I’m over it. I just want Halloween to be over. It’s too much and it’s everywhere I look. I walk past these huge displays of decorations and costumes and party supplies to get to the good stuff – Christmas ornaments and decorations.

They’re all there in their glory. They’re a bit hidden but they are there. I’m mesmerized by them. There’s talking, singing Santas, penguins, snowmen, angels and teddy bears. Then there’s new fake trees with lights that dance to music. Oh and snow globes by the dozens. I have to keep my wallet zipped and my credit cards in the freezer for a long time. That’s how bad I have it!

Saturday evening we were on our way to a church festival. I was tired but really wanted to go. I knew there would be a place for me to sit as they have a huge tent with all kinds of food made right there – yum! So we headed out.

Hubby was driving, I was in the passenger seat and Peanut sat in the back in a booster seat. We all had seat belts on. We were just about there when we got into a fender bender. A driver hit us as she was making a right turn on red. Her problem was she didn’t stop first. Instead she used our car to stop.

None of us were injured, thank God but it got me and Hubby thinking about our insurance coverage. Here in Florida there is only a minimum of $10,000 coverage for each person’s injury in the case of an accident. With all of my medical issues even if I had a minor injury my hospital and doctors’ bills might rack up to much more than $10,000.

We decided to compare car insurance coverage in Florida just to see how we’re doing. We learned that we’re doing pretty well with the way things are right now. We do pay for Lady Ali’s insurance which is very expensive no matter what due to her age.

Mozdex insurance coverage in Florida gave us some food for thought at just the right time. Please consider all of your life issues when purchasing insurance. We know better now. I hope you don’t have to learn the way we did.

Brought to you by your friends at Mozdex Insurance.

Christmas is the biggest, most celebrated holiday in my house. We start decorating Thanksgiving night. And we just love everything there is to do with the meaning of the day and the season. Yes we believe that the real meaning of Christmas is Jesus’ birth.

We go all out on Christmas. There isn’t a room in our house that isn’t decorated, even the bathrooms. Call it gaudy. We don’t care. We have  three Christmas trees. One is real, one was made by Hubby’s grandmother (ceramic with lights on it) and one is for Peanut (a pink Disney princess tree). We have stockings with our names on them and stocking holders.  We have an old fashioned train set that goes around the real tree.

My favorite collectibles are snow globes. We have three mangers. One is made of wood with beautiful ceramic pieces. That’s the center piece of our shelf. There’s lots of candles, wreaths, door knob hangars, M&M figurines, Christmas tins, etc. etc.

We always go to Disney World around the Christmas season. The decorations there are unreal. Just visiting the hotels to see their trees and gingerbread houses is fun.

We donate money and gifts to certain charities. One in particular is Samaritan’s Purse. Our church takes part in the Shoe Box Ministry. That’s a lot of fun to do.

For our family plans, an advent calendar is a must. Peanut likes to count the days down to the special event. We cover Baby Jesus in the mangers and take the cover off on Christmas morning as we sing Happy Birthday.

Church events are also a major part of our holiday time. Christmas Eve we have an Italian Fish Dinner. The cooking and planning for that takes a long time but it’s all worth it.

So far we haven’t decided on presents but that’s a minor part of Christmas for us. We enjoy giving gifts to our children, family and friends but being charitable, sharing the true meaning of the season and honoring that meaning is what makes it special to us.

I know it’s not even Halloween but look in the stores and you’ll see Christmas decorations up already. When this time of year rolls around I start planning for our holiday season because there’s so much to plan and because I’m compulsive (that’s another post for another day).

For Halloween, Peanut’s school is having a party the night before – yeah! I know she’ll be going to that as we like to participate in as many school events as possible. On Halloween Peanut has early release. That means she’ll be out of school around 2.

My church is going to set up a tent in the parking lot and hand out candy. We’re right across from Peanut’s school. I’ll be there helping to set up and after I get Peanut helping give out candy.

That night we’ll either go to a friend’s house for a party, just pizza and trick-or-treating, while I get to stay home and relax, or we’ll do our trick-or-treating in our own neighborhood.

Now for Thanksgiving. Peanut has off that whole week this year. This is going to really help me out. Cooking and preparing for our big meal is a lot of work. I either don’t do it or if I do I’m a nervous wreck.

I don’t know exactly what causes my anxiety about entertaining but it’s real. I feel unable to cook properly because I mess up a lot when cooking and because my concentration is pretty much shot. Then knowing that I’ll have people to serve and wait on, even if it’s my own family doesn’t help.

I’ve changed so much in this area that it upsets me. Our home was always the place to be. We had parties at the drop of a hat. I cooked up a storm and decorated our table and home so nicely. It’s all gone now. That saddens me a great deal.

I’m really going to give Thanksgiving a try this year. I’ll start cooking days in advance. Maybe that will get me feeling more confident for Christmas.

To be continued…

I learned about this day from Lisa. Thanks for sharing this info with me.

Miscarriages occur often in women with Chronic Illnesses. This is a subject that many of us are not aware of. I’ve had three myself and the sadness and grief are indescribable. Knowing that my medical conditions may have caused this to happen had me feeling guilty for a long time.

After my third miscarriage (this is after having Peanut, two before her and then one after) I decided I would not get pregnant any longer. I now believe that this was a blessing in disguise because I was later diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis. With all of my health issues carrying, having and caring for an infant may have made me or the baby very sick.

I found some info I’d like to share with you. This is not to scare you but prepare you if you chose to become pregnant if you have a chronic illness.

“Autoimmune disorders, heart disease, kidney and liver disease, diabetes—chronic illnesses such as these cause as many as 6 percent of recurring miscarriages. If you have a chronic illness, find an obstetrician experienced in caring for women with your condition.”

From: You & Your Baby: Pregnancy. (c) Copyright Meredith Corporation 2006. All rights reserved. You & Your Baby is a trademark of Meredith Corporation. Written by Laura Riley, M.D.

The rest of her article can be found here.

Please light a candle in memory of our losses and in unity of our strength as women. Please reach out if your grief is overwhelming. And share this Wave of Light Day with others. Let the healing continue with each day.

You’ve heard about friends with benefits. What about bloggers with benefits? Get your dirty mind out of the gutter!

I’ve been amazed with the wonderful things that have been happening since I’ve been blogging. First I won this domain and set up for a year from a contest from Everyday Randomness and 2 Cheap Blogs.

Yesterday I won an MP3 player from a contest held by The Reality of Brat. And today I won a $5 Amazon gift card and banner ad on Cash Buddy Cafe. And I have the opportunity to win more!

The last prize package came from Blogger Love. This forum is having it’s grand opening contest today. But it’s not all about prizes. It’s about fun, friendship and learning…a lot! I’m really enjoying the time I spend there. Come on over and join in on the fun!