summer 2011

summer 2011

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012
family

Monday, January 30, 2017

when it rains....


I SHOULD say, when it snows it blizzards, but that isn't really the case either. This morning we woke up to a snowglobe world, tree branches decorated, and yard sparkling. I drove to the small city for an appointment, and the roads weren't too bad. The plow hadn't been down the southbound lane, which I was driving in, but I managed. My appointment was at the cardiologist, where they outfitted me with a halter monitor. You won't even know it's there, they said. Just do your normal activities, they said. Um, they don't know who they're dealing with, I am Miss Princess And The Pea, and I DO know it's there. And the fun part is that I get to log all my relevant activities. If I unload groceries, write it down. If I walk the dog, write it down. Paul better know this means he is totally staying on his side of the bed, because I am NOT WRITING THAT DOWN.

Anyway. This blog being p.g. and all, that's enough of that.

Our furnace stopped working. It's 22 degrees out, and yay for the little fake fireplace. The furnace man is coming today, which means I am going to sit here for the longest possible time, then get up and panic clean. Of course I clean for the furnace man! The downstairs hallway needs vacuuming anyway. And I didn't sweep the floor this morning before leaving the house, which would be fine if we didn't have three slobby dogs. Do you know what stuffed animal guts look like? Pieces of white fluffy stuff, and little pellets, scattered all over the living room. The tuna fish can that Sunny stole from the counter. The empty dog food bag, which I let Sunny have after I emptied the food into the locking bin...I let her have it for a while because she thought there must be something in something that smells so good, she put her whole head in it and ran forward, trying to get whatever smelled so good. It was too funny to take it away from her. And now it's in the living room. Real classy.

Anyway, I am going to do a nice quick clean up before the furnace guy gets here.

And, the check engine light is on in the minivan again. The mechanic recommended using high octane fuel to see if it would clean up the catalytic converter. But it's stressful to drive with that little orange light on.

Tomorrow, dentist...then gymnastics. Wednesday, the breast cancer center for the tiny little lump. Friday, the stress test at the cardiologist. Then, I hope I am done for a while. I am pretty sure all our pre-tax insurance dollars will be all used up...

Tomorrow is my sister's surgery, she is having a double mastectomy done. Pray for her, she has an excellent attitude, but God hears those prayers, and many times through the years miracles have happened. My sister says that she doesn't want to feel sorry for herself, nor does she want to live a life in bondage to anxiety. So she is fighting against those things. It is a very real struggle, to lose a part of yourself, and my prayers for her are that she can be honest that it's challenging, then come to peace with it. And of course, that the cancer is only in that lump, and is gone forever!

The girls are playing with playdough. They dug out the gingerbread playdough I made last year, and have this really cool set I got on clearance, a baking set with cupcake holders. They are setting up a pretty bakery. Jonathan is reading, "The Lord Of Rings". So we need to get some school done today too.

I went to the grocery store after my appointment, because we really needed dog food. Suri is on low calorie food, so I had to get two 20 pound bags. We needed kitty litter, and paper towels, and toilet paper. My cart was almost full. I also got burger and cheese and veggies and yogurt and bacon and chips. Some people hate shopping, but I am not one of them. I like going by myself sometimes. Today, I bought chips because they were buy two, get three free, tortilla chips (I LOVE the lime ones!) and regular potato chips. They were 4.29 a bag, then there was a coupon that if you bought two bags of chips, you got a jar of salsa or cheese sauce for free. The sauce was on sale for $3.50, but they took $3.99 off with the coupon. So for a little more than eight dollars, five bags of chips and a jar of cheese sauce. I know not so healthy, not for me anyway. But they have snacks for lunches, and supplies for taco night.

Our overnight-at-the-hotel night was fantastic. It's good to laugh your head off once in a while, and we certainly did that. It's also important to know you aren't alone in your struggles, and to be able to talk with friends who aren't going to judge you. We ate too much junk, drank too much junk, and went in the heated pool, which felt great because some of us had worked at the basketball game earlier in the day, and eeks, it was tiring.

It's always good to get back home after an overnight, even when you walk in and the house is freezing and smells like fuel oil...Paul tried to fix it himself before calling someone, of course.

Jonathan suggested a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip coookies...I am inclining to think that's an ace of an idea, if only I can keep them out of my mouth. But first, panic cleaning!









3 comments:

Martha said...

You are hysterical! We need to have lunch again one day.
*sigh* It is nice to dream.
Praying all goes well with your sister and you too.
:0)

Michelle in Florida said...

That first part about the halter monitor...you always make me laugh:)
I'll be praying for your sister, and also for your lump to be nothing concerning, as well as for your heart to be totally healthy.

Susan said...

Sending prayers and love to Cheryl. ❤Susan