Welcome Ben & Abbie

We have visitors from Texas this week. Tonita's youngest two, Benjamin and Abigail are visiting and we have lots of plans! Weeding the garden, cleaning the garage, painting trim - oh, wait, they're on vacation. Maybe we should swim, fish, play with Randy's kids, go to the movies, and go to the zoo instead. :o)

Happy Birthday wishes

To Grandma Regier - today she turned 89 years old. I joined Aunt Jan, Uncle Wendell, and Aunt LaVerna at the nursing home for the monthly birthday party for the residents. I took her a bag of chocolates. :o) Not sure she ever figured out who I was, but it was nice to be with her today.
I do not know how old she was when this photo was taken, but she sure was a cutie in her day!

And to my brother Alan - didn't forget you! Not sure if I should post how old you are... :o)

My flamingo family

They are healthy and having a great summer. If you drive by, give them a wave! :o)

Bird flu hits trailer park

So sad...

Am I a pirate?

Oh yeah, baby!

We saw Pirates 2 today. Though not as good as the first movie, in my opinion, Johnny Depp makes any movie worth sitting through for 2 1/2 hours!

Okay, Orlando was pretty hot, too.

This movie was much less believable than the first, but leaves some glaring unanswered questions sure to be answered in the next installment.

Nick tells me the third "Pirates" is due to be released next Memorial Day. I'm counting down already. Yeah, I must be a pirate...

On this day in history...

Answer:
P. T. Barnum
Huey Lewis
Dolly the Sheep

Question:
Who shares a birthday with me (but that's all I have in common with them)?

Yes, I'm shamelessly flaunting my birthday here because I can. A low-key day, though I enjoyed a fun lunch at Applebee's with my friend Barb, where we got lots of free food. Then Greg took me there again for supper where I enjoyed lots of Sangria!

As far as how old I am, I can only say that some days I feel 90, some days I feel 17, so partway between them is just about right!

A better day than yesterday - even besides being my birthay. Got a new vacuum cleaner that I LOVE. I like to vacuum and Greg hates when I do because I can often go for 30 or 45 minutes, easy. It's a good time to think or not, and you can see results as you do it.

The bed is dry and put back together. The cap on the air release valve was loose - that was our leak. It hadn't been leaking but just a few days - thank goodness I noticed it before it was worse.

Greg pounded the garage door back into semi-acceptable shape. The opener mechanism came undone and fell onto the door as it was opening, putting some major dents in it. We think he can bolt it back up.

Still haven't moved or looked at the washer - I've been promised that will happen tomorrow.

Thought we had Greg's birth certificate, but found out today we need to get it. Gotta love the internet - it's ordered and will be here within two weeks. Whew - the cruise is only five weeks away and I was afraid he'd have to make a quick trip to Texas to get it in time.

The last of the interior trim is down (I've been working on that for weeks), so painting can commence tomorrow - except we're going to see "Pirates of the Caribbean" at Noon, so not much will get done. (That's one of the perks of me working at the theater - we get to see the movies before the general public.)

I'm off to watch a movie (love Netflix!) and snuggle into my real bed - now that's a great birthday treat!

Gloom, despair, and agony on me...

Today is not even half over and I'm calling it "the bad luck day". The washing machine is leaking, the vacuum bit the dust, Greg's garage door is broken, and about half an hour ago I discovered that the waterbed was leaking. All of this while we're pulling interior trim off and getting ready to paint, so the house is a shambles anyway... I just laid on the bedroom floor and laughed.
Randy told me there are three good things about today:
1. I don't have the twins running around.
2. Greg is home to help.
3. I don't have to go to work and deal with that stress while dealing with this stress.
Greg said "at least neither of the vehicles has blown up". (Tempting fate, are we?!)
Donna (my next-door neighbor) offered me a garden tour to ease my mind for a few minutes. I think flower therapy was just what I needed. :o)

family ties in a small world

We just returned home from Kansas where we celebrated the wedding of Cousin Jesse's son, Justin, and his lovely new bride, Amanda. We drove with Randy, Leslie, and Wyatt, and had a very nice weekend. Found the church with an hour to spare, but the hot Kansas wind made it uncomfortable to let Wyatt have some "running" time outside, so we hung out in the church foyer for awhile. It was SO GOOD to see Jess and Steph again and we were very glad we went.

The wedding was lovely and now Jess and Steph are IN-LAWS! :o)

I hadn't seen Aunt Bobbie in probably 15 years and we had a nice chat. She hasn't changed at all.

We also had a man come over to our table to meet us because his last name is Regier. Don't know if we're related at all, but we commented on what a small world it is. Then we started chatting with the other people at our table and found out that he's originally from Orange City, Iowa, which is where Angela is from. He didn't know Ang's parents, but has been in their store.

Our weekend spent with family went quickly, but with lots of hugs and maybe a tear or two. :o)

I enjoy my extended family so much, but we don't get to spend enough time together. Guess I'll have to work on that...

The photo is Randy and Jesse talking motorcycles - of course. :o)

Um, meet Molly

Molly is Tucker's sister and she came to live with us today. Yeah, we have two kittens now and they are SO CUTE! Technically, Molly is Jessi's cat, but she'll live here.
Tucker was so excited when Molly got here. He bounced and jumped and batted and wrestled her. She was annoyed - she wanted to investigate, and he wanted to play.
They have now chased and chewed on each other to the point of exhaustion and are both sleeping peacefully as I type.
We're having tuna for supper - wonder if they'll notice? :o)

Meet Tucker!

Here he is, our new baby, Tucker. He's just over 6 weeks old and spent most of his first afternoon at home asleep behind the library table. Haven't seen him use the litter box yet, but I've shown him where it is a few times. Hope he hasn't left me any little surprises...

what I'm doing today

Wyatt's speech is coming along. He'll at least attempt to repeat whatever word I ask him to say (well, except for Tonita - he wouldn't try that one - sorry Sis!).

Of course he got some computer time once the twins went down for a nap - and he loved that we could print out his work.

He helped Grace go to sleep by sitting with her and patting her head. Then he shared his blanket with Garett so he could go to sleep. So sweet.









Garett has been cranky today. Wonder if he's getting some teeth. He won't eat and has been whiny most of the day. Poor guy - he's usually so cheerful. I finally got a smile out of him when I kissed him with the pig puppet. Then he made the pig kiss me, too. I don't care who ya are, that there was funny!












Miss Grace has enjoyed the play tea set I picked up at a garage sale a few weeks ago. She pretends to eat with the spoon and drink out of the cup.
She also helped Wyatt color the luminary for Grandpa Richard for Relay for Life. And she didn't try to eat the crayons. Smart girl.

Blooming beauty

I don't have near the flowers I've had in the past 5 or six years, but what I do have is gorgeous. Each time a new flower blooms, I am in awe at how nature works. Still moving things around, but the transplants I've done so far look good. Lots more work to do, but that's what keeps me out of trouble!

This photo is some variety of Asiatic Lily that has multiplied vastly since last summer. There are dozens of them - I think they're awesome.

If you want to take a look at this year's flowers, I do have a Yahoo album:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lottakiss68316/album?.dir=f893re2&.src=ph

Playing around

Thanks for the tips...

Thanks to everyone who responded with their ideas for how to stop the burn! :o) I did try putting milk on my face, but that didn't help at all. I washed my hands many times, and took a shower, but yesterday was still tasting the pepper when I licked my finger. It's finally gone now. I will say I usually do wear gloves when I cut peppers, I don't know why I didn't this time. I won't make that mistake twice!

Feel the BURN

Yeah, I chopped a jalepeno pepper tonight to make pico de gallo, and I rubbed my hand on my face. This happened about 2 hours ago. My face still burns. Little tip to everyone -
DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!
Update 6/14/06 - Wiped my eye this morning and guess what? Yep, it burned! I have washed a couple of times with soap, so I do not know why I still have capcasin on my hands - anyone have any tips to clean it off?

Bucket Butt

One more quick post before I snuggle into bed. I'm so glad I got this shot of Garett sitting in the Lego bucket this afternoon. Doesn't that look comfy? :o)

Good visit

Aunt Sherry and Debbie came to visit today. It was wonderful to see them again. I had Randy's kids, so it was a mini-family reunion. :o)
Aunt Sherry looked great. She looked at the photo book I'd made about Mom's childhood, and talked about the pictures (most of which she sent me).
Debbie talked about things we did as kids - some I remember vividly (the knitting needles, the screen door, the spanking), others I did not (washing our hair with Skin-So-Soft, yikes!). We did get into some trouble as kids.
Unfortunately, their visit was shorter than planned. Everybody please say a prayer for Debbie's granddaughter Bevin, and for Debbie's safe trip back to Tennessee to be with her family.

Peonies

The peonies exploded into bloom on Friday. I love having a sea of pink in the back yard. A couple of my bushes are from Mom's (Grandma Adams') yard. I remember Mom saying that peonies always bloomed by Memorial Day weekend. She also told me that they needed ants to crawl all over them before they would bloom. I know now that is a myth, but the first year I had flower buds, I was stressing because I didn't see any ants and I just knew those buds would never open! :o)

I love to cut a big bunch and bring them in the house (after I shake off the ants which are plentiful!). I always think of my mom when the peonies are blooming. It's a comfort to me.

A Quarter of a Century?!

As I was scanning this photo to put in this blog post about our anniversary, it occured to me that we've been married a quarter of a century. Our 25th wedding anniversary was on Tuesday and we celebrated with our kids by having supper in Lincoln.

It's been a few years since we passed the "been married half my life" milestone. We were just babies. I was 19 and thought I knew how it should be. Everything was supposed to be black and white - little did I know I was destined to a life of gray! :o)

This anniversary was a lifetime in the future.

Greg had just turned 22 the week before. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he showed up at the wedding so I figure he really must've wanted to get married. (And it was his idea!) :o)

I'm so glad he did.

Phone home

Randy keeps saying his kids won't have cell phones or phones in their rooms. That may well be, and we'll respect his parenting decisions. I just hope he knows what he's up against. :o)

(Photo 5/25/06 - Grace with my old cell. She's been carrying it around for two days. Even tries to use it as a TV remote.)

Ridin' the storm out

This was the sky over York on Tuesday evening as we drove back from Lincoln. It made us nervous to see storm-chaser vehicles on I-80. We weren't sure if we should keep going, especially after the radio warned of golfball-sized hail and up to 80 mph winds. We got nothing more than heavy rain and some minor winds, thank goodness.

What's in...

What's in your FRIDGE?
skim milk, leftover turkey, limes, a cucumber, turkey sausages, cooked bacon, thawed hamburger, fresh spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, Diet Coke, (margaritas - shhh!).

What's in your PURSE?
Wallet, checkbook, comb, notebook, bifocals, make-up bag (has no make-up in it, full of Aleve, Midol, sinus meds, nail clippers, small scissors, a bandaid).

What's in your CLOSET?
Clothes, coin jar, jewelry, Christmas decorations, Easter decorations, Autumn decorations, craft supplies, sheets, suitcases, shoes, gifts for next Christmas.

What's in your DVD player?
Chronicles of Narnia

What's in your CAR?
Wyatt's car seat, a jacket, a library book, Garett's shirt and shorts, Garett's bottle, empty pop cup, large tub with paper for recycling from work, stack of buckets and lids.

Your turn!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

I guess it's time to tell about the new direction my life is about to take. At the end of April I gave my 30-day notice at my job - my last day is next week on Wednesday. This decision was made after months of thought, stress, and with Greg's support. I am going to finish my AA in Early Childhood next school year, then go on for a Bachelor's from there.
No more sleepless nights worrying about things, no more trying to keep NINE other women happy and still do my job well and follow all the rules.
I still love the place - I just will love it without being responsible for it.

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Belated birthday wishes, that is. I meant to put this up last night, but after we got home from supper at Applebee's with the kids, Greg wanted to watch "Narnia", then it was past my bedtime. :o)
Anyway, the man is 47 now and still a hottie! (Stop rolling your eyes, Jessi!)

Boys and toys

Just a glance at Greg's "new to him" pickup. He was shy about me taking the photos, but I made him. :o)

Easter Sunday

A busy day, but it was fun - I always enjoy a house full of family! :o)

How Spring Comes to Nebraska

Cold, wet, windy. Warm, dry, windy. Hot, dry, windy. Take our pick of temps, but we always get windy! Along with thunder, lightening, hail, and tornadoes.

We also get those first tender blossoms on the magnolia tree, along with the fragrant blooms of hyacinth and sunny daffodils. These are what convince us that Spring truly is here to stay.

Date night

Went on a date tonight with the little guy. I took Wyatt to his first theater movie - Ice Age 2. He didn't care much for the popcorn - was more interested in the people going in and out of the theater door. I started talking to him and he "shushed" me. :o) Once the movie started he sat on my lap and snuggled the whole time. At the part of the movie when the flood came, and the monster fish, he kept looking at me and saying, "Uh oh!"
We went to dinner after - chicken nuggets and apple slices at McD's. That's doing it right for a 3 year-old!

Sleep? What's that?

3:00, 3:30, 4:45, 2:38 - A.M. Last four work days, this is what time I've awakened and not gone back to sleep. (The 2:38 is today.)

Plus, I already have 23 1/2 hours in this week, and I have 3 days left to work - and I'm not supposed to have overtime!

PLUS there will be a Federal Reviewer in my center today!

PLUS I have a family who is having some serious issues I need to help them deal with - WHILE the reviewer is in my center today!

I don't need this much stress in my life. I want a job that I can leave when I go home at night.

On the UP side, Daylight Saving Time starts on Sunday - yea! I'm probably the only person in the world who doesn't mind losing an hour of sleep in order to gain an hour of daylight at the end of the day. I have so much more energy when I get home and the sun is still up. Here's an interesting web sight about Daylight Saving Time http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/b.html

Notice I didn't type "Savings Time". That's because it's not supposed to be "savings". Read all about it at the web site.

The kiddos

I babysat tonight for a few hours. Those kids kept me in a sweat all evening! :o) Tried to get Easter egg pictures, but Grace was the only one who cooperated, and only for a second. Then I forgot to open my flash! So, the photo is grainy and not as nice as I was hoping. Oh well, I'll try again another day.
The snow is melting and it is "mud city" everywhere. Today I could see where Greg gouged the yard with the Bobcat. Argh. Under the snow, the grass is bright green. This has been great moisture that was badly needed.
Better get to bed. Another busy day tomorrow...

ANOTHER snow day - argh!

While I don't mind the time at home, we have to make up every day we miss at Head Start. We have to offer a minimum number of school days to the families, and when we miss one, we make it up. Three days is getting to be a LOT of makeup time! Hopefully today the snowplows will have more luck getting those country roads cleared, local public schools will open, and my staff will be able to come to work tomorrow.

I went to town twice yesterday, forgetting the first time that I had water aerobics class later that afternoon, so I went to town again. It was good to get out of the house. :o)

There is some damage from the heavy snow. Awnings on the stores in town are sagging or broken, and people were on top of roofs scooping the snow off. Greg can't go to work for awhile - the warehouse roof collapsed yesterday and the roof in the office was creaking and popping. Fun.

I'm going to try to be more productive around home today and stay off the computer. No more videos today, I promise! Blogger is apparently posting photos again. This was taken about 6 a.m. yesterday, looking out the back door. (Yeah, I know, you already saw the video.)

No more snow - front door

No more snow - back door

Yet another video

More video

trying something new

Happy Birthday Boy

Rest in Peace

My coworker and friend, Kathleen Gierhart, slipped away early yesterday evening. She'd fought a brain tumor since last summer and found out two weeks ago that her battle was lost. I last saw her an hour before she passed and take comfort in knowing she went peacefully.

I knew her for 10 years. Kathy was a friend and caregiver to everyone, always ready with a hug, or funny story, or a homemade goodie of some kind. She took good care of us at Head Start, loving when the kids called her "Kaffy". She so enjoyed renovating whatever home she and Russell were living in, making it a warm and welcoming place to visit. Even so, she never stayed home! They were always gone visiting family or friends on the weekends, having fun and making wonderful memories.

Rest well, my friend. May the loving arms of our Lord wrap around you and keep you in peace until we meet again.

Catch up

I just realized I haven't posted on my blog in over a week, but it's been real busy around here - as usual. But I'm not complaining. Usual is okay.

Springtime is just around the corner - though some would argue it has arrived. Hyacinths are peeking up out of the ground, robins abound, and we had thunder and lightening this morning! Oh, and let's not forget the extended hours of daylight. Even though we "lose" an hour when the time changes in the Spring, I love Daylight Savings Time.

I bought some new lilies and a new clematis yesterday. I'm itching to get out to the backyard. Last Fall we took the Bobcat out there and took out most everything. We left my mom's peonies and my lilies. There is much work to be done to clean up and restart my backyard oasis, but I look forward to it. I haven't had much enthusiasm for working in the backyard since Dad died, so I'm happy to feel such anticipation about it.

Today's photos I took of the flowers in my garden last summer.

It's Friday and we're all glad!

Nothing better on a Friday afternoon than a great underwear sale! :o)

Little blessings (in no particular order)

Looks like March is coming in like a lamb. February sure went out like one!

I was able to get off work a little early yesterday and today and enjoy the nice weather. Took a walk and saw the neighborhood again. Felt good.

Jess is back at school. Lots of work to make up, but she'll get there. Stressing about not being able to work, but SHE DOES HAVE A MEAL PLAN, so she really doesn't have to buy groceries...

I finally ripped some CD's and downloaded my Mp3 player I got for Christmas. Took it to workout Monday morning. The ear buds kept popping out, so I didn't get to enjoy. I've replaced those and look forward to some of my favorite classic rock music to exercise by tomorrow. Yea!

Made the most yummy Italian Crockpot beef sandwiches for supper tonight. It was great to walk in the house this afternoon and smell a delicious supper cooking. Just had to mix up some salad and bake the Ciabatta buns.

Anyone else watch Grey's Anatomy? Jessi and I love it and make sure to watch every Sunday night. Sometimes she's in Hastings watching, and I'm at home, and we call each other during commercial breaks.

Grace is walking a little bit! Leslie said she takes a couple of steps between things now.

Only five and a half months until our cruise!

Aren't these guys just too cute? This is their "One year" photo done at the studio.

Some sad news about a friend who is ill. I so wish the outcome was different, but hospice will help her and her family. Those people are amazing. They make the worst time of life bearable, and are a huge blessing to everyone they serve.

Wyatt has a new kissing game and makes the best "fish lips"!

Back to "normal"

Our life is slowly returning to pre-accident normalcy. Jess is pretty independent now, drives her car around and doesn't need the walker or any other gadget to help her walk. She does have a "hitch" in her hip and does the "Weebles wobble" thing when she walks, but she says she has no pain. (Side note: I found out yesterday that her orthopedic specialist is a former gymnastics world champion, and was part of an Olympic team.) Her friend Megan spends lots of time with her - in fact, right now they are on my bed giggling at some MTV show. I'm going to kick them out in a minute so I can get to bed. :o)

Greg and I are both back to work full time, with the exception of going with Jess to the occasional doctor's appointment. My first day back was Wednesday, and I've been going full blast ever since. I'm not complaining - it feels good to be productive again. I spent too much time in front of the TV with the girl when I was home!

Jessi called me at work yesterday afternoon and invited me to the movies last night. We went to see "Walk the Line". I enjoyed it very much, even though I don't "do" country music. I left the theater with a grin, thinking about how much my mother would have LOVED this movie!

That's the update for today. Back to boring is pretty good right now!

We spent yesterday at the hospital in Omaha where Greg's dad was sent after spending Thursday evening through Saturday morning at York General. He is quite ill with some kind of infection which is causing his white count to fall. Normally illness raises your white count, but since he had the stem-cell transplant, his will fall when he gets sick. Since none of us had a flu shot, in order to see him we have to wear a gown, mask, and gloves. Greg went today for awhile, but Jess and I stayed home.
Once again we ask for healing prayers and kind thoughts that he has a quick recovery.

Jess went to church with us today. She refused to take her walker or to use the lift chair to get up the stairs. I don't know how she did it, but she climbed all those stairs by herself. She was really not wanting any attention from anyone in the congregation and made us promise we'd go straight to the car and not chat after the service. If she could have run, she would have. :o)

She's about out of Percocet, and is spreading them out so she's only taking a couple each day.

That's about it around here. Yawn - I think it's time for a nap.

Her recovery continues...

We had a good day yesterday - the cystogram showed no leaks in Jessi's bladder, so the urologist took out the catheter. She sees him again in a week to make sure all is well.

She really wanted to go to Hastings to see some friends, so we drove to her dorm to get some things, then visited people for a little while. I got to meet her McD's coworkers. On the way home she commented that it was so nice to get out and see people! :o)

She's still using the walker and taking the Percocet. I imagine today will be bad for pain since she was in and out of the car so much yesterday and on her feet a lot.

Greg and I are trying to get back into our routines as much as possible. We each are still having to take some time off work to get her to doctor's appointments and such, but I'm thinking by the end of next week she should be okay on her own at home. Then maybe another week and she can go back to school? We'll see - depends on how well she can walk and do stairs. Right now she's exhausted by taking a shower. :o)

Recovering

Jess is home and beginning the long weeks of her recovery. It was quite an adventure to get her from the car to the back door, then she still had to get through the house. That's the farthest she's walked all week.

I'll put the story of Jessi's accident and recovery here. The photo is Jessi's side of the car...

The girls were driving around in the country near Clarks, NE, which is about half an hour from here. Megan, Jessi's best friend, was driving a 2001 Ford Mustang. Jess was in the front passenger seat. Both girls had their seatbelts on. Jess said she was dozing and was about to tell Megan she wanted to go home. She opened her eyes, saw headlights, heard Megan yell, and then woke up with a pickup in her side of the car.

Her seat was moved into the middle of the car. She couldn't unbuckle her seatbelt, and it was hurting her to have it on, so the driver of the pickup cut it off of her with a pocket knife. She didn't think she was hurt, so she crawled out the driver's side window. It became apparent she was not okay, so she laid down in the road ditch.

The guys in the pickup called 911 and the sheriff's department was dispatched. Megan and Jessi couldn't find their cell phones, so they borrowed his to call us. My phone rang at 1:22 a.m. - I got out of bed and could hear the phone ringing in the kitchen. I couldn't find it in the dark, and by the time I turned on the light and found the phone, Jess was on the answering machine, begging me to pick up, they'd "been hit". Greg heard that and immediately started getting dressed.

I asked her if she was okay and she said no, but she couldn't tell me how she was hurt, just that she was. She said the sheriff and ambulance were on the way. I asked where they were and she was asking the other people there, so I just had her give the phone to someone who was not hurt. The guy told me where they were, and that the Merrick County Sheriff's department was on the way. I told him not to let her move and we were on our way.

She told me later that the guys had covered her in their winter coats to keep her warm. (No one else was hurt, though a few days later Megan was found to have some cracked ribs.)

I called the sheriff's department to confirm their location. That's when I found out they had not dispatched an ambulance. I told her that Jessi said she was hurt, so the dispatcher got the ambulance going immediately.

On the way to the accident, I called the sheriff's office again to see if they had word on how badly Jess was hurt. The dispatcher didn't know, but radioed the scene to see if we should go there, or meet them at the hospital. They said we should just go to Central City to the hospital.

We got there about 10 minutes before they did - a long wait, believe me! They brought Jess in wrapped in a huge sleeping bag-type of blanket, with a neck collar, on a back board, and with an oxygen mask on. All I could see of her were her hands folded on top.

They got her unwrapped and moved to the table, then I was able to stand by her. She saw me and said, "Hi honey!". I started to cry, of course. She told me "don't cry" and I told her that when she sees her child in a neck collar on a backboard, she'll cry, too.

She had a great deal of pain in her abdomen, so they did x-rays. That's when they found the pelvic fractures. They told us they had to send her on to Grand Island since that was serious and they didn't have an orthopedic doctor at Central City. Dr. Schneider, the trauma surgeon at GI ordered an abdominal CT scan before she left CC, so if necessary, he could have a trauma team assembled when she got there. I watched the CT - of course I couldn't see anything wrong, but I recognized organs and it was fascinating to watch.

We followed the ambulance to GI and waited in the ER emergency room while they assessed her condition and did labs. We finally got to go be with her for a few minutes before they took her to do a head and neck CT and then a cystogram to check her bladder since the CT had show some damage. That showed a hole in a place where they had to do surgery. The doctor said the force of the impact is what caused that and the laceration of her spleen.

She eventually went to surgery to repair her bladder. By then, Nick and Greg's family was there with us. Bobbi and Kurt came when they got Tonita's message, and Jackie joined us just about the time Jess got out of surgery. (THANKS, GUYS!!)

She has a 6 or 7 inch long incision, but it looks like it's not going to be a bad scar. They told her it looks like she had a C-section. She will have a catheter until next week when they will do another cystogram to check for leakage in the bladder. If all is well, they will remove the catheter.

The pelvic fractures put her in the orthopedic ward at the hospital. (Joint camp - where all the knee and hip replacement patients are.) On Monday they started Physical therapy to get her out of bed the first time. I wasn't there when they did that. Nanny said it was rough, but the PT was awesome. PT continued twice a day, doing leg exercises and then getting her out of bed and using a walker to creep into the hall and back. Yesterday they had her climb their portable staircase, before she could go home.

She also has a little device she has to suck air through to help her expand her lungs and prevent pnuemonia. She has to do this about 1,000 times a day (just kidding, but it is a lot!). And we have to push fluids now that her IV is out. I have to keep track of her "output" and take that back to the urologist next week. Fun.

I contacted Jessi's college advisor about classes. She said to just call next week and let her know when she's ready to do some work at home and she'd get some assignments sent. I don't know how her lab classes will be made up or if she'll need to drop them and try again next semester. We'll find out next time we talk to the advisor. It will be several weeks before she can return to campus.

That's about it in a nutshell. I'll keep you posted as her recovery continues.

what a week...

It's only Tuesday and I'm already counting the hours and minutes until Friday afternoon. That's what I get for having a job in Human Services and having to deal with other peoples' problems.

I invited Greg to go on a date Friday night, dinner and movie. I want to see "Glory Road". (That's the basketball movie with the hot guy from "Sweet Home Alabama".) I'll let Greg choose where we eat, though the conversation will go just like this:
G "Where are we eating?"
T "I don't care. You choose. I picked the movie."
G " I don't care. You say."
T "No, I chose the movie. You're pickier than I am. You decide."
Can you tell this conversation has happened a few times in the past 25 years? :o) Now, I could suggest a place the first time he asks, but he'll say, "Nah, I don't really want to go there." But he won't suggest an alternate establishment. Sigh.

Today's photo has nothing to do with this post. I just thought it was amusing, especially since my friend had her gnome kidnapped from her front yard last Spring. The only contact she's had with the 'nappers was a single letter saying her gnome was fine and she'd be hearing from him. No other communication has been received. Wonder if he's in this pic?

Where oh where has Jack Frost gone?

Not that I'm complaining about the weather. It was wonderful to wander the Old Market section of Omaha last night wearing just a sweater. But I fear we'll pay in March and April. The photo today is one I took earlier in the week when we had a frosty morning. I love waking up to find the outside covered in thick frost, especially if the sun then shines and makes it all sparkle for a little while.

I'm in Omaha for some training so I can be a trainer in Kearney in March. I had the training almost 5 years ago, so this is a refresher and update on the curriculum. We're staying at Embassy Suites so we're quite pampered with excellent service, free breakfast in the morning, and free cocktails in the evening. The only spoiler is I forgot to pack socks, so I'm on Day 3 with the pair I had on when I got here. Ew!

I will be very glad to get home this evening. Two nights away from my home and honey are quite enough. :o)

Happy Birthday Grace & Garett!

Gimme five

What were you doing 10 years ago?
January 1996:
Working at Head Start, doing "mom" stuff with the kids, didn't know that in another month the world as I knew it would change forever with Mom's diagnosis of terminal lung cancer...

What were you doing one year ago?
January 2005:
Working at Head Start (different position), taking college classes, Mom to a senior in high school and a 21 year-old (gulp!).

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Chocolate
2. Cake
3. Nachos
4. chips & dip
5. Cookies

Five songs, to which you KNOW all the lyrics: (Only five?! Man, I know a TON of songs!)
1. Paradise by the Dashboard Light by Meatloaf
2. Away in a Manger
3. Bohemian Raphsody by Queen
4. Beverly Hillbilly's theme song
5. Hush Little Baby Don't Say a Word

Five things you would do, if you were a millionaire: (Okay, I'm going for MULTI-millionaire, and this list is for after I share with family)
1. Set up a charitable foundation to help with medical costs for women who have no health insurance(HUGE need for women ages 18 - 40).
2. Buy a vacation home in Vail, Colorado.
3. Take both of our families on a huge vacation (Hawaii, Disneyworld, someplace BIG).
4. Huge donation to our church.
5. Scholarship program for teen moms so they can finish school and go to college.

Five bad habits:
1. Talking
2. Procrastinating
3. Planting my behind in front of the computer too much
4. Drinking too much Diet Coke.
5. Taking on too many projects at once.

Five things you like doing:
1. Scrapping
2. Sitting at the dining room table with family, just talking and laughing
3. Writing
4. Cooking
5. Snuggling with my honey

Five things you would never wear, buy, or get new again:
1. Stirrup pants
2. Huge hair bows
3. Exercise leotard
4. Blue frosted eyeshadow
5. Bikini (never an option again, sigh)

Five favorite toys:
1. Laptop
2. Digital camera
3. Scrapbooking supplies
4. Mp3 player
5. 32" flat screen TV

Sweet dreams

Oh, what a morning to awaken to memories of a sweet dream! A huge chocolate bar, all mine. Rich, creamy, and guilt-free. I wasn't worried about how long I'd have to work out to negate the effects of that chocolate bar. I could taste the chocolate in my sleep...
I confess that I have this secret dream of bathing in a tub of warm, melted chocolate. Well, not so secret now! :o) But wouldn't that be luscious to just soak in?

I pretty much love anything chocolate. Fudgy, creamy, chewy, with nuts, without, wrapped around caramel, in pudding, cookies, candy, brownies and cakes. But I want quality chocolate. No off-brand, cheap, odd-tasting stuff.

The best I've ever had came from Europe, many years ago. I still remember it, though.

I just discovered those Lindt truffles this weekend. Definitely dangerous. And we love those Ferrero Rocher hazelnut treats. And caramel peanut clusters - but they must be Brach's. Oh, yes, and the Hershey's Pot of Gold I got for Christmas. Dove chocolates used to fill an antique jar I kept in my office for all the staff to indulge in. For stress reduction, of course. But it's so stressful there, that I was constantly refilling, and finally everyone had gained enough poundage that we decided to get rid of the jar. :o)

Anyway, just thought I'd share how my day started out so nicely. No chocolate bars in the house today, so I'll just have to take solace in my dream...

The Virgin Party

Don't be appalled by the title of this entry, it was all very innocent. A group of women gathered together to enjoy good food, good company, and a funny movie. Made funnier by virtue of watching it in a large group. The movie won't win any Oscars, but we didn't care. The best part was being with friends.

We're all trying to be healthier, so the potluck appetizer buffet was quite nutritious. Lots of vegetables, cream cheese/crab fondue, shrimp cocktail, vegetable pizza, chicken wings, devilled eggs, and pretzels. We were not without a sweet treat, though. Barb brought those Oreo/cream cheese "bon bons" that were so popular around here for Christmas. Yum.

And a big gold star goes to my honey, Greg. He joined us for the food, then graciously left the house so we could enjoy the movie. A good man. :o)

Yeah, and we had treat bags when it was time to go home. Candles, chocolates, and a couple of other little "treats" that I won't detail here. :o)

I would only recommend this movie if you are not easily offended by R-ratings. If not, then gather some friends and enjoy your own Virgin Party!

The power of four...

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. waitress
2. AV geek
3. Arcade/snack bar attendant
4. Preschool teacher

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. While You Were Sleeping
2. Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves
3. Knight's Tale
4. Moulin Rouge

Four places you have lived:
1. Denver
2. York
3. Kearney
4. Benedict

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. 24
2. West Wing
3. Desperate Houswives
4. Gray's Anatomy

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Washington, D.C.
2. Vail, CO
3. Branson, MO
4. Galveston, TX

Four websites I visit daily:
1. www.twopeasinabucket.com
2. www.weather.com
3. various blogs
4. BVCA's intranet

Four of my favorite foods:
1. chocolate
2. seafood
3. avacado
4. mashed potatoes

Four places I would rather be right now:
I am seriously totally happy right here at home.

ABC's of Tammy

A - Age: 44
B - Bed size: King
C - Chore you hate: cleaning bathrooms
D - Dessert you love: Italian cream cake
E - Essential start your day item: right now, 2 Aleve so my foot doesn't swell up
F - Favorite actor(s): Vince Vaughn & Owen Wilson (ad lib so well!)
G - Gold or Silver: White Gold
H - Height: 5'2"
I - Instruments you play: never learned to read music
J - Job title: Head Start Center Supervisor/Family Community Partner
K - Kids: 2
L - Living arrangements: In a house with my honey.
M - Mom's name: Marilynne; MIL: Jan
N - Nicknames: None that I know of (who knows what I'm called when I'm not around!).
O - Overnight hospital stay: Just when I gave birth
P - Phobia: Tubes (MRI)
Q - Quote you like: "Live well, laugh often, love much".
R - Right or left handed: right
S - Siblings: Yep!
T - Time you woke up today: 5:00 a.m.
U - Unique habit: Make up songs spontaneously
X - X-rays you've had: teeth, ankles, knee, pelvic
Y - Yummy food you can make: Cream puff cake; mashed potatoes; chocolate pecan pie
Z - Zodiac Sign: Cancer

As time goes by...

This morning we had a new acolyte at church. It was heartwarming to see him take his job so seriously, yet we had to chuckle when he could barely reach the candles to get them lit. Reminded me of Nick when he first was an acolyte. He had to stand on tiptoe and stretch to reach. What a long time ago that was - Nick recently had his 22nd birthday. My how time does fly.

Those Christmas Cards!

I used to donate my old Christmas cards to Head Start. We used them to make sewing cards and other Christmas projects. Now we don't "do" holidays at Head Start, and I hate to throw the cards away, so I have some new things I'm doing now.

First, I'm making a scrapbook page that includes 1 1/2" squares punched from all photos that were sent, and from some of the fronts of the cards. I was surprised that most of the photos worked to include everyone even when punched so small! :o)

The other thing I'm doing is because of the following information I got from a Christmas email list I'm on:

Here's some info on where you can donate your old Christmas cards on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.Oyate Teca Project runs a youth center on the reservation that serves hundreds of children and they'd love to have your old Christmas cards to recycle into craft supplies for the kids to make gift tags, ornaments, cards, etc. for Christmas next year (you can send them now though!)

You can mail your Christmas cards of any type here:

U.S. Mail Address:

Carmelita Mesteth

Oyate Teca Project

P.O. Box 190

Kyle, SD 57752

UPS/FedEx address:

Carmelita Mesteth

Oyate Teca Project

Wakanyeja Okolakiciye Youth Center

1000 Youth Center Drive

Kyle, SD 57752

If you want to save on postage, you can cut off the fronts of the cards and just mail those.

One last thing I plan to do - I saved all the insides of the cards, and all the newsletters I got. They are currently in a wooden snowman box on the counter. Each week I want to pick out a card and write a note or letter to that person. Yeah, snail mail - what a treat! :o)

Survey

What follows is a list of blog questions from a twopeasinabucket message board, intended to be a reflection of the past year. We'll see how many I can constructively answer. Please feel free to post your own answers. :o)

1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?

Visited a tattoo parlor...

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I try not to make resolutions which set me up for failure...

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Leslie did, blessing our family with the twins!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Some people from our church and Aunt Ruth.

5. What countries did you visit?

Yeah, just the U.S.

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?

Organization and energy.

7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

January 19 - birthdate of Grace and Garett.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Adapting to having the kids gone from home.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Sticking to a healthy way of eating.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Had an MRI on my knee and discovered osteoarthritis, diagnosed plantar fasciitis in my feet, found a spot on my bone - just a "bone island".

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My digital camera and my laptop.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Jessica graduated from high school and successfully moved to college.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

President Bush; Brad Pitt

14. Where did most of your money go?

Electronics.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

The twins being born.

16. What song will always remind you of 2005?

Inside Your Heaven sung by Bo Bice, anything by Styx

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: i. happier or sadder? ii. thinner or fatter? iii. richer or poorer?

Happier; hahahaha;same

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Scrapbooking, reading, taken care of the flower garden

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Eating

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

Spent it with family - the best way!

22. Did you fall in love in 2005?

All over again.

23. How many one-night stands?

Um, none.

24. What was your favorite TV program?

American Idol, Biggest Loser, 24, Prison Break, Desperate Housewives, Gray's Anatomy

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

No room for hate.

26. What was the best book you read?

Didn't read much, and nothing of substance.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Il Divo, Bo Bice

28. What did you want and get?

Digital camera

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

Wedding Crashers - literally laughed until I cried

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Visited that tattoo parlor - I was 44 . . .

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Weight loss

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?

In progress - everytime I buy something I wonder, "Would Stacy and Clinton approve?"

34. What kept you sane?

As always, my honey.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Bo Bice, Tommy Shaw

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

Reauthorization of Head Start, the war

37. Who did you miss?

My parents - every day.

38. Who was the best new person (people) you met?

Lots of nice people in Albuquerque

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005:

I didn't learn it in 05, but tried to live it more: "Someday is not on the calendar."

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

Nothing comes to mind - anyone have a suggestion?