Senior Day

Senior Day.

No, not the day where seniors in government schools tend to ditch take the day off from school.  Rather, the day of each month that Fry's grocery stores give an extra 10% off to people age 55 and older.

I payed a little more attention to this day while my dad was staying with us.  Sorry, Papa, people know you are over 55.  ;)  He went shopping with me on said special day and boy did we rake in some serious savings with the discount plus coupons.  However, is it bad that I use his VIP card now that he is not living with us?  It does help him get some fuel credits. 

More than the savings that my dad affords us on the first Wednesday of each month there are some other advantages... and disadvantages to shopping on Senior Day.

Advantages

• I think old people are cute.  You can ask my husband.  They just have a way to endear themselves to my heart.


• The crazy hyper people are not usually there going crazy and speeding down the aisle with no manner... just plain rude.


• They love to see Little Flower.


• It seems to be the one Wednesday where the store is fully stocked.


• It's nice to be able to help people with heavy items sometimes, finding things, or reading the small print.

Disadvantages

• While the crazies are not speeding down the aisle it's inevitable to get behind someone who walks...well...extremely slow!  Of course, at this point there is no way around either.  Sigh. 


• Sometimes I have to remind myself of MY manners.


• The check-out lines are usually full and sometimes moving slow.

One other thing that I noticed is that during Senior Day the baking aisle is usually jammed pack!  On a normal shopping day that aisle is usually my escape route to the other side of the store.  I wonder if it is just a product of a generation that knows what it means to take time to make something rather than microwave everything.  You know, the instant gratification thing.

Besides the savings, I generally enjoy senior day.  I encounter some fascinating people.  I wonder where they have been and what they have experienced... and why they live in Maricopa.  Sometimes the slowness of it all can really frustrate me.  However, it's a good reminder to slow down and enjoy what the Lord has set before me and not to take any of it for granted.

Ahhhh....

While the rest of the country is enjoying the onset of autumn and bracing for winter -- those of us here in Phoenix are still dealing very much with summer.  As I write this, it is 99 degrees.  They say it feels like 94 -- but what does that mean really?  It's still just hot.  We are supposed to get back up in the triple digits this weekend.  Sigh.  Then maybe a cooling trend?  Low 90's and finally down into the 70's over night.  That sounds like bliss right now.

Anyway.  I digress...

No doubt about it, it gets hot here.  When one is taking a "little" along for the ride not only does mama get a bit hotter in the process but the baby has no fun being placed in a usually warm car seat/carrier.  Poor Little Flower will go from a nice cool building to a HOT car where her seat has been as well.  When I look back at her, shock (and worry) fills me.  Her face is flush and when I pull her out of the seat she's all sweaty.  Yes, the AC is on full blast.  Those rear facing seats don't allow the air to flow that's for sure.

I have been eyeing this Cold Seat for quite some time.  I have friends that have made their own versions of it.  However, I am not quite that talented at the sewing machine.  I tried just tossing some ice packs in the seat and it was just messy and cumbersome.  So, when GoGo Natural offered 40% off of the Cold Seat I couldn't resist.  Yes, I do realize the hottest temperatures are behind us and we are using a different car seat now.  However, it was delightful to put Little Flower in her seat and not have it be super hot or worry about the buckles burning her.  I feel like it was well worth the buy.  Plus, there is always next summer and we hope more kiddos to come. 

Who knows, we may have to buy another?  I'd be okay with that.  :)

Crashing Crystal

"My messages will be very light on Scripture.  They'll be stories, primarily with lessons.  They'll be biblical concepts, but my platform on the 'Hour of Power' and the cathedral on Sunday mornings is as an outreach to the unchurched."

-Shelia Schuller Coleman, who will succeed her father, Robert Schuller at the Crystal Cacthedral, saying her sermons won't sound like those of a preacher.

 

(Modern Reformation, September/October 2009, p.4)

Interesting, because I thought that Sunday's were for worship and the reading of the Word.

Lessons from Lack of an Air Conditioner

Awhile back I posted this article about a Valley couple who vow not to use their air conditioner for a year on Facebook. It's an interesting read to be sure.

This last weekend we noticed that something was sounding a bit off with our air conditioner. We called the repair folks and they were knocking on our door early Monday morning. They told us what part was broken and then said, "it could keep going like this forever. However, it would be good to fix it now." So we made arrangements to have it fixed once the parts would arrive. Little did we know that "forever" would quickly arrive that evening!  Sigh.

The first night we did pretty well and we just stayed under the fans.  This would also be what we all did Tuesday.  Nothing, and I do mean nothing, got done Tuesday.  Move out from the fans and we started to sweat right away.  The high temp in the house was 90-degrees.  What it came down to was how well Lily fared with it all.  She was great... not a whimper... which is more than I can say for her mother.

Here's what I learned:

1. Ceiling fans are a survival tool in the desert.  I finally get it.
2. The repair man can never come early enough.
3. The heat really does permeate EVERYTHING.  My pajamas felt like they had come straight from the dryer and there was no "cool spot" on the bed.  We don't warm Miss L's  bottles and yet they were warm.  The chocolate in the candy bowl melted.
4. Babies are tougher than we think they are.
5. My daughter can teach me contentment in a variety of situations.
6. I am thankful for air conditioner.
7. I still think the people in the article are a little off kilter.

I am sure there were more things but this is what I really think about right now.  However, the air conditioner is fixed and the house is nice and cool.  It almost seemed cold as it was cooling down.  That's fine.  I'd rather shiver a bit than sweat.  It's true.

Something New

I am ready for the fall season to begin.  I long for the changing of the leaves.  Although, that doesn't happen here.  I long for cooler weather... which may be, in part, due to the fact that our AC is out and it's about 83 degrees in the house.  On the up side, the repair man is here as I type.  There will be dancing when he is finished.

In a nutshell, here's what has been going on here...

July could not go by fast enough.  My grandmother died on the 1st which was quite expected.  We had her funeral on the 4th in Nebraska.  Soon after that Husband and I headed to New Mexico to help finish packing my dad's house.  While there I found out that my cousin passed away.  Her funeral was on the 25th and I was off to Nebraska yet again.  It was just a hard month and I was glad to see it end.

August then went by entirely too fast!  My dad moved in with us as he searched for a new house here in the Valley.  Oh yes, did I mention that my dad is moving out here?  Yes, we never thought it would happen but here he is adjusting to the heat quite well.  He purchased a house in Surprise and closed on it yesterday.  Let me just say, September is moving as fast as August!

Soon it will be Christmas...

...okay, so I have a new post up and I am going to work on some other things that I thought have been interesting over the last few weeks.  Hopefully, you will find them equally as interesting.

Generations

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We recently went to Nebraska to visit my grandmother.  We wanted her to be able to meet Miss L.  My grandmother recently turned 100.  She didn't fully comprehend that we were there or that Miss L was her great-granddaughter but there were some sweet moments.  My grandmother cannot see much at all but she was able to recognize that there was a baby in the room and was willing to try and hold her.  She felt for Miss L's features and Miss L thought it was pretty fun.  Our little girl laughed and smiled and found her great-grandmother to be quite fun.  Even the nurses were surprised at how well Baby Girl did in her lap.

It was fun to see and heartbreaking all at the same time.  It was sweet to see Little Flower love on her great-grandmother, smile, laugh, and feel safe with her.  I wished that my mom was alive to see this and there would be four generations.  I think this was the last time that I will see my grandmother.  So, there is the sweet and the bitterness of the time spent with my grandmother.

More on our trip to Nebraska in the next few days.

Coffee Memories

It's a strange thing wanting coffee each morning.  I used to only drink it on the weekends.  Now it seems like an essential to start the day.  Such is life.  Needless to say, I was bummed when the bottom of my coffee mug peeked through.  I was tempted for a second cup!

This morning I was faced with the desire for a good cup of coffee.  Husband was already gone for the morning, he makes the best cup of coffee for me, so I thought about my options.  I didn't want to brew a whole pot because I usually only drink one cup anyway.  So, I remembered my handy little french press.  Glory!  I boiled the water, ground some coffee, and made the rest of my breakfast.  The end result was a nice cup of strong coffee sweetened to my liking with some half & half.  Lovely.

Whenever I bring out my little french press coffee pot I cannot help but reminisce on the summer of 2004.  I made my way across the country to Ocean City, NJ on a summer mission assignment.  My roommate, Shanda, always made coffee in a french press.  I don't remember when it happened but she then started making me a cup of coffee each morning on the way to staff meetings.  How it ministered to my heart!  There were a few mornings when I had coffee ready for her after she taught me the art of french press.  Ahh... sweet times.  I love that simple things bring back such lovely and fond memories of times spent with a sister in Christ and remembering how even simple things can mean so very much and stay with a person for a lifetime.