Under the Weather... Again

I am ill. This has been an odd season for me. I'm rarely sick. This time it's Laybrinthiantitis?? I'm sure that's not even close to the correct spelling. What it all boils down to is a viral inner ear infection. It's not like the ear infections that children get. Those are bacterial and can be treated with antibiotics. This has no treatment, it has to "run it's course". Basically, most of the time I'm too dizzy to even stand up. The first day, I couldn't even roll over in bed without lunging for the wastebasket. All of this comes on with no notice, one minute you are fine and the next you are stumbling around like a pirate on two-day shore leave. My doctor gave me prescription strength Dramamine, but the down side to that is that I am always half asleep. My poor husband, who is on his holiday vacation, is left to chase after Peanut. He pops his head in the bedroom door every few minutes to ask "Where do you keep..." and "What do I do with...". The house only makes me feel sicker. The mess will take me months to sort through, as I hadn't even dealt with the Christmas mess yet. All in all, things have been more pleasant around here, but at least my husband and Peanut are not sick.
Well, that's all for now. The keyboard is swimming before my eyes.

Not a creature was stirring...

The night before the night before Christmas. This is actually my favorite day of the holidays. Everything is ready to go, no more hurrying to get finished. My husband and I sit and have a breather. It's actually the calm before the storm for us.
You see, because of my divorced parents and a very close knit extended family, we go to six get-togethers in the two days of Christmas. And that does not include our own personal family Christmas here at home. We literally run from party to party to be able to fit in both mine and my husband's family. We stop at home long enough to drop off one batch of incoming gifts and pick up the outgoing ones. My husband protests every year, and I have to admit that now that we have a daughter of our own, sometimes it feels pretty ridiculous. But how do I tell one or the other of my parents that they don't get to see us for the holidays? I just feel like a heel if I can't be there for a planned party. This year we are trying something different though. We are choosing two parties a year that we will only stay an hour of. This way we can spend a little more time at home. I'm not sure how it will work, or if we will even be able to stick with it. I guess we will see.

Merry Christmas to you all and many blessings on your Families!

Put Your Back Into it Boys, It's Getting Deep!

We are slowly being buried here in Ohio. The snow is gorgeous, just like a Christmas card. Last time I checked,we were at six inches and it is still coming. In a rare show of Christmas spirit and snow-loving joy, my Husband went out and decorated the roof rack of his Jeep with Christmas lights. He thought the guys at work would get a kick out of them and he and Peanut had so much fun! They are so hilarious! They both smile the same way.

My Husband and Peanut putting Christmas lights on the roof rack of the Jeep. 



 



 



 

The Water Saga Continues

I finally got through to our local utilities director, well, actually I got through to the cemetery superintendent as the utilities director was on vacation this week. (if you can't already tell, I definitely live in a small backwards town, as both of these people share an office)I asked her why we hadn't heard a recall yet on the boiling order and why they waited 15 1/2 hours to tell us about it in the first place. Her answer was that the OEPA makes them send out notices every time the water is shut off,but because they have never had a problem, they don't really consider them a priority. Also,by law they could not lift the boiling order until the test cleared but she was sure that it was perfectly fine to drink the water. All fine and dandy, except... The laws were enacted for a reason. I understand about bureaucracy. I have worked out there in corporate America and realize that sometimes rules are made up for rules sake. But we are talking about the health of my family and community here. I am soooo comforted to know that our well-being is "not considered a priority" It's not as if I live in some huge metropolis either. This is a very small town. In fact, I personally have met the woman that I talked to on the phone today. It is mind-boggling what might happen in a real emergency around here. We could have a whole street infected with e. coli or hepatitis before they even put out notices about bad water!

Heaving a Huge Sigh of Satisfaction.

IT'S DONE. All of my Christmas gifts are wrapped. All of the paper is put away. Things are ready to be tidied up. Aside from a brush with death while making lunch, today has been a very productive day. All that is left is our general shopping and cleaning and I can relax and enjoy this season of peace and giving with my family and friends. I love this holiday and all that it represents. Thank You Lord for such a wonderful reason to celebrate!

Ugh

I'm sick. I don't know if it is due to our water troubles or it's just a coincidental onset of stomach flu but whichever, it stinks. I'm so busy finishing our Christmas preparations and chasing the baby that I don't even have time to be properly sick. I have to be sick on the go. Well, tomorrow (technically today) is the winter solstice, so I guess if you have to be ill on any day, the shortest day of the year is a good one to pick.

City Services?

Well, if you read my post yesterday, you will no doubt remember that we had a water main break on our street. About 3:00 AM this morning, the water came back on and everything seemed fine. Until now. We just received a notice on our door that the OEPA recommends that we boil our water before drinking it as it is unsafe. All fine and good, except that it is now after 7:30 PM. We have been drinking and using our water all day long. I am livid! I know that this page is titled the Happy Housewife but I am anything but happy tonight! Why couldn't the city come around this morning at 4:00 AM after the job was finished? And they didn't even ring the bell or knock, they just hung a tag on the door. If we hadn't happened to be there next to the door, we might not have known until tomorrow morning when we went out. The roads were not bad last night, and there was nothing to keep them from stopping by all day today. They didn't even have a large area to cover, as it was only our street (maybe 30 houses) that was affected. I am so angry. I've already left a message on the town answering machine, and you can bet that mine will be one of the first calls they receive tomorrow morning. Please keep us in your prayers that none of us get sick. My one year old loves to drink water and she has had about half a gallon today.

High and Dry in O-hi-o

Isn't it funny how you don't appreciate something until you lose it? Due to the weather, the water main burst at the end of our street a few hours ago. We have no water, can not flush the toilet, or take a shower. They have no idea how long it will take to fix and we will be listening to loud machinery fixing it until they are through. All I can think about is how thirsty I am, and how much I need to pee. It's so silly. I would never make it in a third world country. I'm ten minutes from going outside and drinking out of the hot tub!

Sheepish Santa

I feel really bad. I was horrible to my husband yesterday.

You see, I have a bit of a reputation in our household for being a "peeker". I have a hard time with the temptation of wrapped packages that bear my name. When I was younger, I actually had instances of finding wrapped presents, unwrapping them to take a look, then re-wrapping them. I'm pretty bad. Now that I'm older though, I'm a little better at curbing the peeking urge, but only a little. But, I digress...
Anyway, yesterday I was wrapping presents to put under the tree while Peanut "helped". We were listening to Christmas carols, dancing around, when I hear a faint rip. Peanut had knocked some presents and torn the paper on one of mine. I swear it was the baby and not me! I grabbed the tape to fix the tear, but of course, my curiosity go the better of me. I peeked. Now for the awful, horrible, un-Christmasy Truth. I'm an ungrateful wretch.
When I looked in the paper, I couldn't at first figure out what was in the package. Then realization dawned. My husband had bought me a large water jug for camping, not exactly the most personal of Christmas presents. Granted, we really needed to replace our old one because it had no lid and everything got soaked during travel. Plus, we do go camping as a family, and I will get use out of it. But all I could think of was that my husband had put next to no thought into my gift, he basically chose something that we needed and were going to buy anyway, and wrapped it up with my name on it. Never mind that I have about 10 other packages under the tree with my name and they are probably great gifts, all that I could think about was this one dubious Christmas choice.
When my husband came home, I told him about the baby and I accidentally unwrapping one of my gifts, and I couldn't resist the urge to inform him of my opinion of his choice by making a snide remark. I instantly regretted it. My husband was hurt. He said that he knew it was sort of a family gift, but he thought that I would enjoy opening it. He apologized for being so thoughtless and vowed to go out and buy me more presents. I was speechless, and let me assure you, that doesn't happen often. How could I be so cruel?
My husband had done something honestly and with good intention, and all I did was throw it back in his face like a spoiled child. I was so ungrateful that I almost couldn't even stand myself. I still feel bad.
He doesn't know it yet, but to make amends, I baked some of his favorite cookies tonight and I went out to do a little more Christmas shopping for him. I am amazed at the human capacity to hurt one another. I can't believe that I could be so thankless and cruel for no reason. I am so sorry. Let's hope that I can restore the Christmas spirit in this house and in my heart.

Let it Snow!

Here in my little corner of Ohio we are getting our first heavy snow of the season. I love it! My husband says I'm crazy, he much prefers more southern climes. I couldn't live without the changing of the seasons though. I can't imagine living somewhere that the only way you would know it was winter would be a five degree change in temperature. Even without having my livelihood tied to the land like a farmer, I still notice that my body rhythms are connected to the seasons. Spring makes me want to browse seed catalogs and dig up half of the yard. Summer makes me want to loaf around and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors. Autumn has me scurrying like a squirrel to put up jams and preserves (even though most of them end up as Christmas gifts instead of sustaining my family through the cold, hard winter) and clean out the closets. Winter is the best though. I love to snuggle up next to the fire and read, and putting up all of the bright Christmas decorations to keep the dark days at bay. I love the variety of this world!

Ahhh, Advent calendars!

Well, here we are, December 1st. Even though I'm one of those people who listens to Christmas music all year long and starts my Gift shopping in January,the Christmas season really starts for me when we open that first spot on the advent calendar. When I was a kid, we got a new calendar every year (usually one) and my sister and I would fight over who's turn it was to open the door. Sometimes,there was a little piece of chocolate behind that tiny door; sometimes a new little picture with a bible verse for the day. One year I can even remember having a Flinstone's Vitamin calendar,one of the few years when my sister and I each got our own, with a little Fred or Dino behind the doors. Usually by the 8th or the 9th my sister and I had a rotation figured out, but that first day was hard.Both of us always remembered that the other had been first last year and my mom would devise some strange strategy to decide the question,like,"Whoever guesses the color of the caboose on this train going past gets first pick". (Do trains even have cabooses anymore?)
My Mom was really great about building the anticipation factor. We didn't have much money with her being a single parent, but she always seemed to make the waiting and planning more fun than the actual day. I won't lie to you and tell you that we were perfect kids and didn't want expensive presents, but my Mom managed to make the choosing, baking, decorating, and even the waiting so filled with excitement and suspense that we couldn't wait to hand out gifts and see family. In fact, until I was 12 or 13 I never even realized that we had small Christmases, they were never small in my mind. Christmas was definitely my Mom's holiday.
And now, I have my own little girl. Already she loves the lights and decorations. We stand on the front porch every night and look at all of the neighbors lights. She's been so much fun so far, and it's only December 1st. Now to go open the first door on her first advent calendar...