Thankful ~ small town pharmacy

This summer I saw a specialist in the city (that I usually go to 2 or 3 times a year), and he prescribed two prescriptions, and there's a pharmacy in the lobby of his building, so I picked up my prescriptions, and went on my merry way, without thinking of the next step. 

As it turns out, I needed refills before my next appointment with him. And thankfully they could transfer the prescription to the small town (pop: 800) pharmacy ten minutes from our home.  

In the past week, I have picked up 5 prescriptions there, and I anticipate adding my new inhaler when I finish the sample.  

The staff are kind, professional, caring, efficient, and helpful.  I was picking up prescription #4 for this week, and was surprised that there were two in the bag. "Oh, I saw that you were due for the fifth one, so I filled it for you."  Thank you! 

If I'm home during their delivery hours, they have even delivered to my front door for no charge.  

All around, it sure beats dealing with (often incompetent, sadly) customer service in the drive-through pharmacy chains in the city, and getting the run around, pulling around the building to wait 10 more minutes, etc, etc, etc! 

I'm so thankful for our small town pharmacy! What a help it is!

Thankful ~ energy & productivity

It's called Prednisone. But I'll take it. 

Today I did what normal people probably do every day.  But I haven't for so long.  It felt really good.  Maybe too good in terms of feeding my idol of productivity. 

Laid awake in bed 2.30-3.15 AM. Up (albeit bleary-eyed) until 5.  Slept on couch from 5-6.15.  (I know that's not the part that normal people do.)

Got the children up & out the door by 7.25. 

Although I called the repairman right away (about our hot water heater), I struggled to get moving for a couple hours. 

But, at the end of the day it was so satisfying to ... take a hot shower!! ... and also look back on what I had accomplished. 

I washed, dried, and folded 3 sets of sheets & 6 blankets. Cleaned a MESSY living room (& hid the toys!). Put up the fall decor. Brought up the fall book box. Swept the kitchen, changed the tablecloth, and vacuumed the living room. Ran the dishwasher that had been fully loaded & waiting for hot water for days.  :) 

Changed our sheets (something my hands had trouble doing this summer). Made a meal plan, grocery list, and online grocery order. Wrote two cards. 

Took LM to the post office & library & gas station. Picked up Little Guy. Read books. 

Cooked ... oven roasted zucchini & sweet potatoes + ground turkey for me. Tacos (+ applesauce, pickles, and veggies) for the kids.  Well, I guess I didn't just cook, but ran a short-order restaurant! The butcher-wrapped package I pulled out of the freezer blindly to thaw over the weekend was porterhouse steak. I googled it, followed the recipe, and Jim had the most scrumptious meal when he came in - steak, salad, and roasted sweet potatoes.  I kept sneaking bites. I am not a steak lover, but it was GOOD!!

Taking bets on tomorrow morning's wake-up time...

(Edited to add ... 5.30 AM - Thank you, Lord!!)

Pumpkin season

Today I pulled out the pumpkins ...

On top of the bookcase

On the kitchen windowsill

On the mantle ... a full patch!

And I pulled out our collection of fall books ... and a fancy Amazon box and called it good!

Little Miss immediately chose these two to "read" with after school snack!

 

Encouragement

 Micah 7:7:

         "Therefore, I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me."

 

Psalm 138:7-8 ESV

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

 

 

The other day I happened to turn on Facebook just as a memorial service was streaming for a lovely 90 year old woman who had had dementia for some years.  Years ago, she had planned her funeral, and this was the first song:

  

October

October is the month it all changes. 

Our high was 89*F on Sept. 29 & 30, and 87*F on Oct. 1. I think that's higher than normal, but I did read that our average daily temp usually drops 20 degrees from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31. 

Last night Little Guy asked mournfully, "Mom, is it true? Is it almost fall?"

In these 31 days, sunrise will shift from 6.52 AM to 7.25 AM.  Sunset will go from 6.37 PM to 5.33 PM.  Losing light is always hardest. Time to stock up on LED candles on timers! :) 

The landscape change (from green claustrophobic fields to wide open landscapes of brown stubble) has happened earlier this year, so that's different. 

I'm not always good at marking the seasons. I miss the seasonal foods of Japan for that.  But we hope to bring up our fall books from the basement (great timing with the 1000 Books Challenge!).  And maybe I'll set out some pumpkin decor.  And I know Little Miss would love to whip something up in the kitchen.  Hmmm.... maybe a no-bake pumpkin dessert or something with apples.  A hike would be fun! And seeing fall colors would be extraordinary! Thankfully our little town puts on a brilliant display of color, with trees arching over the middle of the main street.

What do you do to mark the season?

Crazy Life

Some times I feel like I just want to document our crazy life. Maybe one day I'll forget it.  Hopefully when I look back, my refrain will be, "The Lord carried us!"

One of my favorite podcasters (A Slob Comes Clean) often interviews people about how her principles help them. She always begins by asking about their unique life situations, because we all have them!  

Given our unique life situations, I don't feel guilty to say the following.  It's just a fact.  In any given day, I can either do laundry or cook or clean or do dishes. Period.  And those are on the good days - ha! :) It's okay; it's just reality.  (Just like the laundry couch is reality.)  Jim asked me this week what I'll do when both children are in all-day school next year.  Perhaps I'll do two of the items on that list. :) 

When Little Guy graduated from private special ed school 65 miles away, we thought our driving would decrease.  Ha! :)  One day this month I drove 160-170 miles.  

20 miles away to doctor's appointment (requested by specialist) followed by imaging center (ordered by doctor as requested by specialist), $3.11 gas at Sam's,  & since LM was being picked up by Grandma, I made one more stop (kids' consignment store because LG has outgrown his hiking boots & has a Trail Life hike this weekend).  Drive from the city, past our house, and on to Grandma's (after first stopping at p.o., bank, and where else but the pharmacy for the 5th time in one week?!).  

In the afternoon Jim needed to be picked up at a field 15 miles northwest where he had just delivered the combine.  Then we rode with him 15 miles to another field, and followed him back 15 miles to the field where the combine was (& where he left his truck), and gave him a ride 15 miles back to the farm, where he got in a tractor and drove it to the distant field.  

We came home, ate hurriedly, and drove 25 miles to Awana ... and home. ZZZZ.  And, hello, high odometer!  

In order not to be a downer of a post, I was thoroughly encouraged by this blog post this week (by a woman I do not know). Hopefully it will encourage you, too!

Promises I am Clinging to

Thankful ~ 1000 Books Before Kindergarten

Six years ago, LG and I started our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge, and four years ago, we completed the extreme challenge, and started LM on hers! 

Younger sibling definitely isn't getting the extreme challenge (1000 unique books). Tired Mom counts every book, even if we read it 5 times.  But Tired Mom also forgets to write books down. And Tired Mom doesn't read as much.  LM is up to 840 (mainly thanks to summer reading logs) - woohoo!  

This week our local library in Tiny Town announced that they are starting a 1000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge!  I am so excited! I need the challenge.  And LM is excited, too!  

I explained that if we read 3 books every day, we can win the prize, and she chanted, "I'm the champion!" 

I know that technically we don't need to start over on our way to 1,000.   But I imagine to be counted in our library's program, we will need to. And it's do-able.