Grace, Not Karma Part 2

Last night after Grace was in bed, I snuck out to do a little "couponing". It's my new obsession hobby and maybe I'll go into more detail in another post. At the store,  I found my items and headed to the check out. My dear, sweet friend (SARCASM!) Elizabeth was waiting for me. My first thought was, "Great. I just wanted a little "me" time and now I get to deal with Mrs. Grumpfish." But then I remembered Grace, Not Karma and repeated it to myself several times. And then I called her by name and asked how she was.

I found out a lot about Elizabeth last night - more than I would probably tell a stranger,  but she felt comfortable enough to share.  She was getting flack from a co-worker for taking the day off to attend her daughter's wedding last weekend. She gets paid on Wednesday, but is a month and a half behind on her rent. She told me that the body wash I wanted was out of stock, but will be on the truck on Thursday and she just happens to work that night. I told her I would try to make it in that night and would be sure to buy a candy bar from her. (They have a candy contest everyday to see who sells the most. I don't know what they win, but it seems important to her.)

I think she just wants someone to acknowledge that she is a person. She wanted to be seen.

Jon Acuff wrote a post about a similar situation he was in - I strongly encourage you to click over! (And while you are there, check out the rest of his posts. He's funny and poignant and I love his blog!)

My new mantra: Grace, Not Karma. Grace, Not Karma. Grace, Not Karma.

Knowing Me, Knowing You June 2011

knowing me, knowing you - june 2011


1. What's you're favourite kind of chips?

You really can't eat just one!

I'm not a big chip person. I prefer my empty calories to be sweet and covered in chocolate. But I suppose my favorite would be good old fashion Lay's.

2. Have you read Gone With the Wind?

UGH. I've tried. I just couldn't force myself to do it. Most of the time, books are way better than the movie version. I've found the opposite is true with this book and anything by Jane Austen.

Well, hello Mr. Darcy!

3. Do you sleep on your front, back or side?

Always on my left side.

4. Do you own a pair of white pants, shorts or capris?

I own a pair of white capris that I like, but don't think anything looks right with them.
*True story! I once dumped a bottle of chocolate milk on said white capris. After soaking them in hot water and OxyClean - they were white again! Yay OxyClean!*

5. On any given day would you rather wear heels or flipflops?

FLIP FLOPS. Heels are the devil's footwear.

Linking this to Fairy Blogmother's KMKY!

Grace, Not Karma

Dear Doris and Elizabeth,

You are the thorns in my rose garden of deals, the burnt chips in my bag of bargains, the poo in my swimming pool of savings. As cashiers at my favorite coupon stomping grounds, we've had many interactions - none of them pleasant. You are both rude, unhelpful and act like my coupon use is a direct attack against you and your job.

No...More.....COUPONS!!!!

But this week I noticed something. You get talked down to a lot yourself. People aren't very nice to you and really let you know when you mess up. So instead of being rude to you, I will try to be kinder than necessary. To paraphrase my friend Myra, I will respond with grace, not karma. Who knows, maybe you'll even start being nicer to me.

Thanks,
The Curly-Haired Girl Just Trying To Save a Buck

Do You See What I See?

We've known for a while now that Grace has vision issues. She started seeing a pediatric opthamologist when she was about five months old. At that time, we were told that she had significant nerve damage from the fluid pressure in her brain. We know that Grace can see. She can tell light from dark and can see big objects. Since her condition (optic nerve atrophy) affects the way the images are sent to her brain and not the way she actually sees them, glasses will not help.

We recently met with a representative from the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired to get more information on how to help Grace. Annie is a very quirky and kind woman who has a passion for helping visually impaired children. Her visit was incredibly educational. We talked about Grace reading with braille and having to have a special helper in her classrooms to help the teacher adapt to Grace's vision problems. She may need an Orientation and Mobility therapist to help her learn how to navigate safely using her other senses.  I don't want these things for my daughter, but I'm trying to remember to focus on what Grace can do instead of what she may not be able to do.

So how do you parent a child with a visual impairment? Will I have to learn braille? Will she be able to drive someday? I don't know the answers to these questions. Until then, we take it day by day and celebrate every small step forward.

Bird is the Word

I went to fire up the grill last week and I'm glad I opened it up first. This is what I found:

A huge nest with four tiny blue eggs!
(Update - I just looked again and there are now six eggs! And they are getting bigger!)

Looks like we will not be doing any grilling this year!