Happy Birthday Liz!

I would like to wish Elizabeth a very special birthday. I hope you had a wonderful day and all the members of your family are feeling much better.

I really didn't do much today other than clean house. I had to wash floors, they were driving me crazy. It's amazing how filthy your kitchen & bathroom floors can get. Katie helped me wash the dishes. You know that was a lot of fun, but I was glad to get it done. We put all the Easter candy in gallon bags & packed up the Easter baskets for next year. Katie and I played Barbie dolls for a little bit. My main duty was to find all the Barbie doll clothes and dress them. What is it with little girls and taking the clothes off of their dolls?

It was such a nice day today, so I tried to get Katie out of the house. She went out for a little bit and next thing you know, she was telling me that she wanted to go back in the house because it was too cold for her. I was outside with shorts & short sleeve T-shirt and she was too cold. I knew what she wanted to do was watch her movie. Her new favorite movie is "Barbie in The Nutcracker." She loves it! It's fun watching her dance around the Living Room like a balleria. I think she watched this movie twice today.

I spoke to RuthAnne this afternoon and we got Katie all scheduled for swimming lessons for June 16th-20th during the morning hours. We are to meet at a sports club up the road from our house every day for 30 minutes at a time. The best part is I don't have to get a swim suit! Yes! She told me that she does much better if Momma isn't around, so I don't know what I'll do for 30 minutes. She told me to go ahead and get Katie adjusted to a small pool as soon as it gets warm enough. I told her that would not be a problem because Katie already tells me that she's a mermaid in the bath tub. It's funny watching her in the bath tub. She'll lay down with her hands behind her head with just a little bit of her face above the water. She tells me that she's relaxing. When she is a mermaid, she splashes most of the water out onto the bathroom floor. Thank goodness for thick towels. I've had to get a little strict with her because she'll splash water as far as the other side of the room.

The other day when we were at Target I nearly got a new swimming pool for this Spring/Summer. It was a blow up of Safari animals with a slide & water sprinkled out of the elephant's trunk. It was real cute, but I also liked another pool that had a different type of sprinkler.

I spoke to Mom today. Boy was she mad. She told me that she hates the rehab she's in right now(same one she was at before). Today, they made her do music therapy where you had to play an instrument until the therapist told you to stop. I guess they are measuring you on your motor skills and brain function. I told her that hopefully this will encourage her to get better and come home. Right off the bat, she told me that it's going to take time. I agreed with her. I didn't tell her about how I've feared that she is only doing what people tell her to do and nothing more on her own. I just hope Tim's right in his theory. He seems to think she hasn't done anything extra (on her own) because of all the medicine she's been on for so long. I'm going with Dad tomorrow to visit Mom. Peggy and Millard are going to watch Katie for me and Doug will probably pick her up on his way home.

Mom told me that Maryann passed out during one of her whirlpool therapies. I've been a little out of touch since Monday, so I didn't know about it. I called Maryann on her cell phone because I didn't know where she would be, June's, their house or the rental house. She did say that she had a difficult time with one of her therapy sessions & did pass out on Whitney and Natalie. Whitney and Natalie are in Florida, so this had to have happened around Monday. Of course, I don't know what day the girls were leaving for Florida, so it may have happened yesterday for all I know. Maryann said it happened when she found her blood pressure pills and decided to start taking them again. From what I understand, there might have been a reaction with the blood pressure medicine and pain pills causing her to black out. So, her doctor switched her pain medicine and she is doing better in that area. She saw the doctor this afternoon and he seems to think that she is healing real well. He didn't see any infection and apparently her nerves are healing because she said that her hands feel like they had a sun burn. The way she explained it was - you know when you get a sun burn and you go back out in the sun, you get a little burning action going on. Well, she said that's what it happening to her right now. Because of the pain pills she is on, she has to really concentrate on what she is doing because they are pretty powerful.

I asked Maryann about their house. She said that a cleaning company came in and cleaned it out, including the duct work. She is suppose to meet with the insurance adjuster and find out probably tomorrow how much they'll be getting for their Kitchen. Then, they need to find a contractor to get started on the work. Kevin said he didn't want them to move back into the house until the work is complete. So, I don't know how long it will take.

If you watch American Idol, don't forget that they have their results tonight based on last night's performances. You know, I haven't been too impressed with American Idol this year. Maybe it's because there is a lot going on with our family here for the past few months. I just can't get into it as much. The only ones that I've liked are David Cook, Carly Smithson and Michael Johns. Go figure! I like David Archuleta, but he is really getting too boring for me. He needs a good rock and roll song or a huge flame up his rear end to get him fired up.

I can't hardly wait for Hell's Kitchen! It will start April 1st. If you like that kind of thing, don't forget to watch on FOX channels.

Busy Day!

Today, I had a few errands to run. I actually got Katie up early enough for us to make the story time at the Library. She was the youngest child in the group. I guess there was 6-7 kids in the storytelling group. They started off singing silly songs. By this time, Katie warmed up to everyone. Do ya think she sat in her seat during story time? Nope! She wouldn't stay in her seat, instead she decided she would get her own book and ask me, very loudly, to read it to her. Ugh! How embarrassing! I tried everything to get Katie to take interest in the lady reading the group a Clifford The Big Red Dog book. Normally, Katie likes to read Clifford, but not today. After the book, the Library lady brought out a baby turtle for all the kids to look and pet it. Of course, all the kids wanted to see the tank that the turtle stays in. Then, they all had to see the Library spider and mouse. The tanks are too high for Katie to see, so the lady was nice enough to pick her up and let her see it. Katie really took up to her. All the parents and children pretty much departed after visiting the turtle & other creatures. So, I grabbed Katie a few books and a Strawberry Shortcake movie.

We got in line at the Power Board to pay our bill. Right off the bat, Katie begins to beg for a pink sucker. The lady started talking to her, but all they had was yellow suckers. Katie was okay with it because she ate it up while we waited at "If The Shoe Fits" to exchange a pair of sandals.

Peggy and Millard bought Katie a pair of Puddle Jumper sandals (white with pink polka dots), but they were in a size 7. Right now, she really needs to wear a size 7 1/2. Her old Puddle Jumper shoes that I bought her last Fall are really too small, but we've been making due. I may have to break down and buy another pair of tenny shoes in a size 8. I like the brand name Puddle Jumpers. She has wore hers most of time during the Fall & Winter and now Spring. Anyway, I exchanged the white sandals for hot pink with white polka dot sandals in a size 8. They are a little big, but I believe she grow into them by June.


I wanted to go walk a mile around the park, so we headed that way. I told Katie that she could play on the playground, if she let me walk my mile. She was so excited when we drove up. She said, "I go to the playground and slide." Of course, she was very disappointed when we passed the playground walking. She let me know right off the bat, "Mommy, go back! Playground is this way. No, it's that way." I had a hard time explaining to her. She finally gave up, got in the stroller and relaxed. By the time we made our round and made it back to the playground, she was all happy again. Since she was pretty good, I went ahead and let her play on it. She had a blast! I took a few pictures. She's gotten so tall that now she can go down all of the slides. My baby is growing up! :( As soon as she would come down one slide, she would literally run for the next slide. I was kind of surprised to not see any other children on the playground because it was a beautiful day. It was a little windy, but it was good windbreaker weather. I've got the other pictures on the photosite.

We finally got to go by our new Hobby Lobby. How fun! Even Katie didn't want to leave. Last year, I thought about making Katie some decorative flip flops, but the flip flops would have been too big. Not this year! I'm going to chance it. I got Katie a pair of pink flip flops & two different bandannas. If I do it right, they will look so cute. Katie is just as excited because she loves flip flops. They also had their boas on sale 50% off the price. I let her pick out one, but there were so many different colors to choose from. She finally picked out a pink one, which will go perfectly with her new flip flops.

Since I was gone all day today, we've got to stay at home and clean. I guess it's time to put up all of the Easter stuff and put our house back to normal. What is normal exactly? I've forgot what that it! I also need to make a few phone calls while I'm here. You would think I would get smart & program some of the phone numbers on my cell phone, so I can make calls while on the road.

I plan to go with Dad Thursday to see Mom. If you don't know, she was moved back to the rehabilitation center last night. Dad got her all set up before coming home. He was telling me all the things, he did yesterday (house work) and I told him that he would make a good housewife some day. He laughed and said he wouldn't be up for the job just yet. In fact, he would rather get a hotel room and let the maid service do the work. Too funny! Maybe with all of this work he's been doing, he will give Mom a little bit more appreciation as to her regular house duties.

Happy Easter!

Friday, Henry came over to burn some CDs and visit with us. That evening, we headed over to Jon's baseball game. We got there pretty late. What we did see, he did a good job. We got there just in time to see him hit and get to 1st base. Katie was being her usual social butterfly. She made all kinds of friends while we were there. Jamie, Tim's niece, saw us and took Katie to see Jon up close. From what Jamie said, she seemed to make friends over there as well.

Saturday, Doug wanted to go shopping and we had to go make our car payment. As you may know, Doug went ahead and bought a Blu-Ray DVD Player. Target was having a sale this weekend, where a few select Blu-Ray disks were buy one get one free. I don't know how long the sale will last. Doug ended up buying: "The Game Plan", "SpiderMan 3", "Casino Royale", "Pirates of Caribbean At World End", and "Enchanted." We went to Best Buy to check out their televisions and Blu-Ray DVDs. Doug was surprised that they didn't have any on sale. He heard that Blu-Ray are going to come down on their prices pretty soon. Katie and I went over the children's movies. I found a 4 pk. of Barbie Princess movies for $24.99, which would be $6.25 each. I thought that was a really good deal. It had the "Nutcracker", "Rapunzel", "Swain Lake", and "The Princess and the Pauper." We had to watch "The Princess and the Pauper" on the way home. Katie wouldn't take her eyes off of her DVD player in the car. When we got home, Peggy and Millard were in our carport. Millard was changing the blades on the lawn mower. Him and Doug had to go to Lowes, so us ladies piled up in the car and went with them. On the way back home, we stopped by and picked up a pizza from Carlton's. Peggy and I waited forever just to pick up a stinking pizza. The service in that restaurant is the pits!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Sunday. We woke Katie up at 7:30 this morning to let her see what the Easter Bunny brought her before we had to get ready for church. Would you believe I had to drag her out of bed? I carried her all the way into the Kitchen before she saw what was on the table. Once she woke up, she was tickled to see all the things that she got. It was when she saw the Barbie Mermaid that she got so excited. Then, would you believe she had the nerve to tell me that she wanted the purple Mermaid and not the pink. Ugh! She originally picked out the pink Barbie Mermaid and that's why the Easter Bunny got it instead of the purple. Doug said he thought she said that because she wanted the purple one too. I would believe it.

Right off the bat, she asked if she could have some chocolate. Sure, I always got to eat candy on Easter morning before church. It's a wonder if she doesn't have a stomach ache tonight because of all the candy she's ate today. She had a good time eating the junk food! I did get her to eat a hot dog, chips & mac-&-cheese. We'll worry about health food tomorrow, I guess.

We had our family over for an Easter luncheon. We had such a good time, no hussle. It was a very laid back day. We ate fried chicken, potato salad, corn casserole, rolls, chips & dip, and lots of sweets. I'm so full! I'm afraid I have a terrible start on a diet for September! I hope you won't be too embarrassed to be seen with me, Laura? You could always say that you don't know me. tehe! After lunch, we had our Easter Egg Hunt. You know, I think Katie did really well because she hasn't been egg hunting all year. Her and June got to playing a game. Who can get to the egg first? I didn't count, but I believe she found all the eggs (32 count). She found both prize eggs. She was surprised to see the money inside. She had a real good time playing outside with everyone finding eggs. Nicholas and June were swiping eggs out of her basket and re-hiding them. She finally caught on to their game. The sun was slowly disappearing behind the trees, causing it to get even colder. We didn't know if Katie would want to look for eggs inside the house, so June and Nick hide a few around in the Living Room. Katie had no more interest in searching for eggs anymore, instead she wanted to play with her dolls and eat junk food.

Other pictures are on the photosite.

Update On Mom
I called Mom this morning to wish her a very Happy Easter. When she first answered the phone, she sounded real strong and in good spirits. As I was telling her about Katie's experience this morning with the whole Easter Bunny thing, when I noticed that Mom was eating. I knew it because I could hear Dad saying the in the background, "here, eat this." I asked her if I was interrupting her eating. She said no. Then, I noticed that Dad told her "here, open up." What? I asked her if Dad was feeding her. "Yes", she said. I asked her if she couldn't feed herself. "Yes," she responded. I asked her if they were still going to release her tomorrow. She said she wasn't for sure, but the doctor was going to come in and talk to them about it. She said that she had been eating and everything seems to be going good. I reassured her that she would have company a little later today. I knew Susan and Leslie were going to visit, but I couldn't remember if it was Maryann and Natalie or June and Nick. Oh, well. Later, I told Susan about Dad feeding Mom. She told me that she's had to be fed the whole time or she won't eat at all. Ugh! I kind of wished I knew it because I could have fed her last Thursday. Susan said that Mom will eat some, but not much at all and she'll push the rest away from her. She also told me that Mom's blood sugar has been up and down. I didn't know this either and I felt bad because I made her an Easter basket with some chocolate. I told Sue, I guess Dad could eat it if any thing. Sue said that they were having a bad time getting Mom's sugar regulated and here I thought they had it under control. Hopefully tomorrow, we find out more information.

Update on Maryann
Maryann was having a bad day today. She felt a little bad because her make-up was pretty much gone because she had been crying from the pain. The doctor said there were a few spots that are 3rd degree burns. I felt so bad for her. They are slowly moving some things over to the rental house. They'll be living in it until their house is completely refinished.

Updates!

I didn't get home until 10:45 tonight, so I haven't been able to update you on the patients.

Mom's Condition
I visited Mom today. She didn't want to do a whole lot because she said she was too tired. I tried to get her to sit on the side of the bed, so I could wash her hair. She said she didn't feel like it. Later, I asked her again if I could wash her hair. Nope! Well that didn't work, so I asked her if she wanted a back rub. Yes! She never can refuse a good back rub. I got her up on the side of the bed for approximately 10 minutes, while giving her a rub down. I wanted her to go 15 minutes, but she kept saying "that's enough, thanks!" Ugh! I asked her if she could sit up a little longer, but she couldn't do it. She said she was just too tired. We did a few other things like get her teeth brushed, wash her face and put lotion on her arms and legs. She had a chest x-ray this morning and the nurse said there was no change and no more Pneumonia. I'm glad to hear that! They are still giving her breathing treatments. Her PT came in around 3:00 and worked with her legs a lot. You could tell she was getting tired from it, but it was good that he pushed her. Personally, I think she did good during therapy. Earlier, I let her take a little cat nap and then I talked her ear off. I wanted to see if I could get a reaction and response, which I did. She was bright eyed at times and talked to me quite a while. I think she did good other than continually telling me that she was so tired.

Maryann's Condition
Dad called me and let me know that Maryann did get to see a doctor about her burns. I have to say that lots of prayers were answered again. According to this doctor, he said that she has 2nd degree burns and not 3rd degree burns. According to Dad, she has blisters on her hands, which the doctor will burst in order to heal. He sent Maryann to the whirlpool (I think) to soak her hands. He said this will help in the healing process. He told her that she would heal in a couple of weeks. I asked Dad if he mentioned her going through skin graphs or re-constructive surgery and he said none of this was needed. Thank you God! Dad said he believed that they were headed to the house. He seemed to think that they were going to open up some windows and let the house air out a little. I don't know if she met with the insurance adjuster today.

Supper with Millard & Peggy
After I left the hospital, I stopped off at Claire's and Target. I found the cutest dress up bridal veil for Katie. They had two left, a white & a ivory. It was so sweet. I remember Whitney loving to dress up, especially as a bride. I thought Katie would like it. I started to get it for Easter, but it was killing me. I went ahead and gave it to her after supper. At first, she thought it was a skirt. When I finally put it in her hair and let her see herself in the mirror, then she figured out that it wasn't a skirt or a dress. "I'm a Princess!" she told me. I tried to explain that she was a bride. She didn't understand that one, so I just agreed that she was a princess. "Am I pretty?" she asked me. I told her, she was so beautiful and she would got shy on me. So sweet. Once she had the head piece, then she needed all of her bracelets, necklaces and purse. Peggy found some clip on earrings and Katie had a ball. "Look at me Paw-Paw!" she told Millard. "I so pretty." She had to show everyone her earrings. She left them on her ears pretty much the rest of the evening. When we were getting ready to leave, I tried to take them off to give them back to Peggy. Katie came all to pieces because I was taking her earrings. Peggy said she could keep them and she felt so much better.

I hate the thoughts of Mom celebrating Easter in the hospital, so I got a few things from Target. I found a unique square box with ribbon for the a handle. It was decorated in a type of paper with little pink bunnies all over it. I got her some things that she'll need like: lotion, chapstick, & Wet Ones and some things she won't need like: chocolate Easter bunny, M & Ms and some other Easter candy. While I was at Target, I went ahead and got a little bit more candy.

We had a really good supper tonight: roast, potatoes, carrots, Lima beans, corn, cabbage and potato salad. Peggy always makes so much. She made us a care package to carry home. You should have seen the gallon bag full of candy and chocolate candy for Katie from Millard & Peggy. My goodness! She's still working on the Christmas candy that we've got. HA!

Happy Spring!

Happy Spring!

Maryann Update

I thought you might want to get an update on Maryann's condition. I called and check on her this morning. She told me that her hands were beginning to burn. Natalie was able to help her wash her face and put on her make-up. She said that she could do some things with her left hand because it doesn't hurt as bad as the right. She told me about all the things she had to do today, from the doctor's appointment to meeting the insurance adjuster about the house. I suggested to her that Dad stay with her today because I don't mind going to the hospital without him. I think she'll breathe a little easier if he's there for her. She is suppose to call me later today to let me know what the doctor said about her hands. As soon as I find out some thing else, I'll let you know. Please continue to pray for them. Thanks!

Wayne and Laura have decided not to come this Easter weekend. I'm sad, but understand. Laura did say that they were still planning on coming this May for Doug's party.

Ready for Easter!

Easter Sunday, Doug and I have invited the family for a luncheon after church. Depending on the weather, we are planning to have an Easter Egg Hunt. I hope the weather cooperates with us. Since everyone is coming here, Millard and Peggy wanted me to bring Katie out to see their Easter Egg Tree that they made for her. Yesterday, Katie got all dressed up for Easter with her bunny and basket filled with plastic eggs. I think I got a few good pictures because she would not cooperate for nothing. Peggy got tickled at her playing around. More pictures are on the photosite.

They got her the duck dressed up like a bunny. It dances around and sings "The Bird Dance." It's really cute. At first, Katie was a little afraid of it, but she has warmed up to it now. We ate a pizza for lunch with Peggy and talked about Doug's birthday. We shared some ideas with each other and with out going into a lot of details, we didn't leave there until some time after 6:00 p.m. I called Doug to let him know, we were on our way home. Surprisely, he was still at work. Ugh! Poor thing! I guess he got home some time after 7:00. He was so tired.


Wayne called us the other day and told us that they were coming to visit us. What a nice surprise! I'm so excited. Doug mentioned a few things to Wayne that we could do while they are here. I'm still looking for other things that might happen this weekend.


Doug just told me that he's not going to be able to get his television Friday. The girl, he ordered it from, told him that the company is not releasing any TVs this week. He guesses because of the holiday weekend. He hopes to get it next week.


I called Mom this afternoon. She sounded lots better. According to her and Dad, she is off all medicine except the antibiotic for the Strep germ. She did have Pneumonia this past week, but the doctors told Dad that her lungs are clear and there are no signs of Pneumonia. THANK YOU DEAR JESUS! She did feel good enough to get out of bed and stand for a little while. Dad said she ate all of her soup and a little bit of ice cream at lunch time. I'm so relieved to hear this good news.


Whitney - you'll never believe what I tried tonight. California Rolls! Can you believe it? Doug brought them home tonight and we both sucked it up and tried them. I have to say, they taste pretty good. I'll definiately have them again. I didn't have any of the hot sauce that came with it because Doug said it was pretty hot. I liked the rolls by themselves. I would recommend them to anyone that likes seafood.


After the rain this morning, Katie and I got out of the house this afternoon long enough to do a little yard work in one of our flowerbeds. I cut back some monkey grass, racked out some leaves and planted bulbs. Poor Katie, I couldn't make her understand that you don't walk in the flowerbeds. Patiently, I explained to her about not walking in flowerbeds and I even showed her the flowers that were peeking through the soil. "Oh Mommy, that's a pretty flower," she said as she was squeezing the tips of the bulbs. Ugh!

Prayer Request
While I was writing in my blog tonight, I got a call from Susan. She said that Maryann's kitchen caught on fire from a skillet left on the stove. She was rushed to the emergency room because she grabbed the skillet and chunked it out the front door. All of us met her at the emergency room to make sure she was alright. She has 3rd degree burns on one hand and maybe 2nd degree burns on the other. Bless her heart, she was all bandaged up. She is suppose to meet with a doctor tomorrow to see how bad the burns really are. She said that she may be facing plastic surgery on the bad hand. I looked down her bandage and I saw where her fingernail got burnt. She said most of the burns are on the tops of her hands where the grease splashed on them. Natalie was there with her, while Kevin and Pat was at the house making sure everything was under control there. Nat said the whole skillet was a blaze when Maryann grabbed a pot holder, the skillet and headed for the door. We all loaded up from the hospital and went to Maryann & Kevin's house. Oh my gosh! Thankfully Natalie was in her room because from what I understand, Maryann and Kevin were in the basement and they didn't hear the alarm. It's just a mess! They got pretty emotional from time to time, which is perfectly understandable. Please keep them in your prayers!

Recently Watched Movies
I made today a movie day because it was suppose to rain all day. Well, they were wrong about that because I think most of the rain came and went around 9:00 this morning. We were going to have movie day any way. The first movie, "Enchanted" was pretty cute. I think I was enjoying it more than Katie or it could have been that she wanted to watch the "Barbie in Rapunzel" movie first. I promise, I try not to force things on Katie, she just likes Barbie. After we watched "Enchanted" the first time, she wanted to watch it again later on today. So, I know she liked it. When Giselle got first love's true kiss, Katie would get all shy and say, "oh, how sweet." Cute little booger! Rapunzel is the second Barbie movie I've seen and I'm really liking the Barbie movies. I rented "Becoming Jane" with Anne Hathaway and "Atonement" with Keira Knightly. I loved "Becoming Jane!" Not only can I watch it in front of Katie, but it had such a good story line. I remember being told a long time ago that Jane Austin based her story "Pride and Prejudice" on her own true love life. The only man she would ever and only love, Tom, was "Darcy" on "P&P." Tom was desperately in love with Jane, but because he depended in his uncle's fortune in order to take care of his parents and siblings, they could never be together. Later in life, he named his older daughter "Jane" and he was able to see Jane Austin again and introduce his daughter to her. Oh, it's so romantic. If you like good romantic chick flicks, you'll love this one. I have to be careful when I watch "Atonement" because it's rated R.

Latest Children's Books
Katie and I have been trying out some new books from the Library. If you've never read "Fancy Nancy," I recommend it. Especially if your little girl is a little priss like my Katiebug. I got so tickled reading this book. Katie even got involved with this book. She'd ask, "what's she wearing Mom? Is that Fancy Nancy?" Katie seemed to like Fancy Nancy, which I have to say that it fits Katie to a tee.

The next book is "Skippyjon Jones." Oh, my gosh! This book is hilarious. It's too funny, especially me trying to remember my Spanish. What a challenge for me and it was so funny that I had to laugh. When I laughed, Katie would laugh. I know Skippyjon Jones is like a series of books, so I'm excited to see what kind of adventure he's going to next with his imagination. Too cute!

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring! I hope you have an enjoyable day tomorrow.

When Your Huts On Fire!

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?"

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

The Moral of This Story:
It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

P.S. You may want to consider passing this on, because you never know who feels as if their hut is on fire today.

Keep GOD First and everything will become secondary in your life.

Natalie sent this to me and I had to share it with you.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Katie has really gotten into having her picture made. I just hope she keeps it up. I got her all dressed and she was so excited about having her picture made. "I get my picture made with my bunny Mommy," she said excitedly. As you can tell, she wanted to wear all of her head bands. I convinced her to just hold her Minnie Mouse & Snow White head bands. I had her sit Indian style, but it soon got to the crossing of the legs. She is such a priss. There will be more pictures on the photosite.

Our neighborhood kitty cat came up to visit us, while we were taking pictures. It's a sweet little kitten and she seems to enjoy our company when we are out in the yard.

We wish you a very Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations Nicholas

for accepting

Spring Hill!

Congratulations Leslie

for accepting

UNA!

Congratulations Liz & Nolan

for

selling their house & buying a new house!

Mom's Health Update

A lot has gone on since the last time I wrote. Dad and I visited Mom at the hospital friday. She seemed stronger than the day before, but still couldn't eat anything without getting sick.

Sue and I spent all day with her yesterday. She seemed to be in good spirits. She sat up on the side of the bed, by herself, in order for us to wash her hair (approx. 15 minutes). Later, her OT and PT came in to evaluate her condition. The PT had her sitting up on the side of her bed for another 15 minutes, while the OT went through some arm & leg exercises. I think she did excellent during this time. At supper time, she asked to sit up on the side of the bed again. By this time, she was getting tired. After she ate 1/2 bowl of Cream of Mushroom Soup, she was full and tired. If I had to guess, I would say she sat up for approximately 10 minutes. Mom told us that she has felt better than she has in the past few days, which made us feel really good. When we first got her into the hospital (Tuesday night), she was dehydrated. They really pumped the fluid to her. Now, the doctor seems to think the fluid got on her heart, causing her some difficulty breathing. She is on breathing treatments every 4 hours and they are giving her laysics (?) to dry up the fluid on her heart. She is on a small dosage of steriods for inflammation & muscle stiffness. Well the doctor said that the steriods are causing her blood sugar to rise. Before lunch, they tested her sugar and it was over 400. The nurse gave her 3 insullin shots to lower her sugar level. By supper time, her sugar came down to 296 and the nurse gave her one insullin shot. The nurse said her level should be around 120. Mom sat up, talked and laughed with us most of the time. When she got tired, we would talk and let her rest. The whole visit was encouraging to us.

June visited her today after church. She said that she was awnry and uncooperative. She didn't want to sit up on the side of the bed, not even raised up in the bed. June didn't think she ate all that much, but she hasn't had much to eat for about a week. She did say that Mom told her that she felt better today than she did yesterday. The doctor told June after testing Mom's strength that she is doing good. They tested her blood sugar and it got down to approximately 210.

Our Photosite

I received a notice yesterday saying that our photosite has been upgraded for security reasons. I sent out invitations to all my family, that I had their email addresses, in order to view our photo albums. If you didn't receive an invitation and you are my friend or family member and you would like to view our photo albums online, please send me a comment or email me. I'll be sure to send you an invite.

Katie

The little stinker, she wouldn't get up yesterday. I finally had to wake her up around 9:00, before I left to meet Sue. I told Doug that she probably wouldn't take a nap because she got up so late. Well, she took a two hour nap and according to Peggy, she had to go wake her up because she wouldn't wake up on her own. I put her to bed at 10:00 last night and would you believe that I couldn't keep her in her bed for 2 1/2 hours. I would feel something crawling around me or she would be laying on me. I would have to get up and take her back to her bed. Like I said, this went on until around 12:30 a.m. I was so mad at her by this time that I couldn't go to sleep because I was afraid she might scare me again. I tossed and turned until after 2:00 a.m. My alarm went off at 6:30 this morning to get ready for church. Ugh! I felt like a freight train ran over my body. I was exhausted and zero energy. I told Doug after I took my bath that if Katie gets up after 9:00 that she is to only have a 30 minute to hour nap during the day.

Dad's TV Bit The Dust

As you may know, Dad and Mom's TV bit the dust. Dad said this past Wednesday, I believe, he was smelled burning wires and knew it was the TV because it had been giving him some trouble. They have a small 13 inch TV in their bedroom, so he got it out to watch. He said that he didn't know how long he could take watching this tiny TV. Well, Doug had been asking me for us to buy a new TV. He had a friend of a family member that works for LG to order him a new TV. Doug and I were planning on giving Dad and Mom our TV as soon as we got a new one. Well, I was hoping that theirs would last a lot longer than it did. I told Doug about Dad's TV dying and he got so excited. He asked again about the way I felt about ordering a new TV. I gave in, thinking of my parents. Yes girls, I gave in. He not only got a new flat screen, but an HDTV. Ugh! What have I done? I hope I don't regret this decision. Our new TV won't get in anytime soon, but a friend of ours was wanting to get rid of her TV. She offered it to Dad and he was so excited. We went this evening and picked it up to take back to his house. Doug and Pat got Dad all fixed up with the television settings. He seemed so excited and happy over his new TV.

Kansas Woman Stuck On Her Boyfriend's Toilet

Okay, this is a little hard to believe. I thought Doug and Wayne was pulling my chain when they told me about this story. There is definitely a story behind the story. Beings there are no names are pictures in association to this article, I had to find a picture to add to the humor. Do you think she looked somewhat like this lady?

Below is the article from Fox News.

Kansas Police: Woman Pried From Boyfriend's Toilet After Sitting on It for 2 Years

WICHITA, Kan. — Deputies say a woman in western Kansas became stuck on her boyfriend's toilet after sitting on it for two years.

Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said it appeared the 35-year-old Ness City woman's skin had grown around the seat. She initially refused emergency medical services but was finally convinced by responders and her boyfriend that she needed to be checked out at a hospital.

"We pried the toilet seat off with a pry bar and the seat went with her to the hospital," Whipple said. "The hospital removed it."

Whipple said investigators planned to present their report Wednesday to the county attorney, who will determine whether any charges should be filed against the woman's 36-year-old boyfriend.

"She was not glued. She was not tied. She was just physically stuck by her body," Whipple said. "It is hard to imagine. ... I still have a hard time imagining it myself."

He told investigators he brought his girlfriend food and water, and asked her every day to come out of the bathroom.

"And her reply would be, `Maybe tomorrow,"' Whipple said. "According to him, she did not want to leave the bathroom."

The boyfriend called police on Feb. 27 to report that "there was something wrong with his girlfriend," Whipple said, adding that he never explained why it took him two years to call.

Police found the clothed woman sitting on the toilet, her sweat pants down to her mid-thigh. She was "somewhat disoriented," and her legs looked like they had atrophied, Whipple said.

"She said that she didn't need any help, that she was OK and did not want to leave," he said.
She was taken to a hospital in Wichita, about 150 miles southeast of Ness City. Whipple said she has refused to cooperate with medical providers or law enforcement investigators.

Authorities said they did not know if she was mentally or physically disabled.

Police have declined to release the couple's names, but the house where authorities say the incident happened is listed in public records as the residence of Kory McFarren. No one answered his home phone number.
The case has been the buzz Ness City, said James Ellis, a neighbor.

"I don't think anybody can make any sense out of it," he said.

Ellis said he had known the woman since she was a child but that he had not seen her for at least six years.
He said she had a tough childhood after her mother died at a young age and apparently was usually kept inside the house as she grew up. At one time the woman worked for a long-term care facility, he said, but he did not know what kind of work she did there.

"It really doesn't surprise me," Ellis said of the bathroom incident. "What surprises me is somebody wasn't called in a bit earlier."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,337232,00.html

Update On Mom's Condition

Update On Mom
I spoke to Mom this morning and she seemed to be in good spirits. She got in a room yesterday afternoon. She was really tired because she wasn't able to sleep good. Apparently, her room is near a nurse's lounge and they were having a good time last night. Her blood pressure is still stable and her fever is like a yo-yo. Late last night, she had a temperature of 104 degrees, but this morning it was 101 degrees. Her heart looks good, no problem there. She isn't experiencing any achiness like she was Tuesday night. Maryann and Dad went this afternoon to the hospital to visit her. Maryann let me know that so far the blood cultures are not showing any signs of bacteria growing, so this is a good sign. Since the cultures are not showing any kind of bacteria, they have not and will not remove the pick line from her arm. They said their main concern right now is getting rid of the Strep germ she has and they need the pick line in order to get the antibiotics in her. The doctors went ahead and took her off one of the antibiotics for the Staph germ because they feel she is not at risk. She did have pink eye. Dad said he saw lots of puss inside her eye lid and they were all matted up again like Tuesday night. Thank you again for all the needed prayers!

I plan to go to the hospital with Dad tomorrow, while Whitney babysits Katie for me. She seems to do go with Whitney. Doug's got an eye appointment tomorrow morning in order to get new glasses. He told me that he's having difficulty reading some documents at work and he's too ashamed to wear his old glasses.

Katie and I had to go to the Library and return some books and DVDs. I was upset because I thought we got them back to the Library on time, but they ended up being a couple of days late. Ugh! Normally, I try really hard to get the books and movies back to the Library on time because I hate paying late fees. I guess with everything going on right now caused me to overlook them. I let Katie take her time looking at all of the books, this time. Every time we go, I encourage her to pick out books she would like to take home. Today was the first time she's actually done it. I praised her for choosing her own books. She did a pretty good job picking out the books. She picked out "Franklin" and "Rudolph the Red-Noised Reindeer." I wanted us to try "Widget" and I've been wanting us to read "Zen Shorts" and "Fancy Nancy." We got around 11 books and 1 movie, "Barbie, The Island Princess." I've never seen a Barbie movie before and I was amazed how good it was. Katie stayed glued to the television watching it. She told me that she liked Barbie.

Aren't they cute little angels? Sweet Cousins - Lilly Ann and Jake!

Our little professional!

Because my hair is getting long, I bought some new combs and barrettes to go in my hair. Katie had a blast playing with my combs and asked me to fix her hair. She was being such a miss priss, prancing around with her new hairdo. She had to go in the bathroom and look in the mirrors to see her hair style.

CPSC Recalls

1. Toy Sundae Sets Sold at Target Recalled by Battat Inc. Due to Choking Hazard. Link: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08220.html
2. Battat Recalls Additional Magnetic Construction Sets; Ingested Magnets Pose Aspiration and Intestinal Hazards - http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08221.html
3. Toy Airplanes, Cars, and Motorcycles Recalled by S.U. Wholesale Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard - http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08219.html

Another Scare!

Well, we got another scare yesterday with Mom. I called to check on her yesterday morning, hoping she was gone to therapy. When she answered, I couldn't understand her at all. What I could make out, she said that she was so weak and afraid that they (rehab clinic) was killing her. She had high temperatures, severe diarrhea and still pain in her shoulder. When I hung up from her, I called her nurse to find out further information. The nurse seemed just as concerned about her condition. She said while I was on the phone with her, Dr. Stewart was evaluating Mom's condition. The anti-diarrhea medicine they were administering into her wasn't working like it should. The nurse went on to say that Mom wasn't able to feed herself because of the weakness and she couldn't keep anything on her stomach. She tried sitting her up and Mom complained that she was getting sick again, so they laid her back down in bed. I knew that if Dad saw or heard about her condition, he would be so upset. I didn't think he needed to go by himself. I didn't know if I should have been too concerned because I haven't seen her in over a week because of sickness in my own family. I didn't want to upset anyone, but I didn't want Dad to be alone either. I called Sue, Maryann, and June to tell them what the nurse and Mom had to say about her condition. None of them were able to go with Dad to the rehab clinic, so June offered to watch Katie while I went with him. I briefed Dad on what I knew about Mom on the way to the clinic. I didn't want him to be surprised.

Walking into her room, Mom was sitting up in her bed with her eyes closed and wouldn't talk to us. I was hoping that she was just taking a nap and having a hard time waking up. So, I just kept talking to her and asking her to open her eyes and talk to us. Every once in a while she would moan or groan. This was scary! I continued talking to her and washing her face. She had a fever, but I don't know what the temperature was. She was so hot that her face was blood red. They put in a suppository for the fever and I kept a cold cloth on her face. She also began to complain about feeling achy all over her body. I asked her if it was the same achy that she felt when she was in the hospital from the first blood infection. She told me yes. During this time, Dr. Adams came in and told us that he would feel better, if she went back to the hospital for Dr. Barnes to check her out. He just felt like there was something else going on with her health that was beyond their control.

In the ER, she had a temperature of 102 degrees and had low blood pressure between 115-118 over 50 (I think). Her heart rate was around 83. A little later, her fever broke and she talked with me a little better than before. I kept my eye on her monitor. I watched her blood pressure drop and drop. I asked one of her nurses, look to be 18 years old with her braided pig tails, if her blood pressure was alright because it's been dropping. She said, "oh, yeah. It's okay. Mine gets that low at times." I was thinking, but didn't say anything. Yeah, but your not 71 years old. As soon as the nurse left, Dad told me exactly what I was thinking. I had to agree with him. Her blood pressure got as low at 88/44 and her heart rate was 69. The graveyard shift came in and the nurse, Bobby, asked me if her blood pressure had been that low all evening. I told her what was going on and she said that it was awfully low, but she would keep an eye on it. It wasn't long after that before the ER doctor came in and told us that he thought it was the pick line in her arm that was causing all of her symptoms. He seem to think there was an infection in her arm from the pick line, since she's had it in her 3-4 weeks. He said the longer she has that pick in her arm the higher the risk of infection. He explained that the pick is a plastic tube and is easy to collect bacteria thus getting infected. Dad remembered later that that was the same arm she has been complaining about her shoulder hurting. Maybe there was a connection. Who knows? The doctor said, he felt the pick line should come out as soon as possible because her blood pressure keeps dropping. He said if her blood pressure doesn't drop any lower than what it was right then, he would leave the pick in and wait for Dr. Barnes to look at it, but if it dropped any more that it was coming out. He told us that they were sending her to ICU for constant monitoring throughout the night. We got to the hospital around 8:00 p.m. and Dad and I left to go home around 1:00 a.m. I think I crawled into bed around 3:00 a.m. this morning.

This morning, June took Nicholas to his heart doctor for more tests. Nicholas told me it was pretty scary because he had another episode and his blood pressure dropped 88/30 (I think). He told me that they wouldn't know anything until next week. When they left his doctor's office, they visited Mom. June said she was in MICU (I don't know what the "M" stands for). The doctor had the pick line taken out of her arm. They were able to get her blood pressure back up and stable. June told Susan that she looked real bad and her face was swollen. She said that a team of doctors were going to come in and see her some time today. I got the MICU visiting hours, phone number and pin# from the hospital and June. I spoke to Dad and gave him all the information, I knew. He said that him and Maryann were going to the hospital during the 1:30-5:00 visitation hours.

I just hope and pray that this will be the end of the infections. She has been through so much. Dad reminded me last night that the 13th of this month marks 3 months from the first back surgery. I can't believe it's been 3 months already and Mom is still going through so much. Dad told me a couple of weeks ago that maybe in a year, if every thing goes okay, he would like to take Mom away up the West Coast. I told him that I thought that would be a great idea.

Thank you for all the prayers!

Dear Lord,

Dear Lord,

I thank You for this day, I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God.

You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said, or thought that was not pleasing to you.I ask now for Your forgiveness.

Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You. Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things .

Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. And give the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits.I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart.

Continue to use me to do Your will. Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak... Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others.

I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those that don't believe. But I thank you that I believe that God changes people and God changes things.

I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace , love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.

I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight.

I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees it.

Natalie sent this beautiful prayer to me and I thought it was too meaningful and true to just pass it along in an email. I want to share it with the world. I didn't want to just pass it along to a few names on an email that more than likely will be deleted because you either don't have time to read it or most businesses don't appreciate email forwards during their work hours.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Happy Birthday Ryan!

I saw the above "Happy Birthday" deer and thought of you. I also thought of you when I saw this video. Too funny! Of course, it fits Natalie's sense of humor much better. tehe! I hope you had a great day today and don't work too hard. Tell Kacy hello. Love you!

Mom's Health Update

I received further news from Maryann this morning about Mom's infection in the bowel. Apparently, it's not really an infection. The antibiotics she was taking was killing off the good bacteria in her system, which caused her to have loose bowels. She is not contagious. She just has to eat more yogurt. Beings that she has missed so many therapy sessions, she will be staying a few more days.

Doug and Katie's Health Update

Doug is feeling much better and went to work this morning. Katie still isn't 100%, but I've got her eating plenty of yogurt, cheese and drinking Power Ade, she doesn't like Gatorade.

Last night, Doug rented "The Bee" movie for Katie and it's pretty funny. She seemed to like it, but I don't know if it's one of those that you would have to watch over and over. Oxygen was playing "Pride and Prejudice" and "2 Weeks Notice" this past weekend. I had to record both of them. I love "Pride and Prejudice" and Doug doesn't understand why I would love such a movie. The newest "Pride and Prejudice" with Keira Knightly answers everyone's question - Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett do end up together. It's wonderful! I started watching it last night and finished today. I'll have to keep this one in my DVR until I get the DVD. Classic!

Well, it happened! Katie was running every where and busy as a bee. You know minding her own business. I wanted to watch "Monster-in-law" last night and Doug was doing some homework. Why not? Right? I mean it's a PG-13 movie. There's no nude parts just a little language problem. Katie happen to be in the room right when Wanda Sykes says, "Oh, S@^&!" Well those particular words rolled right off Katiebug's tongue just as plain as day. I knew it would happen one day, I just hate it that it had to be on my watch. Ugh! I turned the movie off right then and there. I gave Katie the lecture how we don't talk like that and it's a bad word. You know the whole spill. I guess she saw it as an open invitation to cuss words. Ugh! She finally stopped when I gave her a warning. She hates the warning because she knows she'll have to sit in the naught chair for three minutes for not minding. Of course, all of the chaos striked an interest in Doug and he had to peek around the corner to find out what was going on. I told him what happened and he thought he needed to discuss this further with Katie. At that point, she felt she needed to tell him what she said. He gave her a warning of a spanking, if she said it again. Then he turns to me and said at least she didn't learn the word from him. Smooth come back, babe.

Did you make it to church on time? Ya know, I'm so in favor of us sticking to one time all year. I know there are some states that stick to one time and I think that is a great idea. It takes me 6-7 months to get use to the new time and then poof, it's time for the time to change back. Because Doug and Katie didn't feel good, I went to church at 10:00. I got to see tons of people running late for church. I ran into one of my friends, Shena. She was laughing saying that they forgot about Daylight Savings.

Doug and Katie both had stomach problems last night, so I left them in bed this morning. I probably would have stayed as well, but it was my turn to watch the two year olds at church. The ladies that helped me out said that they knew of several cases of people having the stomach bug. I have know idea what's wrong with my crew. Katie went from throwing up to diarrhea. It still might be from sinus drainage, but I have no clue. I'll tell you one thing I do know - I'M SICK OF THE SICKNESS!

Maryann called and spoke to Doug, while I was gone to Walmart to pick up some things. Maryann told Doug that Mom was sick again at the rehab. She has a stomach virus and according to Susan, she also has an infection in her bowels. She's on more antibiotics for the infection and of course they can't do anything for the virus. I'll be glad when Mom gets home then maybe she'll have a good chance of getting better. I don't know.

Can you believe Easter will be here in a couple of weeks? If everyone in my little family will stay well enough, I need to look for a dress. While I had the chance, I went ahead and got candy for the Easter bunny. Have you tried the candy grass? It's awful! This is just a friendly warning - DON'T EAT IT!

Spring Snow

Wow! What a surprise, we got this morning. Honestly, the way weather forecasters were talking up this snow storm, I really thought we wouldn't have any.

Montana was none too pleased with the white stuff all over the place and the bitter cold. I kept telling him to go back in his house because he was shaking the whole time. He wasn't going to let a little cold weather interrupt figuring out what I was doing.

I think we got quite a bit of snow in our little neighborhood.


Here's a picture of our Easter tree and bunny. You really can't tell from this picture, but we have eggs hanging from the tree. Katie loves her Easter Egg Tree and Bunny. I want you to know there is a lot of sweat and blisters from making this Easter Egg Tree. LOL. More pictures are on our photosite.

I talked to Dad this morning. He was checking to see if we were going to see Mom today. I told him about Katie getting sick yesterday and that we had better stay here today. He said they only got a light dusting. He couldn't get over that we got more than a light dusting. The forecasters predict that it's not going to warm any time today. I think we should just snuggle up with our blankets, pillows and watch movies today.

Doug has already come through the Living Room telling us that he's going to look for a new leaf blower and can opener today. He couldn't believe I got our old leaf blower working last Thursday. This past Fall, it's been giving us some trouble. Now, our electric can opener is on the fritz. I told him to just use the manual can opener, but he said that he prefers an electric. He asked if we were going with him, but I told him that I didn't want Katie getting out too soon. She doesn't act 100% yet, but she's drinking some milk this morning. I'm hoping she'll be able to keep it down. Doug brought her home the new "101 Dalmatians" movie last night, as a get well present. We are watching it this morning and she seems to like it pretty good. I've got the VHS version of the movie, but it's been a long time since she's seen it. At the time, she didn't like it. Oh, I have to tell you. While watching the previews, I saw where "Sleeping Beauty" is coming back out. Yes! I've got this movie on VHS and need to replace it with a DVD version. I remember going to the theater with Susan, Paula, and Sonya when Sonya and I were 6 years old. Sonya and I wanted to sit in the very front of the movie theater. Susan and Paula, Sue's friend & our neighbor, were so embarrassed to be seen with us little kids. Oh, the memories!

DON'T FORGET!

TOMORROW STARTS DAYLIGHT SAVINGS, SO BE SURE TO ROLL YOUR CLOCKS FORWARD TONIGHT!

Katie Sick

St. Patrick's Day the Veggie Tale way. Katie loves Veggie Tales and thought we would share it with you.

Well, Katie got up sick this morning. While Doug was getting ready for work, he heard her crying and helped her get into bed with me. She seemed restless and wouldn't be still long enough to go back to sleep. Right after Doug left for work, she got up coughing and gagging. I got her calmed down when she said she wanted something to drink. Not thinking that she might have an upset stomach, I gave her milk. DUMB MOM! I won't go into detail because I think you know what happened next. Our comforter got in the cross fire, so I'm trying to wash it in the washing machine. Ick! All the days when I want her to drink Gatorade and juice, she wants milk. Go figure! She wouldn't eat crackers or toast and kept crying for pancakes. She likes the Eggos brand of mini pancakes. I took a chance in making her a few. It seemed to agree with her because she kept them down along with her juice. Hours later when she woke up from an hour nap, she got sick again. Ugh! I don't think she has a stomach bug because she seems to feel better after she calms down. I spoke to Maryann this afternoon and she seemed to think it's sinus drainage on her stomach. I had thought of the same thing because the way she would act. Bottom line is I think Katie has a little cold along with sinus drainage. Doug was sweet enough to stop by the grocery store and grab a few things for Katiebug. He got a gallon of apple juice, gatorade, jello, and apple sauce. Normally, Katie likes cherry or strawberry jello and strawberry/banana sauce. Do you think she would eat it tonight? NOPE! I guess that's the way it goes when you're sick, your taste buds get screwed up.

We got quite a bit of rain last night and early this morning. I've heard that the water board officials are talking about lifting the drought regulations. I went outside and it is bitterly cold. They are still forecasting on the news that we should get at least an inch of accumulation by late tonight. Brrr! I'm glad we got out yesterday because we didn't get out today and probably won't tomorrow either. I hate it that the early Spring flowers will probably get bit back. All night, we've been hearing it rain. I hope that all it will do is rain all night. We are under a Winter Weather Advisory all night. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

American Idol
I can't say I was surprised about the results last night. I do have to dance because DANNY is out of the house Dawg! LOL That boy was crazy or driving me crazy, I don't know which. It is clear he didn't have a real man figure in his life and that's all I'm saying. I have to say that I didn't enjoy the 80s week of auditions. I sure hope next week will be better. Oh, I'd like to know what medication Paula is addicted to this year? She made absolutely no sense with her goofy comments the other day. After she was acting like a fool with the crazy comments, Doug and I just looked at each other as to get confirmation as what we just heard. Was that too mean? Sorry, if it was.

Happy Birthday Susan!

I would like to wish my big sister, Susan, a very Happy Birthday! I hope you had a wonderful day today and don't work too hard.

Little Scare
Just when we are thinking the sun is beginning to come out and things are looking a little brighter, something else happens. It all started when I got a disturbing call from my Aunt Sherry yesterday morning. She was concerned about my Mom's health. Apparently, she heard about Dad being upset when he got home Monday night. He was upset because he was afraid that Mom had a stroke. She was having symptoms like a stroke victim. Her whole body was shaking, her arm was hurting, she couldn't feed herself and she had some numbness in her face. I spoke to Susan and she said when she spoke to Mom, she had a slight slur to her speech. I know when I spoke to Mom Monday night, I had a hard time understanding what she was saying. Well, Maryann and June got on the phone to Mom's doctors' offices to find out more information. The nurses told them that Mom had been on Flomax (?) for her bladder problems. According to one of the nurses, the symptoms that I mentioned above are side effects from Flomax. The nurse from the rehab clinic reported our concern to Mom's doctor and he in turn had Mom taken off all medication until we could find out more information. Last night, June, Susan and Dad visited Mom at the rehab clinic and met with her doctor. He feels confident that her unusual behavior was from the Flomax. He went on to say that even though she is off the medicine right now, it would take a while to get the drug out of her system. To be on the safe side, he ordered her to have a PT (brain scan) and another blood culture today at the hospital. Susan told me that after just 12 hours of Mom being off of the medicine, she could tell a huge difference. Before Mom told Susan that she just didn't feel good and she too was concerned about the shaking and pain in her shoulder/arm.

Today, Sandy told me about Mom running a fever. I called the nurse at the rehab and she said Mom was running a fever of 101.3 degrees. Dr. Adams wanted the nurse to give Mom some Tylenol and see if it will come down. Mom told Sandy that she still couldn't feed herself because of the shaking. The nurse told me that her PT scan came back okay. It showed no indication of a stroke, which was a huge relief.

My Health

After not hearing anything back from my doctor as to what was causing my problem, I called him back this morning. Thankfully, he called me back personally this morning. He said that he ran all the usual tests as what it could be, nothing showed up unusual. In other words, there's nothing bad wrong with me so I can breathe easier. If it's caused from the miscarriage, it's a little late. He said it could be anything like the miscarriage or stress. I told him about what I've been going through and he said that could be it. There really is no known reason, but if it happens again with out any just cause, then we will run more tests and look to it further. Right now, we hope it won't happen again. The symptoms are pretty much going away. I feel better than I did say two days ago. FREAKY!

Beautiful Day
Katie and I stayed outside this morning to enjoy the beautiful weather. The sun is shining, the wind is lightly blowing and all the song birds were out serenading us. The little stinker got one of her balls and rolled it down the driveway. I went and got it because I didn't want her going into the street. As I was handing it back to her, I told her not to do that again. I no sooner got back to my chair, she did it again. Ugh! This time I put the ball up. The little turkey went and found another ball and did it again. I left the ball down there and she was having a fit wanting me to go get it. "No," I told her. Then she found a plastic Easter egg and rolled it down the driveway. I caught her tiptoeing down there to get it, but I'd catch her every time and make her come back up the driveway.

June came over for lunch and it was so beautiful that we all had a picnic outside. I think June enjoyed sitting outside while having a bologna sandwich and sweet tea. We had to revisit our scare from yesterday with Mom and roll it around in our head. We had a real nice visit.

Rental Toys

Have you heard about this? June was telling me about this today. People are starting up small businesses to rent out toys. It's like Netflix, but Toyflix. You can rent toys for your children for a month or so and return them. So cool! Here's one of the sites I've found that rent toys: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23098673/

Showtime & The Movie Channel

If you have satellite programming and you are not currently paying for Showtime & TMC, they are playing all this weekend for free preview. The weekend starts today and "Failure to Launch" is playing on TMC. I'm glad because that bad snow storm is suppose to hit here tomorrow. I figure Katie and I will have to have another movie day, if it's too cold to get out.

Isn't this so sad? If you haven't heard Patrick Swayze is battling Pancreatic Cancer. He is undergoing chemotherapy. Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Airborne A Myth Remedy

Airborne A Myth Remedy

I found out today in the news that Airborne is not a miracle remedy to keep you from getting sick. The big question is Airborne keeping people from getting sick with the common cold? Here is a direct quote from the article:

It wasn't. In 2006, ABC News discovered that the "clinical study" that the company had been touting as proof that its product cured colds was not really very clinical, nor much of a study.

"There was no clinic, no scientists and no doctors," ABC reported. "The man who ran things said he had lots of clinical trial experience. He added that he had a degree from Indiana University, but the school says he never graduated."

That report sparked a class-action lawsuit. Now, while not admitting any wrongdoing, the company has agreed to settle the lawsuit, and it will offer Airborne customers a refund on sales, paying out $23 million.

You can claim your refund by filling out a form at this Web site. Airborne will refund the full price of all Airborne products for which you have a proof of purchase.

Doug and I purchased some Airborne last week to boost our immune system. We only spent $4, so I'm not in any hurry to get a refund.

Changing Blogger Layout

Sarah - I figured it out when it comes to changing the layout without loosing all of your stuff. It all comes down to your "widgets." Under editing your HTML look for all the codes (usually down to the bottom) that have "widget" to the left. Those are the pictures, text, lists, etc. that you've added to your blog. If you delete them, you'll erase everything that you've added. I've found out that if you delete all the codes around your widgets including your profile & blog archive, you can successfully keep your other stuff. Don't worry about your profile or blog archive because your new layout will have this widget in it codes. You'll notice that if you don't delete your old profile & blog archive widgets, you can't save the template because there will be two of these.

Copy the new layout codes and paste in your HTML. Highlight and cut from "b:/section" down. Paste this part of the code at the very bottom below your widgets. You can also move your widgets around by doing this same technique. If you have any questions, please contact me and I'll be glad to help.

That's my tech talk for today. LOL

Katie Fall Activity Decision

Doug and I talked last night and I think we've decided to enroll Katie in ballet instead of Mom's Day Out this year. I would like to take Katie to the Spring Recital this May and see if she is still hot for ballet. If so, I will feel a little more confident in enrolling her for the Fall classes. Now, I've got to see what day the classes will take place to make sure it won't run into our plans to go to the beach next September. If it does, I guess I'll have to make arrangements. I think I'm more excited than Katiebug. She'll look so cute in her little tutu. I guess I won't be getting Katie's hair cut any time soon, so I can pull her hair back during classes. Now, I've got to learn how to put her hair in a ballerina bun.

Happy Birthday Sandy!

I would like to wish my big sister, Sandy, a very Happy Birthday! I hope you had a wonderful day. I wish you many many more birthdays. I Love You!

The Ballet Theatre called me back today. Mrs. Willingham said that she didn't think Katie would be ready for the Summer Ballet Program in June. Instead, she would like to see us register her for this Fall's registration for Pre-Ballet for 3 year olds. The class would last 9 months starting in August through May. Katie would be going to class once a week for 45 minutes at a time. Doug and I didn't think it was that expensive at all. In fact, it was much cheaper than Mom's Day Out. Hum! I told Doug this morning, if Katie doesn't get into Mom's Day Out at least she would have Ballet Class to go to. Mrs. Willingham said she would learn all the basics of ballet. Once she has at least two years ballet experience, then she would have the opportunity to study other dances like jazz. She suggested that we take Katie to their Spring Recital in May to see what she'll be learning. She went ahead and added me to her list for future mailings of class schedules, recitals, and other future programs for the year. As you can probably tell, I'm beginning to get a little excited for Katie. So many opinions. Now we all (Doug, Katie and myself) need to sit down and figure out a plan.

Did you survive the storms last night and early this morning? Because of the thunder, Katie ended up sleeping with us. She told me that the thunder scared her. Until the storm passed, she slept underneath my chin and held on to my arm so tight. I kept reassuring her that it was alright. At one point, she had me put the covers over her head. As soon as she fell asleep, I uncovered her head. Our weather radio kept waking us up. The first time, I jumped out of bed and was ready to grab Katie and hit the hallway. It went off to tell us that our county would be under a Tornado Watch until 9:00 a.m. Ugh! The next time, I wasn't so excited because it was to let us know that we were under a T-storm Watch. You know, I appreciate our weather radio, but I wished we could just set it for Tornado Warnings only. That thing kept going off everytime there was change. Needless to say, Katie and I slept in this morning. Poor Doug had to go to work or he would probably have slept in with us.

Doug gave me some surprising news this morning. We don't know if it's good or bad news. The group managers had a meeting and decided to move Doug into another area of the quality department. Apparently, they are changing his job description. He will be trained to be a Quality Engineer now. His current manager wants him to stay in her department for a few weeks in order to train someone else to take his place. They assure him that they are doing this so he can continue to go up the ladder. Where he is right now, he can't go up any further. They also assured him that this move will not affect his salary. He sounded so sad on the phone. I kept telling him that I was sorry, but he told me that it was alright. I'm sure it can be overwhelming to know that the job you've been doing for some 10 years will be handed over to someone else and you will have to learn a completely different job.

Getting Katie Squared Away

These are a couple of pictures that I took yesterday. More pictures are available on our photosite.

I've been on the phone most of the morning, getting Katie set up for next Fall. I still can't believe my baby will be three years old this Summer. It's hard to fathom at times. Anyway, it's time that she gets a little interaction outside of the home and family. I've gotten in touch with a Mom's Day Out program here in town, it's in connection with a church. This month is the time to register for next Fall's enrollment. Unfortunately, they are taking registration from currently enrolled children. I went ahead and put Katie's name on the list for next Fall's 3 year old class. I'm not ready for her to go to school 2-3 times a week, so I've got her on the Mom's Day Out program where she can go once a week. Becky, program organizer, said she would be sending me the registration form in the mail for me to fill out and send back to her. She said once she got the form back, she would get in touch with me as soon as the current enrollment registration is finished and available spots are open. I really hope Katie will have a chance to get in simply because I would like for her to get into their preschool program called "Sonshine" when she turns 4 years old. Susan, Sonshine director, told me that if Katie got into "Mom's Day Out" then she would have first opportunity getting into "Sonshine." Doug and I really wanted Katie to go to the Primary School, but as I found out this morning it is only for lower income families. Ugh! She's going to have to go the Primary School anyway when she starts Kindergarten, so I wanted her to start in their Pre-K 4 year olds in order to get use to the system. The lady did tell me that they are tossing around the idea of starting a new program called "PK-4" for city residents. If the idea passes the board and up and running it will be as soon as next year for it to start, which would be perfect for us. The lady told me to check back around January to find out the latest information. Oh my gosh! Two other private schools that offer Pre-K is so expensive! I called C Christian School (approx. $300 a month + registration fee) Ick! and St. John's Little Lamb (approx. $250 a month + registration fee). On top of that Little Lamb is more like a daycare rather than preschool. Sonshine Preschool would be much cheaper than theses other schools and I've heard so many great things about them. I don't think Doug likes the whole idea of his little girl being away from Mommy. He said he was okay with the idea of her going to "Mom's Day Out" once a week, but he doesn't want her going 5 days a week when she is 4 years old. Of course, this is after he found out how much it would cost to send her to a private school. He said it might be better if she continues with "Mom's Day Out" when she's 4 as well, unless Primary comes up with the PK-4 program.

Doug and I had been talking about getting Katie involved in some activity like gymnastics or ballet. I called and left a message with our local ballet school to get some information. I checked out their website and they start at ages 3 years. They are taking registration now for a Summer Program for three weeks in June, but Katie won't be three until July. Ugh! Doug seems to think that they'll take her since her birthday is so close. They do have regular scheduled classes for 3 year olds that's new, but I don't know how much they would charge. Let's hope she can take the Summer Ballet Class this Summer, if not maybe next year. We'll see.

As you can tell, I've been very busy getting things lined up. I also got Katie lined up to take private swimming lessons in late Spring from a former co-worker and friend. She is a Physical Education Teacher and part-time CPR & Swimming Instructor. Ruth Anne is so excited about teaching Katie. Plus it will give us an opportunity to catch up from lost times. Beings that we are still under a drought, our local sports club's indoor pool is closed until conditions improve. Ruth Anne said she would like 5 lessons, 30 minutes at a time, with Katie in order to feel confident that she can swim without any problems. She is suppose to call me when we can get into the indoor pool. Hopefully, it won't be too long.

I called my doctor's office this afternoon to check on the test I had run this past week. My doctor nor his nurse were in the office today, so I've got to wait until tomorrow before someone gets back with me. I'm still having my health problem and it can be quite uncomfortable. Doug and I are still wanted to try for another baby, Lord willing. Please keep us in your prayers. Thank you!

Early Spring Fever

Beautiful Early Spring Day
It was a beautiful day today! After lunch, Doug, Katie and myself headed outside for some sunshine and fresh air. The weather was perfect because the temperature high got to 72 degrees with a light wind and the sun shined most of the day. Beautiful! Katie wanted to blow bubbles and was in too much of a hurry to wait for me to get to her. She spilled most of the bubbles on her pants. Doug washed the truck for me and I thought it would be a great opportunity to put out our Easter stuff. Just as I was getting Mr. Bunny and our box of Easter decorations from under the house, here comes Will. He was so much help carrying the box of Easter decorations for me. He loves to come over to help us out and play with Katie until she begins to aggravate him. Then, it's hard to explain to him that she doesn't mean to aggravate him because she's two years old and she thinks it's funny. While the kids played, Doug and I created an Easter Egg Tree. It was a little hard work, but it looks good. Will had to go home and Doug had a Deacon's Meeting, so Katie and I took a nap while watching "While You Were Sleeping." I just love this chick flick!

American Idol Correction
Okay, I finally got to watch last Thursday's results. It ended up being that Jason Yeager leaving instead of Michael Johns. June said she really didn't know their names well, but she got most of their names or descriptions correct.

The Dash - Make A Difference In Your Life Movie
Laura sent this website link to me and you know it is so true. It doesn't have an Html code, so I can't put the movie on my blog. If you have an opportunity, please watch this movie because it's very inspiring. http://www.dashpoemmovie.com/ You'll be glad you got to see it.

Sports

Congratulations to Carl Edwards!

for winning the UAW-Dodge 500 today in Las Vegas, NV. Last weekend, I didn't think he would pull off winning the race in California. Actually, it was delayed because of rain. So, he won the race on Monday instead of Sunday. Edwards is my man!

Doug updated me on the Alabama's basketball team. They sound like they are having a terrible year. He also adds that Alabama's football team went a full week without any more player arrests. Whoo Hoo! Let's hope it will stay that way for the rest of the year. What is it with these guys?

Craft Show

Yesterday, Millard, Peggy, Doug, Katie and myself went to the "Cottontail Village" first time at the BJCC. Right off the bat, Peggy and I were in heaven. Most of the vendors were oriented around children. Of course, Millard and Doug didn't have that good of time and announced to us that they will not be coming next year. Peggy and I got the sweetest clothes for Katie. One vendor had pretend/dress up stuff for little girls. I got Katie from the Easter Bunny the following from this vendor: butterfly wings, lily wand, lots of lip gloss, and tutu. So sweet and I just know she'll love it! I got all of that for $15. I thought it would make a nice gift for Easter. Katie fell asleep during most of the fair. I hated that she missed the Easter Bunny. There was a line of children getting their picture made with the Easter Bunny. There were other crafts: wood work, glass work, photography, art work, jewelry crafts, toys, sugar slider pets (look like miniature squirrels), sewn craftsmanship (blankets, adult clothes, stuffed animals, etc.), homemade sweets, candles, and food. I don't think I've seen so many vendors. There were so many that it took up all of the first and second floors of the exhibit hall. Peggy and I were wore out by the time we went through everything.

Mom & Vonell's Progress

After the show, we all stopped by the rehab and visited Mom for a little bit. She looks great and you can tell it in her voice. She got to take a little rest before we got there. When Dad and I went last Thursday, I was so surprised to see her get out of bed without any pain. Yes! Praise God for He answered our prayers and took the pain away. I can't thank Him enough because it still wouldn't be enough. You just don't know how it has tore me up watching her in so much pain and I can't do anything about it. I couldn't help her take the pain away. There were times when I wished I had the pain, so she could have a break. Whitney, Natalie and their friends stopped by to visit Mom as well. We left soon after Whit and them got there, so they would have a seat to sit in.

We also stopped by to visit Vonell. If you didn't know she recently suffered a heart attack, you would not have known. She is doing great. She said there was no damage to her heart and that she felt fine. Millard, Katie, and I went with Uncle James to put up his sheep for the night. Katie was clinging to me because it was dark outside and she wasn't too sure about the sheep. Once she warmed up a little bit to the sheep, it was time to go back to the house. The sheep impressed her because that's all she talked about the rest of the night.

Weather

There is a strong system coming through tomorrow. There have been reports of Tornado Watches and Severe T-Storm Warnings with these storms. Reports show that as soon as these storms pass the temperature drops some 20 degrees. Well, there goes our beautiful day! If you will be in the path of these storms, please be careful!

Have a great Monday!