From our Home to Your's

 

Blessings to each of you and prayers for a safe, healthy, peace-filled Christmas

From Meg's Garden

Feeling Better

 

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Three good nights of sleep, a very enjoyable Christmas caroling party with some friends & the prospect of seven lovely days without any commitments has restored my equilibrium. Thank you for all the well wishes & prayers sent on my behalf~ I felt your care & love lift me back up.

There was no one catastrophic episode, but lots of smaller troubling events which all happened within a couple of days; two of my children had relationship meltdowns, while the third told me about his new 19 yo girlfriend with the 4 month old baby; Sam flunked one of his “easy” classes; Jess isn’t making enough to pay her rent & learned she has to move again after only a month; Chris has been sharing his fears about the work situation with his mom, who proceeded to fill me in on both his anxieties as well as her own; my direct supervisor gave her two week notice, so everyone is looking to me to take up the slack (not an option); my coworker’s husband got laid off his job, after they lost their home this summer~ consoling her has aggravated all fears with which I struggle.

Distance & reflection has helped; I find that my situation is more secure, the winter weather has brought a spike in bookings for Chris’ company & short staffing problems gives him plenty of work for the next few weeks, & my kids…well, they’ll have to figure out their own lives.

Before I head off for an eye exam, I want to share a photo of the goodies I received in the Christmas Swap sponsored by Becca; the jewelry & scrapbook embellishments were created by White Hot Magik & I am impressed by her talent & artistry. I wore the necklace & earrings to the party the other evening & received several compliments, so I passed on her website address, www.TheFlyDragon.esty.com.

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you all are having a great holiday week~ I plan on being back by later this week to share some Season’s Greetings.

That about sums it up

 

 

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Tough week around the Garden & I'm feeling the effects

Prayers greatly appreciated- that's about all that will help at this point

I'll be back after my vacation starts & I get some sleep

If only I had her figure *sigh*

You Are an Audrey!

You are an Audrey -- "I am at peace"

Audreys are receptive, good-natured, and supportive. They seek union with others and the world around them.

How to Get Along with Me

• * If you want me to do something, how you ask is important. I especially don't like expectations or pressure


• * I like to listen and to be of service, but don't take advantage of this


• * Listen until I finish speaking, even though I meander a bit


• * Give me time to finish things and make decisions. It's OK to nudge me gently and nonjudgmentally


• * Ask me questions to help me get clear


• * Tell me when you like how I look. I'm not averse to flattery


• * Hug me, show physical affection. It opens me up to my feelings


• * I like a good discussion but not a confrontation


• * Let me know you like what I've done or said


• * Laugh with me and share in my enjoyment of life

What I Like About Being an Audrey

• * being nonjudgmental and accepting


• * caring for and being concerned about others


• * being able to relax and have a good time


• * knowing that most people enjoy my company; I'm easy to be around


• * my ability to see many different sides of an issue and to be a good mediator and facilitator


• * my heightened awareness of sensations, aesthetics, and the here and now


• * being able to go with the flow and feel one with the universe

What's Hard About Being an Audrey

• * being judged and misunderstood for being placid and/or indecisive


• * being critical of myself for lacking initiative and discipline


• * being too sensitive to criticism; taking every raised eyebrow and twitch of the mouth personally


• * being confused about what I really want


• * caring too much about what others will think of me


• * not being listened to or taken seriously

Audreys as Children Often

• * feel ignored and that their wants, opinions, and feelings are unimportant


• * tune out a lot, especially when others argue


• * are "good" children: deny anger or keep it to themselves

Audreys as Parents

• * are supportive, kind, and warm


• * are sometimes overly permissive or nondirective (um- not a problem here; I'm the orginal hard case!)

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

A little blue around the edges

Well, it looks like Wednesday has turned into my posting day for the time being; between work & “real life” commitments, time to compose an entry has become difficult to find.

We’re chugging along in the Garden, living day to day, celebrating both the little accomplishments & the big milestones; unfortunately, I find myself wrestling with some persistent disquiet in my spirit. We have always weathered the ups & downs of the economy over the past 20 years with only the occasional flicker of concern, but this time, I’m really uneasy about the prospects of both Chris & I remaining employed.

Since September, my company has laid off five people- one of them a key manager- & is seriously shaving expenses on all fronts. I believe my position is secure enough to be retained until we actually have to close the doors, which is unlikely in the near future but not out of the realm of possibility. More troubling is the fact that Chris works in a recreational industry (motorhome rentals & used wholesale dealer); previous dips in the US economy have been more than offset the volume of international bookings, but now with this truly global financial crisis, we are unsure of how the next year is going to play out. To top all this good news off is the report from the state that the unemployment insurance funds will be insolvent by the end of January.

Now, I’m pretty good at impersonating Scarlett O’Hara- “I’ll think about it tomorrow”- & make a point of avoiding the evening news, the business section of the newspaper, & any discussions about how bad it’s getting; but lately, I’ve been waking in the wee dark hours, beset by troubling dreams & unable to shut my brain off from the continual swirl of “what if’s”. I know it serves no practical purpose, but reason has little power over the fears of midnight. Of course, the dreary weather hasn’t helped:

 

 

This is the view from my car as I drive to work over the past couple of weeks; the fog lifts around noon to cloudy skies, and then descends again in late afternoon.

 

 

So, let’s focus on something else for a bit.

Thanksgiving was pleasantly quiet & uneventful. We drove down to pick up Jessica on our way to dinner with immediate family at Mother’s home in Berkeley. The corporate meal was bountiful & delicious, every one contributing a couple things to the feast; after dinner, we sat around the table exchanging stories, instead of the traditional “perform something if you want dessert” in the living room.

 

Mother was reasonably restrained & having a great time modeling her temporary headgear- she just had a large basal cell carcinoma removed from her scalp & is vain enough to want to cover up the staples. The following is for my 4F buddies- see, her hair really is green J

 

 

 

Friday, Chris & I woke up relatively early (considering we didn’t get home until 1:30 am) to do a fly-by at Bass Pro Shop ($10 jeans) & the fabric store

(a rolling sewing machine tote & wrapping goodies) before settling in to watch football & eat leftovers. Saturday was spent in the foothill town of Sonora, where his mom grew up, attending a Christmas craft & music festival (great music, nice crafts- but nothing I couldn’t live without), then wandering around the old town, poking into the shops & local museums (brought my camera, but didn’t take a single photo!). Sunday was “Hunker Down” day for me, working on knitting projects & finishing the stack of hemming that kept getting put off,

 

 

while the guys went over to the church to serve at the seniors’ Thanksgiving Banquet- Sam even sang a solo with the youth choir (the torch has been passed!)

So, that pretty well wraps up the week.

Oh, except for one little thing.

 

 

This is my baby, taking his driving test.

He passed.

I didn’t get the shot of him clicking his heels.

We went out to celebrate with Orange Chicken, pot stickers, & Wor Wonton soup, while he called

Every

Single

Person

in his address book; I think he’s a little excited.

And, no, I haven’t let go out by himself yet; I think I have enough stress in my live right now.