{6/24}...streaming and a giveaway

I had to throw that "giveaway" in there to get your attention, didn't I? Maybe I did, but it's authentic -- a giveaway at the end of this post. Now, don't go scrolling to the bottom. That's cheating. {wink}


I'm having a bit of a pity party this week. Want to come? That's why I decided to have a giveaway. You'll all come to my party and maybe it will cheer me up as much as the winner.

This week Faith is at dance camp, and Noah spends his mornings at summer school, so instead of doing laundry, ironing, or paying bills, I decided to sit down and blog. Because I am having a pity party.

Tomorrow's my birthday. I know, I know, I should be happy. But, I'm not happy about getting older (cough: 52: cough). I should be happy that I am getting older and not dead, but really, that's not a very high spot to set the bar is it? Let's rise above "at least you're not dead."

I'm having a pity party because tomorrow's my birthday and I have to attend a rubber chicken dinner with my husband. You know what a rubber chicken dinner is, right? It's a big event, where you sit with people you don't know, and make polite conversation, while you eat chicken and vegetables (and God forbid a pre-set salad: shudder) that has been prepared in quantities to feed 500, and then you listen to a speech with a big request for money while trying not to look at your watch, or phone. Sounds like fun, right? And here I thought I was going to get to go out to dinner. Well, I guess I sort of am. At least I won't be cooking. To top that joy, my husband informed that this organization (The Catholic Foundation) decided to schedule this event every year on June 25, so as long as my husband is in Catholic fundraising in this city, guess what I can always look forward to on my birthday?

Ok, enough about my birthday. I am still planning to bake my own cake, however. And eat at least two pieces. I'll skip the rubber chicken.

I'm also having a pity party because the PT did not work. I repeat, did not work. That blah blah blah pop. Nothing. Halfway into my grocery trip on Saturday I could tell. It was a long day, and not only did the pain not go away, but the bursitis in my hip (the location where the IT band originates) got worse. So I think instead of stretching the band, she just managed to pull on it and aggravate the bursa. You can google those terms if you're interested, but it's nothing very interesting. I always laugh when I google them because IT band syndrome is typically found in runners and cyclists. Ha! I'd just like to walk, and now sit, without pain.

Another fun thing going on is I am weaning myself off of Neurontin (generic is gabapentin), a drug my doctor prescribed when the nerve pain in my leg started two years ago. I can't believe I've been dealing with this pain for two years, but I have. Actually my doctor's colleague put me on it while she was on vacation. Did she tell me this was a brain drug and it would alter my brain's chemistry and I would have to wean myself off of it over months, maybe a year, and experience really uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms? No, she did not. The really frustrating part of this withdrawal is, it's not like withdrawing from illegal drugs, or even pain medication, because I never felt the effects of it. It never made me feel good or relaxed or gave me any of the effects you get from using other drugs that cause withdrawal. But, now that I am going off of it, it causes anxiety and a feeling I can't really describe other than I feel uncomfortable in my own skin. I have restless sleep, and jumpy legs. Sounds fun, huh? You want to do it, too, right? It's going to be a long time before I am off of it completely because the brain takes a long time to start doing the things that this drug was doing for it. In other words, my brain stopped doing something that it needs to start doing now. I tell you, never ever go on a drug that changes your brain unless you really have no other choice, and you are fixing your brain with the drug and not your leg. I'll take pain any day over feeling anxious and creepy. I don't think it ever really worked for the pain anyway, so that's why I'm going off of it.

So, now that all that is on the table, we can really talk.

I got all my plants in pots over the weekend. That was a good distraction.  Here's a few of my pretties:

This is a lemon drop wishbone flower. Can you see the little wishbone that the stamens make. Isn't it sweet?

And this is a pretty Margarita gerbera daisy on the back deck table. She's such a pretty girl.

The front porch got a makeover, not only with fairway coleus and prism sunshine petunias, but with cushions and pillows.

If you need me, I'll be hanging out right there.

Oh, and here's a bonus picture. This Strawberry Yogurt Cake just tastes like summer. yum.

And now...a giveaway. In an Etsy shop, when you list an item, you pay a small fee for the item to stay in your shop for four months. After four months, the item "expires" and you have to pay another small fee to renew the listing. This pretty rosary "expired" (I really don't like that word) and instead of renewing the listing, I am just going to give it away. It's too pretty to languish in a white box in my cabinet.

And I will put this third into the fire,

and refine them as one refines silver,

and test them as gold is tested.

They will call on my name,

and I will answer them.

I will say, `They are my people';

and they will say, `The Lord is my God.'" Zechariah 19:3

This rosary is made with the colors of fire and silver. The Ave beads are 6mm silver Swarovski pearls, and the Pater beads are 8mm Swarovski deep red coral satin. 

They are much more beautiful than can be captured in a photo.

The beads are wire wrapped by hand with non-tarnishing 20 gauge silver wire.

 The center, a Madonna on one side and image of "Ecce Homo" on the reverse, and the beautiful scrolled crucifix are both made from pewter.

The solid structure of the wire wrapping makes this rosary almost indestructible.

If you would like a chance to win this rosary, just leave a comment in the comment box, or send me an email at momoffthegrid(at)gmail(dot)com (replace the words and parentheses with symbols). 

I will choose a winner at 7pm on June 26, the Feast of St. Josemaria Escriva, one of my favorite saints. Here is what he says about the rosary:

The Holy Rosary: the joys, the sorrows, and the glories of the life of Our Lady weave a crown of praises, repeated ceaselessly by the Angels and the Saints in Heaven–and by those who love our Mother here on earth. 
Practice this holy devotion every day, and spread it. 
The Forge, 621

And remember me in your prayers, if you would. They are the greatest gift any one can give another.