headache.....

I have a headache that won't quit. Have you ever noticed that when you have a headache everything is awful? I have taken 4 ibuprofen now, and am thinking about hitting the acetaminophen bottle.....Abigail suggested that I go to bed, but I cannot sleep with this kind of headache....and: Joseph is sick. He is throwing up. I asked him if he started out with a headache, and he said no, and I was relieved......as Abigail said, "We have had such random barfings".....maybe it doesn't sound funny, but it was. She said it so seriously. I feel sorry for Joseph, really sorry. But I just hope the little kids don't all get it. I feel sorry for them, but honestly, the first thing that comes to mind is the mess!

I listed three items on ebay tonight, yeah for me. I hope they sell. The extra money would be nice....and, it feels good to accomplish something....

Tomorrow the younger kids, middle school and elementary school, have half day of school for staff development day. So I told them they could stay home. It isn't worth getting them up and dressed for a 30-40+minute busride......for just a few hours of school. Wednesday the high school kids have half a day, so I am planning on taking Joseph down to Sears to get his glasses fixed. If he is better, and no one else is sick.....and I am planning to get a few parts for my sewing machine, too. I ordered the parts in October, and thought it was taking a long time for them to come in.....I called today, and the parts are there.....Charlotte Claire was fascinated with my new sewing machine last year when Camille was newborn....and I do believe she removed the bobbin case and and threw it somewhere....I looked and looked before I cried "uncle" and called for new parts.....

I cannot wait to get it up and running again. Molly spackled the little kids' room this evening, and I would love to make them some new curtains to match the new paint.....in order to get at the walls, the two sets of bunk beds are moved to the center of the room...I thought they would never settle down tonight, but they did.

I would also like to make one of those shopping cart covers for Camille. Nice and comfy, and maybe less germy.

I would also like to make her and Charlotte Claire some matching overalls with this adorable brown corderoy with pink dots fabric I bought.....

I would also like to make some new curtains for the living room.

I rarely find curtains or valances already made that I like, and they are so easy to make....oh, I do like to sew. But the rational part of my brain knows this: it will be frustrating. I will want to just keep on working on something, and the kids will need me.....

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy my kids, even with my headache?

Dinner: it was yummy! I took some put some of the chicken with lots of olive oil, and poured tons of Franks Hot Sauce on it....and baked it, and the hot sauce cooked right in, and that fat-free chicken breast tasted as good as hot wings. I know, olive oil has fat, but it is better for you than deep fried wings. And the rice: I put some margarine and some olive oil in the pan, and browned the rice up before adding the water....it makes it taste a bit popcorn-y....and the consistency isn't so sticky.....then we had some corn and some broccoli.....

So today was Sonja's snack day. She reminded me last night, which was sort of like putting juice in the spaghetti strainer.....and when she reminded me again this morning, uh-oh....then I remembered some very nice Christmas cookies I had bought at Rite-Aid the other day....perfect. Saved. Otherwise, she might have had to skip today.....

I miss my mom. Sometimes I think of old people who are older than she was, and I think it's not fair that they get to live so long, and my mother loved life so very much. She was never bored, and she didn't have much to complain about. She did talk about her medical stuff alot, because she had so many things going on, but not with a whiny spirit. Just because it was her life. She had breast cancer when I was in high school, and I really thought she was going to die. She had it in her lymphnodes, and in both breasts, which she had radically removed. That was in '82, and the chemo was pretty rough. Her and I actually took the bus a few times up to the hospital to get her treatments. That meant walking several blocks to the bus stop.....she was amazing. Then she had kidney failure following open heart surgery that followed a major heart attack....and kidney dialysis for nine years....with all sorts of things in between. And if you didn't know she was sick, you wouldn't know she was sick....she loved Christmas. For as long as she could, she bought presents for all her grandchildren (there are 49)....and she ALWAYS remembered each and every birthday. But mostly, she knew the kids. She knew more than I do what they liked and didn't like, and she had the patience to listen to their tales from school.....she liked to come over and sit in the chair and read stories to the little ones, 2 or 3 at a time. Oh, I miss her. She was always game for some fun. Even when she felt lousy, she would go out and about with me. It was almost like she wasn't going to let her physical condition ruin her fun....I wish she had had a few more years. She would just love Camille. She met Charlotte Claire, but died when she was only 7 weeks old.....New technology didn't phase her, she hated television for the most part, but she sure liked the phone....we never missed a day, and most days talked several times. Because she cared about the details. Yes, I miss her. I wear her wedding ring on my ringfinger on my right hand...and it's really funny, because I inherited from her the inability to tell right from left....so I always check the hand my ring is on, and she always did the same.....she would get a kick out of knowing that now that I have her ring too, I am totally baffled sometimes when I look for the ring on the left hand and there are rings on both hands.....yes, she would think that is pretty funny....