Brown Paint, Woods, and School

Unfortunately, Friday night around bed time, my stomach started getting really upset.  I am so used to this meaning anxiety that I treated it that way.  I worked on my breathing, I laid on my right side, I put on soothing music, I racked my brain to see if anything worthy of an anxiety attack is hiding in the recesses of my brain (sometimes if I think about an upcoming trip or something and my stomach gets even more upset, I know that's what the issue is). All of that went by and nothing worked.  I couldn't figure it out.  I know from past experience that anxiety attacks can be about nothing.  So, I took a half an anxiety pill and a zofran (for upset stomach).  Of course I was close to tears because I was so disappointed in myself.  My anxiety has been SO GOOD lately that I was considering trying to wean off my medicine.  Now this?  I felt like I was a failure.  I felt like my brain was failing me.  I took deep breaths and waited for the medicine to work.  Neither worked.  That's when I knew it wasn't anxiety.  I was up late trying to just feel well enough to sleep without vomiting.  Then I started worrying it was something I ate - Michael ate the same dinner I did and Kara ate the same lunch I did.  Uh oh.  We're all going to get sick now.

Eventually I fell asleep.  (And no one got sick.)

I had plans to go to a fun church function Saturday morning that I couldn't go to because I was up sick Friday night.  And I was satisfied with knowing God let me get sick because he must not have wanted me going to that meeting.  Okay, I accept it.

So, I took it easy Saturday morning, even though I was feeling really good.  I just looked online at chandeliers (I'll show you those in another post), did some laundry, and played bridge on the computer.  When we were done playing cards, I watched the Alabama game.  (They won - they did a great job too.  They beat LSU - a big rivalry.  Now they're #1 in their division.)  :-)

Sunday we were up bright and early for Sunday school and church.  The friend I met for lunch on Wednesday asked to go out with the guys right after church, so I said yes.  We liked the restaurant and will have to go back out again.  Kara didn't behave very well, so we had to deal with that.  She's bored because she doesn't eat restaurant food, but she still has to act like she isn't bored so she isn't rude.  She acted bored (head on the table), it was rude.  She did it once before in Florida and she got a long talking to.  This time, she was warned, she is punished.  Her punishment is to sit still and be bored several times this week and still behave like she should at a dinner table.  She is taking it well, so relieved that I didn't take her computer away for days at a time.  I'd rather the punishment be related to the crime so it's more of a consequence, if possible.  Unless it doesn't work, then I'll do whatever is necessary.

Then we came home and I cleaned two bathrooms, vacuumed upstairs, and worked on lesson plans.

Monday I bumped up Kara's math in a big way.  She has always been able to handle the advanced content of math that is a grade or two ahead, but she can't handle doing worksheets full of problems.  She prefers a few examples and that's all.  On her quiz last week, she made a few tiny mistakes, none were related to the main purpose of the problem, and that made her not do well.  I thought about how to help that, and I am going to make her do worksheets full of problems.  She is older now and I think she can handle it.  I started that this week because the content is really easy, so the problems are mostly review.  Monday she took about an hour on math (which is a long time for us to spend on any one subject), then when she finished the last problem, she BURST out in tears.  She said it was too much for her and she was so tired.  Poor girl.  You know that feeling - we've all been there.  The relief of finishing something - like a big paper or something.  So we stopped school then and put the rest off for Tuesday.  She certainly wasn't going to learn anything after that anyway.

Today is Tuesday and I gave her just as many problems, but instead of handing her a paper that said to do #3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 17. 18. 19, I kept that list in front of me and just told her "do #3."  When she was done, I said, "do #4."  And we did that all the way.  She only focused on each problem at a time.  She did an incredible amount of it in her head, which I'm fine with, and got just about every one right the first time.  If she didn't get it right, I just told her to do it again instead of doing it with her to see if she could find out why it was wrong.  She was laughing cracking jokes like normal during school, so we not only continued school, but finished the work from Monday that we weren't able to do.

During Math:




I'm trying to know her, know what she can handle, and be okay with what she can't handle.  But it's my job to know when to push her too.  It worked this time, it might not next time.

Btw, could you do this in your head?
9.716 x 3?
Crazy, huh?

We are studying weather in science and, like every subject, we head to the Bible to see how God is involved.  We saw several places that explain God is in control of the weather and that he often uses it to punish or reward people in the Bible.

She said, "You are taking pictures during school??  Have
some respect for the Bible!!"  lol.



In an effort to bump up PE, Kara and I are going to "hike" through our woods once a week.  (Hike is in quotes because we just walk around, up and down the little "hollers" at a medium pace.  No out of breath, just moving.)  I think the summer is the worst time to be in the woods (scary creatures - rattlesnakes and spiders - and 100 degree temperatures - no thank you), but I love the woods in the fall, winter, and spring.  So, today we went.  (It was in the upper 60s and sunny - we can hike in the rain, but it sure was pleasant today!)  On our way out, I saw the painters working on the first coat of the dark brown exterior paint.  It is better than I expected.

Of course the sunshine washed that brown right out.
They are going to paint the gray on top the same brown.

Around the doors for the attached garage.

Around the corner of the garage that is attached.

Michael's boat garage.  I think the brown
actually looks good with the stone.
I'll be able to tell much better when it's
against a larger chunk of stone.

Then I went inside to see how the drywall (mudding/taping) is going.  The guys working on it said they hope to finish this week, which means it'll be done around the middle of next week.  ;-)

The family room - this side hasn't even been started.

Family room where the TV will go.
The stone fireplace on the right.
Looks like the ceiling has been started here.

Guest bedroom.  Look at all that afternoon light!

Kitchen.  See those two places where the electrical wires
are coming out?  I'm pretty sure that's my under
cabinet lighting.

Master bedroom ceiling - further along than the family room.

Electrical panels in the laundry room.
I think this is moving forward all the time.

Again, the sun washed out the brown, but it is looking good.

We started into the woods and I turned back to see the house.
From back here, the boat garage is on the left and the house
is on the right.



Baby Pine
I said, hold up your hand to measure how tall
Baby Pine is growing.  The only problem is,
my measuring stick (Kara) is growing too!





Side of boat garage
It's only the first coat, but I love the dark brown.  And almost all of these pictures aren't the right color.  Isn't that weird how cameras do that?  I'll have to see if I can find an old picture of my grandparents place in Maine, but it was dark brown with white trim too.  Good memories (mostly).  :-)

Now I'm working on my menu for my friends trip to see us this weekend.  I tried a new recipe tonight and it needs work!

Comments

Unknown said…
I LOVE reading your blog!!! I feel like I am sitting with you! I love your writting! Keep it up cause it makes me so happy to hear all of your thoughts!
Vicky said…
What she said! :D
jeday0323 said…
Thank you ladies! Love you both!