Sunday Soup

The potato kind of soup, to be specific.  It was lunch/dinner today.  We ate about 3:30 so it was an in-the-middle meal.  It was good.  I put some up in the freezer for Billyboy's lunches.

It's been an interesting week.  Otter is feeling better.  She was actually feeling pretty much recovered when the doctor said that it was strep and she had to start the antibiotic.  I asked them, when I got her school excuse, about the fact that the test said negative on Tuesday but then positive on Thursday.  The answer is that anytime there are possible symptoms, even if the quick test shows negative, they grow a culture and test in more detail.  OK, I understand that.  But they couldn't answer my other question:  Why did the doctor insist strongly that it was not strep, when she still strongly suspected it?  I'm thinking that the next time we need medical attention, we will wait until our regular doctor is available unless it's an absolute emergency.  One thing I do NOT like is doctors who think that they are God and don't need to tell us everything.

Otter was home Friday, since she was still contagious and then Saturday was Sabbath so we were home anyway.  Today, she said she was feeling really housebound so after church she and I got out of the house for a couple of hours.  We went to the mall, we got there just before the crowd hit and were able to get a little Christmas shopping done.  Mostly, that involved Otter taking me into a couple of stores and pointing out specific things that are on her list so it was really more window shopping than anything else.  We also watched the kids visiting Santa Claus.  We love to do that each year, it's really fun.  No criers today, just one that wasn't quite sure at first but warmed up pretty quickly and the rest were happy just to get there.

We also had to go to the jewelry store.  A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a scratch on my wedding band and figured I needed to get it buffed out.  Then I forgot about it.  This morning as I was putting my rings on (I don't sleep in them), I noticed something.  It wasn't a scratch.  It was a crack, split clean through!  The ring is fairly old, it was my grandmother's and she died before I was born so it's got some age to it.  Over the years, it has worn down and thinned out a little bit.  When I got it resized about 6 years ago after I'd lost weight, the jeweler wasn't sure if he could do anything to it because of the age and thinness.  He was able to resize it, but he said that it probably wouldn't hold up to another resizing.  So I really wasn't sure if they would be able to fix it, but they think that they can solder it back together.  I'll pick it up in a week and a half.  I'm not sure how it happened, I try not to whack it on anything!

We've been up in the attic today.  Bill just got our Christmas decorations down.  I'm not sure if we got everything that I wanted or not, I haven't opened any of the boxes up that he brought down.  I might have to make another trip or two up there, but not today.

It's cold!  Our high was 34, and tomorrow's high is 33.  No snow, just cold and a brisk wind which doesn't help.  The dogs only go outside when they absolutely have to, and then they make it as quick as they can.  They have spent most of their time today snoozing.  Which is a good idea, actually. :)

While we were out, we went to Braum's.  They have the best peppermint ice cream and they only sell it this time of year.  We bought two cartons, and we'll see how long they last.  Might not be too long, actually.  Bill doesn't like it, we'll get him his favorite frozen custard so he won't be left out, but he has a major sweet tooth and has been known to eat sweets that he doesn't even like just because they are sweet.  Which is why we bought two cartons today.

We saw a report on the news this morning.  It was about a 98 year old women who knits scarves to send to our troops.  She manages to make 2 a day, which is amazing and then when you consider her age it's really something.  She sends the scarves and hats she knits through this organization:

Operation Gratitude

I did some looking and they want either knitted or crocheted scarves and hats.  I think I've found what I've been looking for:  an outlet for my obsessive need to crochet and a way to help.  And, as I told Bill, it will also reduce my stash!  I've made scarves before to donate to Goodwill, etc., and probably will make more.  But I'm going to start making them for Operation Gratitude in the very near future.  I have a couple of gift projects I'm working on, and it's probably too late to make anything for this Christmas anyway.  But they take things like that all year long.  There are other ways to help them, check the website out.  I'll bet you'll find a way to help!