http://sayfordwilson.webs.com/advocatemom.htm Freewebs http://sayfordwilson.webs.com/advocatemom.htm?blogentryid=4356472 Grandma D’s wreath arrived in a corrugated box and fully ready for hanging - completely fresh as indicated in the brochure that came with the wreath. It smells lovely, and the fresh scent took me back to the Christmases of my childhood - my parents putting Johnny Mathis on the stereo (remember vinyl albums, record players??), my father and I decorating the Christmas tree, egg nog sprinkled with nutmeg and Christmas stockings hung for both us and our fur-balls. Since I grew up with two dogs, two cats and a bird - we had quite a row of stockings hung!



All of this came back to me as I got out my wreath and fluffed it a bit, took in its sparkling scent, and thought on a place to hang it.



Now, asthma runs in my family - it contributed to my mother’s sudden death 12 years ago - so I need to be careful at this time of year (which is when she died). I chose to hang it on our front door, between the inside door and the storm door. I figured that the cold would help to keep it fresh, would give our elderly neighbors a treat (something old-fashioned, from the ‘old days’), and it would be a nice complement to our two giant pine trees that adorn either side of our front lawn.

Thinking back, I should have called Grandma D’s to find out if I should “water” the wreath somehow to keep it fresher, as it has some browning, brittle needles on it now after a week of shipping, and a week of being out of its box and hanging - or maybe I should have kept it in the house? But, my little one was sick with a nasty viral illness all of last week, and it just didn’t cross my mind. Lesson learned! The wreath is still beautiful, still smells wonderful, and a few brittle needles aren’t a big deal - that just points to the joys of having a fresh wreath! Also, we’re on the East Coast, so I’m wondering if, with travel time and being out of the box - even an ‘evergreen’ wreath gets tired  :)

Another bit of nostalgia for me ... the last time I had a fresh wreath, was when my mother died (12 years ago). We had a real Christmas tree then - our first Christmas as husband and wife, we had just been married that April, 1996. My mother had died suddenly a week before Christmas. I didn’t know that she had died that m orning. The night before, I had gathered up spare branches from our Christmas tree, and took some twine, and made a wreath - I was going to give that wreath to my mother as a decorative present. The next morning, she was dead - I found out the next evening when my father came home from work ... I never got to give her my wreath, but I did put it on her grave at her funeral.

So - Grandma D - thank you for this wreath - it is a Treasure, and it brought back a special memory of my first - and only - handmade wreath. Yours is much more beautiful than the one I made for my mother, but it reminded me of something nice I was able to do for my mother, and I know she would have loved your wreath even more!

For anyone who wants one of these beautiful, special wreaths for themselves - go to http://www.wreathsdirect.info - enter code W0834 when ordering to receive free UPS Ground shipping if you are within the USA.  They accept Visa, Mastercard, checks, money orders and cash - and your order will arrive with a gift box and a freshness guarantee. You can also call for information on bulk discounts and fund raising if you are interested - and they do have information about these subjects on their website, I think.

I should mention that they have more than "just wreaths" - they have a whole selection of products at their website - I just happened to receive a beautiful wreath :)

This particular wreath that I received is a full 24”with a large red velvet bow, juniper berries, fresh cedar and pinecones. It is wrapped tightly with green wire and well-made. It comes ready to hang - you won’t be disapppointed!  This wreath is thick and bushy, and it is well-crafted.

Please feel free to comment, and don't forget that I am on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sayfordwilson ~ and visit my new literary blog at http://aliterarynerdwrites.blogspot.com/
]]> http://sayfordwilson.webs.com/advocatemom.htm?blogentryid=4356472#topBox http://sayfordwilson.webs.com/advocatemom.htm?blogentryid=4356472 Sun, 07 Dec 2008 13:30:00 -0100 http://sayfordwilson.webs.com/advocatemom.htm?blogentryid=4353480 Working on a few blog posts tonight and realizing again - as much as it can get on my nerves sometimes - semantics do matter.

Philadelphia is an overly politically correct city - you can't say anything the "wrong way" or look at someone the "wrong way" - God forbid you offend someone - well, soon I may be offending people because I'll be talking about the WELFARE SYSTEM!

Not the welfare system per se, but certain people on welfare, and what they are - or are not - doing. The mayor is taking a lot of heat for things in this city - and some things really aren't his fault.

The government is not a bank with bottomless reserves of money. People have to work.

An editor gently reminded me of the fire-storm that the mere mention of the word "welfare" can cause ... was I ready for the "raucous" (his word, not mine) debate that might result?

I very carefully rephrased a few sections - focusing carefully on semantics and looking at the concepts of how words are used as epithets even as their stated meaning remains intact.

The English language is so bizarre sometimes - so many subtle nuances.

One of my 'old' favorite writers, Rita Mae Brown, had a favorite saying, "The pen is mightier than the sword, but the sword is easier to clean." She was referring to her favorite fountain pens at the time .... but the written word can make a might mess of things, and is difficult to retract - thus, semantics are important - if annoying at times.

Ask any advocate how important semantics can be when hammering out IEPs and other legal agreements. Semantics matter. Ask attorneys, teachers, therapists .... parents ....

Ask a child who is being bullied for being "different" ....

Words matter.
]]> http://sayfordwilson.webs.com/advocatemom.htm?blogentryid=4353480#topBox http://sayfordwilson.webs.com/advocatemom.htm?blogentryid=4353480 Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:13:00 -0100 http://sayfordwilson.webs.com/advocatemom.htm?blogentryid=4349156 November was a wild ride - crime sprees in my usually quiet neighborhood, now we're adding home invasions to the mix, incidents formerly unheard of in my unknown neck of the woods. Never thought I'd see the time when my community would have police chases and Catholic school lockdowns for armed robberies and shootings .... but that time is now.

Also - marking this date in history of 1.9 million jobs lost this year .... and the worst record since 1974, when I was 2 years old. Thinking back, of how my parents struggled - to the present, of how my husband and I struggle in the same way - with two children.

My husband was just telling me tonight - he is trying to figure out his options - he graduates his night school in about 4 months. After working the streets with the post office for 18 years, he's trying to get into a different section, a better position - but to do that, he has to start with a pay cut (most likely). At first, I wondered if he worried about my reaction to that. My first thought was - when do you finish school and get settled so that *I* can start school and move on with my life??? For 10 years I've been home with the kids and taking care of things here - I want to get on with my life and get a better paying job, do more things, meet more people, try a career, have more opportunities. Granted, I've given myself to very worthwhile efforts - but I'm reaching the point where it's time to move on. My kids need more than me, and I need more than "home."

I'm not so sure he's happy about that, LOL!!! I think there is something inside men that likes their women being at "home" - whether they'll admit to it or not ;)  Or maybe I just married an old-fashioned type. I'm still old-fashioned myself ... but also a bit of a wild spirit in me (must be where my 10yo gets it from).

Anyway, as it stands now - I feel our options are that he finishes school in the spring and works on his job options. I work on my school options - either day or night school, I choose one. I can do CNA training at a nursing home or at a school, or maybe a hospital. I go for licensing, I can get a job. Wherever my husband goes, he will take a pay cut. My job helps make up for the pay cut, and hopefully helps pay for our little one's integrated preschool until kindergarten (that's a whole other can of worms there).

This is a new frontier for us - my family won't be happy about it, I'm breaking the mold with going back to school and getting a job OUTSIDE the home (a wife/mother does not do that in my family) ... but these are new times that are treacherous. They say nursing is a recession-proof job - I need that. Special-education can be cut, the funding is always cut. Nursing will not be cut, there is too big a shortage nationwide.

In my husband's family, they'll be surprised, but they'll feel - hey, she's catching up to the 20th century finally, no longer the Amish lady, eh?

Will see what happens. If nothing else, the studying may help take my mind off the home invasions and shootings going on in my neighborhood  :(
]]> http://sayfordwilson.webs.com/advocatemom.htm?blogentryid=4349156#topBox http://sayfordwilson.webs.com/advocatemom.htm?blogentryid=4349156 Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:54:00 -0100