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Decorating Fun

It is my favorite time of year. I don't like dragging out all of the Christmas stuff out of storage but I do love the house decorated. I like to turn off all of the lights and just sit on the couch and watch tv in my chair with just the lights from the tree and the greenery. It's always a pain getting everything up and sometimes it's a bit "much" but isn't that what makes this time of year a little more fun? I admit with the radio stations starting Christmas music on Halloween ....that was a little too early but with the colder weather I'm finally in the mood. Last night I did my favorite thing too. I LOVE LOVE driving around and looking at the lights on the plaza. It was cold but we still walked around and looked at some of the display windows. It is just a special place that isn't just about the shopping. I had to laugh when Matthew and I were decorating.

Matthew: Mom, Something isn't right with the tree. It looks funny.

Me: Well Matthew, it doesn't have any ornaments on it yet.

Matthew: No mom. I know THAT (add sarcasm...don't know where he gets that from). It's missing the blanket thing.

Me: The what??

Matthew: You know, mom. The thing that keeps MY presents warm!

Me: Oh, you mean the tree skirt. (Trying SOOO hard not to laugh at him)

Matthew: Yeah...so our tree is a girl?

That was it...I lost it. Couldn't stop laughing!! LOL

Thanksgiving Blessings

Last Thanksgiving it was nearly 80 and I thought it was a good idea to grill out steaks. Well, for 364 days I've heard about that from my mom that she didn't get her Thanksgiving. Oh she thought the steak was GREAT but she missed the turkey. So this year, it was in the 30's and I cooked a turkey, stuffing....yes, if you look close in the picture it is from a box, green bean caserole, dinner rolls, frozen cranberry salad, mashed potatoes and tippins pies! Not bad for someone who says she can't cook!! Okay....I didn't make the tippins pies but trust me.....they are soooo good. I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. I enjoyed spending time with my family....we watched movies, relaxed and played Monopoly (Matthew's new favorite game and secretly...mine too). I won last night's game :-) Tonight on the GAC country channel is the Garth Brooks Special from the concert I went to on November 14th. Check your local times. I am so excited..look for me!!

Big Box Stores -- More Rants

Big Box Mart Funny Jokes at JibJab

It all started with a trip to Home Depot yesterday for exterior paint. I'm having some house repairs done and after a lot of thought, I've decided to have the outside repainted a more neutral brown....there will be pics in another blog of the house. I've fretted like a mad woman trying to pick just the right color that will go with the grey stonework over the garage. Anyway...I finally decided on a brown that is in the master bath...I painted some on the front and chose that rather than a grey. So, I take the can to Home Depot to get the brand of paint the painter likes to use. Ok...no problem. He tells me exactly what to get and how can I mess this up, right? Technically I've been no stranger to hardware stores the last year so I feel I've got this task under control.....until the guy behind the paint counter made a loud "sigh" when I handed him my Sherwin Williams paint can. My 'gut' told me to just take my can back and take my business elsewhere....which is exactly what my dad would have done!!! So he goes to the isle to get my paint and comes back with a gallon can....to which I reply....I need the 5 gallon paint. I had already told him that....again...another "sigh"...Finally get what I want in my cart and go to check out and finally a guy comes to help me put it in my truck. I'm so not going back there. I did go to Lowes and bought black shutters, matching paint for the door.....the guy in the Lowe's paint department does know me by name now...LOL! So what on earth is the difference between the two similar stores? Customer service. The guy in the paint counter at Lowe's made sure I knew where I was going for everything on my list....and the nice guy in the lock department made my existing house key fit in the new lock I bought for the broken one in the back door. At Home Depot...I couldn't even find anyone to ask for help.

Today my shopping saga led me to the other place I hate...Walmart! It's the only place that sells the Eagles new CD. I ended up bying a few more items there just to avoid a trip to Target today. Turns out they were having some kind of Secret Friday Sale and people were going nuts over $400 laptops and some deals on big screen tv's. I looked at video game systems for Matthew for Christmas but I just couldn't bring myself to buy him one yet. I want him to have one someday so his friends can come over and have something to do besides run in my lawn I'm STILL trying to let grow!! Anyone with any advice on which sytstem is best??

Halloween

I've never really been a huge fan of Halloween and this year was no different. It all started when I got in the car to run errands yesterday morning and Star 102 was playing Christmas music. Are they kidding?? It was flipping Halloween!! So after running a ton of errands (that's another blog), a suprise visit by my mom, a trip to school to help out with Matthew's classroom....we headed to church for the their Fall Costume Party. They hand out a ton of candy for the kids, have carnival type games that Matthew enjoys playing and overall it is a safe event and overall pretty fun. Some of the parents even dress up......my friends and I however, do not :-)

Rascal Flatts

I took my college friend Stacy..aka my concert husband to the RF concert last night. Stacy and I have known each other for 18 years after being suite mates our freshman year at William Jewell College. I met her last night in Liberty for a quick dinner at the Dish (pizza) then we drove to downtown Kansas City to the new Sprint Center for the concert. After parking in Stacy's husbands work building, we walked a couple of blocks to the giant building. We found the will call windows where my fan club VIP tickets were being held. (yes, I'm insane I know) It was 56 degrees outside waiting to get in the building but the crow and the excitement of finding out we had Floor 1, row 8 seats....the weather didn't really bother us. The hold up for getting in the building was the metal detectors. After a long hike to our floor seats, we were ready for the fun to start.

Jason Aldean was the opening act. After listening to a few of his songs, it was time to go to the bathroom, grab some water and look at t-shirts. Finally the opening act was done and we headed back down a slew of steps to our seats to watch them set up for RF. It was cool to see them get the stage ready, watch the lighting crew climb up these dangling ladders to their spots in the air to run the spot lights. Now their is a job I couldn't handle! Finally it was time for RF to hit the stage. There were two stages...the main stage in front of us and a small revolving stage behind us. To get to the revolving stage, a bridge connecting the two came down from the ceiling. When they were on that bridge, we were REALLY close to them! So cool! We had a total blast for sure.

Two hours later, it was time to leave and find the parking garage again. There was some road construction on the way back and there is a huge hole in the ground. As soon as I said something like....wouldn't it be bad if we fell in that...I missed my footing and twisted my ankle! That's what I get for wearing my b*tch boots!! Thankfully I didn't roll into the giant hole!! We make it to the building....which is totally deserted but the cleaning crew....so we made a mad dash to the garage to my truck.....that was thankfully still there! It all worked out super well and I'm sure we do the same thing for Garth Brooks....we just won't have floor seats! :-)

Enjoy the pics!

Cause I Am The Mom Song

Being a mom is truely the hardest job I've ever tackled. Am I good at it? Well I think some days I'm better at it than other days. My goal is for Matthew to get a good education, feel loved and secure in his envirionment and just not hate me when he gets older if I screw things up for us along the way. I want him to grow up and treat that special woman in his life with love and respect and believe that true love conquers all. When I say "I love you"...I mean it! I digress a bit....I hope you all enjoy the video!

Friends - ...Joey Loses His Insurance (Ross's Accent Scenes)

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Out for Breakfast

Today we went to lunch with my friend Shannon who now lives in Atlanta. She is 5 months pregnant with a girl and due in December. I have to work this weekend of course so I'm going to miss her baby shower. It's always fun to get together and catch up. We had breakfast at IHOP and I have to admit I love their pancakes and hot maple syrup. What a great way to start the day. No wonder I feel like I need a nap now! It's going to be around 100 today and the humidity is horrible! I plan to stay in the a/c whenever possible the next week and a half.....triple digits expected for the next 7-10 days. YUCK!!

Hospital Open House

Last week I worked a couple days extra at the new replacement facility for the hospital I now work. Eighteen months ago the hospital I had worked at for nearly 14 years closed their inpatent portion of the hospital. I then moved to one closer to home. It's a small hometown feel hospital but with a nursing home smell and style. I knew going into it that this summer we would be moving to a new 88 million dollar facility. To say I'm excited about working in a pretty, clean and high tech building is putting it lightly. So last week I went to the required orientation only to find out that in this brand new, 88 million dollar building, I couldn't use the toliets. WHAT?? Are they kidding me? Oh no. They weren't. They brought in this enclosed trailer of porta potties. My first thought. I am so not going in there. My second thought.......I've gotta go in there...and soon! Darn my diet coke addiction! So, I climbed the stairs, opened the doors and to my surprise....it had a/c, 5 stalls, running water to wash my hands and everything. However, it still had that SMELL!! EWWWWWW. For 3 more days I had to use it. I gave up on trying not to drink because we were cleaning the patient rooms, mopping (yes, they paid me my hourly wages to freaking mop), putting supplies away and with all of that work.....I was drinking. Finally by Friday we had the ok to use the toliets, we found some toliet paper and we were in business.
Last night was the open house. They have beautiful artwork on the walls, the construction equipment was hidden and final touches are still being done. Overall, it's a huge improvement from last Friday. The plan was to move all of the patients this morning at 6 am. I am so glad they didn't ask me to work extra today....I would have had to be at work at 5 am. That is just too early for me!! LOL

The Great Bug Caper

I admit it. I have a mega bug phobia. I HATE them. I am very allergic to mosquitos and will get quarter to dollar size welts after getting bit. My cure for the horrible itching? I paint the bite with clear nail polish and that usally takes out the itching! So lately we have had a few little spiders for me to kill but the other night two (I'm guessing) yellow jackets made it into the house. Matthew saw the first one on the floor in the family and so that was an easy kill. I had no clue there was another one in the house until I heard it in the window. It was stuck in between the window and the blinds. I had it trapped there for a little bit as I was desperately trying to kill it. Instead, I made it really mad. So then it would dive bomb me, go to the recessed lights in the ceiling....which I hope were really hot. The cycle of dive bombs and then it hiding from me went on for 4 hours. It finally landed on the hard wood floors and I killed it with my shoe. Ah, it was 9:30 pm and I was going to be able to sleep.....knowing it wasn't going to crawl in bed with me!

A Young Mom in Need of Prayers

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMMIDT_Ssm8

Today I'm writing with a heavy heart and a prayer request. First, her name is Shawnda Turner and she lives in the Kansas City area. I've never met her but she is a nurse here in town and is a new mom to a cute little girl. She has been diagnosed with a rare form of colon cancer and has had surgery and is going through chemo. Since it is so rare, the often have to do lab and xray's to see how she is progressing etc. Unfortunately, the other day she recieved some disheartening news that there are some new 'hot spots' in her rectal area that are suspicious for malignancy. Tomorrow (Tues) she goes to her surgeon and then they are going to Omaha to see another doctor......If you want to read and keep up with her, her blog is http://www.shawndraturner.blogspot.com/ . It is set up where you can post her words of encouragement etc. From her blog and the story the local news did on her, she seems like such a genuine person and I'd really appreciate if you all would say a little prayer or whatever you feel like doing. I check her blog everyday and I think I've just been drawn to her as a fellow mother. I can't imagine going through this at my age. Both of my parents have had cancer and that is the one thing in life that really scares me. So, I'm hoping to do my part and send some more prayers her way. Thanks!! I did 'okay' it with Shawndra to post this :-)

A Trip to the Country

This afternoon I recieved a phone call from a co-worker asking if Matthew and I wanted to come out for a little play date with her grandson.....out in the sticks! Kingsville is about 30 miles from where I live and I knew it would be a fun trip when she told me to turn left onto the gravel road at the fork in the road and that it had no actual road sign. I gave myself 10-1 odds that I would get lost! I totally did NOT! Drove right to it. It's a house with lets say, lots of potential. Anyway, Denise is a tech at work and is going back to school at age 41 to become a nurse. She is currently in an english class and I've been proof reading her papers and kind of helping her out.......with the emphesis that I was not an English major!! We did really well on the first paper so she asked for my help again. And, since we all know from the last blog that I really can't say 'no'.....Matthew and I went on this adventure today. Caleb (Denise's 4 year old grandson) and Matthew had a blast watching the chickens eat, the ducks swim in a little tub and jump on the trampolene. Now, of course the whole time we are there I'm in freaked out mother mode......as I can see Matthew breaking an arm falling off the trampolene and did I mention they have PIT BULLS????? Well, we both survived the trampolene....sorry no pics of me on it! LOL

A Hard Lesson Learned

I try not to complain too much about my job. Honestly, for the most part, I usually enjoy it. Yesterday was not the case. It started off on a good note. I had gone to bed at a decent time and slept pretty well. So, I woke up in a decent mood. That mood changed when I walked into work......I saw a freaking mouse! It ran from one room to another and totally freaked me out! I'm not too surprised they are there. I'm sure they were at my previous place of employment too but I certainly didn't see them there! So, I clocked in, caught my breath and found out I was going to the tele unit. It certainly wasn't my turn to go but my friend was down there so I didn't raise a ruckous. Well, it must have been f*ck the float day as I ended up with the most critical patient on the entire floor that should have really been in the ICU. The other staff members and nursing supervisor were all impressed with my calmness in all the problems that arose on all of my patients yesterday. I had patients on numerous cardiology drips, hourly vitals and a guy with active bleeding. I was beyond stressed out. I just knew I was going to get a migraine! So, it was literally my worst day at work EVER but now, after a night of sleep, it could have been one of my best. In all reality, I should have refused to take care of the really critical one. An experienced tele nurse should have had him. It was good experience for me but was really out of my scope of practice and I will never again so stupidly put my licence on the line like that. I have worked too hard to potentially loose it just because I didn't want to say "no" and refuse to care for a patient. That attitude just isn't my nature. I guess it's a good lesson learned.

School and Updates

Last Thursday, I watched a friend and former co-workers two little girls. Seriously, they are totally well behaved. Perhaps it helped that they were mesmerized by Seasame Street for a good hour! I thought my friend would be gone for a doctors appt for an hour max but the office was of course running behind.........so the next thing I knew, it was noon and Matthew was due home from the last day of school. We had had 3 or 4 snow days last winter so it extended the school year. Summer school starts on Tuesday and is the whole month of June......7:45 to 2:45....yes, we will be getting up pretty early!! Anyway.....the pic is of Matthew and Lilly.....she is almost 5 and yes, Matthew just adored playing with her! Can ya tell??? The other little girl is Lily's sister LuLu.

Summer school started yesterday and he said it was "awesome". Do you think that has anything to do with the fact that PE is daily? It's at a different school than even last year's summer school but he's totally resiliant and seems to not be scared to try new things. He's such a fun and good kid. I have a bad habit of leaving my pjs on the door in the hall bath after I take a shower. He LOVES bringing it to me, tell me to clean up after myself and the ground me! I just don't know WHERE he gets this stuff!!

Field Trip

I went to Matthew's field trip today to Paradise Park. They have lots of things for kids to do there......and adults. There is mini golf, batting cages, arcade games, etc. Today they did 4 activities.....bumper cars, batting cages, foam area and climbing the rock wall. Matthew LOVED the bumber cars....but OMG they were loud! The batting cages were fun but for first graders......slow pitch was pretty fast!! Matthew and I hit the ball a few times. Matthew's favorite part is this foam area....the balls are all foam and you can put them in these vaccum like machines and then shoot them out of a gun like thing. He had a BLAST in there! The final area was the rock climb. Dressed in a safety harness...most of the kids gave it a try. Matthew did pretty well until he looked down!! Just like his mom....a bit afraid of heights until I get used to it. It then was really raining and too cold to eat outside so back to school for lunch in the class room. They were all really well behaved and only one accident......i think the little girl sprained her wrist in the batting cages....nurse Lisa to the rescue again! A bag of ice and all was well. Gee, seems I'm never off duty

My Dad

I can't believe it's been 16 years ago today that my dad died. I was a sophmore in college, trying to study for my finals. To be honest, I was in total denial he was going to die right then. I remember it was a Saturday and when I got the word, several of my sorority sisters came to my dorm room, packed my stuff up and loaded up my cherry red Chrysler LeBaron Coupe.......the car I HAD to have :-) Gosh, I can still remember the day my dad bought me that car too. I remember my mom thought I should have the white one....but after I batted my eye lashes to my dad...I got the red one. I have to admit, I totally miss that car. Anyway, all packed up and not wanting to do the long drive home until the morning......we went to Perkins for an ice cream sundae. Sunday morning (Mother's day) I headed back home. I stopped at my usual McDonnalds for a bathroom break and soda. When I took the keys out......the whole silver ignition part came out too. I remember thinking.......what do I do now. Of course this was way before I had even heard of having a cell phone.......so, called AAA and the guy put it back in for me to get home and eventually to the dealer to get that fixed. Anyway.......why am I writing a blog today?

So, I had a meeting this morning and on my way back, there is HORRIBLE traffic on the other side of the high way. I happen to look over and I saw an Exide Batteries truck. Why do I care?? Well, that was the company my dad worked for. I'm telling you I had the most intense goosebumps I've ever had. I certainly don't think it was coencidence at all. I haven't seen an Exide truck in litterally years.....so I think things are going to be okay :-)

Storms and Prayer Requests

I was reminded yesterday by Renee that it had been a while since I've posted. It's always good to have a little push. Thanks Renee! Then came the problem......do I even have anything news worthy to even blog about? Well, not really. Currently, we are under a tornado watch.....which always has me freaked out. AND it always reminds me of the movie: The Wizard of Oz. I swear, everytime it came on tv, which was usually once a year.. I'd have horrid dreams for a couple of weeks. We used to have this old push pedal organ in the living room. It was seriously one of two rooms in my house growing up the was always "clean". Like company clean. If anyone came over, they were immediately ushered into the living room.......while the rest of the house was rather cluttered. If you had ever been to my house growing up, you totally know what I'm referring to!! Anyway........the push pedal organ went from floor to ceiling and during the day, it had beautiful ornate wood and a few nick nacks sitting on it. At night, it became the scarriest place in the house. One of my nightly jobs was to turn off the light that automatically came on in there.......via a timer. Yes, I'm sure that deterred many criminals from breaking in. After turning off that light, that organ looked like it was Satan himself. No kidding........it freaked me out. I was so glad that someone wanted that when my mom decided to move!!! Anyway, now that it is spring and we are awaiting the first big storm......perhaps the movie Twister might be fun to watch. Or....maybe not. I think I'm more in a Hitch kind of mood....anyway....

I do have a couple of prayer requests to add. My mom's brother Wayne is in a hospice facility in San Diego. He had some kind of intestinal/GI cancer and went through chemo and radiation. I think he responded well but then it did spread to a place in his neck. They did more chemo that really made him sick and some radiation. However, a couple of days ago, his condition changed and he is now on pallative care.....comfort measures only. I had honestly hoped my mom and Wayne would have patched things up by now. And to think I thought I got my stuborness just from my dad! So, the prayer requests is for a peace for both of them in regards to the past and for no suffering for Wayne at this time.

The other prayer request is for my friend and coworker, Lindsey. I've blogged about her before. I gave her my crib a few months ago and a ton of clothes etc. She is now about 35 weeks and has had a couple of episodes of preterm labor. She is on a pill to keep any labor from progressing. She had a sonogram today to determin the baby's weight etc. The baby wasn't too active, heart rate wasn't that fantastic and he is only about 4 or 5 pounds. I didn't like the sound of any of that......so please pray for Lindsey and her baby.

Oh, one more: Jennifer's son Brenden had a temp of 104 yesterday. She called ask a nurse Lisa last night but I haven't heard today how things are going. I assume no news is good news but he does have a history of heart surgery about a year ago.

Finally, a prayer request for my mom. She has gone to Pella Iowa on a trip with the bank. I call it her old lady trip......and of course, she was totally looking forward to seeing the tulips and going on a little mini vacation! Hopefully she is having a great and safe time.

You will notice the pic of Matthew......his front teeth are STILL not completely in! He is so going to need braces....grrrrr!!!

Frozen Fountain!

It's been so cold the water has frozen on the fountains on the Plaza and the tulips have drooped! What happened to SPRING?? Supposedly it will be 60 on Sunday. I'll believe it when I see it! Yes, two posts in ONE day. Someone, check my forehead, I must have a fever!! TaTa for now!!

Winter Weather Advisory??

It's been a while since I've actually sat down and blogged here. Lots of stuff going on it seems. First, a special thanks to the stranger in a black mustang who pulled up along side of me on Tues or Wed this week....in the rain.....to tell me I had a flat tire! I had been going about 75 on a busy highway.....just singing along to the radio in my own little world. So, I pulled over, saw that it was low and called my friend for advice. Got some air in it at QT and headed to Goodyear and bought new tires. It had been on my list of things to do......like get the oil changed! Now, I've got new tires......and just in time. It's been raining for what seems like most of this week and it is supposed to snow tonight. Can you believe that! Hello.......it's April! My tulips will tell you it's cold. They just look so pitiful all scrunched over! I say bring on the snow.....it's probably only going to stick to the grass anyway. As usual, it's Friday and I've got a ton of stuff to do before work this weekend. Sorry this is so quick.

Matthew did loose tooth number 7 a few days ago. Wow, was he excited to go to school and tell his friends and teacher. I tried to yank it out but he wanted nothing to do after my first failed attempt. I believe he actually lost it while I was at work last Saturday. I was in charge again that day and, if I do say so myself, it went really well. We were busy for a holliday weekend.....sent about 6 home and got in about 6 as well. It's never dull that's for sure.

The picture is Matthew's Spring picture. I know......they take them in the fall and the spring. Just another money maker but it was so good I had to get some. I had to laugh.....I didn't realize he was going to have a full body shot taken.....or he would NOT be wearing those shoes. Oh well! It's still one of my favorite pictures. I guess now I should get out the hammer and put up the picture frames back up in the hall. (They've been down since the painting saga). Wish me luck and have a great weekend.

Before I forget....Kelly is coming to town in May! YEAH!!!!!

I Melt

One of my favorite Rascal Flatts songs!

Ross Gets A Tan

eharmonize

The guy in the floral shirt is Trevor, my friend Kelly's husband. It's pretty funny. Enjoy!

Big Box Stores

So I've never made it a secret how much I hate Walmart. It has basically eradicated the little 'mom and pop' stores. My grandfather owned a small little country store and boy do I have such fond memories of that place. I remember always wearing red Keds shoes growing up and don't get me started about the bin of chocolate candy. When we would come into town to visit, we always went to the store first to see my grandfather. Can you guess what part of the store my dad made a bee line for? Yep, the chocolate covered peanuts and the stars. Oh they were SOOO good! So it's the little stores like that, that Walmart is driving or has driven out of business. Don't get me started about my friend Cathy and her oil change saga. For those who missed that story, here it is: She took her car in for an oil change. They over filled it and on the way home she had smoke billowing out everywhere. She took it to the dealer where they analized it and found out it had double the oil. Guess who said they did nothing wrong and refused to take responsibility. They have more money than almost anyone so doing any kind of law suit is about as productive as pissing on a fire. Needless to say, Cathy has a new car. I do still shop at Walmart but the majority of my money goes to Target. They aren't perfect either but it's cleaner and usually quieter.

Then there is the debate between Home Depot and Lowes. I have a friend who spent a lot of money at HD last year and when he went to finish the landscaping with the stones he bought earlier, they no longer carried them and apparently made no attempt to help him find them. BIG mistake for them. He's not the only one unhappy with their customer service either. Their profits are down too. I tried to buy some carpet there for my storage area. I circled the carpet area SEVERAL times, walked past at least 5 employees and no one asked me if I needed help. So I went to Lowes...shamelessly wearing a mini skirt, I got help right away, and got $65 carpet for $15. And they put it in my truck for me too!

I really try to shop at mom and pop stores. There is a mirror I recently saw at cute antique store........hopefully it's still there when I decide to go back and get it! Last fall while looking for mums I found a neat nursery almost down the street. I got 3 HUGE healthy mums and the owner put them in the back of my truck and put them all in boxes so they wouldn't leak. I'm definetly going back in a few weeks to get some spring flowers. For me, it's about customer service!!! Which is why I love QT. They always sell hello, it's always clean and checking out is quick. If you go enough, they will know you by name too :-)

It's again Friday with the weekend just a few hours a way......so it's time to figure out what I'm going to wear to work. Oh that's right........I've got a mandated UNIFORM. I shouldn't complain to loudly because thankfully it isn't all white. So the hospital decided the floor nurses should wear navy, the techs/aids should wear hunter green etc.....actually, we got to vote on the colors but at first NOT the company that we would buy them from. There ends up being lots of hassel with trying on and ordering the uniforms. Finally they come in and they are HORRIBLE. First, the pants were cut weird and I ended up having to buy a small. I know......when was the last time I wore a small? ah, NEVER. They were unisex draw string and way to long. They didn't offer petites so I had to roll them at the top. Long story short, they gave me a rash. I itched like I had bathed in some kind of psycho itching powder. I'd even washed them 4 times before I wore them. It was the LONGEST 12 hour shift of my life. I refused to wear them again. I wasn't the only one with the itching problem and we all revolted and have since returned them, supposedly will get a refund and the hospital voted to change companies....Cherokee. Now we can buy them at any uniform store or order on line. Now, isn't that smarter?? I tried to tell them. Why am I mentioning this? Where did I buy my new uniforms? At the LOCAL uniform store. I've purchased some really cute scrub tops there before and she is now carrying all sizes of the navy scrubs that we have to wear. I've met the owner before and she is very nice. I think she might be the only uniform store here in town so I bet business is doing well! I'm hoping they let us wear cute scrubs for Easter........

Okay, it was a boring blog I know. If you're still with me, thanks. On a side note, I bought a super cool rain gauge. It was pouring the rain while I was out.....and of course after I put up the gauge, it stopped raining! LOL. I put my humming bird feeder out yesterday and hopefully they will find it! Have a great weekend.

Okay, I know KU lost. I still can't believe the season is over.......and boy were there some sad looking docs at the hospital on Sunday too. Next year is another year. Time to move on.

I had a quiet and great morning. I slept in a bit and got to IM my high school friend Renee. Let me introduce you to Renee if you don't know her. I think we met in jr. high. We both played the trumpet, had a crush on some of the same boys. I was the geek, she was the pretty one and yes, I was always envious. She got to go to the school dances, she was (and is) pretty, popular with the boys and was a little bit of an air head....or so she pretended. She has her masters degree and will soon be teaching some college classes. Not quite so dinging, eh? There was a defining moment in our lasting friendship. It was of all things, a band party. We had all gone out to the Limited and bought the same sweaters........the same except for we each had a different color in the sweater. I believe mine was purple (my mom still has it i believe), Leisel, Renee, and maybe Beth too. My dad drove us to the party without incident. Then it came time to go home and Renee wanted the drum major to take her home. My dad said, "I brought you here and it's my responsiblity to get you home". Gotta love him! Oh I was horrified he was making a stink of this. Renee called her mom, got permission and it turns out, her parents were glad my dad cared enough to make that call. It was a defining moment for Renee too. She has told me similar story about how my dad made a difference in her life. Anyway, before I totally start crying......Renee came to my dads funeral. She talked to her college professors, re arranged her finals schedule and came. Let me tell you, that isn't something I've ever forgotten. My other friends wanted to come but he died right before finals started and I didn't want anyone to get into trouble etc. I think loosing my dad at age 20 totally effected me. Yes, I get emotional about it the closer the anniversary date gets here. I'm sure there will be more on this subject!! Anyway, I wish I had a pic of us all in our sweaters. Amanda......were you involed in the great sweater saga? I think so. Let's see......Leisel was blue, I was purple.......who else.......

Okay....Spring has sprung. The birds are singing, it is finally in the 70's but off and on rain and let me tell you about my lawn. I just want to lie naked in it.....it looks so soft! Well, I believe the neighbors would call the police so for now, I'll just admire it from the kitchen table. LOL I found a hummingbird feeder today and I'm still looking for a free standing rain gauge. I went to Lowe's and I swear it is almost like I was at a freaking bar. Every beer bellied man that was there either whistled or winked. I thought that at first maybe I forgot to put a bra on, or had toliet paper on my shoe or hanging out of my pants......then I finally just figured it was spring!! What else could it be?? LOL I ended the afternoon errand adventure with a trip to QT. Nothing like that place. Always someone holding a door open (customers...not staff) and just overall a happy experience.....at a convience store of all places. So a diet coke in hand, I feel like I can counquer just about anything!! Bring it On!!

Let's Play On!!!!

It was way too close but a win is a win and this one was awesome baby! Truely a nail biter. I was totally exhausted this afternoon and ended up crashing on the couch for about an hour. Yes, I have no idea what Matthew was doing but he had paper, pencils, scissors and a calculator out when I woke up. I had to "rest up" for the big game. I even ditched a staff meeting at work. Was it worth it? Oh heck yes. I'm sure you're beyond tired of me blogging about this.....but it is March Madness!!!! The game was way too close but maybe that is what makes this time of year so exciting.....and yes, it's always better when your team wins.

Spring break continues and the grass has totally greened up in the last 24 hours. Even Matthew noticed how different it looks. IF you were around last fall, I was obsessed with having the best lawn. That obsession continues. I've even been reading up on the internet. I don't know what has gotten into me but I'm just going with it for now :-) A friend has gotten me interested in attracting humming birds as well. I tired last year and had one for about a week and then I neglected the feeder for a bit and then it was totally over run by ants. YUCK. I've got a couple of weeks to get ready but I'm getting pretty excited. Turns out, they make anti-ant gadgets so I've got to find one soon.

Matthew has lost two teeth since Friday. I swear his mouth looks like an orthodontists nightmare! I need to make him a dental appt as well. :-) He no longer lets me near his mouth when he has a wobbly tooth. Gee, I wonder why!!!

Really not much going on. Of course KU plays tonight. Go KU!!!

Sweet Sixteen

Rock Chalk Jayhawk............KU!!!!! We are in the sweet 16. I can hardly wait until Thursday for the next round.....but now I get nervous. We've made it this far and now I don't want to loose. Ya loose now and you're out. And I'm not ready to be done just yet. I want more. They want more and I want to see the team and fans go all the way. I think it's time to enjoy this ride.

Matthew is on Spring Break and so far today all we have accomplished was getting some much needed rest and a trip to Target and QT. The weather was in the low 60's but it was cloudy and misty all day. Certainly not my favorite weather. It is supposed to rain this week and I'm hoping to see my lawn turn GREEN. I am anxiously awaiting some pay off for all of the work I did last fall.

March Madness

Ah......can you smell it? Spring is in the air and it's time for the NCAA Tournament and KU has a number one seed. I'm so excited. We won the Big 12 Tournament yesterday in overtime. I strategically planned my lunch break so I could watch parts of the game. Well, come to find out that the hospital doesn't have ESPN. I know.....can you believe it? My patient that I had watched part of the game with on Saturday was LESS than amused as well. So, I sat up one of our computer on wheels in his room to KUsports.com and he was at least able to keep up on the score. I am going to have to talk with the "suits" about getting better cable at the new hospital. Speaking of new hospitals......we are supposed to move in July. Of course before then, I've got to miraculously transform into a Telemetry nurse as well. So, that means cardiology classes, ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support).....which means pushing IV drugs during a code and doing the paddles etc. I better get paid more if I'm doing all of that!!!!! Fortunately the transistion will be slow and then they keep assuring us Med/Surg nurses that perhaps really only a few of us (ie the competent ones) will have to do Tele. Oh well, I'll just see what happens.

Today I had my scare of a lifetime driving. It was the CLOSEST I've ever come to having a car accident and it's been about 5 hours since it happened and I'm still totally freaked out. I had to keep Matthew home today as he hadn't been 24 hours free of a fever. Well, trust me, by 3 this afternoon, we both needed some fresh air. What better time to take a trip to Pottery Barn to return/exchange some pillows. (trust me.....that's another blog entry!) So, we finally go and after grabbing a couple of drinks for the drive home, we head back through the dreaded Triangle during rush hour traffic. If you live here you know I must have really needed to get out of the house! We are nearly to our exit when a semi truck changes lanes and gets into mine. I couldn't see the need but oh well. A couple of minutes later I notice him pumping his brakes and of course I think to myself that he shouldn't have pulled in front of me anyway if he is already having to slow down. Well, that thought barely crosses my mind and I am having to slam on my brakes.....feelling the thumps of the anti-lock brakes on my foot.....my purse flies to the floor. My tires screached, the truck is now in the left shoulder.....if he hadn't moved left I wouldn't have been able to avoid hitting him. Now I can see what happened. A white convertable and red sporty car had hit a motorcyclist. I was stopped and was just a truck lengths away from the guy who is under his bike. I was in the midst of dialing 911 when I saw him get up and appeared to be okay. I felt horrible that I didn't stop but the mom in me outweighs the nurse in me when Matthew is in the car as well. I can't put his life in danger by leaving him in the car unattended etc. I've now had hours to reflect on today's events. Perhaps the semi pulling in front of me saved mine and Matthew's life? I guess I can "what if" this forever but I'm very thankfully to be writting this blog tonight. Matthew doesn't seem to be too upset but he did ask a lot of questions and told me I need to be careful driving to work in the morning :-) Thankfully he was busy watching Spongebob on the whole drive!! With the warmer weather approaching I ask that you all keep an eye out for motorcyclists on the road.

As usual, I hate Fridays. It just means I've got to go to work tomorrow and I have no idea where the week has gone. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Things here are almost done on the house issue. There is some touch up painting in the hall to be done......of course now that I've verbally complained about the painters consistent tardiness, they probably will never come back! Heck, I've got the paint I can just do it myself. Then, the basement still needs to be painted. I went to hang some curtains in the family room but the style was ALL wrong and the color, so they are going back. That puts me back at square one and the windows look starkly bare....if that is even a real word! Against my usual "cheap" nature....ie wait for a sale or use a coupon on line, I ordered some pillows from Potterybarn.com. They had free shipping so if I hate them, I can return them to the store and not be out anything :-) The pillows I liked were of course, only available on-line. Figures!! I found a cool clock by At Home America on ebay for the basement entry and I think it looks really nice there. I found some tan slip covers for the couches in the basement too. I still think slip covers look cheap but I'm not buying new furniture at this time. So, I'm hoping the pillows make the room look less country. I also found a black and white print I want at Target. However, every time I go to look at it, the one's there are damaged. I may just have to expand my Target horizons and go to a couple more in town to find one. It's all in the name of de countryfying my house! The picture shows the finished floor. They finally came on Monday and put things back.......after I stubbed my toe on the hutch in the hall for the millionth time. Let's just say nice words did NOT roll off my tongue after that incident.

Subject change: Matthew is home sick again today. He woke me up at 4 this morning and felt a little warm but no big deal and when he woke me up at 6ish he was burning up! 101.4 under his arm. Poor guy. He really wasn't feeling good at 4am. So, nurse Lisa gave him some Tylenol ....my cure all for everything!......and sent him back to bed. An hour later, fevers gone and he's been in hog heaven again watching videos in his room. It's a good thing the cable hasn't been hooked up in his room......I just don't think kids should have tv's in their rooms at this age!!!!!!! So, the rule remains, only when he is sick....and for now, it's just old videos. Tomorrow is just a half day so I'm not sure if he will make it for that or not.

Lindsey update: I blogged about Lindsey a few weeks ago. ...my pregnant friend from work that I gave Matthew's crib too. Well, after that she has been to the ER twice with contractions. She stopped by work on Sunday and is feeling better and is finally over a uti that lasted way too long! I was starting to think my crib was jinxing her! Anyhow, continued prayers are still appreciated.

The latest

I thought I would have the house all back in order by now......but NO! My floor is done and looks great. The paint is done and I'm less than pleased. The area by the window that had the water damage is less than perfect and I've been waiting for the head contractor guy to come by but he too, hasn't shown up in days. The painters came on Thursday for touch up work......and again, 2 hours late and they were supposed to put my kitchen furniture back in the kitchen. But again, a glitch in communication and my table and chairs are in the family room and my island and hutch are STILL in the hall. Friday rolls around and I call the contractor who thought all of my stuff was back in place and I should be happy. Ah, wrong again!!!! The pic of the floor is when it was sanded down to the bare floor. Later I'll show the finished floor!

Friday also brought about a fever for Matthew. He hasn't missed a day of school since pre K so it was pretty traumatic but he felt so bad it didn't really matter. Since he had a fever of 101 and said his throat hurt, off we went to the doctor. Our appt was 11am and I really expected us to be there a couple of hours. We were in the parking lot by 1145! They did a rapid strep test that was negative, he looked in his ears, throat and listened to his lungs and determined it was a virus. I was totally skeptical and figured by today, we'd be back. (it wasn't Matthew's usual doctor and this doc has done this "just a virus" to us before) By tonight Matthew was fever free and playing as usual. He enjoyed his time quarenteed in his room with a tv/vcr for 2 days. He caught up on old videos he hadn't watched in a long time and LOVED having a tv in his room. So, how do I know how Matthew's day went? I stayed home from work with a migraine. I woke up about 4 am with a horrible headache and no way could I put in a 12 hour shift. I think lack of sleep caused this one. While the floors were being done, Monday and Tuesday nights we had to stay at a hotel. I slept with Matthew and it was like sleeping with a speared fish. :-)

Last night I went to Susie's house: friend and former co-worker. She had a Pampered Chef party and had a really good turn out. There were about 5 of us that used to work together but two left before I took the picture. In the picture is me, Susie and Marilyn. I see Marilyn every once in a while where I work now and occasionally for lunches too. I admit, I miss the group of people I used to work with. "Years" ago we were such a tight knit group of nurses that worked well together under Henri...and now, it's just different. Anyway, the party was fun and of course I didn't need anything but ordered another stone (love mine to back cookies on), a pizza cutter and some kind of little sandwhich cutter.......figured it would be fun to make for Matthew. Still not sure if any new gadget will motivate me into cooking!!!

The painter guy is finally here (45 min late) and I've got to point out the places he missed yesterday. Hope you all have a great day!

Progress....

Finally some paint on the walls! Yeah!! And best of all, I love the color. I worried it might be too dark but now that some of it is on the walls and it has dried, I can't wait to put my stuff back on the walls and see it all done. So far my only complaint of this process is that this guy has been late everyday. I can understand their laid back schedule and they probably don't usually have someone at home. But I am home...waiting! And obviously getting very annoyed. Note to self: It's rude to be late.

Life is too short and YAZ

I know...I don't blog for a while and now I can't stop. I've been inspired by a couple of people but mostly being stuck home with the painter guy (who was an hour late) has given me way too much time alone with my thoughts....or maybe it is the paint fumes! First, what is the deal with the whole Anna Nicole saga? I certainly hope they have embalmbed her or restoring her body is going to be a nightmare. Yes, I think I may have watched too much of the show Six Feet Under! I think this should be a wake up call for everyone "our" age.....make a will, decide who you want to watch your children, get life insurance and set up a health care DPOA. Have I done any of this, well do have life insurance. My great high school friend Renee posted a link to a relatives blog about a local woman named Jennifer Ireland. By the time I knew about the blog, Jennifer only lived for a few days more. She had been diagnosed with cancer and died at the age of 27. Her story was mentioned several times on Mix 93.3 here, the Kansas City Star and after readingy EVERY post Jennifer and her husband Chris, wrote, I've been changed. Probably why I'm motivated more to make out a will etc. If you have a chance, check out the blog at http://jenniferireland.blogs.com/weblog I will warn you....grab the kleenex if you read a lot of it. Their little girls are so young and so cute. Such an inspiring story.

Secondly, I want to talk about my new med YAZ. If you don't want to read about girl problems, then skip this paragraph and yes, I will eventually delete it as I know this isn't something for Matthew to have to read later! So, I started YAZ about 2.5 weeks ago and I don't remember having so much problems when I started Yasmin 2 years ago. I have cramps almost 24 hours a day, (okay, how many readers did I loose there) and my right side hurts like it did before I had to have surgery for my endometriosis. So, I guess I'll just be patient and let my body get used to things and hope things get better. Anything to avoid the knife again! I know......I'm a whimpy nurse I know! Hopefully the inconvience and pain will all be worth it in the end.

I think that is it for now. Still NO paint on the wall but I think it's getting close. Looks like there is a lot of mud on the damaged walls at least and it is almost 50 outside.

The Repairs Started

The repair and restoration process started today. There is some tape on the floor boards and some mud on the walls. Pictures are down and nail holes filled. I can't wait to see how the paint looks on the walls! It's the same color at a close friend's house and it looks great there....so, I'm hoping it will look just as clean and classy here. You might have noticed the big white patch over the fireplace mantle. Actually, there are TWO. Yep.....I tried to hang the picture myself....and hammered in a dry wall anchor into a stud. Twice. If you understand how stupid that was.....you can stop laughing now! Well, it is out now and I won't make that same mistake again. We got the piano moved this morning and I finally got the border all off in the basement and the walls cleared. The house just looks so weird.......bare and like I just moved in. The old curtain holders are off the walls too.....and those massive holes are filled too. Basically I was busy the whole day but did manage to get caught up on the last 2 episodes of ER I had taped. I can't believe that show is in it's 13th year. With the addition of John Stamos it has markedly improved this year. Speaking of tv....I'm STILL hooked on General Hospital. I joke that this is why I became a nurse but seriously, I've never seen a nurse on there do any real "work".

Tomorrow should bring paint on the walls and warmish weather again! Today was in the low 60's....I had the front door open and it was so nice to let the fresh air in! I can feel Spring on the horizon.

I almost forgot a cute thing that Matthew said last week on one of our snow days: He told me how thankful he was that I was his mom. Yes, I totally teared up! He said he was glad I was looking out for his safety (making sure he wears his seatbelt.....it is a rule if you're going to ride with me!) and that I was his favorite. He has such a good heart and is so sweet and sensative....a total Miller trait!

I'm BACK!

Okay, first off, I am fine, the family is fine, I've just been busy. I know...totally no excuse! What on earth have I been so busy doing? Well, getting ready for the painters and dry wall guys to come tomorrow. I've been taking off the border in the basement, vacumming, packing up all of the belongings in the china hutch and getting everything down from above the kitchen cabinets and off the walls. I'm litterally exhausted and glad for an excuse to sit down and finally blog. I wish I had a before picture of the basement to show all of the hard work I really did taking off the Americana border. I'm so glad to be getting rid of the themed room. Did I mention we had two snow days in all of this mess too? Matthew was a big help in picking up all of the border off the floor after I pulled it off the wall. He loved being a special helper. So the painters show up at 9:30 in the morning and are here until Friday and maybe Saturday then the hard wood floor repair and restoration starts on Monday. It should be a fun two weeks.

So, since the kitchen, family room and down into the basement (and hopefully basement) is going to be painted, I've decided to change colors and curtains and of course curtain rods. I found some super cute ones at.......where else? TARGET! I looked at JC Penney, Pottery Barn, Linens and Things, Bed Bath and Beyond and ended up liking the stuff at Target the best. Well, truth be told, I LOVED the Pottery Barn the best, but I am on a budget. I'll see how the paint looks first before I make a final decision. I found a new black and white print for the basement too but it remains on my wish list for now. I ended up going to a different Target today and found a little bit of STL......a Chick Fil-A. It really hit the spot too.

So is everyone watching American Idol? Speaking of reality shows, I was watching Rachael Ray this morning and she had Colby from Survivor and OMG it was so good to see him again! He is such a gentleman too. I seriously still love it when a man treats a woman like a woman. Not that I don't like the occasional whistle or two (been a while though!) but I do like it when a guy opens the door for me. Chivarly is not dead......at least I hope. I must bring up QT again. People always open the door for each other there.

Thanks for hanging in there with this long post. Since I'll be "trapped" at home with the painters here, I'll try and blog more.

Time to GO!!

Today was a day of cleaning . I guess the 60 degree weather yesterday finally motivated me to start this massive project. I started with Matthew's closet. I don't think we have seen the floor in 6 or so years. My friend from work Lindsey came over and went through some of Matthew's clothes and shoes. It was fun to look at the tiny baby shoes and then send them to their new home. She also took the crib as well. I will admit there was a little bit of sadness and some closure today but I am ready to move on. I see a lot of Lindsey in myself and she has been one of the people I've bonded quickly with at the new hospital. She told me yesterday the doctor doesn't want her working anymore. To say I'm crushed is putting it lightly. She is a great clerk and really keeps things running smoothly. She is about 24 weeks and has pre-eclampsia.......right about the same time that I went on light duty. See......lots in common. Hopefully the crib and clothes will help out. Please pray for the rest of Lindsey's pregnancy and her husband, as has just been laid off! Matthew totally thought Lindsey was here to see him and he even threw in a couple of toys for the baby.

A Blast from the Past

I often ponder if in my job do I really make a difference in anyone's life. I assume I do in some way but I just never really know.....well, until today. I had heard we were getting an admit this evening.....and she had an unique last name and one that I had heard before.......but YEARS ago.....like back in 1993 or 1994. I was a young new nurse who was very green....quiet and painfully shy too. I know....hard to believe. While we were sitting at the desk, I told my co workers about this patient I remembered: He was a prominent police officer, was off duty and in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was punched in the left eye by a guy who had spent some time in prision, where he had learned how to box. It was a huge hit to the eye and he ended up finding out he would loose his sight in his eye and thus his job in the homicide area of law enforcement. It was that day, that I caught him smoking in the bathroom. And boy did I make a big deal about it. He felt bad for breaking the rules and I felt bad that he was going to loose his eye sight. He had a ton of visitors and one that sticks out in my memory. Again......remember then, I was really shy! The patient told his friends that I caught him smoking so they sent a rokie cop to find me......who pulled out his handcuffs and asked me if I wanted to use them. Oh I'm sure I turned 10,000 shades of red. Long story short......it was my former patients mom that was admitted today. So, I went up and asked him if he had been a patient where I used to work and HE REMMEBERED ME as vividly as I remembered him. He said he had often wondered if I had stayed in health care and I had always wondered what he ended up doing for a living etc. He said I made such a difference in his hospital stay with my positive attitude, skilled nursing and my humor. Yes, I've been on cloud nine ever since!

Stupid People

I'm totally covinceded that some people just should NOT be parents. I know it sounds pretty harsh, but read on. I paid bills today and only had one lonely stamp, so in the midst of it SNOWING...I decide to trek out to the post office down the street. If it had been far away, I totally would have stayed home. Anyway, I go in, immediately stop at their new machine that is open 24/7 that you can use your credit/atm card in and buy a book of stamps. I put my 10 stamps on my bills........and I'm pretty thrilled that I made it to the post office before the next "pick up" and maybe my bills will go out today. So, I zip up my coat and get ready to walk to the car. I hear......excuse me ...can you help me out? I look over and there is this guy getting out of his white pick up truck and is now talking towards me. I'm not too uncomfortable as there are other people going in and out of the post office. He quickly asks me to watch his son in his truck while he goes in to get his mail. Well......okay. So, it's cold and snowing and here I am, standing outside playing 'peak a boo' with this guys kid....hoping he comes back. Pretty quickly he comes back and now it's my turn to give him my lecture. HOW DID HE KNOW I WASN'T CRAZY???? I could have stollen his truck with his kid in it and be gone. Was he insane???? He said he didn't want to get his kid out in the cold weather as he had forgotten his hat. My response.......what if you had had car trouble? or been in an accident?? In this weather, one should always be prepared for the worst!! I'm sure he was wishing he had asked someone else after I was done spewing my "what if's" to him. Can you believe it? I would have NEVER left Matthew with a total stranger......for any reason! While, I'm glad he asked me.......since I'm NORMAL. Gosh, this could have been another kidnapping story for this state! This is why people don't leave kids unattended while they go in and pay for gas either!! Now, I'm not a perfect mom, but I do have some common sense. UGH...stupid people make me so mad!!

The President

Yesterday President Bush came to town. He was visiting a local hospital (no, not the one I work at)....but it is very close to my house....discussed his new health care plan and took a tour of the all digital facility. I knew there was a possibility of me being "inconvienced" by roads being closed but thought I had left the house plenty early. NOPE! I head down the street and see a helicopter hovering and two highway patrol cars and local police. So, here I am, stopped on the bridge overlooking.......the Presidental motorcade. Oh it was so exciting. I know it sounds kinda silly to be so thrilled about something......but really, it doesn't happen everyday and it was really quite spectacular. I've seen it on tv but until you see it with your own eyes......well, it was just too cool. I saw the police motorcycles then numerous black cars and then a black limo with flags on it. They were going at a pretty fast pace so no time for a picture. The one I'm using came from the local tv station and it is of the hospital he toured.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

As I'm writing this I am still in awe that my son is 7 years old today. I just can't believe it. Somedays I just look at him and can't believe how big he has gotten this last year. I know someday he will of course be taller than me too. Here I've got a son that is reading, doing math, is sensative and so loving and out going. He's such a fun kid right now. He was SO excited this morning about his birthday that he got up at 5:45 ( I was getting ready for work).....to tell me good morning and play with his CARS truck from his Uncle Blaine in California. Oh it was a huge hit last night. Since I had to work today we had Joe's sisters family and my mom over for a simple pizza and cake party. I wasn't about to cook with my kitchen mess and seriously, we all love pizza.

Around 3 this afternoon the snow started to fall. I love to watch it snow but I'm not fond of having to drive in it. It was an easy snow to clear off the suv and off I went. I was highly motivated to not horse around as I was STUPID enough to wear my Crocks today and not bring my tennis shoes for walking out in the parking lot. By the time I got home, my feet we wet and cold. DUH! We have at least 3 inches but I think we are forcasted to get another 3 before I have to go back to work in the morning. FUN FUN!!!

OH LUCY.......

This morning I watched my friend Cherie's little girl Lucy. She was mesmorized by a Dora DVD! I just had to take a picture. Very cute and again, so well behaved. Off to my favorite store....Target....to get supplies for a little birthday party for Matthew tonight. I really can't believe he will be 7 tomorrow. Wow, has my life changed since then and this ice storm......isn't in my very big 2007 plan!!

Storm Damage

Ah......can you hear it? I call it blessed silence. No more fans and dehumidifer running 24/7. I can hear myself think at least. The ice is melting but must be down far enough that it is no longer coming into the kitchen or basement. YEAH. It has been the best diet as I've really been too nervous to eat. Yes, I know.....it's shocking! I've been making phone calls almost non stop since Tuesday and I've gotten some results. The roofing company has been here but can't 'decide what to do' until the ice is gone.....an insurance adjuster was here who's initial estimate is about $4,000....but that doesn't include anything outside. Monday the contractor is scheduled to come to give me his estimate of repairs. It will take 4-6+ weeks for my hardwood floors in the kitchen to dry......and they are already buckling. I've heard getting that fixed/repaired is going to be a nightmare. The picture is from yesterday and just shows how the ice had melted some and no longer dripping through the ceiling. We are supposed to get 1-3 inches of snow possibly this weekend so I guess the saga continues!

Ice Dam

Well, actually it's more like damn ice. I was about to make a grocery store run for my mom when I noticed water running down my wall in the kitchen. Basically, we had pretty big storm this past weekend. We had a combination of sleet, freezing rain and snow. Today, with a high of only 20 and lots of sun, the ice started melting. I'm not sure the whole logistics of the problem but I never had any problems with my prior roof and I've had snow/ice melt and refreeze before. I placed numerous calls this afternoon to the roofing company and shocking, no one has called me back. So, after a call to the insurance company.....an adjuster is due to call tomorrow....I also called a drying company.....at the reccomendation of the insurance company. So, they came and poked some holes in the ceiling area in the kitchen to get air in there.......so I don't have mold growing. Well, the water also somehow dripped into the basement. So, I've got a bucket down there and I'm just waiting for the sun to come out tomorrow and the melting and mess will begin again. There are 2 industrial floor fans pointed to the walls in the kitchen and a dehumidifier.........and it totally wreaks of wet dry wall. The paint is buckeling and the dry wall is soft and mushy in places. There is a fan in the basement pointed to the ceiling. So my house is loud and stinks. I've got candles burning but I'm still gagging when I walk out into the kitchen/family room. I'm sure there will be more pics to post tomorrow. Did I mention there is no school AGAIN tomorrow? I will say Matthew was overall really good today. I had just gotten off the phone with a co-worker........who was so nice to come by and make sure my sanity was in check.....anyway, I was trying to hold it all together in front of Matthew but I finally just couldn't and started crying. Matthew gave me the biggest hug and I could see the tears in his eyes too. That is a moment I won't soon forget.