon!

Last night, while doing some laminating and cutting, I watched a movie (or two!). One was Miss Potter about Beatrix Potter. Another (said in a British accent) delightful and charming movie!

One conversation cracked me up.

I have to give the beginning part of the conversation. What I put in bold is what made me literally laugh out loud.

Amelia: You have something to confide?
How delicious.

Miss Potter: Your brother has asked me to marry
him. And I feel quite irrationally that I may say yes! (I must insert that Miss Potter and Amelia had both declared they would
never marry.) I'd like your approval.

Amelia: My approval? Beatrix, don't be
a fool. Marry him. Tomorrow. Don't waste a moment. How
could you hesitate?

Miss Potter: You're not upset?

Amelia: Why would I be upset?

Miss Potter: Both Norman and I...you'll be
alone.

Amelia: You have a chance for happiness and
you're worrying about me. I wouldn't worry about you if....someone came
along who loved me and I loved him...I would trample my mother. Do you
love Norman?

Miss Potter: (breathless) Yes.

Amelia: Then marry him. Don't you dare
think about anyone else.

Miss Potter: But what about all the
blessings of being alone?

Amelia: (very determinedly) Hogwash. What else is a woman on her own supposed to
say.

This end part just absolutely cracked me up. I put on a very brave and strong front about how wonderful single life is. I'm learning to be content in my situation. But of course, it's "hogwash" when I meet the guy that God has for me.

Anyone else seen this movie?

vast and varied thoughts

I don't know how many of ya'll scroll down and look at my Twitter but I don't think I've mentioned on my blog about my Granny. Thursday morning at 5am, the nurses at the assisted living home where she lives found her on the floor in her room. She said she didn't hurt but they took her to the emergency room to be xrayed just in case. Good thing! She had broken her hip in three places. Ouch!

My Mom went up there right away and stayed at the hospital until after my Granny got out of recovery from surgery (!!!) Thursday night late, probably around 10pm. I have to insert the fact that Granny had been itching madly since being in the hospital and we noticed a rash on her. My Mom pointed it out to the nurses and they gave her Benadryl here and there but it never seemed to solve the problem.

Friday was not a great day. She still wasn't on her dementia meds and it was incredibly painful to see her in the condition she was in.

Side point: I haven't been able to cry a lot lately. Which is weird to me and kinda good. If you knew me growing up you would know that I could cry at the drop of a hat. Not any more. I like that I don't get so emotional about things. But the bad side is that when I actually do cry, I cannot stop. Ugh.

So on Friday after work, I stayed up in the hospital to relieve my Mom for a while. When I got in there, I could not stop crying. Not like sobbing, but just crying. It was so painful to see my Granny in that condition. She wasn't talking coherently, they had to tether her hands down because she was continually scratching and trying to pull her IV out, and she just wasn't her normal self.

Anyways, today when my Mom went up to the hospital she found out that Granny has scabies. Oh.my.goodness.!!!!!!! We were holding her hand all day yesterday and rubbing her back and shoulders where it was itching, etc....I am very ticked at the doctor that is attending to her in the hospital. My Mom said she got the impression on Friday that he didn't really care.

Side note: And our family has a lot of experience with doctors and hospitals and nurses for pity's sake! We expect good care even if it is a small hospital.

Scabies in highly contagious! My Mom had to be gowned and gloved to go into the room. So if you think about it, we would **really** appreciate prayers that my Mom and I don't get scabies. I mean, seriously!!! I washed our sheets and towels today but who knows if we have it. I don't even want to think about it. Anyone ever have the scabies before? Probably not.

Here's where the vast and varied starts:

*My brother, Geoff, has been on a trip to Israel with a group from our church. I'm so glad that he'll be home on Tuesday. So glad. So glad. So glad.!!!

*One of my readers and friend, Jen, had her blog readers on suspense for months as to a new direction she was taking. I must copy her and say that something is in the works. Not anything huge. Just somethin'. I'll keep you posted when the ball gets rolling.

*It is cold and rainy here. I looked at the 10 day weather forecast today and the next 10 days are all rainy and/or cloudy except for one day that is SUNNY. One day. Help us!!! The plants and people need sun here to grow.

**Was that vast and varied enough for everyone??

Wives and Daughters

So....a while back, Abbi mentioned that she had watched several British movies while she was ill. I jotted the titles down because I'm always on the search for good movies. This week, I checked out Wives and Daughters. (It is set in the same time era of Pride&Prejudice, Emma, and Jane Eyre.)

I love that movie. It is so incredible. The main character, ummmm....I'm forgetting her name already...I think it might be Emily.... ??....is so incredibly sweet. I definitely thought it was the type of movie that a mother could sit down with her daughter and say, "Look at her. She's been wronged. She acts sweet. Look at her. She's being taken advantage of. She's being talked about. Yet she is kind." Wow! Loved, loved, loved the main character.

After watching an entire movie where all the actors have British accents, I talk British in my head. :)

It is 5 hours long, though. I definitely did not do it all in one setting.

OH! And I must say if there was one word that described this movie, it would be - DRA.MA. Wow! Like, girl drama. Wow!

It was an excellent movie. Now I'm interested in the book.

So what is the best way to get hooked on a book or movie? Watch the movie and read the book. Or. Read the book and watch the movie. For me, it typically is to watch the movie and then read the book. I've definitely never been the type of girl to read all the classics. But I'm working on it this summer.

Just wanted to drop off a recommendation if you've never seen this movie. I loved it!

luscious!

(said with a British accent)

If I never get married and only live in a small house with a garden out back and bushes of pink peonies, I shall be happy.

If you click on the top picture, you will be able to see the rain drops. It's a steadily-raining day today.

pure delight

If the only purchase we made in Mobile would have been coffee from this coffee company (especially the particular roast pictured below), our trip last week would have still been a complete success.

is my grandpa not awesome or WHAT?!!!

My (paternal) grandpa carves for a hobby. This winter, he has carved a lot of hummingbirds. He sent a package to my mom this week and the beauty above is what the package contained.

Incredible!

The bottom picture is the way that my Mom has it displayed but the top picture just shows a little more how the bird is positioned.

Hello from Mobile, Alabama.

The land of the perpetual frozen air-conditioner.

The land of seafood.

The land of the perpetual ice-cold air-conditioner.

The land of sunshine.

The land of the perpetual freeze-your-fingers-and-your-toes-off air-conditioner.

Ok.

So like it's sooooooooo cold in every single place we go. I think my Mom has caught a cold (she at first claimed it was allergies) because of going from hot and humid outside to frigid indoor temperatures. Thankfully, we keep our air-conditioning in the room set at a reasonable Midwest temperature. Around 78 degrees, or so. These southerners probably think we're crazy. After we come back to our hotel room after a day of gallavantin', the girl who cleans our room has jacked the temperature down to a chilly 71 degrees. People! I have been cold since November. I didn't come to Dixie Land to freeze!

All teasing aside, it's been a great trip. We had to get up at the crrrrrr-ackkkk of dawn on Monday morning. As in.....I got up at officially 2:38am so that I could pack and get ready to leave the house at 4:15am.

Once we landed, we visited several cemetaries where my Mom's extended family was buried. We were visiting for genealogical purposes. My Mom doesn't have any close family members (except my grandma who has dementia) so she's working on piecing the genealogy tree together that my grandma had put together at one time.

Tuesday, we shopped, visited some old neighbors and went out to dinner with my cousin and his girlfriend.

Today. I'm kinda bummed because it rained. We just drove around for a while.....kinda driving to specific places without going anywhere at all. (If that makes sense.)

We just got back from a fabulous restaurant. I had boiled shrimp. The shrimp come with the tails and the heads on and you have to peel them off. Often, they're caught the same day you eat them. Incredible.

I'm fixin' to go upstairs and hopefully there is an interesting movie on tv. We've gotta pack it to bed early because our flight leaves at the crack of dawn once again. The good thing is that we land in Chicago a little after noon (12pm). So we'll have time to unpack and get things done before church.

I've missed "chattin'" with ya'll. Sorry for the lack of blog posts lately. Hopefully things will pick up once again.

Love ya'll!!

*Rebecca*

xxx

PS - What is UP with my spelling skills lately? They are sorely lacking!