I can take it....

Yeah, yeah.... I know. I am not the most prolific blogger, but I can take the flack BECAUSE I know I don't have youngsters around my house providing a daily dose of amazingly cute photo opportunities for me to capture (even then... ONE of them has at least one child who probably pushes her mom a little closer to the edge on a daily basis, so keeping her alive probably takes precedence over blogging... like THAT's an excuse..lol) OR athletic events that would provide action videos IF the back-in-the-game blogger posted them... so, I can take it. :-)

Recent action in my world has included visiting, worrying and thinking about my mom and her recent foray into the health care system. She wasn't feeling right... but thought it might be the flu or a cold since so much of that was going around, but when she was short of breath after walking halfway across a parking lot on the way to see a movie, she thought it might be more than that - so went to see the family doctor. Monday's blood work revealed a hemoglobin level of 4... and led to Tuesday's declaration of "Get to the hospital NOW... not after breakfast...not after letting the dog out/ok let the dog out but be quick about it." So, five units of blood later.. along with a myriad of tests later....she had surgery on Thursday for what she had told them it was all along... literally a pain in the butt (sparing you the TMI portion of the update). So, she dodged a big bullet this week, and is now home, though not in time for her birthday on Friday, and with temporary equipment that she would rather have done without. So, Ruthie has some recouperating yet to do, but at least can be home with her beloved pets while she does so, without being poked and prodded every four hours.

School continues to be interesting and will continue to be through the end of the year. This past week, especially on Friday (not even a full moon, which I get to look forward to on the 11th), several of the students were "ready to rock" as it were.. and at times I felt like I belonged on the next episode of WWF. I just keep repeating the directions, "When you are ready to work, I will stop holding you... but you cannot hurt yourself or others... " Every time there seems to be a miniscule lull, another evaluation is initiated or a new child enrolls .... my co-worker reminds me, "Nature abhors a vacuum."

Here is a little of what you might experience at our house...

Kali peeking in the back door as she hangs on the frame wondering if anyone is there to let her in....

The heavy duty dog toy..... that is "not a chew toy" for obvious reasons...
Here is the replacement version....Though not an action shot... it wouldn't be much different... :-) One of several of these guys we have hanging around here. This is one of the group that came home from the kindergarten room last year...and may not go back because this year's class is not quite ready for another distraction. :)
So.. that's what's happening in my little corner of the world. Happy birthday to me.

Hat trick

procedure with bonus plus a nasty cold tacked on for the fun of it.... makes for a wonderful Valentine's weekend..... :(

and I missed book group.

Two-for-one.... again.

I will spare you the details, though I do have photographs if you should be so inquisitive, but I recently had a outpatient procedure. All went well. Prior to beginning the procedure, the doctor became aware of another detail so she took care of that, then completed the planned task.

When I had my gall bladder removed a couple of years ago, the doctor at that time also noticed something else that needed repairing so he did that, too, in the process.

Apparently, even in this realm, I am a bargain hunter. :-)

Another month....

I don't know. Time. I waste it. I use it wisely. I burn it. I watch it.

So, here I am and somehow another month has disappeared.

It could be the online scrabble games, the IEP progress reports, the new evaluations, the extra stuff I picked up at work given an emergency departure of a co-worker (new twins who decided to come very early), and subsequent return while she waits for them to get stronger before coming home before she leaves again to join them there, the new students, the new one-on-one aide for the new student, occasional visits with my mom and papa, the books to read before book group, meetings, training sessions, appointments for one thing or another, conversations with online friends, family times, puzzles, animals, discussions about school transfers, taxes, scholarships, financial aid, grading, testing, and the daily activities of life in general....and soon, as it seems, another month is gone.

Sometimes, it makes you want to go crazy, like the dogs in the yard.... or on the couch in this case.

So it goes... :-)

The Food Network ...

Last week, Molly returned home for a couple of days mostly because The Home Depot is slow this time of year, therefore few or no hours... :-( and school is not yet back in session either, so bonus days for us here at home!

While she was here, she and Kate combined forces and created a wonderful meal for us. On Thursday when we arrived home, the kitchen table was set and decorated (something that usually only happens on holidays... oops.). On each plate, they placed a menu, so we could review the bill of fare prior to dining....

This Thursday, the weather played havoc with the school calendar yet again. Starting with this one, we will be adding days to the end of the school year in June. The two other snow days we had so far this year were placed back into the calendar on a day we were suppose to have off to go to a convention, and the other, on an inservice day...which we will now have at the end of the year as well.

Instead of snow, this time cold... magnified by the wind, produced "dangerously cold" wind chills a nasty combination when little children are waiting for busses or walking to school any distance at all. So, no school.

Kate is still on break from UW-W (and on jury duty) so she was ready to do something, which is typical. Given the conditions, I didn't want to go far...so we went to Walgreens and the grocery store after I finally got moving late in the afternoon. I made bread in the machine this morning, so we got the ingredients for Chicken Corn Chowder and created a big pot of hot soup to ward off the nasty cold.

I am sure I could have done some other things today, but I bought some puzzles at Walgreens instead. I may have to open one of them tonight, while I watch the news, listen for the phone, and wonder if school will be cancelled tomorrow, too. *sigh*

*** UPDATE - no school on January 16th either.... two puzzles of the five puzzle package that we got for cheap at Walgreens have been started!!

To Russia, with love...

Off to serve as missionaries in Russia.... :) We can do anything together.....

The siblings in attendance..... Charlie, Jamie, Alice, Mary and Elizabeth (Ole)..... to wish Breck and Alice "Bon Voyage!"

Ok.... this is more typical of what one might expect of siblings regardless of age... :)

This evening's group..... though comparatively small in number to the whole. :-)

Best wishes, Breck and Ali, for a wonderful adventure while on your mission! Til we meet again.

Rabbit, rabbit...

It is believed that saying "Rabbit Rabbit" on the first day of the New Year will bring yearlong good luck.... another variation is saying it as a greeting on the first of every month for the same purpose. My father and his mother often exchanged this greeting during phone calls to each other. Upon hearing the words, "rabbit, rabbit" I knew who was calling...

A rather uneventful New Year's Eve (with plenty of good food), moved into a rather uneventful New Year's Day, though we did see a movie followed by Fuddrucker's ...

My hope is that 2009 will be a good year for all of you........ :-)