Today is just one of those days where there are so many random things floating around that there are too many things to need their own posts, yet nothing is really cohesive enough to form much thought. Yeah, it's one of those days...
First of all, my grandma had her own little stint at the E.R. early Wednesday morning. She'd been having pretty bad abdominal pain and chills and was afraid it was her appendix. Tests revealed that it was not, and showed nothing else, so they came to the conclusion that it was a bladder infection and sent her home with antibiotics. Luckily she is feeling better and the pain is gone, so hopefully that was all it was. We all think she has just run herself ragged taking care of my grandpa and she needs to rest. Thankfully, my Aunt Sharon (her sister) has been here all week to help her.
Pa is doing so much better. His wounds are healing nicely and they even had them airing out Tuesday when I stopped by and it was a vast improvement from the night it happened. He goes back to the orthopedic surgeon Monday and he should be allowed to put weight on it then. He'll have to wear the boot for 2 more months, but he'll at least be able to get around better.
My Me-maw called today and she's had a rough bout with her health as well. She's had diverticulitis and is recovering from that. Now the dr.'s have seen something of concern on her CT scan and she had to go in today to see what that was about. I'm praying that it was nothing serious.
Tonight, I made corn fritters for dinner. We had them at the Old Mill in Piegeon Forge, TN during our Gatlinburg vaca 2 summers ago. I have the recipe on my poorly neglected food blog. I haven't updated it since December when I made ham and beans. Ironically, I made them again today for my grandparents so Granny wouldn't have to cook tonight. But those were some good corn fritters, or critters as Preston calls them. I don't correct him, though- I thought apple fritters were critters for years until I finally saw it written out. Critters sounds more fun than fritters, anyway.
I have calmed down since Kate's stunt that was pulled earlier this week. Still mad, but it will take a while... She did bring home a good report card today, though! She brought up her science and social studies grades and stayed the same with her others- all A's and B's! And I'm pretty excited about her biography report that she's doing. She chose to do it on George Harrison (atta girl). Partly because we're all slightly obsessed with the Beatles, but also because she had to have a book as one of her sources and we have "I, Me, Mine" so we didn't need a trip to the library, although we got more anyway. Can't wait to see how it turns out.
Looks like I may be taking Preston in tomorrow if the dr. wants to see him. He's had this soupy cough for 3 weeks, maybe more like 4, now, since his last cold. I've been watching it for the "bring him in" symptoms- shortness of breath, fever, chest pain- but other than occasional chest pain, nothing. His breath sounds are clear from what I can tell, but then again, I"m no dr. I'm sure they won't be concerned about it at all, but putting him back on Singulair in January has not helped him one bit. If he doesn't have the soupy cough, he's got a dry, barky cough EVERY DAY. I know it's not from his allergies, either, because they're well under control. We'll see what they say- or I might just take him in anyway.
After this week, I have a new appreciation and more respect for my mother for surviving my teenage years. We're not even there yet, and I'm already dreading the future. Why is it that hormones turn adolescent brains into mush? They forget their manners, they forget basic things, and they forget the difference between right and wrong. Sigh...
Kate skipped track practice.
Track wasn't all she thought it would be. In fact, she hated it- she's not exactly athletic. She wanted to quit after the first week, but I asked her to stick it out for the next since it would be a little easier. She did, and didn't say anything about it, much less anything negative. Then on Saturday, she told her aunt that she was going to stick it out. Yes! Well, that was not to be... I got a call from her at 3:35 Monday saying she wanted to quit tack and to know if I'd pick her up. I told her that we don't quit over the phone, that she needed to go to practice and we'd discuss it when she was home. Once I looked at the clock and knew she was late for track and would have to run 20 laps around the gym, I had a funny feeling.
I go to pick her up at 5:00 and wait (and wait, and wait...). No Kate. Everyone else on the team had left. No Kate. I mentioned to Preston that she better not be pulling some silly stunt like trying to skip out, but little did I know how correct that statement would be. I eventually pulled up right in front of the school doors and park. A minute later, I see her walking out with Jenna's dad, who works at the school, but without Jenna. He's shaking his head, and I knew something was up. Apparently, they hid in the girls bathroom the entire time. Jenna actually had a note from her parents to quit, but she was afraid to give it to the coach because she supposedly yelled at another girl for quitting. And since Kate didn't want to go, they decided to hide. Well, Jenna was supposed to be with her dad, but wasn't, which prompted his looking for her, and found Kate along with her.
So it is safe to say that Kate is in some big trouble. She is grounded from pretty much everything, and this comes at a bad time since her birthday is in 2 weeks- that means no friend party. And it's also safe to say that she has lost a LOT of my trust. A LOT. After having both me and Christopher lecturing her on how rude, dishonest and disrespectful her stunt was, and her being extremely upset over it, I pray that this NEVER happens again.
I seriously didn't think she would ever think of something like that, let alone do it. Ever since the hormones kicked in last summer, she's been doing some pretty stupid things, and has been in a lot of trouble. She's a smart girl, and a good kid, but man, it's like she can't think straight anymore. If I survive the next few years, it will be a miracle. And they all tell me that girls are harder than boys, and I pray that they are right because after going through this with Kate, I'd hate to have something worse!
It's been a while since I've been here and there's lots to share. My birthday was this week and it was such a beautiful day outside. I love nice days! Kate made me the sweetest card which I proudly displayed with my jar full or forsythia branches from out back. Inside, it said, "I love you more than the sun, the moon, the stars, and the world," which is what I've always said to her, and it was so sweet that she put it in my card!
Tuesday, our apricot tree bloomed out and it was so pretty! I was so excited when Christopher looked out and I immediately ran to the window to see. What a sweet reminder that spring is here...
But the next day we wake up to see this. Yes, that is SNOW! It started falling pretty heavily around 7 and by the time we left for school at 8, we had nearly an inch. I nearly hit a guy trying to stop, not thinking the roads would be slick since it was nearly 80 the day before. It was a close call! I am SO sick of snow! We've had close to 3 feet total this winter- way above average! It was supposed to drop 5 inches on us last night, but the storm missed us and left us with just a dusting. My brother got 4 inches and they're about 45 minutes from us, so we were lucky! But there's another big system going to be dropping snow on us Tuesday. Old man winter.... TAKE A HIKE!
Our weekend was rather low-key and deemed Star Wars weekend. Since it was too cold to go out, and Preston has taken a liking to Star Wars like his father, they watched several dvds, and Christopher played a lot of Star Wars Legos on the Wii. It drove me nuts! I curled up with my Beatles biography, read, and took a nap!Saturday night we got together with Christopher's family to celebrate his Aunt Karen's remission from her lymphoma. We went to Los Amigos, and I was brave, and this was Preston's first time eating food prepared at a restaurant (besides BK). I called ahead, knew what to order, brought them chips, etc. Within minutes of eating, Preston said his belly hurt and refused to eat any more. Not encouraging. After going home, we gave him benadryl and within minutes, he was back running around and felt fine the rest of the night. So I don't know what to think. Yes, he had a habit of saying his belly hurts when he doesn't like food, but who knows. We've been wanting to challenge him for quite a while now, but wanted to wait until he stopped coughing in case it triggered his asthma. But... he keeps getting cold after cold from his friends at school, and as soon as his cough settles down, he's sick again. I know it will happen in God's time, and maybe this is His way of saying it's not time. After 7 years, I just want this to be outgrown- for him to enjoy a real ice cream cone, to try cheese, to enjoy class parties without special treats, to just be a regular child.
Tonight we celebrated my birthday with my family. My Aunt Sharon was in town from OKC and it was nice to visit with her. We had a great time. My grandpa is doing SO much better! He wasn't able to join the party next door at mom's since he can't get out yet, and he's too nervous with all of the grandkids there, so we had the party at mom's. We missed him so much! Most of his leg wounds are healed over with just a few that still need to be bandaged. He can get himself up and out of bed to his chair. He can move his leg, lift it, and isn't in much pain anymore. He still has another week before he sees the orthopedic surgeon and then he can put weight on it. I imagine at that point, he will be up and around much more. Wednesday I went up there and got his radishes and onions planted, and he got up and cut his seed potatoes for me to plant once it's nice again. We are all SO thankful that he's recovering so well, and very thankful for all of the outpouring of love that he's received. That's one nice thing about a small town- everyone knows you and supports you. I know he's received no shortage of visitors, meals and cards. God is good!
Dear FedEx,
I seem to have frustrations with your delivery service. Mind you, I know you are a very large company, and very busy, but sometimes it seems that bigger isn't always better. I can't imagine the many packages that come through your doors, and into your warehouses, but they tend to linger there. Eagerly checking my shipment status, I'm discouraged to find that my package has sat in Indianapolis for 3 days. Three days, not going anywhere. I think somewhere along the road (no pun intended) when you changed your name to FedEx, you lost the express part of Federal Express. Otherwise, I think my package may have arrived earlier.
And a little lesson in economics during these trying times of high gas prices. The shortest distance between two points, is a straight line. Pretty simple. But my package, that sat in Indy for 3 days, didn't come straight to my house. No, it went right past my house! It went right past the FedEx shipping center just 30 miles from here (which is between here and Indy), right through my town on the interstate (and less than a mile from my house), and all the way past St. Louis before it turned around and came back! Now, maybe I'm wrong, but wouldn't you save a lot of money in fuel if my package had just been sent to the sorting facility 30 miles away to be put on a delivery van, instead of sending it an extra 2 hours away and then sending it backtracking to my door? Maybe that would aid in the express department, too.
And while we're at it, thank you for not delivering my package to my neighbor's house like usual. I understand GPS will not find my house- it never has for anyone before, but our house number is on our mailbox and our house. Plus, our neighbor's porch is surrounded by bushes, and she's never home, so she never sees anything on her porch, and we're left wondering about our delivered package until we traipse over to her house to see if it's on her porch. I rather enjoyed seeing my package arrive at its intended destination this time!
Disclaimer: This was written in fun/frustration about FedEx. It was never sent to them, nor intended to be.
Today was a big day! The Regional Office of Education (ROE) that my mom works for received an amazing donation today from Feed The Children. My mom works in homeless education, making sure that all students are able to attend school and have the same resources that other children have. Today, her ROE got an entire semi load of backpacks, school supplies, food, books, and toiletries, enough for about 4,000 children in our region! It truly makes you feel great to see all of this stuff coming in and knowing that it will be going to fill a great need, but also heavy-hearted at the same time to know that there are that many homeless children in just our area of Southern Illinois. Mind blowing, isn't it?
When you think of homeless children, do you think of just those living without housing? Technically, anyone living in temporary housing is considered homeless. Many times, it's mothers leaving abusive spouses that move in with their parents, or families being evicted from their homes and moving to a motel. There are so many instances that you might not think of. I feel for each of these families.
A few weeks ago, I was asked to be the official photographer for the event. It sounded exciting and I'm so glad I did it. It was something! All of the volunteers and staff had nifty lanyards to wear to identify them. They brought kids from local schools, the alternative ed. kids and a mass of Methodist Men that my mom managed to round up from church.
Effingham school district has an amazing film club and they sent their crew to make a film of the event. It was neat to see them so busy capturing the event. Their teacher was one of last year's National Teacher of the Year recipients and he amazed us all with how passionately he led them today!
Shortly after 9:30, the semi rolled into the parking lot amid cheers and waving from the volunteers.
All of these boxes were filled with books. You can see my lovely Granny on the right. She'd stopped by to see how everything was going, but we know she had to get out of the house to get a break from my grandpa!
These boxes were filled with backpacks and food. This was just for one ROE. Each one had their own section for their deliveries.
There were two of these boxes full of elementary books- 3 feet deep and larger than the pallet.
Here are all of the great volunteers! They did such a great job and really set to work once the truck was unloaded. At several points, they couldn't unload the truck fast enough because as soon as they unloaded a pallet, the workers were off taking the boxes to their designated ROE's. Afterward, we were all treated to a catered meal as a thank-you for our help.
Really, it's days like these, spent with people that really care to make a difference in our world, that really make me happy.
The past few days have been stressful. It was for all of my family. And especially when you get a call saying they're transferring your grandpa to another hospital because they've found a blood clot near his lung, you fear the worst. But thankfully, God was with him. Having him transferred was the best thing that could have happened. I called my grandma yesterday morning and recieved good news. They were not going to have to do a stent! They started him on two strong blood thinners that would destroy the clot and prevent any more from forming. The orthopedic surgeon was able to review his scans/x-rays and his foot was NOT crushed! What the radiologist in town was seeing was his arthritis and not crushed bone! He does still have a small break in his ankle bone and has to wear a boot. In fact, the first thing he did when he saw my grandpa was to take that half cast and everything else off and put the boot on. He can't bear any weight on it for 2 weeks until the wounds heal, but at least he did not need surgery! It was such a relief to hear such great news! After that, I was able to relax, and even went on to enjoy an evening out with Jess and Reid for my birthday.
Today brought even better news- Pa was coming home! Mom called at 9:00 to tell me and it made my day! When Seth got to town, he and I took the twin bed from mom's spare bedroom and set it up in Granny and Pa's kitchen since there was no way they'd be able to get him upstairs to his room. I went home and made Pa the cake balls I promised I'd make back when he was in the E.R. Then we headed up to their house for his homecoming. Glen and Cooper were there, so the kids spent the entire afternoon playing and having a great time. They finally made it home at 4:30. It was really difficult getting Pa in the house because his foot and leg are still in so much pain. Seth and Diana had to bear his full weight because he couldn't use the walker yet and he had to stop and rest halfway to the door. It took 10 minutes, but they finally got him inside and in bed. The neighbor lady had dropped by early this morning and put dinner in the fridge, so we were all able to have Sunday dinner still, but with Pa in bed in the kitchen.
Preston and I made Pa a big welcome home sign on their driveway before they got home. The weather was in the 70's, and it was just so nice! If this doesn't make you feel loved, I don't know what will! Pa was very happy to see it and the cards the kids made- they're currently taped to the wall by his bed.
My family is so thankful for all of the thoughts and prayers this week. What could have been a very bad outcome, has turned into another reason to celebrate and praise God for his blessings. We are truly blessed. Thank you!
My grandpa was transferred to St. John's this evening after they found a blood clot near his lung this morning. They were planning to put a stent in to prevent it from entering his heart. I haven't heard any update's since I talked to Granny around 3:30, and at that point, they were still waiting on an ambulance from Springfield to pick him up. They also think his foot is now crushed, but we don't understand how the radiologist didn't feel that way yesterday, but does today. I am SO thankful he's been transferred. The dr's here are far inferior compared to St. John's, plus, that is where his cardiologist is and he will be taking care of the clotting. BTW, my Grandma brought up preventative meds with the dr. yesterday to keep him from getting a clot, and the dr. was not the least bit concerned. Now look what happened.
And here my mom and I were talking this morning before all of this happened about him coming home in a few days. As much as we want him home now, we realized that there's no way my grandma could get him in and out of bed to go to the bathroom, and right now, he can't do it himself. So I think this is another one of God's plans to help him out in the long-run. I'm hoping to make it up to see him this weekend as I didn't get to today and I really feel bad about it.
Please continue to pray.
Today was absolutely beautiful. It made it up to 73, and although it was terribly windy, it was so nice outside. Preston and I enjoyed some nice one-on-one time together in the back yard while Kate was at track and had a lot of fun. It really brings back memories of before he started school and we had all day, every day together. I miss those days terribly.
I went to visit my grandpa today and he was in much better spirits today, back to his joking self, although he is still in quite a bit of pain. There are 4-5 people from their church in the hospital with him and from what Granny said this evening, half of the rest of the church had been in to see him. One guy joked while I was there that they'd have to have church there this Sunday (and that was before they brought in another).
The radiologist got a chance to read his scans today and thought that his ankle was broken and ordered another CT. Why that was necessary, I don't know. I can't see it showing anything different from last night. But apparently, it is broken, though not badly. They put a half-cast on it since they still have to change the dressings, and he's to see the orthopedic guy when he comes to town Tuesday. He should find out tomorrow if he has to stay until then or if he can go home. I'm praying that he can go because he's not getting any rest there with all of his visitors and the IV pump beeping. I'm not kidding, while I was there, he had a new visitor every 10 minutes the two hours I was there. And I guess it didn't slow down.
So I ask that you continue to pray for his recovery and no blood clots (which has me terrified, but the dr.s aren't too concerned...). If you know Pa, you know that he has to be kept busy at all times, so this is really going to be hard on him, especially with it starting to get nice. I can't tell you how many times (and to how many visitors he told) he's mentioned our garden in the past 2 days. He's really concerned about it, but if I have to do it all myself, I will until he's able to get out there. Thank you for praying.
I had about 10 different things I thought about titling this post, but one stood out above all, and I think that it was the most appropriate. God is good, and tonight I am so thankful.
At quarter to five, mom called and said that my grandpa had run over his leg with his van and was in the ER. She and Granny were in Belleville for a conference tomorrow and no one was with him (so they thought at the time). I went to the ER to be with him, really worried about him. His good friend, Pete was there, and he had actually made it there before Pa did- I guess he had told the EMT to call him since Granny was out of town. He was able to tell me what had happened. He had stopped at the feed store downtown. When he got out of the van, he thought it was in park, but it was in reverse and the van started moving. He put his right leg in to hit the brake, but instead hit the gas. The car lurched forward, knocked him down, and ran over his leg. At that time, he said that it looked pretty bad and they were expecting multiple fractures. He was in x-ray when I got there. Some other friends dropped by while we waited and Granny finally made it in right before he was brought back.
Praise God, he had NO fractures! The swelling around his knee that looked like a dislodged bone, was most likely muscle damage, which they won't be able to diagnose until the swelling has subsided and they can do an MRI. The tire took his shoe and sock off immediately because it went so fast, so his foot was pretty nasty looking and had some debris in it, but thankfully, it needed to sutures. They have him well bandaged and on iv pain meds as he's in quite a bit of pain even with them. Because there were no fractures, they did not have to transport him to St. Louis, but he's staying overnight so they can control the pain and hopefully tomorrow he can go home if all is well. Granny and I ran to their house to pick up his meds and when we got back, his heart rate had started going down and was around 30 bmp and was having PVCs (premaure ventricular contractions). He's had heart issues for years, and hadn't taken his night time heart meds, so that was the cause (and probably the pain meds), but they ran an EKG right before I left. This is nothing new to him, so we're not terribly worried about his heart, but please pray that this will not be an issue.
Needless to say, after 2 hours in the ER and no dinner, I'm wiped out, but so thankful tonight. The first thing Pa said to me when he saw me was, "We have a good Lord." I agreed. While I waited in the waiting room before I saw Pete, I picked up a devotional and turned to today- it was on answered prayers. It said that there are two things we're certain about with prayer- that we serve a mighty God who is here for us, and that He answers prayers. What we're not certain about, is how He answers them as they're not always how WE would want them answered, but it is always for His glory. Another instance of his perfect timing, as this was the devotional for today- not the chocolate powered car or how to be a go-to person on other days.
So tonight I go to bed thankful, and can rest knowing that Pa is in good hands, but continue to pray for his recovery. He's already saying he's going to run a race with Kate when he's better. I will most likely update tomorrow after I talk with Granny again and go see him. But please keep him in your prayers. Thank you.
Do you like this dress? I do, too! Melissa at Stafford Stories is hosting a Shabby Apple giveaway and this dress is the prize! If you would like a chance to win, click the above link and enter. This giveaway ends Friday!!!
This is a pretty random post for me. Too much to say, and really nothing noteworthy that needs it's own post.
The first thing I do after waking up is to go downstairs and watch the news until I have to fix breakfast. I can't just wake up and go. So imagine my surprise when I turn on the news and it's SNOWING in St. Louis! Now, I tell my kids all the time about the time we got a foot of snow on my birthday (next week), but I really thought we were done. No one saw this coming- not even the meteorologists. It didn't start snowing here until around 9:30, but it was coming down at a pretty good clip all morning. Thankfully, the ground was warm and it didn't stick! After all the snow and ice we got this winter, I am done with snow until next winter. DONE!
See this sorry looking little plant? My in-laws sent it to the hospital when Preston was born. It was a pretty peace lily, but not anymore. The fact that I kept it alive for 7 years is a miracle in and of itself, but I"m not sure peace lilies really live that long anyway. I've tried to nurse it back to health for quite a while now. Preston really didn't want me to get rid of his plant. But, it just kept getting worse and worse. And yes, this sad looking lily has sat in our dining room for well over a year. I apologize to anyone who wondered why it was even still there. It certainly looked out of place.
Well, when Christopher and I had our "date night" to Menards and Wal-Mart Saturday (exciting, I know, but it's better than nothing), we found another peace lily at WM on clearance for $6! Thinking we got a good deal, we got it. I brought it inside today and repotted the thing and found out why we got such a steal... it was last year's plant and it was completely root bound. After already braving the snow once today to go to Wal-Mart, there, was no way I was going back out for a bigger pot, so it's it this small pot until I get another. 
I have to admit, it's looking better!
I have this binder- my little purple binder that I have had for years. Christopher claims he had no idea I had it until Friday when I pulled it out to show him what gray walls would look like. It's my go-to for all things home. I go through all of my Better Homes magazines each month and tear out everything I like and in it goes. It has a little bit of everything- crafts, accessories, paint colors, decorating, gardening, and even architecture in the event that we ever build a house. It's full of little projects that I want to do. In fact, I think I overwhelmed Christopher the other night as I kept flipping pages and showing him everything. He asked me to put it away when I showed him a house similar to ours that the owners added a second story and turned it into a craftsman style house. Baby steps...
On a good note, we got word yesterday that Flat Stanley survived the tsunami. They got the warnings shortly after the quake and had to evacuate their hotel. They spent the night on top of a mountain in a rental car since there were no hotels, but they were all safe! I've been working hard on getting Stanley's book ready to go back to school. He had so many pictures from his world travels since October that I had to make him a scrapbook. The original Stanley will remain with the book. The color copy Stanley will return to school to stay with a few pictures for the class.
Kate had her first track practice tonight. She's been pretty excited for a while now and I'm glad that it's started. They work them pretty hard the first week so that the ones that can't keep up will drop out. Kate says she's going to stick with it! She has practice every night until 5:00, so Preston and I have a lot of time together again! The meets start next month and they are all away, and all at 4:00, making it pretty inconvenient for anyone that wants to come watch. I'll be able to make them after Preston gets out of school, but we may be the only ones there (except Granny and Pa since they're retired). I really hope she enjoys this whole experience. She's quick and loves to run, so hopefully this is her niche.
They want her to have cleats with metal spikes no more than 1/4 inch long or she'll be disqualified. I went online tonight to order her a pair and it's nearly impossible! Nearly all of them have rubber spikes! The one pair I found with metal didn't say the size of the spikes and I don't want to get her something that will disqualify her, so I'm at a loss. The school has shoes for them to wear, but the idea of her wearing someone else's (sweaty) old shoes grosses me out. Not to mention that she also has my teensy feet (see last post) and I doubt they have shoes that small. I told her to talk to the coach tomorrow and see where we can order a pair before resorting to the school's shoes.
Spring is slowly inching its way into the midwest and with it comes so much promise. It won't be long until I can open the windows. I can't go to Wal-Mart without going through the garden section and longingly eyeing the peonies and dahlias that I can't wait to buy and plant. Pa and I are talking more and more about our garden. I can't wait to pack away the winter coats and boots. I just want to be outside! So many things are calling me right now and are just making me happy!
Aren't these fabrics just yummy? Oh, how they are calling my name! I've been on Etsy a lot lately just eyeing fabrics I want to buy, my favorites full of gorgeous ideas. I'm resisting the urge to buy them, though, as I really have no clue what I want to make with them. I know for a fact I'd figure something out, though! ;) It's not like I don't have enough projects on my hands with two unfinished quilts, helping Kate with her cross stitch, and Preston begging me to buy a pdf. cross stitch Beatles pattern to make for his Beatles room.
These two shirts are from b. childrenswear on Etsy. Both of those shirts are just too cute for words, but unfortunately, they don't have them big enough for Kate. But, those would both be easy enough for me to make. I think I'll make the tank for me also!
Then I got a Delia's catalog the other day and flipped through it last night. Mind you, a lot of their stuff is for much younger girls than I... But, some of their stuff is pretty cute, regardless of age. Case in point...
Isn't this dress just darling? I had plans to make one for Kate. Then I saw this one for me, and I think it's something I need. I have very few dresses because I can't find many I like. I really like the classic, vintage feel of this dress. It's perfect for summer!
Then I got to the shoe section. I love shoes, but shoe manufacturers don't love me and my teensy feet. Do you know how hard it is to find cute shoes in a size 5? It's nearly impossible. I was telling mom and Granny tonight that I wear my shoes until they fall apart, and usually, that means wearing one or two pairs. It's all because I can't find shoes that fit without paying and arm and a leg. Ugh. So as I sat there loving their shoes, I had to realize that I can't wear any of them- the smallest size was a 6. But I'm on a mission... maybe somewhere I can find these shoes in a smaller size. Perhaps they just don't carry them.
I know I can find these Converse in my size. I know they'll be comfy, too!
Then there's these Sperry Topsider 2Eye's. I'm loving these as well!
But these Blowfish red and white girls are the most adored. Cute, cute, cute. And since my sis, Ashley (and whose feet are bigger than mine) loves Blowfish shoes, I can see her wearing these this summer with that red hair of hers. Must I also mention that her curls are better than mine? Oh, Ash, I love ya!
These Rocket Dog flats are cute, too. But alas, too big. Note to shoe makers... Not everyone has big feet! What I need are some of those elves that live in the cobbler's house and make his shoes every night.
So that's what's calling my name right now. I'm so ready to usher in spring next weekend. We might need to make another "welcome spring" cake again this year. There's always a reason to bake a cake!
Obviously, the worst thing you can do to your child (at least my children think so), is take away their Directv. Sigh. I mentioned the other day that we had decided to drop them and go with our local cable co. We no longer get all of the kid channels that we did before, and the children are beside themselves. You would think it was the end of the world! But what is bad for them, is good for me, because they have hardly turned the tv on all week. Preston will flip through the guide, proclaim that nothing is on, and leave the room. I have to laugh at their disgust in lack of programming because they have no idea how good they have it! Back when I was a kid, we lived for Saturday morning, not because we didn't have to go to school, but because it was the one day a week where there was an entire morning of kid shows! And it didn't matter if you didn't like one of the shows, you still watched it because it was your only chance! Eventually, channel 11 started showing a few cartoons after school, but that was only for 2 hours and then if we wanted to watch tv, we had to watch real shows. And forget 175 channels! We had 13! We did eventually expand and get 21 channels by the time I was in high school. Ha!
Another worst is the tragedy in Japan. When the alarm went off this morning, I heard, "A 8.9 earthquake has struck Japan," before Christopher hit the button. I didn't really register it until I turned Fox news on when I got up. Terrible. My prayers are with everyone affected. Preston's Flat Stanley is in Hawaii with the Schwarms and I pray that they are OK as well. I haven't heard anything about them, but I assume they are fine. Ol Stanley's been through the Chicago blizzard and now a tsunami. Should make for some interesting stories when he goes back to school in a few weeks.
This week's Show Us Your Life at Kelly's Korner is Kid's birthday parties. I love planning and throwing the kids' birthday parties, as hectic as they may be. Perhaps I'm the one that makes them hectic being a perfectionist, and all, but I really try to make their day special! They start planning their themes months in advance (sometimes a year early...) so I usually have plenty of time to plan things out. They ultimately choose the menu theme (Mexican, sandwiches, BBQ) and we go from there with the food. I make all of their cakes since they both have milk allergies, and we have a lot of fun planning them. I'll attempt anything they come up with! We also split our families up for parties as it's just easier (maybe that's why...). They are rather large groups alone.
This cake is from Kate's American Girl Julie party. Note that she was at one time slightly obsessed with them and we had *four* different AG parties over 2 years. Julie is from the 70's so she wanted a groovy guitar cake, and one that was a peace sign.
Please do not even begin to tell me how many calories were in this 18" cake that weighed nearly 10 pounds. Maybe I got carried away with the size and the amount of frosting...
The next few pictures are from Preston's Beatles party last September. He planned this party as soon as his previous party was over and waited an entire year for this one. When Kate decided she too wanted a Beatles party, she had to ask his permission- he agreed, so we've had *four* Beatles parties. For decorations, we kept it simple with balloons and set out all of our albums on the tables.
This is Preston's Yellow Submarine cake. I LOVE how it turned out, and really, really hated that we had to actually eat it. Pictures for posterity... He also had matching cupcakes.
These are from his other Beatles party. And did I mention that we all wore Beatles attire? This guitar cake was made to look like George's Gretsch Duo Jet guitar. My brother nicely pointed out that there were no knobs so it was accoustic instead of electric. Proof that I'm no musician...
This was one of the cupcakes that I made for this party (I made the same for his other party). I also made some that were the British flag and Ringo's drum.
So on to Kate's Beatles parties... This cake was hands down, THE best cake I've ever done. I was beyond excited about this cake for months, and downright giddy when it was time to make it. This is her Here Comes the Sun cake. A perfect compliment to a sunny spring party. Piped on the sides are the lyrics to resemble growing grass.
And when you sliced into this bad boy (or girl), you found 6 brightly colored rainbow layers! The rainbow just kind of fit in with the sun theme. It was a hit! 
I made two of these cakes for Kate's parties. It is modeled after Ringo's bass drum.
These are the cakes from her other Beatles party. Again, the drum, and her Strawberry Fields cake that had a strawberry glaze filling. I'm not a strawberry fan, so I can't vouch for how good it was, but everyone told me it was good. ;)
This is from Preston's monster truck party. I'm not sure where this theme came from because he has never been into monster trucks. But he asked for it, and I obliged. 
These are some pictures from Kate's American Girl parties (a little out of order, I know). She always had to match her doll and a lot of time was spent sewing outfits to match. This is her Samantha party.
Her Julie party.
She's also had a Kit party and a Molly party, but those pictures were on our old computer and are somewhere on discs. You'll just have to take my word. Other themes we've done (and again, the pics are somewhere on discs...): Madeline, Thomas the Train, farm, tractor and combine, etc.
Kate's birthday is next month and we're getting around to planning it. I have big plans for her cake again and I'm still trying to nail the final design down. The menu is set, so all I have to do it buy the stuff.
We'd been loyal Directv customers for years- way back when you bought your dish and reciever at the store. We got ours when the K-Mart in Edwardsville was closing. We had to hang it and install it all ourselves because they didn't have people to do it for you. In fact, the nearest installer was in Padukah, KY, 3 hours away! So yeah, we'd been with them a long time. Haven't always liked them, though. Case in point, when both of our receivers blew up one day and we were without tv for 8 days until they sent a technician who tore up our ceiling and left a huge mess. Then when they offered us a $10 credit for a year, we had to call in each month because it never showed up on our bill. Ugh. So when our lovely credit expired last month and we got a bill for nearly $80 for what little tv we actually watched, we decided something had to be done.
In the same month, we received a $50 phone bill. Mind you, we make maybe 15 minutes worth of long-distance calls a month and our bill was that high. Unacceptable. Our promotional period on our internet also expired at the same time, going up another $10, so we felt like we were grossly overpaying for what we were using. So, we decided to cancel Dtv and our phone service, and bundle with our internet provider. For what we were paying for Dtv alone, we get all three. Holy smokes, what a savings! Well, you knew it had to come with a price...
So today was our big hook-up day. The kids were absolutely dreading this like the plague. Not only were they losing all of their beloved shows recorded on the dvr, but we were getting fewer channels. Who really needs 5 Disney channels, anyway? The guy was supposed to be there between 10-12, so I was able to watch the rest of my shows I had recorded. Well, Mr. Fix-it didn't show until 1:30, so I had to call Pa to come house sit while I picked up the kids from school. He was finishing up when we got back and I noticed that the dvr was humming a really high-pitched noise- not to mention it was all banged up. The guy said he'd bring us a new one in a day or two because that was the only one they had at the time. OK. Then I went to look at the channels, and all of our local channels were so snowy you could hardly see anything! He'd already left by this time, so there wasn't much I could do until Christopher got home and saw. He was pretty frustrated until he looked behind the tv and saw that the guy had hooked the wrong cable to the tv. Once that was remedied, the picture was much better, but still no where near as good at satellite. With this package, we were supposed to get Starz free for one year. Well, not all of the Starz channels work, and the ones that do, have no sound. Plus, we can't figure out the on-screen guide. Frustrating.
So it seems that when something sounds too good to be true, it really usually is. I have to call them back tomorrow to get the Starz deal figured out. And until we get our new dvr, there's no point in recording anything, so that stinks, too. Why does everything have to be so difficult? I'm praying that this decision was a good thing, and not something we're going to regret doing. At least if we decide we can't live with their tv programming, we can drop it at any time- we're only under contract with the phone service, but that's still cheaper than our old one.
Preston really has a time with slides. He loves them and must go down any slide that he sees, but they are clearly not his friend. Flash back to January 09 when we went to Gracie's birthday party. Those of you that were there with us remember the event quite well! While walking in just 12 inches of water, he tripped and hit his chin on a water slide. Thankfully, the rec center was attached to the hospital so we literally just ran down the hall to the E.R. (I wonder if they planned it that way). A little Dermabond later and his chin was as good as new. Well, maybe not, but it sure was a lot better than it was before the glue! And please excuse my pic of a pic... I couldn't find the original.
Flash forward to this past Wednesday. Just minutes after I left his school, he fell on the slide and knocked is front tooth loose. For starters, it was already loose, and yes, it was a baby tooth, so fortunately, that situation turned out to be much better than it could have. He was pretty boogered up and his lip was busted and swollen, too. God's timing never ceases to amaze me because he had his 6-month cleaning scheduled for that afternoon! They were able to look at him and assure me that everything was just fine and that tooth wouldn't be in much longer. That was 4 days ago and that tooth was getting looser and looser. I can't even tell you how that thing was still in there because it was so far out that you could see where the front part of the root had broken off. Well, not long after being put to bed tonight, he pulled that sucker out!
You can't really tell from this picture, but there is a HUGE gaping hole! I swear you could put two more teeth in that one space! He was SO proud of himself, as if you couldn't tell! He's talking a little funny and he looks so darn cute! Love that little man! And on the timing thing again, Kate and I were discussing what I should do for my 365 picture for today when down the stairs he ran!
And because I find this absolutely fascinating, check out his eyes in both of those pictures. See how blue they were 2 years ago? Now, they are grayish green with a very thin blue line around the outside of his iris. I noticed it a few months ago when he was on my lap with his face right up to mine. They are absolutely gorgeous! Maybe that will be an upcoming 365- my baby's baby green/blues.
Today has just been one of those days where nothing seems to have gone right. It really bothers me and I hate the way it's turned out. It started off rather well, but after Cooper's birthday party, things just went downhill. Christopher was less than thrilled with the kids' behavior- which I must add, was not bad at all. They were running around playing with Glen and Grampy, having fun, with Grampy getting them a little wound up. They certainly weren't misbehaving in the least. So after that, I was just in a grumpy mood. The computer screen got scratched, so now there's a nice, 1 inch line in the center of the screen. Preston wanted to go to the library, but got distracted and by the time he remembered he wanted to go, it was closed and he was mad. I didn't get to the grocery store, either. It was cold, rainy, and even snowed a bit.
Then I got a lovely note in the mail from Kate's teacher. Insert THICK sarcasm... It informed me that in this current grading period, she has failed to complete/turn in 3 assignments. We had just went over this Monday with two papers she came home with that were incomplete from another class, so I was VERY unhappy. We took her off her ADHD meds. last year and she did really well, but this year, with switching classes, it's getting to be too much for her. I think I'll be calling this week to get her in and start them back up. She is such a brilliant student (and I'm not being biased) and has always maintained excellent grades and made the honor roll, so I know she is capable of doing better. So now she must bring home EVERY assignment each day, even if she completes it at school- this was her problem, her thinking she had it done in class and not bringing it home. She's also not allowed to use the computer or have friends over/stay with them until the next report card when I can review her grades. What's worse is that she signed up for track, and if she can't keep her grades up, she can't play.
Then, my ear has been acting up all week. It's full of fluid, crackles constantly, and the whooshing noise is about to drive me up the wall. I can't hear well, and depending on how I hold my head, I can either hear or I can't. I know it's on the verge of infection, but until it is, I can't get any antibiotics. I'm about to call my ENT and have another tube put in. What concerns me though, is the whooshing noise. It's something he said may need surgery to fix if it gets bad enough. I'm praying it's only because of all the fluid because that's when it got worse.
We did have movie night tonight and watched UP, so that was at least fun. I just feel so defeated right now with everything going on. I can at least look forward to tomorrow when we spend the afternoon with my grandparents at their house. I always leave feeling so refreshed.
Today is Show US Your Life Friday over at Kelly's Korner, and this week's theme is Family.
I have an interesting family. When I was 5, my parents divorced. I can't say that it was the best thing that ever happened to my family, but without it, I would be missing so many special people that really have made my life complete.
My brother, Seth, my mom, and my Granny (holding baby Cooper)
My mom was a great mom. Growing up, she was a single mom for a while and I remember it being hard for her, but she always pushed through. We didn't have much money at the time, but we always had what we needed and had more than enough love. This aspect alone allowed for our grandparents and great-grandma to watch us while she worked, and we were able to form such a great bond with them and many memories. My mom is an excellent crafter and I have always enjoyed seeing her create things. My favorites are the afghans she crocheted for each of my children before they were born, and they love them, too. She's a great grandma, too!
When I was in 5th grade, my mom remarried to my stepdad, John. He was such a fun guy, always letting us play "Bucky the horse" where he'd get on his hands and knees and we'd ride on his back while he tried to buck us off. He was always very hands on and there to help us out when we needed it. He introduced us to camping and we spent many weekends camped out on the banks of Missouri rivers camping and canoeing.
My step dad, John holding baby Cooper
My dad, sister Ali, and step mom, Annette
My dad and step mom gave me two great sisters! Ali was born when I was 13 and always looked up to me. At that age, I loved dressing her up and doing her hair. She was such a fun little squirt! She is very fun and outgoing and I love her personality! She graduated with honors last May and is currently in the nursing program and doing well.
My other sister, Ashley, is 17 years younger than me! It's a big age difference! She is a bubbly bunch of energy. She's been a cheerleader for two years and we enjoy going to watch her. She does a great job! She loves The Beatles just as much as we do, so we have fun having her over to watch Beatles movies with us. Kate looks up to Ashley since they are so close in age. She's also a girl scout, and Kate enjoys sharing that with her.
Ashley
So yes, our family is a hodgepodge, but I wouldn't want it any other way. What is more special, is that over the years, even through the divorce, both sides have come together to love each other as one. My step mom invites my mom to parties and they enjoy each others company. My mom and dad are great friends as well. It makes it really nice when we all get together for birthday parties because it's one big happy family. I love them all so much!
I've been a lifelong Beatles fan. Growing up, my parents listened to "oldies" stations in the car, and The Beatles always stood out to me. I liked the other bands' songs, but I knew Beatles songs. Since then, my appreciation for the band has grown, and my knowledge into their backgrounds increased. I've turned my children onto their music as a way to discourage them from wanting to listen to the trash that's on the radio now. Thankfully, they are as enamored by their music as I, and it's often Beatlemania in our household. Must I mention that we haven't been able to listen to anything other than The Beatles for two years- their choice?
I've heard many times of the rumors behind Paul's death and the Abbey Road album. We even had a lengthy discussion about it with our ENT when Preston decided he wanted to wear his Beatles shirt to his appointment. The Beatles were his favorite band, too (pretty awsome guy). When we got home from family night at school Tuesday, Christopher was looking for new shows on Netflix and came across Paul McCartney Really is Dead: The Last Testament of George Harrison. I told him to put it on instant because I thought it might be entertaining, and because curiosity gets the best of me.
Basically, the documentary focuses on two audio tapes that were sent anonymously to a Hollywood studio that were claiming to be the last testament of George Harrison, made while in the hospital after being assaulted with a knife. In these tapes, "George" claims that Paul was killed in an auto accident in 1966 after leaving a recording session. Discovered by the British MI5, they were advised to cover up Paul's death due to a rash of suicides that would certainly follow the public's knowledge of the event. They were sworn to secrecy under the threat of death if the truth came out. A look-alike was brought in and surgically changed over several procedures to look like Paul. All of this coincides with their stopping touring in favor of studio work, in order to hide the fact that an imposter Paul- Faul- was being used. A large back log of Lennon/McCartney music was used to continue their recording abilities for several more years.
John felt strongly that their fans needed to know the truth, even under the strict, watchful eye of "Maxwell" from the MI5. Unable to verbally tell them, they left "clues" in their subsequent albums. There were the visual clues on album covers such as Abbey Rd. with the death march, and Sgt. Pepper, depicting a funeral service for Paul. Many of their songs had lines that eluded to Paul's death, such as, "You were in a car crash, and you lost your head." Then there were the many signs recorded into their albums that could only be heard when the record was played backward. All of these were done hoping that people would put them together, all the while trying not to be too explicit and be found out by the MI5.
In the end, they claim that John was ready to come out with the truth in 1980, just one week before he was killed, and had phoned Faul to discuss it. A week later, he was gone. Later, George wanted to do the same, and shortly after discussing with Faul, he was attacked in his home, but survived. This was supposedly aided by the MI5 and their threat of death if this was uncovered. Even "Rita," the woman in the accident with Paul that was given a new identity and money for her silence, turns out to be Heather Mills, Paul's last wife.
It was an interesting watch, but it's sketchy. It's one of those shows that try to turn believers upside down and shake their belief in reality. As fascinating as it may be, and it's certainly neat to learn of all of the clues, I can't really believe that it is true. The voice of "George" doesn't sound right. I've heard enough audio to distinguish his voice. It's close, but no cigar. Plus, if I was in the hospital, having been stabbed just hours before, I don't think I would have been in a state of being able to relay all of this information with such eloquence as is on these tapes. And if they used a back log of music to continue their time as a band, why did many of the songs written before Paul's death contain such lyrics?
Personally, I think it was a big publicity stunt, a long time running. I think it was brilliantly pulled off by the group over many years to make people think they knew what was going on. It's something we probably will never know of for sure. If someday it turns out to be true, it will be deeply disturbing.
There were also many clues written into the lyrics of many songs to allude to his death.
While having Sunday dinner at mom's the other night, we got on the topic of driving and mishaps. It proved to be the best and most hilarious dinner conversation we've had in ages, and we all had such a good time! So what all did we talk about?
- A few years ago, Pa had hooked his boat up to his truck and left it in the garage so he would be ready to go fishing the next day. He put the door down as far as it would go. Granny needed to go buy a paper and decided to take the truck, not knowing the boat was hitched. As she started to drive, she took the boat and the garage door with it!
- When I got my first car and the guy from the dealership drove it to our house (I wasn't 16 yet), mom didn't put her car in park when she got out, and it drove up the drive and through the garage door.
- One day, I rear-ended a lady, not long after getting my license, and nearly tore the entire bumper and front quarter panel off. Pa used some lovely lag bolts to bolt it back on!
- The time mom let me drive well before I was 16, and I got too close to the edge of the road. She flipped out and made me stop. As I closed the car door on the passenger side, a lot of tall grass got caught in it and mom tried to tell me it was from my driving.
- The time mom slid on ice in front of our current house (this was back when she was in high school) and lost her bumper. She and Granny stopped, put it int he backseat, and headed home.
- The time Granny backed over the hedge.
- The time Granny hit a telephone pole.
- The time my Uncle Jeff took mom's car out and wrecked it. He and Pa tried to pound out the dent VERY early the next morning so mom wouldn't know. She found out.
I know there were others but they've slipped my mind. Luckily, no one was every hurt in any of these accidents, so we can all look back and laugh. Especially the one about the boat and the garage door!
Tonight, I made corn fritters for dinner. We had them at the Old Mill in Piegeon Forge, TN during our Gatlinburg vaca 2 summers ago. I have the recipe on my poorly neglected food blog. I haven't updated it since December when I made ham and beans. Ironically, I made them again today for my grandparents so Granny wouldn't have to cook tonight. But those were some good corn fritters, or critters as Preston calls them. I don't correct him, though- I thought apple fritters were critters for years until I finally saw it written out. Critters sounds more fun than fritters, anyway.
