Summer Reading Program

Our local library has a summer reading program. Here are some pics of the summer readers....






When Dancer Girl reads books, she is very, very quiet. When Little One reads, she reads to herself, to pink ponies, and to whoever will listen. I am glad my girls love books. Dancer Girl likes to sit in the special chair her Grammy got her to read, and Little One likes to lay across the top of the couch. We are having a fun and busy summer and this is just one of the things we are doing.

Quote of the Day

Little One, age 2, at lunch...

"Jesus, Help the food feel all better. Amen"















picture from http://www.freespiritart.com/lords-blessing.php

I am so in love with this man....

This is Dancer Girl in a Mommy and Daddy sandwich about 4 mos, same shirt

This is Little One about 6 mos old with just Daddy














He is such a good daddy! Happy Father's Day, Sweetie!

Cute Girls Ready for Travel

I found two more pictures to go with yesterday's busy, busy travelling all the time post. Both of my girls travel relatively well, and they especially like going to Grandma and Grandpa's house.




They both wanted me to post this pic of Grandma's pool. This is Motherkitty, Tomas, and Dancer Girl last summer.















The pool is just as beautiful and refreshing this year. I think Motherkitty only gets out to eat and use the potty (just teasing, mom)

Things have been so busy lately, because it seems like we have been going, going, going for weeks. Since my mom's knee surgery and our AC lightning strike incident, we have spent sooo much time away from home. All of our visits have been wonderful. We have been to Grandma and Grandpa's house,
and Grandma and Grandpa's again, and then to Grammy and Papaw's. And then we went to visit Nana and her son, Grand-Dad Mike, and then back to Grammy's house. And in between all that Dancer Girl has attended 2 Bible Schools, and started a summer reading program at the public library. Somehow, today has been a day to mostly catch up on things at home, and lounge around. All you industrious people out there will just have to forgive us, we watched TV all morning, ate frozen pizza for lunch, then ice cream. Treading water, I call it. Just keeping up with the basics. It didn't help that all of us woke up with some level of congestion or soreness in our bodies. My husband's is caused by allergies. Whatever the cause, it causes me to have a slow start to the day, and feel sleepy. It also didn't help that I had dreams about finding lots of new baby kittens in my house overnight, totalling 18. And in the dream, the mama kitty was nowhere to be found.

Our Duchess has 5 beautiful kittens, ready to go to new homes. They were born the week after mom's knee surgery, and will be 2 months old on Saturday. One little white one has already gone to a new home. So, she is going around the house, meowing and meowing, looking for that little one. There are 4 little scritchy scratchy fuzzy cutie grey tabbies left.

Birth Control Patch Death/Injury Settlements

The scariest part about this is that the manufacturer of this product AND the FDA saw problems and approved it anyway. How many women could have avoided blood clots, strokes, or death if the drug manufacturer and the FDA had really done its job? It makes you wonder what they really care about. Do drug companies really care about you as a woman or a man? According the articles below, after it was approved deaths were reported in 2004, 2005, and 2006. The drug company did not do anything about it right away. Hmmmm...

"Documents have surfaced in litigation that show Ortho-McNeil has been analyzing the FDA's death and injury reports on women using the Ortho Evra birth-control patch, and has charts that show a higher rate of blood clots and deaths in women on the patch when compared to women who take birth-control pills.In addition, according to a November 11, 2005, article by the Associated Press, an internal company memo shows that in 2003, the company refused to fund a study comparing the Ortho patch to the company's Ortho-Cyclen pill because there was "too high a chance that study may not produce a positive result for Evra" and a "risk that Ortho Evra may be the same or worse than Ortho-Cyclen."

http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/orthoevra.html
"It is alleged that the FDA and the drug maker saw warning signs of problems with the Ortho-Evra patch before it was approved for the general market. Both entities maintain that the medication is as safe as any other pill-form birth control. However, a study with 800,000 women in 2004 showed that using the birth control patch increased the risk of dying or suffering a blood clot three times more than regular birth control pills. Unaware of the risks, doctors prescribe medications with little thought. It?s an unfortunate reality that many doctors are incentivized to prescribe brand name medications; they are legally paid what is essentially the equivalent of sales commissions or receive other incentives such as lunches, parties, clip boards, note pads, and more. These financial incentives bring up a plethora of ethical and liability issues. "
http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/case/ortho_evra?ref=article
"If you have or a loved on has suffered from blood clots, heart attack or stroke, while using Ortho Evra, you may qualify for damages or remedies that may be awarded in an Ortho Evra class action or lawsuit."

The 2 links for articles above contain additional links, for more info. The second article has a news timeline, with links to news articles from the LA Times, the New York Post, CNN, Washington Times, Boston Globe, etc. etc. Go see for yourself

If I were a young woman I would question every drug prescribed to me and research it thoroughly. Don't just accept what your family physician tells you. What if they don't know all the negative side effects or risks? You have to take care of yourself. Why gamble on increased risk of blood clots, stroke, death, or decreased fertility just for convenience. Even taking these kinds of contraceptives for prescribed medical condtions such as acne or painful periods could be not worth the risk. There could be nutritional deficiencies involved or other causes.

Articles like these prove to me that drug manufacturers have to be greatly concerned about their profit margin. Why else push a drug on the market with known serious risks?

*steps down off soap box and quietly walks away*

Motherkitty's Meme

7's Meme
Seven things to do before I die:
1. Make sure that all my family knows I love them
2. Own my own power drill, and know how to use it
3. Live totally debt free, including no mortgage.
4. Tear down the brown, gold, and avacado wallpaper in the hallway
5. Learn to play chopsticks on the piano
6. Own a piano
7. Learn to play the guitar
Seven things I cannot do:
1. Pretend to be someone I am not
2. Eat raw or slimy eggs
3. Eat any shellfish that is a cousin of an arachnid.
4. Parallel park an 18 wheeler
5. Wallpaper anything by myself
6. Lie about my age.
7. A back handspring
Seven things that attract me to my husband:
1. His smile
2. His long hair
3. His intelligence
4. His love for God
5. His love for our daughters
6. His ability to have mercy on anyone, and find a way to help
7. His silly jokes
Seven books I love:
1. My Antonia
2. The Good Earth
3. The Holy Bible
4. Fahrenheit 451
5. A Man Called Peter
6. The Autobiograpy of George Muller
7. The Tawny Scrawny Lion
Seven movies I'd watch over and over again:
1. The Three Lives of Thomasina
2. The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
3. Joe Versus the Volcano
4. The Secret Garden
5. The Sound of Music
6. While You Were Sleeping
7. So Dear to My Heart
Seven people I'd like to tag:
1.4 Bears in the Woods , cousins
2. My Dad
3. My Aunt, Dad's sister
4. Doubleknot
5. My friend, the Author, Trish Writes
6. Lisa-Anne, friend from college
7. Puffstitch

Decide for Yourself

Here is another article from May 2006 about Iran and the color coded badges for people other that Muslims....
http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20060519-035758-8752r
As for the dispute saying this is totally untrue, read this article that supposedly debunks the idea. The only thing that hits me about this article is that this is technically not a "law" yet in Iran. However, it has been discussed by the parliament, and added only as a "secondary motion" to a proposed law, that has not been signed into law. There was a law about Muslim dress code passed 2 years ago, and the article says that maybe the subject came up then. But just the fact that the Iranian parliament has had discussions about "what to do with religious minorities" to distinguish them from Muslims should be a huge blinking red light. Yeah, it may not technically be a law yet. Yeah, they are categorically denying it, but why should they even be discussing it? Why should Jewish shop owners who sell food have to be mandated to identify themselves as non-Muslim?

Original story:http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=6626a0fa-99de-4f1e-aebe-bb91af82abb3
Saturday » May 20 » 2006

Experts say report of badges for Jews in Iran is untrue

Chris Wattie
National Post
Friday, May 19, 2006
A yellow badge worn by Jews in Nazi Germany during the 1940s.(MICHAEL KAPPELER/AFP/Getty Images)Several experts are casting doubt on reports that Iran had passed a law requiring the country?s Jews and other religious minorities to wear coloured badges identifying them as non-Muslims.
The Iranian embassy in Otttawa also denied the Iranian government had passed such a law.
A news story and column by Iranian-born analyst Amir Taheri in yesterday?s National Post reported that the Iranian parliament had passed a sweeping new law this week outlining proper dress for Iran?s majority Muslims, including an order for Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians to wear special strips of cloth.
According to the reports, Jews were to wear yellow cloth strips, called zonnar, while Christians were to wear red and Zoroastrians blue.
The Simon Wiesenthal Centre and Iranian expatriates living in Canada had confirmed that the order had been passed, although it still had to be approved by Iran?s ?Supreme Guide? Ali Khamenehi before being put into effect.
Hormoz Ghahremani, a spokesman for the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa, said in an e-mail to the Post yesterday that, ?We wish to categorically reject the news item.
?These kinds of slanderous accusations are part of a smear campaign against Iran by vested interests, which needs to be denounced at every step.?
Sam Kermanian, of the U.S.-based Iranian-American Jewish Federation, said in an interview from Los Angeles that he had contacted members of the Jewish community in Iran ? including the lone Jewish member of the Iranian parliament ? and they denied any such measure was in place.
Mr. Kermanian said the subject of ?what to do with religious minorities? came up during debates leading up to the passing of the dress code law.
?It is possible that some ideas might have been thrown around,? he said. ?But to the best of my knowledge the final version of the law does not demand any identifying marks by the religious minority groups.?
Ali Reza Nourizadeh, an Iranian commentator on political affairs in London, suggested that the requirements for badges or insignia for religious minorities was part of a ?secondary motion? introduced in parliament, addressing the changes specific to the attire of people of various religious backgrounds.
Mr. Nourizadeh said that motion was very minor and was far from being passed into law.
That account could not be confirmed.
Meir Javdanfar, an Israeli expert on Iran and the Middle East who was born and raised in Tehran, said yesterday that he was unable to find any evidence that such a law had been passed.
?None of my sources in Iran have heard of this,? he said. ?I don?t know where this comes from.?
Mr. Javdanfar said that not all clauses of the law had been passed through the parliament and said the requirement that Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians wear special insignia might be part of an older version of the Islamic dress law, which was first written two years ago.
?In any case, there is no way that they could have forced Iranian Jews to wear this,? he added. ?The Iranian people would never stand for it.?
However, Mr. Kermanian added that Jews in Iran still face widespread, systematic discrimination. ?For example if they sell food they have to identify themselves and their shops as non-Muslim,? he said.
Rabbi Marvin Hier, the dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Los Angeles, acknowledged that he did not have independent confirmation of the requirement for Jews to wear badges, but said he still believes it was passed.
?We know that the national uniform law was passed and that certain colours were selected for Jews and other minorities,? he said. ?[But] if the Iranian government is going to pass such a law then they are not likely to be forthcoming about what they are doing.?
Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister, said yesterday that Iran is ?very capable? of enacting such a law but could not confirm reports that members of religious minorities must wear identifiable markers on their clothing.
?Unfortunately we?ve seen enough already from the Iranian regime to suggest that it is very capable of this kind of action,? Mr. Harper said. ?It boggles the mind that any regime on the face of the earth would want to do anything that would remind people of Nazi Germany.?
National Post, with files from Allan Woods, CanWest News Service
© National Post 2006http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=6626a0fa-99de-4f1e-aebe-bb91af82abb3Crossposted with commentary atNeocon agitprop press backtracks on Iranian 'badges'

links for the National Post article found here through a Google seatch...http://mparent7777.livejournal.com/8711741.html

also could find nothing on Snopes, one way or another

Thanks, Mom & Dad

Without you guys, I wouldn't be here. Happy Birthday to me! I am happy to be who I am and have the parents and family that I have. Like Esther, I feel I must be on the earth right here, right now for a specific purpose. God help me see, hear, and be all that I am supposed to be.

What does this remind you of?

Iran may force badges on Jews, Christians
TEHRAN, May 19 (UPI) -- Iran's parliament passed a new law this week that would force the country's Jews, Christians and other religious minorities to wear color-coded ID badges.
Iranian expatriates confirmed reports the Iranian parliament, or majlis, has approved a law that would require non-Muslims to adhere to a dress code which mandates they wear "standard Islamic garments," according to Canada's National Post.
The roughly 25,000 Jews living in the Islamic Republic would have to attach a yellow strip of cloth to their clothing, Christians would wear red badges and Zoroastrians would wear blue ones.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader and highest authority, must approve the law for it to take effect.
"This is reminiscent of the Holocaust," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, head of the Simon Weisenthal Center in Los Angeles. "Iran is moving closer and closer to the ideology of the Nazis."
The Weisenthal Center has written to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to call on the international community to pressure Iran into abandoning the measure.
"There's no reason to believe they won't pass this," Hier told the Post. "It will certainly pass unless there's some sort of international outcry over this."
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejan has publicly called for Israel to be "wiped off the map." The West believes Tehran is secretly and illegally using its nuclear energy program to develop a weapon, a claim Iran denies.
E-MAIL PRINT SAVE LICENSE© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Armbands no matter how many times I tried to add a picture of an armband it would not work out...click to see one
or here for more

Tribute to Long Haired Guy

Don't know why this is a bit fuzzy, but this is one of my favorite pics of Long Haired Proud Daddy. Here he is with Little One, I think. *whistles quietly to self* At first I thought this was Daddy and Dancer Girl when she was a few months old. Motherkitty and I are sitting here trying to figure it out. Going by the date on the pic, it HAS to be Little One. But, man, it sure looks like Dancer Girl.

I love my husband's happy face here. He is such a good daddy. He comes in the door after work, and he is clobbered by two little girls, running at full force. Then comes time for laughing, playing and frolicking.

Anyway, I wanted to post this in honor of Father's Day, coming up....

We have been at Motherkitty's house due to loss of A/C fun, where we were forced to do our penance in the pool :). Ha Ha

Today we are going home to check on Long Hair Daddy, the kittens (about 5 weeks old), and the house situation. Also, Dancer Girl will be going to her first Vacation Bible School this week with some of her friends. Lots of fun! I am sure we will be spending the hottest part of each day at friend's houses or the library or some other cooler place. Good ol' Mom and Dad are sending me home with a box fan and a small A/C window unit, for good measure. Next weekend we will be spending some long overdue time with Long Haired Daddy's mom and dad, aka Grammy and Papaw.

All Puffed Up

They say pride comes before a fall, but I don't think it means this kind of pride.

Dancer Girl went on her first sleepover with all her little girlfriends (picture 6-8 four and five yr olds). Sure she's slept all by herself at Grandma's house without mommy and daddy. She had soooo much fun. But last night she was telling me more, even though it was a week ago.

Mom, I had trouble going to sleep at my sleepover. Emma's mom just read one story. So, I just laid and thought a while. And then I went to sleep.

Now, here comes the proud mama part. I was asking about sleeping with her stuffed animals, and she said that she gave her very favorite pink bunny to another little girl who forgot to bring one. And then, she let another little girl borrow her very, very favorite soft green blanket because that girl had forgotten a blanket. *see puffed up mama, that's me* I was so proud and astonished. All on her own, my sweetie gave away her favorite stuffed animal and blanket for a night because she knew she had plenty. And then she said....

I knew that was why I brought extra!

All this and she's just 4. That's my girl!

(click the hen if you want to read a little about the Partridge Family)

Hotsy Totsy

Apparently our air conditioner unit is out. The thermostat reads 81 degress. I left messages with 3 different heat/air places this evening, and hopefully someone will call back in the morning. Thank God for ceiling fans, and also that our place has plentiful shade, and lots of trees. I don't worry so much about husband and I. I just don't want the girls or the kittens to be so hot. Would have to look back at my calendar but I think they are only 4 or 5 weeks old. They were born on the Monday that marked one week from mom's surgery, so I guess that would have been April 17.


too bad we gave away all our oscillating fans....

Meaningful posts

It has been a while since I have written anything but quick updates. I have been so busy with little ones and helping mom as she heals from knee surgery that I have not shared much. Not much about me, not much about what my yarn is doing. Not much about what my kittens are doing (yes, there are cute fuzzy kittens at my house)

As usual, Little One is climbing on my lap for her morning "milkies." So any typoes from this point on are entirely unintentional ;). So for those of you who don't know, I like to nurse my babies til they say they are done. My Little One is just a little over two, and if that grosses you out, I blow you a raspberry.....ppptthhh. My Dancer Girl, who is now 4.5, nursed til she was 2.5. Actually, I thought I might be tandem nursing, as she nursed through my whole pregnancy with Little One. And then, three weeks before Little One was born, Dancer Girl just said, "All done," and that was that. She said she was sharing with baby sister, and was so sweet about it.

I have this love/hate thing with natural & attachment parenting type stuff. Now that my girls are 2 and 4, and mostly still sleep with us, I can squint my eyes and see a pinch of value in the cry it out thing. Just a pinch. I also can see gobs of value in eating healthy, whole, raw foods, no hormones, preservatives, etc. etc. in my food, but that didn't stop me from eating chocolate cheesecake for breakfast yesterday, right after I had a small bowl of Honey Smacks (with organic 2% milk, of course). Yes, I carried my babies. I wore my babies. I slung them on and tried to get things done. I love, love, love my sling, unused as it is now. But there always came a certain point in each day where I just fizzled out (usually nap time). I would find myself asleep on the couch (sitting up) with two little ones sleeping on me. After that I would rearrange big sister on the couch and try to lay little one in her bed. There are only so many times you do that and get screaming and crying and not staying asleep (no matter what you try to do to soothe them), when you just give up and sit back down on the couch and nurse the baby back to sleep.

As soon as you sit down, you are also giving up the entire afternoon of "household productivity." You know, putting a load in the washer, carrying all the dirty dishes to the kitchen, picking up the garbage, scooping the litter, putting some laundry in the dryer, picking up the scattered dress-up clthes & dirty towels in the bathroom, trying to unload the dishwashwer....Waaaaaahhhh! Maaaammmmaaa! That was a mistake. Note to self: unload dishwasher when children are awake.

Then, when they wake up, the children want a snack (= more dirty dishes).

All this....and I still love being a stay at home mom. I don't like being drained. I don't like the mess, but I love my girls. And I don't regret most of the parenting decisions my husband and I have made.

So know you know how much I ramble when I type, because I type a little like I talk. Nonstop, my husband would say. Or at least he used to say that. On a car trip recently, husband looked over at me, and stared in awe at how quiet I was. Juxtapose this to the happy NONSTOP singing and jabbering coming from the backseat( he calls Little One his little burning bush, like in the Three Amigos with Steve Martin). He couldn't figure it out, and all I could do was smile.

p.s. Don't you like how many sentences started with "and" and "but"? Kind of annoying, isn't it?

Just a moment, Dear...

I'll have dinner ready in a few minutes.



Don't you wish we could all feel this angelic while tending to all of our motherly duties? This girl makes it look so easy. Soft and pretty, too. Peaceful, even. Hey, where can I get a job as an artist's model? I can do that! I only have two children, but I bet I can get the same effect!

Somebody probably even feeds her grapes, too.

Surprise!

We did it! We surprised Motherkitty! Dancer Girl, Little One and I showed up at Motherkitty's house yesterday with roses for Mother's Day. And, boy, was she surprised! Tomas, too. She said, Let's go out to eat. So we headed for the local pizza joint, & then we went to a local store because Motherkitty (aka Grandma, around here) wanted to buy the girls something. So we went back to MK's house with leftover pizza, new puzzles and games, and chocolate snacks, thanks to Tomas (aka Grandpa). We will sleep over 'til Tuesday, then go back home. Dancer Girl has gymnastics Tuesday afternoon. The girls kept lots of secrets this week, my Mother's Day present from them and my husand(a shiny, sparkly), and our surprise trip to Grandma's. For 2 and 4 yrs old, that's pretty good.

Mom is getting around pretty good, sometimes with no walker, sometimes with. She needed no assistance at night this time, and I think she is fixing Dancer Girl breakfast in the kitchen right now. The girls woke up this morning and the first thing they wanted to do was climb in bed with snuggly Grandma. That was a sweet picture(though no pix were taken).

Have a good Monday.

Just in Case

I wanted to write this now, just in case everything gets crazy and I forget. All week, all month I have been thinking about Mother's Day (actually all year off and on). I love all the women in my life who are moms. I especially love my mom and don't know what I would do without her.

In this season of my life, the roller coaster time of life with little ones, I never know what I will be able to accomplish in a day, and I don't mean just dishes and laundry. Every moment is exhilarating and draining. You are filled with wonder and fear and frustration at all the cute, wonderful, and surprising things your children can do(not all of them good), at any moment of the day, in front of anyone. The proud moments{one day your child just announces that she is ready to sleep in her own bed, just like that), the embarassing ones (your child falls out of a shopping cart in a crowded store).

All of you who are mothers are wonderful. God picked you for your children. And He picked your children just for you. He equipped you especially to handle all of your child's joys and frustrations. He filled you with the love you would need. He gave you the motivation to sacrifice when needed, and say, "Enough!" when needed. I hope someone fulfills some of your secret desires this year. You know, all those silly ones. Flowers for your garden, the moisturizer you would never buy for yourself, a new broom for the kitchen, new towels or sheets, thirty minutes alone in a bookstore. I don't know, those are your things to dream about.

Here are the children, all piled up on my lap, asking to type here, asking to send Daddy a card. Following me wherever I go, laughing and playing, learning to share...
so, here is a message from Dancer Girl and Little One

ohkgukfj,j;'kgguk;l;41k,m,m jhhnmhjugy7t54556tttgb@
fhm.// zdfffffffffffffffddddddddddddddddddddddfffgbbbbnm,dfv fv cvcdddddeeee

btw, you don't have to buy me any flowers, the pretty picture the girls picked just happens to be associated with things for sale

Yarn addiction

Well, I have done it again. I have purged my yarn stash, and given away more yarn. All my yarn and unfinished projects (mostly afghans) now fit in one large plastic tub, and one smaller one. For those of you out there who are also yarn addicts, you know that this is a big deal. Apparently the earlier standard I set for myself was unattainable. I told myself that I couldn't buy anymore yarn until I use some of the yarn I had. By getting rid of the yarn, if I want to make something now, I would have to buy new yarn. Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ah, the sacrifice is apparently a thinly veiled attempt to disguise my desire to buy new yarn for another project. All right, now I just need a pregnant friend who would just love something made out of soft yarn for her little one to drag around. Any volunteers? The white kitty Duchess is sleeping on the afghan I made for my Little One


the other one is one I made for Motherkitty

Tiger and His Dad

I actually watched the news the other day, and saw that Tiger Woods' dad, Earl Woods, had passed away. The news program showed how Tiger always gave his dad a big bear hug after competitions. What a wonderful example of a father/child relationship. I will have to admit that I never watch golf. I know who Tiger Woods is, but had no idea about his dad. The love his father had for him is obvious and inspiring. I am adding Tiger and his dad to my list of heroes, and examples of people I want my children to emulate.




Tiger says,

"My dad was my best friend and greatest role model,

and I will miss him deeply."

Kittens

Five little kittens were born Monday afternoon between 5 and 7 pm at my house, on my bed. Eeek! I have not been home to see the damage but can anyone say, Steam cleaner?

Still at mom's house. Talked to brother Eli today and MK's sister, Desert Gardener(check Motherkitty's links). Tomas is still at his convention. I plan on making BLT's for dinner, and am going to put a roast in the crockpot tomorrow morning, so mom and dad will have lots to eat when I go.

Dancer Girl has ballet and gymnastics today, and a choir performance tomorrow evening, at the First Baptist Church. She surprised me last week by singing, "Oh, how I love Jesus, oh, how I love Jesus, oh, how I love Jesus, because He first loved me." She is learning it in her little choir, and I had no idea she even knew. How's that for something sweet to bring tears to a mother's eyes?

I was having fun with Motherkitty's digital camera today, and she might even let me post some of her and Little One, they were so cute.....


here is one, they are reading books, Elmo watching...

Visiting & Helping

I am at Motherkitty's house until Wednesday. Tomas is off to his retired federal employees convention. Little One & I are here, and Dancer Girl is home with Daddy and Uncle Brent for an adventure of her own. I haven't seen mom in 1.5 weeks, and the difference in her progress is amazing. She is 200% better. Better in moving around, better in pain. She is walking pretty quick(with her fancy red walker), and it surprised me. I am pretty proud. She is finishing her shower, and we will be going to physical therapy after lunch. Have a good day

kittens coming

some of you may remember my little white cat< duchess

well she is very pregnant and about to pop


she got pregnant of course after i made her appointment with the vet
she was literally climbing the walls and windows to get out
she escaped for two twenty four hour periods
i guess that was all it took

Friday Plans

Husband is sleeping in, and girls are watching Blue's Clues. It is a very rainy day. The kind that makes you not want to go anywhere. I was hoping to go to the Friday Friends group a friend of mine invited me to. She lives around the corner and down the street from me and we have known each other since our older girls were 8-12 mos old. Our younger children were born on the same day, about 4 hours apart. Anyway, she goes to the local First Baptist Church where this group meets. It is a small group and I have had a lot of fun going the couple of times I was able to go. The girls have a lot of fun playing with the children, too.

After that I was hoping to go to my mom and dad's house. I have to wash some clothes first, and make sure husband has a ride to and from his office and other work site. I can't leave him stranded. When all the loose ends are tied up, I guess we will be on the road. I have not checked the weather, and I hope the rain stops tomorrow so the girls can play outside some at Grandma's (motherkitty).

This is Friday, so it is garbage day. Yippee. Today I also totally cleaned out the cat litter pan (yuck) so I can start letting the cats back inside the house some. Little Duchess is about ready to pop with baby kittens, so I need to get a place cleaned out in my laundry room for her. I didn't get the carport swept off after hubby mowed, so I also had to sweep and re-sweep the floor because I kept tracking in wet grass and leaves from outside.

So I fed the kids, took out the garbage, had my cup of tea. I had better get off my bottom and get dressed and get going. Must get off the computer and get the kids ready to go. Maybe I will just check my email first.....

photo courtesy of Still Memory

The doctor said mom doesn't have to wear the leg brace all day anymore, just at night. She is doing her first week of physical therapy, five days a week. She is getting stronger every day, though when I have talked to her right after her PT, she is pretty wiped out and ready for a nap. Pretty understandable considering she has not been home from the hospital one week yet. She is using the ice pack machine on her leg, which helps with her swelling, I am sure. Today, mom and dad went out to eat lunch after physical therapy, and I think it was the first time they have eaten out since the surgery. I called while they were at the restaurant. Hopefully I will be able to go and visit within the next week. Tentatively, in my head I think this Friday afternoon and Saturday will work.

I just got my van back this morning, and the girls and I didn't waste any time. We got out of the house right away. We went to Story Hour at the library, through the Wendy's drive-through, and straight to Wal-Mart. By the time we got home the girls were pretty tired. Little One fell asleep right away. Dancer Girl and I read books, played Candy Land and Go Fish until Little One woke up. We also ate some Easter candy. Marshmallow bunnies, yum. Dancer Girl was so tired that she fell asleep on me around five o'clock. So, I decided to watch the news. Woo-hoo. I woke up the girls a little before 6 so Dancer Girl could go to her choir. After that we visited the Golden Arches, and came home for a late dinner/snack, and then to bed.

Husband called from the road after midnight to say he and his brother are on their way home from eastern Ky. My thoughts and prayers are with them on their 8 hour drive home. It is possible I will not sleep much tonite.

gotta go, hear, Mama, Mama ...off to Mommy Duty

6 Weird Things About Myself

1. One of my favorite ice cream combinations is chocolate and orange sherbet.
2. I didn't have a car until I got married
3. I didn't get my driver's license until I was 19. I just didn't care. I knew there would be no car, so why bother?
4. I am excited to go get the mail every day, no matter what is in the mailbox
5. I love to sing and always imagined myself singing to my children and rocking them as infants. The weird thing is that I never did it. Neither one of my girls really liked rocking or singing. Dancer Girl preferred me up dancing, big surprise. Singing was always optional and sometimes distracting, and wouldn't get her to go to sleep. I did not sing to Little One because she absolutely flipped out and started hysterically crying when I tried to sing Rock-a-Bye Baby or other songs to her. And she loves to sing now, usually all by herself. Go figure. Now, they both like me to sing them the 7th Heaven theme song (scroll down to click for song), and the opening and closing songs on Mr. Rogers.
6. I like to take my children everywhere with me, even the grocery store (ok ok, not always....but usually. I was having trouble thinking of #6 with Little One singing, "I'm hungee, I'm hungeeeeeee" in my ear)

tagged by Abandoned in Pasadena

Happy Easter

My irises are blooming, and so are my azaleas. I have a few lily of the valley flowering, and some other perennial with little white bell shaped flowers blooming right now. Sweet husband checked the lawn mower for maintenance for me and then decided to go ahead and mow the front yard. How sweet! My daffodils are all finished. The 4 purple tulips the girls planted in their planter are blooming. I have a climbing rose bush (I think that is what it is....I usually call it my wild rose bush since there is no trellis and it looks wild and bushy no matter how I have tried to shape it) that is getting ready to bloom with dark pink fragrant blooms. I got most of my leaves raked up and whatever is left will probably get mulched into the grass when it is mowed. I know people usually rake their leaves in the fall, but sometimes I get it done, and sometimes I don't. I just try to uncover all the little budding perennials after the frost so they have a chance to bloom. At this point it doesn't look like the blue irises I planted in the fall will bloom this year, but I will wait and see. Maybe they will bloom late. Husband mowed over the little sprouting green leaves of the black-eyed susans that bloom in July and August. I hope they will still bloom, but if not, they will bloom next year.

My husband's brother said he would pick us up so we could go to church for Easter. The mechanic gave me a tentative Monday finish date on the van, so we will wait and see.

Yesterday the girls and I spent a lot of time outside, and then spent the afternoon watching movies. Outside they were fascinated with following a fuzzy caterpillar wherever he went.
We watched the older versions of Freaky Friday, Pollyanna, and the Parent Trap on the Hallmark channel. I know children are only supposed to watch 2 hrs of television a day, but it nvere hrut me :) . I was the valedictorian of my class so I guess I survived it, and they will too. We talked to Grandma (motherkitty) on the phone, and she has Hallmark on her satellite, so she "watched" Pollyanna with us. Check out my dad's blog for more updates.

Yesterday, the girls were not interested in making easter eggs, so we didn't do it. I was a little surprised, but we had a fun day, though not much in the house got done. I haven't even got all the suitcases unpacked from when we got home last Wednesday. They are still piled up on the couch right inside my front door.

Despite all of this, my mind keeps going back in time, trying to imagine what it was like for Jesus and his friends. What it was like for them to have that last Passover meal together. What it was like for Jesus to pray, asking if there was any other way, knowing his friends were falling asleep on him. What it was like to be captured and treated poorly, knowing you have done no crime. I have tried to imagine the pain of the cross, and cannot. I try to imagine the feelings of those who thought Jesus thinking he was God was the most terrible blasphemy of all.

I know it must seem crazy to claim you are God's son, let yourself be killed for this cause. I must seem even crazier because I believe that it is true. I believe that Jesus, whose earthly parents were Mary and Joseph, was God's son from heaven, and that after he became alive again, he went back to heaven. He is getting ready for us, He is praying for us, and preparing places for us to live. God knew that Jesus was only one person, and could not physically be with every single person, so when he left the earth, God sent the Holy Spirit to us, to comfort us and remind us of Jesus and to teach us, and to be with us in ways that Jesus, all by himself, couldn't do. You may say I am crazy, but I am glad there was a cross and a resurrection from the dead. It gives me hope.

Relief

I only have a few minutes to post, I am sure...some little one will wake up and call for me. In the meantime, I wanted to express the relief and thankfulness I am feeling about my mom's knee surgery and her recovery. I am so happy she is at home. I am so glad that dad is there with her. I have no doubt whatsoever that there is no one better suited to help her recover and get strong than him. I am so thankful for all of Motherkitty's blogfriends. I know you have been some of her biggest supporters, and that means a lot to me. It is good to know someone is thinking of you and praying for you, even around the world.

I am temporarily stuck at home because the mechanic has had a lot of trouble replacing a broken turn signal switch on my van. I am spending the time unpacking, cleaning up, taking the girls outside, and thinking of mom and dad.

I am so happy the surgery went well. My mom is so strong, and I have no doubt she is happy and relieved to be home, too. Dad will help her each day to do what needs to be done, and as soon as I am mobile again, the girls and I will start making more regular trips to Grandma and Grandpa's house to help out. Hopefully we will not be in the way.

Seeing my brother and his wife was definitely a highlight of the year. It was so good to see my girls love them and cling to them. I know they have made many wonderful memories. Being with mom and dad before and after the surgery was something I wanted to do. It would not have been possible if it were not for my husband and his mom. They were so sweet to watch the girls. I am so thankful to them because I felt I really needed to be with mom. I don't know if it was just a selfish motive, or if it was for her, but I am glad everything worked out. I was glad that dad didn't have to wait alone during mom's surgery. We had some really good talks together.

So much has gone on that I had almost completely forgotten Passover and Easter. So I hope that everyone has had a good week and made some good memories with your families. I hope you have taken time to slow down and enjoy your parents and/or your children. I hope you have taken time to thank the One True God for the good life He has given us. I am thankful for all that He has done for my family.

The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

Coming Home Friday

Just talked to mom, & the doc wants her to stay an extra day at the hospital. So hopefully, she will be coming home tomorrow. They want her to be able to flex her knee 90 degrees before they release her. On the CPM machine, her knee bends to 80 degrees, & on her own today she was doing between 60 & 70 degrees flexing her knee. When she gets home, there will be a hospital bed set up in my old bedroom. This is a great relief to me, because her bed is very high and this will make sleeping and getting in and out of bed a lot easier. I don't know if Home Health and the physical therapist will be coming to her house at first or not. I think she is going to try to get out to go to physical therapy and to her doctor visits for labs, etc. She also said she just walked about 200 feet down the hall with her walker, so she is doing very well with that. She also said dad helped her shower and wash her hair this morning, and I know she feels a lot better after that.

The mechanic said one part they ordered for my van should be in today, and that they will call me when it is ready. So I they might be home when I go to get my van. By that time of course I am sure Dad will have rigged up a way for her to post on her blog and play solitaire :).

Astilbes

While I was at my mom's house last week I weeded her flowerbeds a little bit & she showed me her little astilbe sprouts coming up. I have tried to plant astilbes in the fall on one shady part of my backyard fence for 2 years now. When I got home yesterday I saw that 2 plants are actually coming up. Hurray! Hopefully it will fill in & one day look like this...

ok, ok, probably not....just try to imagine few with various hostas, variegated & otherwise in front

Back Home/ Motherkitty update

The girls and I arrived home about 1 o'clock this afternoon. Sweet husband came and picked us up and brought us home.

It was really hard to leave while mom was still in the hospital. She is managing her pain fairly well, and she is doing some really good hard work. The physical therapists and nurses and the doctor are all setting challenging limits for her, but I know that she has her mind set to do what she needs to do to get back on her feet.

Today she said that she used her walker to get to the bathroom to get cleaned up this morning, with only dad's help. I was amazed. Yesterday and the day before (which was Monday, the day of the surgery), they wouldn't let her do anything without the physical therapist to assist her. I am so proud of her. She is not getting much sleep right now, and I am sure she can't wait to get home to her own bed. When I was there yesterday she walked from the bed to the hallway and back with her walker. Today she walked that far and then down the hall a little. She also practiced going up a step today too.

I think she said that one of the doctor's goals was to transition from the walker to a cane after about 3 weeks. Hopefully at 6 weeks, she will be released to go in a pool for water exercise. That would be the very end of May, and my birthday is in the beginning of June. I think she is already planning a pool party!

Here We Go

Well, it is 5:35 am on Dad's atomic clock. He is famous for keeping all the clocks and watches within his reach amazingly accurate, synchronized with NASA, even. I am at my mom's house, due to out-of-my-control broken turn signal on my big green van circumstances. Who would think that such a little thing as a turn signal would wreak such havoc? I was about to say that everyone was still asleep, but even as I think this, I hear a little voice, "Mama! Mama!" Little One wants to nurse and Dancer Girl has to go potty. Now they are both here on top of me, because they don't want to go back to bed without me (it is still very dark outside).

Today, Long Hair Daddy will come and pick up the girls and take them to Grammy's house for a sleepover, and Mom, Dad, and I will be headed to Nashville to settle in before the surgery tomorrow. The girls will stay overnight at Grammy's tonite, but will be back home with their Daddy tomorrow night.

Tuesday morning, Long Hair Daddy and the girls will drive to Nashville to pick me up and check on Grandma. This is going to be a long couple of days. I hope the girls will sleep ok at their Grammy's house. I will certainly miss them, but am glad that my husband and his family are sacrificing so much so that I can be with my Mom right now. I am glad things worked out so that I could ride with them on the trip.

Well, I must go settle the little ones back in bed. As my mom would say, "The natives are getting restless." Thanks to all who thinking and praying for my mom and our family right now. I will try to update Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

On our way this evening to Motherkitty's house to spend a couple of days with my brother & his wife. The girls are very excited to see everyone. We will be sleeping over at Grandma's for a couple of days for a whirlwind adventure. My brother will stay til Friday. Mom will be too busy to be nervous about her knee surgery on Monday. We will be leaving on Sunday to get settled in before her surgery.

This will only be the 2nd time Little One has stayed all night away from Mommy, & I hope Long Haired Proud Daddy is well rested for Sunday night. The back-up arsenal is all lined up--- good ole uncle brent and grammy will both be available to help with Little One.

I may not come back up for air til Tues or Wed next week. Gotta wash clothes and pack today and try to straighten up some for Long Hair Daddy--he is not as familiar with which laundry basket has clean socks in it :)!

sending wishes for happy travels to my brother and my sister-in-law......

see you soon





70's



March 9, 1996



2003, pregnant with Little One

Little Einsteins

Little One just came in the room & said "preshendo!" with great gusto. After a sec, I realized she was saying "crescendo" . Oh, how I love the Little Einsteins on the Disney Channel! Both girls have been learning crescendo, decrescendo, staccato, the differences in the sounds of the instruments (Dancer Girl already knew most of them). Each show has a piece of theme music, and some theme art that is used for the the little cartoon children to complete their mission.

I suppose I am particularly happy about all of this because I am a musician (or at least I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with emphasis on oboe--I guess that qualifies me, though I graduated from college in '95). Well, I have recently heard them singing themes from Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and Bizet.

What a wonderful head start they are getting. Dancer Girl can sing an arpeggio, and can tell you if she is hearing Mozart or part of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.

I guess I am just a little proud....

Family Day

Still here

Husband took off part of today to have some family time with us. We rented a Mulan II and some My Little Pony Paradise movie from the video store, got some take-out, and spent some time at home.

We were going to eat lunch at the park but it was a little too breezy and chilly for the little ones.

My daffodils are still blooming, though I have to say they never turned pink. The middle started orange and kind of morphed into a peachy color, but maybe they are not finished changing colors. I have a few little purple hyacinths still blooming, too, and the redbud is almost ready to bloom.

Tomorrow will be back to the grind, but it was nice having a family day today.

The party was a hit!

Hurray! Little One's birthday party was wonderful! It has been so great to have so many friends and family visit. The children had a wonderful time. They loved making bean bags and icing their own cupcakes. They loved the bubble machine and the balloons. In a little while, everyone will get up, and the family will meet for breakfast before they head on the road home.

On Friday night the girls and I got to go swimming in the hotel pool. My Dancer Girl has been looking forward to doing that for almost a year. She is so grown up. Both girls had on their life jackets, but Dancer Girl just jumped in and started swimming. Last year in the pool she was timid, but I was so proud to see her just swim around on her own. It will be a fun summer now that Motherkitty and Tomas (my mom and dad) and Long Hair Daddy's parents both have a pool.

The next big events are Motherkitty's birthday and upcoming knee replacement surgery and a possible visit from my brother from California. She and I are both very nervous about it, but are optimistic that it will go well. Hopefully my brother and his wife will be able to come in. I miss him so much, and I don't want the girls to grow up without knowing him. Dancer Girl remembers him, but Little One only saw him when she was less than a year old, so she may have to meet him "for the first time."

Her favorite gift was this ball.

Your prayers for everyone's safe travels and safe surgeries would be appreciated. I would like to be with mom for her surgery, but am unsure if I will be able to arrange childcare for a couple of days. I am sure it will all work out, though. Thank you to everyone who helped with the party and who came to visit, you know who you are :)

I love you all, and you have made me very happy!

Big Plans

Well, my parents Motherkitty and Tomas will be coming down this morning after Dancer Girl's dentist appointment, and then some of Tomas' family will be here later today. I pray that everyone travels safely. We are all so excited! I still have to wrap Little One's presents, make the goody bags, and get the food for the party ready today, but Motherkitty will be here today to help. We will have lots of fun. I decided to make PB&J sandwiches (and maybe another kind), make cupcakes the children can ice themselves with cool whip, Goldfish crackers, some chips and some fruit, thanks to Long Hair Daddy's mommy. She and her husband came up yesterday to celebrate Little One's and Daddy's brother's birthdays. We had a lot of fun. I guess the party is just beginning! While all the family is in town, we will be meeting at the hotel for some pool parties, too!

I haven't got all the details of the party together, but it will mostly be 2 yr olds, so I have a feeling that most of the plans will just fly out the window. I am not worried though, because I am sure it will be memorable. I will be bringing Dancer Girl's tunnel that my brother got her so the children can crawl through when they arrive to get to the first craft table. They will be making bean bags. I will have an area for bean bag activities, and hopefully this will keep everyone busy til all the guests arrive. Then they will have snacks, then bubbles/balloons/songs. After that, we will do the cupcakes, then presents. By that time I am sure it will be time to go. On their way out, the children will fish for their goody bags (hopefully.... I have to make one or two clothespin fishing poles today). That just gave me an idea....I think I will get the girls to help me make them today, and then they can help the children "catch their bags" at the end....this sounds like a good project for Grandpa, he is very artsy & crafty. What do you think, Dad, I supply the materials, you help the girls make fishing poles??? I guess we'll see how the day goes.

This is going to be great! I am sooo, excited and it is not even my birthday.

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now if you can understand that, hurray for you...

Raindrops

my new daffodils were blooming this morning, so i went out after it rained to take a few pictures, which i will post later...

my redbud is about to bloom, hostas are coming up, tiny purple hyacinths are blooming

the daffodils i got are white and orange right now but will become white and pink, which is the reason i picked them

----------------------------------------
busy day, lots to do, hope your flowers are blooming too

Countdown to 2

Little One's birthday is on Tuesday, and it seems like the celebrating has already begun. She is sooo excited. Lots of friends and family will be visiting next weekend to party with us.

I love my little sweetie. She loves to sing. As you can see, she also loves to brush & comb dolls & ponies with long hair.

For her birthday I signed her up for a Mom 'n Tot gymnastics class. She loves that too. Long Hair Daddy surprised us today & took us all to see Curious George--how cute! This was Little One's first movie theatre experience, and she did great!

Happy Anniversary

We made it ten years!

Hurray for us!

1John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.



Thanks goes to Mrs. Gardener for her wedding gift to us, this precious album filled with her photographs of our wedding. Thanks to all our wonderful family for their love and support. Thanks be to our God who has helped us make it this far.

Happy Sunday

Duchess sleeping on baby afghan I made for Little One, who will soon be 2.


Close-Up of reverse side of baby's afghan that I crocheted for her. Front has little bubbles on it

Hubby's Doctor Visit

My husband gave me permission to share this info he sent me in an e-mail today to tell me what the doctor said. He has been sick all week, bad sore throat, etc. Apparently he was pretty bad or he would not have gone to the doctor. So, since he doesn't have his own blog, and I thought it was funny, here it is:


Temp.: 102.3

Blood Press.: "Slightly elevated"

Heart Rate: 128 ("Very high"), causing him to check my oxygen levels,
which were OK at 96.

Chest X-Ray: "Mostly clear" (now he's a weatherman)

WBC Count: "Elevated"

Other: "I'm concerned that these symptoms keep returning and persist
so long." Join the club.
"signs of dehydration," "signs of sinus infection," "breathing
*very* raspy," (gasp)
"obvious signs of throat irritation" (duh. Remember, he went
to school for this.)

Contagious: Yes, for at least 48 hrs.

Instructions: Get the fever down in order to reduce body aches/dehydration
and increase appetite.
Use inhaler, eat, drink, rest, Levaquin (levofloxacin) 750 Mg
for 10 days.
"Very potent antibiotic." Right. He said that the last two
times he gave me meds, too.
"If you're not better by Monday, come back." (sigh)

Prognosis: "Sounds like you may lose your voice for a couple of days,
but hopefully you'll get better." (rolls eyes)


It's not often I meet a doctor I don't want to punch in the mouth.
Relatively speaking, I really like this guy. I just hate having to pay him
to tell me the bleeding obvious.

He did give me $100 of free antibiotics, which partially atones for the $473
he cost us in December.

So I hope you feel better Sweetie. We gotta make to next week and our Ten Year Wedding Anniversary. I got you a bottle of NyQuil.....just teasing.

By the Shores of Silver Lake

That's right, folks, I am reading a Little House book. Actually, it is book number 5 in the series, and it is my current escape from reality. Motherkitty wants to borrow these books she got me for Christmas when I am done with them. At this rate, it won't be long....only 4 after this one. I only read when the baby is nursing to sleep and at night-time. Yeah, right. And if you believed that, I have a marshy patch of ground to sell you way down south. In my life I find I read in binges. Don't get me wrong. I am always reading something. But there are times when I start and won't stop until all the books are read...Apparently, some part of me finds this necessary at this time of sicky-poo kids, overtime working hubby, and general why can't I find any clean socks and underwear stress.

I think my little white Duchess cat is pregnant. I am not for sure, but I just couldn't take her to her special date with Vet when I found out they would spay anyway, even if she were pregnant. I just couldn't deal with that right now. Some would say she is just an animal, and that there are too many homeless animals out there. Well, I agree. She is just an animal, and there are too many homeless animals out there. Yes, and most of those that go to the Shelter don't come out alive. And yet, I cannot bring myself to take my cat in to abort baby kittens, even just the possibility of kittens.

So, here I am, with a very annoying Duchess cat-in-heat. I am keeping her in the house for a couple of weeks to see if she shows any pregnancy signs. If yes, then does anyone want a pretty little calico kitten? If not, then I will reschedule her Date with Destiny at the vet. Did I mention very annoying? Pawing the windows and climbing the front door annoying. Mewing and mweeping annoying. And yet, I would rather put up with that for a few weeks than live with myself after possibly killing baby kittens.



So, anyway, I thought I was talking about Little House on the Prairie....

but it morphed into Nines Lives on a Sunny Street.

What are you reading?

Don't forget to Wash Your Hands

We have been under attack from the Great Gushing Gooey Stuffy Nose Syndrome. For a week now we have all been dodging bullets-- sore throats, sick headaches that makes you feel nauseaus(and throw up if you are 4.5), runny gooey noses, slight fevers, random cough...you name it, I guess it has come our way a little bit. All of the symptoms are off and on, hit and miss. A couple of times this week I thought the girls were well enough to go somewhere only to find them totally drained and feeling yucky again by the time we got home. Thank God I only felt bad for a few hours last Thursday.
http://www.21kc.cn/content.shtml?id=3432

Just posting today to let everyone know we have not dropped off the face of the planet. The Little One barely has any symptoms besides an intermittent runny nose, and yet she is clingy, whiny, crying at the drop of a hat, and apparently unable to sleep without being on top of ME.

So, how was you your day? I had leftovers & burnt frozen pizza for breakfast & lunch, and I have no idea what we are having for dinner. Any volunteers coming to make me dinner?

[just kidding, Motherkitty! you had better not show up til Saturday :)]

Franny's Feb Meme

1. The Only Dragon I Know

It is the rare hard to find triple-headed Daddy Dragon. As you can see in the lower right, below the date, Barbies cower with fear when this dragon is near.

2. A Reason to Return Home

Big surprise here. It is the girls who dress themselves! This is love like no other.

3. The Eighth Wonder of the World.

No, that is not an optical illusion. That is both sides of my kitchen sink, at one time! This is accompanied by the fact that there were no dirty dishes anywhere in the house, not the counter, the living room, or the dishwasher! Ooooooh. And it happened in February.

There you go, Franny! That was lots of fun! I am glad I was able to get this done before February was over.