Dingoes Running in Search of Light and Warmth in December! - Page 5

[Nickarolaberry]

Drive by posting, but:

Geo, the middle candle of the Chanukiah (menorah we use for Chanukah) is the 'shamash' or 'service' candle. It is always higher or set apart from the other eight candles and is used to light the others. The menorah that was used in the Temple(s) had 7 total branches, including the shamash. The Chanukiah has eight branches on either side to commemorate the miracle of the oil (after the rededication of the Temple when the Hasmonean brothers/Maccabees reconquered Jerusalem from the Seleucid Assyrian King Antiochus IV, they found the Temple in ruins and the oil the priests used for the menorah all desecrated. They found one pach -- jar -- of consecrated pure oil, enough for only one day/night, and lit it. The miracle was it lasted for eight full days and nights, until more could be produced/consecrated).

[loftmama]

Geo, love the soup recipe. thanks. i've had turkey broth simmering all day (from frozen T'giving turkey bones, of course) and need to figure out what to put in it. I have everything but the garbanzo beans. may text dh to bring some home. Yum. Oh and good to know about Cirque. I think that's right up our alley if it would just come a little closer. Tho Blue Man will be here. Anyone been to Blue Man?

RM, that's a lot of people - and a lot of coffee! We had 12 people at church Sun. so it seemed packed to me. But I adore our itty bitty church and wouldn't go anywhere else. DH reads morning lessons (no priest). Ds1 played some Christmas music on his violin. (No musician) DS1&2 did offertory. Ds1 lit candles. Ds2 rang the bell. We drink regular coffee with real milk. Sometimes I have a Diet Coke. We talk small towns, schedules, travel, school, health, history, music, books, even politics. Coffee hour is longer than church. Here's a pic



Jooj, Good luck with sorting out the food. Sounds like a challenge. And that quiet time. It's probably as important to them as it is to you.

Sparkle, feel better soon.

Hyper busy week. I won't drop lessons and we go out of town next week. No pet-sitter yet nor presents bought for anyone. Plus, my normal 1/week city visit quadruples this week with music recitals, rehearsals and lessons x 2. So that's 2 hours of driving x 4 + $25 gas x 4. When dh and I were in Austin last week, he noticed we could probably rent a house in the city again in place of the vehicle cost of living in the country.


Yoga this morning. Weights this afternoon. Run tomorrow.
So let it be written. So let it be done.
Namaste y'all.

[MelW]

Sparkle, remember that your version of sucky paper is most people's normal. Good luck- crank it out then enjoy your break! Get some sleep.

RM, your church is bigger than my village. Wow!

lofty, kudos to your kids for forgoing gifts. I hope you have a wonderful celebration that makes them grateful for the choice. We did a "must be handmade" gift rule one year as a teen, and I still remember it as one of the best Christmases, despite the bad birdhouses and knitting. My youngest sister made everyone chocolates.

real, I would absolutely fork out the extra $70 for a non-cockroach motel that included heat. I remember last year's fiasco. Wishing you a smooth, drama-lite holiday.

plady, the party and the clean house sound delightful. I had to google bunco (I guess cards, not dice).

geo, I love the math geekery at your house.

nic, I'm glad you had a chance to reconnect with your husband.

lofty, the aspartame connection is interesting. So cool that you were able to figure it out without excessive intervention.

Soup, I forgot about jo's soup. I need to make some again soon...

NRR- Today was to be my run every errand and kick butt on the to-do list plus a bunch of year end homeschooling stuff, but my oldest is "barfing". (Side note: I really wish the kids would say "throw up" or "vomit" or even "puke". The word barf makes me want to retch.) I have spent the morning not just cleaning it up, but also hearing and re-telling the stories of every stomach flu and motion sickness of their childhoods so far. How glamorous. In between barfing (which has slowed this afternoon) we have had a lesson on subtraction and ukelele practice. Library trip and fiddle lesson are cancelled, but I am hoping for enough wellness to make it to the post office this afternoon. My husband is out of town until Wednesday, then home for two days then away for another week. (And for four weeks in the New Year when he goes to Ireland for a writing retreat. I *must* get my childcare situation nailed down)

Christmas related: My shopping is mostly done, except stocking stuffers. My youngest asked for a cure for asthma/allergies and a rock climbing harness. I suspect she'll get a lovely letter about the limits of santa's powers, plus a really cute little harness. The oldest asked for "hobbit lego" which she imagined and we were lucky to discover that LOTR lego does exist with some hobbit elements. The books for family are printed and cut and mostly sewn and the kids drew the cover art this year.

RR- Must do something. Run tomorrow if kids are well enough for school. Tonight it's me and the chin up bar after bedtime...

[MelW]

Lofty, we cross-posted. Your church and the community sound wonderful, especially the kids' participation. Good luck with your week of busy-ness!
 

[bec]

Fly-by posting as I wait for girl scouts to descend upon my house.  I have seen the Blue Man Group a couple of times.  I've loved it! 

Turkey soup for dinner tonight (from homemade turkey broth from T-day turkey).  Yum! 

[Runningmommy]

Love hearing about these small churches and how lofty's family participates in every aspect of it! Mel-bigger than your village-so cool! The crazy thing is that I know soo many people in the church from being in bible study to working and to volunteering that it feels like a family. I thought I would feel like. Number but I'm more of a community in this church than any other I've tried.

RR: ran 4.2 ish miles today including warm up and down and rest at 8:34 pace which is feeling like my easy pace these days, just right for me right now. Also did zwow work out for 10 minutes maximum work. Good stuff,

NRR: busy day of playing catch up but pleased with my to do list achievements. Looking forward to climbing into bed,

Book recommendations? I'm yearning for a good read.

[Shantimama]

Guess what?

 I get to work in a    store in the new year!!!! Not as many hours as I had hoped but enough to make a difference and I already love the woman I will be working for AND I get to be around yarn and knitters when I am working. Can you believe that is an actual job  - and I get to do it?! She wants me to dye yarns especially for her shop and has plans to put in the plumbing and workspace eventually so I can dye right there instead of in my kitchen. She said I can sell my yarn there and any things I make and want to sell - so finally my little looms will be able to pay for themselves in scarves and shawls and she is thinking that maybe we can incorporate other fibre arts like spinning, weaving and rug hooking into the business. There will be teaching opportunities too. 

Mostly I am just happy that this is turning out well and even half the income I was hoping for is enough for now. I won't be straining myself physically the way I was waitressing so I can still study when I am not working and I can be surrounded by colour and lovely yarn-y smells all day   .

                       

[Nickarolaberry]

SHANTI!!!!!

How wonderful for you to get some great news!!!!

[1jooj]

Shanti  Congratulations! I think that she wants you to dye yarns for the store says a lot about the opportunity. I have a feeling you are going to make so much out of it. It's not just about how many hours, especially in this situation. This is fantastic! So very happy for you! Chanukkah Miracle! 

I got through a day! All the soup take inspired me to cook a soup, but couldn't be that one with all its legumes and grains...so I cooked some lamb, made a soup with spices, zucchini, pumpkin, cabbage, onion and tomato and pureed half of the vegetables in broth before adding the meat back in. It's super tasty and rich, and was just the antidote I needed. I now realize I need to do a little research to get an armload of soups and maybe cook twice a week to be able to nourish myself and be well. I can do it.

Kids did great yesterday. Ds met up with his history teacher in the evening, is now right on track. Dd is starting Little House on the Prairie. Now that we've added Arabic lessons into the plan, I feel like we'd be nuts to add extracurricular activities, but dh is pushing to start them in something in January. TKD? Have to look.

[mommajb]

Shanti, I am so excited for you and so glad you have some good news to savor. You have earned this an you get to earn so much more now!

[sparkletruck]

Shanti - I Yipped out loud and my family looked at me like WTH? Congrats

[loftmama]

Checking in on Shanti So HAPPY FOR YOU!

Mel, Oh what a day! I can't believe you're doing all that and flying solo.

Bec, that was what we had for dinner.

RR: Yoga check. Weights check. Run check. My head was so freaking busy with my to-do list that I felt like I had to run just to slow down, clear it a bit and re-prioritize. Yes!

RM: Books - Not sure where your interests lie but fave books of mine this year were Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver and State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. I'm currently reading a story about a professor who is a Ph D at Harvard who gets early-onset Alzheimers. Fiction, really good and easy to read. I believe my mom is in early stages so I'm very interested in this subject. I have a stack of non-fiction that I'm also working through but they're not as fun. If you're on Goodreads, find me and we can check out each other's books. Heheheh.

[tjsmama]

Yay, shanti!

One night off in between two sets of two night shifts, blah. It's hard to get anything done when you sleep all day because you were up all night and then have to take a nap the next day in order to stay up the next night.

[1jooj]

I got through another day--almost, anyway, and I know I can do it from here (5PM), because I am pretty confident I will be in bed by 8PM tonight. Kids and I busted hump on school this morning, and I just had two hours of Arabic instruction. I feel like my brain might explode. I am going to work really hard on conversational Arabic while my tutor is traveling for the holiday break, and I am ready to rock this language for the next 6 months. And our tutor has offered to let me join in on her francophone Quranic Arabic class--no, my French is not that good, but the practice would be awesome in both languages. I finally think I might be able to learn this language. Like, I've cleared enough headspace.

No RR at all today. I was lucky yesterday just to get our little bike ride in. Since kids are almost through the bulk of the week's work (because we're booked to go on a field trip Thursday), I hope to spend half of tomorrow with them at the club. So we'll get a little bike, a little swim and some workout for me tomorrow, and Thursday it's Dubai. Flat Stanley will go with us. He's been resting up a little, since it takes a while to get over the jet lag.

Off topic: I have a tension headache. It is debilitatingly severe. Ibuprofen doesn't touch it. Caffeine seems to help, but not enough. Muscle relaxants too hard to come by here (would need first to find a doctor, then try not to come off as a seeker...yeah good luck). Not sure what to do, but I am thinking to head out and ask a pharmacist, and then spend some more time tomorrow in steam. After a harder workout and some yoga. Suggestions? One side only (right), from shoulder through base of skull and around to behind the eye.

[JayGee]

Shanti - yay yay yay!!!!! I am so incredibly happy for you!

Jooj - I really hope your headache goes away. Did you recently go back to full paleo? I get headaches like that when I've gone from sugar eating to no - sugar eating. Nothing touches it, except eating some sugar, which kind of puts me back were I started. By the way, I loved your most recent blog post. So optimistic!

RR - heading out for my first post-flu walk/run this morning. There will be much coughing, but I must get back out there.

NRR - DS is home sick today with a cough and fever (but at 11, he is old enough to hang out on the sofa for 30 minutes while I walk). Today was my planned "finish Christmas shopping" day so his illness is cramping my style!
Edited by JayGee - 12/11/12 at 7:06am

[Geofizz]

Yay Shanti!

Must get out running today.  RP goes to the dr today about her leg.  Let's hope she gets cleared for at least walking.

[mommajb]

Yesterday was bad. I did weights but didn't hit a sweet spot, I went ice skating but the rink a two buses full of crazy kids that could not skate. It was enjoyable enough to help them survive the morning ( I swear they were trying for concussions and deep, bloody lacerations) but I once again did not find any endorphins (Is that mis-spelled?) that I so badly needed. I later tried some sugar but it upset my tummy. Wah! It is a good thing I look for endorphins via physical exertion and not chemicals other than sugar. I never did find any.
Charlotte started full swim team yesterday and was the fastest in her lane which greatly upset Helen who was also in that lane such that Helen says she is never going back. Charlotte does it with brute strength, they could both use some style pointers. I suppose I will invest in some private lessons at the start of next season - we are too close to the end to worry about it now.
I bought a whale watching excursion for the extended family for Christmas and now we *may* have the chance to go out today for the price of 2 cans of food per person. I want to go but we have plenty of work and it might steal some of the gifts thunder. If we go I will just get a case of beans or chili or something at TJs on the way. May be a moot point as my little swimmers are still sleeping and I am not waking them!

RR : 4.5 slowish miles done. I forgot lights and couldn't figure out what was wrong until I was a mile from home. It was still dark when I finished but I managed to avoid a fall.

[Shantimama]

jooj - how about a massage? When I get nasty tension headaches that nothing will touch - especially if I have just (re)eliminated sugar and so on from my diet, the only cure is extra strength Tylenol, a massage and a long nap followed by lots of water and fresh fruit or a really good soup. Can you try those things and see if it helps?

[Plady]

RM - 6000 is bigger than my island!

Shanti - That's awesome!

I have more thoughts but I'm going out for a run.

I'll report back later.

[Runningmommy]

Shanti- fantastic news mama!!

Geo- how's the burn?

Plady- wow! You must know everyone then!

Jo- hope you find relief for your headache. I heard that exedrine (maybe the migraine one?) helps.

Mamajb- what lights? Head lamp?

RR: 6 miles today. My PF is bothering me a lot today even after icing it. Ready to give the orthotics a try. I think I'll go back to sleeping in a foot boot.

NRR: My dad brought over a dozen subway chocolate chip cookies that keep calling my name. I've had 3 since Sunday. I made pumpkin bars into cupcake shape yesterday with substitutions of some flour for protein powder, applesauce and egg beaters for full eggs and oil, Splenda for the sugar. Tey are going over like hot cakes and I'm not letting on to their health values. Teehee