Nothing... and Livid... That About Covers It

..That is what this blog is about.  Nothing.  Not a single interesting thing going on here.

I am here... but can you imagine this?  I have nothing to say!!  lol...

Yes, we got the transfer, but we really cannot do anything right away other than surf and look online at houses and property.  It is the whole Pascagoula thing, you know?  What kind of fun is that?  NOT!

I hang out in the camper, I do my Bible study and some more readings, I read my Nook, and I watch some tv.  I nap, I wash clothes, wash dishes and go to the grocery store nearly every day (remember the Barbie refrigerator?), and I sit outside when it is nice and watch the birds and eagles.  I move stuff to the trunk of my car (my mini storage unit for the camper) when I don't need it and I move it back inside when I do.  

I catch 5-10 lady bugs a day and toss them outside to which they promptly fly to the back of the camper and come back in by being Casper the Friendly Lady Bugs and coming through the walls.  I know they are doing that because there are no windows open and I swear there cannot be any Lady Bugs left in Louisiana, so I must be catching the same dozen or so every few days.

Then I start all over again.

Fun, huh?  

I know, most of you that know me can figure it out - a bit of depression is setting in, but it is all ok - I am fighting it just fine.  I just live a Very.  Boring.  Life.  right now.

For the life of me I cannot think of anything to blog about...

So tomorrow I will make up something, ok? 

I do miss blogging, but I laugh insanely at the lack of interest in my life - I go from fast forward to pause.  I am waiting on fast forward again.

In the meantime, can someone send snow?  I could at least throw snowballs for a bit.  Everyone but us seems to have their fair share.  Where we are moving to has 15"!!  *sigh*

Share please?

Oh wait!  HERE is something to blog about... all of my friends moving to and from Singapore have gotten containers of furniture delivered to them in Singapore and returned to them when they came back to the states.  All of my friends that didn't come back to the states but went to other countries got their loot sent to their respective countries.  All of them got it in under two months... BIG containers full off loot.  Most even got them delivered in 6-ish weeks.  Did it take longer than that for anyone of you?? 

Do you know where this is leading?  Do you remember our loot in Singapore?  That cute precious little pile of loot that filled up the top of the dining room table and under it?   The pile that I spent 2.5 years collecting by going all over Singapore and Asia collecting sweet little memory treasures that I loved?

We left Singapore on November 1st and guess what?!  It hasn't even been shipped yet!  Do you think it is all together in one place even?  They say it is... but I am not confident in that statement.  They said they were shipping it before we even left.  

It hasn't shipped. Yet.  

It is still sitting somewhere in Singapore, waiting on someone to give the go-ahead to ship to us here in Louisiana.  It takes 6-ish weeks from the time it ships.  In 6-ish weeks we hope to be moving to Oklahoma.  

So.  

IF our stuff shipped today - and I am sure it didn't - then it will arrive here in Louisiana when we are moved to Oklahoma!  

Nice huh?  

I may have to come back to Singapore to pack my own stuff and bring it back!  Or better yet, I will have to go all over and re-collect it.  It has only been 3 freaking months and it is still sitting.  Some where.

And once it actually DOES ship, we have to wait 6-8 WEEKS?!

Pissed doesn't even begin to cover what I am feeling.  Frustrated is beyond where I am now. Livid is close.

Can someone please tell me why it has taken so long to actually send our little piddly pile of loot to us?  Is there really a good excuse?

Really?  Really??!!   

 

To my friends that may be coming back here - would it be possible for you to bring it back one suitcase at a time?  I think we have a better chance of getting our precious memories and paperwork back if you do it.  

Obviously no one else is bothering to do it. 

Finally, 33 Years to the Day...

On January 28th, 1978, Steve hired on with the same company he is still with.  Today, he has signed, sealed and accepted a transfer to...

TULSA!!!  

Can't read it?  Highlight it!  I didn't want you PEEKING!

WHOOT! 

He still needs to finish his job on Pascagoula, and there are some details to work out, but the we finally have the answer.  Tulsa...  I cannot even fathom that thought.  It has been a dream from the day we moved away - to get back to Oklahoma.  Finally, it is happening!   I will be within 50 miles of where I was raised.  He will be under 100 miles from where he was raised.  *We* are going *home*!  lol, a place we have lived less time our entire lives in, but we still call it home.  Is it?

Will it still feel like it?  Time will tell.   We will miss so much of Louisiana... friends, food, life, and hurricanes... the drink, NOT the wind kind, ok?

Am I excited?  Of course!

Am I nervous?  Absolutely!

Very mixed emotions flowing right now: Excited, nervous, anticipation, apprehension, scared and elated.  All of the above...  

But we can do this - we lived in Singapore - this should be a piece of cake!  Right?

It is like a dream... will I wake up?  I cannot believe it is really happening.  Will we love it like we did when we left?

33 years to the day... it is a sign.  

It will be just fine...

Right??

We are about to embark on another adventure...

♫ ♪ OKLAHOMA!  ♫ ♪

♪ ♫ Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain  ♪ ♫

♫ ♪ And the wavin' wheat, can sure smell sweet... ♫ ♪

Things to Know Living in a Camper

If you are staying in a camper, you should know these things:

You should remember to check the propane tanks for heat, cooking and warmth on a very cold morning. 

Filling the propane tanks takes a long trip to town and waiting for the store to open.

You should have clean, warm clothes if you don't have a full propane tank.
 

You have to use a laundromat if you need clean clothes -  you can't toss them in the washer/dryer before bed unless you want to GO to the laundry to do so.

Those dryers don't run for free.  Save your quarters.

You are not the only one using the washer and dryers.  Convenient for you it not always for them.

Refrigerators and freezers in campers should be frost free.

Refrigerators should be big enough to hold a six pack of beer AND a gallon of milk.  Food optional.

The freezer should either come with an ice maker OR be large enough freezer for ice trays. 

The oven should be big enough to fit a 10" pizza - better yet, a cookie sheet to put it on!

Long hot showers are history - even when you remember to check the propane tanks.

What bathtub?

Camper showers are not made for shaving your legs.

The sofa should somewhat face the tv so you don't get a crick in your neck trying to watch it.

The sofa should be comfortable for more than a 7 year old.

The bedroom should be long enough to keep your feet from being in the bathroom while sleeping.

You pay rent for your parking place - and you could pay rent on a house for just as much.

The mail does not come to your door.

The newspaper does not come to your door.

Girl Scouts do not sell cookies in a campground.

Lady bugs live forever.

You either eat, look at the computer, or study the Bible.  You cannot do all three on the Barbie table.

You hear every sound around you.  EVERY sound.  So do they.

A rocking camper does not always mean what you heard it did - wind and critters rock it too.

The circuit breaker will turn off two electrical appliances running at the same time.

Vents on top of the camper should be closed when it rains.

The satellite dish only works when you know which satellite it is supposed to be on - and the satellite man does not come and change it when you change sites.

If you are cooking, the fire alarm WILL go off - no fire needed.

The windows are always steamy.  Except when you forget to fill the propane tanks.

You KNOW where everyone is at all times.

Cold air goes under, over and all around the camper.

So do squirrels, cats, dogs and coons.  I am told bears as well, but thankfully have no first hand knowledge of that.

Remember to empty the black water tank.

Never run out of blue stuff.

If you your shower stall is full of dirty dish water, chances are you forgot to empty the gray water tank.

Emptying the tanks are not fun in the middle of the night because you forgot to do it in daylight.

Did I say lady bugs live forever?

Now we know... Have a good belly laugh on us.  

We are learning. 

And laughing.

And cold.

Wondering...

Have you been wondering where I was?  I have been sick unfortunately.  I came back to Louisiana to find this sinus garbage.  It started going into my chest so I really had to get on top of it.  Asthma and chest ick is not good.  However, I am finally recovering!  I couldn't think, or sit up long enough to think and had no desire to try to think.  I dutifully took my sinus medicine and turned into the zombie it made me and did a major part of my week sleeping... good for the soul. 

So what else have I accomplished this week?  Remember me trying to teach myself to crochet?  I did figure out what I think is a single crochet stitch.  I went round and round because I had nothing else to do.  I had no direction, but I got the stitch down pretty good, don't cha think?

Not bad for a first timer - even if it might be a bit tight, it'll be ok!  Laura (thanks Laura) told me so!  So I am really ok with that.  

Then guess what I did?  I took every one of those stitches out because I had no idea what to do next!!  Lol... I don't know how to read directions or a pattern and I really don't know what I want to make anyway.  Oh, and I obviously don't know how to turn corners - hence the never ending circle. I sure need to find a crochet/knitting group here.

So, I then decided I might try knitting - Steph knits so she can at least help me with that.  I only have two stitches to learn... maybe?  I had to learn to cast on, I knit a row then purled a row, then I took it out, then knit two stitches and purled two stitches and it doesn't look right, so I will take it out too.  I started with 38 stitches and ended up with WAY more than that.  Not sure what is happening... *sigh*  Sure do miss my girls in Singapore - they would have straightened me out in no time... I *will* figure this out.  Does anyone in the area know how to knit OR crochet??  Lol...

I got the opportunity to go to 'school' and teach pR last week - it was a blast!  I hope to get that opportunity more often.  She did math - she is really good at math, but she claims to hate it.  I think it is a sham.  She is really good at it - even if she does have to use a few fingers and toes:

 

And she is so confident!  "Granny, I KNOW how to do that!"  Lol...  She is attentive, determined and loves to learn.  I think she is doing a great job in school.  She asks a lot of questions - good ones too!  Her mom is a prize - she is such a good teacher.

After she did her math, we learned about Pennsylvania (Delaware was the day before) in case you saw it on the chalkboard above:

She had a great time learning about the Liberty Bell - she even made one.  Darn it, I forgot to take a picture of it - and it is a pretty darned good bell if you ask me.  Even granny learned a few things in the Pennsylvania lesson :-)

After math, we had to go outside and find birds.  It was a frigid cold day outside for south Louisiana, so the birds were few and far between.  But we found lots of empty nests:

It was lots of fun walking around spotting the nests.  We never realized there were that many nests and decided we probably couldn't see them if there were leaves on the trees, but we sure could see them easily right now.  Where were the birds?  They must all be in Singapore!  It was very, very cold that day.  If they were smart they were sitting by a fireplace somewhere... 

pR has been watching those poor pitiful sad SPCA animal commercials on tv.  She decided she needed to earn money for a no kill animal shelter here in Louisiana called HOPE for Animals.  She gathered all the toys she didn't play with or use, marked prices on them, hired granny to cook hot chocolate and banana bread, mom to cook cookies and brownies, dad to keep the stuff warm and papa to bring his coffee pot over and make coffee.  We had a fund raiser toy sale and SHE made the signs and helped set everything up!

She earned over $264.00!!  This little gal is dynomite!  She makes plans and is relentless in carrying them out!  Remember the Toys for the Orphanage?  I am so proud of her!

 

She had a goal of $200, and thought she wasn't going to make it because not so many people came out on a cold day to buy toys - but she did!  Between her sales and her donations, we went well over her goal.

And finally we have played a lot of games.  Punkin' went to the store with papa one night and used those pretty blues to talk him into a new game.  He thought it was way over her head, but it has been a lot of fun.  You are not allowed to look at your face, but to make your face, you draw 1 part of the face from 3 piles: the eyes, the nose and the mouth.  Then you set them up on a stand facing away from yourself and try to guess by asking questions (like do I have blue eyes) and deducing who you are with this paper:

You get some really goofy faces:

Fun game and it is building punkin's thinking skills too!  Maybe working on granny and papa's just a bit, and we are having lots of fun looking at the silly faces.  You should try this game - lots of laughs!


So that is what we have been up to.  Not much to talk about this week... sorry, my life is boring.  We keep waiting on the word, but it hasn't come yet.  Steve will be going to Houston, Pascagoula and Tulsa in the next week or so, but just for meetings.  Keep your fingers crossed - I hope it turns into something more... but you know...

Promise to find more to write about now that I can think again  :-)  See you soon!

Christian Craft Ideas Needed!

I am looking for Christian craft ideas for my friends still going to the children's home in Indonesia where I was going.  I am not there anymore, but I feel so led to try to do something for them.  We need simple projects that will take them about 45 minutes to do.  

Let me tell you about our little group.  They do not have much room to store things,  29 children (give or take a few) live in this home.  About half of them are girls - they sleep in this room:

Yes, there are only 4 beds and lots of mattresses!  Lol...

This is the kitchen that cooks for a family of 31:

 

Yes, that is the stove on the right - look here for a closer view:

The International Baptist Church I was attending gave them their first refrigerator recently:

This is where they wash dishes - and thank you Sue for this picture!  I forgot to take one of the dish washing area, so Sue was kind enough to give me one:

They use the rain water captured in these buckets to wash dishes and laundry with:

They don't have a washing machine and the only dish washers are the family!

This is their dining room:

And also their living room:

All of this to show you there is very little room for them to have 'stuff', but the whole idea is to do things with them and give them lots of Christian love.  We need ideas for somewhat disposable things to make - like we made a Fruit Loop necklace with them (you oughta try to find Froot Loops in Singapore!), and some books with color pages in them.

Not all things have to be Christian, but they do need some.  English is not a first language for them - most speak Bahasa Indonesian, so verses and things like that need to be simple.  You can probably see that we don't need to spend much money but more time with them.  There is a wide range of ages here, so we need something for all ages. 

So do you have any ideas - anyone?  I am getting ready to send a box over there; I can print pages for them, and I can send some lightweight things for them to do.  Any ideas would be appreciated.  If you have links, send them as well.  Pictures?  Sure! 

I left my heart in Indonesia with these kids:

The Lord has been talking to me about these little ones.  If I can't be there in person, I need to be there in spirit and gifts - and He agrees.  It has been weighing so heavily on my mind it is time to do something - so I need ideas, can you help?  I sure hope so, I need lots of good ideas!

And does anyone know how long I will be picking lady bugs off my ceiling?  Do these things live forever??

I Am Trying... But...

It ain't happenin'!  Been sick for 5 days now... but I finally went to the Dr today.  He gave me a shot and 4 scripts.  Guess I will miraculously healed by tomorrow.  I am counting on it!  With this sinus garbage (thanks sugar cane smoke) I can barely think, much less blog.  Add that to the cold/warm/hot/cold/hot/warm weather and it makes for lots of people sick.  I am one of them.  I told the Dr today I thought he was using me as insurance that he won't go out of business; I go in for side pain, the next day I have the creeping crud, causing me to go back in for more treatment.  He laughed and said "what a great idea!"

Steve wants me to go to Houston with him in a day or two - I want to go, but only if I am much better.  Wish me luck!  There is a nearly 1 year old someone special there I would love to meet.  Are any of my friends hanging out in the Houston area this week?

Be back soon - going to get vertical again.  Night/day/life.  Have a great one.

Update...

I went to the surgeon and he suggested going back to the GI Dr for more treatment for my gastroparesis.  Yay.  At least they are all trying to figure it out.  He said he could do exploritory, but he wanted to rule out the gastroparesis as the pain first.  So, I go back to the GI Dr at the end of the month.  I do feel like all these Drs working together will find the answer - they are not acting like I am a hypochondriac, thank God.  They are sympathetic and confused as to why there is no definite answer to my pain, but they are trying.. really trying... finally.

Ever feel like you are on a merry go round?