Summer Days, Summer Nights

It's been awhile since I wrote here, but decided I should write down some of our doings. I have been so busy working on the house and doing so many other things, I can hardly see straight. So, without further ado, here is what I have been up to.

We have been swimming a great deal in our pool. We have had some wonderful times with friends and family coming over. We usually end up having a bar-b-que for dinner. I have taught several kids how to dive and flip. We had one especially great experience with a friends child. I was teaching her how to dive and she flipped into the water. I thought, great! Now, once you can flip, you have to really back off the head first, feet up. You end up gliding in. So, we get to the diving board and she flips in again. She was landing mostly on her back so I said this time, flip a little harder. Sure enough, she flips and goes feet first. Then she says she wants to do a side spring. O.K. She gets up there and does a cartwheel off the diving board into the water. We then get her to try a backwards dive, a backwards flip, and a hand stand into the water. She does all of it so well. That is the most I have ever seen from another child. This child also happens to be 6 years old. It was a lot of fun!

We are continuing to work on the house, although a bit slower than we thought. On hot summer days we tend to get in the pool again, and again. I have discovered that I love late night swims. It is so peaceful, watching the stars above and just relaxing. God is good!

Along with that we have finally found 2 churches we really like. One is only 3 blocks from our house. We have met with the pastor and his wife and spent an evening at their house. We are pleased with what they are doing for Christ and the community. The other church we love is too far away. We have met the pastor and his wife and they have actually been over swiming several times. They are our neighbor's pastor. Our neighbors are wonderful christians and wonderful people. We are very blessed to have them as friends and neighbors. Their church is a half hour drive away so for now we are choosing the church in our comunity. One of the reasons we changed churches in the first place is because we wanted to get in the comunity we live in. We are happy with where God is taking us and enjoying His blessings.

One of the last things I've been working on is selling my horses. I have finally came to the conclusion that I cannot afford them. It has been very hard for me. It's a chapter in my life that I wasn't ready to let go but my many medical bills have forced me to make sacrifices. Eyore's health is not good and we don't see an end in sight. So, one of them is right here and my pony is being shipped to California this week. They are officially sold and I am a horse free mom.

Please pray for continued health and answers for Eyores health.

The last thing I must tell you about is I am the proud parent of a liscenced driver. Dick Bob got a 100% on his driving test. I believe this is his first 100% on anything! I am loving it and very proud of him.

The last pictures for Awhile

This is our semi-finished entry/laundry room for now. We still have a lot of trim to put up and tiling of the bottom steps. We also have not finished the door casings.

The first picture is from the kitchen leading to the back room. We hung a curtain up to seperate the area for now.











The steps are the new oak boards I bought. I put 7 coats on them to make them durable! They better be. I found this neat little storage unit on clearance and 50 percent off to keep things neat and tidy. Owl put a shelf above the units to keep the very used items. We put a roll around laundry unit on the other side. It rolls out allowing more room to fold clothes. There is even a place for the brooms and such on the side. Owl put in a special dryer vent allowing the dryer to be close to the wall. This allows us as much space as possible. I painted one wall chocolate brown and the others a nice light brown. It turned out very nice. We still have to do the top of the low wall and one window casing but it is coming together.

I started painting at 9:00 this morning and didn't stop until 4:00 p.m. I took about 10 minutes off to eat at one point. I still have a few touch up spots but nothing too major. I was amazed that it took me all day and I still didn't finish. The cut in was tricky as some of the walls and windows are over the stairs.

Owl moved the washer and dryer up with our oldest and everything worked right off. It took us most of the night to clean up our mess. We still had wood, tools, dirt, sheetrock, paint, garbage, ect. all over the kitchen and outside the doors. Owl worked hard at cleaning the outside while I worked hard at cleaning the inside.

Life is full of surprises and we hope the grandparents like theirs. I have already done some laundry tonight and I love it. I think they will too.

Eyore is doing o.k. this week. We are having a much better week than last week. He has done some school work all week-end and today. I was excited to see him up and around. His foot is still hurts him alot but I am noticing that he is putting his toes on the ground. Every little bit is progress!

We are nearing the end of the school year and I am so glad. I will be happy to not have to do school lunches and a firm schedule. I like to sleep in. I haven't even done my excersizes since starting this project. I am going biking tomorrow. I hope it isn't too bad after a week off.

I am off to pick up the grandparents. Wish me luck.

Kanga

Pictures in Progress

I'm mixing the grout so I can finish the tile grouting. What a messy job that was. The kitchen became the catch all for the project. The office area has become the dining room come pantry. The office area was the original dining area at one time. I kind of like the table there.

Well, I wrote this long, great post and accidently erased it all. I will have to make this one shorter as I need to get back to work. Here are some pictures of our project as we progress. There are more to come but will have to post later.

We have put the new steps in but have a few supports to add. We are texturing the walls tonight in hopes of me painting tomorrow so we can move the washer and dryer up before the grandparents return tomorrow night.

We did manage to take the time out for a bar-b-que with some friends tonight. It was enjoyable as we were tired.

God is so good to stretch our dollar. We have managed to do the project for about 500.00 dollars.

Kanga

A Castoff

O.K. It was just Eyore getting his cast off today. It was a tuff decision but between two doctors and myself we decided to let him have no cast. The new xray shows a slow healing process. It has been seven weeks and he is still in a lot of pain. He wanted us to keep a cast on it! It should have been well healed by now. The first doctor wanted to send us to a specialist but my regular doctor and I both agree there is little they can do. We must wait. In the meantime we are going to do pool therapy since we have a pool. His ankle and foot are so stiff from no use that it hurts to move it. The pool should help with that. It is frustrating as a parent to see him struggle.

We are putting the first coat of mud on one side of the wall tonight. I also found a new built in microwave/hood for our kitchen. My husband installed that tonight too. It is way cool to have the microwave up and out of the way. I got a great deal on it, only 40.00.

Eyore is taking advantage of his disabilities lately, expecting everyone to do everything for him. I find it hard to know what he can and can't do. I have begun to expect him to learn how to do things with his crutches because he has been on them since December with only a couple of weeks off inbetween. We can't keep doing everything for him and it's driving all of us crazy. He has a bad attitude now and expects everyone to baby him. I've had enough and I'm making him do more. He always feels bad.

I've got to go to bed.

Hard Work with Results

This is coming out of the dining room down to the basement. The stairs takes a corner. The other one is coming up the stairs.

These are p ictures of each side of the new wall with the relocated door

This is what you get when you are dilligent every day to work on your project. We have relocated the door and framed the wall, we have rewired the switches and moved them, we have put up the sheetrock on one side of the wall, torn up all the carpet and are shoring up the steps tonight. It may still be awhile before we're done but it's a good start. However, are bedroom is still not finished, nor the front window in. It's hard to know what to do every day. Here are a few pics of the work in progress. They came out in a funny order but there here.

Tomorow is the start of my weekend and I am happy to see it. It's been a rough week for Eyore and me. He is struggling with writing a paragraph properly even though we practice, practice, practice.

My parents are gone so I must do the laundry!

Have a good evening everyone

To Do or Not To Do!

Tis the question. We are constantly starting new projects when the others aren't finished. We are good at that. We decided to tear out the pantry last night. It seemed pretty straight forward, but nothing ends up to be that way. You say "what's behind the pantry?" Well, let me tell you. It is old wood siding that runs horizonally. Apparently it was a back porch at one time and then converted into house. Strange, I tell you. Some of it had plywood behind it too. We are going to have to rebuild the entire wall that connects the kitchen so it's done right. This is a much bigger project than we thought. We are also going to have to redo the floor and reconfigure how we use the back area. It will be very nice when done, but I fear that may be a month or more.

My parents left last night for Florida for a week and they think it will be done when they get back. HA! I hope to have the floor done but I'm not sure much other will get done.

I will bike this morning. It's a good thing because I ate chips last night. They were good! LOL! It looks like the rain is going to clear off so it might be a nice ride. I'm not sure about getting into the pool today but we'll see.

Homeschooling is going fairly slow but yesterday was a good day. We got all his schooling done. We'll see how he does today. He is still sleeping and usually sleeps til 10:00 a.m. You ask why I don't get him up? Well, if I do it makes him even more tired to get himself around. On Monday he slept until 10:00. His face and eyes were swollen when he got up and he had a headache. He then managed to do some school work around 11:00. He layed back down around 12:00 until 1:00 when we ate lunch. Then he layed back down and took another nap until 3:00. Now how is one to get much done. He is not depressed, he just doesn't feel well. I was glad yesterday was a good day.

He is still struggling with his ulcer and his stomach hurts every day. I suppose I shall have to talk to the doctor about it. I have hopes of someday having a healthy child.

7 miles and counting

Lately I am falling short of the 10 mile mark. That's o.k. though because I am getting a good work out and my heart certainly feels it. I could not keep up with my friend but I did keep going. She is much slimmer than I am. That's my excuse anyway. I swam in the pool and did crunches in the pool too, so I feel pretty good about my accomplishments.

One more week and Eyore gets his cast off. We are crossing our fingers that his foot has healed.

We can finally see our bricks out front as we pressure washed them. They were covered in moss. I planted all my flowers I bought over a week ago and I think it will look very nice in about a month. We removed the big trees that were IN the flower beds and cleaned up and trimmed out front. There is still much to be done to the outside of the house but it's a start. We still need to fix the siding, paint the siding, get some gravel for the side driveway, put the gravel down, bark dust, remove the front hedge, replant some sod, ect. Not too much! LOL!

We are also in the process of taking out the old pantry, located around the corner from the kitchen. We are putting the laundry there. This makes it easier for my mother to do laundry. No stairs for her. We bought a shelving unit to put the food on and did major rearranging to get everything in the kitchen and extra shelves, providing easy access too. We hope to tear the actual pantry out this week. I'm not sure how long it will take us to get the plumbing up from downstairs.

Got to go for now.

Kanga

To Bike or not to Bike

The rain is back but at least it's still warm. We have been swimming in the rain. This summer promises to be such a wonderful summer. The kids and adults alike are enjoying the weather.

I just spent at least 3 hours weeding, planting, trimming, and pressure washing the flower beds and bricks out front. Having a fixer upper is hard because I am the only one who sees the difference. It still doesn't look all that great. The flowers will be wonderful in about 3 weeks though. I have put a lot of color out front. The bricks were covered in moss and now you can see where the flower beds are. We removed the BIG trees they put in the flower beds and put in the right size. We are in the process of replanting a few bushes in the back and digging for a new basement window. A much bigger one. We want to get as much done this summer as possible so we can take a break this winter.

I am about to go biking this morning in the rain. I think my asthma is better so I can do it. I'll let you know if I made it the whole way.

Out of breath and huffing

is not the way I want to spend my week-end, however, my asthma is telling me different. I have had to take my inhaler every few hours and cough most of the night. I am very tired.

Did being tired and sick stop me from rising at 7:00, leaving at 7:40 and going to our annual neighborhood sale? Not on your life! I had a blast. We spent all of our money and came home with 2 vehichles full of stuff. As most of you know we have been remodeling our house slowly. We got 3 extrerior doors, several lights, and a lot of misc. parts for our house. We got a generator, outside yard lights, work bench, and a wonderful digital camera. Then there was the mundane things such as toys and clothes. The two best deals of the day were a motorcycle for the boys for 125.00 and a wooden swing set for 20.00. I had a good time and came home happy. A good garage sale is good for the heart!

Now the hard part comes. We have to put all the stuff we bought away. We cleaned out the van, ate lunch, cleaned the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. We have piles sorted out and yet to put away. Owl went to get the swing set, the kids want to swim and I want to get the rest of the cleaning done. Soooo, my asthma is getting bad and I have to sit down. I'm making myself feel productive and writing here. Cleaning is out for a little while. I guess I will let the kids swim and watch them.

I have been biking with my new friend and now that I can't breath, have had to let go of it for the past 3 days. I have however, lost 10 pounds now. I am not a diehard excersicer, but I am working at it. It's frustrating when you have to slow down. I am going to try and bike tomorrow.

Today, I hope my husband can put up one of the lights in our new bathroom, put together the swing set, and work on installing a new door. I may be expecting too much but I can dream can't I?

I am enjoying my new friend. We are able to do so much together. I have been helping her with her house and she has been helping me with my excersize. I wouldn't even do it if it wasn't for her. We seem to be able to talk about nothing at all. I also like that Her daughter and mine get along. If she is working long hours her daughter comes over here. If I have an appointment, she will let my kids go over there. It is easy going because all of our kids are school age so it's not like babysitting.

Life is settling in pretty good here in our new little community!
Here's a picture of our new motorcycle.

Kanga

Pictures for a lifetime

Stress for a morning. Sometimes I wonder if pictures are worth it. Will I or could I be satisfied with the ones I take? Do I really need to go to a studio? Will I regret it if I don't take those long awaited pictures? The answer is yes, I will regret it but I hate doing it. I dread it. This morning I went to get pictures taken of my daughter with her biological brother (previously refered to as spiderman). We thought we'd be there an hour. I arrived at 9:30 when they opened and waited for one person in front. Not to bad, or so I though. The next thing I know is it's after 11:30. For goodness sakes, the day was almost gone. We hadn't even gotten to the zoo. We figured we'd get there by 11:30 and leave by 2:00 and that would be a good day. We hadn't had lunch, put the kids in the car or started driving yet. We didn't get to the zoo til 1:00 O'clock. We had to ask her hubby to take her other boy to his swim lesson so we had enough time at the zoo. It was a wonderful time but oh how I wish those pictures had been easier and faster.

We had a wonderful time at the zoo but the memory is bittersweet. I don't know if I'll ever get another day with spiderman. He is due to go to his bio mom in two weeks. My attemps to set up meetings and talk with her have failed. The grandma tries to assure me that she will but I wonder and my heart breaks. You should have seen the two kids together. They were constantly seeking out each other and making sure the other was there.

We left them in the afternoon and I fear we won't see him again. His time with his current family is so short now that I hate to take away their time with our visits. They have been so gracious in opening up their home and hearts to us but I know they need this last bit of time with him. For his sake as much as theirs.

Spiderman keeps asking her why he can't stay with them. What is a mother to say? Finally, she told him because "The Mom" wants you. She doesn't want to hurt him but she doesn't want to take the blame either. He hit the bio mom the other day and when he was asked why he simply stated "because she wouldn't let me go to you, mom!" A comeback is hard to find there.

We've been so hot these past few days so our new swimming pool has come in handy. Little Roo has finally begun to dive properly. It has taken a lot of practice but she has been persistant. We are so proud of her.

Eyore is still struggling with his foot. It appears to not be healing still. I am deeply concerned about the boy. He struggles in every way now. Fatigue is a daily issue as are his eyes and his stomach and his foot. One wonders how he can go on like this. I want to find him a special camp to go to but without a diagnosis, the camps run from 500 to 1000. I can't afford that! I want him to be normal but it sure is hard. Our lifestyle is changing. I have a child who needs me constantly. I am grateful I am here but there are days it feels overwhelming.

The bright spot in my week is Friday for this is the day Garage Sales start. I must be off so I can be ready for tomorrow morning.

Kanga

It's hard to believe

that it's as if summer has arrived. The long summer days spent by the pool side is already true at our house. We have had bar-b-ques, friends over and after school everyday the kids swim with us. We are finding more ways to dive and things to dive off of.

I can't find my good suit though so I finally had to go shopping. The suit that I was wearing I was falling out of. Not Good! So I decided to go to a second hand store before going to the actual store where I have to spend my lifes savings. While looking around I found a brand new suit with the tags, origanally priced at 78.00 for 20.00. I took the gamble and it fits perfect and hides many unsightly spots. I am so excited. I've already swam in it this afternoon.

I think we're going to have chili dogs for dinner and then off to church so off I go.

Life is so full of dilemas that

it's hard to know what to do sometimes. Do I stay home and clean the house or do the grocery shopping? Do I clean the pool or plant the flowers? Do I make a doctor's appt. or do I write on my blog? Some days the decisions are easy and some days they are not. Today is not an easy one. I just want to finish everything all at once and I have hardly started. I kept one child home from school today because of sickness and now have to go pick up the other one. I have a dentist appointment and also need to organize my kitchen. The list is never ending.

I have made one firm decision. That decision is to sell my horses. I don't want to but I need to. I don't have the time, energy, or money they require. We are officially going to be city people. Life puts us through a lot of changes but I also know that I can get them back at a later date.

Got to go get Christopher now.

God Is Good

So yesterday was mother's day and it was just beautiful. I love the sunshine. I mean I really love the sunshine! We bought a house we are fixing up and it came with an inground pool. We have never had such a wonderful time. We ended up having two other couples and kids come over and had a wonderful barbque, then we swam away the afternoon. It was the best day ever. When have you ever been able to lounge by the pool all after noon. There is never a pool around when we need it! There is usually no time to lay around in the pool either. So, here we sat listing to the children laugh and play while we relaxed in the other end of the pool. It was the best day ever!

On a sad note, I just have to write about our little boy Spiderman (he really thinks he is spider man, he told me so). We adopted his sister, then cared for him for over a year. He went to an adoptive home in January a year ago. He's been with his adoptive parents for a year and a half now and has to return to his bio mom now. It is devistating for everyone involved. We have felt safe on our end and knew he was always loved and cared for deeply. They spoil him deeply! The judge has decided that after 2 1/2 years that the bio mom has done enough now and can have him back. He is now 3 1/2 years old. He is extremely attached to his current parents and likes the "new mom" o.k. but does not grasp that he has to go back. The adoptive parents, especially the mom is having a very difficult time. They never intended to do foster care, just adopt. Now they are loosing their little boy. We have been able to see him and talk to him any time we want and vice-versa for Sjpiderman. I don't know what God's plan is but I do know we parents can't see how this is best for Spiderman. We are all devistated by the turn of events. The mom was not even in the picture when we had him. Both bio parents have a very disturbing and legal past. The bio mom is very kind and nice but it's just not fair for Spiderman. He has been through so much already. We are trusting God daily for his care of the boy. We know God says he is his. Please pray with us that all parties can see what's best for Spiderman and Grace would abound for the current adoptive family. Mom is understandably emotional and heartbroken. She has taught him the faith of God and we pray daily that the bio mom will keep this up. We also pray that the bio mom will see what's best and let him stay with his current family. Thank you for your prays.

Roo is not taking the move very well either. She is very afraid she will not see him anymore. She talks to him a couple of times a week and spends days over there. This is a hard adjustment for an 8 year old to make. We all need prayer through this difficult time.

Birthday Bash

It's been such a hectic week but I managed to pull of a small birthday party for Eyore. He was feeling better today so that helped. I took our family and 2 friends plus another family with us. We went to see RV. That was too funny. The adults and teen liked it better than the kids. I recomend it though, it was really good.

Now, my son has this friend. He hasn't been able to see him in a long time. He got to come, then he was even going to spend the night. Then, out of the blue he went home. I felt bad for Eyore because this boy used to be his best friend. He made it to sleep but it was hard on him and I felt bad for him too. No one likes thinking they get one thing to end up with another.

On that note, we have 3 other birthday parties to go to tomorrow. We are going broke just buying presents this week. One of the parties is a really good friend/family member that he's going to. They are only a few days apart so Eyore and him have a good time together. It's pretty much going to be the whole day out and I'm not looking forward to that.

We gave our second dog away the other day and boy was that hard. He just wasn't the perfect match for us but he was close. He slept with Roo every night but he couldn't always make it outside to go to the restroom so we didn't care for that. We think he needed a doggy door to be on the main level and we just had to big of a house. We found the perfect home for him and they have already sent pictures of him there for us to see. What a relief it is to find nice people who care.

It's late so I must be off.

Roo

Multi Colored Cast

So we could have some variety in our life, they gave Eyore a multi colored cast. It's very cute! Don't want to tell him that or he would not be a happy camper. To continue the saga of our life, the cast dried at an angle making it almost impossible for Eyore to walk. So now we have a great cast but he can't walk. Huh! Is there something I'm missing here? I'm almost embarresed to ask or say something to the doctors again. The doc that does this type of cast is due any day and won't be able to fix it if she has the baby. Oh well, that's life.

I went on a 10 mile bike ride today and I'm sooo tired. I love it much better than walking but I am overweight and that bike seat is @#$@$##$ hard. I keep thinking I'm going to get used to it but so far I haven't. It's only been four days of riding consistantly though. Maybe next week I will feel better.

Mothers day is such a dilema. I always get to pick out my own flowers. The kids and hubby take me to a cool nursery and I go around and pick whatever I want. I get alot! I enjoy it. This year I'm not sure what to do. I desperately need a new bike but I have always gotten flowers. What to do. Sigh. Sigh again. I hate change!

Kanga

Back to the Doc's we go

Well, there comes a time when I sit at my desk and long for some peace and quiet. I would love to just sit here and enjoy a cup of tea (I'm out) and have no cares. So reality is I have to go back to the doc's with Eyore. The bottom of his cast is now completely broken and soft. I don't want to go but I don't think it was put on right in the first place. I think it wouldn't have broken if it was done right. It frustrates me that I have to pay another 15.00 to go back. It's not our fault, but I am putting out more money again. He is not feeling well either. He had a good day yesterday but the evening was downhill and he couldn't sleep last night. His body doesn't self regulate so he was very hot! He doesn't look so good this morning.

I will call and go out today. I need him to feel good for tomorow. It's his birthday. He is now 11 years old. If only he could be like the other 11 year olds and not need to lay down for 2 or 3 hours a day. He is going to take a couple of friends to a movie. He is looking forward to this. We're going to see RV. Should be fun.

I would appreciate the sun coming out today but I think I'm out of luck. It is mild out side so I guess I can live with that.

I have to go get prescriptions today and buy Eyore's present and take him to the doc. I guess I'm dumed to be out today.

If anyone else gets to stay home, God bless you. I so wish I could.

Kanga

A Surgery with an Answer

Well, Eyore had surgery on Monday. For the first time in a long time there was an answer. He has an ulcer and it is also eating part of the bottom of the esophogus. Medicine is the answer for now. If that doesn't work, we can then look at other options. We are happy to at least have one answer in a long list of questions.

We are exhausted from the long week-end spent at my sisters, then the surgery the next morning, then the recuperating. Eyore does not recover normally and is still having severe head-aches and fatigue. He is barely awake this morning. School has become such a challenge. He is so tired most of the time that we can only do about half of what we need to accomplish. Through the summer it will be.

I had to put Christopher in an early morning homework club to get him to keep his grades up. This is so frustrating to me. He is so smart but just doesn't do the work or only does it half way and then turns it in. If he takes the time to do it he gets 95 to 100%. Ahhhhh! I had to be at the school at 8:00 this morning and school normaly starts at 9:00. They decided to let my little Roo stay to so I didn't have to stay for 45 minutes. The secretary of the school said she would pick Christopher up so I don't have to go to the school every time and Roo can catch the bus. Thank you miss secretary.

Our pool is crystal clear now and swimmable. Come on over Mrs. Darling. The water is still a bit cold but the kids love it. The yard is another matter. Our grass is nice and green but so is everything else. The people before us put in so many bushes and trees and there is absolutely no other color than green. We have a huge back yard and it desperately needs some color.

The life of fixing up a house is more than we ever thought. It is much harder to keep the house clean while you are constantly making a mess or working outside so much that you don't spend enough time inside.

The automatic sprinklers are a major blessing and I find them fun to watch! At least I don't have to water everything every day.

Off to start school for the day.

I really am alive!

I really am kicking and screaming and having a busy life. I just can't always get to my blog! Sooo, here's to you Mrs. Darling!

Since I last wrote I was slowly getting better. I am better, except for these migranes I can't seem to shake. I am still homeschooling Eyore and enjoying it most of the time.

Eyore has had a few good weeks and a few not so good weeks. He has fractured is other foot now and will be in a cast as of tomorrow. His horse wanted to roll while he was on and he didn't get that foot out of the way soon enough. So, 4-H is out for now.

Speeking of 4-H, it is getting out of hand. I think the leader is to competetive and can't stand us red necks here. We don't take lessons, we don't ride all that well, we own old saddles or synthetick (Yes, no leather!) saddles, we don't own fancy show clothes and not name brand. One of the members noticed the brand of jeans my kids were wearing. Can you believe that? We have the world's uggliest trailer and our horses don't wear shoes. We are just to red neck for her.

I wrote her an email about the issues that seemed to be creeping up and she has been none to friendly since. When we went to pre-fair there was no leader there. Christopher ended up in the wrong class and I had no clue there was a place to look and make sure that he was in the right classes. When I tried to talk to the leader about it afterward, she did not have anything possitive to say and had the audacity to tell me the ribbons he won were going to be harder to get at fair so he better work hard. She had no "good job", no "How'd he do", no "I'm glad he did it", no nothing. She has not said a positive word to us in the past few months. I want to just up and quit but then she wins and that ticks me off. She is a good leader and has good things to teach the kids but she just doesn't like us. I haven't decided if I should try and talk to her again or not.

On to our house. We finally went from green and gunky to crystal clear blue in our pool. We even had our first official party too. I think the water is still cold but the kids don't. We got 5 solar panels off of criagslist and all the pipe so that really helps the temp. in the pool. It's up to a whopping 65 degrees! We have had to rebuy and replace, and remove, and redo almost everything. We put in buckets of chemicals and pulled out more leaves and mulch than I could have imagined. It took a solid month of working on it to get it remotely blue. We found, over 8 balls, a skimmer cover, a golf club, a chimney sweeper, a baseball bat and more in the bottom. It was plain yucky! I'll post a pic or two here.

We are currently trying to get all the weeds out of the endless beds and get the sprinkler system up and running. I have planted flowers out front, and we have finished our master bedroom and huge walk in closet downstairs. We also finished a huge storage closet downstairs. We have one wall to finish off Roo's room and then two egress windows to put in and that should finish of the downstairs, until we start on the laundry room.

Eyore has had two bad days now and I must go and see if I can do anyting more for him. It is hard to get school done when he is so tired he keeps falling asleep on the couch or so sick he is loosing his contents.

Well, there's no pics because I can't get them to upload.

See you all later

Another Day......

Another problem. I am running behind the gun now for 4-H. My leader is not sure we can be ready for fair because we have been sick so much. I think we can, as long as we stay healthy. I found Christopher a new horse and I think it is a perfect match. Eyore needs a lot more practice but hopefully he will put the effort in. I think we can, I know we can. Hopefully we can.

I am slowly getting better but not fast enough. My medical bills are through the roof at this point. Medical coverage is not enough if you are sick. Readers Digest has an article on it this month. You all should read it, it's good. I fit right into that catagory.

Eyore is slowly but surely getting better. I mean really slow. He still has to take a rest each day and riding his bike is tiring for him but he is a trooper. He is going to officially be homeschooled by next week. The teacher is working with us so well.

Dick Bob has the possibility of getting some B's! This is truly a miracle. 16 is a very hard age.

Off to work I go.

I'm Back....

from the land of sick. I only have a brief time to write but here's a run down. I got sick with a kidney stone. It blocked my kidney completely and within 24 hours my kidney was enlarged and swollen. I started out in one hospital and ended up in another one. The hospital I started out in did not have the necessary equipment to do surgery. The doc was very good but because this is the same kidney stone I have been having problems with since August, he wanted several options available. I was so sick that they decided to do the surgery on Sunday, which they almost never do. I am allergic to narcotics so they put me on chemo medicine. However, I was still sick so they gave me anitnausia medicine. It was still not working. I was throwing up massively and still in such pain. They then upped my meds to double what I was getting and put me on 2 antinausia meds. It helped but not nearly enough. Those nurses were in my room every half hour helping me and every hour on the hour giving me medicine. They were wonderful. My husband would be staring at me while the nurses were wiping my face and helping me in and out of bed. It was a complete nightmare.

I had the surgery on Sunday of last week. They THINK they got it. They better have. I don't ever want to repeat this again. I then reacted to the anesthesia. That was awful. My head hurt, but not like a traditional headache. It was massive and ther was no relief. The nurse finally had me pack my head in ice and that was the miracle I was waiting for. I was in a lot of pain because they can't send the chemo meds home with me. I refuse to take the narcotics. I hate being sick. The antinausia medicine makes me sleepy but not fall asleep. AAAAAhhhh!

Thursday rolled around and I finally felt I could walk across the house and not be in so much pain. My friend was coming over every day and sweeping and moping my floor, doing the dishes, and visiting. I had 2 friends bring me dinners. What a blessing.

Thursday night I wake up in horrible pain in my face. I appear to have a problem with one of my teeth. I get in with a dentist on Friday morning. I am in such massive pain by now. The dentist says I have an absest in the root and it is infecting the bone. I will be in much pain for the next 48 hours. Here's a prescription for antibiotics and some narcotics for pain. I tell him I can't take the narcotics and he looks at me like I've lost my mind. "You really need some," he says. So, I get in so much pain I do take the narcotics the hospital sent home with me. I get sick but the pain is so bad I can handle the sick part better.

It is now Monday of the next week and I am starting to feel a little better. I am afraid of what will happen next. The dentist said come back in a week and bring 658.00 with you for the root canal you need. That's my portion! I've got that in my back pocket.

I got Eyore into a specialist today for gastrosomething. He is going to do a different type of scope into his stomach and esophagus to see what's going on. This will be a day surgery at the end of March. He wan't him to stay off his meds til then. He already throws up some with the meds so this should be interesting.

I am going to a sisters reunion this week-end. Pray all goes well and I stay healthy. My mother will have my kids and my sisters kids.

We got a new dog too. Scooby is his name and he is obsessed about playing ball. If you want him to quit, you have to hide the ball and hope he doesn't find another one.

I'm Liking the Homeschool Scene

O.K. So I got a little frustrated yesterday, but overall we had a good day. We slept in so we didn't start school til 12:00 and still got it all done. He had to have a nap and a couple of rest periods but overall he did o.k. Today we started earlier because we have quite a bit to do. He has a hard time answering the questions from the story in his reading book. They are asking him to form his own opinion and that is hard at this age. He also had to play a game with me that took a good half hour. We have done his daily work but are still working on finishing his reading. They word things very strangely in his work. On one page, it has to be answered directly from the text, on the next page, it has to be thought out and read into to get the answer. Ahhhh!

My house is not as clean as I want it to be. There is no time to be lazy and then hurry up and clean. I don't mind, but I can tell it is going to take some adjusting.

Our last foster baby was put into an adoptive home a year ago. Now the judge has decided that he must be returned to his bio mother. They are devistated and he is not doing well. He is 3 1/2 now and acts out. He is so clingy! The visits went from 3 hours a week to open ended on the week-ends and week nights. My dear friend, his mother, wasn't sure what to do. They had a family planning meeting and the supervisor stopped that. The visits are now set up for Tuesday and Thursday night at her house for 2 hours and then on Saturday from 3:00 to 8:00. The bio mom can take him wherever. On Sunday the bio mom can take him to their church and then take him back home to their house and put him down for a nap. That is so much better on our baby boy and on my friend. They were throwing too much at him to soon. I am still praying she will walk away and they get to keep him. This is a two parent family and the stability is great for our boy. It is very emotional for all of us. Our little Roo and him are siblings and they are very close and connected.

We are going swimming with them on Friday night. What fun. He told me he can swim under water with his eyes open! Mom informes me it is with his goggles on! He is so adorable and deserves the best. The laws are not set up for these little guys.

Little Roo is struggling in school and at home. She can't keep track of her stuff to save her life. She barely got her book report done in time this month, but we DID!

Off to lunch now.

Monday's Commin' And I Want To Go Home.....

Home is where the heart is, so I hear. I know, I am home. I just want to curl up with a good book, look out at the stars, and enjoy the fire in the fireplace. I want to think of peaceful times to come. Of journeys to be taken. I want to think of dreams we have and vacations we plan to take. I want to think of happy times.

Reality........I still have one sick boy who can't stop coughing. He is still having a hard time keeping food down. One son has a chip on his shoulder the size of Mt. Rushmoore. The wood pile was low, so we had to get wood. The hot water heater broke and we had to fix that this week-end. The medical bills are going to start rolling in and the short break I had planned I can't do now. Money is tight. I wanted to go to the Ladies Conference our church is going to. Usually, it's not a problem, but it is this year. I haven't gone for the past couple of years and was looking forward to it this year. There will be more to come, so I shouldn't worry so.

We started framing and sheet-rocking our basement this week-end too. It helps to keep busy or I just worry about Eyore. Oh the work though. It's dusty, dirty, and plain old cold down there. We are putting in a large walk-in closet and an even bigger storage closet and a closet for our daughters room. It is coming along nicely. We have the sheet-rock up and ready to tape. I can see my closet now. Up til now we have had our clothes hanging along one wall and several boxes in a corner. It will be wonderful to have a spot for all our stuff.

School time. Talk to you later

We're Back From The Hospital

Wednesday afternnon we headed to the hospital with Eyore. He was still throwing up everything and getting dehydrated. My pediatrician and the specialist were working together well and we decided to make sure he was hydrated before they did any surgery. This noon they took him off to surgery to look in his throat and lungs. There was not a blockage anymore but his lungs and tubes were red and irritated. The radiologist finally read the xray and said there was a blockage on Tuesday. The lates is that it became swollen, possibly from the massive reflux he was having. Steroids and Z-pack can cause reflux and he already has it pretty bad. So they put him back on prevecid and are going to watch him this week. We got home at 5:30 this evening and are happy to be here. He threw up before we drove off and he threw up what he ate here at home. The question is is it from the meds from surgery or the other elusive problem. He is still coughing to. When they put him out for the surgery they ended up having to give him more medicine because he was still coughing and couldn't do the proceedure. That tells me something. The anestesiologist came to talk to me twice. The waiting game begins. He was a real trooper and had a great attitude the whole time.

Oh So Unsure!

Oh, I found out some more information about my school and the head hancho there. Apparently there are some problems in the district with her. The hancho is not thought of so highly said my source. Maybe it's true, maybe not. My source says to have a meeting and then talk to the district boss. Apparently she is good at listening and backing up the parents. Did I mention earlier that they put Christopher on the bus again when it was supposed to be parent pick up. Thankfully I could get to the bus stop in time. They said it was Christophers fault. They told him about an hour before school was out. No paper or anything. They expected him to remember this. I don't think that's right. I think they should wait until the end of the day and then tell him where he is supposed to go. He was doing school work at the time, concentrating on his school work. He is very one minded. I think the teacher needs to tell them at the end and pay attention where they go. What do you think? I had to cancell my meeting with the principal because Eyore is sick.

I had a few more thoughts about Eyore. I talked to the doctor about him this morning. She still wants to wait it out until tomorrow if we can. He is still throwing up when he eats and is more dizzy. I think we should take him to the hospital so he is hydrated tomorrow. He waited 15 hours to go to the bathroom and then went twice in that hour. I am not sure whether to push it or not. So, we wait.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It;s off to the hospital we go.....

I left off with Eyore throwing up and me not knowing what was wrong. He continued to throw up if he put anything in his mouth. He could swallow it but it would come back within a few seconds. I took him back to the doctors yesterday and they did a throat xray. It showed a large restriction. They sent him to a specialist and he didn't feel in a hurry to do anything about it. He said he wasn't sure there was anything there. He did feel we needed to look though. Maybe Monday he says. He's throwing up everything he puts in his mouth! So, we give him a drink of water. Does he throw it up? No! After we walk out of the office, you guessed it, he throws up. The specialist said he thought it was due to the steroids he was on. It can upset the stomach. Not so. I got him some ice ream and he threw up 3 times on the way home. Every time we fed him last night, he threw up. He ate this morning, he threw up. He thinks he can eat again so we are going to water down the oatmeal so it can come up easily. You can't convince him not to eat because he is hungry! He is begining to get dehydrated now. I am waiting to talk to the doctor this morning to make a decision as to wether he needs to go to the hospital today to get the IV's.

So, for my friends who think I should get a job now that my kids are in school. No Way! My kids need me. I am available and am happy I can be there for my kids.

I am going to homeschool Kevin for now with the school materials. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? The work seems ok to me. He has missed 2 weeks of school now and who knows how much more.

We have my neice today and she is such a bright spot. She is almost 6 and has a genetic disorder. She is a happy child with affection. Her mother dressers her impecably so it's quite fun to have her over. She is "helping" me type this.

On to the day. Pray for us please.
Eyore is on the right, Wise Old Owl in the middle, and my Neice on the left.

One Fine Day, One Not So Fine Night

One fine day was spent up on the mountain. It was a glorious day with the beauty of white everywhere and a feeling of flying down the slope. I forget each year how much I like to skii. The wind in your face, the rush you get from the back and forth motion, the excitement of passing everyone who is falling, and knowing you aren't among them. It was wonderful. When I am up there it feels just a little like Heaven to me. God's beauty is at it's best to me up there looking out at creation. I just love it. Dick Bob and Christopher had a ball up there. They are very good at snowboarding. They love every minute up there and are on the last run every time. Of course, we only make it up there about twice a year. We have fun each time. We decided to take Eyore too as it appeared he was ont he up Sunday night. It appeared the steroids were doing their job and it was going to be a short day up there. He got up so excited Monday morning. We did not get on the slope until 11:00 and he has snowboarded before. He was a trooper and by 1:00 was snowboarding down well. At 2:00 he was winding down fast. We put his skiis away and sat in the lodge. He wanted to GO HOME! I knew he had probably overdone it, but darn it, he needs to have some fun once in awhile. For him, this fun is so far and few between. All in all, it was a great day. I'll post pictures later.

Last night Eyore started throwing up. At first, I assumed it was just tiredness. He was doing is ongoing coughing and I thought maybe his coughing was causing him to throw up. Nope! Evertime he took a drink it came right back up before it even hit the stomach. This went on all evening. The doc said to not let him have anything at all and see if he calms down. Sure enough, he calmed down. The question for me is is he going to start throwing up this morning if he drinks water. I don't think it was even making down his throat before it came back up. It appeared to me to be some sort of blockage. Not sure, but will test my theory this morning. Of to get my kids to school. Will post later on Eyore.

Tis' a cold and windy day!

I let Dick Bob go skiing on Saturday. Should I have, you ask. I'm not sure but the break was wonderful. The problem is he still has back homework to work on and we are all going to the mountain tomorrow. He sits as we speak doing his work but I wonder if he will get it done. I have made the bold statement of "if you don't get it done, you can't go". Will I follow through? I'm not sure, but I hope I will. He crashed and burned up there yesterday and has a huge scrape on his face and jaw. Ouch! He is ready to go again though.

Eyore continues to have health problems. I was so hoping he could go tomorrow and I don't think he can make it. He is so upset. I am not sure how to help him through this time. If I stay behind then nobody can go. If I go, then the other kids can go but Eyore has to stay with Grandpa. That's not so bad in my book because I spend a lot of time with him when he is sick. However, he is very needy right now and doesn't want to be away from me. What to do?

After much bragging to another teacher at school about my wonderful Christopher I found out he was lying to me about some of his homework. It was disheartening! He is not doing well in Social Studies or Math. Missing assignments are his problem in Math and poor work answers in SS. I had been asking him everyday if he had homework and the answer was always NO! So, all the last couple of days we have been working on his past work. He can do it and be an A student if he wants to. We'll see.

I woke up the past 2 morinings with migranes. I took some new medicine called Maxalt and it worked wonders. I didn't have an after effect with this one. It was great. My migranes are completely gone in about an hour. Completely! Can you beleive it. I love modern medicine.

Please continue to pray for Eyore. They are testing him for Whooping Cough. He shouldn't have it because he had it last year, but anything is possible. He hasn't been coughing as much today but is lathargic and just doesn't feel well. It is frustrating.

Christopher has been coughing rather loudly today too. I hope it is nothing to serious. I put him on the nebulizer today too instead of his inhaler and he does seem to be doing a bit better.

Hubby seems a bit down today too. He is currently taking a nap, but it is Sunday and he loves to nap on Sunday. I am cleaning the kitchen, watching over the homework, and wanting to scrapbook. Got to go now, my homework is calling to me.

Do I Seem Stressed? Take this test!

.So take this test and see if you are stressed. I know I was!
Here's the link http://webpages.charter.net/hkirtley/stress/
Let me know if you all are stressed out or not. I got this from my son's health class.

So My LIfe Goes Like This.......

I get up exhausted and go through the days exhausted and go to bed exhausted. If one child hasn't been sick then another one has. Since my last post Eyore was off the crutches because he does not have another fracture. Yes! My little Roo was another story. One of the reasons it takes me so long to get back here is because she has been so sick. She was coughing non stop most of 3 days. Tears were streaming down her red cheeks along with her beautiful eyes being puffy and a new shade of red. Her frail frame would shake so hard that she could hardly stand upright. Then the steroids made her so crazy with energy that she was acting out and doing things no 7 year old should do. She took a rock and was wondering around the house with it (she loves rocks) and then scratched my flat screen monitor with it "to see what would happen". She was up til 2:00 in the morning leaping up and down the flight of stairs more times than I care to count. She would cough for long periods. I finally told her to watch a movie in our room and STAY in the recliner and don't MOVE! She finally fell into an exhausted sleep around 2:00 a.m.

So, this brings me to my next obsticle in life. I decide to take my Roo to school yesterday around 1:00 because she is finally doing so much better. Her steroids help alot. The problem is that they are doing swimming in the afternoon. I had called the school office on Monday and asked what I needed to do if she could make it to school on Monday later on (she didn't). They told me to take her to swimming and that would be fine. I said "I don't need to sign her in at scholl?" They said "No, just take her over there." Now, I ask you, do you think I should ask again? I didn't. I called and talked to the teacher the next morning and told her I was bringing her but she still wasn't feeling better. On the way to school she started into a coughing spell so I kept her. I called the office and told them the teacher was expecting her but I wasn't going to leave her after all. I said if she started feeling better that I would bring her later. I got a call from the secretary a little later saying don't bring her. She can't just come for the "party". I wasn't sure what they were getting at but I said o.k. Now I have had two conversations on two seperate days about her coming to school late. I do not analyize them. The third day the steroids kick in but not until the wee hours of the morning. By noon she is able to go to school. Swimming is what comes right after lunch. I proceed to the swimming pool (I live 2 blocks from there). The teacher takes one look at her and says NOOOOO, she can't come. School policy says she can't come if she didn't come to the academic part. I told her that the secretary said she could. What? She wouldn't say that. Long story short, she let her stay because she couldn't get a hold of anyone at the school. I decided to call the school a little later and make sure everything was cleared up. The first thing the secretary says is "What are you telling people I said?" It was a very defensive statement. I was only telling what I was told or what I understood. Then the secretary tells me the Principal wants to talk to me. Oh great. How does one small thing turn into something so big. The principal and I begin to talk and she is adament that it is a district wide policy. I told her I wasn't trying to cause any problems. One of the things she told me was that my child needs to "buck up" and come to school all day." I told her I didn't agree but it makes me so mad that she would say that. What right does she have to tell me or my child wether they are well enough to go to school? The Nerve! I have 2 very sick children. They seem to think they can decide wether my children can make it to school better than I can. I talked to Mrs. Darling about it and decided that having a meeting with the principal was the way to go. I went to the doctor with Eyore today (he's really sick) and got "notes" from the doctor that both kids had been seen and were sick. I'm going to take the "notes" into the principal and talk to her aobut the fact that they "know" when my kids are sick. Pray that the meeting goes well. I set it up for Tuesday at 3:30. I thik it's rediculous when the schools seem to have so much say and boldness when it comes to our kids. If they decide we didn't do what they want us to do, they can call up CSD and tell them. They don't need to stick their noses in other peoples lives so much. Now, I am a mom who is constantly checking in with the teachers about my kids. Getting make up work if they need it, checking to make sure that homework was turned in, letting the teacher know if the kids are having problems, ect. Yet, I still have a teacher irritated with me. She claimes she gave the work to Eyore but he doesn't have it. Why is it a problem for her to give it to him again? This is not a normal thing that he does. He is a responsible 4th grader. Get off our backs people! That's my statement for the day.

I took Eyore to the doctor today because he has been coughing every 5 seconds or so and it is a weird cough. I wasn't sure if it was ashtma or not. The doctor is very concerned something is wrong with his throat. They did lung xrays and think he has the beginings of Pnemonia. We caught it right away but it still amazes me that he can get something so fast. He is going on steroids, Zithromax, and his nebulizers. I think I will continue to be tired for the next few months. The doctors were telling me that the allergies are bad right now. Eyore is resting on the couch this afternoon and looks so weak and pitiful!

Onward Christian Soldiars Marching Off To War! Oh, that's me!

Did the Good Fairy Leave Us?

I'm just wondering because we have so many things happen in the last couple of days. My son, Eyore, was finally off his crutches and he fell down the stairs Saturday and can't walk on the same foot again. He appears to have hurt the other side this time. I am going to take him in for an xray and see what's up. I just want to bury my head in the sand. I so wish the doctors had an idea what might be wrong with his bone structure. His foot is also starting to turn in and go sideways. My daughter is also having a lot of problems with her asthma and allergies. She coughed for several hours in the night before finally being able to sleep and when we woke up this morning at 7:30 she is back to coughing. She looks so pitiful! I keep giving her the allergy medicine and her inhaler but I don't know if it helps or not. Oh well, the rain where I live sure fits my mood. I am exhaused. Last night we also had a run in with Dick Bob. He has been doing so well but he went to a friends house and came back in a foul mood. Saying he hates me and was so angry if we said anything to him. He was sitting in a kitchen chair because he did not want to do what he was supposed to do. He has been flunking out of all 5 of his classes because he wasn't turning in his work. We have been working with the school counselor and teachers to get him up. He did ok working with me for the first 2 days and now has a major attitude and trying to say he is a screw up. It is so annoying. He is a great kid and has so many skills. If he could get over the self pity stuff. We tried and tried to talk about his attitude and he was just a plain PAIN. Spouting off how he can't stand us, is a failure, and stop talking to me. All we asked is that he change his attitude and tone of voice. He called me F#$# You and through his book on the table. I'm not sure about other households but you don't do that in this house. After saying that he still thought we were being unfair to him. I told him that that can NOT happen again. There has to be some punishment for that kind of behaivor. NO ONE calls me that and gets away with it. So, with very little sleep I'm off to a new day. I am hoping my teen was having a bad day yesterday and is ready to take a new turn today, that my Eyore did not fracture his foot, and that my daughter gets miraculously better today. I would certainly appreciate the prayer.

Where Have I Been

A long time ago. It feels that way anyway. I have had so many different things come up that my life has been full. I finally feel I have the energy and time to get back on here. Thanks to everyone who are still looking and I appreciate the comments.

Life works in mysterious ways and we have had those such ways lately. When we bought our fixer upper house we had hoped to get a few more things dome than we have done. We ran out of money all to soon. So, I have been looking on Craig's list for items and was blessed with some lights this week. I don't know what the previous owners did with the lights but they were just bulbs hanging from the sockets on the ceiling. I responded to an add for some free lights. He called me back and I got all of them. 6 bedroom lights that were just like I was looking at at the store and a chandelier for the dining room. I was so blessed. God has a way of blessing us even when we don't deserve it. I had bulbs but now I have lights that lood good too. They guy decided to hand deliver them too. I love it. One thing at a time but it sure is fun to watch what the Lord can do. I am continually amazed at His blessings on our family. We are committed to getting out of debt so although we have some money, it all goes to get the debt payed off. I am amazed at how fast it is going when we work at it. We are going to get a decent amount back on the taxes and we will apply that to the debt too.

I am having lots of problems with my asthma right now so I shall say Bye!

A DAY GONE BY

like this one and I am sure to be in a wheelchair! I hurt so much after walking today. I love that I am walking, but the pain is awful. My friends assure me that it will go away in another week or so. I am not so confident. After sitting here awhile, I will hardly be able to walk. I have to hobble everywhere. When I get out to walk though, I stretch it out and I'm off. I hope to see some results in another couple of weeks. I'll let you all know.

Eyore is doing much better and made it to school yesterday and today. He is now walking without his crutches and doing just fine. I think I saw him skip tonight. He is still battling the headaches but is looking much better. Christopher is finally on the up too. His terrible cough is almost gone. He is exhausted tonight, but I think it is just because of a long school week.

We all played a game tonight as a family. I enjoyed it but I am not sure how much some of the other members. We got CRANIUM, family fun for Christmas and had yet to play it. It can be a bit slow but I think it is mainly due to the large span in ages of our kids. The oldest is 16 and then 12, 10, and 7. The grandparents were playing too. I find it hard to get all the kids to like one game. At 16, Dick Bob could play a pretty sophisticated game but our 7 year old can barely think on her own. All in all the game night was fun. I have to say though that we were going to go to Home Depot earlier and they were more excited about that than the game. When we didn't go, they were disapointed. So, I guess Home Depot is a great family outing.

Well, I beleive my hubby and I are going to go to Applebees for appetisers soon. They are half price after 9:00 p.m. I love appetizers and it keeps us in our budget.

Will you all pray for my dad. He lost his job this afternoon. He has been working for an upscale retirement home, doing the driving for the elderly. However, he is getting up there in age himself. He is 62 but you can't get social security until you are 65 1/2 now. They do not have any medical right now and they really need to make some money to pay their bills. They do live with us but they pay us some rent to help us on the morgtage. We can take that down to half for them but they still have plenty of other bills. It is tuff to find jobs if you are that old. He does paint exceptionally well and has recently made some money from that. I am not sure how to market his paintings though. He painted a long saw blade with the four seasons of Mount Hood and the persons house in the middle and sold it for 350.00. Can he continue to do this? I'm not sure. If anyone has any ideas how he can market them, I would love the advice. I am wondering if a web site might work. What do you think?

He is discouraged and could use your prayers.

I saw some shoots comming up today and buds on some of the bushes have color. Yes!

Eyore and more

Well, I am back now. Took a couple of days off because I have been exhausted. Eyore and Christopher have been so sick but I see the sunshine today, meaning there must be hope at the end of the rope. Christopher has made it almost all day at school today. Yesterday he made it about 2 hours. His cough is so icky but he is a trooper. Eyore, on the other hand, is still at home. He has had one thing after another. I took him back to the doctor and he has costochondritis. Now, I have been googling with Mrs. Darling to find out ourselves what we thought he had. We came up with this a couple of days ago and sure enough, we were right. He will be in pain for a couple of weeks but it should go away. It usually occurs when children are growing. The ribs and breastbone are growing, causing pain. The doctor said this could also be happening because he has been on crutches too. There is a possibility it is a fractured rib, but we are choosing not to xray unless we really need to. It wouldn't change what we do, so we don't want to expose him. They are also thinking he may have mono. He is so tired and he has been sleeping during the day or laying down. He very seldom sits up. He says it is hard to sit up and complains of being very tired. So, if this doesn't dissappear by Friday, they will do the blood test. Please pray for him. He has missed so much school that he is getting behind.

Did anyone see the sunshine today. God must have known we needed to see it to survive. I have felt so depressed lately and this makes me smile! I even walked around our new back yard to see what plants were comming up and we have several. I was excited to see the first bits of flowers comming. I am absolutely nuts about flowers and keep many planted during the spring and summer.

Must be off now. Laundry and housecleaning beckon me.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off To Work We Go

I've discoverd that I like the color blue. It makes me happy! So, without further ado, it's off to work I go. I managed to crawl out of bed this morning to realize we would need to get some wood this morning. My husband, wise old Owl, has known this for quite some time but I refused to beleive it. You see, if I beleived it, I would have to do something about it. So, this morning I decided to join his team and help him get wood. Not in the traditional sense, mind you. We went Dumpster Diving. Yes, it's true, we went dumpster diving. Not into the traditional neighbors apartment dumpsters, but mill's dumpsters. We had to take my neice home and new my sister, who was wonderful to do this once for us, had gotten some for free. Where we live, they charge you for it. So over the river and through the woods we went. The first place we went to said it was 5 dollars a scoop and our trailer would hold 4 scoops. We thought "20.00 isn't so bad" til he told us his scoop was bad and we would have to hand load it. We said "is there a discount?" Nope!!! Off we went to find another place. We get there and indeed we can get the wood they have. There wasn't much but we could open the dumpster doors and dig through the saw dust and take what we wanted. We were more than happy to do this being it was free. We love free stuff, it helps us stay on a budget. There was only about a 1/3 of a load but it was better than nothing. Next thing we know these guys keep coming up and looking at us. We say Hi and then they walk off. What do you think they wanted? Don't know. Then a guy comes up with a fork lift and asks us if we want this. I didn't see anything at first but at closer inspection I see a 1/4 load of 4x4's on a pallet. I say yes excitedly. They keep coming and looking at us and next they bring us a metal container of larger pieces of dry wood. YES! Then another guy comes up and asks us how much more we want. My Owl says "How much more you got?" They then bring us a big box of wood. It was gorgeous wood. It is very expensive deck wood. We believe we got enough to do a project on our fixer upper of a house. We were amazed to see how God was blessing us. We had come upon a budget crises until the first of the month and did not have any money to buy wood. We usually heat with oil or gas but since buying our house we can't run the furnace because the ducts need cleaned. The money hasn't been there to do this and the wood has miraculously come in this winter. I stand (or sit) amazed at God's generosity. We have not had to buy wood since buying this house. We do want to fix the ducts and furnace and get oil in the tank eventually, but it will take quite a bit of money because the oil prices are high. We are warm tonight as the wood burned so nicely. The wood we were down to was very wet and slimmy. It was not putting out much heat. It was pooring down rain most of the day but of course, not while we got the wood. God is good!

I happily scrapbooked several pages by our warm fire. I loved sitting here watching the fire and doing what I love. I pray you all are doing things you equally enjoy. Have a great night.

To Infinity And Beyond!

When sickness is present it feels as though it is going to last "To Infinity And Beyond." I know it will not, but I must admitt this is how I feel. I took Christopher to the Doc's today, making that the third trip in 1 week! His asthma is bad so he has to go on steroids for the week. He hasn't had to be on them for almost a year so he should do fine. Eyore is finally taking a turn for the better and ALL of them made it to school today.

I was talking to Mrs. Darling about Tink and it makes me think there was some strange things going on up where they had Tink tested. Not while Tink was there, but while I was there with Eyore. I had told her not to get to excited but here she is with a diagnosis and I with none. They did so many things with Tink while my Eyore got none of that. I was excited and dissappointed because I think I must have gotten something else. The doc's say it is the same but there is no way. If we could get the same kind of testing that Tink got then I beleive we could get somewhere with my Eyore. He has a lot of the same traits as Tink but he also has a health component too. He was born 6 weeks early, which was not too early but it did seem to affect him. We do know that all his teeth are too soft and some of his permanent teeth are missing. His other teeth came in in the wrong position. We know that his asthma is uncontrollable, we know that his bones are not as strong as they should be. He has been a very ill child in the last year, however did well through the fall. He then tripped on his foot and fractured it just walking through the kitchen. He is always getting strange infections too. No one gets sick when Eyore is sick so we know it has to do with him. The genetics doc said he is sure Eyore has some sort of disorder, they are just not sure which one. They tested him for some genetic bone disorders and they came up negative. I have been debating going back for more testing which the doctor will support, I just don't know if I want to be disapointed again. I have been told about a hospital in Alabama, St. Judes Research Hospital. A friend told me that you take your child there and they keep you there for about 1 to 3 weeks UNTIL they figure out what is going on. I would really like to see about getting in there. I know there will be expenses and I hate leaving my other kids. My youngest, Roo has a hard time with seperation. She was adopted and her mom was a regular meth user while she was pregnant. She is a wonderful girl, just doesn't like any changes in her life. If anyone reading this has any info or first hand information on St. Judes I would love to hear from you. I think I will quit now and go get on the hospitals website.

The Kids or the House?

The kids are ever so slowely getting better but I wonder????? Christopher has been on his inhaler every 4 hours around the clock now and I feel that has made all the difference in the world. Eyore had managed ok for the day but light of any kind bothers his eye. I finally put a patch on it so he could walk around with his crutches, but he took it off for the night. He still says it stings but the swelling is definitely going dow. When we woke up this morning my little Roo said her tummy hurt so I was once again home with three kids. Then what do my eyes see but my oldest son coming through the door. There was a BOMB threat at school. There was a lock down and then they had the kids go home for the day. So, did I get any projects done? Not a one! I was considering finishing a framed print that I want to get to a friend. I considered painting the entryway in the back. I started it but never finished it. I also need to shampoo the carpet at the bottom of the stairs. My son was being helpful one day and he wheeled the dolly from outside to inside on my BRAND NEW carpet of 1 day. I need to clean the basement windows again because all the rain has gotten them dirty. I also need to work on staining the molding so we can get some of that down. Then I look at the rain and just clean instead. I got the refrigerator cleaned tonight. I also managed to make all the beds today despite the late morning start we had. So, what will tomorow bring? I'm not sure, but whatever it brings I will enjoy the day and let God direct me. My niece is here for the day and she is 9. I think we will go see the horses and maybe walk them around in the afternoon. She adores them and they live a good 45 minutes away. I believe there is a good possibility that they will ALL make it to school. I'm off to do another project so enjoy the night.

Thanks to all who are looking. I am really enjoying getting to see and hear from some of you.

The Doc Visit and Beyond

I'm back to tell you how the day went. It appears that Eyore has an eye infection, maybe a stye but whatever it is it hurts him like #$%$#$. The doc gave him an antibiotic eye ointment and a prescription for oral if he gets worse. Of course, he got worse after 9:00 p.m. Go figure. He cried for about an hour! It stings and hurts and when he lays down he says it does funny things and gets hard. Whatever that means. To top it off my Christopher has been having mild asthma problems, until 9:00 p.m. when he starts having a major attack. I am out of nebulizer medicine so he can't have the meds I think he needs. I am out of oral steroids, but have a prescription for them, but of course, it is after 9:00 and all the pharmacies are closed. To top it off, Christopher starts crying at the same time. I was trying to hold both of them on one bed and I am rather overweight. Christophers chest hurts so bad and Eyore's eye won't settle down. They are restless. I finally had my mom put on a movie to get Christophers mind of the coughing. His coughing sounds like whooping cough. He had this a year ago and it was horrible. My hunch is that he has never fully recovered. Every time he has ashtma problems he coughs like the whooping cough. The movie helped but not near enough. So, I am tired and I'm going to let both of them finish the movie without me. I hope this works. They are both old enough and I'm pretty sure they will fall asleep watching the movie. What an exhausting night. Tomorrow they will probably need to stay home and I will have to make another trip into the docs for Christopher. They don't like me to give the oral steroids without a check-up. That will make the third trip this week. There goes any money I thought I had! Good Night All.

Sick Kids And More Sick Kids

We started out the week with Eyore being sick. He was having trouble breathing and such. The EKG turned out normal and he seemed to be on the mend. His foot fracture is healing slowly but all seemed to be well. The next morning he is raring to go to school but my next child is sick. Christopher tried so hard to go but he was just about falling over so I kept him home. He was complaining of his stomach hurting and his asthma was not to good. He slept for about 3 hours in the morning and was weak in the afternoon. I thought he was on the mend though. Then in the evening he started throwing up. I took Dick Bob to an appointment and got a call from Hubby Owl that Eyores eye was swelling. If Hubby notices it then it must be pretty bad because normally he can't "see" anything. I watched it and put compresses on it and put him to bed. This morning his eye is almost swollen shut. You guessed it, I'm off to the doctors this morning. Christopher is still home because he has the same complaints as yesterday. I opened the door to Dick Bob's room and there he was. He has a migraine and can hardly sit up. It's only Wednesday and I already feel as though I am wearied and exhausted. My little Roo didn't want to go to school either but I did manage to get her off. I shall see what the doctor says this morning about the eye and I'll let you all know. I'm off to get ready now.

To The Docs We Went!

Happy is my mood! I decided to go to the Doc's anyway because eyore still wasn't doing well this afternoon. I had to see the partner doctor whom I have absolute trust in. I told him I had taken him off all the meds because Eyore was complaining. He said he wouldn't be surprised if we were over medicating him. He doesn't want to put him back on any meds until we have to. He also sent us for an EKG, which we have never had before. We've had just about every other one. I also asked for an exray of his foot. Sure enough his foot was fractured and they agreed we don't have to put a cast on it too. The EKG looked good, which puts us back to square one but am glad nothing major showed up. We are just going to watch him for another day or so and put him on oral steroids if needed. I don't really like the orals but would like to try that instead of all the maintanence meds. If I could get away with just the orals every once in awhile it would be better than all the other meds. He has already been on advair 100/50, then on 250/50, then on 500/50. So you can see we have done our share plus other meds. I am happy with the turn of events and my fears were unfounded. Now, while getting the exrays my fears resurfaced. They were asking me how it happened, if the police had been called, if DHS had been notified. Talk about nervous. I was assured it was routine but still. What have we come to when we can't feel comfortable taking our kids to the hospital. Then they took him back and wanted to exray him by HIMSELF! You just have to wonder what they want to ask him. If I said something I was afraid I would look suspicious. It all came out fine though so I am one happy Mom.
Good Night All

A day planned and A day rearranged

I have been struggling with migranes lately and had made up my mind that today I was going to clean the house. Really clean the house. There was misc. stuff everywhere and that drives me nuts. Not to mention the dog hair, cat hair, and wood chips all over the floor. The kitchen needs mopped and the laundry needs done. This was the day. I had it all planned out last night when I went to bed. The first thing that went wrong was I couldn't get to sleep. I think I fell asleep around one in the morning and was awakened with a start by my Eyore crying at my bedside around 1:30. He was breathing badly and had a migrane. So I put him in our bed, he's 10, and got him some migrane medicine and his inhaler. I recently took him off some of his meds because he was on 6 of them and he was complaining of his chest feeling like it was going to explode. He has not complained of this or his every day, all day headaches. Now I am worring what to do and if I should put him back on his maintanence meds for his ashtma. I am so tired of all the meds with little result. He has major ashtma attacks even if he is on his meds but I don't know wether it makes them farther apart or not. He has never been off his medicines long enough to compare. He is now so short of breath and a little wheezy. His ashtma has been so bad that we have had to call 911 before but that has been about 4 years ago. There seems to be no reason we can see for his attacks. They are scary though. Now, if I choose to take him to the Docs I am worried they will be mad that I haven't been giving him all the meds. However, if they had to live with a child telling them that they think their heart is going to explode, I don't think they would give it to them either. So here I sit writing to you all wondering what I should do. I probably fear too much what the doctors put in their little charts. I have had to much exposure to how DHS works and how dumb they can be. They think , and have told me, that we foster parents are held to a higher standard than all you other parents out there. The doctors and other people in authority often think they hold all the power. Maybe my fear is unfounded but I do not want DHS knowing anything about me. I steer as far from them as I can. I am no longer a foster parent and wish to remain anonymous in their eyes. I have to say my Doctor is wonderful and I have a good relationship with her and don't really think she would disagree with me so much that she would do anything, it's just that I worry! I worry to much I suppose! So the question still remains wether I should take him in or not. He absolutely does not want to go in today. He hates them as he has been there too much as a child. So, I believe I will wait it out one more day.

Back to my other topic now. I gave him his meds and then he couldn't sleep either. By now, I am tired and want to go to sleep. I am trying to lay on a mere 6 inches of bed so I finally asked my hubby to go sleep on Eyore's bed. Finally I got enough space to sleep. Not so, Eyore was tossing and turning so much and his breath so labored I couldn't get to sleep. I finally put him in the recliner in our room and put a movie on for him. I believe he got some sleep around four and I got some off and on. I was so tired by 7:30 I couldn't even open my eyes! The house work is going so slow now and I need to get the bills in order and mail a few things. I don't want to take Eyore out but I don't want to leave him home either. I guess I will minimize what needs to be done and be grateful I am not a working mom! I did read my daily bread today and that is an encouragement. You can get it online at The Daily Bread. Com. It's short and encouraging.

Sunday is for Reflection

I'll settle for this color today, although I am not sure what it is. Sort of a peach I guess. I just like it. I got up this morning ready to go to church but oh so tired. I was wondering why I stayed up so late knowing I had 5 kids to get around and my husband. I know that every Sunday I go to church without fail unless there is sickness. I know how long it will take yet I still watched "Remember The Titans". It was a good movie but I am now tired. So, I started on my routine slightly late and had an extra girlfriend to get ready for church. She is little Roo's friend and they are both 7. She has long hair and I always curl Roo's so I had to curl hers too. We managed to get all 4 showers and 3 baths done and we were not late! Amazing! You could say the sermon had points about reflection and where you are in your christian walk. It made me think. When was the last time I asked God for a closer walk with thee? When was the last time I took a good look at myself and talked to God about it? I found it was over a week ago and that is far to long if you don't want to forget why you are a Christian. If you want to raise your children to be Christians. I do this, just not often enough. So, today I have thought about why my life was so tough this week and wondering if God was trying to get my attention. I spent too much, had 2 days of migraines, ran out of my money for the week and the brakes went bad on the van. I am ready and willing to pray, read my Bible, and ask God what he wants of me this week. I hope all of you reading this can remember why we are who we are. God Bless you all

Is My House Going To Get Clean Again?

My color is blue today. Not necessarily a depressing blue but blue all the same. We bought a major fixer upper the 1st of November and everytime I think we get something done, we have hardly begun. I think the house work suffers because we do things to fix instead of clean. We put in new floors, but not the molding, we fixed the dry rot around the 10 foot window, but not the molding. We put in carpet down stairs, but not the molding. We painted the uppstairs but are yet to finish all of the downstairs. We washed the windows but they won't come clean, so we need sheer curtains for over them. We have started repairing the steps but have yet to finish. We haven't even started on the laundry room, which looks like a big roller coaster of pipes all over the walls and ceiling. Some of the pipes actually go across the window. We haven't started on the egress windows for the basement either. The roof leaks and needs replaced but it rains so much here that we will have to wait until summer. The wood work on the outside of the windows is in bad shape and is starting to rot, and the outside definitely needs painted. This is only a partial list but as you can see, we have a lot on our hands. We bought the fixer upper because we needed a large house, there are 8 of us, and we wanted a bigger lot than normal. We got a half acre plus an inground pool. This was a big plus because we love to swim and have lived in a place where we had an inground pool and we used it 6 out of the 7 days a week. The back and front yard have auto sprinklers and it is 2600 square feet. We have 5 bedrooms and 2 baths and want to put another bath in downstairs. So you can see there are some plusses to the old house. It also has some charm, it was built in the 40's and has a cape cod look. The roof lines are very tall. In a couple of years it will be very nice, well, maybe a few more than a couple. So, instead of cleaning we have a tendancy to put up molding, paint, fix the leaks in the roof, or repair problem spots on the walls or ceiling. I did try to do some cleaning today. I got my bed made and the downstairs vacuumed but then I started organizing boxes yet to be unpacked and putting up coat racks and pictures. It was good to get those out of the way, but my living room leaves a little to be desired, along with the boys room. We do enjoy our fixer house though. Onward I shall go and hope tomorrow is cleaner. I have begun to work late into the night!

Part of my day was spent with my horses and what fun I had. I only cleaned the barn and petted them, but my husband and our friend helped us do some rearranging of the pastures so the horses are seperated. My pony is very mean to my quarter horse. It was nice to spend time with them because in this weather I tend to ignore them. We were so muddy by the time we were done and I had to shower the dog! I must be off now because we are all cleaned up and I want to accomplish SOME cleaning!

Someone Please Help!

O.K. So after I left my post last night I started to get a migrane. Now, I get a lot of migraines so this wasn't worring me. I took some imatrex and went down to bed. I thought I would just relax and semi watch a little tv. As the next hour went on my migrane got worse. It kept getting worse. Finally I was just withering in pain. It was so bad yet I couldn't cry. I was afraid to cry lest it hurt even more. I tossed and turned, moaned, held my head this way and that, then tried to hold perfectly still. Nothing was working. In the wee hours of the morning I got up and took another pill. I was sure this one would work. Not a chance. The rest of the night wasn't much better. It is now 2:00 in the afternoon and I can barely sit here and type. I have been getting more and more migranes over the past six months. In the last month I had one week where I had it off and on the whole week. Off and on meaning a two hour break here and there. It wasn't so bad I had to go to the doctor but I couldn't function properly either. My mom is begging me to go to the doctor and get a shot but I am allergic to all narcotics. I will get deathly sick for at least 2 days. So do I prefer the pain or the violent throwing up? So here I sit wondering if anyone out there has any ideas. Someone gave me some Sunbreeze, an ointment you put on your temples. It helps some but it doesn't really take it away. I am at my witts end here and very tired to boot. My house is falling apart and my children will be home in 2 more hours and will want to do something tonight. On Fridays we usually have a family night. So, pray please that I will get over this and be able to spend a nice evening with the fam. If anyone has any suggestions, I would be eternally grateful.

Oh, my ride at the arena with my horse turned out to be fun. The person wanting to ride didn't show up so they let me ride my horse in their drill team. It was a hoot. They even asked me if I wanted to join. I'm not going to though because the time committment is too great for me and the money is too. I had a good time though.