past happenings

Every October, my mom would make cupcakes with pumpkins on them for girls club. In keeping with tradition, M made these for homegroup.






In honor of his service to Scouts and his church, John was awarded the God and Service award at the troop's Court of Honor.










Potatoes in the washing machine? Yep. I volunteered to make 90 pounds of mashed red potatoes for our church's Sunday bistro. (What was I thinking?) After spending an hour scrubbing one 10# bag and looking at the 8 remaining bags to be processed, I thought surely there is a better way. I called a friend to brainstorm. We decided the washing machine was a good option. And it was. Put the washer through a couple soapless rinses and then wipe out with a damp cloth, just to be sure. Drop 2-3 bags into the tub, set on gentle and put through a short swishing cycle followed by a rinse and spin. Before boiling, scan the potatoes and cut away any unsitely areas. Glad I discovered this method but don't think I'll be volunteering to make spuds for 200 any time in the near future. (no wonder I don't feel good!)

Our favorite time of year is Operation Shoebox time. Dollar Tree, Walmart, 99cent Store are places to find goodies to fill the boxes. We do alot of shopping during the year as well especially at back-to-school sales when supplies are available for a deal.





Celebration! Last Saturday, S baked this yummy Martha Stewart Apple Pie cake to celebrate the following:

S: two personal victories
E: being loved!
M: found a beloved lost pencil after a few hours of searching
J: raised M's bed to create not only the Princess and the Pea effect, but also more storage in her tiny room.
We needed to fill our joy cups and a celebration seemed to do
the trick!
M's new Princess bed. With our long legs, there are not many opportunities to dangle our feet. Everybody had to give it try.

not vertigo???

I think I've been misdiagnosed. The dizziness and nausea, thankfully, come and go. So what is it then? Hmmm, that remains to be answered. Meanwhile, I'm trying to exercise, deep breathe, avoid chocolate and caffeine, and think happy thoughts (sometimes hard to do when one is avoiding choc/caffeine).

One happy thought is the prospect of next week off of school. Yeeehaaaa! Truly we haven't earned it but oh! do we need it. We'll enjoy a day of Christmas shopping, have a quiet thanksgiving dinner, see Santa Clause 3 and do our traditional weekend-after-Thanksgiving decorating blitz. M has been counting down the days (see picture) and I'm looking forward to pulling out the nativities and spending time in quiet contemplation over the season's meaning.

Another happy thought is my nephew and his wife are having a boy! I truly believe he'll be the most beautiful baby boy ever and look forward to the smells and sounds of an infant in our family again.

vertigo

Nope. Not a word picture this time. Last night I thought I dreamt of spinning carnival rides but it was real. Everytime I'd move my head, whhhheeeeeee, the room spun around like a top. Later today, after waiting an hour to see the nurse practitioner, it was confirmed I am a dizzy blonde. The cause? Crystals in my inner ear. How long will it last? 4-6 weeks. Any available treatment? Nope. I came home with a prescription for Valium "just in case it gets really bad," a recommendation for over the counter Dramamine for the nausea, and advice not to move my head quickly. I've had this before and hope it will be of short duration. Meanwhile, I'm buckling in for the ride!