Christmas in September

After making a video slideshow of our 2018 Christmas, my family asked for another slideshow for 2019! I don’t blame them...it’s enjoyable to watch. I view it over and over again when I'm feeling lonely for my family. But the blog fodder I gathered this time didn’t lend itself well to video. So please enjoy an old fashioned post with a few expected snarky comments from its author.

CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST

All good things start with breakfast, Christmas, and cute nieces. 

Zania is the happiest, most friendly little girl. She takes NO TIME to warm up to you. She was such a pleasure to be around. 

Below: if something is hot, she puts her hand out above it and says “hot.” Now Adam and I do it from time to time. 

GIFTING TIME!

As per tradition, the grandgirls line up while Papa hands them a present to be delivered to the lazy adult named on the gift tag. It works out great and the girlies love doing it, the youngest takes her job the most serious.

Later, there was balloon fun to be had. (Remember when Malaika was little and had the balloons all to herself?)

BOOKMARKS

Often some of the best gifts are handmade. Dwynne helped the girls stitch up felt bookmarks on elastic bands for everyone. I thought it was a great idea for a book loving family.

FAMILY DINING

Things didn’t align for us to follow our usual themed dinner. But Mom DID dig out the little candles that clip to each dining plate and we ate by candle light. We used to do this every Christmas growing up. But I think Mom hated cleaning up the wax so that tradition was vehemently axed for a while. 

(Back in the 80s when big curly bangs were fashionable for girls, my cousin Marie bent down to lick her plate and accidentally fried her bangs on her candle! We laughed and laughed.)

Of course Mom made her famous sourdough dinner rolls. I will always remember her using a mason jar ring to cut them out.

For New Year dinner, Hayden’s parents usually join us. I don’t remember what dinner was,

I THINK it was supposed to be turkey, but Adam failed us in that regard...

but I do remember how pretty and delicious the dessert looked! This my friends is filled with Nutella. Did you just melt in your seat? Yeah, me too. 

NO TURKEY, AGAIN

The turkeys who were brave enough to show up this year were GORGEOUS. Adam flipped on his turkey call again and lured them closer...

and MISSED! (He’s lucky that fence was there or he would have lost his arrow in the neighbor’s yard.)

Tap the image below for a video.

Good grief! And that’s why we didn’t have a delicious turkey dinner for the New Year. He’s hoping to redeem himself in 2020.

Everyone learned how to use the crossbow and we were all pretty good shots. Maybe Adam should let one of us handle the turkey dinner next time. I mean, how hard can it be to hit a turkey when it's closer than this target!?

ACTIVITY: GINGERBREAD

Michael and Hayden brought candy supplies for a house building activity. (Someone should tell Natalie that this is supposed to be FUN. Khee hee.)

Below: Michael and Hayden

Zuki

Malaika

Mo?

Anna and Adam

Mom and Dad. Do you see the purple door? Where did they get the idea for that I wonder?

ACTIVITY: DOWN THE TRACK

For this family activity, Mom and Dad gave us all the same supplies (tape, candies, paperclips) and instructed us to create something to go down a track. We had to use EVERYTHING they’d given us.

Here are our creations:

Each team tried to keep the construction a secret so there would be no copycats. Mom and Dad were especially secretive. With their backs to the group, they seemed to be having a good time making their vehicle. 

And we each took a turn sending our vehicle down the track to see whose was the most successful. 

Then, with glee Dad pulled his and Mom’s creation out to send down the track. TRICKY TRICKY! It was the plan all along! We could have wrapped everything in the tape! But we all fell for it as planned! Of course there were no hard feelings, because the carts were edible. Candy makes loosing worthwhile.

ACTIVITY: QUILT SHOW

How many quilts did Mom make this year? Oh, I loose count. 16? Here are a few. 

On top of all the quilt making, Mom makes hot pads to sell and give as gifts. She also donates handmade pillow cases to a foster children’s group, and place matts for Meals on Wheels. I recently received a letter from Mom telling me she’d donated over 20 quilts to her quilt guild for charity. Um, WOW. Did anyone contact the local newspaper to brag on her a bit? She just LOVES sewing! Even more amazing is that she uses ALL scraps, and hasn’t purchased fabric for her projects in in years. People discover what she does and they GIVE her bags of scraps. Her motto: No scrap left unused. Good motto. And a fantastic example of up-cycling!

RANDOM IMAGES

It’s nice to have a brother who's into smoking. Meat that is. I didn’t get to partake this year...but it sure smelled good. And everyone ate what was on their plate so hopefully Michael will keep doing it. If he keeps this up, He and Hayden will have to move to Texas. It’s where good smokers belong. 

Below: Dad and his lemon tree. The previous year, the deer had completely decimated the tree and eaten all the green unripe lemons right off it. (Idiot deer, don’t they have taste buds?) Glad to see it has recovered.  I love this image of my Dad and his tree. I might frame it.

Zania invited me to watch Moana with her and pointed out what was happening from time to time. Sweet little girl.

Zania pulling Mo down the street.

END WITH CLEANUP

Working in my parent’s yard is something I yearn for every year. The “grounds” are beautiful and calm, plus I like that kind of work. It feels like I’m helping the earth breathe and giving the plants a chance to fulfill their potential while also filling my own. 

Two years ago Adam and I started hacking away at the over grown wisteria at the front of the house. We were able to get most of it out and piled it up to burn later, but we left the vines in the tree so they could die and get brittle for easier removal.

So this year Adam climbed up into the tree and took a chainsaw to it. We were able to pull the rest of the wisteria down. It made a huge pile in addition to the ones we’d made the year before. In the end we had THREE burn piles going with the help of siblings, neices, and in-laws to get it all cleaned up.  I don’t know if it’s legal to have that many piles burning, but it sure sped things up. Dwynne grabbed smore’s supplies for an end-of-the-day treat.

We were able to refill Dad’s wood pile too, so he had no need to buy a cord of wood for the winter. Good. Good.

Thus concluded our 2019 Christmas stay at the blue house on top of the hill.

One Full Year Health Update

Today is the one year anniversary of being floxed. It feels appropriate to record a quick update on my health. The pain still effects me every day on some level and I’m still on a ridiculously restricted diet (seriously, I don’t know how I’m even alive) and all this plays a HUGE roll in how we are currently living. Yesterday I could barely walk the pain was so bad and the limited list of foods I can eat brings me to tears quite often. The other day I was yelling at my brussels sprouts for even existing. I AM SO DONE.

Currently:

I'm still working to kill the candida. After a second stool test and a breath test in March, we discovered I also have SIBO (small intestinal bacteria overgrowth) which is painful and causes bloating. I’m told it’s common for people to develop SIBO while fighting candida. And both things are extremely hard to get rid of. Aren’t I lucky?

(Above: The SIBO breath test. You fast for 24 hours. Then drink a sugary mixture. 20 minutes later and in increments of 20 minutes breathe into a bag while inserting a needle with collection tube for one second. Do this ten times. The bacteria in your gut eat the sugar and emit gases. Those gasses are expelled in your breath so they can be identified and measured. I personally believe a stool test is more accurate and can identify the EXACT bacteria but it’s 7x’s more expensive.)

Earlier, I mentioned my stomach was hurting too. After an endoscopy to look at my stomach and throat,  I have been diagnosed with chronic gastritis. By the time we discovered this, my chest was so sore from reflux that wearing a bra was not an option. (Later, I had heartburn for the first time. It was so bad I thought I was having a heart attack and ended up going to the ER. Now there’s an embarrassing visit.) I absolutely HAVE to believe this will clear up when my intestinal problems do. 

The gastroenterologist who did the endoscopy was skeptical when I told him “I am going to heal from this." I think it’s tied to stress because that’s what I AM, a big ball of it. AND my tummy also flares up when my guts do. So it makes sense to me if the stress and gut get better, so will the stomach.

I still have hope ALL of this will go away, if only we can get my body back into balance. 

One bit of good news:

The candida in my mouth is almost gone. So that’s a sign my body chemistry is changing for the better. 

Doctors:

I’m growing extremely frustrated with MAJOR communication delays and the roller coaster ride of “on again, off again" medication from the doctors in Georgia. They keep taking me off treatment to see how I feel. And then because things haven’t cleared up, like we hoped, I crash again. It’s physically painful and emotionally heartbreaking EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I’ve just started my 5th treatment of Nystatin for the candida.

We’ve found a new doctor in Plano who might be able to help. We’re hoping to get a second opinion and maybe switch my care to him. I am both hopeful and doubtful at the same time. 

Husband:

Adam has been a comfort through all of this. He let’s me cry, he holds me, he helps where he can. He’s been picking up the slack I leave behind. I can’t imagine going through this alone. 

We’ve started an “Epic Vacation Jar” that we're filling with extra cash. When all this is over (including COVID)—we’re so OUT OF HERE! We’re leaving town and I’m going to eat all the food!

I thought this would all be behind me by now. And in many ways it is and I’m glad. But there’s still more ahead. ONWARD!

Fresh Sourdough Bread from San Francisco

This happened last year but it’s totally worth mentioning—Raymond’s naturally fermented, handmade sourdough is seriously WONDERFUL. It’s soft and chewy with just the right bite from the sourdough. Num num. When I can eat bread again THIS IS HAPPENING.

The bakery is close to the San Francisco international airport so it’s easy for Adam to grab some bread before he flies home. We just gotta figure out how to get him to carry it on instead of getting nervous and shoving it into his luggage.

If you visit in person, they take cash only. The bakery also told Adam they do ship, so click here for the contact information and back story. (Ack! I wish I could do their website and social media for them!)

Learning and Marching

Following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers, the United States and other parts of the world screamed in outrage. The Black Lives Matter movement has gained such momentum, people are talking about it everywhere. They're posting opinions and images, calling for change, sharing their personal stories, changing business practices, shopping habits, and marching in protest to name a few.

I’m glad people are outraged and spreading the message seemingly further that it has gotten in the past. Things are too far from where they should be and we MUST make corrections and do better.

Image Credit: The female Lead on Instagram, it is a repost of a post.

I simply can’t disagree with the words written here.

I’m still listening, and learning, and discovering ways I can make a difference and carry on a dialogue about it. But this I know:

RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IS WRONG, and must stop. The Lord said, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” We are ALL God’s children, therefore we must stand up next to our brothers and sisters who are hurting, tired, afraid, and overlooked, add our voices to theirs and call for change, and then do what’s necessary to help those changes come to fruition. A rising tide lifts all boats. Dismantling systemic racism benefits everyone.

Mo took Zuki and Malaika (who wanted to go despite the risks) to a protest and wrote:
“June 4th, my mother turned 70. She grew up and struggled under Apartheid in South Africa. And here we are 70 years later.... Her grand babies on the other side of the world, still fighting for their humanity. Let that sink in.”

Natalie found some time to go on her own too! Protesting together as a family with a toddler is hard.

I wanted to to add my voice to the outcry too, but because I’m still compromised, I felt going into the city wasn’t a smart option for me. However, my friend found a local, family friendly protest and invited me! We made posters and went together.

“Have hope and optimism for the future! May we continue to listen, learn and act—change is happening. Black lives matter!"

Hayden wrote, “Stan, Michael, and I, plus close to 300 other people went to a GREAT peaceful protest today in Cameron Park. They had excellent speakers, voting registration, free snacks and water, and links for petitions. We will help bring change. BLACK LIVES MATTER!”

Dad wrote, “We were honored to be led in protest by Stevante Clark, brother to Stephon Clark, shot by Sacramento police in March 2018 at age 22."

And later said, “I wore this armband today to represent my beautiful granddaughters.”