Puzzles.  Puzzles are fun.  Puzzles are educational.  Puzzles are entertaining.  And, there are plenty of them at my house.  Well, to be clear…the ‘plenty of puzzles’ we have at my house are for Levi.    None for me, thank you very much.  I get all twitchy when someone opens up a box of those 400 pieces of cardboard.  Probably the hardest thing on this planet for me to do would be finish one of those puzzles.  Little irregular scraps of cardboard that fit only to another irregular scrap and there are 8 different color combinations on one piece and only 1 color on the matching piece.  Maddening, I tell you!  My OCD kicks in when I even see the box!

Being involved in preschool education since I was in college,  I have seen my share of puzzles.   I loved using them in my teaching all through the years.  In school, in church, with my own children.  I used puzzles that were bought and many I made myself.

*****A QUICK PUZZLE*****

Take 6 wooden craft sicks…(use the large size like a tongue depressor).  Lay them side by side and use 3 strips of masking tape to hold them together on one side.  Turn the taped sticks over and design your puzzle.  Markers seem to work the best for this project, with crayons next.  Sometimes I had large stencils for the children to use.  Sometimes they made up their own designs.  Sometimes we used only the words of a Bible verse.  If it was fall, we may have traced a leaf and colored it in fall colors.  The possibilities are endless.  Be sure to extend the design to cover a bit of every stick.  Then pull the tape off and put  it on the front of a ziplock bag (sandwich size is just right).  Use the tape surface to write child’s name. And, this is a good place to include a Bible verse that relates to the puzzle…such as “Work with your hands…”1 Thessalonians 4:11  Then the puzzle pieces are easily taken home in the baggie and kept together.

That’s just a little freebie for you grandmothers out there! 🙂

I was taught, not in college, but in training to be a Convention Approved Preschool Teacher by the Southern Baptist Convention, the proper way to  work a puzzle.  It’s really very sensible and very logical.  It should be taught in early education classes in college, and maybe it is now…but they didn’t when I was there!  I have tried, in every setting I have ever been apart of, to share this info with teachers, as I taught the children the proper way to do the puzzles.  Always, they said it makes perfect sense…but carrying it out was another story.

If you go into any Sunday School class with little ones and you give them a puzzle to work…how are they going to get the pieces out?  Right…they are going to turn the puzzle over and make a loud noise when all the pieces fall out.  Then some will fall on the floor, so they will have to get them.  Then they still have to turn them over.  And if Timmy is working next to Emily who is working next to Mary…all the pieces are going to get mixed up!  Yuck!  Confusion and chaos!  There IS a better way.

Every child should place his puzzle in front of him.  Then take the pieces out of the frame face up, one by one and place them on the LEFT side of the puzzle,  face up.  (They may be too young to know’left’…but if you put a red dot on the outside of the puzzle, it reminds them where the pieces go.  Now the puzzle is ready to go…no turning pieces over, no looking for lost pieces , and no mixed up pieces.  If all the children follow these rules…several can sit at a table and work and no one will mix up their pieces.  This works in another way also.  It reinforces looking left to right, which is the way they will learn to read.

As hard as I have tried, it has not always worked.  Children do it the wrong way so often at home or other places that it is hard to change this habit.  I tried through all the years I worded with preschoolers to teach them the proper way.  But, unless you get a child when he is working his very first puzzles and teach the right way, it is hard to get them to change.  My 3 boys did them correctly. And, I have shown this way to Levi ever since we got his very first puzzle.

Today, he wanted to get out the puzzles so I laid one on the floor for him.  Imagine my delight when I looked down to see the puzzle ready to be worked…all the pieces were face up on the left side!  He’s got it!

So, nothing big or exciting to anyone but me…but it makes me happy.  It goes to show that in most things, we can make a difference in the way a child does things if we set the example very early.  Much easier than changing behavior and habits later.  What we give our time to when teaching will become what the child will excel at.  To Levi, this is not even a conscious decision anymore, it’s just the way to do puzzles now.  How many other things could become second nature to a child if we took the time to focus on it.  I am reminding myself of my priorities here!

“Train up a child…”

Now for a laugh…

Two good ‘ole boys went into a restaurant for a  celebration.  

The waiter asked them,”What’s the reason for the celebration?”  

One of the guys answered ” Well we finished a puzzle we were working on.  It only took us a month to complete it !  

The waiter said, “Wow! That must have been some puzzle!”  

The other boy replied, ”  It sure was!  The box said it would take ‘from 3 to 6 years’!!!”  🙂

Hope there is nothing in your life that is too ‘puzzling’ right now!

Oct 26, 2013…….Part 3 of a story in 3 parts

A photo of all the helpers!  (Tina D, Joy, Tonja, Shirl, Patty…minus Suzanne, who was wrangling Levi)

2:00…..Adam began pictures of the Bride and Groom and Jackson…(All the photos were made on the wooden bridge on the road where I live…just 2 doors down.  The remainder are in my backyard)

4:30  All the troops were back, everyone was taking care of the last minute things they saw.  Time for family pics.  Adam set up camera.  Don didn’t like the background, so Adam moved it.  Someone else didn’t like that. Adam was very patient, but finally he put it where he wanted it and we all got in place.  SMILE!   He had to do them quick before Levi jumped again! We managed to get one or two where everyone was looking in the right direction!.  Then the individuals.  Then a few that I wanted.  And, that’s it!  Adam said we were finished!

5:30…time for food… it should have already been delivered.   All guests were arriving and people were milling around and visiting.  Shirl and Tina D lit all the zillion candles, as dark began to descend.  The minister arrived.  The food still is not here.  Don called the caterer.  No answer.  Must be on their way.  Whew!  Tina and Shirl began to lead everyone to their seats, and the food is not here.  Don was still on the phone.  No answer.  Bro. Billy, our minister, was in the other room with Tina and Ian and Jackson.  Everyone was seated.  They say I have to sit down now!   And, still. no. food. “Lord, what am I going to do?  All the food we have is what Suzanne prepared and some crackers and dip that I prepared.  That and a can of nuts.  You know all about it.  Help!  Fix it for me, Lord.  I want this to be perfect and now it is falling to pieces!  Help me, please!”  I went and sat down with Don.

6:00…Brother Billy and Ian walked out the side door and got in place.  And, then came beautiful Tina in her gorgeous dress with sweet Jackson holding her hand.  She walked to stand by Ian and Jackson sat in my lap.  Here we go!

Patty went to join Billy to sing a song that I felt would start the evening off and set the mood for the service….”Surely the Presence”

“Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.

I can feel His mighty power and His grace.

I can feel the brush of angel wings, I see glory on each face.

Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.”

And friends, even though I intended this to be a duet…everyone there joined in and by the time we sang the words through a second time, there was no doubt the angels were circling round and God, himself, was right in our midst!  I was covered in goose bumps, but not from the cold.  From the fact that with much help from many friends, we had created a little chapel right here on my porch!

“FOR WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER IN MY NAME, THERE AM I IN THE MIDST OF THEM.”  Matthew 18:20

Lights twinkling in the trees, with their tall, tall branches silhouetted against a purple sky…candles surrounding the little area and flickering their little wicks…a fire gently burning in the background behind the minister with the coals already beginning to glow a festive orange and red.  And, Ian and Tina standing , surrounded by friends who have loved us and cared for us, and gone through life with us, supporting them with their love.  It was perfect.  It was just the way I wanted everyone to feel…. warm and peaceful and happy…. and they did.  And I did.  And Ian and Tina did.

The “I Do’s” were said.  And the vows were spoken.  The promises were made and the rings were exchanged.  And the kiss.  Then the pronouncement…Mr and Mrs. Ian David Owens.  And, it was done. They made their way back into the den and I stood up to give further instructions.  I had nothing prepared to say, but I had called on God earlier, so He took over.  I reminded them, as they sat there, that they were invited specifically because of who they were and what they meant to us and that they were an extension of our family.  And, then I told them that since they were family, I felt like they would forgive us for not having more food…because the caterer NEVER SHOWED UP!  So, we would put out what we had and share it and please know that we planned on having a much bigger meal. Suzanne and Joy and Otelida took the extra plates off the table and we replaced them with 2 of everything we had and we had plenty!  Everyone ate and ate and ate.  And then there was cake!  So, it turned out OK…and everyone understood….and we saved a ton of money that would have gone to the caterer!  There’s always something to be grateful for! :).  But, I’ll never use them again…for anything…ever.  (Edited to add:  When Don finally did get in touch with the owner, the excuse they gave was flimsy and not at all acceptable.)  Oh! Well!  Live and learn!  And, besides, it makes for a great story!

We cut the cake and the bride and groom tasted it!  Ian had a few words to say of appreciation and thanks to Don and I and the gathered friends.  Then, to the shock of a few…Shirl started singing (to the tune of “Going To The Chapel”)  “Going to the Creekhouse and we’re gonna get ma-a-a-rried”  I joined in “Going to the Creekhouse and we’re gonna get ma-a-a-rried…”  Joy and Patty and Tina come in with harmony…“Going to the Creekhouse and we’re gonna get ma-a-a-ried…Going to the Creekhouse of Love. Whoa-whoa-whoa… Fa-all is here, The-uh-uh sta-ars will shine. Whoa-whoa-whoa… I’ll be his And he’ll be mine! We’ll love until the end of time, And we’ll never be lonely anymore! Because we’re going to the Creekhouse, And we’re   gonna to get ma-a-a-rried. Going to the Creekhouse, And we’re  gonna get ma-a-a-rried. Gee, I really love you and we’re   gonna get ma-a-a-rried. Going to the Creekhouse of Love … Whoa-a-whoa-a-whoa-whoa Going to the Creekhouse of Love …Whoa-a-whoa-a-whoa-whoa Going to the Creekhouse of Love! And, I tell you, everyone in the room was singing and clapping the beats of the song and having a great time, serenading the newlyweds!  It was the best!  And, I am so glad we did it!  Our little flash mob at the wedding!  (Corny, for sure, but memorable!  And, I don’t think we embarrassed the younger folks too much!)

So much fun! So much love in the room.

The cousins…Ian, Lori, Alex, Tara, Adam

Everyone visited with each other and caught up on all the news.  But, slowly, it became time for folks to leave and they began to drift away.  First one and then another and another until the only ones left were Don and I, Ian and Tina and Patty and Mike.  I insisted that Joy and Suzanne leave.  They did a lot before they left, but we finished up the rest.  Don was leaving the next morning for a trip to California for the week and I knew that I was going to be sacked out for a day or two…or three.  Mike offered to take all the rentals back, which saved me from loading and returning them.  That was wonderful!  And Otelida washed the last dish.  And we were done.  She and Yazzmine, her granddaughter, left.  Ian and Tina were getting Jackson settled. He was going to stay with us while they went to a quaint little B&B in a neighboring town for the night.    Jackson was on my daybed, watching cartoons.  I got on the couch.  Don and Adam and Alex were watching a ballgame.  When that was over, Alex came and got in the bed with Jackson, because he had promised he would stay right with him all night.  And he did. Good night!  I’m too tired to even dream. Don left early the next morning, and Jackson and Alex and I had breakfast.  He played and watched TV till Ian and Tina came back around noon.  They opened some gifts and said their goodbyes and headed off to Birmingham to begin their lives together!    And, I climbed into bed! It was wonderful!  It was fun!  It was nerve-wracking!  It was blessed!  I am so thankful Ian and Tina decided  to come here and have their wedding.  It popped up out of the blue, but that’s OK.  Surprises are wonderful!  My hope is that when they look back on this night, in years to come…they will remember it as warm and cozy, glowing with good wishes and happiness…and filled with love for those they love and who love them. We felt that God was in our midst and that He blessed their marriage. I was reminded later, as I  pondered the events…we can plan and work and plan and work…and it still may not go according to our plans.  And, so what?  Isn’t life best when the unexpected pops up to surprise us?  That’s when we are our best, really.  Because it’s then that we lean on family and friends and God, most of all.  That’s when we work together and even out the rough spots and laugh about the rest!   “It was a perfect weekend!

“GOD HAS GIVEN US THESE TIMES OF JOY!”  Nehemiah 12:43  To Him go all the thanks and honor and glory!

Friday……October 25, 2013…….Part 2 of a story in 3 parts

There is a lot that needs to be done to get ready for a wedding…even if you have a whole week to plan for it!  (That’s a joke, friends…must be a luxury to have 6 months!)  I have spent all the past week getting things together.  Tina Davis (not Tina Cooley, the bride-to-be) came over and helped me get the things we would need to get the house decorated out of the storage room.  We have it all out and sorted and ready.  My house looks like a staging area.  A lot in more around this house  has to be decorated for a wedding than for just our little family.   All of this has me feeling just a tad bit overwhelmed.

Tina reminded me that this WAS the 3rd wedding the the Royal Design Team had done!  And, I think she and I had done a couple more, and I know Shirl had…so we were good to go!

I spent the week getting last minute things…ordering supplies, a few more decorations to buy, checking on the cake and the flower order…and getting all the food ordered from the caterer.  And, all my helpers were ready to go.  My housekeeper had been here on two days prior and she had everything cleaned and ready.  My dear friend, Patty, went and picked up all the rentals for me…chairs, cake stand, drink dispensers, etc.  She had to borrow her husbands truck to get it all.  Joy and I were sweating it out because we were going to have to split it between our two cars and hers is small!  But, Patty to the rescue!  Shirl left her house in Moultrie and drove the 2 hours to Dothan…arriving here around 8:00.  Joy got here soon after and they set about working out a plan of action.  I left to do the really last things and when I came back, they had things well under way.  The front porch…..

Joy worked until early evening and had to leave, but Tina D. got off work at 3, and boy did she and Shirl get busy!   They worked until Don came in bringing supper, but I had to leave it with them…I could not bend my back or take another step on my feet.  I rested while they all ate.  Ian and Tina and Jackson all came in around 10:00 and everyone went to bed soon after in anticipation of the big day ahead!

IT”S HERE!………….October 26, 2013

Today is the big day!  My baby boy is marrying the love of his life…and I intend to make sure everything is perfect for them!

You know, no matter how adept you are at decorating and no matter how many weddings you have decorated for in the past…when it is your own child…you brain turns to mush!  Or maybe it had something to do with a week’s notice and it being at my house!  I knew the look I wanted.  I had conveyed the look to all my helpers.  We were all on the same page.  And, I wanted to be doing something, but everytime I tried, it just wouldn’t work.  And, so, I left it all in their hands.  And, I had no doubts that it would all be just as perfect as I wanted it to be!

Sweet Joy.  I tried all day yesterday to get 2 makings of a recipe the kids all love…chess squares…made.  But, it never happened.  So, she took the whole shebang…pans and ingredients and such…home with her last night and had it here before 8:00 this morning for all the troops to enjoy through the day!  Thanks, Joy.  You are the best!  (I actually think that is a perfectly logical wedding breakfast, don’t you?)

The crew arrived and set about finishing the decor and the bride-to-be left to go and get her hair and makeup done.  Suzanne came in and fixed all the chicken salad shells, and worked on her pasta dish.

Dear Suzanne.  She worked on this pasta dish, Chicken Milano, for 4 days prior to the wedding.  She did all the chickens on one night.  And she did all the tomatoes and fixings another night.  Then she did all the pasta the next night.  She was making a HUGE amount.  But we wanted to make sure we had enough!  Then she brought it over and put it all together.  Thanks, Suzanne, your ease in the kitchen and with the food made it much easier on me.

Below is the mantel inside the house, beside the dining room table.    Don’t you love the chalkboard?

2:00…Shirl and Tina D  left to get ready…Joy left to get Tommy and Pop and take a breather…Suzanne went home to change and get Levi.  Ian and Tina and Jackson were on the bridge getting pictures made.  And, now, they moved to the backyard and around the pool and in the swing.  Adam is so good at what he does!  No one here but me and Otelida, my housekeeper.  Don came in and started to get ready.  I reminded him to hurry, the family pics are next.  Where was the cake?   It was now close to 4 and the baker was to have been here by 2:00.  Called her, no answer.  Called again…no answer.  Suzanne got back here and she called her…baker said she’s coming soon.  The food was to be here around 5:30 and all was well.  Table is laid out with labelled dishes to hold all the food.  I sat down to breathe.  Or not.  The baker came, huffing and puffing, with the cake.  It was very pretty …but not like we ordered it.   At this point, I was not going to fuss. It would do fine!  I wanted the rest of the food to get here so I could relax.

5:00…”It’s going to happen.  And, everything is ready.  Well, the main food is not here yet, but it should be here any minute.  The wedding is going to take place on the outside porch in front of the fireplace…sort of our own little chapel.  Here’s what it looked like before it got very dark. Twinkly lights all out in the trees in the backyard.   It’s beautiful.  Simply beautiful!”

And, all the chairs are gathered round and ready for our guests!

Gotta go get the family gathered!  Stay tuned…the best part is coming up in the next section.

Wed. October 16, 2013……..Part 1 of a story in 3 parts

“Mom, will you put this on speaker phone and get Dad?  I need to talk to you both at the same time. Nothing is wrong.”  This was the beginning of an early morning call from my youngest son, Ian, several   days ago.   I did as he asked…trying to remember…”nothing is wrong, nothing is wrong.”  CHAIR, CHAIR, CHAIR.  “Yes, Levi.  That is a chair!  Very good talking,” I said.  Don came into the room and Ian continued, “I was calling to tell you that Tina and I are coming to Dothan tomorrow (Friday) and getting married on Saturday.”  RED CHAIR. RED CHAIR. RED CHAIR.  “Very good, Levi!”
(The last we heard, the big proposal was coming on Oct.24 with the wedding in May.  PHONE. PHONE. PHONE. PHONE. PHONE.  “Yes, we are talking to Uncle Ian on the phone.  That’s good!”  DUCK. DUCK. DUCK.  “That’s right!  That’s the duck you play with in the tub!”  Don spoke first, “Is there a reason you are moving things up?”  Ian went on to explain why they had made this decision and we said, “OK. We understand.  We’ll get busy and will be looking for you tomorrow.”

About this time, the doorbell rang and it was two men coming to replace my microwave.  So I had to leave the conversation and take Levi and go to the kitchen and try to answer the men’s questions.  “I do not know why my first microwave stopped working.  Yes the words still pop up on the top sometimes, but it will not cook.  No. I do not know why.  Yes. we checked the breakers.  I do not care what you do with the old one.  No. you can dump it or fix it, I don’t care.  No, if you fix it I do not want it back…you are putting me a brand new one in today.  No. I don’t care if you sell it.  No.  I do not want the boxes either.”  All this punctuated with “DISHES!  SINK!  WATER!  MAN!  EAT, EAT, EAT!”.  Bless that sweet boy’s heart (Levi’s, not Ian’s)…he’s talking so well and is so proud of every word he can say!  I could just squeeze the stuffin’s out of him!

I wanted to be back in the bedroom hearing the rest of the conversation.  But, there was a little tummy ready to EAT, EAT, EAT!  I knew that when I asked Don what else Ian had said, he would say “not much.”  So, I already had it in my mind that I was going to have to call Ian back when Levi finished eating.  But, Ian called us back first to say that he had gotten a minister to perform the ceremony.  He told me who he wanted me to call and invite.  So, I got busy.   First, I called Joy and filled her in.  She said,  “I’m ready to do whatever you need!”  Aren’t sisters wonderful?

Before all this transpired, I had planned a trip for the weekend with Tina and Shirley.  So  I called them to let them know the change of plans. Not missing a beat, they said they would “be here at 8:00 the next morning to start working on a wedding”.  That’s what good friends do!  I decided that in the meantime I would put Levi in the car, go get Joy, and go looking for a wedding cake and food and flowers.

Then the phone rang.  Again.  “Mom, we are thinking about waiting till next weekend.”  (Tina’s little boy, Jackson, was going to be elsewhere  and she did not want to get married without him).  “We’ll call you back.”  So, after a quick call to the minister, who was available the next weekend, as well…the decision was made to wait till the next weekend.

“Ma’am, do you want to come and check out this microwave?  We got it all finished for you.  We’re sorry about that big scratch and broken wood on the side of your cabinets.  I bet Mr. Bruce can fix that right up.  Yeah, my partner here told me that wasn’t the right screw to use, and he was right….broke right on through that cabinet.  Sorry ’bout that.  Do you want me to tell you how this thing works?”  “No.  I can figure it out…….  Yes.  I’m sure you can have the old microwave…….  No.  I really don’t think I need that big box for anything………  Yes. It is a good sturdy box. Why don’t you take it………  OK.   Just leave the box.  That’s fine………  Yes.  It will be good to store something………  Thank you……….  Oh, yes.  I’ll call Mr. Bruce right away about my cabinet!  BYE.”

I called Joy and told her we were not going to shop today. I called Tina and Shirl and told them the trip was back on.  And, I began making plans for the following weekend.  When Suzanne came to get Levi, she called a baker she knew and ordered a cake, and she and I planned a menu.  And, I knew that Tina and Shirley and I would have all the decor planned by the time I got home Saturday night.

BREATHE!  Next weekend is coming fast!

1.  It has been a while since I have blogged.  Life has been so very full lately and there has only been time to dash off a few lines on Facebook.  I run into folks all along who say they miss my blogging.  And, I miss it.  Plus, I miss keeping in touch with friends around the country.  So, I am going to try getting some posts up in a more timely fashion.

2.  I have had to be on several medications to be able to function in the outside world.  Things like walking and bending and picking things up…it is very hard without some help.  But, as a side effect of this, I have gained weight.  And, I do not like it.  I know what I look like, however, and do not need anyone reminding me of the fact, as someone did TODAY.  I am trying to come off on one of the meds now and it will take about 3 months to get off completely.  I am coming off only because of my weight.  If I can’t function, I will have to go back on it.  So, if you should feel the need to remind me that I am quite a bit larger than I used to be…not necessary.  I know.   And, you are unkind for even mentioning it.  That’s all I will say about that.

3.  I recently had an event to attend and it required semi-formal attire.  Well!  I had nothing suitable at my present size…so I went to a store in town and bought several things…certainly not planning to keep them all.  It is just that, some days, I am able to move around better than others, and squeezing myself into one of those little dressing rooms was not on my list of things that were going to happen that day.  I was able to find something nice.  So, the remaining clothes were folded nicely in a bag until I could get back into the store.  In the meantime,  life happened.  Several big life things.  Along with everyday life things.  And, those clothes were the farthest things from my mind.  In fact, they left my mind completely.  Another by-product of medication…and my aging brain.  Together they are happily taking all sorts of facts and tossing them to the wind!!!  Anyway, TODAY was the day I gathered it all together…along with the receipts…which, by the way, I have carefully tucked away and kept safe until I needed them.  All was together, and I set out for the store.

Now, for those of you who do not live in our town…we do NOT have the best selection of places to shop.  It is decidedly better than it used to be, but still is lacking. I went to our only mall, which is anchored by 3 department stores…JCP, B**K, and D…d’s.  The store I was heading into was D…d’s.  Finally, I was going to give these clothes back to the store and they were going to credit my credit card.  And, all would be right with the world!  I needed to go upstairs…going to ride the only escalator in town…and get this done.  The escalator was still…the entrances blocked.   Not a good sign.  I should have taken it as an omen…but I just bopped happily on to the elevator.

Now let me stop here to say that this store is in deplorable shape!  Some of the bottom floor has been renovated, but not all.  It looks old and dated.  And when I got to the elevator…it was stuck in a tiny hallway with barely enough room for two people to wait!  The hallway had dirty floors and walls.  When I stepped off the elevator, I was face to face with the restrooms, and dirty sticky floors, and nasty walls.  Everything…the floors, the walls,  even the ceiling looked filthy.  I made my way through a maze of turns to enter the sales floor.

When I originally went to this store to get the clothes, I wanted to try on and purchase just what I needed.  I even took the clothes into the dressing rooms.  Friends, I did not know what I was walking into…but I was afraid to undress and try on anything.  Doors were falling off the wall…mirrors were cracked…there were no hooks to hang your clothes on…only gaping holes where they once were.  And, the ceiling looked none too sturdy.   The floor had not been swept in forever and was full of unknown stains.   So that’s why I had the clothes with me in the first place.

TODAY…there I was, back in the same department with the same salesclerk.  And, she said to me, as I handed her the clothes and the receipts that I had cared for so diligently, “I’m sorry.  It’s been over 30 days.”  “Excuse me,” I said.  “You can not return anything after 30 days.  See?”, she said , as she showed me a sign posted by the checkout counter of that fine print stuff they always get you with.  “So, you are telling me that I cannot return these clothes that do not fit and will never fit and that I have no use for?” I asked.  “Yes, that’s right, they are yours,” she said.  “Thank you very much,” I told her.   I was so mad, I had to walk away and find a place to cool down.  As I thought about it, I knew I had no recourse.  It was my fault, after all.  But, it will be a long, long time before this store gets any more of my money.   And I walked over to the customer services person…and asked them to close out my account.  And, they did.

They have their dumb policy, and I was dumb not to know the policy.  It is my fault, I am stuck with these clothes.  Live and Learn.  So, I’m ticked.  Really ticked.  And, even though I saw…on my way to the customer services area…3 of the most beautiful sugar pine cones, at least a foot long each…which I have been looking for forever…I held them and put them back.  I did not buy them.  Nor did I buy my make-up from the Clinique counter when I went back downstairs.  Nor did I look for a pair of boots that I have planned to buy.

They don’t care, but it made me feel better not to buy from them.  And, I won’t.  For a while.  Till, I need something they have, and I’ll make just one exception.  Then another and then I’ll forget and I’ll be their customer again.  But, by then the sugar pine cones will be gone.  And, I’ll regret not getting them when I had the chance and I’ll forget that the reason I didn’t is because I was trying to teach that store a lesson that they never even knew of and wouldn’t have cared about even if they did.  Oh, what a mess I make for myself!  It is still a nasty store, though, and should be cleaned up if they are not going to renovate.  It should be cleaned up even if they are going to renovate!  And, it sure makes me miss my favorite store ever, Parisian, which took things back anytime at all.

4.  When I got home from the disaster that was my shopping trip….my housekeeper said, ” Don’t come in here! There’s glass everywhere!”  Now, that’s always a bad sign.  Being as clever as I am, I knew something bad was waiting for me.  And, I went into the den where she was furiously trying to vacuum up the slivers of glass that were once one of my prized mercury glass ornaments, purchased from Pottery Barn several years ago.  This was not a good thing to come home to in my present mood.  Turns out, she ‘heard a loud noise, and when she came to investigate, it was shattered on the floor’.  I’m not doubting her.  I’m sure it happened exactly that way.  Tina D. and I could have failed to properly hang that ornament last night…when she so kindly gave up her time to help me get it done.  I find it harder to believe that of Tina than of myself.  Cause I tend to forget to be extra cautious at times…she never forgets.  But, the fact is.. it is gone.  And, it’s OK…it’s only a ‘thing’.  But the floor under my tree still has small slivers of glass under it.  I know this for a fact because when I got down on the floor to put the skirt around the bottom of the tree, I got a sliver in the palm of my hand and one in my knee.  So…besides not being able to adequately bend my body down to smooth the skirt around the tree…which frustrates the mess outta me…now I have to go digging for glass…in me… with a needle!   And the cloth does not look right. Both of these things are making me quite unhappy.

5.  My tree is in an awkward place this year.  Why?  Because that’s where Don put it.  Oh, it’s such a long story, but I’m in the mood to talk if you care to listen.  Several years ago, I began a love affair with mercury glass.  I loved the way it looked shiny new and old at the same time.  It became my favorite thing to collect for a while. When I begin a new collection,  the friends and family all get on board and shower me with the item.  It took no time at all for me to have an amazing # of mercury glass balls and ornaments.  The year we moved into this house it was two days before Christmas and we had no tree.  But, the whole next year I looked forward to getting a huge tree and filling it with all the mercury glass I had collected.  I knew it would be gorgeous.  And, it was.   In fact, it was gloriously beautiful!  But, the next year, no one would get the huge tree out and put it up for me.  So, I put up a little tree…and no one but me even cared.  Last year it was the same way…no one had time to help me get the tree set up.  I’m telling you..it is massive.  If I could do it myself, I certainly would.  So, again…a smaller tree had to do.  This year, I put my foot down and stomped it a little and yelled and fussed and got my tree up the day before Thanksgiving.  And it is in the library.  Don decided to put it there since we are having a big party in a few days and it would give us more room if the massive tree was not in the way.  Of, course, if the tree was not in the library, people could also congregate there.  Oh well, it is up!   Sweet Suzanne made a wonderful bow for the top with some glitzy ribbon, and she and Tina O. put it on and fixed doo dahs down the sides of the tree.  Beautiful.

I got out all the mercury glass this week…it took all day to unpack it all.  I walked past the ornaments lying there on the floor in the middle of the den and the more I looked the more it just didn’t fit.  All those colors jumbled together!  And, I love lots of color…but this didn’t please my eye.  Well, it wasn’t working in my mind, anyway.  I don’t know why.  I still love the ornaments…they are beautiful!

My dear friend, Tina D., kindly offered to come over and climb the ladder to adorn the top portion of the tree, and help me with the rest.  We put all the silver ornaments on the tree and then added in all the red for a ‘pop of color’, as they love to say on HGTV!   It turned out to be quite elegant looking.  I am very happy with it. Now it needed something red around the bottom.  I didn’t have a tree skirt that would do, so I thought of my red tablecloth.  It was bright red and would do just fine.  My housekeeper went to get it, but it is nowhere. in. this. house.  We looked everywhere!  I had to buy some fabric to cover the stand and the cords, and I found some on the sale table at Hobby Lobby.  And, that is why I was on my knees under the tree.  Where I got glass in my hand and knee.  And, it still needs to be straightened out, and fixed right.   By the way, the whole tree sits atop the zebra skin rug!

6.  I ran into a dear friend I used to work with.  Man, it was so good to see her.  When I was working at the school, I used to go every morning to her room, as I was making my rounds, and sit and talk with her and her aide.  When we visited for a while, I realized again how much I miss the sense of togetherness and oneness we teachers had.  She and I talked and laughed and caught up on a little bit of news.  And, I am going to miss her again.  Because our paths do not cross often.  I am missing her already.  And, the other ‘girls’. This makes me sad.  BUT, sweet Levi will begin three year preschool there in the fall of 2014!  (If he learns what he is supposed to do when he is sitting on a potty, that is!)  This makes me happy!

7.  My sister, Joy, came by to get some ear muffs and other warm accessories.  She and Tommy are leaving on a fabulous trip to Europe tomorrow. They are going to Austria, and Germany, and then to Paris…where they will attend the Christmas markets!  Oh, I am jealous!  Not really.  I am thrilled that they are going and hope they have a most wonderful time.  And, that they bring me something amazing from the Christmas markets.  I’m kidding.  No, I’m not!

8.   It is dark outside (dumb daylight savings time)  and the house is quiet,  I have gotten myself a glass of sweet tea and have settled onto the chaise.  My feet are up and I have the heating pad to my back and the laptop in my lap.  Today is over and boy! it has been full!  I don’t get out many days, so I really enjoyed it!   (Well, I didn’t enjoy the dumb store part!)  I managed to get a little more of my Christmas shopping done, too.  And, I enjoyed talking to YOU again!  Let’s get together again real soon.  I’ve got lots more to share with you.

9.  I do not know why I have used the word ‘dumb’ so many time in this post.  It is not even a word I use that often.  And, I checked to see if I was using the correct  grammar with “ornaments lying on the floor”.  I could not tell any better today than when I was in school.  That one has always been hard for me to get right!  Excuse me, then, for my unimaginative vocabulary and possible grammar misuse.  I hope I haven’t offended your ears.

10.  Good-night!