Pray and Relax, Relax and Pray...

I've been dreading a court date that I had yesterday.  Not because I'd done anything wrong, but I still just didn't want to go.  A month ago that dread turned into real physical symptoms and I was in excruciating pain.  My daughter went in for me and told the judge that I was sick.  I was relieved that she did this for me, and I enjoyed the next two weeks but by week three I knew I was looking at two weeks to go before the rescheduled date.

About four days before court I decided that I would in earnest, try letting go of my fear.  I prayed and read my Bible, and tried to convince myself that I was no longer concerned.  It wasn't until the night before that I really felt like I didn't have anything to worry about.  I spoke at length with an attorney friend of mine, who after all of the legal advice said "Girl, just pray!".  Okay, I think I'm seeing the light.

I actually went in very relaxed and confident.  I wasn't intimidated at all, and spoke up clearly, articulately and maybe a little loudly at times.  I wasn't going to be railroaded.  I had my facts and the judge heard them.  Her decision was based on those facts and good common sense.  It worked out as it should have, and though there really is no winner, if there was, it was me...!!!!! :)

A huge load was lifted and going out into the beautiful downtown Chicago sunshine was a bonus.  I didn't have my camera so I didn't hang around too long, but I did indulge in a couple of tacos at Millennium Dogs.  A girl's gotta eat!  I enjoyed the train ride home, even with the guy with the hairy ears sitting in front of me.

I babysat later for my favorite only kids that I still babysit for.  I still miss being with them every day, but I manage.  These two are the only ones that I never turn down because they are always coming up with something new and really keep me on my toes.  They're good kids too, and that's a requirement.  Last night, they introduced me to boiled peanuts.  I'd never eaten them and scarcely even heard of them, but they directed me on how to heat them in the microwave (90 seconds exactly, they told me) and how to eat them which means "don't eat the shell!"  It was a little weird for me, but they were actually good!  Tastes like chicken potatoes.  Seriously.  Removing the shells was more work than I wanted to do, but I would likely do the boiled peanut thing again.

We baked cookies too, which I ate too many of after the kids went to bed.  In the middle of a pretty good Lifetime movie, the parents came home with souvenirs from the wedding they'd been to.  I immediately opened the little mason jar candle to take a whiff.  "Oh you can have that!" Mom said.  The little mason jar candle was actually a little mason jar wedding cake, and after I'd stuck my nose in it, of course it was mine.  That worked out too, because I shared it with my daughter when I got home.  It was really, really good.  I should sniff people's stuff more often.

So I'm up and at 'em today, finally getting the kitchen ceiling painted.  I'm almost there and I can't wait to decorate for Christmas.  My decorations have been stifled for the past two years, being in an apartment for one holiday, and at my Mom's for the next.  I can pull out all the stops this year, although I still have way too much.  I've downsized into about 1200 square feet less than I used to have, so I'll have to figure out what to leave in the storage bins.  Or I could just put it all out anyway, but that might be tacky.  I try not to step into tacky-land.  I hope in my excitement, I can recognize the difference.

Okay, it's time to clean up and put everything back in place, now that the painters are gone.  Oh wait, I do need to explain about the cat. 

So, the other night my son came in about 40 minutes before curfew.  He stopped in my room to talk to me and just as I was sitting up he stopped talking and said "what is that?!"  I swear, it looked like the shadow of a man's head peering right into my bedroom window.  We waited a few seconds because we were both scared, and the "head" disappeared as soon as I said "that's not your shadow?"  I went to the living room and looked into the yard and saw nothing but a black cat on the sidewalk, looking at the house.  This was AFTER I called the police.  At least they know who I am now.