A Little Tutorial

We've cleaned up the house and taken our fire-hazard of a tree down to the street. But there's one decoration I didn't get to do in time for Christmas this year, so I'll just get it done for next year. Here's a how-to, in case you'd like to do it, too. It's fun for girls and boys, since there are tools involved.

First, save all those cream-of-mushroom soup cans from your Thanksgiving green bean casserole. While you're at it, save cans for a while, all sizes. Clean thoroughly, fill most of the way full with water, and freeze.

Once the cans are frozen, you'll need to create your template, taking into consideration the height of the can. I created a star using Word and printed a few out. Each template can be used only once.

Gather your tools: one frozen can, two rubber bands, your paper template, a small towel, a hammer, and a sharp thing. I used an awl, but you could used a nail or screw, even.


Roll the towel from both ends and flip over, creating a little gully for the can to sit in so it doesn't roll around.


Yeah, there's the punch, but I think I've seen Martha suggest a nail. So whatever you have around...


Put your template on the can and rubber band it in place. Once you get it there, the condensation from the ice will make the paper soggy, so you won't want to move it around much.


Put the can in the towel gully and start punching holes. I punched them about every quarter inch...


... with about four or five solid taps. I wanted the holes to be big so the light would shine through well.


Keep punching until you get all the way around your pattern.


Remove the soggy template and discard it. Wait patiently for ice to melt, or run it under the faucet for a few seconds until the edges melt enough for the big ice chunk to fall out.


Dry with a towel, being careful not to snag your towel or skin on the inside-- those punched holes are sharp. Drop a tealight candle inside and light!


I think I'd like to save up cans and do one letter per can to spell out MERRY CHRISTMAS. Or maybe I'll just do a bunch of stars. I just think they're a little shabby-chic looking and super easy to make. Enjoy!

Sister Time

Today we shopped.

A Little More Christmas

We decided to take the oldest nieces and nephew out shopping for their parents. There's a great dollar store about 15 minutes away, so we picked up the kiddies and away we went. They could pick anything they wanted, so long as it was for their parents and not for them. Chase fought his desire to buy the matchbox cars, and Kena, well, she just said, "Ooooo, PRETTY!" at anything pink, floral, or sparkly. She ended up choosing plastic champagne glasses for Mommy, a pocket knife for Daddy (with Uncle Brad's help), generic tupperware for Meemaw, and a roll of orange shelf liner for Uncle Noel. Chase chose a ten-pack of mini Snickers for Mommy and the same pocket knife for Daddy. And Bethany chose some really nice ornaments for Mommy and a penguin snowglobe for Daddy since he likes penguins. Overall it was a pretty fun shopping trip, although I think next time we'll do one kid at a time. It was pretty nuts.

Then we went back to out house to wrap and label the presents, and then we took the kiddies home!

Some Happy Christmas Pictures

While I was growing up we had hand-made felt stockings, made by Great Grandmother Bertha Francis for each person in our family. This year I finally got around to making ours:




And now, a few pictures of some of our holiday decorations. The house feels cozy and comfortable, and I am excited for Christmas!

A Little Catch-Up

Since we last talked, school is out for me at the college. My
substitute paperwork was processed and I have subbed five times-- once
in junior high and four days in high school. The one day in junior
high nearly became bloody-- I absolutely hated it and wanted to beat
one kid with another. I can't believe I lasted as long as I did
teaching middle school! Those kids, well, alone I'm sure they're
charming and wonderful, but a room of 30 of them is torture! They
have no respect, they have attitude and seem to hate me for no reason
the moment I walk in the door. Heavens. And these past two days and
tomorrow I'm teaching sophomore math at the nearby high school. Much
better. I was blessed to have a connection to the woman who hires the
subs at the high school 5 minutes away and she's looking out for me.
Thanks be to God for the opportunity to help out the budget in this
way!

I've also had two epidural injections into my neck as my back pain
won't go away. The first was last Thursday, and I can't say it was a
party. I was only on the table for about 15 minutes, but it was just
yucky. I laid on my stomach with a pillow under my chest, chin tucked
to chest to open up the spine in my neck. The doctor, assistant, and
Brad all wore lead aprons as there's a live x-ray machine that is over
me, like an open MRI. The doc gave me a few hefty shots of local
anesthesia to numb the skin, and then sticks three needles between my
C5 and C6 vertebrae where the worst inflammation and disk rupture is.
He injects some contrast in and takes a few live x-rays to make sure
the needles are in the right place. Then he injects the steroid, and
then I'm done. It was really just unpleasant, not horrifically
painful or anything, and as usual I passed the time by clenching and
unclenching my fists, and counting backwards from 10, numerous times.
And sighing deeply. Afterward both Brad and i were squicked out by
the whole needles in my neck thing and drove home in a state of mutual
light nausea. I slept much of the day as the pain was a little much,
and in the evening my arms were all tingly and numb. That was pretty
funny. They were like heavily asleep appendages that didn't really
work well. So weird. But that's normal, they say, and by morning
they were fine.

I was supposed to feel much better by the next day and it was an ok
day, but then Saturday and Sunday the pain was worse than before.
Ugh. And this past week the pain was pretty rough, which meant I
needed a second injection. Which I had today, after subbing all
morning. They did the numbing shots and started in with the bigger
needles, and all of a sudden I felt like a pig on a rotisserie. The
room was spinning alternately side to side and then like a merry go
round. I said something and the doc quickly took out the needle and
shoved some oxygen in my face for a little bit. He said it was a
pretty natural reaction and if I had been standing up I would have
passed out as the veins were dilated or something like that. That
probably wasn't my favorite part of the day. But I was bound and
determined to get the darn shot done with, so we pressed ahead. I had
to keep my eyes open as the room spun otherwise, and jolting or
vomiting isn't recommended when one has three needles in one's spinal
tunnel. But the doc could see that I wasn't enjoying myself, and got
it all done in short order. We came home and napped, and had a lovely
crock pot dinner. Now I'm resting and about to nod off. The pain
from the injection is pretty rough tonight, but it should be better in
the morning, hopefully.

In other news, we have our Christmas tree up, finally, and decorations
around the house. It looks so cozy and festive and it's a happy place
to be. I'm enjoying Christmas quite a bit this year, and am
exceedingly thankful that our biggest complaint is back pain this
year, instead of a dark depression which last Christmas season was.
Thank you, God, for the gift of joy!

I don't have much else to say, and I promise to post some pictures
sometime soon. Love to you all!

Ho ho ho!

One of Santa's handsomest elves dropped by my office just now to bring me a peppermint hot chocolate. Ho, ho, ho!

I came, I saw, I netted $18

So the craft fair this weekend wasn't so much of a money maker. Yes, I sold one apron for $18, but I paid $20 for the table plus 10% of my huge earnings, and I threw in the extra 20 cents to make it an even $22. Blah. I think I'm giving up on craft fairs for now.

Today I ran the big final exam reviews for college and intermediate algebra. The room holds about 150, and all the seats, floors, and stairs were filled with bodies. The two reviews went well but now I'm exhausted and am going to rest. My back is doing a bit better and I'm going for a second opinion next Tuesday. I'm still in pain and it's the middle of week 5 of this. Enough already.

I got word that my papers have been processed and I can begin substitute teaching. I promise to bring stories to you, and I know there will be some.

What I did on my Thanksgiving break, and how Brad is definitely celebrated

Mom and Steph arrived on Thursday afternoon, and we went over to school to show them where we work and stretch our legs a bit (they had been traveling since 7 am!).


Then we drove over to Sanibel where Gramma Dot's, our favorite seafood place, was open! We enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving evening dinner of chicken for Steph and me, and shrimp for Brad and Mom.

On Friday we woke up late and vegged in the morning. We went over to Ralph and Chris's house for the big meal and had a lovely time. It is also tradition to celebrate Brad and Shelley's birthday, so we had cake along with the pumpkin, pecan, and custard pies. Yum. The whole meal was very, very good. After dinner it was time to take the Bressler Family Picture. Here is the most successful attempt:


And my favorite one of Beth, Rico, Kena, and Kaya, who had just thrown up after sneaking a sip of milk out of her sister's sippy cup. She is explosively allergic to milk, but was feeling a bit better after losing all of her lunch:


Mom as Mrs. Claus:


One of just the three girls:


And of course Kena needed to jump in:


On the way home the four little piggies stopped at Cheeburger Cheeburger, home of the very best chocolate shakes ever. There were some palms in the parking lot which Mom thought made the perfect backdrop for a picture:


And as if you need another picture of us... but this one is so great of my handsome husband, I couldn't resist:


Afterward we went home and Mom and I snuck back out for a little shopping trip to Old Time Pottery. Think big warehouse full of cheap everything-- kitchen items, decor of every kind, bedding, fake flowers, you name it. And LOTS of Christmas decorations. It was really fun to take our time, examine every ornament, and get in the Christmas mood.


On Saturday we went for a tour of the citrus place, which turned out to be only a video tour. Wah, wah, wah. But it was fun anyway.


We sampled some oranges and juices (amazing) and went for lunch at Moe's. Then we went over to Sanibel for a family picture at the Holiday Inn, the place we stayed the very first time we visited Sanibel.


We took a bunch of pictures on the beach, in the sand, sitting, standing, walking, in the hammock, by the tiki hut, by the palm trees... you name it. When we got back to the car, just as we got in it started to sprinkle. Perfect timing! Except that we never got a sunset shot with the photographer. So as we drove toward dinner, and the sunset was breathtaking, I made us all jump out of the car and pose for a pic taken by a foreign tourist.


What we forgot was bugspray, and we're all itching this week from the no-see-um bites. Little buggers.

Then we went to the Mucky Duck restaurant on Captiva. The main draw is the fact that it is on the beach-- the front "yard" is sand, and 50 feet out is water. But it was dark, so we couldn't see the beach, and the food was so-so.


They did sing happy birthday to Brad, though.


On Sunday we slept in and had a lovely late breakfast out on the lanai. We celebrated Brad's birthday again with Mom and Steph.


Steph got Brad a cute Charlie Brown Christmas thing that plays music and the little people ice skate around.


Mom and Steph left Sunday afternoon and made it home ok, despite rain in Atlanta and delayed flights.

I spent Monday getting my requirements done to be a substitute teacher. I'm off for most of December and every Friday next semester, and the extra money would be nice. I got fingerprinted, got a physical and TB test, and attended the orientation in which I learned about asbestos, hazardous materials, and blood-borne pathogens. Did you know you aren't supposed to lick a bleeding kid? Yes? Well, then, you can be a substitute teacher! Now I'm just waiting for them to process my paperwork, and I'll be on my way.

On Tuesday Brad's office buddies got a cake for him and for Marie, his assistant, whose birthday is one day prior. I got to go to the celebration, which was much fun. The people he works with are very nice, and even bought him a wine-scented candle! It's their tradition to buy each other wine for their birthdays, and they knew Brad doesn't like wine, so they got him a wine-scented candle! So fun of them.


After work we went out and tried a new pizza place for dinner. Why have I never had meat pizza before? It was delicious! Pepperoni, ham, bacon, ground beef...! So yummy and salty. Gotta love those cured meats.

This week is the last week of classes for the semester. I'm doing extra classes to pay back a colleague who covered for me, so instead of 16 I have 20, and I'm beat. My back is acting up again so I know I need to rest in the evenings. And I probably should rest this weekend, but I just got in to another craft fair and I just wanna.

Next week I'll be on campus on Tuesday and Wednesday, helping students review for their final and starting to get reading in the statistics book I'll be teaching from next semester. Lucky for me it's not like the classes I have now where I teach a lot and then answer questions-- I'll be in a room with the professor. He'll do the teaching and I'll just help out when the students work on problems together. I still need to study up for it as stats and I have never gotten along well.

We hope to get our Christmas decorations up sometime soonly and might, as my mother suggested, just get out one box at a time and do it bit by bit. It is such a lovely season, and for some reason God has filled both Brad and me with a strong desire to bless others-- much different from the complain-y attitudes we've had thus far. As a result He has been throwing hurting people at us left and right-- some obviously hurting, and some just in need of a smile. Funny thing is, we are the ones who get blessed the most when we reach out to others. It's a good reminder of how much God loves to bless us, and it makes us all the more thankful.

As seen in Florida lately

Just had to share a few pictures I've been meaning to share. The first was taken on our big garage-sale-ing day a few Saturdays ago. The sign reads, "MEN WORKING IN TREES". I half expected to see a few swinging from vine to vine like monkeys. What an odd sign.


And then, on our way home, we saw this. You'll probably have to click on the pictures to see what I'm talking about. This guy had two geese in the back of his pickup.



Florida: the land of made-for-punchlines characters.

And thus ends my work week. Tuesdays are full days for me, with five classes. But my classrooms were anything but full. My attendance? Five, 1, 1, 1, and 5. Lots of personal attention today. Tonight we're going home to do a little dusting and vacuuming in preparation for Mom and Steph's arrival on Thursday afternoon. Tomorrow I'll do a few errands and a little cleaning, maybe. Praise God, my pain has been better lately. The past two mornings have been lots better! In the afternoons I've been a bit sore, but I haven't had a vicodin since Sunday morning! I'm taking prednisone this week to try to reduce the inflammation, so we'll see what kind of long-lasting effect it has. Thank you, God, for some healing and relief!

Kitty-Rescue-R-Us

On Friday night we were sitting in the living room, watching tv, enjoying the breeze of the open front door and open back doors... when we heard yowling.  At first it sounded like a baby crying, but as it went on I realized it was a cat.  We decided to go try to help the poor animal as it was obviously in distress.  I grabbed a towel, Brad grabbed a flashlight, and we went outside to hunt it down.  We followed the yowling to a vacant lot across the street and started walking in that direction.  "What do you think is wrong?" Brad asked.  "Well, cats yowl like that when they're hurt, they're fighting, or they're in heat," I replied.  Just then the yowling stopped.  A minute later we saw two little eyes looking back at us... and then another set of eyes.   I don't the kitties wanted to be rescued, if you know what I mean.  Wokka, wokka.

Not quite a windfall...

So I got through the week of school.  It was really great to be back, and the students were most gracious despite the somewhat mumbly, vicodin-laced lectures. The drugs managed the pain well, and really, getting up and going helped loosen things up. By afternoon I was tired but in less pain than the mornings. So when it came to Saturday, I was ready to try doing a craft show! It was the first one I had ever signed up for, and it was indoors, so I really wanted to try it. Chris and I spent the day together, and it was really fun! I sold two pairs of hot pads and one pencil pouch, for a total of $18. Bleh. It cost $20 for the entry fee. So it wasn't the huge moneymaker I had hoped for. But I learned a lot and had a great time, so I'll keep trying. Below is a blurry pic of our table. I ended up taking the rack off of the table and rearranging later, but you get the main idea.


This week I'm off on Monday as usual, have classes on Tuesday (not expecting a huge turnout), and am off on Wednesday. I'm going to do a bit of shopping for Brad's birthday, some grocery shopping, and little to-dos around the house in preparation for Mom and Steph's arrival on Thursday.  Can't wait!

Two more pics for your enjoyment. First is a kitschy retro-looking Christmas tree we got at a garage sale a few weeks ago. We re-wired it and it's looking really good.


This second little beauty is something Mom and I have been searching for this past week. Long ago I made this no-bake gingerbread house, and we were looking for the instructions. Mom found them after some research at the library and one day we'll make it again.

Why My Mother Is Hilarious.

I asked for a few recipes in preparation for Thanksgiving.  Here is what I got.  You want to make these, too, trust me.

"Debby's Potato Casserole

8 to 10 potatoes, peeled, cooked, mashed

8 oz cream cheese softened

8 oz sour cream

1/2 c melted butter

1/4 c chopped chives

1 clove garlic minced

2 t salt

paprika -- sprinkle on top

oil casserole, refirgerate overnight, set out for 15 minutes, bake @350 for 30 minutes

 

Thats all the instructions I have--probably just mix everything together.

 

Debby's Cranberry Relish

2 pkg chopped raw cranberries (washed)

2 c chopped apples

1 c sugar ( I never put this much in)

1 c orange marmalade

1 c pecans chopped

1/6 c lemon juice

mix and refrigerate--gets better with age (like me)"

And here is what made me laugh out loud.  I love my mom.

 

"So you have a restful couple of days--DO NOT GO CRAZY GETTING READY FOR US- remember we're family and we've seen you throw up so we just want to see you (not throwing up this time) and be with you--simplicity and peace is the key--oh, I'd love a game of killer scrabble or a card game.  Your plans sound wonderful.  I can't wait! 

Love, Mom"

Well, I guess since you've seen me throw up...

Update, and a lovely day

Since last time I posted, I've been to a few doctors and received some news.  I saw the DO on Wednesday and was referred to a pain management doctor. She (DO) put me on a mild pain med for the time being, which ended up being a bad idea. I've learned that my body does not like pain meds, thankyouverymuch.  It would rather wretch and heave than have help with that pain. Weirdo.

We went to the pain management doctor on Thursday. He's great-- seems sharp and aggressive and ordered an MRI for later that morning.  I was quite ill from the previous day's meds, so when he walked in and saw my green face he said, "You look pale.  Is this normal for you?"  Oh, nice to meet you, too!

He gave me a shot in my neck to try to reduce the inflammation and sent me off to the MRI.  Have I mentioned I'm claustrophobic?  And was wretching?  God's grace got me through those 25 minutes in the tube uneventfully, and we got home just in time for me to do a little more wretching.  Poor Brad is probably getting tired of having to grab a bucket whenever we get in the car.

Friday was a better day-- the pain was a bit better and I was up and about for a little while.  Saturday was rough again, though.  And Sunday the pain was even worse.

On Monday we got the results of the MRI.  "I can tell you're in a lot of pain," doc said, "Look here."  Two discs (the squishy pads between vertebrae) in my neck are torn.  The inflammation is causing a nerve to be pinched and to radiate pain down my left arm, and the bulging discs are pushing against my spinal cord.  So far I have no balance issues or bladder control loss (sheesh!), so surgery is not imminent.  The doc wants to do a series of epidural shots into the disc-inflammation area to see if that can reduce the inflammation.  If the two shots work, then great, we'll focus on strengthening the area and learning to take care of it, as the discs can never be repaired.  If the two shots don't work, then we need to look at surgery.  The good news is that most adults between ages 30 and 50 develop torn discs, so it's not an earth-shattering thing.  Not everyone feels pain as a result of them, so that's the difference now.  We just need to get the pain under control.

So after a few tears (I was hoping he'd say that everything will go away in a week or two) we went home to mull things over.  Not one to leap happily into a needle-situation, I wanted to think things over. At this point I think I'm going to stay with the vicodin for pain and zofran for nausea for this week, as it's a full week of school and I want to be there. Next week I'll do the one-week-of-steroids prednisone pills to try to reduce the inflammation.  If that doesn't work, I'll have one more week of pain (school) and then can do the shots in December and not miss school.

Today I went back to school and it was just a lovely day!  The students were glad to see me and quite compassionate with my loopy explanations of how to find the multiplicative inverses of matrices.  My boss, who I think I'll nickname Mr. Gracious in sincerity, told me that despite the fact that I don't have benefits (sick days), my pay will not be docked for the two weeks I missed, and that he was glad to cover some of my classes for me.  Oh, and the schedule issue I've been worried about for next semester?  The one where I can't fit in all the labs I'm required to do? No problem, just do the 6 you can fit in the schedule and we won't dock your pay, even though you're only doing 3/4 of a full load.  Thank you, Lord, for this gracious man!

As we drove home this evening we got a call from brother-in-law Jeff, saying that he had bought us dinner at the grocery.  Oh, bless you, Jeff!  We enjoyed the rotisserie chicken and I have the leftovers and bones simmering to make homemade stock. (Note to self: just because I watched a zillion hours of food network does not mean I need to make a zillion new recipes.)

And to top it off, we got a phone call from a friend of Ralph and Chris's who is a pain management doctor.  Brad talked to him and told him what was going on, and he confirmed my decision for my course of treatment, down to a T.  I am so thankful for the family connections and how they are ministering to us.  And thank you, God, for being our Father.  We need you!

So we're hanging in, and are happy to be back at work.  The energy on campus is a lot of fun to be around and we are grateful to have jobs in this slim-pickins economy. 

Mom and Steph come into town on Thursday of next week for the weekend and I'm so excited.  It will be a subdued time but terrific-ly fun none the less.  And then the 27th is Brad's birthday!  Lots of happy going on this month.

Thanks for your prayers and well wishes.  They are needed and appreciated!

I see a light...

After two expensive visits to the not-in-network chiropractor, which were less than confidence boosting and not pain-relieving, I think we've found a better solution.  I'm still in a hefty amount of pain today and decided to try traditional medicine, i.e. that which is covered fully by our insurance.  We tried calling all the general doctors we've been referred to by Brad's surgeon but none were available, so we called the generic referral line and got an appointment a half hour later.  Having only time and a $15 copay to lose, we went for it.  And she is wonderful.  I feel so thankful and like God provided her for me.  She's a D.O., or doctor of osteopathy, so she's been through med school like an M.D., plus she can do manipulations and stuff.  She noticed right away that my spine is twisted and wonky and could barely hold herself back from doing some adjustments on me.  She said she'd like to send me to a pain management guy first to get the pain down to a manageable level, then get an MRI so they can see what exactly is pinched and where.  We have an appointment tomorrow morning at 8. 

Note to self

Do not, repeat, do not take Percoset on an empty stomach.  Much vomiting is sure to follow.  Which is verrrrry not fun when one's back and shoulder are in a war and sitting up is torture.  This has been a miserable day.  But I am feeling less dizzy tonight and am hoping the x rays we took at the chiropractor (in two shifts-- the sweating and nausea prevented a one-shift-deal) help us tomorrow.  I begged him for an adjustment-- just pop and crack anything you like!-- but he said no.

What next?

I woke up this morning with the worst pain I've ever experienced, and I'm not exaggerating. I think I pinched a nerve in my neck.  Either that or a family of tennis balls moved in under my shoulderblade.  Even Brad's Percoset (not that I'd take narcotics that aren't prescribed to me) isn't cutting the pain much.  I got an appointment with a chiropractor tomorrow morning and am hopeful, as this is agony.  I can't stand up, sit up, or even think of doing either without breaking into tears.  This is nuts.

Last week and catch up

Friday afternoon was when news broke that a student had died on campus. As we left around 5 p.m. there were three news vans in front of the dorm. We found out later, when we got to Ralph and Chris's house, that the student was one of mine. I'm still shaken by it and am so terribly sad for his family.


We left campus and went to the release of the new operating system at the Apple Store. We waited in line and talked megahertz and gigs and other such things with people in line until they opened the doors at 6 p.m. We got free t-shirts. And are considering getting part time seasonal work there for a few extra bucks.


Then we went to family night where we had dinner and ice cream and cake to celebrate my and Bethany's birthdays. I love this pic of Chris singing.




Ralph has a tradition of playing checkers with the kiddies. They're getting pretty good!


Yesterday I tried a new tea. My mother brought it home from China a while ago and I just tried it for the first time. It starts out as a little ball of grass, or so it looks.


Not having a glass tea pot, I put it in a clear measuring cup.


I added hot water and let it sit a few minutes.


It bloomed into a beautiful sculpture, called Peaches from God and Good Luck, according to the little pamphlet. I poured it over ice and enjoyed it immensely. It was so perfume-y and had just such a delicate flavor. Really amazing! I have eight more to try from the box. So wonderful.


Last night Bethany, Chase, and Shelley came over before they went to their church's festival. Bethany was "an Indian" (we'll teach her to say Native American some other day).


Shelley dressed up as a fairy, I think, with extra eyelashes, glittery makeup, and wings. I noticed a new thing of parents dressing up with their kids-- the neighborhood families did it, too.


Chase was a blue Power Ranger, though he's never seen the power rangers... makes you wonder how kids think of these things.