A very merry Christmas

The holidays are drawing to a close as far as Christmas goes. Sure, there's the new year to contend with, but the fever of Christmas is dwindling down. My girls have had a good Christmas. They received money, a new bicycle, a new cellphone, DJ Hero 2, and more. We had fun playing dirty bingo at Grandma's house and look forward to our last Christmas tomorrow at Mom and Dad's. Tonight our little circle of adult girlfriends are getting together to do a Colts gift exchange, watch the game, and eat some hearty snacks. I'm sure there will be a friendly game of euchre as well. (Some cheat better than others...)
We have basketball tournaments coming up, a trip to Clarksville, and a new year celebration. It'll be a busy week, but one that I'm sure to enjoy. Make those new year resolutions everyone! The time has arrived!

Santa Claus is coming to town

If you've been good, Santa is coming tonight. Get excited!
As of this very minute, I have not wrapped a single gift for anyone yet. I know! Total slacker. Truthfully, the girls are always right here beside me, so I don't have the opportunity to wrap their gifts without them seeing me carry them in, or waltzing in on me in the act. Guess there are a few hours left to get them finished.

Mom, the girls, and I are all going to church service at 5 tonight. I'm glad I talked her into it. I hope they sing all kinds of good Christmas songs in the service. It's not the traditional church service. It is really good, though. I'm looking forward to it. Keeps me focused on Him.

This year our Christmas visits to relatives is kind of spread out, so we haven't really been rushed like it has seemed so in the past. That's kind of nice. Makes it less stressful.

To all of you out there, have a blessed Christmas!

Wicked

Last Sunday the girls and I got to go on a wonderful "field trip" with the JCMS choir. We had the chance to go see the Broadway musical, Wicked in Indianapolis at the Murat Theater. It was kind of crazy driving through downtown Indy over by Mass Ave. I haven't been there in years. Yeah, I've been in Indy, but not on that edge of town. The musical was great. I, naturally, cried when Elphie sang "Defying Gravity" and flew on stage. She belts out this tune and it goes right through me. Theater gives me electric vibes that nothing else can besides a good set of music. I'm glad the girls had a chance to see the wonderful show.
Today was our last school day and now our Christmas break begins. I'm so ready for it. I need a break from middle schoolers. And it is supposed to be a white Christmas!! (Do not confuse my enthusiasm with love of winter and snow. This is only one day that I like to have snow on the ground! Not an entire season.)

Mom and Dad

We went to see my mom and dad last night in Westport. We laughed a lot and had a good time. I miss seeing them, actually. My schedule is such that it doesn't allow me much time to do anything out of our routine. So, it was a good change of pace. I'm looking forward to spending some time with them during the holidays. On a downer note, I did not get to see my Princess when she was home. The snow did not allow us time together and I am so upset by that. I miss her like crazy. She is like one of my own, so not getting to see her hurt. I guess that's just a sign that I need to make a trip out to see her in L.A.!
The girls and I had a blast last night watching the show Sing Off on TV last night while we screamed of joy when it started snowing heavily. That show is just plain awesome. I like watching the show then laughing when the girls replicate what the groups are singing. They can belt out the tunes, my girls. Pretty soon they'll be beginning to leave my house to start lives of their own. I treasure some of these times now, because they won't last forever.
Since we have another snow day today, I wonder what I will bake just for the heck of it. . .

The Christmas Baby

She was due on Christmas Day, but complications brought her two weeks early. My oldest daughter turns seventeen years old today. She's one year away from adulthood. That is so hard to believe for me. Happy Birthday, Sis! I love you.

Dear Sir

Dear P. Manning,
What is going on with you? You're game is seriously suffering due to unforseen circumstances. What has changed in your life that you are now playing like every other rinkydink quarterback in the NFL? Are we going all Favre on the place? What's up with you? I still love the Colts, but jeez! Get it together! We aren't even going to make the playoffs!
Love,
Nina Shoultz

Over $6,000 worth

among other things

I have a lot going on. Period. I know - who doesn't, right? But, this is my blog, so I'm allowed to complain or explain.
Since the car accident, I have been without a vehicle. However, out of the kindess of her heart, my co-worker is letting me borrow hers. But, just how long am I expected to do that? You'd think since this accident was another girl's fault, the rental car thing should be expedited soon. Nope. No one but me is in a hurry to do anything about it. No big deal to anyone else but me.
I go to get the police report today after school and I get to the bulletproof window to ask the attendant for the report. She questions me very curtly, "Who are you? Who is this for? When was the accident?" So, I gave the necessary information. She then begins to write me a receipt for the five dollar fee she is about to charge me for the report (see also "ripoff"). When I get ready to hand her a ten, she says, "Oh, ma'am, we don't give change here. You'll have to go get change and then come back." Oh, okay. So I have to make a trip to the nearest gas station to get change for a ten. Naturally, I must buy something to get change (see also "ripoff"). I do so. I get a five and three ones back and head back for the sherrif's office. Back into the front door I go to the bulletproof glass window. Obviously the not so nice woman recognizes me. She waits (impatiently) for me to hand her the five dollar bill. I do so. She then reaches over behind a sherrif leaning his butt on the counter and pulls out my report. She halfheartedly smiles and slyly says, "Oh, looks like he bent it!" with a chuckle. I, at that point, was not amused to say the least. I took my report and waltzed back to my car (oops, not MY car, of course). I was not happy to have spent the twenty minutes I did on the whole excursion. Now, after reviewing the report, it doesn't even have the telephone number of her insurance on there. Just a name. Perfect. Just perfect. More run-around work for someone to do. I say, not ME. That's what I'm paying insurance for. So, take that, someone.
Just think, by this time next year, I ought to have a rental car.
In other news...my real dad is in the hospital. And, nothing new, I can't be there in Florida to be with him. He is not doing too well according to my half sister. I wouldn't want to see him this way, she told me. He has been in dire pain for four days, lying in the hospital waiting. The doctors had to check his heart because they didn't think it was strong enough to make it through the gallbladder surgery he needed to have. Today they did an angioplasty and found that the many stints they have in his heart are all open, so he is good to go on the surgery. He will have it tomorrow. My stepmom said that he is sleeping from the angioplasty surgery at the moment. He won't have much time to rest from that until he has to go right into another surgery tomorrow. It sucks being so far away and not being able to get there to be with him and my brother and sister. I feel helpless. Just another one of those things that I have to deal with being the biological daughter who lives so far away, uninvolved. I hate it. So, I went to church tonight to make sure I keep my focus. One of my very good friends there listened while I spilled the beans about all that is going on. She hugged me and told me what I needed to hear. I love her for that. Thank goodness I have supportive church friends.

Well, wait a minute.

Maybe I don't want it to be totaled. I've read some things that indicate I might hope it isn't totaled. Oh, this is more than I feel I can handle right now. Trust me.

Talk about your opportunities...

Well, last night will be engrained in my memory for a long time. It was an opportunity to give everything to God. That's the only way I can look at it.
While we were at Aunt Cindy's at around 6:30pm, Whitey decided he wanted to go home. He was sleepy. So, I told him the girls and I would stay at my aunt's and Krea would drop us off at home later. Meanwhile, there were about four cars behind ours in the driveway. So, Whitey had to wait for them to move (they were leaving), then he could get our car out. He waited. He pulled out of the driveway, was putting the car in drive, and out of nowhere this car came flying up the road and slammed into our car. She was driving with no headlights, and did not even put on the brakes. She claimed she didn't see Whitey. She hit the passenger side rear tire and quarterpanel, spun Whitey around, and put him in the ditch facing the road. He took out Aunt Cindy's mailbox and landed two feet away from a telephone pole. We had folding chairs in the back of the Acadia and an opened case of water that I grab from for work each morning. Those items were heaved up in the back window, which didn't break, suprisingly. Had we girls decided to have gone with him, we would have been hurt. Thank God we didn't. What keeps replaying in my mind is the thunderous "Boom!" we all heard when the crash happened. We could hear it in the house amongst the noise all the people were making. It was so loud. I also won't forget the instant panic that I felt when the people who went to the front door shouted it was Whitey in my car. That made for some intantaneous tears. So, my car had to be towed, the frame might be bent, and the passenger back end is mangled. It cut the tire in two, also. As the wrecker service workers were pulling the Acadia up on the flatbed, the wheels wouldn't even turn right. So, I'm hoping that it'll just be totaled so I can get my lease over with now. What sucks is that I don't know what car I'm going to drive. I can drive Mak's, but that means I'll have to taxi her to and from work while trying to take and pick up Cam and Syd from practices and games. Don't know how that's gonna work! I'm trying to just trust that God will take care of it all. That's all I can do. I'm so very thankful it wasn't worse. It surely could have been. Someone could have been seriously hurt.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

I had the opportunity to go to NYC and see the Macy's Day Parade firsthand. The parade was awesome despite the rainy day. Too see those floats, celebrities, and huge balloons tethered to many walking people was fantastic. It's a sight I'll never forget. Then, after the parade, I had some hot chocolate in a favorite deli/store on Broadway that sells all kinds of croissants, pastries, salads, and sandwiches. Being in that city is exhilarating. It is alive with a pulse so palpable that it's electrifying. I wish I could be there to witness that with my girls just one time all together. It would be a memory to last them a lifetime. If only...

Recipes

This week will be filled with new recipes I am going to try. Some of them include: Pumpkin Bundt Cake and Estelle's Dressing. I've got all the ingredients for my recipes, but I don't have a couple of staples yet for the big feast: I don't have the dinner rolls or Cammi's famous brownie mix. I must go to Sam's Club and get both of those on Saturday. I know, it'll be a mess. Crazy shoppers will be out of the woodwork, but they'll at least be fun to watch. I love people watching. My fellow lunchmates and I were speaking of just that today. They suggested we all go to Nashville, TN on a roadtrip to hang out and people watch. I say I'm in! Sounds like a good time. I could use a mini vacation anyway. Who couldn't? Right?

BOO!!!

I have the chills, body aches, and a sore throat. I'm not happy about it at all.

Teenage Queen

It is so difficult to raise a teenage daughter these days. I have three. There's image issues, friendship issues, responsibility issues, overdramatization issues, and much, much more. Of course, anyone with teenage daughters knows this. I'm not telling anyone anything they didn't already know. But sometimes, just sometimes, it gets to a mom. Enter, me.
I have a full time job with one of my girls just making sure to remind her to get her homework, her coat, her shoes, her dance shoes, her practice uniform, brush her teeth, put on deo, and take a shower. (not in that order) This wears me out! Seriously. Then, to top it off, she acts like I should never prompt her to do anything. Like she wouldn't "forget" if I didn't remind her. Ugh.
And this, too, shall pass as they say. Boy, it sure doesn't feel like it sometimes.
I guess I just need to remind myself that they'll all be out of the house soon enough and then I'll be complaining that it's too quiet or something. Right? Right. Consider me reminded.

What it means

"We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties." Oswald Chambers

Amen to that.

Toothfairy blues

I had to go to the dentist this morning. I HATE the dentist, needless to say. I went because back in the beginning of the summer, when I went for my checkup and cleaning, the dentist told me that a filling of mine had a slight crack in it, and that I would probably want to get it fixed relatively soon as to avoid a painful, emergency situation appointment if and when it decided to split completely. So, they said they had time in their schedule right then, did I want to get it done and overwith? Of course, because of the fact that I knew I'd put it off as long as possible if I didn't stay and get it done, I said yes. Boy, do I wish I hadn't have said that. Since then, my tooth has HURT. And I mean hurt. But, being the chicken that I am, I didn't call them back. I let it go until now.
I have a good friend who is a dental hygenist. I finally broke down and told her when she was over about a week ago. She told me that on Monday, this was Saturday, she would call and get me an appointment. I just needed to pick up my x-rays from my current dentist (she works for different dentist than the one I saw in June), and bring them with me to the appt. So, I broke down, telling her just how much of a dentist wimp I am. She assured me I'd be taken care of. Well, I went today. I knew it was going to be bad because she looked at my x-ray this weekend. I was pre-warned. I have to have a root canal and a crown put on the tooth. HOLY CRAP!! Given my dental track record of not getting numb and being so very afraid, the dentist I went to today is giving me some heavy duty drugs to put me in a favorable position to get treatment. The night before and the day of my root canal (next Friday the 12th), I am to take this medicine to "calm me". It better do the trick. I mean, it's so bad my mom has to take me to the appointment. I won't be able to drive. So, there it is. My hellish nightmare of a dental situation. Don't you only wish you were in my shoes?? right.

novel

In my 8th grade classes, we are reading the novel Tuck Everlasting. One of the subjects of the book is immortality. I've thought about it and decided that I would not want to live forever. When I asked the students this, I was surprised to learn that many of them said the same. I figured most of them would say they wanted to live forever, but that wasn't the case.
Perhaps they realize what bad shape this world is in. Perhaps they know and understand that society is only getting worse as time passes. Maybe I don't give them enough credit in their thinking.
One of my colleagues who teaches next door to me just had a baby about eight or nine weeks ago. I have often thought to myself how I'm pretty sure I would NOT be able to bring a baby into this fallen world we live in at the present. Not only because of my age, but because I don't believe this is a world to raise an infant in well into adulthood. Call me a cynic. Call me Debbie Downer. I'm just being realistic. I know, our parents probably said the very same thing, but I'm convinced. Today's world is where many thought it never would be. I know how tough it is to raise three teenagers right now, let alone a nine week old. Ah, alas, who doesn't love that newborn baby smell and touch? I do. But there would never be a baby on my radar if my baby factory wasn't shut down. Not to worry. It is shut down. Thank you, God.
So, would you want to live forever if given the chance? Why or why not?

Just Wright

The girls and I were watching a movie last night titled Just Wright. In the opening of the movie, about the first four minutes, the camera panned all over New York City. It was gorgeous! It showed views from the Hudson River, Brooklyn Bridge, and the choice condominiums. The couple in the movie went to a jazz club which reminded me of a jazz club I had been to in NYC. I enjoyed the movie. A little cliche at times, but worth the redbox rental.

Bake it and they will come...

I'm feeling that I'm in a baking mood. I want to try new recipes today. Maybe it's the fall break fever. Pumpkin recipes sound grand. Right now, in the oven, are some pumpkin pie muffins. They smell scrumptious. It fills the house with aromas of freshly toasted nuts and brown sugar. I hope they turn out well. I have started a grocery list to make Nick Hill's White Chili also. It's a great crockpot recipe that I love. It has a spicy kick to it that is unmatched. I'll make that later today. I also have in my arsenal a pumpkin crunch recipe that I will be attempting probably later on tonight. Hungry? Come on over and celebrate the month of October with me! It is filled with my birthday, fall break, and beautiful leaves covering the ground. The crisp air fills my lungs and makes me feel alive. I love October!
Speaking of October happenings, I didn't get a chance to post yesterday. Yesterday was National Day of Writing. In honor, send your significant other a love letter or two. Do something nice like that. Or write down your innermost thoughts in a journal or on a blog. You'll feel better after you do! Trust me. Been there, done that.
Take care and happy fall!

A year older

So Wednesday was my thirty-seventh birthday. I'm at the age where I do not want to have birthdays anymore. I don't really like the fact that I'm getting older. I want to avoid "olderness". I'm not sure why this is. Sure, I don't like wrinkles; I don't like my face looking aged. I don't like the flab that jiggles in places I didn't think it could. But it's more than that. It's a nostalgic notion that I want to still live vicariously, and having birthdays makes me think my vicarious living might be limited. Hmph. Crazy rollings of my mind. . .
My best friend surprised me on my birthday by coming down to see me. That was nice. And I was taken to the Mexican restaurant that I like. Good.
Now another year of focus. Sometimes my eyes get crossed.