A sick day??

Okay, we flub it a little. Chloe was suppose to go to rehearsal today. Instead, I called her in "sick" and we went to see my parents. We were originally going to go visit last weekend; however, Dad was still feeling bad from a shot he had the Monday before. I felt a little better today, so I think it was a good call.

Today was also the day my parents got to meet Hank, and our first long car ride with him. He did really well. He even licked my Dad twice, something my Dad usually doesn't let a dog do. I finally asked Dad what he thought. "Do you think I can make a dog out of him?" He shrugged his shoulders, but I think he believes there's a chance. LOL He was a good boy...most of the day. ;)

And of course, the first thing the girls had to do when we arrived home was to run to the backyard and swing for a few minutes. They are loving it and looking forward to spending some time swinging...before it snows. LOL

Finally, Friday!!

What a long week! It was a great week, but long. Today, we went to buy a few things for the Hankster. He now has a new blanket so he can give Chloe hers back. A new sweater with Grumpy, because, well, he can be grumpy. lol  And a water bowl for his crate. I've been feeling bad there was no water in there when we have to leave him. So, I suppose the water bowl was for me. ;)

Tonight, we went to the girls' favorite store so Chloe could get one of the new LEGO minis. She was feeling each bag for a bit then just decided to take a chance and grab one. Would you believe she actually got the one she wanted!! Amazing! She was excited.

We were planning a trip to Charlotte this weekend, but between Mom's schedule, ours and Dad not feeling so great, we decided to put it off a bit. We're looking forward to going up so they can meet Hank. I hope he likes there as much as Rosie does. She adores Grandpa!

Now, I'm having big hopes on getting a few projects done this weekend. So long as I don't feel like I did this afternoon, I should get a thing or two done. Fingers crossed!!!

Yes. We are still here!

As usual, life is always interesting!

I’ve been busy, too busy to blog. Jesse has been busy but not too busy to continually send me notes through the blog reminding me I have not blogged. LOL

I finished grading last year’s school work and mailed all the paper work. The girls decided to work through a weekend so they could be done earlier. They finished June 11^th (if my memory serves me, and sometimes it doesn’t). They both finished with all As and Bs, which they were both elated with since their work is getting more difficult. Chloe was really happy to make a higher final grade in English than Jesse…first time ever! Jesse was elated with a B as a final; her English really did get more difficult last year.

 

Honestly, I can’t really say what we’ve been up to because it has just been our usual. I can tell you that Chloe has a new obsession, Scrabble! She loves it and it is a rare night that she does not ask to play. We actually purchased a new Scrabble board. It is awesome! Yes, an awesome Scrabble board. First off it is made so the tiles don’t move. Second, everything is stored in the bottom of the board. Third, and best of all, it has wheels so it can turn it toward each player. Awesome! lol

Yesterday was our first day back to school. We have started a new science curriculum so I was anxious to see how they liked it. Chloe didn’t like reading all two pages of definitions and Jesse didn’t enjoy pulling out two science encyclopedias to look up scientists. However, this morning Jesse announced the liked the new science books because she had to go outside and “observe a tree”. Not sure how Chloe is going to feel about drawing diagrams of cells; she is starting science now.

My Dad hit a milestone too. On July 3rd, it has been one year since his last blood transfusion. His doctor says he is doing well and Dad may even get to add two additional weeks between chemo treatments, to six weeks. Yeah!!!!

Vices

I believe I am like most people, in that, on the days when I accomplish many tasks before I feel great. On the days, when nothing really gets done, I feel like a failure. I don't recall if I have mentioned here or not that in June I was put on some meds for my head. In May, I was very close to a complete mental breakdown. While I cry at commercials and songs, and so many things, I don't usually breakdown when someone ask me how I'm doing. That was how my May ended.

We've been adjusting to many things around here the last year and I think May just kind of topped things off for me. My Dad's health, of course, has been on my mind. I think he is doing better. His numbers are doing well and he hasn't had a blood transfusion in a few months. He was getting one every month at the beginning of the year, so I think he is doing better.

We have also had some family issues we've been working on that kind of managed to attach themselves to explosives at the beginning of the year. We are currently still working on things. And while some have improved, I feel others have worsened. No, John and I are great. No worries there!

The one big thing that is bothering me now is I'm now out of meds. No refills. I could probably call the office and get a new prescription, but I'm thinking I don't want to do that. I really want is to find a way to deal with all the stress we are going through without medication. Risky I know but further down the road would be so much better.

Yesterday the girls and I spent the day working on some things that have been stressing me around the house. It hasn't been "Hoarders" bad, but bad for me. In fact, the other day when I mentioned I'm a neat freak John laughed. I think he has forgotten my normal tendencies. Since we had children I've had to do a great deal of adjusting to the new "norm". Eleven years later, I still don't like it. So, yesterday the girls and I worked on a few of the major issues.

First, we rearranged the classroom just a bit. You see our classroom is also the gym, John's office, and the craft room. I stay away from the office and the gym part as much as I can, but the craft part was bugging me. Since we put in the girls new desks, I have wanted to move their school bookcase. We switched the school bookcase and the craft pantry. Now the crafts are closer to my desk and the girls books are in front of their desks. Somehow in my head it just makes more sense that way.

We also did a lot of general cleaning. Jesse still does not sleep through the night most nights, so having a clean floor all over the house is essential to me not hurting myself at night when she calls me. It also just looks better. I keep reminding the girls our neighborhood is filling up and one day we'll be at the point (hopefully) that friends will just drop by to chat or play. I don't want us to be embarrassed by our home. Somehow I think this just bothers John and myself and the girls could careless, but I'm still hopefully one day they will see it our way.

My friend, April, pointed out last week that while stress can be dealt with by medications it helps to find a way to relax. She is so right! I am really hoping to start yoga soon. I've been saying that for quite sometime now, but I finally have a place downstairs where I can actually do it and not be in the living room. Since we rearranged furniture a few weeks ago, there is plenty of room in our bedroom to stretch out. I even talked to John the other day about me having fifteen minutes everyday with no interruptions so I can meditate. I'm working on getting things together for all this, but I'm hoping by the end of this week I'll start with everything. Yeah!

Halloween: I'll get pictures posted soon. Today, we are baking two batches of cupcakes for the CCT S.T.A.R. after party, and working the show this afternoon. So many things to do. lol

I am very happy to be wrong

I reported last week that none of our lilies returned this year. Well, a couple of days later John pointed out a few. I started counting. Twelve lilies are coming up. I had given up on them; my Dad's are about to bloom and mine are just coming out of the ground, but I'm glad they are there.


I had another discovery over the weekend, while planting the Mexican Heather. Last summer, my Dad gave a plant he had grown from me from one of his plants. Please do not ask me its name, because I really have no clue. What I can tell you is my Dad starting growing his summer before last and I loved it. It has tiny, thick leaves than drape over pots. I thought one would be perfect on our front porch. Last summer it was on my porch and it flourished! Well, it did flourish.

What I did not anticipate was our cat, Oreo, loved that plant too. She thought it was a wonderfully, comfy spot for her afternoon naps. In other words, by last autumn the plant was toast. I was heartbroken. Then, while taking a little rest, sitting on the front steps something caught my attention. There in the rise of the top step was something familiar. Several small plants. It was my plant! Growing right there on top of the mortar. John carefully pulled them up for me. There were two pieces. One plant growing tall by itself and another on a runner that had five or six small plants. Both pieces have been in a pot on my kitchen counter since Sunday. They have grown so much in less than a week. And this pot will stay in the house. No more nappy time for Oreo!

Dad's birthday

Saturday we went to spend the weekend at my parent's home, to celebrate my Dad's birthday. We took up a cake from Tiffany's (of course!). It was perfect for Dad because it was covered in flowers. And, as usual, it was delicious.

John and I bought Dad a new magnifying bar. It is a small hand held bar that magnifies two to three lines at a time. Of course, Dad knew he was getting this one. While I was up last week, my Dad and I were talking (while at the hospital) about the book he had ordered a month ago. The book had finally arrived with the tinest print! Dad was saying he wanted a new magnifier, but not a whole sheet. When I saw the bar, I thought it would be perfect. It even lights up!!

The girls gave him a new hummingbird feeder. Not just any feeder. A feeder that sticks to the window. It even has a moat, to drown those pesky ants! He was going to put it on the kitchen window, but I suggested the living room window. I'm not sure where he wound up putting it, but I'm sure he'll enjoy it.

Catching up #6 - Dad's blanket

I know I posted this on FB, but I never did here so Dad would not see it.

During the craziness of January, with all the theatre rehearsals, taekwondo classes and everything else I was trying to get done, I decided to make my Dad a blanket.

The treatment Dad is on, and the fact he has little blood, means my Dad stays cold. Well, honestly I could not let my Dad be cold. Yes, they have blankets in the house, but none made by me for Dad. So, early in January I started a blanket. I was really hoping to have it done by the weekend of the performance, so Mom could take it home with her. Well, I almost made that deadline, but then bronchitis reared its ugly head and I just couldn't focus on the blanket.

I did get the blanket done for a our trip up to see Dad in early February. It was the first time since Christmas we got to go up. (Play rehearsals were on the weekends too for this show.) I think my Dad liked the blanket. I made it blue, his favorite. I tried to make it long enough to cover those long legs of his! He did use the blanket that day as a pillow; we left it on the back of his chair. :)

Dad with his new blanket



Rosie just adores Grandpa!



Grandpa is always amused by Chloe.

I'm exhausted!!!

What a day! I woke up this morning at 5:30am and could not get back to sleep. At 6:00am, I finally decided I should just get up. I spent the next hour-and-a-half working on the menu and grocery list for the next trip to the commissary. It was so nice and quiet; I found the task less stressful with the quiet. We are going to try out some new recipes. Hopefully, they will turn out well, and John will be happy. :)

We did a little shopping this morning. Nothing big. Sometimes you just need to get out of the house.

Chloe and John spent almost all day working on her room. They moved her bed back against the wall. Then they worked on rearranging all of her stuff. Her room looks awesome; I just hope it stays that way for awhile. We still need to work on her closet. ;)

I, too, worked on rearranging some things. I mainly worked our bedroom. I still have quite a few things to do, but it is looking better. Our bedspread was washed the other day, so of course it shrunk even more. It is suppose to be machine washable, which is why I bought it. So annoying. Anyway, I was relieved to find out today that it still covers most the bed. However, one more wash and I believe it will be over for the bedspread.

I talked to my parents tonight. All is mostly well. Mom said my great aunt Helen is not doing well. Her body, at ninety-eight, is giving in. My Dad sounded great though. He is going to have to get more blood next week if his numbers stay the same. He'll know more when he goes in tomorrow.

Everything else is about the same. I am hoping to get the house back in shape over the next week, or two. I have quite a few projects on my To Do list, both big and small. One day I'll get them done, so I can take pictures of the house to post. I did take pictures of the daffodils that bloomed, so I'll try to get them posted very soon.

So much to say, so little time to say it

I have been meaning to post for a few days, okay a week now. So here we go:

Last Tuesday, John was off work so we had no school. Well, kind of. The three of them (John, Jesse and Chloe) wound up working on this.

Match stick houses!

I think they are adorable and they all did a great job. John cut off all the match tops and the girls created their own home (bird house). I believe more are being planned, but not sure when they will get started.

Rehearsals are still going strong. They are now 3 1/2 hours every night and have been for the past week, over the weekend they were four hours! So LONG. Especially, for the adults. Some of us live to far to go home then back again. Opening night is tomorrow and we are hopeful everything is going to fall into place. I believe it is that way with most plays. Seems like nothing will come together then all of a sudden they are fabulous! :) I plan on taking the camera tonight to get some backstage pictures, at least a few of them.

I got a call last Friday from Master Mike. Changes are coming to class. I cannot really talk about anything yet, because I still have a decision to make myself. John already feels he knows where everything will land in the end, but I'm still not convinced. I'll let you know when everything is out on the table.

Dad is well. He called yesterday and his creatin (kidney function, spelling could be WAY off) is back down to the "normal" range. He blood count took a nose dive too, which we were told would probably happen. If it continues to drop by that amount, he will need another blood transfusion next week. He sounds good, even if he doesn't feel good. I don't think he is as tired as he was before. Of course, he is sore from all the shots. I keep reminding him we'll take it one day at a time and sometimes we'll have to take a moment at a time.

John now has more responsibilities at work. I believe in the last year his work load has doubled. Nothing he is really thrilled about, but the reality is there is nothing he can do about it right now. He is hopeful change will come in a year or so. Our fingers are crossed!

School is going well. We did miss yesterday, because I am not well this week. I am hoping today we'll do better. But we are still in a great place as far as days. I wish we were further along in a couple of subjects: math and English. We just keep going along.

Changes, changes, changes

Dad has now had five days of treatment. He is doing well. I talked to him last night; he sounded good, but tired. He has two more days of treatment then he'll get a few weeks off.

The girls had rehearsal tonight, as most nights. But tonight was a bit different. When I went to sign the girls out, my friend Candy told me Jesse had a spill but she was not the worst injured. At first, I thought she was kidding. She went on to say that Jesse butted heads with another girl. Candy said they hit so hard Jesse fell backwards on her butt. I was very happy she fell backwards (we have reviewed, lots of times, how to fall in taekwondo). Jesse is fine. However, the other girl's cheek met Jesse's hard head. She instantly had a knot. Poor girl. I imagine tomorrow night her face will be black and blue.

John and I attacked our kitchen today. I am not sure if we'll wind up missing a few things but changes were made. We got rid of the coffee maker. John wants a French press. We moved the trash can, microwave and the cat/dog food. We finally broke down and trashed the non-stick pots that were beginning to stick. John even went out tonight and bought us a new set of pots and pans, BLUE ones. :)  The breakfast bar chairs are also gone. The cart that did have the microwave is going out into the garage for me to use for my gardening supplies. We still need to find homes for a few things, but it looks very open now.

I was invited to be part of a Parental Advisory Board for a new group, CCT STARS. The group is for theatrical students to put on shows to raise money for local charities. Our first show will be in a talent show in May. I have to admit I am not sure what I can add to this group of really outgoing women, but I am honored that Pamela thought to include me. I think my learning curve will be going to be huge!

Seems like forever ago!

It feels like I have not been here in weeks, when the reality is I was here a few days ago. So much has happened in the few days...

School is still going great! I love that we are right where I want us to be, as far as number of days go. The girls are still learning and still loving it. Of course it would be nice if Jesse would not rub it in at taekwondo that she gets to do schoolwork while still in her pj's. Poor Zack was just annoyed with her last night. LOL Of course, they were just picking on each other.

Jesse did argue with me today that when writing H20, the 2 should go above the H not as a subscript. I think she was confusing "squaring" a number from her math, with science. Luckily, we have several science encyclopedias and a science dictionary. She quickly found out her Mother was correct...again. ;)

The play is going well. Last night Chloe finally made it up on "Maurice's" back without him falling. :)  Funny how Belle has no problem with Chloe jumping on her. {snicker} Jesse has practice tonight; and I'll have a van full. I am taking four other children with me, so it should be a fun ride over! So long as I do not forget to get them! lol

Dad is having his first blood transfusion today. Mom called about noon to let me know things were going well, but it really is an all day process. His appointment was at 7:45am and the transfusion did not start until 11am. Each unit of blood takes two hours and he is getting two units. Long day for Dad! Mom said they have him in a bad chair. If you recall, Dad has osteoporosis and his vertebrae have been collapsing. Sitting all day without getting up is going to be difficult for him to say the least, especially in a "bad" chair. But she said he was doing well then. I'll hear more later.

John has had a crazy week at work. He has been at Troop Command all week doing USRs. I forget what it stands for, but I think it is the promotion list. Though I could be wrong. He was also asked this week if he wanted to go to Afghanistan. He told me, even if he wanted to go, he didn't think he would be allowed to since no one else knows how to do his job. So being gone for a year would probably be out of the question.

As you can see, life has been full this week. Maybe that is why it feels like I have not been here in awhile. Like the commercial says, Life comes at ya fast. Yep, enjoy every second of it.