Week of the Bumbies

It is a windy, windy Friday. Paul laid pieces of siding up on the roof that he took off the front top of the house in Sept, when he replaced the windows in the boys' room. Since he's been doing some insulating, as well as toying with the idea of putting in a furnace unit in the attic (he'd have to go through that wall to get one up there), he hasn't put it back on the house yet. They are blowing off the roof now and crashing onto the deck below. I have a fuzzy feeling we're going to have to buy some replacement pieces! The really bad thing about the weather today is that I discovered this morning that trick or treating is tonight, not tomorrow night, like I had been assuming. I don't understand the inconsistency with that. Some years it's the 31st, some years the 30th. Des Moines always does theirs on the 30th, so as to avoid having children out when other adults would be around who might be observing some of the more dark aspects of the holiday. But we generally go with whatever Pleasantville is doing. And apparently, they keep that date fluid! So we never know from year to the next. But anyway, the wind is going to make it so cold and of course, the boys won't want to wear hats or coats, which means they could end up sick later.



This kind of messed things up, too, because Will has a youth group outing tonight. He needed to be at the church at 6, but trick or treating here begins at 5:30. So, I prevailed upon my friend Melissa, the mother of his best friend, to shelter and feed Will until time for the outing. She was agreeable, thankfully. But from what I hear, the kids are going to be outside tonight, doing a bonfire, which means that Will could end up sick from tonight too!



We carved our pumpkins last night. Actually, it was just an ideal, supremely cozy night. It poured all day long yesterday - just gray and dreary. I made homemade chicken noodle soup and then I was inspired to make Paul an apple pie. So the scents of those two offerings mingled and spread throughout the house. The rain drummed on the roof and windows and then we carved our pumpkins. I'd love to bottle times like this!



Sam was excited by the pumpkin carving. He has been talking about "bumbies" for weeks now and I didn't know what he meant. We finally figured out that he is talking about pumpkins! So all last night he was chattering about the bumbies having eyes. Even Ben got into the carving, more than he ever has. Normally, he doesn't care too much about jack o lanterns. But this year he was very specific about what kind of a face he wanted and even drew me a picture to copy onto his pumpkin! Now, if only I could get him to actually clean out his pumpkin!



I am sick today with a migraine. I feel like vomiting and it's all I can do to function. I can tell my mental processes are slowed down and of course, my head hurts! I have been struggling with migraines now for a couple of weeks. A couple of friends whose drs. also put them on Vit. D mentioned to me that headaches were a side effect of that vitamin. I didn't start having problems until I took that antibiotic a couple of weeks ago. I quit that and I quit taking Vit. D a few days ago. But I am dragging so badly now. I need the energy boost that Vit. D provides. So I went ahead and took one today (5000 ius). If' I'm going to have a headache anyway, I'd just as soon have some energy! I may just take it every other day. I see my dr. in a few weeks so I'll talk to her about this, too, and see what she thinks. Maybe I just need a smaller dose every day. Or maybe the migraines are a sign that another stroke is imminent. Often they are. I sure hope not. Fortunately, I do have some migraine meds since I am prone to them, every so often. One bottle would normally last me more than a year, but I've blown through 3/4 of my bottle just in the last two weeks! I have not struggled like this with headaches since my senior year of high school. Fun, fun!



We are thinking that Sam may be a southpaw. Paul was the first to notice it and since then I've been watching. It's true - Sam does everything with his left hand. That is so odd! I don't think anybody on my side of the family is a leftie and nobody in our immediate family is. This week we were with Paul's family and his brother, who is left-handed, immediately noticed and commented on that. I think until now he has been the only Heywood who is left handed. We'll have to see if that lasts. Sam is still pretty young, so he could change his hand preference. Sam also has one ear that is folded over on top. Paul noticed that as soon as Sam was born and we've always thought that was kind of cute. It never did unfold and it's safe to assume that that will be a permanent thing with Sam's features. It turns out that Paul has a nephew (actually the son of his left handed brother) who has the same thing. So strange!



Well, speaking of Paul's family, we saw them this week. It was unplanned. A dear, dear lady in our former church died unexpectedly last Saturday evening. I'll blog more about her later. But we were not going to miss this funeral - that family meant too much to us. So we were up by 6 on Wed. morning and drove to Council Bluffs. The funeral was great, if a funeral can be termed that. Our former pastor preached such a good message. He had been this family's pastor for almost 30 years and they were dear, personal friends. It was such a refreshing change from funerals where rent-a-preachers awkwardly try to talk like they knew the deceased and try to reassure the grieving family that their loved one certainly made it to Heaven (like my grandpa's funeral a number of years ago). It was sad that Judy died and we will all miss her. She died way too early. But, there was a measure of joy, too. Judy had recently been diagnosed with cancer and was facing some real suffering. The Lord took her home before she had to go through that. As Christians, we just can't grieve like the unsaved because we know this parting is only temporary.



The day was very full, but uplifting. We saw many, many people at the funeral, graveside service, and meal that we had not seen since before we moved. Some of Paul's family were there so we saw them then. And then later we headed out to his parents' house and we had a family dinner and a birthday party for Sam. It was a good day. We hopped on the road that evening and were home by 10:30. Unfortunately for Paul, Thursdays are one of his mornings when he has to report in to the shop, so he has to be up by 6. So, he's really lacking on sleep this week. I don't want to borrow trouble, but it will not surprise me at all if he struggles with some seizure activity this weekend, as a result.



We got to meet our new, 15 day old, great- niece, Aubrey, on Wednesday. That was fun! She is the daughter of Paul's teenaged nephew, Nathan. The circumstances are not wonderful, but hopefully better decisions will be made from here on out. Mom and Dad seemed a bit tired, but Grandma and Grandpa, Paul's brother and sister-in-law, appeared completely besotted with their little granddaughter. They only had sons, too, so having a little girl around has to be a real novelty for them! I imagine we'll be the same way someday - a long, long, LONG time from now!



I have been saddened lately by a number of failed marriages amongst couples I know. There are 4 I have learned of just within the past two weeks. Some of these are Christian couples. What is wrong? Paul says it boils down to pride. I suppose that's a lot of it. A couple of these were long time marriages too - more than 15 years. I really don't understand that. Typically, you work through all your "stuff" within the first few years of marriage, which is generally when they fail, if they do. But decades later? What else is there to deal with? I hope I don't have a prideful attitude on my part because my marriage is still going strong. We've been through things that probably would have dissolved other unions. But that is only by the grace of God - and the patience of my dear husband. It's all a reminder to me, too, to be aware. Satan would like nothing better than to see us fall apart, as well, and probably the biggest marriage-killer is complacency.



Paul and I spent considerable time last night applying for some HVAC, plumbing, and hydro-something or other licenses for him on-line. There are new regulations in place for his line of work that require technicians to be licensed and to renew these licenses yearly. Essentially, it's a money-raiser for the state. They require 5 years of on-the-job experience or testing. Paul is not a good test taker and he has been doing HVAC work since 1998, but only full time since 2004. When he first applied for the licenses, he was turned down because they said he didn't have enough work experience with his full time positions. So, we thought we'd re-apply, adding his other experience with it prior to 2004. It cost us $600 to do this. Of course, if he ends up taking the test, it will cost another $300 on top of the $600! It's really aggravating! But we are praying now that his new applications will be accepted.



I am currently reading "The Shack" by William Paul Young. It's the hottest thing right now in Christian circles. Something just isn't right about this book. It's really unsettling my spirit as I read it. Actually, I am reminded of how I felt when I read, "The Purpose Driven Life" a number of years ago. I could not put my finger on it at the time, but something did not resonate with me spiritually, as I read . That's not to say I am the most discerning Christian, able to divide between right and wrong, accurately. Unfortunately, I tend to more of a follower and am susceptible to others' opinions of different things. Later, I did read some critiques of it that helped me understand why I was feeling this way. But of course, a lot of Christians still think that Rick Warren and his writings are straight from the mouth of God. I won't tell you what I just heard about Rick Warren last week on the radio! So anyway, I am working my way through this story. I'm trying to read it very carefully so as not to miss anything and as much as possible, trying to approach it with an open mind. But I am troubled by it, I have to say.



I have a report that I am set to become an aunt on Monday morning. Kirsti's c-section is planned for that day, unless little Missy makes an appearance on her own before then. Monday is Will's 15th birthday, so I think that's kind of neat. November 2nd is a nice date! We are planning to drive up next Thursday afternoon and see them once they are home from the hospital. My parents will be around then, too, which will be nice. We're trying to see if we can persuade my other brother and his family to drive down from Minneapolis that day, but I don't know if that will work for them or not.



I think my headache has abated a smidge so I ought to see if I can squeeze in some more schoolwork before leaving to take Will over to Schneiders. Of course, I'm feeling a bit woozy, though. Prescription drugs don't usually work without their requisite side effects, unfortunately. If you all celebrate Halloween, then I hope you have a fun time with your kiddos! Otherwise, enjoy our last weekend of one of the prettiest months (I think) of the entire year! Haven't the trees just been extra-gorgeous this year? I have thoughts so, numberous times, this month. See you next week!