This is not the kind of day I envisioned. My family has just left for church, and I'm sitting in a recliner, surrounded by all the things that will eliminate the chances that I'll have to get OUT of the chair. Oh, I had plans for today. It's Father's Day, it's my Shelley's 15th birthday, and it's SUNday for heaven's sake. I was going to go to church, come home and finish a ham and scalloped potatoes dinner and then bake a cake for our birthday/Father's Day celebration later this evening. Trouble is, I got out of bed and realized I couldn't even make it to the shower, let alone to church. Two days ago I fell, something that I live in constant fear of, and the fall jarred my bad leg and the resulting pain and instability is worse today than it was on Friday. I am hoping now that this will be the turning point and that tomorrow I'll be back on my feet. In the meantime, I sit here fighting the blues...

Last night we were privileged to attend the graduation ceremony/celebration of Nicole, one of our favorite friends. Her home was full to overflowing with the friends, young and old, who have accompanied Nicole on the last few years of her homeschooling journey...it was a delightful evening of fellowship and rejoicing (and eating!). Congratulations to Nicole and best wishes as you begin the next season as a college student (on music scholarship) at the Univ. of Texas at San Antonio!

During the past two weeks I've re-read the classic autobiography The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. I read it when it was first released in the 70's and was encouraged to pick it up again by a friend who has read it over and over. She was right: there are nuggets of gold in there that strike you differently when you're in your fifties (as was Corrie during much of the book) than they did in your twenties. One of those nuggets, which I seem to often need, is this bit where Corrie is recalling the words of her precious older sister, Betsie:


The house is still a wreck. Most of the walls on the first floor are already painted, with about one more day's work to go, but the trim hasn't been started yet and so the furniture is for the most part still not replaced and things not replaced on shelves, etc. The good news is that the walls look fabulous! After rehanging some of the pictures yesterday I'm extremely glad I didn't succumb to the Green Monster and paint those walls green. I adore the new khaki color and everyone who's seen describes it as a very restful atmosphere.

Please contact me if you want to know who NOT to deal with in San Antonio about carpet. I would have followed this with an "LOL"...but I'm not laughing.

It's time to start Christmas shopping. No, I'm not kidding. When your list includes nine children, three sons-in-law, thirteen grandchildren, and quite a few other family members and friends, you don't wait until the first of December. Nope, THIS year I'm starting early. As a matter I've already decided on gifts for two grandsons and I'm busily watching eBay listings for these. For years now I've done most of my gift-buying online and I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting sites. If you've got a favorite for Christmas shopping, click on "Talkbacks" and let me know!

Check out this interesting report on the study of a possible link between vitamin D and cancer prevention.

I wrote earlier in the week about the boys' adventures in The Dangerous Book for Boys . On Friday they worked with tying various knots, a skill that boys used to learn routinely. I even remember that tying some of those knots was something *I* had to learn as part of the requirements for one of my Girl Scout badges in the 60's. It's pretty much a forgotten art now, but seeing their faces as they worked through the diagrams and produced the beautiful knots convinced me that it's something we shouldn't overlook. There are still uses for this skill, even if that doesn't include tying your horse up outside the local saloon!

Grandson David has kept me busy this week by borrowing and returning books at a furious rate. David is 9, and after getting a late start in reading he's now burning up the shelves at his house and at Granny's! Currently he's racing his way through the Little House on the Prairie series at the rate of roughly one a day, coming up only for air and a meal or two. Good going, David!


And on Tuesday, Bethany will leave for Virginia, for a nice long visit with Kristen and Annie and their families. When she returns, she'll have granddaughter Molly, also 9, with her. Molly is going to go on our family vacation with us to the mountains of New Mexico. Molly, we can hardly wait!

From my chair, with my feet up and munching on mochi, I send Lord's Day greetings to all of you and wish you a wonderful week!

Labels: Books, Decorating, Food, Friendship, Grandkids, Health, Holidays, Kids