Thanksgiving's over; Get ready for Christmas

Mrs. Roy and the rest of our household just watched the very disappointing season-ending football game between Tennessee and Kentucky.  Oh well, it was just that kind of season.  On a more local level, Mrs. Roy's Thanksgiving celebration was WONDERFUL!  Mr. Roy and his helpers cooked a huge dinner for 22 people, family from as far away as St. Louis and as near as just down the street and everywhere in between.  We had a very blessed couple of days and so even watching Tennessee lose to Kentucky for the first time since 1984 was really okay (sort of).

Now Mrs. Roy's heart is turning toward Christmas.  There are already a few gifts tucked away for friends and family and Mrs. Roy's SIL actually got her gifts wrapped and delivered to us at Thanksgiving!  Mrs. Roy was very impressed.  Mrs. Roy is looking at the calendar and it seems that next weekend will be put-up-the-tree weekend.  Mrs. Roy knows some folks do that on Thanksgiving weekend but it just isn't happening around here today. 

Then Mrs. Roy is going to need to get serious about gifts.  There are some folks who traditionally get some of Mrs. Roy's homemade treats and so the baking must begin.  In fact, there will likely be some pretzel dipping and candy making this week since Mrs. Roy is getting her hair cut on Thursday and Erika is one of those anticipating a treat box.  Mrs. Roy does hate to disappoint! 

Then there is wrapping and still some shopping.  It looks like Mrs. Roy is going to have a busy December!  Mrs. Roy is making a pledge right now to keep in mind the real reason for the season and not to get overwhelmed with all the other "stuff." 

Christmas is a birthday celebration for Jesus, complete with gifts and sharing time those we love.  And it all happens because God so loved the world, He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

PLAID FRIDAY

There is a great blog written by a brave young woman up in New York State that Mrs. Roy loves to read.  Today, Jenna is advocating buying local instead of the normal big box stuff; actually Jenna advocates just such a thing quite often and Mrs. Roy appreciates the nudge.  Plaid Friday is a ground swell effort to encourage local business on Black Friday, that typically horrible shopping day after Thanksgiving.  Here's the link to Jenna's blog on the subject:  http://coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com/2011/11/plaid-friday.html.  If you have to go shopping on Friday, Mrs. Roy encourages you to follow Jenna's suggestion and shop locally.

Mrs. Roy will tell you that I don't advocate going shopping AT ALL on Black Friday.  You can probably get a better deal and less hassle if you wait a week or so.  Trust me on this. 

And there is another movement that's been going on for many years by the Influenza crowd who encourage you to cut up your credit cards on Black Friday and declare independence from consumerism completely.  It's something to think about, for sure.  Can you really ignore all those newspaper inserts and commercials and junk mail and just buy from some Mom and Pop joint only what you really need only when you can actually pay for it?  Mrs. Roy thinks it could be a beautiful thing. 

THANKFUL

It's the beginning of Thanksgiving week and Mrs. Roy has so much to be thankful for.  For starters, Mrs. Roy got to go to Hawaii this year!  That was one of those lifetime bucket list things, you know what Mrs. Roy means?  And it lived up to all Mrs. Roy's expectations.  It was magnificent!

Even the ordinary in Mrs. Roy's life is pretty extraordinary and since Mrs. Roy started this blog as a way to explain my particular way of doing things, being thankful has to be included.  Mrs. Roy came across Philippians 2:14 on a desk calendar many years ago, along with the caption "It is impossible to be thankful and complain at the same time."  Wow!  That was a life-altering piece of paper and that's the truth.  Mrs. Roy discovered that Mrs. Roy complained a lot more than was thought humanly possible and the change brought about by Mrs. Roy's new attitude was probably long overdue and appreciated by everyone around me. 

It's really some of that glass half full / glass half empty mentality that we all seem to be pre-programmed to and Mrs. Roy will admit to being a pretty strong optimist.  But doing everything without arguing or complaining (Phil. 2:14) really reinforced that natural inclination. 

This week as we prepare for Thanksgiving, Mrs. Roy challenges you to try to be radically thankful.  If you get a flat tire, can you be thankful you have a car?  If your boss is grumpy, can you be thankful you have a job?  If the kids drive you crazy, can you be thankful they are healthy? 

So, Mrs. Roy is going to be thanking the Lord again for a wonderful family, church family and friends, good health, a great job and a life full of abundance, even without the totally awesome trip to Hawaii.  Mostly, though, Mrs. Roy is thanking the Lord for giving us Jesus to die on the cross so that my sins could be forgiven.  Mrs. Roy lives every day in the grace of Jesus' sacrifice and for that Mrs. Roy is literally eternally grateful. 

Life is good.  Thanks.

Taking Care, Part I

Mrs. Roy had a pretty simple life a few months ago, just me and Mr. Roy tooling around enjoying ourselves and the peace and quiet.  That's all gone now, replaced with four grandchildren just down the road, Mrs. Roy's mother and Mr. Roy's father.  And Mrs. Roy couldn't be happier but things can be confusing sometimes in this new life of ours.

You see, Mr. Roy's father has Alzheimer's and can't really live alone anymore.  In the few months since he has joined our household, we have managed to get his medication straightened out and started some Alzheimer's medication and he's doing better.  Mrs. Roy still worries if Dad is left alone for more than an hour or two but so far, so good.  It's a tough balance between respecting the wisdom of his 80 years and making sure he doesn't accidentally harm himself. 

The medication was one of our first ventures into this confusing land.  Dad insisted he was taking his medication but Mrs. Roy had her doubts.  Mrs. Roy finally convinced Dad to let me put his daily doses in marked pill boxes but he took them out and mixed them up and then got mad at Mrs. Roy when I tried to help him straighten it out.  He was taking twice his daily dosage of blood pressure medication!  So Mrs. Roy confiscated the medications and one of the other adults in the house gives him his medicine morning and evening. 

More recently, Mr. Roy found Dad headed out the front door and asked where he was going.  Dad intended to walk up to the barber shop to get a haircut - 2 miles away on a four lane road!  He got upset when Mr. Roy insisted on driving him up there but when Mr. Roy asked Dad if he had his cell phone so he could call Mr. Roy to pick him up, Dad had forgotten the phone at home.  Just imagine if he had wandered away without the phone and gotten lost!  The barber called Mr. Roy when Dad's haircut was finished and Mr. Roy picked him up and brought him home.  Like I said, it's a difficult balance.

Mrs. Roy would welcome comments from others traveling this caregiver path.  How do you manage to work and be a caregiver at the same time?  How do you and your spouse make time for each other?  How do you provide food your parent likes and still eat the foods you like?  What limits have you set and how did you go about it?  Have you found any insider tricks to getting proper healthcare or answering Medicare or insurance questions?

In other words, HELP!

YARD SALES FOR GIFT SHOPPING

Mrs. Roy went yard saling this morning with my daughter and son-in-law.  They are expert yard salers; they can walk up to a place, take one look around and head back to the truck.  It takes Mrs.Roy a little longer but they were kind and patience, so it worked out.  It turned out to be a very profitable morning.  We were looking for toddler and baby clothes for Mrs. Roy's grandsons and we found plenty, some with the tags still on them.  Mrs. Roy found a new Christmas ornament in a box that I can use at an office ornament swap.  SIL found a box of gameboys and games and accessories that he got for a steal! 

It is getting closer and closer to Christmas and we probably should have put some of our purchases away for Christmas gifts but we were so proud of ourselves, we shared with the kids when we got home.  What were we thinking! 

Do you give used gifts?  Mrs. Roy used to be hesitant but it is getting to be more common.  My co-worker and I pledged to only give used gifts or something we already owned last Christmas and it was wonderful.  Mrs. Roy is becoming a regular shopper on www.etsy.com, especially for the vintage stuff.  Mrs. Roy's sister loves poking around in junk shops and "antique" stores so a gift find for her is a guaranteed winner.

Mrs. Roy will be giving some homemade gifts this year, too.  Mostly food and snacks for friends and co-workers.  Mrs. Roy has a few folks already asking when the goodies are going to start appearing.  I'll try to post a couple of easy snacking recipes here in the next few days so you can share, too. 

Want an easy container for your goodies, more than just a baggie or a paper plate?  Pick up a few of those really cheap wicker baskets at yard sales and spray paint them holiday colors.  Wrap your goodies in plastic wrap and tie with ribbon and put it in the basket and you are DONE!

More ideas later but Mrs. Roy hopes you will consider sharing some pre-owned and homemade gifts this year.  Times are tough; folks really don't mind.