Lauren

It’s that time of year where my class spends an unreasonable amount of time getting our parent gift ready. I spent time Wednesday morning (before my children arrived) unwrapping the wooden frames that we paint. (The children dress up like shepherds and look adoringly at Baby Jesus. I think I’ve posted about this before.) Monday we assembled the manger and cut ‘hay’ out of paper strips, Tuesday we took the photos, Wednesday we started to paint the frames (liquid watercolor – whatever they want to do), and today we’ll finish the frames and make our wrapping paper. If my old eyes can finish the photoshopping of stars in the sky today, maybe we’ll get them done tomorrow?

…. probably Monday.

I am a big fan of lists. At school I keep a daily list of class to-do/after class to-do/evening to-do/ and also a shopping list that culminates throughout the week. It works fairly well, though there are things on that list that get pushed way back. If they get pushed back more than a week, I just don’t do that thing.

At home, I’ve needed a Big List to keep track of stuff. A couple of months ago I bit the bullet and bought a dry-erase board. It has been quite handy for writing things down and actually doing them. The only drawback is that since it’s dry-erase, the items get erased instead of crossed off, so I lose my sense of accomplishment. That’s ok. Forward movement is good enough.

Right now it’s leaning on the piano, which is not the best place for it, but at least I actually see it and work on The Things.

Lloyd and I went to Omaha on Saturday. The primary reason was to give blood. This was the first time either of us had been to a dedicated Red Cross building, and it was so different from going to the VFW or a church. We had actual lounge-style chairs instead of padded tables, and it just felt so official. I warned them that I was going to be a slow bleeder – 7 to 8 minutes, but guess what?? Three minutes and forty-seven seconds*! That is a new personal best!! I couldn’t believe it! I think the lesson I’m learning is to donate from my right arm, with it’s beefy veins, not my withered, useless left arm.

Afterward, we had some errands to do. Ahead of time, I had printed a paper map and marked the places to go and planned the route. I didn’t think Lloyd cared until near the end of the day when he said, “You’re doing a great job getting us where we need to go without backtracking.” I beamed.

One of the stops was a Thrift World in Omaha. Flushed with last weekend’s success, I knew I would be disappointed by this trip. Lloyd looked at the books, and I weeded my way through the two looooong aisles of sweaters, trying to identify the material. He joined me when I was nearly done, and I was explaining my process: scanning the weave, trying to identify if it might be wool or cashmere, then checking the label. I had been wrong on several sweaters. He grabbed one and said, “Like this one?”

It was cashmere.

It was the only sweater he touched.

I hate him.

I did buy it, but it is even smaller than the first. I wore it for Council Fire this morning before church. Ahhhh….. smokey cashmere………

My kids came up with some gems this week. One boy told me (excuse the grammar problems – that’s one thing we work on): “Did you know that there’s plates under the earth?” Someone’s parents have been talking about geology, but forgot to clarify about the dinnerware.

Another was while we were drawing nativity scenes. I show them a very basic method to follow and then they can do what they want. My youngest boy was putting an angel in the sky and said, “I’m making a zombie.”

“……. there are no zombies in the nativity story.” That’s something I never thought I’d have to say.

My last is about this particular group’s eating style. Again, this is something I’m working on. I have several children who eat cuties/mandarin oranges like apples. No peeling of the segments – just peeling then biting into the side. What?? I also have a boy who eats his trail mix feedbag-style: holding a handful up to his face and munching until it’s gone. I redirected him later to use his finger and take smaller bites, but he kept giving me sidelong glances and shoveling it in.

*sigh* Happy Friday.

I don’t know if he’ll see this, but have a very happy birthday, Mark!

One of our stops this weekend was a place called Thrift World. It was a really big building, so nothing was crowded and they had a huge selection. I am a big fan of thrift stores, but of course I freak out inwardly about bed bugs being there.

I found two things: a sweater for me and a jacket for Lloyd. One of my favorite things is to walk by the sweaters and try to guess if they are made of natural or man-made materials. I saw one and thought it must be wool….. and it was cashmere! It’s a drape-y style that is too short to wear in public, but it’s just right for lounging at home and petting my super-soft sweater! New, it would have cost well over a hundred dollars, I got it for four. (No photos – Lloyd has my iPad now. I did upload the following last night, though.)

Lloyd’s jacket is a triumph! It’s a Beyond Clothing military-grade wind shirt that is water repellent. It is super-thin and has a stowaway hood, and it can pack into its pocket. I just picked it out because it seemed so light and useful, but when I looked it up online, this thing is crazy. It’s part of a clothing system to keep you warm and dry in the wild …. and I got it for eight dollars! Here are some photos of it on websites:

So, all in all, I am pleased with the haul!