Washer Woes

Life may actually be easier with an old fashioned washboard right about now. What's a little manual labor when you don't have to deal with parts and mechanics? What, you may ask, has caused my sudden hatred for the washing machine? Let me start from the beginning.

It started out as a relaxing Saturday evening. Chris and I sat down to watch a movie. The kids were asleep, and I decided to take advantage of the time to do a couple of loads of laundry. I started with the babies clothes which washed without a hitch. Unwittingly I decided to start another load. Our movie ended at about midnight and we were both ready to get some sleep. I stopped at the laundry room to switch my load to the dryer and find that my clothes are sitting in the tub full of water. The spin cycle is frozen. Chris thought maybe the drum was just off balance so he proceeded to remove some clothing to try and redistribute the weight. After removing everything we realize this machine is not going to budge. So at 1am we start to manually scoop out water. We then have a whole load of sopping wet clothes to deal with. We took them to the tub and wrung everything out as much as possible, not wanting to kill our dryer as well. We hang up about half of the clothes and after letting the washer rest we are able to get it to drain the remaining water at the bottom and start the spin cycle. We were so relieved and finally went to bed at 2.

This would be a great way to end the story, but alas there was more fun to be had. Last night I decided to do abother load believing the problem was fixed. I tried to do a smaller load just to test. Well the washer fills up and begins to agitate, but it will no longer drain. We can even move it to the spin cycle, but the water just splashes around without draining. Now we start to wonder if something is clogging the drain. Chris ends up pulling everything out of the wall and inspecting all of the hoses. After a couple more hours of troubleshooting we are left with nothing, but another sopping pile of wet clothes. If I had started out with the washboard I would have been done by now!

As a last resort my dad is coming over to look at it tonight. He is pretty handy with the tools so he can tell us whether or not it is fixable. At this point if it costs too much to fix I could buy another used one for the same price, but we shall see. It is more of an annoyance than anything. Our laundry room is on the second floor, so it is a hassle if the washer has to be moved out. Such is life,but in a world with so many problems, I'm pretty lucky that right now my washer is my biggest woe.

No More Hernia

Three months ago today, my sweet baby Micah was born. To celebrate today he had his inguinal hernia repaired. Our day started off at 5 am. I am seeing a medical trend here, they like to get us in early. I already felt horrible because Micah could not have any formula after midnight. He ate his last bottle around 9pm last night. I knew he would wake up in the wee hours of the morning ready to eat again. Fortunately he drank some pedialite and went to sleep. We all got up groggy and hungry, but we had to be at the surgery center by 6:30. I wasn't sure what kind of time frame we would be looking at. We came prepared for the long haul. My little man was absolutely wonderful in spite of the circumstances. When I was done filling out paperwork, I came to the back room where Chris had taken Micah. He was smiling and cooing at the nurses. He was just plain adorbale in his little Cook's Children's t-shirt and socks. I forgot my camera so no pictures. When they came to take him back he looked upset and stared at us wondering why we were not going with him as he was wheeled down the hall. We both went to the waiting room and started crying. It actually went by faster than I thought it would, but my heart goes out to all of the people who have children who require a lot of surgery and hospital visits. It is so hard to release your child's care into the hands of others. The doctor came out about 45 minutes later informing us everything had went well. Of course we were told Micah would have to refrain from horeseback riding and driving for at least 6 weeks! We haven't told Micah yet. Twenty minutes later we were brought back to the recovery room. He was hungry, but other than that he was his usual self. We were released by 9:30. A three hour turnaround is not bad. Micah is resting close to daddy now. Thank God for His graciousness and protection.

Mid-Week Update

I had full intentions of writing a piece or updating on a daily basis. I really don't want to be a rambler. I have not had any strokes of genius that had to be penned, or typed to be more literal. So here is a quick update for the week. Tomorrow is Micah's surgery. Please keep him in your prayers. The surgery is minor, but it will be very disorienting to his schedule not to eat when he is hungry, and waking up in a strange place. Also pray for Chris and I that we don't worry too much. Of course we are parents so that is second nature. The week has been fairly mundane for us personally although Chris' sister had to have emergency gall bladder surgery yesterday. We have had our fair share of family medical issues as of late. I am ready for a new year and a fresh start.

With the surgery behind us I look forward to spending the holidays with my family. We had our annual Thanksgiving luncheon at work which was yummy, but it left me ready to take a nap. It has me in the mood for next week when I will get off Wednesday and spend the evening cooking all of my favorite traditional dishes. Kaylie has shown a penchant for cooking so I know I will have a lot of help. I have mentioned it before, but I will say it again. I love traditions and the way they bring families together. I have already gathered so many precious memories with Kaylie in the three short years she has been with us. I can't wait for all the memories we will make with Micah as well.

I have added the West Africa Shea blog to the blogs I follow. If you have a moment check it out. It is dedicated to our West Africa Women't Initiative. It has not been updated in awhile, but I am about to start posting frequent updates on the happenings in West Africa and what we can do to help empower the women of those countries.

Bail Me Out of Here!!!

This whole economic bailout thing has me reeling. I feel like I got into a taxi cab and was told we would head to one destination at a set cost, but now I am stuck in the back while my driver takes me on the longest route possible stopping at all lights. Hey buddy is that meter still running?

Shabbat Shalom!

It is Friday, and what a wonderful day it is. On my way to work this morning I was meditating on the goodness of God that is displayed in the simplicity of the weekend. I read a book once by a women name Bonnie Wilks, I believe it was called The Gift of the Sabbath. It traced the roots of the Jewish sabbath. Ultimately she related that many people get bogged down believing a day of rest is to be riddled with things one cannot do. God's true intentions were the exact opposite. He is our Creator, and He knows that we are easily distracted and weighed down by the cares of this world He loves us so much, He set aside a time for us to come together and rest in His peace and and marvel at His goodness in our lives. My family does not celebrate the traditional Jewish shabbat meal, although I believe it is a wonderful tradition and know many people who do. We do come together as a family for a meal. We talk, laugh, and eat good food.

I will admit that many times I allow myself to be distracted by "things" instead of resting on this day. It is so important to remember that God did not design us to be 24/7 workaholics. He desires us to step back from our business and our need to aquire things and enjoy the nourishment of His life being delivered to us.

Surgery

My baby boy is going under the knife in a week. He's only 12 weeks old and already another hospital visit!
Not to be alarmed it is nothing too major. Last week at his two month checkup the doctor noticed what seemed to be a hernia in his scrotum. She recommended we see a pediatric surgeon for a consultation. From what I have read these are not extremely uncommon in infant boys. It seems when their testicles descend before birth. the opening sometimes does not close. The doctor told me it is usually not too serious in infants, but can cause problems later if not corrected. We decided to do the surgery as soon as possible to take advantage of having already met our deductible for the year. I know it is a fairly simple outpatient surgery lasting only 30 minutes, but the mommy part of me still doesn't like the thought of it. The surgeon told me most infants are feeling back to normal the next day. Please keep Micah in your prayers over the next week. While I know it is a simple surgery, it is still surgery and their is always a small chance for complications. It feels like these last few months have been a little trying for our whole family.

Did I mention Chris was rear ended yesterday? It was completely ironic because on the way to work we were discussing the fact that our insurance should be going down soon because we have not had any tickets or at fault accidents recently. Luckily Chris was definitely not at fault. The car is still drivable, but will have to go in the shop soon. I am just ready to get past all of this, and enjoy the holidays with my family.

Well that's my little update for the night. I need to get some sleep.

Report: American Express seeking $3.5 billion as part of government bailout program

It seems that they will be changing the poem on the plaque that graces The Statue of Liberty

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled businesses yearning bailouts for free,
The wretched CEO's of your teeming shore.
Send these, the greedy, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the Fed's door.