Elk_Grove_Susan's Xanga

Tick, tick, tick.....

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:40:03 GMT

I have been waiting. For a delivery. A very special delivery.

That's DD#2 during our visit yesterday, four days after her due date. DD#3, baby sister and I traveled 80 miles to take that dear girl out to lunch and spend the afternoon with her. We walked around the small town she lives near (well, it's another 20-minute drive), popping into a few shops and enjoying the fresh air, too. Then we went back to her house and watched a couple of silly sitcoms on Hulu®. Wanna know what we watched? An episode of The Bob Newhart Show (does anyone remember that show? As soon as the opening song started, it was obvious that it was produced by the same people that did The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Couldn't they come up with an original approach? I was almost expecting to hear that plaintive voice crooning, "You're gonna make it after all" ). It had some clever dialogue and some hideous interior decorating. Then, to amuse baby sister and give my DDs a shock, we watched The Partridge Family. Not so clever dialogue, hideous interior decorating and even more hideous fashions. I'm wondering if my DDs thought this explained many things about their mother.

Surprise!

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:49:00 GMT

So here I am. Still alive. Kicking. Or something. Trying to remove myself from a Facebook-induced writer's slump. Not that I'm such a great writer or anything. Anyone who writes this choppily probably shouldn't be calling herself a writer. Or a grammar nazi.

Anyways, I was inspired to post because of (get this) dog poop. Left by the ditch in front of our house by some (it is assumed) slob who can't pick up after their own pooch (is that a mean thing to say?). Thankfully, neither Auggie or I stepped in it, but as we were continuing on our "morning constitutional", I reflected on the necessity of training our children to be good neighbors. This is best done by example, in my humble opinion (did that sound prideful?). Somehow, somewhere along the line, apparently my mom showed/taught me to be a good neighbor. I pick up after our dog (actually, there is a city ordinance requiring that, thank you very much!), I return grocery carts to their rightful places, I put clothes back on the rack in the store if I knock them off and I refold any item of clothing that I may be examining while shopping. That's not an exhaustive list, but I think you know what I mean. And, amazingly, my DDs all do the same. I suppose it could be boiled down to a "leaving the world a better place than when you found it" sort of mentality. But I prefer to think of it as simply following the Biblical principle of putting others before yourself, the way our Lord did for His people. God is good......all the time.

Changing Times

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 02:12:59 GMT

Okay then. Where was I? Oh. Yes. Getting back to normal. *insert maniacal laugh* If normal is keeping in touch with two married daughters, having more meals to prepare but making them smaller (did she really eat that much?), correcting chemistry and English literature papers for the third time, doing extra chores so I don't dump everything on DD#3, and figuring out how to readjust our job calendar, then I guess I'm getting back to normal.

The emotional trauma of the first couple of weeks after the wedding seems to have dissipated. DD#3 is grateful. Having mom burst into tears with no apparent provocation was, to put it bluntly, weird for her. I understand completely. It was weird for me, too.

Meanwhile, we had a lovely time at our church's family camp. It was a blessing getting to spend the week in the company of believers, not to mention seeing DD#2 and her new husband every day! This was followed by a not-so-lovely doozy of a cold, the remnants of which are still being felt. Oh, well. Life goes on.......

DD#3, baby sister and I plan on visiting DD#2 every Wednesday. It takes almost two hours to get there, so we try to leave our house around 9 a.m. We succeeded last week, and had a lovely time rejoicing over her newly arranged kitchen, having a delightful lunch at a nearby Italian cafe, taking an invigorating walk in her neighborhood, which is situated on a lake, and enjoying a dessert of watermelon and ice cream cake back at her new (to her) home. God is good......all the time.

Back To.......Normal?

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:45:42 GMT

Hmmmm. I think I need to redefine what normal is around here. It may take me awhile. Yesterday and today were designated "Wash and Sort the Tablecloths Days". All thirty of them. I am now a self-proclaimed expert at folding 70-inch round tablecloths. It ain't easy. Yesterday, I also made a round trip of about 80 miles, returning rental plates, water pitchers, a cake stand, and tons of serving dishes to their corresponding origins.
Of course, in between the laundry loads and errand-running, activities of daily living pull at my attention. Occupational therapists refer to them as ADL's. I refer to them as the blessedness of routine. If I didn't, they would just annoy me. Instead, I remind myself of a series of talks I heard several years ago, describing the "routineness" of God's created order. The sun rises, the sun sets. The seasons come and go. Flowers bloom and die. On and on it goes. The blessedness of routine.
God is good..........all the time.

Miss No More

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:46:04 GMT

DD#2 is no longer a "Miss", but I do miss her. Immensely.
The wedding was absolutely beautiful. I keep going over the day in my mind, thanking God for His bountiful blessings. We arrived on time, everything was set up, the dress zipped, the groom got misty-eyed, the bride was radiant (I know.....it's a cliche, but it was true), the church was gorgeous, the guests looked like they were having a good time (some have since told us so), and the happy couple are enjoying a week of solitude on the coast. I've left out many more, for the sake of brevity (and so I don't start crying, again).
Based on my experience with DD#1's wedding, the first week is the hardest for me. It's a mysterious combination of joyous elation for the gift of my daughter's godly husband and profound sadness over not having her here at home any more. Sometimes it just makes my stomach hurt. Other times, I just have to shed some tears. Don't worry. I'll be fine. Soon. Really.
God is good..........all the time.

In The Pink

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:40:47 GMT

A news flash!!!!!!!! DD#1, who is expecting her second child in January, had an ultrasound on Wednesday that showed a baby sister for the cutest grandson ever.
It's interesting that the cutest grandson ever has been saying that the baby is a girl all along.

Goin' To The Chapel.....

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:13:52 GMT

Well, I'm not getting married, but DD#2 is. The day after tomorrow. Wow.
This explains my absence from my blog. I have been so incredibly busy, some days I forget to eat lunch, and find myself rooting around in the refrigerator at 2:30 or 3 in the afternoon. Why am I so hungry? Gee, maybe it's because I haven't eaten since 7:30 this morning. Ya think?
Anyways. Everything has fallen into place. I just got a comforting email from the church's wedding coordinator, reassuring me that it's time to relax and just enjoy this beautiful event. She and the events coordinator will do all the footwork, she said. What a saint!!!!! I am looking forward to the moment on Saturday when I get escorted down the aisle and am seated in my pew. I am done, I will think. And I will wait for my cue from the violinist to stand up and turn around to see my husband bring our precious daughter to her husband.
God is good.......all the time.

Gone Like Yesterday

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:18:58 GMT

I don't believe global warming is anywhere near a fact. Except maybe in Oregon. Supposedly on Friday, it is supposed to be 100 degrees. *sigh* So I guess we can call it "Oregon warming"?
DD#2 and 3 had a fun time at the rodeo. Someone even got carried out of the arena on a stretcher, sporting a neck brace. It reminded me of people who go to car races just so they can see if anyone crashes. I suppose that makes it more interesting.
Tonight is a bridal shower for DD#2. More presents to stack in our family room. Too much fun!

State of Mind, State of Being.....

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:56:46 GMT

State of Oregon. Yep. That's where I am. Until Saturday. DD#'s 2 and 3 are with me, as well. Right now I am at our good friends' house, sitting on the couch in the family room, listening to piano practice, and getting a "plesent" from an adorable seven-year-old boy (a darling picture of him in his native Indian clothes).

This afternoon we are off to the Clackamas County Fair and a rodeo. Tomorrow evening is a bridal shower for DD#2. Thursday has no plans, as of yet. Friday, our friends' church is having their annual Oktoberfest (I know, it's August.....what can I say?). And Saturday, Lord willing, the three of us will make the ten-hour drive home.

Which makes me grateful they both have drivers' licenses.

The Buzz

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:00:02 GMT

I've been prodded by one of my readers to get on here and please post something. How sweet. She missed me.

So here's what's up. Last Friday morning, DD#2 was with her younger sister at our local park, reserving a spot for the Strauss Festival. And a bee stung her leg. She felt a sharp pain, looked down, and there was the nasty creature hanging from the stinger embedded in her calf. She brushed the bee off, and then she and her sister got the stinger out (ewwwww), venom sack and all. Well, then.

When she got home and told me what had happened, I made up a paste of baking soda and water and had her apply it several times over the course of the day. That should do it. Maybe a little itching and swelling, and then she should be fine. Riiiiiiiiiight.

By Saturday morning, she was having trouble walking, and it really hurt. We applied ice periodically, and had her take ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin.....you know, that stuff). It was getting a little redder and a little more swollen, but it wasn't warm to touch, so we just kept an eye on it.

Sunday morning. She hobbles out of her room, complaining of excruciating pain. Her leg is now very warm around the site, and is swelling down to her foot, which was turning a slightly different color from the other foot. DH, DD#3 and baby sister prepare to take off for church, while I put a call in to our doctor. By 10 a.m., I decided 2 1/2 hours of waiting for the doctor to call back was too long, and I took her to an urgent care center nearby that was affiliated with our doctor's medical group.

Well. She definitely has an infection. She is on some fairly powerful antibiotics, has to keep her leg elevated as much as possible, as well as keep a warm compress on it to "draw it out". Yesterday afternoon, she could barely walk, and had to crawl if she needed to *ahem* go anywhere in the house. This morning I woke her up at 7 to give her another dose of her antibiotic, and she went right back to sleep. Poor dear.

In the "old days", I would've been frustrated and annoyed with this turn of events, angry that a week full of plans and activities (wedding-related as well as some other stuff) was being infringed upon. But I know and love a sovereign God Who does all things well. This turn of events is under the watchful eye of His perfect will. God is good.......all the time.