Things That Make Me Happy in Edinburgh

(in random order)


1) Mackie's Haggis Flavored Potato Crisps  (Denise, they are delicious!)


2) Tesco grocery delivery


3) watching husband participate in street theater on Royal Mile with a sword-swallowing, machete-juggling performer; Daryl stood on a platform of nails placed on the crazy street performer guy's bare stomach.


4) having random stranger offer to email me video footage of said participation, after noticing that my camera battery died just as things were getting interesting (footage hasn't arrived yet & will be posted worldwide immediately)

5)  the playground in the southeast corner of The Meadows.  This is in walking distance and has great equipment, including a zip line, a spinning dish which creates an effect similar to a tire swing, two different rider-propelled merry go rounds and a great optical illusion spinner.

6)  my children immediately jumping in to enjoy this playground with random other children.


7)  singing hymns and worship songs that I know in a language I speak at a gospel-teaching church three blocks from our home.


8) being with my family in our warm, lovely new home.


9)  helping my girls unpack and create their nests.


10)  reminding Janie that she doesn't need to take multiple baths/showers in every bathtub/shower in the house every day.


11) cursing under my breath at the insane washer/dryer combo (one machine for both functions, I think it is actively conspiring against me.)


12) unexpected sunshine (with one sprinkle of rain) since we arrived in town.


13) walking (with Janie scootering) just about everywhere.


14) becoming Family Members at Historic Scotland sites.


15) running the dishwasher after every meal guilt-free because it is so small.


16) beautiful views everywhere I look.

Woody & Jessie

You've got a friend in me.

http://www.hark.com/clips/fvbkhlrzkc-toy-story

My life these days is a living, breathing Toy Story 3.


I'm packing up the last of Janie's room today before the movers come on Monday to load the container for the overseas shipment.  It's been a teary day already, but she did well with the ship/store decisions I wanted her to make.


In addition to Duckie and her pillow pet, she was allowed to choose 10 stuffed animals for shipment.  The rest are going in the attic.  She was sad but efficient making her choices.  Woody, Jessie & Bullseye did not make the cut, but they are together.  


I labeled and taped the box, moved it to the hall.  Then I turned my attention to other things in her bedroom.  At the bottom of the first box I saw was Woody's hat.  He's going to need that while he waits for Janie to come home.  

Victory

My sweet Brazilian cleaning lady asked me this morning if she could cook for me before we move.  She says that I have given her clothes, shoes, coats, food, work -- what could she do for me?   She is entirely on her own, dealing with some health issues and hasn't been home to Brazil in at least seven years. 


She loves the Lord and faithfully serves Him with a joyous and loving heart.  I told her the best thing she could do for me and my family would be to pray for us once every week, to pray for God's blessing and protection on our family.  She smiled and said "I pray for VICTORY!"  So there you go, we will have His Victory in this next adventure for our family.

The Calendar

Today cannot POSSIBLY be February 7.

When God Closes a Door ....

... maybe  it means we should keep Daryl's convertible for a few years instead of selling it. 


Daryl left last week for the UK, and I'm trying to find a buyer for his fabulous, fun car (2004 Volvo C70 convertible, black, 5 speed manual transmission, 37K miles).  Several friends have come for test drives, but no takers yet.  Yesterday a friend in the neighborhood called to see about her husband coming to take a look in the evening.

Since I can't make a long story short, here's what happened: 


Before they arrived I went to the garage to back the car out and put the top up -- a convertible is not much fun in the sleet.   Push the garage door button. Motor runs, door lifts maybe 2 inches, then stops.  Hmmmm, maybe I didn't pull the car in far enough on Sunday.  No, that's not the problem. Push the button.  Door goes down 2 inches.  Maybe I should push the button three or four times and that will fix it.  No.  How about holding it down for a few seconds?  Aha, actually went up a few feet then nothing.


Hey, let's bother hubby on Skype with this.  We connect, he is not ironing, and I describe the problem, making dramatic garage door motor noises and gestures intended to indicate measurements.  Surprisingly, he cannot diagnose the problem from 6,000 miles away.  But I have clearly made the case that this is HIS side of the garage, and I promise I did not do anything to the garage THIS TIME.  (I may have severely bent the garage door track on the side when I ruined his last car, but that was almost 18 months ago.  Statute of limitations has run on that.)


I make multiple trips up and down the basement/garage stairs trying to answer his diagnostic questions.  No, it is not locked.  No, I can't manually lift it more than 2 or 3 feet.  


On about the 5th trip I finally spot it:  Yes, I know, someone with a clue would've seen this on the first trip, but I make no claims about my mechanical abilities.  I am the same woman who cursed at the gas pump for my failed multiple attempts to get the diesel nozzle into an unleaded tank.  Who knew they made them different sizes just to prevent idiots like me from ruining their engines?


The wheel thingy at the top of one side is hanging by a wire and is off the track.   That can't be right, but I don't know what it means.  Fortunately at this point, the hoping-to-test-drive friends arrive.  The husband takes  one look and says, the spring is missing on this side.  So we look for it, sure enough it is under the car and it is broken.  Very thankful no one was hurt when it ricocheted off the track and into the garage.


Sooooo ..... no test drive.  I hope they don't think this means God has closed the door on their buying the Volvo.   Garage door repairs scheduled for Saturday.