2012 Week Four

Lots of official changes at the Smallwood house this week. This week we officially cancelled our Royal Ambassador and God’s Girls programs at Oklahoma Lane and we’ve officially begun the process of transitioning from our little Methodist home-away-from-home back to an official Baptist environment. It’s a decision we feel is right for our family now, but we’re gonna miss Oklahoma Lane. They loved us through a very difficult time in our lives. I hope we still get invited to the Baked Potato supper!

I met Mama and Ella in Wichita Falls this past weekend where we shopped, ate, laughed and talked ‘til we dropped. Seriously, the trunk of the car is full and my feet are still burning. We discovered Fuzzy’s Taco Shop and toured WF in the dark. We ate at Fuzzy’s again and saw One For The Money. We considered Fuzzy’s for breakfast, but decided on another restaurant and parted ways. Until next year, when we’ll definitely have breakfast a Fuzzy’s!

2012 Week One

Happy New Year!

We started off the New Year with a long, lazy day at home watching movies and eating Hoppin’ John and coleslaw. Did you have your good luck black-eyed peas and cabbage this year?

Jack’s mother was finally able to move back into her own home after three months of post-funeral and post-surgery healing, followed by a massive flood cause by a burst pipe. Since all her things had to be shuffled to avoid water damage, she’s embarked on a major cleaning project that has so far involved everyone who’s not tied down by work or school. Those dorms and desks are looking better every day aren’t they guys?

We’re experiencing plumbing problems of our own. The bottom line is that thanks to the giant elm in the backyard we need a new sewer line between the house and the alley. The problem is that it’s too cold and frosty to dig that line until Spring so it looks like we’re in for regular roto-rootering until then. Is it too late to start praying for a substantial tax return?

The kids headed back to school with mixed feelings I think. I know everyone was excited to see their friends and teachers again, but not everyone was as excited about a new semester of learning. I’d say ‘resigned’ would be a better descriptor than ‘excited.’ Emma is starting the semester with a new teacher since her former teacher decided not to return to class after having a baby. Emma’s pleased; she says her new teacher is “real sweet,” so they ought to get on famously.

Excited or not they are there and after Friday’s parent/teacher conferences I can say they’re doing well there. Actually ‘average’ was the one I heard most often. After mid-year testing Emma and Liz are sitting right smack dab in the center of the average box on the graph. Thomas is right there with them; however, in Thomas’ case this is big news. This past school year we have really seen him fly, both academically and socially. Friday he took a science benchmark and made the highest grade in the class! He even bested K, one of the girls in his little klatch of friends and “you know her, she’s the smartest one …”.

Jack and I spent part of Saturday working on the nephews’ foot lockers. Sister wanted these pretty little benches w/storage in the seats, but we pledged to build more substantial and roomier boxes for each of the boys. We didn’t get them finished before Christmas, but we’re planning to deliver when I meet her in Wichita Falls later this month. I’m hoping this little project will put us in the mood to continue work on our house. Between projects for Ella’s house of course!

The Year 2011 in Review

In looking back at this blog over the past year, I realize I haven’t done a stellar job in documenting our life for posterity. To be honest it’s been a stressful year. Jack and I have started calling it the ‘Year of the Waiting Room’ since we (okay, mostly he) averaged at least one waiting room visit a week between his dad’s, his mom’s and his own doctor’s appointments this year. Jack even waited out a couple of Grandma Alma’s doctor visits. I also blame my higher education. I average approximately 15-20 hours a week writing for one class or another. That’s time I used to spend writing here and reading other people’s writing everywhere else.

Anyway, I’m determined to do a better job of documenting this year. In the meantime, I wanted to record the highlights of 2011 in some way before 2012 started piling up:

January:

• Jack traveled to Dallas for the RA Camp Director’s Meeting and was well received. This is always one of his favorite trips. God was really watching out for us on that trip. On the way home Jack hydroplaned his dad’s pickup off the interstate and into the median, doing a few di-does and experiencing some near misses along the way. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt and the insurance completely covered the repairs.
• Jack also visited a rheumatologist and received the good news that Jack’s arthritis is not rheumatoid, but is some form of osteoarthritis.

February:

• We celebrated Liz’s 6^th birthday with a Pinkalicious party in the park. It was a lot of fun to put together. Not sure how I’m gonna top that one!
• Jack’s mom fell and cracked her wrist and as a follow-up to the osteoarthritis verdict, Jack visited with an orthopedic surgeon who suggests Jack have both hips as well as both knees replaced, but only after extensive weight loss which he suggested Jack achieve by gastric bypass. Finally a doctor with a plan!

March:

• Ella and I snuck off to Wichita Falls for some much needed sister time. We left each other on Sunday planning to make the weekend trip an annual event and I’m please to say the 2012 trip is already on the calendar!
• Spring Break went by with no one really memorable event. Based on past experience I’m sure we had some cold weather and some warm weather, but not necessarily in that order. I’m also sure the kids spent some time with Grandma and Grandpa and I do remember Granny and Papa visiting at the end of the week. I hope that we enjoyed some much needed rest and time with each other.
• I celebrated a relaxing 41^st birthday. Yea, me!
• Jack and I spent a weekend with his assistant RA Camp director Bob and his wife Regina inventorying and organizing the RA storage at camp. It was a very dusty job, but we’re one step closer to being ready for July!

April:

• Jack made another trip to Dallas. He is now a Royal Ambassador Regional Trainer. Anything you need to know about RAs he can now officially fill you in on!
• Easter rounded out to one (1) Easter pageant, two (2) baptisms, three (3) Easter egg hunts, four (4) versions of potatoes and a lot (#!) of deviled eggs. It was a really great year.
• TAKS tests were administered and passed with flying colors!
• Jack had his first appointment with the gastric bypass doctor and the upshot is that Jack must lose 50 pounds while under a dietary clinicians care over the next 90 days. Water anyone?

May:

• May was a blur of field trips, school projects, achievement parties and graduations. School is out for another summer! And we’ve got a new pool to prove it. Hoorah!
• I cleaned out and filled up my flower beds again. It’s an addiction I think.
• It was either late this month or early next month that Jackie fell and broke the wrist she had cracked earlier in the year. Back problems abound (Ella, Grandma Alma and Jackie) and Jack’s dad is suffering with breathing problems again. Jack’s diet showed very little progress even though he stuck very closely to the program.

June:

• The girls and I (plus four more!) attended Girls Camp at Plains Baptist Assembly the second week of June and had a blast. We’re already excited for next year.
• The Sunday after Girls Camp, I rush Jack to the ER for the beginning of a week-long odyssey into emergency health care. Long story short he had a gall bladder infection that had turned septic, which then led to a severe depletion of potassium, which then led to atrial fibrillation of the heart. It was scary, more so after it was over and we finally understood how close Jack was to losing his life. God was watching out for us again!
• While we languished in hospital, Jack’s parents, sister and nieces gave 110% in keeping up with the kids and even managed to take them to Vacation Bible School. Their willingness to step in was a God-send and the kids loved it. Maybe we need to have Camp Sheran as well as Camp Granny.

July:

• Just shy of a full recovery, Jack, Thomas and I (plus five) attended RA Camp.  With nearly 325 boys and men attending and 80-something decisions made, I’d say it was a great success!
• Emma celebrated her 9^th birthday with a sleepover and we attended the annual Border Town Days parade and celebration in the park.

August:

• The kids attended Camp Granny while I finished another semester of school. Four down, four to go! (Semesters, not Camp Granny’s. Camp Granny should last FOREVER.)
• I took the kids to the County Fair, school started and the girls attended Cheer Camp. Exciting days!

September:

• Jack continues to suffer near-weekly migraines and started seeing a new primary physician to discover the cause.
• Jack’s mother undergoes an ablation procedure that corrects her heart rhythm.
• We managed to celebrate Jack’s 48^th birthday. For some reason he always seems to get kind of a wave and kiss instead of a full-blown celebration. I’m gonna have to do something about that.
• Unfortunately the day after Jack’s birthday, his dad unexpectedly passed away.  It was a shocking and traumatic event, but ultimately we know that he is with Jesus and no longer in pain or suffering. The services were very nice and we celebrated Joe’s life with family, some crying and much laughing.

October:

• Jack’s mother develops an embolism in the groin wound opened during the ablation procedure. The surgeon re-opens the wound to repair the embolism and the healing process slowly begins.
• The girls and I attended a Secret Keeper’s Pajama Party in Clovis. I was so proud of Emma for volunteering to help out on stage. She is so adventurous and willing.
• We spent a weekend visiting Mama and Daddy and helping out (or did we?) at Ella’s new house. It has a long way to go, but it’s gonna be so great when she gets done!
• The post-camp RA storage inventory was completed by Jack and a great team from Park Drive Baptist, Levelland. The countdown to RA Camp 2012 begins!
• Work begins on RA racers and the kids Sunday School teachers take them out for pizza and a movie. Emma is not allowed to attend due to being grounded for a pretty severe offense.  I don’t think she’ll consider cheating on another test anytime soon.
• Jack’s headaches continue and he is scheduled for a sleep study.

November:

• Jack has a sleep study and they send him home with a CPAP machine which made an immediate difference for the better in his sleep. He still has occasional migraines so doctors continue to work toward better blood pressure control.
• Jackie’s wound continues to heal slowly. She is dividing her nights between our house and Sheran’s house as the wound has to be cleaned three times a day.
• We celebrate Thanksgiving with Jack’s family at Sheran’s house.  It’s fun that we’ve gone from four cooks to seven or eight cooks when you count all the grandkids who want to contribute to the meal. Lots more yummy stuff! Ashlie made a picture of a turkey using only crudités. Too cute!
• Between holidays, comp time and vacation days, I manage to schedule myself every Friday off for the rest of the year!

December:

• December events include the school Christmas Concert, the church Christmas Concert and Chili Supper, the church Ladies Christmas party, three school Christmas parties, late starts to and early releases from school, Christmas with the Smallwoods in Lubbock, Christmas with the Eubanks in Brookston, some home renovation at my sister’s and New Year’s Eve movies in Lubbock.
• In and amongst and for all that we made three dozen pints of apple butter to give away as gifts to neighbors, family and friends. It was fun and not too stressful and smelled wonderful. We’re gonna have to do it again soon because we gave it all away without saving any for ourselves!

A Storybook Easter

We Smallwoods had a storybook Easter this year complete with Easter pageants and egg hunts and new dresses and ham and deviled eggs. There were even patches of green grass! What follows is our Easter Week itinerary with commentary. It’s not the royal wedding but there are more pictures of Liz.

 

• Saturday, April 16: spent the day buying groceries and being frustrated by the lack of suitable ‘church’ dresses for young girls. FINALLY found acceptable clothing and shoes only to be stranded by a dead pickup battery. Enter a kind stranger and AutoZone and we were good to go.
• Sunday, April 17: attended church with Jack’s family at which the children of several of our good friends performed an Easter pageant and two of the kid’s friends were baptized. Lunched with family and then scrambled to our church’s annual Easter egg hunt. Three Easter baskets and two WalMart sacks FULL of candy later, we relaxed for the day.                             
• Wednesday, April 20: attended RAs and God’s Girls where the God’s Girls teacher (aka me) used the girls blatant lack of respect as a teaching tool about how sin separates us from God. And in this case our friends. And also in this case candy prizes. It wasn’t as educational as it was angry. But it did get them to sit and listen for 10 minutes. Which is all I was asking for.
• Thursday, April 21: hid eggs for and attended Liz’s Kindergarten Easter egg hunt. I’ll let you draw your own picture by sharing that there were six labeled eggs per child, a piñata and one mother who did not attend, much to the … disappointment of her lovely child.
• Friday –Good Friday, April 22: we mowed and otherwise cleaned up the yard in preparation for yet another Easter egg hunt and then the kids colored eggs and spent the night at SIL’s while Jack and I laid ground cloth in flower beds in preparation for mulch. (Mulch that has still not been spread.)
• Saturday, April 23: bought yet more groceries and clothes. Did not clean house. Did not finish flowerbeds. Did not get Thomas a haircut. However: Did get everyone clean and Did get the ham in the oven on time.
• Sunday, April 24: Easter. Found and donned new Easter finery. Attended church (with Jack’s family as our guests) where Emma and Pyper sang a special. Returned home for lunch of ham, baked potato salad, mashed potatoes, pea salad, green salad, hot rolls and ice cream (it’s a Smallwood thing). Watch twenty-somethings hide eggs. Watched twenty-somethings follow children as they hunted eggs. Ate candy. Watched family leave as Jack feel asleep in his chair. Napped. Put all Easter decoration and candy away. Watched ‘Lemonade Mouth’ with Emma. Made A LOT of deviled eggs. Ate a lot of deviled eggs. Crashed.

Whew! This Week Was A Doozy

Here are the highlights:

• Jack’s visit to the orthopedic specialist leads to another good news/bad news report. The good news is that we liked the doctor very well. He is the first we’ve seen that identified and acknowledged the problems and then laid out a specific plan for solving them. The bad news is that he feels Jack should have bariatric surgery to relieve the pressure on Jack’s joints before he replaces his hips and knees. Yes, I said hips AND knees. It’s a long road ahead people. Please keep praying.
• I’ve hit the track running this spring semester. I’m taking Marriage and the Family on Monday nights, Forensic Psychology on Tuesday nights and Physical Geology online. Jack has promised to help with that last one.
• Thomas took the writing portion of the TAKS test Tuesday. He feels very confident about what he wrote. We’re praying that part of being 504ed as dyslexic includes reading his writing submission aloud, because while Thomas’ writing is very strong, his spelling is VERY phonetic.
• God’s Girls completed a great series of lessons on self-worth this week. Check out the God’s Girls blog for the details.
• Jack hosted the latest RA Camp planning meeting at FBC Muleshoe this past Thursday night. He cooked ham (provided by his in-laws, Cooks brand of course), red beans and cornbread. I supplemented with pickles, jalapenos, onion and corn tortillas. The meal was a hit and they blasted through the 3-PAGE agenda in record time. Camp is coming together! Only four and a half more months to go.
• The girls and I had a little girl-time while Jack and Thomas went with the rest of the RAs to a lock-in in Shallowater over the weekend. We didn’t do anything special. Just hung out together. I love how well Emma and Liz play together these days. They disappear into their room for hours and giggle. That’s valuable.
• We were back to church yesterday after missing a couple weeks. It was good to be home.
• Jack spent about six hours helping me with that geology class yesterday. He helped while I finished Jan Karon’s new Father Tim book In the Company of Others. I did feel a little guilty, but he offered to help and I’d hate to thwart a cheerful giver. Ms. Karon’s book is excellent by the way.

This week consists of an attempt to get the house back under control, some plumbing work at the in-laws and some flowerbed recovery. Plus work and school and church. But that’s it! Nothing else. Unless someone asks of course.

The Great Escape

My sister and I snuck off to Wichita Falls (a good-sized town between our two sides of Texas) this weekend, just the two of us. We shopped and ate and even visited a local landmark or two, but mostly we talked. It was good to get away and enjoy each other’s company. Here are a few texts from my Outbox regarding our time together:

• Our hotel is right behind Market Street. I just gained 10 lbs.!
• Our room is really nice except for the bloodstain just inside the door.
• Breakfast of champions at IHOP. We’re ready to shop!
• Curvy Divas consignment shop rocks! Am I too old to say something rocks?
• We found Target!!
• How do you shop for a bra?
• Malls are for the young.
• Snacking at Cinnabon in honor of Thomas. He probably won’t see it that way.
• Now eating at Carino’s in honor of Jack. He and Thomas can commiserate.
• Going to movie for grownups. No animation!!
• TV without menu and program descriptions sucks.
• No Cinnamon Toast Crunch at hotel breakfast bar. Had to settle for waffles and Dr. Pepper.
• Falls for which I’d assumed Wichita Falls were named are not original. Sneaky.
• Accosted by natural healer at Home and Garden show. Obviously need diet, lift, buff and polish.

At this point I stopped texting. We ate lunch and went our separate ways. A big THANKS to Jack, Mikel and the kids for letting us escape. We’re already planning for next year.

Ella and the Falls

Baskets of Soup

This year, instead of our traditional baked goods, Jack and I are giving baskets of soup to friends and family.

The recipe card calls for:

• 10 cups water
• 1 jar Tortilla Soup Mix
• 9 to12 ounces leftover turkey
• 1 14 ounce can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
• 1 4 ounce can diced green chilies
• 2 to 2 1/2 cups broken tortilla chips
• shredded cheese and chopped fresh avocado (optional)

Each jar of Tortilla Soup Mix contained:

• 2 cups dried pinto beans (in a Ziploc)
• 2 cups uncooked rice (in a Ziploc)
• 1/4 cup dried minced onion
• 2 tbsp dried chicken bouillon
• 2 tsp lemon pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried cilantro
  1/2 tsp cumin
  1/2 tsp salt

To put it all together you:

• Bring beans from Tortilla Soup Mix to boil over high heat.
• Cover and reduce heat; simmer 30 minutes.
• Add turkey and all remaining Tortilla Soup Mix ingredients EXCEPT RICE. Simmer, covered, 30 minutes more.
• Add rice from Tortilla Soup Mix; return soup to a simmer. Cover; cook 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
• Crush tortilla chips; sprinkle over each serving. Garnish as desired.

So far everyone who’s tried it has loved it. I think we’ll try ours Sunday night. That is IF we get to take home some leftover turkey.

Random Christmas-ish Thoughts

• Our Christmas tree is up. We’ve juggled furniture, jailed dogs and considered becoming Jewish (a menorah seems so much more compact) but it’s up. And we’re totally ignoring the 3×3 patch of darkness about waist level on the front side. This is not easy since all the ornaments are clustered thereabouts.
• Jack says I’m being a grinch because I only put out five of my many nativity scenes this year. But the dusting and the clearing of flat surfaces … it’s beyond me this time. UPDATE: one of the five is already broken.
• I’ve finished my Christmas shopping, yet there’s nothing under the tree except two bags of tortilla chips. Wrapping?- it’s not one of my favorite things.
• Oh, Emma’s class sang ‘My Favorite Things’ at the school Christmas program yesterday. A few weeks ago a friend heard her humming the tune and asked her if she loved the movie. ‘What movie,’ Emma asked. Appalled, my friend turned to me and said surely she’s seen the movie … Uh, no, she probably hasn’t. Goonies yes. The Princess Bride, definitely. The Sound of Music, probably not.
• I have not cooked or baked one Christmas-related item this season. Yesterday I skipped a cookie-exchange at work. Sunday I took cream puffs bought at WalMart to the church Christmas program. The week before I took cans of nuts to party. At tonight’s RA/God’s Girls Christmas party we’re having pizza rolls and popcorn. How do I feel about this? Pass the cream puffs.
• My favorite radio.com station for Christmas cheer? Boston’s 80s Channel, now playing ‘I Can’t Wait’ by Nu Shooz. Makes me cheerful every time.
• Created, bought and picked up Christmas cards all within 24 hours. You can now pick up orders from Snapfish.com at Walgreens. Yeah, team!
• We saw the new Narnia movie, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, when it opened last week. It’s great, y’all should go. Next on our list is Tangled. Maybe at Granny’s next week?
• We’re exchanging white elephant gifts at the in-laws this year. Do you think they really mean it? Or do you think we should hit the dollar store? MIL says spend no money. SIL says bring no junk. Such a wavery line to negotiate.
• Just realized nothing on this list has anything to do with the true meaning of Christmas. I’ll shut up now.

Thanksgiving and Flan

I’m still full. It’s making me slow and unproductive this week. Or maybe it was those two trips to WalMart and Taco Delight over the weekend.

We traveled to my parent’s neck of the woods for Thanksgiving dinner this year and oh, how we ate. Daddy served both pork loin and turkey, Mama made stuffing, sweet potato balls and corn, my sister and BIL dished up mashed potatoes and green beans and I opened a can of cranberry jelly.

I’m a big help that way.

For dessert we had flan. A friend of my mama’s brought it.

Now flan is not for everyone. Way back when, I perfected worked-on-a-lot a flan recipe for a high school Spanish-language UIL competition. I’m not sure anyone in my family was ever predispositioned to like flan, but if ever they were, I killed it.

Dead.

Thanksgiving was a first flan experience for Jack and he liked it.

And I’m so glad. It was nice for Eva’s sake that SOMEBODY liked it.

Cornbread

We had beans and cornbread for supper last night. Really excellent cornbread that was dense, yet moist, savory with just the right hint of sweetness and perfect for sopping up bean juice. Is your mouth watering yet? Here’s the recipe:

• Preheat your oven to 375 then spray the bottom and sides of your pan.
• Combine 1-½ cups of water with one package Marie Callender’s Original Corn Bread Mix. Mix until lumps disappear and pour into prepared pan.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes and then slather with butter.

My sister and I met in Oklahoma City one weekend long ago and fell in love with Marie Callender’s Restaurant and Bakery. In fact we ate every meal of the weekend there. We went first for the pie, but we returned -and returned- for the cornbread. So you can imagine my joy when I found the  handy dandy corn-yellow packets of cornbread heaven on the shelf of my local WalMart.

So yes, we use a mix. A divine mix that we keep in stock at all times. Go get you some. You won’t regret it.