A Very Pleasant Surprise

It is a rare thing, sad to say, when customer service pleasantly surprises you. A week before I got a call from Columbia I was ready to be done with the company altogether. Last year I bought new winter coats in the spring, when they were on sale, knowing the older two would need bigger jackets come Winter. Coats came and were hung up waiting until they would be needed.

Fast forward 7 months and Isaiah goes to put on his jacket only to have the zipper bust. Long story hopefully shortened- this type of jacket is one of those that has a zip in fleece so a simple zipper repair isn’t an option. (Believe me I asked!) The only option is to get an entire new jacket. I called the warranty department and sent in the broken jacket along with a copy of my receipt. In November I sent the part that was broken…not the whole kit ‘n caboodle. I received a call once that package had been received that I needed to send the outer shell as well. (Please, don’t ask me what I was thinking when I only sent in part of the jacket and not the whole thing.) That was done very close to Christmas. Between vacation time for employees and the holiday orders things were delayed.

I called a few times to hear the two pieces of the jacket sent in hadn’t been matched up so they were waiting. Then Spring came and I put it out of my mind since we were not needing the coat. But just a few weeks ago it dawned on me that I never heard from them again and never received a replacement jacket. I was a little bit unhappy at this revelation.

Less than two weeks after this I got a call, out of the blue, from Columbia. They had been looking through their paperwork and realized they haven’t rectified my situation. (WHAT?!) The gentlemen I spoke with was wonderful. We talked colors and sizes and a new replacement jacket should be here this week.

I am so thankful that the Lord took care of this situation for me.

I also have to say I am beyond blessed to not have had to nag and convince Columbia to send me another coat. I don’t know about you but I find customer service calls to be a chore. Columbia Sportswear went up in my estimation of companies and I will most assuredly be buying from them again. In a sea of lemons (or sharks) this company stands out. Thanks so much Columbia!

Who Would Have Thought?

I would never have guessed one small chip would create such a big problem. Our glass pitcher we use for everyday juice bumped the bottom of the shelf above and the teeniest, tiniest chip you ever saw came off one of the lips. I threw the chip of glass away and rubbed my finger gently over the now broken area thinking it to be no big deal. We’ll finish the juice and I’ll let my Hubby know of the damage.
 

Well…wouldn’t you know my Beloved would go and discover that teeniest, tiniest chip all on his own? He decided to wash that pitcher that night unbeknownst to me (because the pitcher had sat on the counter for a fair amount of the day, he dumped it and set to getting it clean). Once he was finished washing he noticed the water was looking a funny color and thought perhaps the juice was the culprit. Not so. His newly sliced hand bleeding into the water was causing the color change. The funny part? Beloved never even felt his hand get cut. Even thought he didn’t feel it that pitcher did a humdinger of a job on his hand. He found me saying, “I think I have a problem.” That hand was sliced so cleanly and deeply you were peering down at white.
 

The troops were rounded up in their jammies and our local emergency room got a visit. Not only did he cut is hand deeply, he nicked the tendon over his right hand ring finger. Stitches lightly added came home on his hand as well as a Monday morning appointment to see a surgeon.
 

Now, I don’t know how much you know about tendons but they are a delicate thing, to be sure. The tendon is a bit like a rubber band. Once it is cut, if you continue to stretch it, similar to a rubber band, it will continue to tear until it rips completely apart. Once the tendon snaps it retracts towards the point of connection. Then the surgery becomes a much bigger deal than repairing a nick. They have to cut up the line of the tendon until they find it and reattach it to the other end. Thankfully, Beloved’s was a nick and not a complete tear.
 

Monday he saw the surgeon and by Wednesday he had outpatient surgery to repair the nick. (I say nick because that is the wording the hospital staff used. However once surgery was performed it became known the tendon was sliced 85% through. That wasn’t what I had in mind when I thought ‘nick’. : ) ) Because Beloved’s tendon wasn’t sliced through completely they only had to reopen the original cut and add some micro-sutures The hand is healing nicely so far.
 

 I call it his Frankenstein hand. : ) I’m loving and supportive like that. Seriously though, he is doing great and recovering wonderfully. Thankfully with his job such as it is this was a small bump in the road. We are several weeks out from the initial injury and while he is still undergoing P.T. all is healing nicely.

 

All this to say, if you ever chip a glass, no matter how big or small, it should go immediately into the recycle bin! If you could have seen the size of the chip it would be unbelievable the amount of damage that has come from it.

 

Oh, I am sure you will believe me when I tell you my husband’s conclusion after all this: dishes are really too dangerous for him to do anymore and so he should be done with that chore altogether. (Isn’t that just like a man? : ))

Bagheera

This girl is something else. Truly. She had a wonderful opportunity this summer to participate in a musical play- The Jungle Book Kids. After undergoing auditions she landed the part of Bagheera the panther. I wish I could put in to words what this play was like for her. She enjoyed her self so much and stepped out in courage. Both my Beloved and I watched her perform in amazement knowing she didn’t get that confidence and acting ability from either of one of us. (If you could see my Beloved in action you would know the drama is all him. ~wink~)

She is growing up so fast, this one. We are watching and wishing time would slow down. One sign of her growing maturity was choosing to do this play while knowing the opening night of the show would land on her birthday, prohibiting a party. Oh, we did cake and ice cream and she had her bigger family party a week or so before the play so it wasn’t like she didn’t have a birthday. But the laying down of her special day was something that might not have happened a year or so ago. I cannot share the play with you…but wow, it was a sight to see. You’ll just have to take my word for it. : )

Since I mentioned her birthday here are a few pictures of her celebrating. I have fallen dreadfully behind on updating the blog, so you’ll have to bear with posts with more than one topic. : )

The hot birthday day gift this year was Lego Friends. Both Grandma’s blessed her with a few kits and away she went. I’ll have to show you a picture of the put together parts. They are definitely something to behold. You can completely see how Lego catered to the more detailed heart of a girl versus a boy.

Well, it is beginning, this update of the oldest girl. : ) Take care- lots of love and prayers!

Mazurka

This is the last of the recital dances for the KK girl and it is her ballet number. I wasn’t able to record this particular dance during practice. Thus the vantage point is much further away. She is the second from the top of the screen in the right hand side line. From there you’ll have to do your best to follow her. : ) Again, apologies for my oh so fine camera recording. Blessings on your day!

MVI 0712 from Jess on Vimeo.

Boogie Woogie Jitterbug

Kiersten did two tap numbers, the second of which was the Boogie Woogie Jitterbug. She’s such a knock-out. Did I mention before how proud I was when I saw her? : )

She was hamming it up for the camera. Such a nut! (I am not feeling super wordy so I’ll just cut to her dance, if you don’t mind.)

Boogie Woogie Jitterbug from Jess on Vimeo.

Amazing

That Kiersten-girl did an amazing job at her dance recital. I was just so proud of her!

This year was different for me in that I hadn’t seen Kiersten perform or really even practice any of these dances from start to finish until rehearsal. In the past I had always seen the dance long before the recital and that just wasn’t true this year. I have to say I was blown away by how amazing she did! I really shouldn’t have been because she always does a great job. I suppose it was the element of surprise in seeing it for the first time.

Recital week can be a bit exhausting and I could see it on the faces of those Mom’s newly joining the ranks. Each year gets better in that I know what is coming and can better adapt to it. Not sure if that makes sense- I suppose there is just some comfort (if that is the right word) in knowing what’s expected and how long and late the performance is going to last.

This year I had Kiersten take a rest-time both days of the recital. She laid down in her darkened room and listened to a story on tape and then fell asleep for a little while afterwards. That was a saving grace as she performed her last number about 10:15 both nights. (Have I mentioned she is a trooper?)

Well, I have hemmed and hawed enough already. Here is Kiersten performing the Waltz Clod! (P.S. This was rehearsal and Katie was working a bad nerve. I apologize in advance for my camera taking skills. The few times the camera dips a certain someone was yanking on my arm. You’ll hear my response to said behavior too! Oh dear.)

Waltz Clod from Jess on Vimeo.

(P.S.S. This is only dance #1 of #3. So, more to come!)

Wishing for Sweet Slumber

A few mornings ago I was in the kitchen cutting watermelon only to come out and find this exhausted little man curled up and fast asleep. He was smack dab in the middle of the others doing their thing and it hadn’t mattered. He was done for.

He had woken up quite early for him (5:30ish) and hadn’t slept super well the night before. I was going to wake him up after only an hour so that he would still take an afternoon nap, but when I went to do so he was sleeping so hard I left him be. Three hours later he roused himself. He has been battling a cold that just is hanging on tight and I know that all the rest he can get is precious and only aids in him getting better. (No, no afternoon nap was forthcoming after that marathon morning nap. : ))

I wish I could say it is only Zeke that has been depriving me of sleep in the middle of the night. He isn’t the main culprit. His next oldest sister, oh mercy, can she scream in the night. I can’t explain it but Katie has become terrorized by things in the last 6 months or so that didn’t bother her before. And as with most things involving small children there is no logic to her terrors, no trigger either, they have appeared almost out of nowhere.

The terror that is affecting sleep is her terror of The Train. We live a hop, skip and a jump from some railroad tracks. Have all her short life. Trains come through during the day and night. When the operator lays on that horn…that is it. She comes running for me. And in the night she comes screaming down the stairs. I wake hearing her and The Train simultaneously and leap from bed to meet her halfway. Thankfully all she needs for me is to hold her until The Train has completely passed by and we can no longer hear it.

It used to be that the operators working through the middle of the night would ding the bell more so than lay on the horn because, I don’t know, with the traffic lights programmed to shift to flashing reds and yellows at 11 p.m. it is safe to say not many people are out. It doesn’t seem to be a shared philosophy with the current operators. They lay on that horn something fierce.

I have tried to take away her nap (it has been coming, this just sped up the time table) in order to have her go to sleep more exhausted and hopefully less easily awakened. It works sometimes and others not so much. On particularly rough nights when she pleads with me to sleep with her, I do. I have a rough time of it and now I only give in if, after putting her back to bed after a Train episode, she returns because she can’t sleep.

Thankfully she cuddles into my back and doesn’t thrash around too much. And her bed is on the lower bunk. : )

Like all things…this too shall pass. Let’s make it soon, ok?