MIL Update

I am happy to say that my MIL is out of the hospital and home where she's much more comfortable. The internal bleeding must be finally contained; after a couple surgeries and several blood transfusions, she's feeling much better.

I was able to give her the quilt I made for her, and she loves it. It even matches their sitting room perfectly. (I'm really glad she approves of the colors I chose, as I'm not as good with colors and design as some of the other women in my family!) My in-laws spend a lot of time in this room, so she'll get ample use out of it. She loves that it's soft on her skin, and therefore doesn't aggravate the itching she gets, as often happens with liver patients.

More good news--she's first on the liver transplant list for our area. It could be any day now, when they call her to come in for the transplant operation. She's ready to get it over with, and we're hoping it's sooner than later.

Coming Home is Not as Much Fun as Driving Up

Phew! The driving up North seemed like a whole lot more fun than it has been driving back South again. For one thing, the driving was split between 2 days and not done in one shot like we're doing now. Next, we are frustrated and disappointed right now, but more on that later. Third, we didn't have numerous delays or any break-downs. I'll elaborate further:

We had expected to spend at least another day in D.C. than we did. Little did we know that the Pope would be visiting D.C. at the exact time we were. It caused for some added traffic and city chaos. That was fine, since we (the kids and I) were using the Metro subway system to get around, and we simply avoided the crowded areas. But when we scooted out of D.C. to head North, the Pope followed us up there. (Just kidding. I know he had his own agenda, but it sounded good, right?) Well, I'm getting ahead of myself.

We went to N.J. to meet with a potential client. He wanted to see us, and we had an appointment set with him verbally via the telephone. We got up there and had to kill time the rest of the day (Wed.), waiting for the apt. on Thurs., at which time he was too busy to see hubby right then. So we waited around, and waited around some more. We literally walked the local mall ALL day, thinking this guy would call us back, since that's what he said. We're pretty honest people, and maybe a little gullible too, that people will tell you the way it is, and not what you want to hear. Because he kept saying he wanted to see Ch, we spent the night again, only to call him this morning, and he couldn't see us (with no explanation as to why not). What's most upsetting is that he knows we drove a long way just to see him. Second on the list of upsetting was the 2 entire days wasted twiddling our thumbs while we could have been sight-seeing, but oh, well.

So now, it's Friday, and time to come home. We were "SO close, so close and yet so far...." (can you hear the music?) to the Statue of Liberty, but found out the Pope had made his way up to New York City. The news stations were all talking about how the entire city would be in absolute grid-lock from extra traffic. People all over the city were taking a sick day to avoid the traffic. (People in D.C. did the same.) That's when Ch made the decision to skip New York entirely and just head home. It was probably a good idea anyway. He's pretty let-down right now because of the waste of time and money with the trip extension for nothing. But driving home today has not been easy. We had to drive back through D.C. and the traffic was pretty bad because everybody is leaving that was there to see the Pope in the first place. Traffic was at a stand-still everywhere we turned. Oh, well. No harm in taking a little extra time getting home. We'd get home sooner or later, right? Until "Blam!!!"

That's when we got a flat tire on our rental van. Luckily, we were pretty near an exit, and hobbled in to a truck stop. Yep, total flat. The closest tire-fix-it-place was 14 miles away. Lucky for me, hubby is handy. (Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for sending me a handy-man for a husband.) The kids helped too. The boys held tools and managed the air hose and water hose to check for leaks. B saved the day by providing soap to check for residual leaks. She had saved a sample of shampoo from our last motel. What did I do? Cheer lead, pick up trash, and document the whole thing. We had to go to 3 truck stops to get the stuff to fix the flat. But it's fixed, and we continue to drive. Thank you, Jesus! We're safe and sound, and "on the road again". (Again, I wish I could put musical notes in the text. It would help support the "mood".)
So, all in all, it was an interesting trip. Hubby ended up with a productive first half of a business trip. The kids and I ended up with 1 1/2 days of sight-seeing, and we saw a LOT in that day and a half! And we all got a lot of family together time. That in itself is priceless in today's busy world. And yes, I know we all got to work on building up our patience levels and flexibility requirements when plans go awry. I do not regret this trip in the least. I'm just trying not to focus on the "could-have-beens" and the "what-ifs".

14 Years Ago Today....

It's our anniversary! We were married 14 years ago today. It seems like it was just yesterday that we said, "I DO.", and then again, it seems like forever ago! But I would marry him again in a heartbeat. Here are a couple pictures from that day. (They are scans of prints, so the quality isn't quite as good as it could be.)


We were married on Easter Sunday, so it was a very Spring-like wedding. It was also the day after the time-change the night before, and I was nervous the groom would be an hour late to our wedding! But he was there on time.


Publix Grocery Store did our flowers and our cake. They did a good job. These stained-glass windows were in the church. I hadn't planned the wedding there for the beauty of them, but they sure were a nice touch! And you ladies might be interested to know that my dress was not supposed to be an off-the-shoulder type, but the lady that did the alterations took them in much too tight and they wouldn't stay up! My shoulders were nearly bruised by the end of the day.

Busy Birthday

I already went to bed tonight, and couldn't sleep! I kept thinking about everything we did today! It was a really great day, and I thought I would write about it really quick. Maybe it will clear my mind so I can sleep.

First of all, the boys wanted their hair cut, so I cut it. I don't do anything fancy, so don't think too highly of me. Not to be left out, B had to have a haircut too, so I trimmed the back for her.

After haircuts, we made a huge pitcher of fresh-picked, fresh-squeezed homemade lemonade at C's request. It is delicious. It was quite a tedious chore to clean up after 3 kids squeezed enough lemons for that huge pitcher full! But the kitchen got nearly an entire mop job of the floors, and complete wipe-down of all the counters.

We started our school work late because of all the haircuts, and lemonade making, but got reading our read-aloud, and got very absorbed in it. I am so glad to see the kids listening to me read more. They are quite used to listening to tons of audio books and audio dramas in the car, but have never remained as quiet for me when I try to read. Most of the trouble is probably my fault because I can become quite distracted by the sounds of legos shuffling in the lego bin, innumerable trips to the restroom, and them needing to go to another room to find something "real quick" as if it's an emergency. It's also neat to see how adjusted B is to listening to our read-alouds. She's just now 4 1/2, but her listening abilities are so much more than what they boys' were at the same age. Certainly it's two-fold, with her massive exposure to audio stories, and I am sure partly due to her gender.

We finished some other pressing school work, and then headed to the kitchen to make lunch. All 3 kids helped me make lunch today. We then played an educational game, and made a gluten-free chocolate zucchini cake together. This was not a simple box-mix kind of cake either, but a full "from scratch" cake because of the required gluten-free diet C is on. (Gone are the days of quick and easy baking for me, I am afraid. I kind of miss the simplicity of mixes.) I had all 3 of the kids helping in the kitchen at once. Some of you know how big a feat this can be. I did feel like the manager of a 3 ring circus for a time, but the cake was actually a success.

I am on a mission of sorts. Our kids are quite used to helping out around the house, especially with all the family projects and jobs we seem to keep busy with. I am often very amazed at how hard they work, and how valuable their help is when hubby needs a few extra hands. But I fight with my tendency to prefer to do things myself inside the house like laundry, major house cleaning, etc. because I am particular about how I want things to be done. It has come to my attention that I am working too much, and they are playing when I am working! This is no way to teach my kids how to run a house, I know. It's not like they never help inside, but they could surely be doing more of what needs done around here. So, today marks the beginning of changes to come. Today they helped me with 2 loads of laundry, dishes, sweeping floors, etc. I believe I will see real progress if I can keep up my determination to teach them and include them more. B even told me that I could go put my feet up and watch TV if I wanted to, but I didn't. I don't have any bon-bons in the house. Actually, I've never tasted a bon-bon. Are they good?

After a little more school, it was time to make supper! We had a nice dinner of portabello mushroom gluten-free pasta, brussel sprouts (of which the kids each ate several brussel sprouts without complaint, even though it is not their favorite vege!), and yellow zucchini. We cracked open a special bottle of sparkling pear cider that we purchased from a local orchard/vendor in GA when we were there on our vacation. Chocolate zucchini cake followed. Yum!

C blew out his candles after we sang to him, and hubby took the boys out scouting for rabbits. They had better keep away from the blueberry bushes, or else!! B and I read a few books together. We watched some political debate/commentary, and Michigan polls results, then it was off to bed for the kids.

Phew!! It doesn't sound like much when it's down on paper, but it was a busy, full day. The best part of all? It was so much fun hanging out with my kids! During supper making, we put some music on and everybody was dancing around a bit having a grand time. You should have seen C teaching his sister how to dance! Like he even knows how to ballroom dance (not!!), but it was so sweet! It wasn't his usual funky "jiggy" dance, but full spins of the little lady. Anyway, it was fun. I love that our kids are each other's best friends. If I could only get them to act that way 24/7. Hey, no body's perfect, right?

It's Cold Outside, so I Caved.

Well, last night was officially the coldest night we've had so far this season. I know that for a fact, because I finally turned on the heater this morning. When we built this house, we invested in better insulation, knowing it would pay for itself many times over in the years to come. Hubby and I have been curious as to how cold it would have to get, before we had to turn the heat on. The temperature outside this morning registered 41 degrees. I caved this morning when the temperature reading on the thermostat was teetering between 69 and 70. I turned it on to 70 degrees, and have been running the fire in the fireplace. So now the temp. registers 73 degrees. I am so glad that the insulation is doing it's job so well. I always rely on milder fall and spring weather to lower the electric bill and thereby help the budget situation. I hate the summer heat in Florida, but the rest of the year more than makes up for it!

Here is a picture of our blueberry nursery as it appeared this morning. There was so much steam coming off the plants, as their morning water was warmer than the ground.


So, I can't wait to tell hubby these details, as he monitors them with keen interest as well. We must be getting older, because funny stuff like this is so captivating to us now! Like levels of rainwater in the rain gauge, debates about county planning and the governor's promises to lower property taxes. There's also discussion about nationwide recession, the hoax of global warming and politics. 10 yrs. ago, all of this would have been considered topics of interest for the old and stodgy! Well, maybe 15 yrs. ago is more accurate. But here we are, old and stodgy ourselves! Where has the time gone?

Oh, why would I have to wait until later to tell hubby all these rapturous details? Because he left the house this morning at the insane hour of 1 a.m. Yes, it's the first day of the duck hunting season. I am SO glad he thought twice about taking the boys with him today. He'll wait until another day soon, when he can take them out around 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. I believe this will be H's 3rd year to go out with him. So, from now until sometime after Christmas, I will be bunking with B on the nights that C plans to go out in the early mornings. It's quite an interruption to my way of life, but one that I am resigned to. My husband has a thirst for life, a driving force to experience so many things! Sometimes I don't always understand it. But that's okay, because I know that's who he is. He is a passionate person about living.

Family Dynamics

B has been called by others, "the rose between two thorns". I have mixed feelings about that saying. Yes, she is definitely a rose, so innocent and sweet. But my boys aren't necessarily thorns. However, being the youngest of 3 kids, and the only daughter of our family, she does indeed hold a special place in our hearts.

Before B came along, my hubby was known to say that, for us "Two kids is more than enough!" Once B joined our family, we certainly wouldn't ever dream of sending her back, but I am awestruck at God's wisdom to send her our way. People would often tell me that I needed a little girl because I "only" had 2 boys. I used to get a little upset by that. First of all, I had 2 wonderful, healthy boys, and a husband who loved me. What more could I want? That is so much more than some people have. I am so blessed. Secondly, what were they saying about the boys, anyway? That they weren't terrific kids whom I loved with my whole heart? When we found out we were expecting again, baby #3, H said that God would send us a girl because He knew that we needed a sister. Oh, the wisdom of a 5 yr. old boy! Yes, we needed a girl in our family, and we had yet to find out why.

It's amazing what she does for our family dynamics. She's still such a little girl, yet her influence is tremendous. We needed rescuing, of sorts, at least I did. How can one little girl accomplish that huge feat? Well, she helps bring our family into balance. With a husband who is very strong and "manly", and two hearty boys following in his footsteps, I might have been highly misunderstood. Add to that the fact that my hubby never had any sisters, so his understandings of the female gender were probably somewhat lacking, to put it mildly. : ) And I have never been good at explaining things to hubby. Somehow I feel like he should just *know* in his heart what makes me tick! That's horrible on my part, I know, but I can't help it. I still have lots of scars from childhood that are healing. But now, my husband can see how different our daughter is from our sons. This translates into how different I am from "the guys", because I am a girl too!

And the reverse is also true. Because we see how different B is from the boys, I can understand my boys so much better than I ever could have without her in our family. I also appreciate my husband a lot more too since she arrived. In truth, a lot of this lack of understanding about gender differences is because I didn't have a brother growing up, nor did I have the influence of a reliable, encouraging father figure for most of my upbringing. (I had a step-dad eventually, but not during the formative years. The damage had already been done.) How thankful I am, that God saw the gap in our family, and knew that we needed B. She helps my husband and boys appreciate me more, and she certainly helps me appreciate them too!

Now, I am by no means saying that other families have the same requirements, or needs that we had. I never tell someone that they must have a girl (or boy) in their family to make it complete. It really is a God-thing. He knew what was best for us, and provided it for us, even before we even knew what our need was! I also believe that sometimes God provides in very different ways, whether it be via understandings, healing, friends, or experiences, to fill in the gaps. It is not always with another child. Every family, every situation, is very different.

Unexpected Surprise

We came home yesterday and found a package in the mail for the 3 kids from my father. It was very unexpected. You see, I have only visited with my father 2 times in about 25 years. It's a very long story, but he and my mother separated then divorced when I was 6 yrs. old. I had very limited interaction with him, and what we did have, was tumultuous. I didn't see him at all after I was 11 yrs. old until Thanksgiving 2 yrs. ago. He came to visit and stay with us from Oregon. He came again in June of this year, and was actually here for my birthday, although he didn't plan it that way. Also, it just so happened, that he was here the same time we were moving into our new house, so during all the chaos, he actually helped with a LOT of the heavy lifting, but with absolutely no grumbling about it. But after he left in early June, I hadn't heard from him since. (I can't call him since he has no phone of his own and I never know where he is.....) So, with this little background, you might imagine why I was so surprised by this unexpected event. It turns out he was so thoughtful, though. I want to quote the note that he sent along with the package because it struck me as so endearingly thoughtful, yet funny too. "Call it early Christmas or B days, or just hello--or gifts thinking of you. Love ya all, & P.S. You boys help Dad with the home work and your school. P.S.S. Some things for Mom's quiet refuge: the BATH!! with kids knocking at the door." He sent money for the boys, and the most beautiful beaded purse for B, but he included some surprises for me, too. There were several Burt's Bees products, as well as some handmade Oregon Lavender soap! It smells so good; the scent was permeating the box it was packaged in. How cool is that? My consolation prize for missing the soap-making class I was scheduled to attend until it was cancelled and then on-again before I even knew about the rescheduling. Anyway, I was tickled pink. He did call later the same day, so we all got to say our "thank you's". It's still kind of weird, though, because even though he's my father, I don't have any warm, fuzzy feelings for him. He pretty much abandoned me and my sister, for my entire life, and the father-daughter closeness does not blossom overnight. I think he's starting to understand that, but it was weird and kind of strained when he did visit. It's even harder to explain all this to my kids. They can't fathom the kind of childhood I had. It's like nothing they have ever experienced. Even my hubby doesn't understand fully even though he tries.