Prayer Request

     The last week has been very trying for my family. My Papa (that'd be my Dad's dad) fell last Friday and broke his hip really badly. He was already in bad health from advanced Alzheimer's disease and metastatic cancer in his lungs, plus being 82 years old, so his already full plate really couldn't use this extra helping of trouble.
     We had hoped Friday after getting through the chaos of the ER that he would have surgery that day or early Saturday, but trouble with a less than helpful or knowledgeable hospitalist delayed his surgery until Sunday when a specialist from Memphis could come and step in. The surgery itself went well, very quickly and no complications, but this last week Papa has pretty much steadily declined. As of today he had failed his swallowing test three times.
     Today he was discharged from the hospital, and was moved to the Sanctuary Hospice House. As it worked out, yesterday when my Dad and his brothers and sisters were looking for a place for him, it 'just so happened' that their evaluator was in Oxford and could see Papa, and that they had a bed open up just when they needed it. God knows when there's a need, and He can work things out so perfectly, can't He?
     Anyway, please pray for Papa to have peace and rest, and for my Dad and his siblings and their families to have the extra strength they'll need in the next few weeks.

Papa and Granny, dressed up for church, circa 2007

    

     In my personal life, I'm having a few other difficulties that are driving me slowly crazy...and at this point I think I'd rather take the freeway and just get the trip over with. I've been waiting on news from some jobs I applied for back during Christmas, and this particular company is being painfully slow with their hiring process. I keep being told that they're still working on the paperwork, that it's still going through the systerm, but that's a long long time to wait with no real feedback to go on. I'm also having a few health issues that, added to the job stress, are making the senic route to crazy real fun indeed.

     I'd just really appreciate just a quick moment in your prayers, if you remember as you're running through your list before you nod off to sleep. Thank you all so so much.

 

The Lull Life

     This week has been kind of slow at the Falkner house. I think the nasty weather here is somehow contributing to an attitude of blah-ness. All I've wanted to do is nap all day in the recliner closest to the fireplace, with my fleece pajama pants and a big quilt.

Highlights of the week:

     My cousin Devon stopped by yesterday with her baby :)  Italy Claire was born December 19th, one more little leaf on our BIG ol' Falkner family tree. This was my first time to meet Miss Italy, so definitely a yay day. I love love love babies, especially when they're so cute and sweet and lovable! Italy was just a doll for us...a TINY little thing. I almost can't wait until I have one for myself...that's almost, now. Dev was telling us how little sleep she's had - Italy is a night owl - and how tired she is being mama while her hubby is back home in North Carolina, even with Nana and Granddad there to pitch in. I'm thinking that motherly instinct I have can stay dormant a few more years yet! But I'm sure loving sweet Italy :)

Isn't she just adorable?

    
     Secondly, this Saturday I get to pick out a new mattress! I'm currently sleeping on what I fondly refer to as the Taco Bed, meaning that it starts out nice and tall and fluffy on the sides and dips waaay down in the middle where I sleep, like a taco shell. Not that I don't love my bed and still spend some great quality sleeping time there, it just really needs some TLC.
     My bed frame is a great old antique iron frame. I'm talking traveled in a covered wagon old. I got it from my great grandmother, but it was the most awful English peas mixed with avocados green. Hideous, plus a little rusty, so we had it fixed up and powdercoated in a satiny black finish. Now it's really beautiful, and a really great antique. Can't wait until my new mattress makes it even more amazing!


     Not quite a highlight, but my mom got to do mini-surgery on me this week. Usually this is entertainment in our house, since my mom and older sister are nurses and my little sis is planning on majoring in nursing. I'm usually the guinea pig - Molly practices giving shots every other week with my B12, and they all had fun taking stitches out of my old appendix scar. But this time I woke up Wednesday morning with a horribly hurting toe - ingrown toenail. Zero fun, sir! I haven't had one since I was a little kid, but oh do I remember how much I don't like them. But I sucked it up and asked mama to come doctor on me.
     I'm really proud of myself. I didn't scream, cry, beg or plead at all haha. Only a little moist-eyed and tensing up a lot, and that's more than some grown men I've seen. I have a high pain tolerance, but I think I would have traded that for a kidney stone and quite a few migraines!
     I told Mama that after that pain, I was definitely not going with natural childbirth in the future. Not that I ever really considered it, but now I'm pretty sure that my mind has just been solidly made up. If Jesus had meant for people to hurt that much, He wouldn't have given us anesthesiologists.


     Found some cool pins this week. Some are totally unrelated to my current life, but hey, who says I can't plan ahead? :)

So true, but that's what is there for!

I like this so much better than a big calendar...and you can change it to match your decor! And the frame comes from WalMart. Love that!

Cheap WalMart or Claires bracelets...meet cheap dollar store candles!

DIY spoon rings. I have one, but it's only made for one finger on one hand. Making one that's more versatile would be amazing!

Source: kirstenerickson.blogspot.com

DIY glitter laptop case. I'm hoping that Gateway makes hard cases for my laptop so I can make one of these ASAP!

Source: lookwhatmelissamade.com

J.Crew Martha bracelet...love it. I think it'd match everything I own.

Pale amethyst ring. Love the shade of these, just perfect.

Instead of decorated chocolate strawberries, decorated chocolate fortune cookies! Perfect for people like me that aren't just in love with fruit, or for people like me who just love sweet things :)