jammie day

allergies +
fibromyalgia flare ups +
wee bit o' stress +
lack o' sleep (owing to the above) =
sick day.

some days though, we just need to take a jammie day and run with it. with the endless rain coming down, this seems like a good day to do that.

sick AND grumpy

I've been pulled under by a sneak attack of a head cold. Thankful for co-workers who covered me Friday so I could just REST. (NyQuil induced coma pretty much all day) Today I am feeling much better. Head is clearer and body not quite so achy. Perhaps the heaping helping of hot chocolate mix in my coffee is helping a bit. ;)

right now my house is quiet as hubby is still at his Sat. Morning Men's breakfast/bible study.I know there is a ton of desk work waiting for me in the office and thankfully yesterday was a payday so it won't be a futile attempt at bill sorting, but rather "let's pay these things!" Still it requires some energy and brain power that my body doesn't quite feel up to yet. So I sit, sipping my mocha and reflecting on my week...

I chose the word "grateful" for 2013. I'm not so sure I'm doing a very good job of giving credit where credit it due. I'm not sure I've been very focused on the positives. I think a severe case of the grumpies has invaded my thought process and there have been some deep dark shadows across my path.

I've been snippy with my husband, even down right mean. I've been lacking patience and grace with my mother and I've been consumed by worries about things I have no control over. I'm still not in a good place about hubby's decision to go on the mission trip to Honduras and quite frankly, may not ever be. I've been stretched to the limits with the responsibilities connected to my mother. And even though I really like my job, the one day a week off just isn't enough down time to snap back feeling fully refreshed.

Huh. No wonder I feel grumpy.

Well, in an effort to shake the grumpies, I signed up for something I spotted on Hanna's blog, Bouffee e Bambini called Happify . It has daily challenges-- ways to make you focus on the positives in your life. It's been fun but I have not had as much time to spend on it as I thought I would. It's not a game but does require some effort and thoughts put into each task. It's good stuff but I have felt so consumed by LIFE that breaking away for anything, even my writing, has been a chore. The irony in this has been that the track I chose to work on this week at Happify is on coping with stress better. Ha Ha!

One fun happy exciting uplifting thing I did in the past week was this~~~a fabulous new 'do! short n' sassy just the way I like it, plus high-lights and low-lights to really change things up. I've been going to Bobbie at The Salon Next Door now for about 15 years -- that's a long time to be with one hair stylist, but she always does a great job!

~hubby snapped this picture during one of my less grumpy moments~

I also had coffee with a good friend this week, got in a quick retail therapy fix and had some very satisfying phone conversations with extended family-- all designed to boost my self esteem and confidence. but I also had 2 days in a row with my mom, one was our weekly planned day, the other a sort of emergency-take-her-to-the-doctor-to-make-sure-everything-is-ok-day. and then... the attack of the cold/flu thing....

camera phone-- not the greatest, but this is the awesome little scarf I got on my retail therapy outing.

Oh, man, have I been whining? It's a weakness of mine I guess....
but I AM grateful that I know the CURE for that!!

Things are Tiggerific!

While the whole incident with L&I still makes my blood boil, I am happy to say that I have bounced back to my usual joyful Tiggery-self. I am a glass half full kind of gal and I will never let life defeat me. I may get knocked down but I always, ALWAYS bounce back!!

It helps to have girlfriends who keep me laughing and inspired.
I was so excited to have some of those lovely ladies share the afternoon with me today. We sat around my table drinking coffee and nibbling delectable goodies, talking and laughing. Lots of laughing. Who can explain the way of a room full of women? ;) One of them brought me a bottle of wine, along with the plate of homemade fudge. What a gal! She said she figured I could use it after the week I'd had.

I tell ya, Wednesday was NOT a very good day!! I'd already vented plenty in my post that morning, but then I had to suck it up and go to town to take my mom to the doctor. Days with my mother always demand a certain amount of patience, and long suffering. I was a little scared that in my mood I would have neither. LOL. BUT!!! I held it together pretty good... despite a very near crushing experience on the freeway, involving a merging Semi-Truck, that came into my lane quite unexpectedly, forcing me onto a skinny piece of shoulder. Talk about SCARY!!! I am sure it's that the truck driver didn't see me but that does nothing to take away the fear factor as I see this monstrous truck moving into my lane practically on top of me! AAAAAGGGHH!!!!

Anyway, it was a long rough day and I am not proud of the meltdown I had when I finally arrived home, hungry, tired, shaky and drained. The last straw that night was when I walked into the kitchen and found the yummy chicken soup I'd made the day before was all gone. Not that I would begrudge my sick-with-a-cold-husband a bowl of nourishing soup.... but  I was really looking forward to a hot bowl of soup for supper myself...... and I didn't handle the disappointment very well.... ummmm....  Hubby gave me wide berth the rest of the evening.... I guess a red faced woman throwing shoes is a smart thing to avoid.

thankfulness and worry don't really mix

Even as I lift my thanks and praise I can feel the words weighted with worry. Because I can't quite shake the feelings of anxiousness as I think about my husband, his new job, the injury, and how this is really going over in the office. They were wonderfully gracious about assigning him office work for the next few days but we both sense a undercurrent of disquiet over the whole incident. Still, with little control over the whole thing, what can we do but PRAISE GOD AND GIVE IT ALL TO HIM?!

I'm thankful today that my daughter is feeling better. After playing nursemaid to her housefull of sick children for a couple of weeks, mommy succumbed to the illness and ended up in the ER yesterday, dehydrated and asthmatic. It is such a helpless feeling to learn via texting that your baby girl who is 1000's of miles away is this ill and you can't do anything to help her. So even as I give thanks for the medicines and Doctor and other people in her life to help care for her, I fidget anxiously. Again I am reminded I have no control over this and I can ONLY TURN THIS OVER TO GOD.

At Curves, where I am working, we have a machine called the Lateral Lift. You stand in the machine with your feet shoulder width apart. You grab a handle on each side of you, about hip height. You pull up one side, tipping your side at the waist. Then you tip the other direction. It is working the lateral muscles, or love handles, and the trick is to pull up. but so often the ladies forget and they push the handle down. They pull up on one side and they push down  on the other..... which is ineffective. I tell the ladies "Lift up and let go. It's like our prayers--- we lift our prayers up -- and then let them go!"

It's a good reminder. When we turn our worries into prayers and then send them upward, we can trust that the One who hears our prayers is more than capable of taking over from here.

if only my love handles could be dealt with so successfully...


p.s. the curves where i am working is looking for part time help. if you live locally (whatcom county, washington) you might check it out. it's a pretty fun job. :)

just like the weather

yesterday we experienced snow, rain, sun, wind, clouds, warmth, chill and sometimes all at the same time. it was your typical pacific northwest wintery day... and i feel just like the weather!

all last week it was a struggle with the sinus and ear ache coming down on me... so I was excited that I felt almost 100% on Saturday-- cause for celebration.

Sunday we even took in the lovely hike to our favorite Deming lookout. And then, during the night last night -- or early this morning, I woke up in distress. sick again. dang it!

I will spare you the details but to add to the limp dishrag feeling (not to mention splitting headache, upset tummy, sore throat and nagging cough) I find out one of my co-workers is sick and wanted me to fill in for her.... and the rest of the crew is scrambling to fill the shifts.

I feel really bad, but I can't help because, well, I feel really bad!


 there are no guarantees about the weather here and none about our health either. Stock up on your Airborne.