Saw the dermatologist today. Had a biopsy of the bump on my hand. I don't think it's serious. Had a complete skin check and have no problem areas except the thing on my hand. I go back in 2 weeks to have 2 moles removed and to get the results of the biopsy.
I'm enjoying my time with my sister. We usually have a lot of fun together. Today we went fabric shopping. I got some cute flannel for baby blankets. Cute, cute, cute!!!
That's about it for tonight. Gobbily gook......
Jeez, I don't know what got into me this morning! I was up until nearly 2:00 this morning watching The Sixth Sense. I have seen the move at least 6 times but if I catch even a few seconds of it on TV, I'm glued to it until the end. Anyway, my sister is coming today for a few days (yippee) so I set my alarm for 7:50 a.m. I figured that would let me hit the snooze button at least 2 or 3 times before I really had to hit the floor. When that alarm rang, I was awake! I got up! I went into the guest room, tore the sheets off the bed and tossed them in the washer. I cleaned the guest bath and now I have a load of darks in the washer while the sheets dry. I even cleaned the toilet in the master bath and dusted my bedroom. My gosh.... that is so not me! LOL It's 9:05 a.m. and I actually have things done and just a few things left to do. I really like how this feels.
I weighed myself this morning (gulp)... I am happy to say I have lost the pounds I put on during my MOOD. Oh, I feel so much better - not physically, really, but mentally the relief is extreme. I have hope that I may be able to win this battle that has controlled me since I was about 10 years old. I want to just be done with it! I wish that when I hit goal the struggle would be over - that I would arrive at this magic destination and everything would be just perfect. Yah! I know, what planet do I live on? Right? I've taken on a life long challenge and I'm accepting it especially after this last little bump.
Today is our day with the grandchildren. Our son and his wife are having a Date day so Dennis and I (along with my sister) are going to spend the afternoon and early evening with them. I'm so excited! I called my DIL last night to ask her a few questions and when I asked her what time she thought they would get home she said, "Oh, about 6:00."
"6:00! You can't come back that early!"
She laughed, "Why not."
"Because if you do you'll have to get the kids ready for bed and I was hoping I could do that for you to give you a big break."
"Ohhhhh, that's so nice of you." She almost cooed. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely." I assured her. "You guys go out for coffee or a walk but don't come home before 7:30. That way Andrew will be in bed and the other two will be ready to go down."
I could almost hear a smile and I did hear a happy sigh. She needs these breaks and she just doesn't ask for them. I almost have to make her let me go down and give her a morning or afternoon for herself. This year, I'm going to work with her on meeting her own needs without guilt. I want her to see her worth and know that she deserves some time for HER. With a fourth baby due on March 16 she is really going to need some time to 'fill her well'. She gives so much and at the end of the day she is empty. I can relate and that's why it's so important to me to try to help her at this time in her life. I've told her not to wait 35 years like I did - to learn the lesson now. She did ask me if she could go to Cambria with me when I go for my next Dr. appointment. I was thrilled. My sister has arranged for us to stay in a condo in Avilla Beach which is just south of Cambria. Carol will be there for the weekend, too. We are going to spoil Shannon rotten. We are going to try to go to Solvang, a little Danish town about an hour away if weather permits. She's never been there and I know she would love it. I'm not being pushy about this. I'm just encouraging when we talk about these things. I share my own struggles and victories with her and encourage her to step out, too. I don't want to make it sound like I'm moving in to be her life coach. That would never work with her. She needs a gentle nudge and then she has to find her own way.
By the way, she saw her OB/GYN last week. He says he will probably do her c-section on March 16. The baby's heart rate was slow - like a boys. When Shannon told me I could hear some fear and disappointment in her voice. "Well, it's only like 90% accurate." I assured her that no matter if it's a girl or a boy, this baby would be loved to pieces. I didn't want any disappointment to show in my voice. After we got off the phone, I will admit, I felt sad and disappointed but found myself still hoping that it's a little girl with a slower heart rate. Anyone who has read this knows that no matter what I am going to be thrilled with this baby. It's just that it's been almost 8 years since I've had the opportunity to buy all the pink, lacy, ruffled stuff and experience the personality and little girl behaviors. I would really enjoy that again. I'm glad that I have the opportunity to start thinking 'boy' at this point because when the day arrives I just want JOY in my heart. This baby deserves no less. I've always liked the name Matthew, too. It might be telling that they picked a boy's name right away and still can't decide what to name a little girl. Oh, and did you notice, I didn't type this in pink? LOL I'm going to be an equal opportunity grandmother from now on. I'll do a blue entry and then a pink one. See, I'm adjusting already.......
Well, the dryer has shut off so I need to get those sheets back on the bed, the dark stuff in the dryer and a load of towels started. Work, work, work.... LOL.
Until later.......... snickle, snickle, snew
It was a very nice day to drive to Rancho Santa Fe. The traffic going down was pretty light and I made it in 90 minutes with a 15 minute break. I stopped at a Target to pick up some small cactus plants to take to Carol's MIL. She loves cactus and would prefer those to cut flowers that die in a few days. She is recovering well from her knee surgery. I was surprised at how well she is getting around and what a good attitude she has about her recovery.
Carol, Nedda and I visited until around 1:30. Around then, George (Carol's FIL) got home and the physical therapist came to work with Nedda so Carol and I took off for a few hours. We went to our favorite store, Coldwater Creek, and tried on a few things. I didn't buy anything. There are few things in their new catalog I want to order so I tried on similar clothes so I could judge what size to order. Neither of us left with new clothes. We walked to a fun Italian restaurant for lunch. I just love the smell of an Italian restaurant when you walk in. The smell of the spices, fresh bread baking, and the soups simmering is so delicious! We both had a chopped antipasto salad and iced tea. The salad was delicious. Nice for a change. YUMMY
After lunch we wandered around the shops for an hour and then went back to the house. My BIL helped pick a big bag of oranges for me to bring home. I had one for a snack after I first got there and they are as wonderful as I remember. The Valencia oranges are the juice oranges. They are about 98% juice. Sweet and the aroma is so lovely. The navel oranges are more tart but they are delicious in their own way. They have thicker skins and break into sections easier so you can peel them and then pull them apart to eat without making a huge mess. They also have lemon and lime trees but the fruit wasn't ripe so I didn't bring any home. I'll probably go back down in a few months and get some when they are in season.
It took a little over 2 hours to get home. I hit the rush hour so it was slow going for most of the way. I didn't mind. I listened to the radio and just relaxed. No use getting all uptight about it, right?
I'm watching the grandkids on Sunday while my son and DIL go to dinner and a movie. OH, BOY! I'm looking forward to it. Dennis is going with me so it will be extra fun for the kids to have both of us there. I might pick up a new DVD and take it with us as a surprise. We can have popcorn and watch a movie together.
I am seeing a dermatologist next Tuesday about a growth on the back of my left hand. It's been there for a while and it's been getting bigger lately so I need to have it looked at. Of course, I've been online looking at pictures of skin cancer and all the dread skin diseases to see which one I have. LOL None of the pictures online look like this thing on my hand so I'm taking that as a good thing. While I'm there I'm going to get a full skin check. May as well have the doctor check it all. I had several bad sunburns in the past and I worry that I will get skin cancer at some point. They say even one blistering sunburn increases your chances. I have sensitive skin that burns and doesn't tan so I always have to wear sun screen.
I've run out of things to write about for now. Until later.................boogidy boogidy boo
I've been in a mood for the past few weeks. It's ranged from angry, sad, disappointed, frustrated, full of anxiety, and near bitterness to where I am today, which is on the edge of forgiveness and acceptance. It's been so intense that it nearly tipped me over and I felt like I was going to lose my focus and go off my program. God, I wanted to eat the couch! LOL Not literally, of course, but those nasty carbs were calling my name and it was so hard to stay away from them. I found myself eating cashews (of all things) and Wheat Thins. I guess I could rationalize the Wheat Thins because, well - they're thin. LOL The nuts I figured were good for you. A few are good for you, I don't know about a whole can. Jeez.... It doesn't matter what it was, the point is I was at the edge of losing control and it scared me.
I stayed in that state of near panic and guilt for about 10 days. Each morning thinking it would get better but by noon realizing it wasn't because I was dipping into the nuts and crackers again. I had to ask myself some difficult questions and I had to make choices.
Do I go back into my old pattern of shoving down these uncomfortable feelings with food? Do I pretend I'm not having trouble and try to fight it by myself? Do I deny to myself and others that I'm eating things I shouldn't be? Do I just not weigh myself and ignore the results of the behavior? In other words, do I go back to my old style of just not dealing with things OR do I use the new tools I have been given this past year?
Well, I decided to use the new tools. (I'm stopping to pat myself on the back - be back in a second..............................) Ok, that felt good. LOL I called my doctor and told him what was going on. He gave me four helpful instructions: Drink more water, exercise more, find a stress relieving process like yoga or whatever, and he gave me a different medication that helps turn off the carb cravings. It's not an upper or anything like that - it's really OK. LOL I have been talking to my sister a lot. She knows what I amdealing with because she and I have similar issues with our family history and she has been on the program as long as I have. She had 40 pounds to lose and she has been on maintenance for nearly 6 months. She has been SO supportive and totally there for me. I do not know what I would do without her. I'm crying as I type this because she means so much to me. I don't think I could have done this without her. Anyway, (sniff, sniff - blowing my nose) I'm back on track and I am still feeling those uncomfortable things but I'm not letting them get me off track.
For the first time, I facing them 'sober' and completely honest. I am even looking at my part in all of this mess. I see how I could have handled things so much differently and in the future I will do things in a more assertive yet loving way. Since I have been willing to look at my part and see how I contributed, it's making it easier to get to the forgiveness.
My parents are only going to be here for a short time and I do not want to spend that time being angry at them. I want to love them, honor them and be there when and if they need me. I will do that. I am accepting that they are flawed and, guess what? So am I and they love me anyway, too.
So, that's where I've been. I have been journaling in my private journal to get all of this out. There are about 20 tirades and tantrums in there and that has helped sort out and clear up a lot of this.
Tomorrow, I'm going to drive down to Rancho Santa Fe, near San Diego, to visit. My sister and her husband are visiting his parents. My BIL's mom had knee surgery a week ago so they are there helping out. I'm just going for a few hours to see Carol and to pick some oranges. Once you have oranges from their trees, you never want to buy them in a store again! They are 98% juice. Mmmm, sweet and delicious.
I'll leave you humming that old song, "Happy days are here again, ..................."
I got an email from my cousin this morning about a scam to get personal information over the telephone. Someone calls and says they are an agent of the court and a warrent has been issued for your arrest because you didn't show up for jury duty. When you swear you didn't get a notice (because you never did!), they ask for your social security number and birthdate telling you they need the information to verify that they are talking to the right person. After they get the information, they tell you that they have the wrong... "John Doe" and hang up. They now have enough information to steal your idenity. Sometimes they ask for credit card information, too.
It's easy to fall for this because they sound so official and they say they are from THE COURT. Woooooo. LOL If someone should use this on you, tell them you have to find the information and tell them you will call the court back. That should end the conversation.
I confirmed this report on truthorfiction.com.
Nathan playing with his Star Wars action figures. I cropped this picture to capture his sweet face.
Megan showing off...what a ham!
Andrew digging dirt out of his
pail. He got his dump truck to put the dirt in.
Chopper, the big puppy bull dog. He's such a big baby. He loves to play tug of war, chase the ball, and get all the attention.
These pictures were taken at Lake Skinner this morning. Dennis and I drove out there to meet Bryan's family. They have been camping there since Friday afternoon. We took the kids to the playground, watched them ride their bikes, and just sat around and talked until around 1:00 when it was time for them to pack up and check out.
It was a lovely morning to be outside.
Yesterday's entry was meant to bring a laugh or two. I hope when it was read you could see me running thru the house with one child under my arm chasing the other.... It would have made a funny movie or cartoon. I laughed when I wrote it and I've laughed again talking to friends who know the situation.
I do have concern for the children but the intent was to mostly entertain.
Hugs.
Oh, my God! I baby sat a 4 year old boy and an 18 month old girl yesterday while my friend, Sylvia's family went to her father's funeral. Those kids were the worst behaved children I have ever been exposed to. Who would think two children could wreak such havoc? Every time the phone would ring, the boy would open the front door to ring the door chimes, then two poodles and the little girl would escape outside. I'd get off the phone and have to chase the girl and the dogs and fight with the girl to get her back in the house, screaming her little head off the whole way in. The neighbors probably thought I was beating her. The last time it happened, I scrapped my arm on the side of the house and scrapped the skin off a 4" x 2" patch just below the elbow. I was bleeding and the kids were crying when their mom came back. LOL
"Oh, god what happened?" Their grandmother asked.
"I was wounded in battle." I answered.
The children's mother just looked at me and I told her, "Your children a quite a handful. I don't think they hear the word 'no' very often, do they?"
She was baffled. I guess no one has the guts to tell her to her face how awful her kids behave. They were all complaining about them after they got back (You notice, they didn't warn me before hand) but no one will say anything to her.
Even their own grandmother, Sylvia's sister, told me how bad they were. "I had them for 2 weeks!" She exclaimed.
"And you still have all your hair!?!" I replied.
I surely would have pulled all of mine out if I had to spend 2 weeks with those little monsters.
I had to put them in dress up clothes so their mom could take them to the reception after the funeral. The little boy wasn't too bad, but the 18 month old girl screamed the whole time I took off thedress she was wearing. When I laid it down to pick up the new dress, of course she took off running. I chased her down and brought her back, kicking and crying. I got the dress on her and then she took off again before I could get the tights on her chubby little legs. Have you ever tried to put tights on a child who was not cooperating? It's like trying to dress a bear cub. LOL Anyway, I finally managed to get her dressed and then it was time to do her hair. Naturally, she is very tendered headed and every comb thru of her beautiful auburn hair brought cries of "Ouchie, ouchie." I did the best I could and bribed her with chocolate covered raisins. Oh, what we do to shut up those heathens.
Anyway, I survived and got paid $50 for my efforts. I think I deserved 4 or 5 times that amount but I won't complain. Last night about 8:45, Sylvia called and jokingly asked if I would baby sit today, I faked an Asian accent and told her she had the wrong number. LOL
And you think you had a rough day.
(p.s. I feel very sorry for these two beautiful children. It's not their fault. It's their parents' fault for not teaching them to behave. It's such a shame because they are getting all the negative vibes from people and they just don't know any better. Both are very bright, extremely good looking, and with a little structure and guidence, I'm sure they would be delightful children. I hope Mom and Dad wake up soon before these two are so out of control that it's too late. I don't want to come off sounding cold hearted and uncaring. I was as kind as I could be. I never raised my voice or did anything to hurt them, I swear! LOL I was just very firm and did not let them get away with anything my own grandchildren would not be allowed to do. )
(pps: My original title was Spawn of Satan.... perhaps a bit harsh. LOL ).
I don't have a lot of time to do a long entry this morning but I wanted to jot down a few things before the day gets away from me.
The PowWow:
I made an appointment with my son and his wife for this past Thursday night. I went down to their house around 6:30 so I could spend an hour with the kids before they went to bed and then I sat with Bryan and Shannon and talked to them about my feelings surrounding Christmas.
It wasn't totally about their being irresponsible at Christmas, it was also about them keeping their commitments and treating me with the same respect that I treat them. It was a very low key, loving conversation. I explained how they have always known me to be very kick back about things. I used to make everything, even bad behavior, OK. I won't be doing that anymore. I want to be treated respectfully and if they tell me they will do something they better do it or let me know they can't so I can make other arrangements. They were surprised that it bothered me so much but after they thought about it, understood and agreed that they wouldn't let it happen again.
We talked about a lot of other things, too, so they would know the changes and the other places that I am focusing on to change. I told them that I need their support and encouragement and I think I will get it.
I've had several conversations over the phone with both of them since and they have been very warm and nice. I sure feel a lot better getting it off my chest. It wasn't, in the grand scope of things, a huge deal but it was something that needed to be settled between us. My feelings have been resolved.
My dear friend, Sylvia's father passed away last Monday. Today is his funeral. When I asked what I could do she said 'nothing', everything was handled. A few days later she called and asked if my offer was still open and I told her 'of course!'. She asked me to babysit her niece's 3 yr. old son and 1 yr. old daughter so she and her husband wouldn't have to take them to the services. So, that is what I'm doing today. I'm going to Syl's mom's home and I will stay with the little ones so their parents can go to the funeral. My son will be dropping off Andrew and he will be staying with me during the chapel service. Bryan isn't going to the cemetery after the chapel so Andrew will only be with me for about 2 hours. I will get to pay my respects to the family after the services and to do something special for them and for my friend. My heart is happy today.
It's 38 degrees at 8:45 a.m. Sky is clear, a little breezy but otherwise beautiful outside. The heater has been cranking out warm air all night. Thank God for heaters. LOL
Psssst..... rest in peace Ted. You were a wonderful man and a terrific father and grandfather.
It was 37 degrees with a wind chill of 29 this morning, perfect conditions to turn a light rain into a little dusting of snow. Around 7:30, I came down stairs and noticed the brown mat outside the patio door was white. I walked to the door and looked down to see little flakes of snow landing on it. WOW.... Our patio chairs were icy and the bottoms were turning white. Around the time, the phone rang. My neighbor asked, "Are you up?" I told her I'd just come downstairs. She said her Aussie, Lasey had gone outside for a potty break and when she came back in her black coat was white on back. "When I dusted her off, I realized it was snow!"
I went outside and could see the ruts in her roof had snow built up so I got the camera and took this picture. No one would believe it snowed in Riverside without a picture to prove it. This is the same place that recorded 116 degrees last August. I prefer this!
Is it a bad thing to send a picture like this to my son in an attempt to get him to quit riding dirt bikes? Is it manipulative and transparent? Of course it is, but I'm sending it anyway. LOL
Sorry the image is blurry. I'm just learning to add pictures from Photobucket. I'll get the hang of it.
My dad was released from the hospital late yesterday afternoon. His doctor decided he was strong enough to take care of his basic needs and let him go. Dad was one happy guy to sleep in his own bed last night. His doctor is researching a new medical proceedure where a surgeon injects a compound into or between the effected spinal disk(s) and it usually provides immediate relief. Dr. C is checking with several other doctors that do this proceedure to see if my dad is a good candidate. That would be great if he is.
Thanks to everyone for the prayers and concern. You're wonderful!
I sewed the borders on the Mother Goose quilt top this weekend. I bought the kit last February when I was in Wyoming taking care of my parents. It's been in the sewing room closet just waiting for a special reason to sew it together. My special reason is about 9 weeks away from being born so I thought I'd better get busy and get this project going.
The Mother Goose and characters comes as a single panel of fabric. I just added the red, blue and yellow borders. Now I will make an appointment to take the quilt top and the backing fabric to a lady who will add the batting, sew on the backing and then machine quilt the design onto the quilt. She does an excellent job and because my quilting talents only go so far, I trust her to do this part. When I get it back, I will add the final binding which will be the blue stripe fabric. I will post pictures of the final product...hopefully with my granddaughter (or grandson) sleeping peacefully on it. I'm still hoping and praying for another granddaughter but if she is a he I will be over the top with joy and love.
My dad is doing much better today. I didn't know this but he had such bad hand tremors that he was unable to feed himself until today. He is also sleeping more peacefully. The pain is less and he has been up walking more today. Tomorrow he is being moved to long term care which is a unit in the hospital where patients go for rehab and physical therapy before going home. He will only be there a few days if things go as planned. My mom is getting good rest and sounds good, too. Thank you for all the prayers! They work.
Ta Ta for Now.
Good afternoon! I decided to stick close to home this afternoon. I ran some errands and it is so windy that it's difficult to keep the car in the right lane so I'm not going to get on the freeway this afternoon. I'll go shopping on a calmer afternoon. I heard on the radio that there were gusts to 80 mph over night in the desert. It's not that bad here by any means.
I'm literally 'chillin' this morning. It's cold and windy outside. The temp is 52 degrees but with the wind blowing 40 mph the wind chill has to be near 40. There isn't a cloud in the sky -- the wind blew them all the way to Kansas. We did get a little rain last night so this morning everything is clean and the air smells wonderful. I read on Weather Bug that a wind alert has been extended through to Saturday night at 6 p.m. so we have to 'batten down the hatches' (whatever that means).
I'm waiting for the morning update on Dad. My mom will call Carol and she will call me. We are trying to relay everything through one phone call to save my Mom's energy and from her having to repeat herself. I had the job of calling my brother last night. I hadn't spoken to him in about 10 months. It was surreal. It's Carol's turn next (lucky girl). I'm going to tell her to have him watch his e-mail. I would rather just send him the updates electronically. Is that cold? Ah, yes but oh, well. I can be cold to someone who is cold to me.
I just talked to my brother-in-law. He said he heard on the news that there is a cold front moving down from the north that is supposed to bring record cold. Snow to the 500' level if there is moisture in the clouds. He's worried about his lettuce garden so we brain stormed. My sister is in San Luis at Wal-Mart so he got off the phone real fast to call her. We thought if she bought a small heater and a tarp, he could set up a tent with the heater inside and save his little lettuce crop. It's not a lot of lettuce but he's so proud of his garden. I hope it works - I can't wait to find out.
It's nearly 10:00 so I'm closing for now. I want to get to the mall when it opens. I need to go to the beauty supply for some hair products. I'll probably stop by Sips and get coffee and say hi to Cari on my way home. She gave me a gift certificate for Coldwater Creek (my most favorite store) for Christmas. I want to see if she would like to go shopping with me when she gets off work this afternoon. It's burning a hole in my pocket! I think it would be fun if she helped me pick out something spunky.
As Tigger would say, "Ta ta for now."
I had a nice day (so far). I started off with an early morning nail appointment and then I got a badly needed hair cut. Doesn't it feel great to get your hair cut when it's grown to the point where it won't hold a style any longer? I feel so much better.
After my hair appt., I picked up Megan and Nathan and we went to see Charlotte's Web. What a darling movie! It was better than I expected and will buy it for my library and for their movie collection when it comes out on DVD. Megan and I cried during one very touching moment. She put her head on my shoulder - it was so sweet. Nathan's eyes were glued to the screen the whole time but he didn't get as emotional as we girls.
I dropped them off and came home. We may get some rain this afternoon and I wanted to be home before it starts. The roads are so slippery during the first few hours of a new rain.
I spoke to my sister this morning. She had a short update from my Mom about my Dad. I guess the back specialist feels that he needs physical therapy to get over the pain he's in. They do not think surgery is an option for this type of injury. He will be in the hospital for another 3 days so they can help him regain his strength and work with him on the proper way to get out of bed and to move in different situations. His pain level was much lower this morning and he was more aware of his surroundings. The hallucinations were over which is a very good thing. My Mom is arranging for a home health care nurse to come in once he is home to help him. She cannot lift him or help him physically. Also, a home health nurse will give her some time for herself if she needs to run errands or if she wants to go to her Bible study or quilting group. My Dad can be a real baby and demanding in the best of situations so I'm very glad she is getting the extra help so she won't be a slave and house bound.
I have some laundry to do and some light housework to finish before I start dinner so I'm closing for now.
Just got news on Dad's MRI results. Dad has a compression fraction of L1 (see chart above). The reason he's in so much pain is that he fractured it around December 12th and he's been walking around un-medicated & untreated all this time. The inflammation has worsened and the nerves are inflamed. He's on major pain medication and muscle relaxing medications which have taken his mind back to 1943. I guess he's fighting the enemy somewhere in India or Burma tonight. Bless his heart. My mom is spending the night in his room because she is the only one he will listen to when he is in this state.
His doctor and the radiologist both agreed that the chiropractor did not make it worse or did not cause other problems. Thank you, God!! I feel so much better. My guilt has been eased considerably.
The back specialist will be seeing him tomorrow to decide a course of treatment.
Any healing prayers would be appreciated!
So much went on during my parents' visit that I didn't have time to do a lot of journaling. It was a stressful, strange visit. It got off to a rocky start when my Mom pulled a mean stunt against me and then rubbed it in my face for 2 days. I took the high ground and tried to stay neutral but my feelings were hurt and it caused me to stay out of her path for most of the visit. It is so out of character for her as far as our relationship is concerned that it totally threw me off guard. My sister told me that this was not unusual in her dealings with Mom and that it had always been that way between them. I'm so dense. I never had noticed. When Carol and I talked about it in detail, we think it has to do with the fact that I have changed so much this past year that she cannot control me anymore. Mom has never been able to control Carol but I was very submissive to her and never wanted to cause waves. I always felt responsible for her feelings and couldn't confront her or tell her things that might make her uncomfortable. I'm not like that anymore. I'm dealing with life on life's terms and I'm open and honest. It may be that she just doesn't know how to deal with that from me.
My Dad came with an injured back that progressively got worse as time wore on. I took him to my chiropractor and I think he did more harm than good. My dad barely made it home. My Mom's sister and her husband drove from Laramie, Wyoming to Denver, Colorado to pick them up at the airport so my Dad would not have to board the small 13-seat commuter plane and risk a bumpy ride from Denver to Laramie.
Yesterday, he saw his family doctor who scheduled an MRI for today but he was so weak and in so much pain this morning that my mother had to call an ambulance to take him to the hospital. I am waiting to hear the results of the MRI and to find out what they are going to do for him. He was given morphine when he was admitted to the hospital and that did nothing to ease his pain.
I feel so awful about taking him to that chiropractor. I should have taken him to a regular doctor. I know no one blames me and I know the blame doesn't rest with me but I can't help but feel some responsibility.
What do you do when someone says they are going to contribute something important to Christmas dinner and then they totally blow it off and show up withoutit? What are you to do when someone says they are going to go in on a gift for your husband with you and then they decide it was too expensive and don't do anything without telling you and there is nothing under the tree for him? How should I feel when those same two say they are going to participate in another special event during the evening and the come totally unprepared? I will tell you how I felt - disappointed, hurt, angry, and determined not to let it happen again. My son and his wife and the evil doers (lol) in this case. It ticks me off (to put it politely) because when they hosted her family on Christmas day every little detail was in place and perfect. I don't get it. Why it's OK to blow me off like that. I guarantee it will not happen again. Next year, Dennis and I are going to Hawaii for Christmas.
So, Christmas this year was - for the most part - nice. The grandchildren were fun and happy with their gifts. That made it special for me. The stress was very difficult and I need several deep tissue massages to get rid of the muscle knots in my shoulders and neck.
I'm so glad it's over and all signs of it have been put away for another year.
Happy New Year to all!
I was able to finish my sister's vest before Christmas. I used 5 different fairy and floral prints cut into pieces 5" long x 4" wide. I sewed the pieces together like a quilt making two, mirrored image, sides. They are not identical because of differences in the prints and how they were cut. After I finished the two panels , I cut out the front of the vest. I used a pale pink velvet type fabric for the back and lined the whole vest with a cream colored cotton. I pre-washed all of the fabrics so it will not shrink when Carol' washes it. It came out really cute. Best of all it fit her perfectly and she loves it.
My next project is a flannel blanket for my friend, Joan's, new grandson and then a Mother Goose quilt for my new grandchild who is due in 10 short weeks.
As I promised, the recipe for Snowman Soup. It's cute anytime during the winter. Makes a cute sock stuffer for Christmas or a little gift for kids to share with friends.
Snowman Soup Ingredients:
Packets of Cocoa Mix
Hershey Kisses
Hershey Hugs
Miniature Marshmallows
Small Candy Canes
Cellophane treat bags
In each cellophane bag, put one packet of cocoa mix, 2 Hershey kisses, 2 Hershey hugs, 8 - 10 marshmallows and a candy cane.
Make a label to attach to bag:
Snowman Soup Directions
Pour cocoa mix in a cup, add 6 to 8 ounces of hot water. Add 2 kisses and 2 hugs, stir gently with the candy cane and then add the 'snowman' dumplings. Relax and enjoy!
Fold the top of the bag over and staple the directions on the front. I make a label using cute snowman stickers and white card stock with red lettering. I made 20 bags and had 1/2 a bag of marshmallows left and a small amounts of the kisses and hugs left. I bought a box of 24 mini candy canes so I had 4 of those left over. I bought 4 boxes of cocoa mix. Each box has 6 packets.
