kids say the darnest things

wow can you believe it is almost halloween and I have not blogged since April???

had to post 2 things that Zoe said that cracked me up...

she was out playing with the snails after the rain...she found tons of new babies and Sam told her to put the babies back with their parents and Zoe said, "I can only find the mom, I think they must be divorced..."

then we this huge blow up cat for Halloween but, 2 have been defective and after the 2nd one, we could not find it for sale again...so, we called the company and they sent us a new motor...when we were leaving for breakfast with Zoe this morning, I said to Greg, "are you going to get the cat fixed today?"
Zoe says, "you need a carrier to take the cat in the car/"

LOL she thought we were taking her cat to the vet to get fixed...

Tim's BD

been very busy, not any time to blog...getting spring cleaning done just in time for an appraiser to come see our house...nice how it coincided, right???
even garage is like 70% done....that is something for us...
now all we need is a huge garage sale and get rid of everything...
I would like to still get bins and organize all of my fabric...then, I would genuinely feel organized...the only thing I am worried about is that when I have to go to the hospital, for my surgery, the house will once again revert back to it's old bad habits...and then we all know how long it takes to get it back in shape once again...the house is bad right now, since I had my heart attack when Zoe was in kindergarten (and she is 9 now...)

so, yesterday was Tim's BD and I like to make the BD's special, even when I have a ton of work to do...so, we took a day off and went to Disney (where else???) we had to wait till Zoe got out of school, she was there for 3 mornings for state testing...she got out at 11:20 so off we went right from the school...
it was a nice day at the park...you can always tell from parking, how the park attendance is...all day it was nice, no long lines or anything...we called it an early day as something Tim ate, made him sick...on the way home, he felt a little better and so we stopped at Outback for a BD dinner...we don't go there at all, tho Greg and I had been there when we were in Myrtle Bch on our trip...

early to bed so I can get to work first thing in the morning...the appraiser is coming on Friday and then I can let my guard down a little and relax...

nice day

today was a very nice day, thanks to some people...

I mentioned before that Chris cleaned house for me, Sam and Zoe gave me flower seeds and a nice pot and Tim gave me an MP3 player, soundtrack to Princess and the Frog...then he took us to dinner at the Auld Dubliner a really nice Irish restaurant by Tyler mall...I had fish and chips, it was really good...the tarter sauce tasted like it had cinnamon in it...fries were very good...as an appetizer, we got sausage rolls, very good...Zoe went with us and of course got grilled cheese...Greg loves his corned beef and cabbage...Tim got a cheeseburger...
afterwards we went to the mall...Zoe had gotten a marker on a dress I had bought her from Crazy8 and I was hoping to find another one there and I did...I am so happy...then I let her pick a few things at Children's Place...she was so happy...
Tim got me some cookies from Mrs. Fields, he knows how much I love a cookie with a glass of milk at night and he also got me a new mini Princess and the Frog snowglobe to add to my collection...

my migraine did a little better at least the bad pain in the back of my head eased some...

early to bed tonight and hope I feel a ton better tomorrow...

thanks God for a nice day today...please more patience...

birthday present to myself...

a migraine...yeah...cannot ever remember having a migraine on my BD before...woke up with a headache and as the day progressed, I knew...so, far nothing is touching it...no one is here right now, I should be lying down...but, hey, I can never sleep anways...

for my BD...Tim got me an MP3 player and the soundtrack to Princess and the Frog (he thought it would be great to take to the hospital with me)...
Sam and Zoe got me flower seeds and Zoe painted a pot...
Chris and the kids gave me pictures and he would not let me do any housework today, he did it all...
Greg remember took me last weekend to Disney and for breakfast to my favorite place...

Greg is stressed, tomorrow is his big thing with Elk's (won't even try to explain it...) just know it is big...

Tim is taking us out for dinner in a little while, that will be nice...

toady part three

before reading this post, scroll down to Toady One Kenobi part one to read all about Zoe...

so, how well do I know this little princess???

her favorites..........................

bff's are Lauren and Jazzy

color is teal

number is 18 (not sure why)

holiday is Christmas

dessert is a tie...chocolate brownie funnel cake (Disneyland) & fried ice cream

dinner chicken pot pie

breakfast ham and bacon omelette

lunch tuna

book franny k stein

disney character alice

stuffed animal cherssire cat

disney ride new mulholland madness old jungle cruise

ice cream pineapple whip

disney attraction Lincoln

tv show chowder cartoon

tv show wizards

teacher Mrs. Sherman & Mrs Barbosa

movie coraline & dr dolittle

parade Main Street Electrical

animal pug dog

disney land fantasy

singer faith hill

song one

movie star jim carrey

drink orange fanta

toy zhu zhu pet hamsters

she will eat the same thing every meal every day for a week or so, and then be so sick of it (of course once we stock up on that item...) like rice...that girl for ages loves a bowl of rice...just rice and butter and soy sauce...that's it...or grilled cheese, every day, with a side of ranch...we'll buy a ton of nacho lunchables and then she won't have a thing to do with them...thank goodness, I just send them over to Sian...
oh yeah, and she is a vegetarian (well sort of)...she will eat bacon (has to be very crispy tho) and she will eat chicken once in a while...absolutely no beef...no hamburger, unless it is In & Out...

this girl is extremely creative....and man can she draw...she is so good...she will look at a picture and then sit down and draw it and people think she traces...she loves sewing and painting and gardening...when you take her shopping and offer to buy her something, it will always be art related...cannot even count the number of boxes of crayons and colored pencils she has...

this girl has a passion for ALL animals...we have a picture of her when she was under 2 and she had a ton of snails all lined up in a row...too cute...last night, in the rain she was outside "rescuing" snails and getting them out of the rain...she cried and cried last week when our cocker spaniel brought in a dead baby bird and we lied and said that Grandpa buried it...she never tires of getting called away from whatever she is doing to once again see our resident squirrels...she has meltdowns about worms and lizards being eaten...

we love this little girl and are eternally grateful to God for this precious gift that He gave us...

toady part two

so, to finish my last post regarding Zoe's cardiology diagnosis...we were devastated...what the pediatrician told Brant was, "I usually do not tell parents that this is a concern, but I feel you need to know." great...
but, now trying to get in to see a pediatric cardiologist takes time and it took several weeks...
May 8th, a Thursday...long wait while the doctor was doing the echo, kept taking longer and longer when other people had been in and out...the doctor finally asks, does anyone in the family have........................? and Sam started crying...I made her leave the room so Zoe would not see her cry and I made Sam go get her dad out of the car...we needed him for moral support...
now, the rest is history...
it has been a long (almost 2 years) and we still really don't have answers...this little girl keeps getting sick and sometimes when she gets sick, she gets really really sick...
I posted just the other day on how we changed pediatricians and hopefully now, will start being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel...
her new meds seem to be working in just a couple of days and she likes taking them...

so, to finish this post of Zoe up:

Zoe is our precious, sweet, fun and fiesty 9 year old...she can be such fun to be around....she is great company...she and I love to take walks (me on my scooter and since she learned to ride a bike, that's what she rides) at night and we go all over...our favorite is to ride up to Rite Aid in the shopping center and get ice cream...she also loves the fish tacos in the same center...
she is a very caring person and when she loves you, it is with a very deep passion...

She was a total miracle, God was watching and saw how much we needed this little miracle...most times when I think about it, I still cannot believe it...I had waited for years for a little girl...and right from the first few minutes of life, that little face could melt my heart and it still does...sometimes I look intently at her and that face with those big brown eyes and those pixie freckles, it almost takes my breath away...

I absolutely never knew how special a grand daughter could be...they are so important to you, they are the reason you get up each morning, the reason you live each day looking forward to seeing them...words cannot really express the totality of how I feel for her...I wish more than anything I could take this pain for her, I ache terribly for her and the future of problems that she will have for the rest of her life...

two of my kids when they were little were so blond with blue eyes and Tim was the one who got his dad's Italian dna with the brown hair and brown eyes...and when they were little I always wondered what a little girl of mine would look like with Tim's colorings...Zoe is IT...she is Tim's mini me and the funny thing is that she is like him in so many other ways too...she loves comic books (like him) she loves movies with a passion (like him)...every week she will look up on the computer the upcoming movies for the week and what they are rated...she and Tim love doing things together in fact, later this year Tim plans on taking her to Tokyo with him...how cool is that???

toady one kenobi part one

have wanted for awhile now to do a post on each grandchild...time has come...starting with Zoe...

what can I say about this little girl??? where do I start???

never thought I would have grandkids...as I have previously posted, Samantha had ovarian tumors and to save her life at the time, we consented to taking most of "everything"...they talked to us that night, that they had saved a teeny piece of ovary and later on, (when she got older, she was 18) they would do invitro when a baby was to be in the picture...so fast forward many years to her marriage and they both didn't give kids a thought, "it wasn't supposed to be..." but God had other plans and imagine our complete surprise, when the little stick turned positive...don't think anyone of us truly believed it until we saw the precious little bundle of joy on the ultrasound...

I have always loved dressing little girls, think it stemmed from me coming from a family of 12 kids and I was the second to the oldest and there were always babies around and except for being so poor, I did love caring for the littler ones...early on, I loved sewing for them...that is how we would always know when my mom was pregnant another time, when she would go buy flannel and the older kids and her would make baby clothes...

so, when Sam was actually pregnant, I didn't dare hope for a girl...there were many ultrasounds done, but the baby would always cross the legs and we never got a good view...so, no matter what the sex, I was ecstatic to have a baby period...started buying baby things right away and putting them away...a lot of unisex, but when I did see really cute boy clothes would get them also...that is when I started buying on ebay (the early part of 2000)...

fast forward...never forget the day, it was a Friday and Sam had an appt. and they discovered her blood pressure was high and she was close to due time...they told us to go to the hospital, but we lived a little distance from there, so we got permission to go home get her stuff and return...we went out to eat at the Mongolian BBQ place that we all loved near there, went home got the stuff and returned to the hospital...it was a very long weekend...Zoe was not ready at all to come out...they tried inducing and nothing...so, they would induce all day long, turn it off at night, so Grandpa and I went home to sleep, and then try again the next day...finally on Sunday night, they did a c section...

think I was in shock, when Brant came out and said "foo foo" (meaning girly stuff...) it did not really register...my friend was there, and she repeated it to me...they finally let me back to see Sam and I was the first one to hold this little (well she was not little...9-5) bundle of joy...that moment is etched in my memory forever...

went to the Carter's store and bought everything pink I could get my hands on...got pink flowers and pink balloons and cigars, you name it...

I watched Zoe once Sam went back to work and this is how I have gotten so close to this little girl...I had her more than her parents did and even a lot of nights would go get her, so her parents could sleep before work...everything in my life started revolving around Zoe...I loved it...

except for a brief period of time, when we all moved to Riverside, they either lived very close to us or with us, so Zoe was always around me...when they moved to Riverside, we would come every other day and see them...and then once we got this house, and they took the back house well, she lives here more than at her "real" home...

when they told me that they were putting her in preschool I cried...I did not want them to take her away from me...I went on a tour of the school with Sam and I did like it...talked Sam into only putting her in 2 days a week, that way I still had her 3 days...and she did love the school so much...her first bit of socializing and I saw that she did need that...she flourished at the school and with the teacher of Pooh Bears Mrs. Stalder...we would take Zoe in the morning and she would hang with the teacher holding her hand...one day we went to get her and another mother was there getting her child and she was kneeling on the floor and Zoe went up to her thinking she was talking to her, and she in a sweet southern voice, said, "aren't you just the cutest little thing???" Zoe was wearing the ladybug overalls I had appliqued for her, with her red high tops...

it was just prior to her starting school, looking at some handmade clothes offered on ebay, that I thought I can do that and that is where my passion started...I did start making Zoe's clothes, sometimes, I have to say I did copy from ebay, but it started something in me that got my creative juices going and I do think I came up with some really good ideas of my own...everyone has always commented on how good Zoe always looks (tho it is getting much harder, when she only wants to wear jeans now that she is 9)...

helped out a lot in her 4 year old class of Cute Kittens and I really enjoyed it...funny story...the first day she was in Cute Kittens, I went to pick her up and had not met the teacher yet, and she asked who I was there to get, and I answered Zoe...but, Zoe would not look at me or anything (really weird) and the teacher asked her if she knew me and Zoe told her "no." Miss Erdman said that she could tell by the grin on Zoe's face that she did indeed know me and let her go with me...oh yeah, this is where the title of this post comes from...Grandpa has a nickname for each kid...started with our own kids and has followed with these little ones...for some reason, Zoe's was Toady One Kenobi...in Cute Kittens when asked her name, she would answer, "Toady One kenobi..." she did that for a long time...now she hates it...I catch myself calling her "Toady" still sometimes...

got really close with Mrs. Sherman of Lucky Ladybugs and we had a great year...Zoe will say to this day that Mrs. Sherman is her favorite teacher...Zoe one time told her, "know how when your heart hurts so bad when you don't see someone you love? that is how I feel when I don't see you..." and she was only 4 going on 5 at the time...for Zoe's birthday, the teacher gave us the whole day to celebrate...we had ladybug crafts, bug appetizers, bug cupcakes, bug hats the whole bit...a really fun time...this was our last year at the school and we cried having to leave but kindergarten was waiting for us...

was room mother for kindergarten and got close once again to the teacher, Mrs. Luginbill...had a terrific year...made Zoe so many dresses that she never wore the same thing twice to school and everyone commented on how cute she always looked...I had to take Zoe to the school nurse one time and she said, "oh you are the little girl who always looks so cute..." such a good year, could not have asked for a better class, better teacher, better year...Zoe did so well...when we had taken her to be pretested for kindergarten, she had placed low and later the teacher asked me, what had happened, cause once she got to know Zoe, she placed much much higher...I think it was the process in where they take the child from the parent (usually a 4 or 5 year old) and take them to a room, close the door and proceed to test them...Zoe is basically shy until you get to know her...I heard some of what was going on behind the door, and when she came out, I told her that I knew she knew some of what she said she didn't...she said she was too shy to answer...

between kindergarten and first grade, that summer is when I had my heart attack and they found my heart to only be functioning at 10%...I was going to have to give up on a lot of things...one I thought was to not be at her school so much as previous years...we did not get the teacher that we had requested for first grade but, decided to deal...Sam told the teacher I was willing to help, but on my terms (I had to sit, etc.) and the teacher agreed...the first time I went to help, she stayed in at recess to talk to me and said that Zoe loved me, talked about me a lot, and needed me around (in other words to take care of myself) to be there for Zoe as long as I could...the year went by, and altho it was not our favorite year we got thru it...

in April while Zoe was in first grade, I was going to Texas (by myself first time ever) to see my sister...Zoe had been complaining of headaches and shoulder pain and I kept after Sam to take her to the doctor...Brant had changed jobs so, insurance also changed...one night they saw what I was talking about and Brant the next morning took her to Urgent Care...he was there quite awhile but, I thought maybe they had gone out to eat or whatever...keep in mind I was leaving for Texas the next morning...Brant went to Sam's work (the preschool where Zoe had gone) and they came back together...I was waiting at the front door, for a diagnosis...at the time they told me it was scoliosis...OK that I could deal with...I have it, Tim has it...it is dealable (?)...

so, I went to Texas...when Sam would call me there, she sounded (funny) she now says, she was trying to give me clues to come home, that she needed me for moral support...whatever, I did not pick up on it...

got home and Sam and Zoe were waiting on front porch for me and Sam said, "I need to talk to you about Zoe..." and I said "what Zoe?" (Sam at the time was best friends with a girl who also had a daughter Zoe...) and then she told me exactly what the doctor had said regarding our Zoe and that she had not told me, as she wanted me to have a good trip without worrying about her...I was devastated, hearing about the extent of the scoliosis, requiring a spine specialist, but all the more, hearing about a heart problem...this requiring a cardiologist...

part two later...have house work to do first...

one sick little girl...

we have not been happy with Zoe's doctor for awhile now...sure, we are thrilled with him that he did find her problems (how much longer could she have gone with a hole in her heart anyways???) we know he is a fantastic doctor but we did not think we were getting the questions answered that we wanted answered...it was huge decision to change doctors and not made lightly...that is all I wil say...the new doctor is not really all that new, approximately 4 years ago, we had gone to him with a different insurance and had really liked him...

so, that being said, first appointment was today...other than a little hiccup at the front desk with an appointment mix up, things went great and Sam and I are very happy...very overwhelmed but with a certain peace of mind that we have not had for awhile...

funny thing...he remembered Zoe...maybe just from reading the chart but, hey give him a break...he said that when he previously saw her she was at the moderate level of asthma (the lower end of moderate) and she is now (from my typed history and the amount of breakthrus) at the very high end of moderate...he said he is not happy with with how things are going with her and I replied that I had not been happy for awhile with things with her...I have not liked the breakthrus at all...
this week, she has just been off, cannot put my finger on it...and it is always these times, when Sam does not think she is sick (at least real sick) and I do that there is something wrong...other times when she is visibly sick with a high fever and visible shortness of breath, they say VIRUS and that makes me so mad...when you take a visibly sick child in and hope for something anything to make them better and then offer nothing...
so, this week, a different kind of SOB, not bad asthma, she is just off...was at Disney also...oh yeah, she had a slight fever today also...
so, he completely changed all of her meds...
now;
Advair twice a day
Singulair once a day
Proventil up to every 3 hours...

no more nebulizer treatments which are time consuming...

then he wanted to discuss the heart problems and said that in all of his years of practicing he has never seen a PDA in a 7 year old...his words, "a very strange diagnosis..." and the MVP he says was probably caused by a previous undocumented case of pericarditis (fluid around the heart...)
I had to have him repeat so I knew that I got it right...pericarditis probably caused the MVP...but when could this have happened??? the doctor that found the heart problems found the problem in April and the first case of documented case of pericarditis (we think) was in March of the next year...so, it did not happen on that doctor's watch...so, we probably will never know exactly when it did happen (and really what good would it do, to know this info...) this is also "strange" to him...he asked how they treated the pericarditis and when I told him they treated it with Motrin, he rolled his eyes and shook his head...not sure how to interpret that one...I said that we sometime need to discuss changing cardiologists and he said OK and that he deals with one here in Riverside, which would be nice...

since he is not happy with the way things are with her right now, he wants to see her every week until he is happy...still a certain peace of mind for Sam and me...I am the kind of person that likes to know the answers to questions I have...I do not understand why doctors will only tell you part of what they want you to know...but, at the same time they think you should know the child's history...how can you do both, especially not having all the information you need???

frustrated and overwhelmed but with a peace of mind...

made spaghetti for dinner and made it early so Tim would have a nice treat when he came home from work...

btw...want to mention hoe proud I am of Tim...he is doing such great work with our newspaper...went to Coachella for the music festival and several of his stories (in collaberation) were on front page....www.pe.com

he works so hard and it seems to be paying off for him, with the paper at RCC, his tv show and now the PE...and his blogs for PE.

congrats Tim...

happy birthday to me...

have not posted for a week...not feeling really good...been throwing up for some reason...3 different nights now...not sure what is going on...

on Saturday had the little kids today and did not have a good day (not them) but no need to go into details...just a very bad day all around...took kids home and Greg asked where I wanted to go out to eat...was going to make spaghetti but with noone else home thought it would be nice to go out...other than breakfast, we don't really go out all that much any more...went to Pepitos and sometimes it is just soooooooo good...also got a margarita...it was so nice...no kids...
came home and watered plants...then Greg sprung a surprise on me...he went on the Disney blog (I know, I know Greg and blogs??? come on now...at one time he didn't even know what a blog was) anyways, the blog said that tomorrow (Sunday) is the absolute last day for the Main St. Electrical Parade...(can you believe it???) my very very very favorite...love the parade, and the music, oh my...so, Greg says, "instead of going next week (for my BD) let's go tomorrow, and stay the night and then we can see the parade for the last time???" WOW...
btw...they are sending the parade to Floridaso, they say it is the last time, but they have said that before...when they said it before, I bought the VHS of the parada and Zoe started watching the tape when she was really little and started loving it then...I am excited...and Greg said we can take Zoe with us...super excited...

Sunday...

got up early to get there, but I guess not early enough...parking was horrible...so, right away we know how the park will be...and it was bad, but hey you learn to roll with the punches and take it a little at a time and deal with crowds...
nice surprise, Greg took us to Plaza Inn for breakfast (my favorite, yeah) OMGosh the omelettes are to die for and Zoe got to see some characters she hasn't seen before...
nice day all in all...Zoe was really well behaved...
will go into more detail on other blog: www.dreamsofdisney.blogspot.com...

left Disneyland around 1pm to head for hotel as Zoe wanted to swim...stayed in pool for almost 2 hours...really nice and quiet, no other kids in pool but, Zoe was sad about that...

headed back about 4 and went dkirectly to Calif Adventure and had dinner (hot dogs) but, after the big breakfast we were not too hungry...went on some rides and kind of just waited out till time for the parade...while we were going around, they came on the loud speaker and said that since they had such a huge response to the parade they were going to add another parade at 10:30...the park is supposed to close at 10 so, for them to add a parade is big...

once again, will blog about the parade on the other blog...but it was so nice...they have added to it since the VHS version that I have...more lights better details, really really nice...loved it so much and to see the look on Zoe's face...priceless...she loves it like I do...had bought her the Alice in Wonderland doll earlier in the day and when Alice came by in the parade, Zoe was so excited...

got back to hotel at almost 11...Zoe was not sure she would be able to sleep...(she has a problem with hotels...it started when she had just gotten out of first grade and once we had gotten her heart diagnosis, Greg and I took her to Sea World and the night before we went, she threw up really bad in the hotel ALL night long...left the next day to bring her home since she was soooooo sick...) now, I guess she thinks it will happen again and every single time we take her to a hotel, she has a problem just before bedtime and usually it gets so bad that we end up coming home at night in the dark (with Greg not being able to see in the dark...) I knew she was stressing about it all day, but I kept reassuring her...and wouldn't you know, the minute her head hit the pillow, she was out...snoring...I was so happy...I knew she wanted to hit the pool in the morning...
she didn't throw up all night, but I did...could not believe it, but now I never want another Disney hot dog again...
no sleep, but I got up early to take her to the pool and I got her breakfast to eat by the pool also from the continental breakfast...not too bad, she had cereal, toast and hot chocolate...

came home and did not feel well all day...managed to unpack from our trip and that was about it...

very nice birthday present...nice day...will remember for a long time...

sunday and monday...

sunday...

Chris and I did the front yard today and it was hard...so ready to get the gardeners back...tired and hurting when thru...really like the front yard to look nice, so not quite knowing what to do from now on out...planted the rest of my flowers and planted the sweet pea seeds also...

made pot roast, potatoes and carrots with gravy for dinner...

monday...

took both girls and Tim to Disneyland and it rained hard while were there...we kind of knew in advance that it might rain, but I hate to go back on promises to the girls so decided to brave it and go anyways...we had bought rain coats but, I forgot them in the car and Greg had to go back in the rain to get them...and once he got them it stopped raining 10 minutes later...our luck right??? we had a good day...Tim took Si over to Calif Adventure and we took Zoe with us...we were surprised that even witht he rain, it was packed there...thinking spring break must still be somewhere...Zoe Greg and I mostly stayed in Fantasyland and got on most of the rides there, but when it was really raining bad, went into Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln...I had never been in there, and it was pretty informative...Zoe really liked it also...thinking she is the right age to see something like that...she wanted to stay and see the other exhibits too... how often do you see someone you know at Disneyland??? saw Jessica and kids while waiting for Greg to come back with rain coats...they were there for Owen's 6th birthday...little kids growing up...

Debbie needed to take Si to the orthopedists for her feet and so I watched the baby for her...(Chris was here also..) he is so funny is all that he says...Chris said that the other day, the baby put the cat in the dryer, shut the door and then said "uh ohh..." the doctor said that Si's feet should correct themselves by age 10...they go inwards and she walks funny...

too tired to cook. woke Greg up and we took Zoe with us and went to Pick Up Stiks...sometimes beef fried rice is just so good...

to bed early...still spring cleaning...

dear God, patience please...

little kids...

since today is Saturday, had the little kids today...Debbie came and dropped them off about 9 am and then we took all 3 kids to "Goldies" for breakfast...feel kind of bad...we always leave a big mess when we leave...the baby is not a neat eater at all...both of the little ones love hash browns and keep wanting more and more...Zoe as usual got her grilled cheese with ranch, and shared her french fries with the baby...
after breakfast, took them to Mary St. park once again, getting to be our new hang out...they had fun and we tired them out for about an hour...
braved taking all 3 into Target with me, and it wasn't that bad...let the girls each get a couple of things from the dollar aisle...
the girls are starting to really get along well and they played together all day...we all walked up to the shopping center to get ice cream, but Zoe wanted fish tacos instead of ice cream so Si decided to try the potato taco and she did not like it...we had fun walking...

after the little ones left, Chris and I did yard work on the side of the house and after being out there for only an hour, it looks so much better...

made corn chowder for dinner...

Zoe is staying home to sleep and Chris is at a friend's house, so it is very quiet for me...

dear God, patience please....

great grandma

Greg decided to go to see his mom for a couple of days...she is 84 and lives in El Segundo...(about 45 minutes to an hour from here)...
he left early this morning and I decided to clean the (master) bedroom while he is gone...what a job...we have let a lot pile up...sometimes I think I could border on being a pack rat but, I try hard to keep it at a minimum...today I threw away a ton of stuff...ya know, if a tee had a small hole or a bleach spot??? normally would keep them and think I could wear for painting or whatever but, today is the day to throw and I did...still not quite done...taking a small break and then will get busy once again...

making pigs in blankets and tator tots for dinner (hey I'm tired from cleaning all day, wanted something that was super easy to make...)

hoppin down the bunny trail

Easter was pretty good...Brant took Zoe for the morning to church...
cooked pretty much all morning...Tim and Zoe had several egg hunts...
for dinner made:
ham
my special cheddar potatoes
green beans with almonds
applesauce bread

Sam brought:
deviled eggs
veggies
strawberry shortcake

didn't see the little ones today, but will see them this coming week...

cheddar potatoes
I use (10 cans) of whole potatoes
sour cream
cheddar cheese
seasonings

shred potatoes, mix in enough sour cream to coat...add cheddar cheese to taste (more or less depending on cheesy you want them...)
add seasonings and top with cheese, bake at 400 for approx. 45 minutes...

so good, everywhere that I take this dish to, everyone loves it...

applesauce bread, Greg's absolute favorite

16 oz of applesauce
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
3 tbs milk
mix all together
add 1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
cinnamon
nuts

bake 350 for approx 60 minutes...makes 2 loaves...

inaguration

finished the flag...yeah...so happy that this will be off my mind...now, I can go on to bigger and better things...like sewing...want to make Zoe and Si some dresses...

since Tim and I didn't feel good, I had told Debbie that I would not take the little ones but since Si is on spring break, I will come get them in the week and take them out to breakfast or something...got up and decided to get up at take Zoe to Carl's Jr. for breakfast and since Greg was at a mtg. we took scooters...got up there and Debbie, Niki and the little ones were at Carls Jr...what a surprise...got to see the kids anyway and they all loved playing together...

the inagural ball is tonight...for the esalted ruler for Elks...the only day in the whole year where I get dressed up...Greg had to wear tuxedo...leary about going, but am going to support Greg...

the place was decorated nicely and the food was all right...not a bad night at all...

next year it is all Greg's as he will be the exalted ruler then...a lot of work to plan...especially the menu for the dinner...this year she had"
salad, with apples and grapes
fresh fruit
rolls
roasted potatoes
grilled veggies
bite sized pieces of prime rib
bite sized pieces of chicken catticitore (sp?)
ice cream in cups

tgif

so, this morning Zoe wanted to go to work with her mom and we let her...that meant spending the night at her own house also, so, I can sleep in hopefully...
want to go get my hair cut for the ball on Sat. and Greg and I went alone to breakfast, and everyone wanted to know where she was...
also went to Joanns to finish getting what I needed to make Beth Troxel's flag that she had wanted me to make for her...got home and worked all afternoon on the flag, and in my opinion it is looking pretty good...I hope she is happy with it...
really wanted to post that I had a sliver of hope, a glimpse of what a functional family should be like...Zoe, Tim. Chris Greg and I were all here... and for a brief time, everyone got along, we all talked with each other and it was so nice...almost brought tears to my eyes...just wish it could continue forever...


made tacos for dinner...Tim and I still do not feel good, tho he is worse than me and he didn't even eat dinner...

went fairly early to bed and then did not sleep at all...was awake every hour...

bowling

in case you did not know it, for 2 years now Greg and I have bowled on Monday nights on a league for Elks...I am not good at all...last year was a lot of gutter balls...this year a guy that bowls on our team, has showed me some good pointers and I have done better...couple of weeks ago, I even bowled a 152...good for me...
so, each March when the league ends till September, they have this big party and hand out cash awards...I do not understand bowling talk, but last year we did not win very much money at all...so, was expecting same thing this year but was surprisingly mistaken...our team was in second place and each person on our team got $75, and then the awards kept coming at least for Greg and it totaled in the 500's (can you believe???) but we were very cash poor and that really helped us along...
Greg got new pants and shoes and sox...I gave Chris $20, sent $20 to my sister, took Tim to Applebees, and Sam wants some money next week to be able to take Zoe to the museum and out to lunch (can do that...) nice to have a little extra that you can share with people that you love...oh yeah, got Si another new pair of shoes and Zoe too...and then am amazed how fast that kind of money can go too...

better days???

so, today I feel just slightly better than yesterday's post...Greg tried everything he could think of to get me in a good mood...then, Tim came home sick from work...am thinking that I have what he has on top of this depression thing...
and still today have the chemical type headache...
but as a woman, I do what is expected of me and I forge ahead and went grocery shopping this morning and when we grocery shop we SHOP...(like $350 worth at the commissary)...then got home and had to put it all away...the frozen stuff is the worst...
went to Sam's also to get a few things and where else can you eat for 5 people for under $15 and the hot dogs are pretty good too...

Tim is much worse off than me, if I could get rid of the headache I would be all right...I had the cough for the month that led up to this, but you can tell he is sick...Zoe also is not feeling good, I kept her home from her one day a week school, cause I had a feeling I would just be going back to get her...

last night, still feeling crappy, ordered pizza and sometimes when you haven't had it for awhile, it tastes really good...

greener grasses and roller coasters...

the grass is always greener, right??? sometimes I find myself wishing for a slightly different life...some portions of my life just are wearing me down...and saying that, I hate to get to the dark part of the wearing down...the "depression hurts" feeling again...wonder if I didn't have the other influences in my daily life, would I be all right on my own??? some mornings when I just get out of bed, I can feel the "dark" already...did it just appear, or occur because of something that had previously happened...and believe me, there has been lately, plenty of happenings...some days like now, I want to go to bed, pull the covers up over my head and not deal...not to sleep...I can never sleep during the day...I just don't want to deal...
we went (surprise) out to breakfast, and I told Greg I didn't want to go home...couldn't figure out where to go, just not home...and everything he suggested, didn't appeal to me...so, home we came...
the expression, "when mom isn't happy, no one is happy" most likely applies to my situation right now, I am sure...and for my part in that, I apologize but, I also think I am entitled, am I???

before I met Greg and I had moved from home, had a very small one bedroom...I was lonely, wished I had companionship...never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would or could wish for a little of that now...sometimes I just want a few minutes to myself, to even go to the bathroom by myself, to think without any disruptions, to be able to lay down and have no one want something...sometimes it seems that no one here can make a decision at all without me being involved somehow...did I put myself in that situation??? and if I did, how do I get out of it???

the house is getting too much for me...the normal every day is wearing me down...the dishes are never done...there is always piles of laundry...floors to scrub, toilets to clean, vacuuming...you get the picture...and then throw in the yards with all the landscaping...I don't think I am trying to keep up appearances to keep up with the Jones' but, I like nice and neat and I do not have it...and it is driving me crazy...not sure what will happen when I have surgery and am recuperating for 6 weeks...how long will it take to get it back to my standards, especially when it is not even to my standards right now...I am exhausted trying to get anyone to help me...it is easier to let Greg take his naps...if he is not sitting in front of me, while I am working it doesn't get to me so bad...when he worked and the kids were at school all day (& even when I had a full time job) the house was better then...I coped better then...what is wrong now??? what is wrong???

guess it doesn't help that I have that chemical type headache all over my head, does it???

I want off of this crazy roller coaster, I hate roller coasters anyway..............................................

Elk's party

got up early since I had cupcakes to make...like to whip the heck out of my cakes in the mixer...so, I put the mixer on and went and took a shower...it came out sooooo creamy...the mix said I would get 24 cupcakes, and after beating it so much, I got 34...
Zoe had begged to come over (slept the night at mom's) and as soon as she got here, she wanted to go to Jazzy's....for those of you who do not know, Jazzy is the grand daughter of my neighbors across the street...Bill and Lin...she is 70 and yesterday was Bill's 80th birthday...they had tons and tons of people come to the party and our poor little street has problems accomodating too much traffic...especially parking traffic...but it went ok...so, this morning Zoe wanted to be with Jazzy...so, I went with her, in my pajamas, I might add, to ask Lin if Jazz could go with us to the party...she said sure...she always has Zoe over when Jazz comes up from
Santa Monica, which is usually about once every month or so...Zoe and Jazzy are the best of friends, hopefully they will be so forever...

Debbie dropped the 2 little ones off for me to get ready for the party...all 3 of my kids looked cute...I had bought Zoe the social butterfly set from Gymboree last year and then I found Si the matching smocked dress and I was going to make the baby a matching jon jon and then they buzzed his hair and he just looked too old for a jon jon, so I found a cute tangerine striped tee to match the girls and I got him brown and tangerine sandals...

since Greg is going to be the exalted ruler next year, he was in charge of the Easter party and he and the women did a good job...Tim even went down and helped move tables etc...they had macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, veggies, chips and cupcakes...the "bunny" really "Cliff" was so great...and surprisingly CJ liked him, sat on his lap, showed the bunny the eggs that he had hunted...he kept looking for the bunny..."bunny outside???"
all in all, we had a fantastic time...

rummage sale

Saturday morning at 5am... up to set up for the preschool rummage sale at my house...long, hard day of selling...but the thing is...we did it...yeah...
made about 900-1000, but what really got me was that we made over 130 on bake sale alone...
good people to help us and a fantastic bbq afterwards...sometimes a bbq'd hot dog is just the bomb...good potato salad, great hot dogs, deviled eggs, macaroni salad...just an overall good day...fast clean up and the day was done...
to tired to cook since out in the sun all day, I had pot pie, others had the
pulled pork leftover from the other ...
to bed by 9...cupcakes to do for the Elk's party tomorrow...

cute story...had Debbie drop Si off for the sale today so she could enjoy the day and also see all of her old teachers that were here for the sale...she overheard Zoe telling her mom's co workers that Tim is taking her to Tokyo...when we got in the car to take Si home, she tells Tim, "I heard you are taking Zoe to Pinnochio (Tokyo !!!)" it was so cute and then she asked are you taking me somewhere??? he told her he would take her anywhere she wanted and she said Disneyland...so he said ok...

hip hip horray for school

even if it is only one day a week...did not sleep well last night at all...coughing way too much at night and then was nauseated (think from one of my pills, have to figure out whcih one...)
but, got Zoe off for school, mornings like this one, am so glad that I do get everything out the night before...actually she was up before me today...and she got dressed well without me asking her...
came home (Greg wanted to go get breakfast, but since I am exhausted, I turned him down) and I laid down and slept for 1 1/2 hours (that is really not like me...)

once I was awake, put dinner on in the crock pot, made pulled pork for sandwiches...
recipe is fairly easy and I have made before and everyone seems to like it...

1 16oz can tomato sauce
2 cups bbq sauce
1 big pork shoulder...

put all in crock pot and cook away...if you want you can add onions, chilis, whatever...
the problem being, I forgot to plug the crock pot in so it will be good for tomorrow...already is shredding really well and looks delicious...

so,since it was just Tim and me, he bought me a Marie Callendar meal of turkey and mashed potatoes...

really really tired tonight, just informed little princess we would be going to be pretty soon...night all...

wednesday

I didn't eat last night, too much to do so, woke up this morning really hungry...went out to breakfast and then wouldn't you know, I didn't eat that much at all...
came home and did the usual; home schooling,cleaning and rummage sale...
busy all afternoon, you know I am busy when I don't touch jewel quest all day, didn't even check my email till late evening...


greg had early Elk's tonight, so I made cheese fondue for dinner...don't make t too often as Greg hates it but Tim. Chris and Zoe all love it...
we have it with: cut up french bread, little smokies, celery and carrots, and my favorite wheat thins...

recipe:

melt 1 cube butter in pan, add 6 tbs flour, stir and let heat through to cook flour taste out, carefully a little at a time, add 3 cups of milk, add garlic salt and pepper and when thickened, add shredded cheddar cheese to taste and stir through till melted...

bed early night...
got everything together for Zoe for school tomorrow....

monday and tuesday...

ok, so am really busy with rummage sale, etc...but, still need to blog...especially since I also want this blog to service as a family tree archive long after I am gone...

Monday, cleaning and doing rummage sale stuff pretty much all day...am getting more and more of the house cleaned...I am pretty embarrassed with how my house looks lately...seems to be it really went down hill with the 2 latest heart attacks...and with the % of heart function so low, there is no energy for me at all...the heart attack I had when Zoe was in kindergarten was the worst one in relation to low heart function (I left the hospital at only 10%...0nly figured out how bad that was when they sent home nurses with me for weeks after...and then the one I had in 2009, & was up to 25%% but, still very low for their expectations...that is why I got the pacemaker and defib. placed...they're hoping the pacemaker will help strengthen the heart muscle...along with the heart meds I take...

so, back on subject...it is overwhelmingto keep the houese and the yards up...I am a perfectionist for my yards) it& is slowly getting to be too much for me and no offence to anyone since i have spoiled them for so long and have done for them for so long, it is hard retraining them to help me more...the house and the yard are almost too much to handle...it is like everywhere I look it is a mess, and now with the runnage sale stuff it makes us look like pack rats...I guess I will get there to the point that I want to be sometime but, it is a long and arduous process...

homeshcooled Zoe quite a bit today and she did get a lot done, think she behaves on Mondays as that is bowling night and she loves to go to the playroom with other kids....

didn't make dinner, for one, I have felt sick all day, really naseous and I have this bad cough that just will not go away...I go into these horrible coughing sprells where I end up chocking...

and second, we have bowling tonight and this is the last night and depending how you bowl,you have a chance to win some money...
so, we went bowling and I did not do that bad tonight, maybe I should bowl sick more often...

greg did extremely well bowling and he has 3 broken toes...

Zoe went with us and she had pizza there=

long night, finally got to bed at about 11.

OK Tuesday...
once again got up early and had breakfast and came home to the same, rummage sale and cleaning...Chris and I rocked in the back yard and it really is geting to look nice...that took us awhile...when Chris left, we went to Target and I got Si and Cj new shoes for the Easter party on Sunday that Greg is in charge of...the girls are wearing matching gymboree tangerine gingham smocked dresses and I had wanted to make the baby a matching gingham jon jon, but with everything else going on, settled on a cute tangerine striped polo and khaki shorts...hoping they will fit...

came home and made home chicken noodle soup for dinner and everyone liked it...

tired tonight, so we were in bed by 10...

saturday & sunday...

Saturday morning, Tim took Zoe to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid, so Greg and I took the other two little ones to Wal Mart and to Mc Donalds for lunch...Si was a little upset since we did not go to playground Mc Donalds but we did it that way as we had to wait for Tim's prescription...
since he has not insurance, we tried to fill it at Rite Aid and they wanted $165.00, so we decided to try Wal Mart since the doctor said the rx was on the $4.00 list...well, Wal Mart wanted $65.00...so I walked away but, Greg went back & explained about insurance, etc...they then only charged $10.00...not complaining tho...

so, while at Wal Mart, they had the Easter bunny walking around...Si said she could tell it was not the real one, cause she saw the girl's hair, and when the bunny came over to the baby, he would not even look at her...just kept looking straight ahead...think he was a little scared...

took the little ones home and then got Zoe and Tim and she had behaved really well, according to Tim...she loves Wimpy Kid and has read every one of their books...Tim also took her out to lunch and to Borders and got her a book...he always goes to Panera to get me chocolate chip cookies (they are so good...

worked on rummage sale for the afternoon, looked up on my other blog, how much we made the last time, and it was $1200.00...we will not even be that close this time...but, whatever we make will all right with me...more than we started with, right???

made homemade macaroni and cheese, biscuits, and little smokies in bbq sauce and sometimes a dinner like that just tastes so good...

Zoe was supposed to stay the night at home, but once again talked me into her staying with me...it is not that bad, she does what I say, and we both went to bed at 10:30...her cough is back and that worries me...I had really been weaning her from the 4-6 breathing treatments a day, and so the night before last, I was trying no treatments at all...so, now I
see that it does not work...she needs the treatments...that's all there is to it...was hoping she could do without it, but it showed me that she can't...

Brant did buy her a new helmet today...

Sunday

went to Wal Mart to get me a new pair of shoes, for the party today...new officers being installed at Elk's and they always have a cocktail party before the actual ball...I was kind of dreading it, but do it for Greg...I don't know a lot of the people there, but they are nice and it went all right...we are not party people and we do not drink, so that is not our scene but we go to make an appearance...since it will be Greg's role next, he has to make a good appearance...won't really like to be responsible to give the next party and it sure won't be at our house...this year and the previous years I have gone, the houses are always spectacular, and especially Martha's today...

came home to Zoe waiting for me...not sure what she will go without me when I have my surgery and then rehab for so long...am worried about her...

anyways, her little friend up the street, Lauren asked her to come play and she loves it there...

made meat loaf, corn and rice a roni for dinner tonight...after being away for the better part of the afternoon, was looking for something easy...plus, have to start using all the oven dishes up, as it is already getting hot here...today was in the 80's today and should be about the same all week...
Chris has been a big help with housework and with dinner this week and today was no exception...

tuna...

early morning as princess had her one day of school...but, we are always ready the night before...clothes are out (another new set from Crazy 8), lunch is made, shower the night before, etc...she didn't really want to get up, but once she did she was fine and got together just fine...I had a preschool mtg. so had to get ready also...

picture to the left is of her, home from school, happy on Disney.com playing Tiana...doesn't she look cute??? she came home all happy after seeing her friends...it is cute and I wish she had more of that...

quiet day, cleaning...really did the computer room good and while cleaning, noticed the phone had messages...one was from my cardiologist (the pacemaker one) that said I had an appt. for 3, but could I come in at 1:30 instead??? it was already 1:34, but Greg called and they said come in now...

I needed to see the Medtronics guy (they run an electrode across your pacemaker and then plug it into a computer for info...)also...but that office is always packed and you should plan at least 2 hours there...Dr. said all looks ok, will take another echo in 3 months to see if % has gone up...first it went from 10, and then last time it was 29...so, we will see...also made an appt with the other cardio that will have to clear me for surgery...it is on March 30th...the girl behind the desk, said that that day will be horribly packed and so she did us a favor and put us as first patient of the day...

so, then it was time to pick Zozo up and I sent Sam instead as it really hurts my knees going down those stairs...

Zoe wanted to ride her bike so I sat out there for quite awhile watching her...

made sloppy joes, tator tots and corn for dinner...of course little princess is not a meat eater, so she had 2 whole tuna melts...now, this seems to be her very favorite for the time being...loves, loves, loves tuna...and once I introduced her to melts, she is smitten...btw, she also had tuna for her lunch at school...never thought I would get her to eat tuna...really surprised...she can't eat meat, but she can eat fish???

forgot to mention that while at cardio...saw Becky Johnston...haven't seen her in ages...during Zoe's second grade at Magnolia, I helped Becky almost every day...she was the librarian...gave her Greg's card as it seems we have both lost each other's info...

bedtime...night

btw...Chris was discharged with hypertensive crisis...it is really running in this family...all 3 of my kids have hypertension right now...Tim's is out of control, dentist won't even touch him right now cause of it...

shamrock day...

Greg had an early hospital appt. so I woke little princess up and went off for a 2 hour long journey, me on my scooter and her on her bike...(needed to be gone for someone special) so, we
went to Carl's Jr. for breakfast (she now loves the bacon and egg burritos...) and the hash browns...
so, after we ate she wanted to go to Rite Aid to see if they had gotten the erasable colored pencils yet as they were out the last time we were there...they had some but, only 8 colors and she wanted 24...so, I suggested going on up to Staples, that they might have them there...was not a bad ride to Staples at all...they had the pencils, but then she decided she wanted sticker paper instead...(she is on this kick where she wants to make her own stickers...)
soon after getting home, Greg also returned and took us up to Killarney's (an Irish pub and eatery) where last year, it was impossible to get into eat, but you could at least watch the Irish dancers and listen to the music...this year they completely changed it, and you (to see or hear anything) had to pay a cover charge...good idea but no go...

made princess work on Irish stuff, made her write a report on Ireland and also one on
St. Patrick, then she had an Irish crossword puzzle, word search and some coloring pages...she did pretty well on the reports...

I of course made corned beef, boiled potatoes, carrots and fried cabbage...Zoe and I also made
Irish soda bread...
Zoe was very proud of herself with the bread, she really liked kneading it...

have to go get all of the princesse's stuff out for school tomorrow...see you tomorrow...

pray that nothing serious is wrong with Chris, in ER with chest pain...

monday and tuesday

so, yesterday was bowling and I was hesitate about going with my knees, but went anways...one game did 122 (my 2nd best)...Randy one of the guys on our team gives me good pointers and I am doing better...

Tim took us to Wendy's for dinner so we wouldn't have to eat bowling alley food...

got up on Tuesday and surprise, went out to breakfast and had little princess do home schooling at the restaurant, and she is doing a little better doing what I tell her...

put the new blinds up and they look so good why do I let them get so bad looking when they are only like 4.00 a piece???

cleaned the back yard and then priced for rummage sale...

made hamburgers for dinner...

had to post another of Zoe's hairdos and then a present Sam got me...

till tomorrow...

sunday dinner

made beef stroganoff for dinner, it is Tim's absolute favorite...

he isn't home yet so he hasn't eaten, but it was pretty good...

am tired tonight...cleaned the computer room really good since the Charter guy is coming out tomorrow we are "bundling" all our electronics together...

hoping little princess will hit the books hard tomorrow...

night

smile

do you think God has a sense of humor???

the last 2 days, I have been living in that depression commercial (you know the one that asks "who does depression hurt?" ) and I always feel more sorry for the dog that is just laying there...it is obvious that even the dog feels when everyone is in a funk...just look at me wrong and I will cry (& I know everyone that knows me will say hey you cry easy anyway...) but, I feel just well, depressed...why??? too much to go into and I don't want to bore anyone...

I said in January that one of my resolutions was to work on my depression more...think that just about every american has some % of mental illness in them...so, knowing that I am only hanging onto my everyday life by a very thin thread...I could (most likely) handle my own life ok, it is when all other sorts of stress is added, that is when I feel myself heading to a sort of "dark" place...I hate feeling like this...mental disease & or depression is so overwhelming...trying hard today to get over it...

so back to God...I would seriously hope he has a sense of humor, cause sometimes right at the absolute worst times, I see signs of "hey, thanks God for that..."

today it was that I was outside sweeping the porch, and there were several squirrels playing around our tree...not sure why it made me smile...

and then the present Tim got me...check out the picture of the pig...

kids

our usual Saturday, watching Si and CJ and of course Zoe tags along...went to breakfast, to Golden Ox, which Si calls Goldies...that girl loves her hash browns...she usually wants the pancake special but, soon discovered she didn't get hash browns with them...then, she always has to copy Zoe but, when it comes to her breakfast she knows what she wants...not grilled cheese for her...now Zoe could eat grilled cheese (or rice) every day of the week and never get tired of it...Cj kept asking Zoe for some fries and then would say thank you...loves to sit at the restaurant and see the buses and keep saying, "more bus..." he is so funny...if he wants to go outside, he'll say, "outside, me???" I can understand just about anything he says...

after breakfast, took them to the park and let them run around for like an hour...they had fun...we found (well really Zoe knew of it) this other park...we usually go to Shamel Park but, there was a party there and baseball and soccer...this "new" park was really nice and we will probably go there from now on...Zoe and Si were playing with this brother and sister and they all played good together...Zoe thought the boy was cute...

since I have all 3 kids and it is a little hectic, Sam took both girls back at her house to watch movies and I have the baby...also did get dishes done and picked up a little...

Debbie came and got the baby...Sian and Zoe and Chris are going to camp out in the backyard in the tent...they have hotdogs, marshmallows, etc planned...it is a little chilly tonight, hope they don't get too cold...we have every blanket available out there...while Chris was setting up the tent, I got another flower bed weeded, they are looking good...

took a picture of Si and Zoe on the computer, singing to songs they looked up...too cute...neither one of them can sing all that well, but, hey what the heck??? they don't care what they sound like...I was just surprised that they both knew the words to all the songs...

made meatball soup for dinner...so simple and so delicious...

my own recipe...

2 pkgs beef stew seasoning mix

8 cups of water

noodles

frozen peas

packaged meatballs

heat to boiling the water and seasoning mix, add meatballs, noodles and peas...cook until noodle are done...

made biscuits to go with it....

Greg said, "best dinner you've made in a long time..." LOL...

2 funny things that happened today...

1. our old mail man ended our route yesterday and this morning we got a new one, who came extremely early ( we never get our mail until late afternoon....) Zoe went out and got the mail and comes in and with such flair handed out the appropriate mail to each person...we laughed cause it was like Christmas morning...we joked that everyone got a present (mail) and poor Zoe said, "I didn't get anything..." it was so cute...

2. after Chris got the tent set up, and it started getting dark, Sian says, "daddy, can you go get us a tv?" for camping??? get real...but then Zoe says, "when you get the tv, will you get me a fan???" city girls not used to camping...we did finally give in and took Grandpa's portable DVD player out there and they are all cozy watching Aquamarine, a good mermaid movie...

good night all...

busy bee day

worked so hard today, dind't even touch my computer all day...

went out to breakfast, I know we go out too much but, what can I say??? then Wal Mart cause 2 of the window blinds in the computer room need replacing...I need 24 inches and wouldn't you know they either have 23 or 25...I got 25 and they are too big...Zoe got tissue paper, wants to make more lanterns that they made at her one day a week school...they take tissue paper in small amounts and glue it to a baby food jar and then put a votive candle inside...she wants to make some for the rummage sale...

so, once again she was not on her best behavior for home schooling...sometimes I just give up...so, I just went outside and weeded a lot of my gardens...Sam came home and took the princess home with her and I continued with weeding until Greg got up from his nap and then we went to Home Depot to get a lawn mower and I got some more flowers to plant...I was outside most of the day...

wanted a quick dinner so I made hamburger, rice and gravy...added sliced almonds and chow mein noodles also...haven't had this for awhile and it really tasted good tonight...

little princess came back over tonight and now has decided to do school work with a good attitude...why now???

I am so sick of her hair since she has decided to grow out her bangs...they just hang over to one side and it looks crappy...so, this morning tried pulling them back into a pony tail and then pulling that one into another pony...she had a meltdown, hated it, wanted it out...and I stood my ground and told her no...she was to wear it like that for the morning and if she still hated it, could take it down but then we were going to go get her bangs cut like they used to be...well, we were in Wal Mart and she looked in a mirror there, and decided that she liked her hair the way it was...and tonight it is still like that...so we had a meltdown for nothing......

dress she is wearing is Indian Summer from Gymboree and my most favorite line ever...surprised that I could find a dress from this line in new condition...

got dishes to do....................................................

when did it happen???

I am old...period...and I am not sure exactly when it happened...it like happened overnight...don't even want to say how old I will be in a little over one month...OMGosh...
I realize that it is mind over matter but, all of a sudden I feel old...
the couple across the street from me ( & I totally respect them so much) take really good care of themselves but, she was just 70 last month and he will be 80 next week...and they totally do not look or act like their ages...they both still hold down jobs and he never sits still...always out doing yard work or washing cars, etc...but, they eat healthy and walk all the time (she is a nurse...) I want to be more like them...

when my kids were little, they were sickly and we saw lots of specialists for them...pediatricians, immunologists (Chris' low immunology), infectious disease specialists (Tim's osteomylitis), asthma specialists (both Sam and Chris), gastro (Chris' esophagus) surgeons (Chris & Sam) eye doctors, well you get the picture...at one time they even thought Tim had leukemia...so we were there a lot, a whole lot and saw many many doctors...up until a certain point I myself was fairly healthy...hadn't had to see many doctors...then it started and I guess that is when I started getting old...

now it seems that as each specialist is added to my list, the older I get...the older I feel...I really don't like doctors and I hate hospitals...I wait until the last possible moment before I go for anything wrong...(remember the time I waited so long after throwing up blood??? and I needed 4 blood transfusions???)

every pill that they add to my growing list makes me feel all the older...

it also brought senior(itis) all the more closer and hit home when my ex brother in law just died...word is he died from a massive heart attack at home...we were close at one time, and he was someone that you thought would be around forever...

this latest surgery thing is scaring me, especially when they say how extensive it is and how much blood loss and how long I will be hospitalized...I am more worried on how my house will look when all is said and done...

thursday, wonderful thursday...

Zoe has classes on Thursday...remember one day of the week??? surprisingly she got up fairly well...she was excited to go today...for some reason she really wants to go today...when we went to Ralph's yesterday, we bought cookies for her Magic Treehouse class...so, her clothes were out and lunch made and this morning went all right, not ugly like usual...she wore (another) new outfit from Crazy 8, more strawberry stuff...we even got her there early with (get this) breakfast in her too...WOW...

Greg and I actually got to go out to breakfast by ourselves...what a treat...the owner of the place asked where Zoe was...good eggs and potatoes this morning...

after breakfast, I had a Dr. appt...told Greg that we made out when the ER gave me this Dr. when I had my 2nd heart attack and appeared in the ER with no primary physician...he is wonderful...will sit there and talk to you for as long as you need him to...Greg and him almost always talk about insurance, politics, whatever...today it was about a local hospital (one that my Dr. uses) that is going to close...so, he said that my blood tests came back Ok (for folic acid and vitamin deficiencies)...he had said if some of those had been low, could account for some memory loss...told him I was not happy with neurologist and I was not going to do a sleep study...so, onto the orthopedist...he said as long as the cardiologist clears me for surgery, then he will also...he said that after surgery to plan on being in a rehab hospital for minimum of 4 weeks...I DID NOT KNOW THIS PART AND MAKES ME NOT WANT TO DO IT ALL THE MORE...

came home and worked my butt off pricing for the preschool rummage sale, which if I have not said on this blog, is going to be here at our house...last time, we did it here it worked out ok...not a lot of donations so far this year and it is in 2 weeks, so we will see...told the director of the preschool whatever happens we will deal with it...it might not be this huge thing, maybe just a small yard sale, but it is more than what we started with...worked all day on pricing and actually finished everything that we have...

no one was home except Greg and me, so we went out to Coco's for dinner...used to go once a week and haven't been there for ages...Thursday is chicken and wild rice soup, the best...and I had the roast turkey dinner...simply delicious...

am I sick???

I mean, really...what is wrong with me???

I have cooked (good) for a number of days now and I really do love to cook, but you know how life gets in the way and can totally stress you out and then everything is rushed, including dinner...

not tonight although...

this is Tim's plate and he thought I was crazy taking a picture...don't ask me why he puts ketchup on his potatoes...

menu:

herb roasted chicken

oven roasted potatoes

garlic cheese biscuits and

maple glazed carrots...

sounds good, right??? and then wouldn't you know by the time I am all done with dinner, for some reason I am not hungry...I do that a lot...guess I taste test too much while cooking...