History

High school history and it is not a good chapter. This week started off sad. I received news that a classmate died. He was too young to die. Death hits us all so hard when we lose loved ones. And yet, it brings people together. It is no different for us. We are a family of friends and our class is pulling together for support. We are grieving together. And as we grieve, we also find ourselves laughing. Laughing at precious recalled memories. Stories that some of us are hearing for the first time. Learning little bits of life facts about our friend. Stories that take others of us back to that specific time. Those memories are wonderful. They help us heal. Memories ensure that our dear friend will always be remembered by his friends and his family.

Our days seem to be getting darker as the week progresses. As we grieve for one friend, we pray for another. She is struggling for her life. She has been hospitalized due to a brain aneurysm. We pray. We send updates. We wait. We wait for good news.

We are supposed to outlive our parents, unlike our children today. Too many parents bury children, adult children. I know how heart-wrenching that can be for a parent. I watched my grandmother closely when my father died. She wasn’t the same woman after his passing. Neither have the parents of other classmates we have said so long too.

Shouldn’t we look at the cause of death if it was a health related issue? Learn from it? Our friend died an unnecessary death. That upsets me. His symptoms could have been treated with diet and exercise. That means change. I know change is hard. I struggle with it. I have been making changes – exercising, making better food choices, eliminating some foods from my diet. It is not easy. I get discouraged. Some days… I just hate it. I don’t exercise every night. I don’t always choose the healthier food. Maybe he didn’t know. That is another issue I struggle to understand. If you have health insurance, honor yourself. Get that annual physical. I don’t like going to the doctors. But I go. I have children to raise. A husband that I plan to dance all night with when we celebrate 50 years of marriage. There is too much at stake in life – my life. I am not ready to leave this world.

So as we all reach out and plan to get together more often, we need to talk about health issues. We are aging, despite denial. We need to make those dreaded changes. We need to be there for each other now – while we are living.

R.I.P. Tim – we love and miss you but you’ll always be in our hearts!

Missy, may our prayers lift your from your situation and may you have a short road of recovery.

Gifts and Beyond

I celebrated…we celebrated my birthday yesterday. It was nice. I was overwhelmed with birthday wishes. Once the word gets out, it spreads like wildfire. What a wonderful day! I have been blessed with a great, loving family and thoughtful friends that I treasure.

It was also a long day for me because I had to wait for the bus to pick me up at work and take me home. It broke down. Just my luck! My little man kept checking on me though. He wanted to know if they should come pick me up. I wanted them to but it would have been a waste of gas and their time. I told him the bus was scheduled to arrive soon so I would be about 30 minutes late getting home. Before the bus arrived, he called me again. He wanted me to call home when I was on the bus. Here, my seven year old is acting like a mother. That made me smile. So thoughtful and concerned. Although, the thought did cross my mind that he just wanted to get dinner over and dig into that cake. Was I bad to think that?

Once home, we ate dinner and I did the dishes. No breaks given, even on birthdays – at least for me. I threw a load of laundry in the washer and then we sat down. It was time for cake, ice cream and presents. We laughed because my Big Guy sang the song wrong. What? We had fun with it. But honestly, how can you sing the birthday song wrong? He did, so the kids sang it to me beautifully.

We ate some cake. French vanilla with vanilla frosting – there is nothing better! And my chef assistants (not that I am a chef, but in my house, I am) did a wonderful job. The cakes were sprinkled with yellow and pink sugar crystals and rabbit, duck and chick sugar decorations. A perfect spring birthday cake, even though the weather outside was anything but spring-like. Yes, the sun was out but the breeze was…frosty.

Gifts were the best. Elliott made me a card the night before and I got to read it early. He could not wait 24 hours to give it to me. It is a beautiful card designed with love. It showcases his artistic abilities and his wonderful use of colors. He has a talent for drawing birds so the one bird is, of course, a robin (it is spring after all?!?!?!) I will treasure this card forever. My little Miss gave me a handmade coupon book. I was so happy. Coupons for things like washing dishes, clearing the table, one is anything I ask (I will think long and hard before I cash that one in) and the best one, snuggle time. Then things got dirty. I asked for and received muck boots. Green and cute ankle-high boots. Garden boots. Fun boots. Any way you look at them I won’t be worrying about getting them muddy. They’ll wash off just fine. I am so looking forward to lacing those beauties up and heading to the garden.



Come on spring, it’s time!

Bad Bad Way

We had snow this morning. March 23. A day that falls in spring on my calendar.

By the time the kids and I left the house, we had over three inches. Fine, wet snow. School was cancelled; therefore, the roads had not been plowed. The forecast is for more snow, ranging from 6-10 inches of snow.

Anyway, the wet snow, the 33 degree temperature and unplowed roads made for a slow drive. And then it happened. The van started sliding to the left. Somehow, we just missed the tail end of a pickup truck. One child was screaming. Or perhaps they both were screaming. I'm not sure. I was trying to block out the noise and concentrate on what I had to do. I knew our children had their seatbelts on (that offered very little comfort) but I had to avoid wrecking our van and avoid injuring our children.

We danced on the highway for a few seconds.

I skidded an "S" in the snow and then, we abruptly came to a stop. A dead stop. On a dime. I wasn't sure if the motor was still running. We stopped so quickly. Luck for us, there were no vehicles following us, or by this time, coming from either direction. I calmly (breathe) stepped on the gas pedal and turned us in the right direction.

Out loud I thanked God for keeping us from harm and delivering us safely from what could have been a terrible accident. Thankfully, our daycare was just down the road. I was shaking. Shaking. I walked the kids in, sat down and cried. My emotions were running high. The kids hugged me. Our little guy said that experience "took his breathe away". For me, I think, it shortened my life span.

I wanted to return home. Be safe at home with my babies. But the trip to the bus stop was shorter than the return trip to our home would be. Knowing the kids would be safe, I went to work.

I called my husband and cried some more. I emailed my two best friends. All three of them told me to make a cup of tea and relax. I did. I made sure the tea was sweet and hot, just the way I like it. It's a bad, bad way to drink hot tea but oh, so sweet, delicious and today, so comforting.

And then, my dear friend emailed me this:

When your day seems topsy turvey
And as stormy as can be
There's nothing quite as tranquil
As a nice hot cup of tea

While you savor this ambrosia
Your problems fade away
Its warmth will bring you comfort
And brighten up your day

So take a private moment
There's a calmness as you'll see
All because you briefly stopped
To sip a cup of tea.

Along with my hot cup of tea, this helped calm me. Smooth my frayed nerves. Thanks dear one, and thank you for your treasured friendship!

Even though my mind keeps trying to "replay" that wild road dance, I give thanks to God for his protection. The roads were terrible. I know this could have ended in a bad, bad way. Thankful that it did not.

Tumbling Walls

Progress. I have to say we are making progress on our DIY project. We are actually ahead of our planned schedule. Good news, eh? We were planning to start gutting the kitchen on April 1 (no kidding). However, today, March 21, I called to have the dumpster picked up. It is full. We are making progress. We are ahead of schedule. The work (gutting) is going well.

My big guy was busy this weekend – he put in two longs days of work! He installed a new circuit breaker box for the kitchen in the basement and then started drilling holes and pulling wires. He labeled every wire so once the connections are made, the switches can be marked with ease. He was busy moving outlets and even installed an outlet outside. Now is the time to make changes so we are doing what needs to be done and what we want since the walls are down.

I managed to putter while he worked. Our daughter helped me empty the china cabinet. I moved that into another room and put our dishes back inside. I removed the paneling from one wall and swept the dust and debris up. Our broom is getting worn out. Our son was eager to help so I gave him a screwdriver. He removed all the doors from the base cabinets and carried them to the dumpster. While one child was busy, the other one helped me empty the remaining cabinets. I was amazed at how much the cabinets held. Once all the upper cabinets were empty, the big guy helped me remove them. We decided to leave the base cabinets so we’ll have a counter to work on. I’ll have them for another week at least.

Plastic was cut and our little man stapled it to the lower cabinets. He also helped me staple plastic over our doorway. Time for the dirt and dust to fly as the ceiling was going to come down. It was here that I escaped. I really did. I left the house. I made cookies earlier that morning and decided to take some to a dear friend that I wanted to visit. Crazy, I know, visiting a friend when I could be in a room full of falling dust and debris. I had my priorities in order. I probably would have been in my Big Guys way so I took advantage of the opportunity. My visit was short but very nice. I was fearful to return home, not knowing what mess I would find. I envisioned inches of dust all over the floor and countertops. I was delighted that my guy cleaned up pretty well. I mean, I still scrubbed the countertops, wiped down the stove and washed the sink out, but the mess wasn’t really bad.

Here are some pictures of our progress. We currently have silver, red, and brown walls (insulation and wood) and glaring, hanging lights. I am thankful though that I still have my counter and lower cabinets, even if I have to pull plastic aside to get to the pots and pans.





North wall-Before & After




















East wall - Before & After






The electrical work will continue as we have more wire to run and outlets to move. Hopefully we get a call notifying us that our windows are in so we can get those in place next weekend. Soon we’ll be making a trip to the store for drywall, tape and spackle. We’ll just move from one form of fun to another.

Along with our progress, my panic level seems to be rising. I have a workable kitchen now but what will I do once the cabinets are pulled out? I mean, I’ll lose my countertop and then how long will it be before the Big Guy disconnects my oven? I’m seriously thinking of telling him he cannot do any work this Friday night as I have cookies, muffins and breads to bake. After all, I have freezer space I can fill.

I am trying to temper my panic by reminding myself the time away from the oven will be rewarded not only by a new, beautiful kitchen but I’ll have a double oven. And I already have a project planned to use that new oven. I promise, it’ll be a fun 26-step project.

On your mark..

This was in our driveway when we arrived home from the day on Thursday...



I have had to watch the men of the house carefully. They were so excited they wanted to start tearing the walls down that night. However, luck was on my side as the big man had a tie flying class to attend. So after dinner, he left and the little big man had to get his bath and prepare for school. That gave me time to pack up two more boxes.

Since it is Saturday TODAY, the guys were ready to get to work. I had to put dishes away so the dishwasher could be removed. I also had to leave the house to do some grocery shopping. I was nervous to leave them unsupervised but perhaps it was better for me to be away. This is the ugly kitchen I left behind.











Before I left, our son was already ripping up the floor. He has been waiting to do that for months.


We made progress today. Removed the dishwasher, removed the cabinets above and next to the kitchen sink, removed the sink, and some of the paneling in the stairwell and kitchen. The kids also removed most of the floor.

The big guy installed a utility sink so we can have a functioning kitchen and I managed to pack up a few more boxes. We also moved the table into the front, I mean, dining room so we can eat in a finished room (until we open the kitchen up into it). Enjoy the pictures! It has been a long day and it'll be a short night as we spring ahead (Day Light Savings begins).










Not bad for Day 1!

Lions

March is here and has hit us hard. Rather, has hit our son hard.

I know when something is wrong with my children. I am in-tune with their bodies. Both of our children are mighty lions. They are strong little individuals. They are not complainers. Sometimes they do not feel. Their pain tolerance is high – very high.

Recapping our sick walk-in at the pediatricians’ office last month:
Why I felt I had to take him in - a cough accompanied by low-grade fevers. Coughing during the night. Interrupted sleep. That is his body signaling something is wrong.

Pediatrician: “What brings you in today?”
“He is coughing at night?” I get that skeptical look. He’s a new,
young doctor.

Pediatrician: “Just coughing?”
“And low-grade fevers.”

Ok, let’s look.
Left ear. Uh-ah.
Right ear. Ahh.
Has he complained about ear pain?
“No.”
Open your mouth. What about a sore throat?
“No.”
Pressing on his glands under his chin bone, “does this hurt? What about here (under eyes)? Or here (above eye brows)?
“No”.
“No”.
“No”.

He has fluid in both ears and his left ear is infected. We’ll test him for strep and his nasal passages are swollen. Off we go with a prescription, continue with the nasonex, and start giving him Claritin. I so wanted to say to the doctor, “See, I do know my children and their bodies”. But some things are better left unspoken.

I hate giving all this medication to our children but he needs relief.

Last month’s doctor visit was not comforting. Fluid in his ears? Panic. I was instantly transported years back when he constantly had fluid in his ears. The fluid never dried up. It just sat in his little ear canals. Making his life miserable. He hasn’t had fluid in his ears for 2 years. Maybe 2 ½ years. ENT. Really? We might have to see the ENT again? (He had tubes when he was 8 months old; a second set of tubes around age 2 ½.)

March is here. Spring will be bursting forth in a few weeks. And those low-grade fevers came back to visit him this Saturday. Spiking on Sunday night (always at night). Monday we were blinded by a snow storm that not only shut roads down but also our pediatric clinic. I did call the pediatrician on duty and had a prescription called in but due to the weather, the first dose was given late Monday afternoon. Tuesday, my little trooper was still not right so I stayed home with him. A day of rest and time to let the antibiotic kick in. Time to start fighting the fight for us. That was my plan.

His little body had other plans. Off he went to the bathroom and when he came back he asked me why his ear was gooey. Gooey! I explained to him that his eardrum had burst due to the amount of fluid in his ear and no place to go. He was worried. "Will I be able to hear?" "Do I have to go to the emergency room?" I explained to him what I knew and we got ready to drive to the pediatricians’ office. We requested to see our pediatrician and waited 3 hours for our time with him. His eardrum burst due to the fluid and pressure. He was so happy to get to see his doctor. He felt no pain. No pain. I am glad he did not experience the pain. I personally remember the pain ear infections and bursting eardrums bring with them. Yet, I wish he would feel a little pain so he could tell me “my throat hurts” or “my ear hurts”.

We left with eardrops in hand.
Do I feel relieved? No, just tired and concerned. Still stressed.

I left knowing we have a follow-up appointment already scheduled but in the back of my mind…I fear the fluids are sitting, waiting and will be ready to make another grand entrance, like a mighty lion. Perhaps, I’ll be wrong and we can end March on a healthy note – out like a lamb.

D.I.Y.

Do It Yourself.

Some say, “If you want it done right, do it yourself.” Then there is the pessimistic viewpoint, individuals that swear any DIY project equals disaster.

Give me time and I’ll provide my own answer to the D.I.Y. topic.

Our upcoming D.I.Y. project is … exciting, nail-biting, long-awaited, daunting, costly (LOL!), and so very much needed.

So what is our D.I. Y. project?

A new kitchen. One that opens up, into our current, underused front room. We are tearing up the UGLY to replace with functional beauty. Two walls of cabinets. A walk-in pantry. A (much anticipated) double oven. An island that the kids are looking forward to eating at. New everything.

Good bye loud dishwasher. The one I program to wash at midnight so we don’t have to listen to the noise.

So long 70’s cabinetry. With you goes the metal-on-metal scre-e-e-ech when a drawer is pulled open or pushed closed.

It’ll feel wonderful to pull the flooring up.

Trash time for our inadequate lights.

We are off and running with our plans. The design was drawn and approved last year.

Order cabinets – check. (and they are in!) The clean lines of the cabinet doors reflect our simple tastes. Our lifestyle. Simple but beautiful.

Order the beautiful autumn harmony granite counter top – check.

Flooring – working on as we need to set up an appointment to have our area measured so we can place our order.

Stainless steel appliances - chosen, just need to order. (I am anxious to see how these sleek beauties affect our electric bill).

Paint color – still looking! I haven’t found the color that speaks to me YET!

Curtains – picked out. They'll be ordered when the last of the finishing touches are done.

We are looking forward to gutting out the ugly!