God Hears!

We went to Epcot yesterday to see the much touted annual Candlelight Processional, Mass Choir and reading of the Christmas Story and selected other scriptures. There are three performances each evening, and a variety of celebrity narrators do the honors throughout the almost month-long run of this hugely popular event.

Marlee Matlin, the Oscar-winning deaf actress was the narrator last night and it was stunning. She "signed" as the Scriptures were read, but her movements were so fluid, expressive and eloquent we could have received the meaning even without any auditory input.

The Disney Orchestra and a huge 400 member choir made up of people from all over the Us and the UK filled the night with glorious carols and hymns. The entire hour-long performance was moving, touching, inspiring! We didn't go last year, but I assure you, we'll never miss another year as long as the Lord permits us the opportunity to be there. I am very impressed
that in the midst of so many companies eliminating even the word Christmas from their ads, stores, etc. that Disney overtly celebrates the birth of Jesus in every park and especially with the Candlelight Processional... Hooray for Disney!!

We also took in the Christmas Around the World Festival at Epcot's World Showcase. Pere Noel entertained us in France and Father Christmas in the UK. All around the world, we read scrolls about the Christmas traditions of various countries and immersed ourselves in the beauty and mood of the decorations. Ah, the sights and smells and joyous customs of Christmas the world over.

We love Disney's shows, the festivals celebrating flowers, food, art. The list is long and something is going on all the time. What a privilege to enjoy all this any time we want! I pray we will never take that for granted!

We were on the go again today. Richard had to be at work at 5:30 am and I, of course was in church at 10. I also had some returns to take to Wal-Mart and some groceries to buy. Then, after a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, we drove 75 miles to look at an entertainment center I found on Craigs List. The picture looked good and the owner claimed it was solid oak, but at $75 I expected to find pressed sawdust. When we were almost to our destination, the first drops of rain splattered on the windshield. You have not seen rain until you've seen a Florida gully-washer. I began to pray, asking the Lord to take the rain away. He has brought rain before, just for me, and I trust He can and will take rain away if He feels it's the best thing to do. After all, Psalms 18:19 says HE SAVED ME BECAUSE HE DELIGHTS IUN ME. So quite naturally, He wants to do good things for me (and you) if that is best for us in the long run.

We found the apartment, one of several hundred at least, all jam packed together and surrounded by cars and pickups huddled close to one another in the rain. Inside was a good as new entertainment center in solid oak, just as advertised. Very nice We paid and when we went out to load the truck the rain was gone! There was not another drop all the way home, glory to God. He cares about everything in our lives.

In addition to that miracle, I had joy added to joy. I talked on the phone with daughter Tami who is coming to Florida soon. I am so excited! Also, granddaughter Trudy called to thank us for their Christmas gifts. Great grandson Connor loves his new Pooh. My friend Sam called, then later his son JW called. JW had us worried for a while an he suffered through teenage angst, but is now in the Army and has become quite the mature and responsible young man. His sister Sonja was our foster daughter for a time and there were many problems as she struggled with who she was. She's now the clean and sober mother of three who is sweet, charming and poised. I am so very proud of both these young people. God has heard and answered our many prayers for them both.

Later, as we were bringing our entertainment center home, by brother Don called. He's in Tennessee on a construction job. He likes it there. Other than a cold, he continues to enjoy good health and has resumed his active life after his quadruple cardiac bypass last February. More answered prayer.

Indeed, God HEARS!

Just Friday

We saved $40 today. Now that we have a lawn mower (which we bought as soon as we moved here) we decided to mow our yard in Kissimmee as well so cancelled the lawn service last month. We loaded up the lawn tools and went over to the doublewide. Mowing didn't take long, but raking leaves from the huge live oak in the front yard was a chore!

I plan to do the yard here tomorrow, so we took down our blow-up nativity scene and yard card. We had already taken down the house lights because they shorted out and completely blew the breaker for all the outdoor plug ins, which still do not work. We need an electrician, I think.

We usually leave our Christmas stuff out until New Year's day and will do so again. I always keep one or two Christmas and Easter things out all year just because I like to have that reminder of when we celebrate on those days and I want the spirit of that all year long in my home.

I've been off my diet somewhat through the Christmas season but I haven't gone too wild until last night. I binged out on mini peanut butter cup candies. I ate a slew of them! Probably more calories than I could burn in a week. Ugh! It's time to get serious about exercise and eating wisely, not only for looks but health.

Scammed

Last January, we enlisted the services of a timeshare resale company to try to sell our timeshare in Panama City Beach. We have week 13, usually right in the middle of Spring Break. Since that area is a hugely popular Spring Break venue, the place is a madhouse during our timeshare week, so we never use it. We rent it out every year, no problem, but figured we ought to sell it and put the money to better use.

We really never wanted a timeshare at all but bought it for $1400 from a friend who never used it after his wife died. We were trying to do him a favor. So, we listed it for sale with WWV in Daytona Beach, FL. They claim to offer potential buyers vacation perks and hold presentations of their listed properties. Trying to be sure the place was legitimate, we went to their storefront which was different from their mailing address. At first, they hesitated to give us the physical address because they said they were just then expanding and moving to larger digs. We insisted we would only sign up in person, not over the phone or in the mail. When we arrived, we looked around and saw the place was surely not ready for the public. Surely, they must just be moving in... We were put at ease by the very personable manager. The secretary brought our paperwork in and after reviewing the contract which promised to refund our $499 fee if our place wasn't sold within a year, we felt it safe to make the deal.

Later, we began to feel uneasy about the website and the company. Our property was not listed on their site as promised and the site really didn't try to sell properties as much as to troll for listings. It was not user friendly at all. Our concern grew and we made another trip to Daytona Beach. The "sales" office was still barren and in disarray. It did not look at all like a place where presentations were held. The secretary was the same lady, but claimed that WWV was no longer there and indeed, there was a sign above the door reading ITC. She claimed they were a brand new company and she knew nothing of WWV. We insisted she was the same lady who did our paperwork with WWV, but she steadfastly denied it. Then in walked the man who sold us the deal. We presented our paperwork and our complaint. At first he told the same yarn as the secretary, then, when we called him by name, he said, he did remember us and that he would see to it our listing was up that day. He gave a slick song and dance about different branches of the company using different names and that our contract was still valid and they were remodeling and would soon be doing presentations, blah, blah, blah.

We left feeling we'd been had.

Today, we once again drove to Daytona. The same secretary told us the company was brand new (it's now VMTI) and claimed no knowledge of WWV or ITC or us. She became very defensive and refused to verify her name. We left and drove to the mailing address of the company which turned out to be a box at a UPS Store. The clerk told us the box was no longer in use and the police were investigating the fraud that was being conducted through that address.

Our next stop was the Daytona Police Dept. where we didn't get far but did get a phone number where we can reach a detective tomorrow who will be able to find the case number and locate the people working on it. We may be able to help them with names, etc. or maybe they have all that. But the scammers are still operating out of the same building but with new phone numbers and a new name. They lease that space and somebody signed that lease. The fraudulent scheme consists of signing up prepaid listings by promising a refund after a year, then dissolving the company before a year is up only to begin operating under a new name, mailing address and phone number, doing the same thing in the same place.

Okay, we were fools to prepay. I would have had a fit if one of my clients had done such a thing. What were we thinking?!

We really have no expectations of getting our money back but hope we can help put a stop to this thievery. Right now, I am praying for these crooks to get caught, repent, find Jesus and study scripture as they serve their time in prison. I'm trying to love my enemy... and, praise God, He is helping me do it. Sometimes, however love needs to be tough and these folks need to be made to understand the seriousness of their deceit.

Ah well, life is never dull!

Merry Christmas!

Happy birthday, Jesus! He IS the reason for the season and it remains a wondrous mystery that He would voluntarily leave the glories of Heaven to be born in the worst possible conditions, shunning all earthly advantages except loving parents, for the express purpose of dying a horribly painful death after hours of torture... all to pay for our sins. All to be sure we had a chance to spend eternity with Him, yet serving justice, too, for He could not turn His back on evil, leaving it unpunished any more than we could serve justice by letting murderers and rapists, and all manner of lawbreakers go unpunished.

So we joyfully celebrated His life.

And His death.

And His resurrection.

Yesterday, Brian and Athena were here and we had a wonderful time with them. The meal was great (if I do say so myself) and even included Figgy Pudding which Athena and Brian made. We ate and opened gifts and visited and played a game... and mostly just enjoyed being together.

Last night, we went to a candlelight service at the Vine. It was amazing and we were so blessed to be there. God has filled so many in our church family with musical and ministerial talent, and they poured out their hearts and gifts for us all to share as we celebrated the King's birth, life, death and resurrection. After the inspiring service, there were desserts and fellowship, topping off a splendid Christmas Eve all day and all night.

Today, we went over to Brian's folks' house for a lovely meal and a time of getting to know each other. Not unexpectedly, Brian's family are quite personable and it was a real pleasure to spend time with them.

When we arrived home, our neighbors invited us over for a meal and a time of celebration. We were still stuffed from the Christmas dinner we'd just had, but we accepted anyway. Our sweet neighbors are from the Island of Trinidad in the Caribbean and wanted us to sample their native foods. There was also music and dancing spilling out from the garage to driveway and on into the street.

Now, we are home again. All in all, we've been well loved and well fed. God has blessed us in every way! Happy birthday, Jesus!

Sunday

It was foggy this morning. I love fog when I'm not driving in it. I love the muted, greyed out shapes of houses, trees, etc. There is a softness to a foggy morning, a mood of quiet peace. I sat in our sun room and enjoyed the fog for a while before beginning my morning Bible study/prayer time.

At church, a pleasant surprise from my friend Donna. A while back I had asked her to help me arrange some silk roses in a brass ladies boot. She took them home to work on, and today returned a masterpiece. She had cleaned them somehow and they look like new. The arrangement is stunning.

Mike's sermon was on Mary today, but a rather different approach than you might expect. Mike has a unique way of bringing deep truths to an everyday level. I always enjoy his messages. The Vine is a "come-as-you-are" church in every respect. Come casual or dressy as you see fit. It's not your dress that counts. I love the open acceptance of the people there. Sinners welcome, we are all that, some of us are saved and forgiven, and anyone can be. You don't have to get good to get God. Everyone is treated as someone special... because they are, Jesus said so!

I spent the afternoon doing my weekend cleaning which I usually do on Saturdays, but somehow it didn't get done then... I have forgotten what went on yesterday, but had fun cleaning today. I like to clean. I love how the house looks with the Christmas decor up. I am so unbelievably thankful to have such a nice home. God has been lavish in blessing us and we are truly wealthy beyond reason. All we need, we have. All we want, we have. We did nothing to deserve such bounty! It's all from God's grace.

Richard and I have been playing canasta online. We use Pogo.com. We have memberships, but most of the games can be played for free. A nice place in cyberspace. Unfortunately, he usually beats me - badly!

Athena and Brian are coming tomorrow. I am thrilled and wish they could be here all day, but we'll also see them Christmas at Brian's folks' house for dinner.

Almost

I was foolish enough to go shopping today. I needed groceries and had one last gift to buy. I had my list and hoped to go right to the items I needed. I even knew exactly what gift I planned to pick up. It should have been a piece of cake. In my dreams!

Wal-Mart was packed to the gills with folks just as foolish as I, and I do believe they were all using the same shopping list as I was, too. I was, however, the only person picking up a prescription just then. Yay!!

Even though my shopping trip took forever and I came home with way too much stuff that was not on my list, I had fun in a twisted sort of way. It's Christmas time! I am always a last minute shopper during this season... well, during any season, really.

I am looking forward to having Athena and Brian over on Christmas Eve and then going to Brian's folks the next day for Christmas dinner. I am getting excited all over again as we celebrate the amazing fact that God loves us enough that even though we don't deserve it in any way, He would come to walk and live with us so we could truly know Him, so that we could be brought back into fellowship with Him... for eternity. It's sad so many reject the free gift of His love without ever really understanding who He is or what He teaches.

Yes, it's ALMOST Christmas! How I love it... always have.

Possessed

We went back to Mt. Dora this evening because Richard had left his phone there on Tuesday. We got to town earlier this time and browsed some wonderful shops before returning to One Flight Up, the quaint little sandwich shop we so relished before. They had the phone. The warmer weather beckoned, so we opted to enjoy our meal on the balcony overlooking an old town street complete with horse drawn carriages, strolling tourists and holiday lights abounding. Once again, it was a delightful experience and we got to know Judy our waitress a bit more as she told us some of the building's history and suggested the "original recipe" carrot cake - it was wonderful!

Our little trip was a great way to top off a somewhat trying day for me. My California disability checks stopped coming a while back and I have spent several frustrating days attempting to clear up whatever confusion may be at the root. I have been on hold, disconnected, hung up on and generally stymied, so my attitude was less than cheery as I dialed their number for at least the fifteenth time.

It took 17 minutes to reach a live and very bubbly person and I was told my social security number was not in their system, but then she had me repeat it and I was found. Yay! They had not received my progress report and change of address for which were mailed over two weeks ago. The voice on the other end of the phone was happy and showed no hint of the impending quagmire I expected. Indeed, she remain cheerful, helpful and almost convinced we could clear this all up in no time. I said a prayer for her and wondered how long she had worked there.

Miss Bubbles asked several question I should know the answer to: where did I live, my date of birth, did I work, was I able to work, if not, why not. Before I could answer or forget the previous question, a new one was on it's way. I "flooded," went totally "fish brain." Synapses misfiring all over the place, I couldn't seem to attach the right answer to the proper original question. Most folks just press on until I am basically catatonic. This lady wanted the name(s) of my medical care givers. I couldn't sort that info out on demand and got confused.

When did I see my doctor last? She wants dates. When is my next appointment?
I don't know... which one? Same answer both questions.
Which ones (doctors) to I have? I know them, but right now the information is running amok in my brain and I can't seem to sort it out. 

Can you give me a hint? (That didn't go over too well)

Finally, she gave up. Later I remembered some of the answers and gave them as soon as I recalled them which muddies the waters thoroughly. She was getting as mixed up as I was.

What keeps me from being able to work? What is my physical problem, or do I have a mental problem? Or both?
Let's see... I have a TBI with side effects that don't work well around people, like falling asleep with ho notice, forgetting where I am and what I'm doing, and just wandering off... not to mention I go "fish brain" when stressed. My energy level plunges in a heartbeat and I have excruciating headaches without announcement.

She has reports from the nation's leading TBI neurologist, but she's asking me! Then she sees I have neuropsychologist I see twice a month or more and she wonders if I am mentally or emotionally ill.
Not yet, but I'm getting there!

Finally, she tells me something and leaves. I heard her clearly, indeed she has been very careful to speak clearly and at a good volume without yelling into the receiver. But I forgot what she said and dutifully held the line for another 17 minutes. When she returned, I was mumbling incoherently to myself, as least that is probably what she thought.

Sometime after we discussed my bathroom and eating habits, my perennially positive case worker put me on hold again. The phone is hot in my have and if I had not plugged it into the charger before starting, it would have long since been dead.

Finally, the finale' and the good news that I have been processes. Or maybe possessed, who cares? My checks will resume. I wished her a Blessed Christmas and thanked her for her perseverance, then went to take a nap, praising God all the way.

Phone Phun

It seemed I was on the phone much of the day, and most of the time I was dealing with machines rather than people. Whether it's a doctor's office or a retailer or a government agency, they all have the automated call sorting done by a recorded voice directing you to press one for this and two for that and the list grows as you go from one level to the next. By the time I have heard all the choices, none of which is appropriate to my needs, I have forgotten which number relates to an alternative that might work for me.

I had more pleasant phone experiences today talking with our one-time foster daughter Sonja who is all grown up now with three children of her own. I also had a great phone visit with my dear friend Carol from Dothan. She has a house full of flu. Pray for her!

Richard had a later shift today and we barely made it to church for "Back Yard." This was the last one in 2007. They served chicken tonight before we all went into the sanctuary for a time of worship and a message on the first chapter of John, one of my most favorite books. I will miss these fun fellowships.

Speaking of fun, Athena and Brian will be here for Christmas Eve day.  I am excitedly planning the menu for our meal which I hope to serve in the mid-afternoon. Most of the food will be prepped the evening of the 23rd so that we can visit more without distractions. We will be going to a candlelight church service in the evening, but they prefer not to.

Then on Christmas day, we will join Athena and Brian as they go to Brian's folks' home for dinner. It will be good to get to know them.

Richard has finished his Christmas shopping and wrapping. I have gotten him nothing yet and have no real ideas either. Hmmm. We'll see what develops, but it had better develop soon!

Joy

I started baking Sunday afternoon, baked most of the day Monday and this morning Richard loaded the trunk with cookies, brownies, cupcakes and several varieties of dessert bars. Enough sweets for over 125 homeless folks for today with plenty left over for tomorrow.

I spent four hours helping prepare and serve a Christmas mid-day meal at the homeless mission in Kissimmee. Our church serves the mission one day a month. My amazing friend Donna coordinates this effort and wanted this particular meal to be special. It was her idea that home made desserts would help make that a reality.

One man was emotionally overcome by a chocolate chip cookie. He told me it had been so many years since he had had a home made chocolate chip cookie. "There's nothing like a home made cookie," he said. There were tears in his eyes. I wondered what memories that cookie had evoked and almost cried myself.

Of course, it wasn't the taste, smell or feel of the cookie that caused this dear man to get all choked up. It was the love behind the treat. He was probably once some mother's cherished son. Maybe he had had a wife who loved to lavish him with sweet delights warm from the oven.

Most of the diners had thanks and praise for the meal and the variety of home made treats. Truly Donna's idea made it special for these folks who find themselves in hard circumstances. It made it special for me, also. It was like baking for and serving the Lord Himself. I was so blessed, so humbled. I may not bake goodies each time, but I will be back to serve at the mission.

After I got home, Richard and I took off to poke around Orlando and Mt. Dora. We visited quaint hobby shops and after dark we walked around Mt. Dora, a small tourist town where we found a unique little sandwich shop on the second floor of a restored turn-of-the-century building. It reminded me a lot of the coffee houses of the 1960's. We enjoyed a leisurely and delicious overstuffed ham and swiss. I had Chai tea (excellent!) and even ate my chips.

We cruised around looking at lights for a while then headed home, both pleasantly full and slightly tired. We parked and I was once more struck by the great bounty with which we've been blessed. We have a warm place to sleep, indeed, a palace in comparison to so many who live in hovels, if they have a home at all. We have any food we want, all the clothes we need (and then some!), two vehicles, free time, entertainment... We are pampered!

I prayed for home made treats for all those who have been long hungered for such blessings... Home made treats signifying warmth, safety, but most of all the knowledge that someone cares. I pray these men and women will know God cares and I pray that my hands and heart will be ready to deliver His message of love whether it is in a chocolate chip cookie, a warm smile, my time, service and prayers, in any way my Master leads. Therein lies Joy.

Grandma!

Our last grandchild was born today! At least it is very unlikely we'll have another. Our children are reaching the upper limits of the normal child bearing age and none of them is even hinting they might consider having a baby. Indeed, quite the opposite it true.

But let us get back to the latest grandchild. She was born today to our daughter Kim and her husband Steve. They took special steps, including surgery to reverse a tubal ligation, to have this wonderful child. Peyton is our 14th granddaughter!

Kim has been a busy lady. She graduated with her master's degree on the 14th and now, only three days hence, she has borne her fourth child. She says she had an easy delivery and I am thankful for that. I had some concerns since it has been a long while since she delivered her last baby.

I had also had my tubes tied after Athena was born only to later have the same surgery. It was experimental back then and not frequently successful, but God was merciful and Crystal was born three years after the surgery.

Other good news is that Richard has the 24th and 25th off! Very unusual for a Disney cast member with less than two years seniority. He also got a favorable work bid and will soon work only four days a week. I am thankful for that.

In spite of the excitement of this wonderful day, I find I am ready for bed. I used to be quite the night owl, but any more I am tired before midnight. Tomorrow is a big day for me, too, so I need to get a good night's rest. I'll be volunteering at the Homeless Mission. I've done it before but I have not been able to complete the full assignment. I hope to do better tomorrow.

Busy Week

It's been an incredibly busy week and I am pleasantly pooped.

Monday. we went to Disney's MGM Studios park with our friends Donna and Donnie. They are very dear to us and we had a great time. We ate at the Brown Derby which is a replica of the famous Hollywood Brown Derby hangout of the famous and wanna be famous. The food was wonderful and we had a prime table. We enjoyed the lights, decor and ambiance of the park, but the best part was the Harlem Gospel Choir. I am so glad Disney's parks welcome the Lord and His message. It was great to get to know Donna and Donnie a bit better. They are walking, talking invitations to Christ. Donnie has chosen a career in public service in the area of law enforcement. What a blessing to have an honorable man of God making a difference in that venue. Donna is a bubbly, loving woman with an artistic flair who pours out her life in the service of others. Both are loving, selfless servants of Jesus.

I have lost Tuesday, but Wednesday we went to "Back Yard" at church, which I've written about several times. As always, the food was good, the fellowship great, and the message meaningful and relevant. I am always glad when we go. So is God.

Thursday evening I went to Giveback which I have also written about many times. It means so much to me and I am extremely impressed with everyone there. I learn from every one of them. I also learn a lot about myself. I am in a Quality Control group in which we do activities to help develop impulse control, promote focus and practice putting our brains to work. I was doing quite well until Dr. Schutz came in to observe at which point I lost focus, made multiple mistakes and could not think clearly. He used that as a teaching point and reminded me to use my strategies to overcome the chaos and misfiring going on in my cranium. Dr. Schutz does not charge for the valuable services he provides, and as an added blessing He loves the Lord.

Yesterday was our 32nd anniversary and it included special surprises and treats neither of us had planned for, in fact no one had planned for them. Our oldest son Norman from Utah, who drives a truck, came through and had the day free, an unexpected treat. Athena and Brian came over and we all headed to Disney's Epcot park for dinner. Richard and I had planned to go there for our anniversary meal and Norman had never seen it, so even though it's not the number one pick for Athena and Brian, they good naturedly agreed to the going along.

They didn't realize it was our anniversary until we were dining in the main restaurant in the Italy area of the World Showcase. Athena then slipped away and made arrangements to pay for the meal. What a nice surprise! The food was excellent and the company even better. We had a marvelous time!

Norman and his wife, Taunya have been married 31 years. They were wed just after high school and I had doubts that it would last. I happily was proven wrong and they have a strong, wonderful marriage. I love the way Norman accepts people. He is a tender, sensitive man who rarely has anything negative to say about others even when they have hurt him. Plus he has a delightful laugh and engages it often.

It's hard to believe Athena is the age she is. She has a "Peter Pan" quality about her that is so refreshing and fun. Watching her with Brian walking along holding hands, you get the feeling they are teenagers going steady. I wonder if kids still use that term, going steady. Anyway, they are a cute couple and make me feel 20 years younger, too. Athena is such a gentle soul, As I have said before, she has gone out of her way to save an injured wasp. I pray she never loses her tenderheartedness.

Today was a lazy Saturday. We worked on Christmas cards but didn't finish and now I'm drowsy in a pleasant sort of way...

Good Life

I am amazed at how low my energy level remains. I begin the day feeling great and going hard, then in no time, I'm feeling low and hardly going. Believe me, I'm not over doing. I am, in fact, doing very little, just have no reserves.

I went for my followup at the doctor and was dismayed that they began reciting the mortality rates of meningitis. Hello? I didn't die! Not planning to kick off any time soon. I had hoped to hear about how to regain my pep. I was told to come back in three months. I'm not likely to do that. I'll either be better by then or much worse.

Anyway, the real highlights of my week were the Wednesday evening "Back Yard" cookout and devotional at The Vine, sharing food and fun and a great down home  Christmas parade with friends in Kissimmee, talking on the phone with some of my kids and grandkids and meeting with my church family this morning to worship and learn and love together at The Vine. It's been a good week!

The house is not clean (but not horrid, either), the packages I need to send are only half wrapped and I haven't even started the Christmas letter and cards... but I will slowly get to it all... or I won't. Life goes on and I still love life. A LOT!

Richard is home from work in we will soon go to the store for the last of our Christmas shopping and to get milk and bread. I hope to finish preparing the gifts to mail so they can arrive before Christmas. Then, I'll goof off all evening. No wonder I don't have any energy. I lay around too much.

Tomorrow, we're going to Disney's MGM Studios for dinner and fun with friends. I'm looking forward to that. Life is so good. And The Giver of Life is awesome!

Lights!

It was Richard's day off so we put up our yard decorations. We bought an inflatable nativity scene just like the one we saw at church. A pretty good value since it is as tall as I and 7' long. Richard also lined all our front eaves and gables with dangly icicle lights. It took all afternoon, but it looks great.

I cooked home made chicken "stoup" (thicker than soup and thinner than stew, according to Rachel Ray) I didn't use her recipe (I made up my own) but I love her word for that hearty gravy-like consistency. It simmered all day and turned out really good. I only cook the chicken a short while, then remove it from the broth until the last 10 minutes of cooking so it won't overcook and be dry and stringy.

Our tree is up but not lit and decorated yet. We'll work on that tomorrow and, hopefully get most of our Christmas shopping done, too. Then tomorrow night, if we're not too tired, we plan to go to Disney's MGM Studios to see the huge light display and all the Christmas decor. Disney always does a fantastic job of going over the top with decorations and lights.

We just got back from a night time walk. We strolled around our neighborhood looking at the lights and enjoying a lovely evening. The temperature is in the 70's and there was just a gentle breeze, I sure love living in Florida! 

Old Tricks

Since we moved here at the end of August, I have not used many of the strategies (tricks) I previously relied on to keep life running smoothly and prevent me from burning down the house or leaving water running in the sink for hours on end. I thought I was using better methods to stay focused and prevent my brain injury from making our lives chaotic.

On my frig hangs a very useful tool I picked up from Giveback . It lists 7 Techniques for Success:

1. Anticipate mistakes
2. Get prepared
3. Try harder; be more careful
4. Take pause as needed
5. Do only ONE thing at a time
6. Don't outrun your brain
7. Watch for mistakes
   

Notice the list starts and ends with mistakes. Errors. At Giveback, we learn to analyze our errors using a specific form (an EA or Error Analysis form) designed to aid in understanding how and why the mistake was made and to devise workable plans to prevent its repetition. I have over 150 EA forms filled in and, believe me, it helps and is worth the tedium ant time to do them.

But I still make mistakes, and one of them is thinking I can get away without using my cumbersome strategies or tricks. Here's a sample of what I'm talking about...

Today, Baby Snooks, our old bulldog was barking at the front door. She does that sometimes, but this time she was on the outside. I have no idea how long she had been out there. We don't have a fence so always stay with her when we take her out. I must have just wandered back in and forgotten I had her.

Yesterday evening I went to the kitchen for some water. It was really hot in there. I had left a burner on... for the second time in three days. Earlier, I had discovered water running on the bathroom sink I hadn't used since early that morning.

I have repeatedly driven off leaving the garage door open, and as often as not, I forget to lock the house when I leave. There are other "errors," but you get the idea. 

What is bad is that I know strategies to deal with most of these issues and have not been using them. Pride. I don't want red and blue dots or stars pasted around my new house to remind me to check the stove and water. I don't want a tag on my keychain to remind me to check the dog, bring my phone, lock up before I drive off, etc. 

The bottom line is I am acting like a spoiled child. I need these tricks, crutches, or whatever you want to call them. I have many strategies, and I should be using them all! 

Guess I'll be going back to my old tricks.