today

Today was a rough day. Hope you don't mind...
Gr K (my mom) is better in some ways and worse in others. She has been in the hospital since Thanksgiving Day. I won't bore you with the details of the myriad of ailments she has had since then. She was much more alert and talkative today. BUUUUUTTTT, she is missing a big chunk of memory. She is having trouble finding some words and doesn't read correctly. I was talking to the nurse about my granddaughter in NY and Gr K said, "YOU have a granddaughter?" I said yes and that makes you a great grandmother. N is 5 and you actually have THREE greatgranddaughters. She started crying. Then she asked if "Mother" is still alive and I told her no and she asked about Father and I told her no and she asked who IS still alive. I said "ME". That did not make her happy. I told her brother and her cousin in Springfiled, Massachusetts (she apparently doesn't LIKE her cousin in Springfield, Massachusetts b/c she DID NOT want to hear about HER) So we spent the evening with her asking a question, me answering and then a minute or two later she asked again... like how did she get in the hosptial, what's wrong with her. Where are we, why the Midwest and not Laguna Beach? How are we paying for this (hospital)? What day is it. I told her January 17 and didn't say the year. She said 1907, and I said no, 2008, she asked how did it get to 2008? I asked her if she thinks she slept thru New Year's and she said probably. That's about the gyst of this evening's activities.

So... that's how I am. I go to school and teach. I drive up to the hospital everyday after work I spend a half hour to 2 or 3 hours depending upon when Gr K kicks me out or falls asleep or gets so cranky I need to leave. I come home and sit on the couch watching tv or surfing . I wish I had enough energy to do something productive. I DID buy paint for my bedroom... Laura Ashley Sand 4 (Valspar???) It was supposed to be a snow day today and I was READY!!! I was hoping! Sweet Hubby doesn't have to work Saturday... that is BIG news!

Please forgive me if you didn't want to read this. But, this blog is about me and about my family and that is what consumes a majority of my mindworks these days. Please pray for my mom... and me. My Sweet Hubby and youngest daughter have been troopers! They have been there to fill in, run errands, watch Gr K, be my support and strength through all of this. They are blessings to me.

Rock On!

Rock Around the Clock!!!

I made it! Last Friday night (and on into Saturday) some of my students did a Rock-A-Thon. IN my classroom. It is a FUN-draiser for our local American Cancer Society's Relay-for-Life. The students get pledges for donations for them to "rock" all night. 8am til 8am!!! They bring their own rocking chairs and have to rock in their chairs ALL night long! Some do homework, read books, we play lots of games:

work on projects

IN THEIR ROCKERS!!!!!!

and watched all 3 Pirates movies and several others. We made pizza from scratch at midnite!

About 3am it was hard to keep some of them awake...






I am getting too old for this. But it was fun. I slept most of Saturday away because I HAD to stay awake alllllll night and until their rides come if they don't have their own cars! Can you imagine what they'd do to the old lady if she fell asleep??? Oh yikes, just the thought.

Just can't help myself!

More photos from the grandgirlee visit this past weekend. Can you stand s'more?

Goodies in a box from Hiya and my Sissy Tam and Nef:

Oh the giggles and squeals ~ ~ from H AND Elmo!

H was chasing them allover the house!

New friends all lined up!

(excuse the dog food, Hubby can't seem to find another home for it except for in the middle of the living room... how convenient!)

And for some reason, J didn't get to play with HER new toy very much.
Big Sissy H said, "I looking!"

But J did manage to get ahold of the stuffed "Bambi"
(just like my Sissy Tam's BIG doggie)

"Come here!"

"A little kiss for you!"

Oh this is so much fun!

SURPRISE and "my Pepsi's"!!!

Last Friday evening I was SOOOOOoooooo exhausted from the first week back at school after the Holidays. I know I know, 1 teacher day and a short 2 day week with students shouldn't be that taxing but I was totally worn out. So after putting on my PJ's, I sat on the couch to watch the tube with LJ. I could hardly keep my eyes open & was preparing to wander down the hall to bed when I could hear my daughter -in-law's ringtone on my cell way down the hall in my bathroom. I couldn't get there in time and sweet hubby brought it out (couldn't figure out how to answer it tho'). It started ringing again and when I answered, C said, "So are you just going to let your grandgirlees sit out here in the cold?" THEY WERE HERE... IN MY DRIVEWAY!! Ooo, I woke RIGHT up and ran out the front door to grab those girlees! So we spent a great weekend just hangin out and playing. (Hitting Target on Saturday with Christmas goodies 90% off was fun too!)

The girls are pretty techo-saavy. J is constantly telling H "no buttons!!" Look at those sneaky fingers. Looks like Baby J is eyeing the buttons too!

Baby J has discovered her reflection and is enthralled!
Yep, not quite 2 months old and already 13+ lbs!!!

H couldn't resist the soda bottles sitting on the floor (this is after Christmas).
She gathered them around her like a kindergartner playing school.
When we asked what she was doing she replied,
"My Pepsi's!"

Sunday afternoon a miracle happened...
BOTH girls were napping at the same time!
I encouraged J & C to go take a walk, it was almost 75 degrees that day!
So they went down to the dock.
J is seen here trying to convince Charlie to "fetch" the sticks he was
throwing into the water. Charlie looked at J as if to say, "After you!"

I was so happy to have the kids here for the weekend!
I asked N to come (from upstate NY) but she said she has to go to school. sigh
Here_she_is!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

Wow! It's 2008!

We had a few friends over for snackies and Boggle! We mostly visited. At midnight neighbors across the lake shot off some great fireworks, bursting glittery explosions in the sky. Hubby then responded with the annoying and noisy reports of those popping things in a pack of about 100. The crowd across the lake graciously applauded. I yelled "YOURS WERE BETTER" Now we know what to get for next year! Hee hee!

So to the reader or two of my bitty blog: Hug your sweeties and set forth upon the journey of the New Year...

Time for looking forward and planning new things.

As this New Year begins I pray for Blessings beyond measure

and JOY in your life!

Where Did Christmas Go So Fast???

Hi,
I know I know... I have been incommunicado, no postings. I feel like a heel.

Guess what else I did? I got my home phone turned off. No, not a lack of funds, a lack of brain. Knew it was due and it just flew out of my head. I had Dear & not to mention Sweet Hubby run to town today to pay it and they said yes, it doesn't work because (duh) you didn't pay the bill. sigh. I'm a mess. I have a pile 2 feet high of attorney, insurance, medical bills and my own bills to pay. I should get to it, eh? I paid the taxes today, do I get any points for that?

Today LJ had her wisdom teeth removed. All 4 of 'em. She is MY daughter so it is "wise" to get all 4 taken out at once so as not to risk the refusal of said daughter to return to the doc who did the deed if she had only 2 exttracted. sigh She's still zonked on the couch compliments of hydrocodone.

J and C and H and Baby Girl J left early this afternoon. It was Baby J's first Christmas!! (And friend Makenna's too! Hi Beth!) They had returned the day after Christmas and hung out for 2 days. We went to Chuck E Cheese and the mall and WallyWorld and wherever else we could think of. That's a lot of my distraction. I made a snowman sweatshirt for H and one for N too (shhh, she doesn't have hers yet).

And H LOOOOOOOVES to sit at my bedroom window
and look out at the geese! Can you see them too?

Nana and Baby Girl J

H among the presents

J's best bud and his wife and kids came over last night for supper. A thrown together concoction of Holiday leftovers including a chicken pot pie I put together at the last minute. It was YUMMY! And it's gone. So no photos.



We played Boggle until our eyes hurt. Si is shopping grad schools in philosophy of the doctoral kind and not only did his genius whoop us pretty good, but he found the word "roan" in almost every turn!!! Hmmmm. His wife K is just as brainy and gave us a run for our money (even tho' there were no bets in play) This afternoon we made Quiche Lorraine and the kids ate on the run as they were packing their car in readiness to run to C's Dad's 45th B-Day!!! Ha Ha Chief... another year!!!

And playing in to all this falderal has been my mom's continuation as a hospital inpatient since Thanksgiving. She gets better and then lands back in acute care. Not only has she been missing her glasses since a return trip to ER mid December, but she took yet another fall today as she got herself out of her lounge chair, staff found her in a heap on the floor... she cannot walk and forgets that minor detail.

In all of this we've made it to church and focused on the meaning of Christmas: we visited a little bitty country church for Christmas Eve Candlelight Service b/c ours was earlier in the evening (and I was still visiting Mom. ) Hmm, this missive seems a little distracted. Well, that about sums up everything about me lately!

So.. how was your Celebration of Our Savior's Birth, which is the beginning of the Road to Calvary (Easter's Comin') ?

Photos with kids!

On this snowy Saturday, I was going through photos to change the banner (which still isn't how I want it~~anyone wanna help?) I couldn't stop laughing when looking at the progression of photos when taking family photos for my son! Enjoy: