Sorry I've been so remiss in updating...I just feel so blah. I'm sick of everything and am anxiously awaiting consistantly warm weather and a change of pace.
I'm having a baby shower for Renee on Sunday. I still haven't planned the exact menu...all appetizers and desserts. Of course, I have the desserts picked out...they're always easy (A chocolate lava cake, honey cheesecake and sticky buns) but I dont' know what to do for the "food food". I found some cute shower games on line to play...I'm looking forward to that.
Keith is still healing...the doctor said it could be three months until he goes back to work. Three months!! Holy shit.
Braden and JJ are doing well...waiting for school to get out.
The judge in our mortgage debacle has thrown out the case, as it stood. I don't know where this leaves us...and the 810 other mortgage holders. There's a meeting scheduled for May 8th, but the 75% stipulation ends on May 31. I really and truly don't know what we're going to do. I took a summer position at my school for the extra money, but it's not enough to make the extra payment. And, when summer ends, we're liable to be looking for a new house.

"Ha Ha woman it's a crying shame,But you ain't got no one else to blame..."

You all know I'm not one to complain, but, I'm going to break from the norm. ~~0~~0~~

Keith is recuperating from his surgery. He can't drive, so he can't go anywhere, and it's driving him nuts. He sits around all day, waiting for me to get home from work so he can run errands with me. AArrgghh! (notice I didn't say he spends the day emptying the dishwasher, or doing laundry, or vacuuming) Errand running is my only time alone. I like to listen to a book in the car, or have the music turned up loudly. I like to not have to talk to anyone. Throw that out the window.
It's not helping that this medicine I'm taking to quit smoking has made me miserable. I just want everyone to leave me alone.
At 10:00, when I say I'm going to bed, Keith says, "Me too." And follows me to bed. Why does he have to go to bed at 10:00? He can sleep all day. I get ready for work in the morning making as little noise as possible, and as little light as possible, so he doesn't have to get up at 5:00. I resent it all.
It's so bad, that the other night I was watching a commercial for some sort of medicine to lower your cholesterol, and it showed how your arteries get blocked, one little speck at a time. I laid there, imagining all the little specks building up in his arteries, thinking "how long can this possible take?"
I'm awful. I know it. You don't have to tell me. I feel guilty enough. Not guilty enough to stop thinking about the specks, but guilty enough to feel badly about thinking of them.

"I picked a bad time to quit smoking"

What a week!
After spending last weekend mostly awake and at the hospital with Renee, I went back to work on Monday. I took personal days on Tuesday and Wednesday to be there when she came home from the hospital. That was nice.
I came home Wednesday night. Thursday night, Keith drove back up to bring her, BD, and Brighton down for Easter weekend.
Friday morning Keith went to have another cortisone shot in his back (he injured it at work about a month ago, he had 1 other shot a couple of weeks ago and it got better and better after that. The doctor wanted him to go for one more, then start physical therapy). He came home and was in terrible pain. He took a pain pill and a muscle relaxer and got no relief. We called his doctor, who was on a plane on his way to some exotic resort for Easter. He called back and said that sometimes these shots can lead to a flare up. Well, when Keith went to go upstairs to bed, his legs gave out and he wound up on the floor and couldn't get up. I resisted the strong urge I had to say, "quit being such a baby...get the hell up and get in bed." It was hard, but I resisted. After about an hour of him lying on the floor writhing in pain, I called an ambulance. They admitted him to the hospital and he had emergency back surgery yesterday morning. He had a huge herniation between L4 and L5. As long as he can get up and shower this morning, they'll be sending him home.
So, I had 15 coming for Easter dinner, I had to drive 2 hours each way to take Renee home last night and I had a husband in the hospital. What an Easter!
And to top it off, I started taking Chantix two weeks ago, and quit smoking. I could have strangled someone, anyone, all weekend. I felt like Lloyd Bridges in Airplane. Hence, the quote.

"Here comes Peter Cottontail...."

Reneee came home from the hospital Tuesday. I went up and spent the night with her. Brighton is a little doll. A little doll who absolutely hates to have his diaper or clothes changed. He screams and screams. I helped her get her house a little organized....she just moved in a week ago. Her, BD and Brighton are coming down for Easter.
Braden and JJ have the whole week off school....combine that with the fact that I've been away and this house is a mess! That's my mission today. I'm washing curtains, dusting, vacuuming, mopping. Sounds thrilling, huh?
I'm hosting Easter dinner on Sunday. I'm going to make a honey/orange glazed ham, scalloped potatoes and leeks, some sort of side vegetable and a lemon cake I just got the recipe for. That's it. I'm not going crazy this year.
I still haven't bought anything for Easter. No candy or grass. Nothing. I better put it in high gear!

Ladies and Gentlemen....

I proudly introduce you to..Brighton.

5 lbs 12 ozs 19" long Born 12:59 am 3/16/08.

I guess he didn't want to be born on the Ides of March.

"Don't know much about science books, don't know much about the french I took..."

I was supposed to go with Braden today on a scout hike through the "concrete canyon"...NYC. It was going to be a 10 mile hike, but it got postponed because of rain. Lots and lots of rain. To tell you the truth, I can't say that I'm too upset. I would prefer to do this sort of thing in April or May when it's a little warmer.

Braden brought home is high school recommendations this week. He's been saying for a month or so now that he wants to take honors biology. I kept telling him that you can't just "pick" an honors class, that you have to be chosen for it. But, his recommendations came home and lo and behold....Honors Biology. College Prep Social Studies, on level Algebra I and on level English. He chose Intro to Tech and Family and Consumer Sciences as his electives. We were very proud of him, as he seemed to be in himself. Imagine a kid who just got pulled out of his last learning support class, taking honors bio. Well, I got a call from his teacher yesterday....it seems that Braden took it upon himself to change her college prep science recommendation to honors. And, while she admires his determination, she doesn't feel that he has the strong math background needed for the course. She did say that in the past when kids have changed a recommendation, it's usually to take something easier....not something harder. He's broken hearted that his plan has come to light and he can't take the honors class. I told him that it was a big move that he was recommended for the college prep classes, considering how much of a struggle academics was for him in the past. I didn't punish him for changing the teacher's input, maybe I should have.

It could very well be that in one week I'll be a grandmother. At her first appointment this week, they told her she'd lost a pound, but at her second, she'd gained it back. Her and BD (baby daddy) aren't getting along so great....it seems he has an aversion to working, but not an aversion to spending money. Who would have ever thought that my daughter would be the responsible one in a relationship? I'm very proud of her.

JJ's on a visit to his aunt's in Philadelphia this weekend...that means one less person to feed (actually more like two the way he eats!) and no fighting over the xbox. He got punished this week for failing a test. I just can't seem to get it through his head that grades count, and that education is important. I don't know if it's his age, or his background, but he's content with whatever grade he gets. I have to admit though, he takes being punished way better than Braden does. It almost makes me feel badly for punishing him.

"Ii like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes..."

Renee called me yesterday in tears. She had a doctor's appointment and it didn't go very well.

The baby has hardly gained any weight in the last month. She's due in four weeks. His heartbeat was healthy and he showed no signs of distress, but she has to stop working and while her doctor didn't order bedrest, he did tell her that she should spend as much time as possible relaxing. And eating. She has to make herself half & half milkshakes, and eat as many high caloric foods as possible. He wants her to gain as much weight as she can. She has to go back for check-ups every three days, and if the baby isn't gaining much weight by March 14th, they're going to induce her. The doctor told her not to worry, there's nothing wrong with the baby, he just might be able to gain more weight outside of the womb.

Of course, she failed to hear the "don't worry there's nothing wrong with the baby" part and is a nervous wreck. We talked on the phone for hours last night and in the end she was fairly calm. I did tell her that most women in America would love to hear a doctor tell them to relax, lay around and eat eat eat!

Braden and I are driving up there today and staying until tomorrow.
She's moving out of her apartment into a larger twin house she's going to be renting. It won't be ready until the middle of the week, but it was supposed to be ready today. Another thing she's stressing over.

Between friends and relatives, she has all the big baby things she needs (crib, changing table, swing, etc), it's the small things she doesn't have. Blankets, clothes, etc. I keep telling her not to worry, she'll get it. I'm planning a baby shower for her, but I'm having it shortly after she has the baby...and now it seems that that's a good thing, timing wise.

She asked Braden to be the baby'g godfather, and he's so excited. He also came up with a name that both her and babydaddy like, Carnell. I'm not too thrilled with it, but it's not my baby to name. I was kind of partial to schell37, but she didn't want to hear anything of it.

"Tell me somethin good"

I was supposed to have the weekend to myself...but, mother nature had different plans. JJ was supposed to go to his aunt's in Philadelphia....but, due to a snowstorm, greyhound canceled it's runs. Braden was supposed to leave Friday night for a scout camping trip, but that got postponed. So much for R & R.
It seems that the Gods of Misfortune are determined to wreak havoc with our lives. Keith has to have back surgery. He'll be out of work for at least a month. Just what we need with these higher mortgage payments we've been having to make. Not to mention that back surgery has certain risks involved.
On the same "oh woe is me" note, my computer is acting totally screwy. It's about four years old, and I think it's on it's last leg. It keeps freezing up...for a long time. When it goes to screensaver mode, it takes about ten minutes to get it to "wake up" again. I've deleted as many files as possible and moved all my pictures to an external hard-drive, trying to free up space, but it takes forever to do anything.
There was a bomb scare at Braden's school on Thursday. He found "bomb in school" written on the bathroom door in the morning. So, he did what he thought was the responsible thing and went right back to class and told his teacher. After the students were allowed back in the building, he was called to the office and grilled about it. They practically accused him of writing it himself. "How did you notice it?" "You know we can dust for fingerprints" "You know a bomb threat is a federal offense". They thought it was odd because it was early in the morning when he found it. He told them it could have been in there since the day before and no one noticed it then. He also said, "If I did it, do you think I'd run right in to the teacher and tell her about it? That would be suicide." He also told them that he likes that school and if he really wanted to stay home, his mom would just let him stay home. He was pretty worked up when he got home. I never even got a phone call about it.
So, that's what's down with me. What about you? Tell me something good.

HGTV Junkie

On the weekends I watch a lot of HGTV. I have it on while I'm cleaning, or cooking. I love Candice Olson. And David Bromstad. I used to love Kenneth Brown, too, but he doesn't seem to be on anymore. That Chayse Dacoda girl from "Get It Together" is pretty good too. I like "Find Your Style", but something about Karen Macaloon's mouth bothers me. And as far as Carter Can....he can!
I can't stand Constance Ramos. I don't know why, but I find her extremely irritating. I also don't like Lee Snyder from Design on a Dime...he seems way too full of himself for me. I'm not sure about Vern Yip...he's too nice, I think.

"Ice ice baby...."

We got out of school early on Tuesday, because of snow. [Sidenote: One of my students was doubting that we'd have an early dismissal, and wanted to bet me on it. After I told him that we couldn't bet money, we agreed on this - if we didn't get out early, I'd have to come to school on the next school day wearing clothes that didn't match. If we did get out early, he'd have to come in with his shirt tucked in and his pants pulled up to his waist. Trust me, his pants haven't seen anything above his behind in years. I WON!!! I can't wait to see if he follows through.] We had Wednesday off, because of ice and a two hour delay today because of ice. I'm starting to feel like Spidey, but it's due to ice, not snow. The kids are dying for a good snow storm. We've only had about three inches at a time here, and it's always followed by ice. It's hard to play in ice-covered snow.

I have book group tomorrow night, which I'm looking forward to. I may have mentioned this before, but we read "Ella Minnow Pea" and the author is phoning in. I'm looking forward to it, as I really enjoyed the book.

Nothing new on the mortgage front...it's still "be patient". Not exactly my strongest suit.

Braden had a girl from his German class over yesterday to bake something for their German Party. Why they were coming here, I don't know. She was supposed to bring the ingredients, and I was to provide the "hard goods" - oven, cookie sheets, mixer, etc. Then the day before, she asked Braden if she had to bring everything. I told him to tell her that I had all the baking basics...flour, sugar, eggs, etc. She showed up with this recipe for a German Black Forest cake. And that's it. The recipe called for a ton of ingredients that I didnt' have. So I scoured the internet and found a recipe for Berliner Pretzels. They are a shortbread cookie that you shape into a pretzel. You should see how some of the pretzels look...more like globs. The girl was very nice, and I could tell that Braden had a crush on her.

"Jesus love me, this I know..."

One of my favorite students, B, is applying to a college in Florida. (She's the one who will be the first person in her family to graduate high school) Because she's registered, she has an email account through her college. She figured out what our emails are at school...it's not too hard...first initial, last name, and has started sending me emails. But, the emails aren't really from her, they're from God. She knows I know they're from her, but she keeps sending them. I think they're hysterical, which is why I think she keeps sending them. (Sidenote: the kids start with 4 tokens a day, and if they keep a certain percentage, they earn rewards)

Here, in order, is what they've said:

"What's up...B is the best student in the world...she is the only kid in your school who don't do drugs...please this is from God...yes the one God. Never take another token from her again."

"This is God I am very angry with the way u have been acting lately. I want to inform u that on Feb 1, Friday, tomorrow u must buy R and B some candy because I am God and let them do everthing they want or u shall feel my wrath!!!!!!!!!! P.S. Please do not take any token from JD he is a Giants fan."

"Hello. This is God once again. I see that B was a very good student today. I think that she should not stay for detention tomorrow. Me and her have many things to do. Like go to the library. Also, baby jesus said hi."

Shining, gleaming,streaming, flaxen, waxen

Well, I bit the bullet and got my hair cut short. I chose what I thought was a really nice cut. See the picture on the bottom.

What I got is something totally different. The back and sides are very much shorter, and the top is only about 2" long, where in the picture it's probably about 4" long. What I got looks like the picture on the top. Not that it's a horrible look, it's just nothing like what I wanted.

I spent last night crying and fuming. The worst part is it can't be fixed because she made it too short. It will take months before it's long enough to look even close to the picture.

Why do I have bad luck with hairdressers? This woman has been coloring my hair, and trimming it for about a year and always did a good job in the past.

At school today, one of the boys said, "Miss, you look like Halle Berre..." and while I was saying thank you, he added, " 's mom!" Nice

Green Eggs and Ham

Read Across America is coming up the beginning of March, and once again, I'm trying to come up with ideas to get our kids interested in participating. Last year, the class that read the most books got to throw pies at the principal, which they loved!
This year, we have a new, younger principal who is a little more open to challenges. We discussed a couple of things, then I sent him the following email, to try to narrow down what he'd be open to.

(note....Halamar is an employee there, who they call MiniMe, because he follows the principal around, and fancies himself an administrator; Mrs. Steele is a pregnant teacher who isn't especially cared for by administration because, while she's a great teacher, her paperwork leaves a lot to be desired; Mr. Breidenthal is an ex-military Treatment Specialist who no one would want to spend the day working next to; Mr. Stambaugh is our gym teacher, who has to weigh 400 lbs.)

In honor of Dr. Seuss:

Would you consider eating a bug?
Or would you drink them from a coffee mug?
How would you feel 'bout kissing a frog?
If not a frog, how 'bout a hog?

You could don a tiara and pink tutu
Wear it while playing the kazoo
You could wear it in your auto-moblie
Or while you dance with Mrs. Steele.

As a highlight to your great career
Would you hand out lunch in scuba gear?
Would you like to do it dressed that way?
You wouldn't have to do it everyday.

Maybe you 'd rather milk a cow
I'm sure Halamar could show you how
Sitting on a little stool
Just don't get milk all over the school

You could wear one of those sumo suits
And wrestle with some possible recruits
Maybe we could enlist Mr. Stambaugh
I wonder which one of you would fall.

Or just sit you on top of that great dunk tank
We'll stay on hold with the local blood bank
We'd do it early so it's nice and cold
But before you think we're completely sold

Would you like a room with a fantastic view?
Get further away from this whole crew.
Move your stuff - your desk, your chair
To the parking lot, "Ahhh, fresh air!"

For the day you'd do your job outside
With maybe Mr. Breidenthall by your side
Your whole office set out in the grass
Being ogled and leered at by every class!

"a b c ... it's easy as 1 2 3"

Let's see. My Lyme test came back negative...as did the other five thing they tested for. So, my doctor sent me for two additional blood tests...both of which came back negative. I have another appointment tomorrow night, and I dont' know what he'll recommend next. But, I still feel like crap. Today it's in my hip and feet mostly.

I just finished reading a book which I really enjoyed...Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn. We're reading it for book group this month. I liked it so much that I'm reading another book by him called Ibid. They're quirky and I loved the play on words in Ella Minnow Pea. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/103-1247336-9745448?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mark+dunn The author is calling in for our book discussion on the 15th, and I'm looking forward to hearing from him.

Our new mortgage company has extended the 75% payment stipulation until the end of March, but other than that, there's nothing new on that front either. It's a game of wait and see.

I don't really have much else to report. I'm anxious for winter to be over and to feel better.

"It's a boy"

And, he's just like his mom....stubborn. It took them over a half an hour to get him to move his hands away from his face for this shot.

According to the doctor, everything is moving along on schedule, and the baby is healthy and perfect.

This has been a good weekend. First of all, it's a long one. Second of all, I didn't have to get up for anything...so for three days in a row, I got to sleep until I woke up. It's amazing how different I feel when I don't have to get up at 5:15. We didn't have anything going on all weekend, so I wasn't on any kind of schedule.

Today I have to take Braden to an orthodontist appointment, stop at Walmart for wrapping paper, and one of those thingies that you use to make a plate stand up. Then I have to dust and vacuum the living room. Oh, and make the boys do their laundry.

Tonight we have to go to Afro's for his and Shay's birthday. Shay just had her bedroom redone. It's all peptobismal pink and green. So, I painted her some pictures to hang on her wall. What do you think? The colors are a little bright for my taste, but I think she'll love them.

"Yeah, that's the ticket..."

I went to the doctor's on Thursday. He's pretty sure it's Lyme's disease. I had to go for blood work yesterday morning. And, while he was at it, he had them check my sugar levels, my thyroid, a test for rheumatoid arthritis, and a couple of other things I can't even remember. He said the Lyme test can take about a week to come back. He also said there was nothing I can do in the mean time, except continue to pop extra strength tylenol like m & m 's.

We got a new kid in our class last week. What a duzy. He tells these unbelievable stories, and of course, the angels in the class egg him on so the stories just keep getting more and more grandiose. So far we've learned that he has three hired bodyguards (because in his line of work, that's what you need to do); he bought his girlfriend an 8 carat diamond ring at Kay Jewelers for $500, but then she cheated on him with his best friend; he's been accepted at Florida State University (he's only a junior who reads at a first grade level); he works from 4:00 till 10:00 everyday cutting down trees and makes $32./hour; he has his own house where he lives by himself. After one of his lengthy boasting sessions yesterday, my sweetie B yelled out, "Dude, you're a pathological liar. You know that's a disease, right?" His reply? "Yeah, my sister has it."

I'd love to think of a title, but I have African Sleeping Sickness

I still feel the same. Tired, tired, tired, my elbows, hips, ankles, fingers and feet hurt and I keep getting these awful headaches in the back of my head, right above my neck. I decided I'd call the doctor on Monday. I wanted to give it at least a week to see if it would go away, or at least get better, but it hasn't.

At the risk of sounding like my mother...I checked my symptoms online and found exactly what I must have. I'm only missing one symptom, but I don't think it's a major one. Are you ready? I think I have African Sleeping Sickness. I have everything listed, except, I haven't been to Africa and been bitten by an insect. I keep telling everyone, "I'd be happy to make dinner, except I have African sleeping sickness. I'd run you up to Blockbuster, but I have African sleeping sickness." They're not finding it as amusing as I do.

Seriously, though, I think I might have Lyme's disease. I don't know that I've ever been bitten by a tick, but it's quite possible as in the summer and fall, we're always pulling them off of the boys. Being surrounded by woods and fields here, it could be possible.

Of course, it could all be from stress, I suppose. We still don't know anything final about our mortgage, which is very stressful. And then there's the fact that I'm Braden's mom....more stress. And, two months away from being a grandmother. I worry about Renee and the choices she's made and part of me fears I'm going to wind up raising a grandchild, which I don't know if I'm emotionally, physically or financially able to do.

"When I get older....."

I don't know what's wrong with me.
On Saturday, I woke up and my feet, ankles and hands were swollen. And, it hurt my feet to walk...but I chalked it up to the swelling.
Sunday, they had gone down a bit, but my wrists and ankles really hurt. Sunday night, my neck started hurting too.
Monday, it was still the same, slight swelling but pain in my joints.
Yesterday, my fingers joined in the fun. but I could finally get my ring off.
Now, today, I have a stiff neck, sore ankles, painful wrists and my fingers hurt when I move them certain ways. The swelling is back too, and I have a headache.
I suppose it could all be related to my being sick over the holidays. Or else I'm just old.
If it doesn't soon go away, I'll go to the doctor.

Happy New Year...when will God's Kingdon come?

As I mentioned before, Christmas was nice here. JJ started with a head cold that ended the day after Christmas, just in time for Keith and I to get it. Braden never did get it, and as I told Bert, perhaps his staying up late, eating junk food and playing video games strengthened his immunity system. I never actually got the cold part, just the achey body, sweats and chills and absolutely no energy. I barely moved from the bed to the couch. I did get some reading done. I read "Pillars of the Earth". I enjoyed it, but it was way too heavy. Nearly 1000 pages. It took all my strength just to hold it upright while I read. I almost didn't make it to work today, but I was a trooper and went in.

A couple of weeks ago, we promised Braden and JJ they could each have four friends sleep over on New Year's Eve. And, they held us to it. I felt bad canceling just because I didn't feel well. They were all very good. Loud. But very good. They were up until 5:00 in the morning, watching movies. I got up on Tuesday to 8 bodies sleeping on my living room floor (two of the kids weren't able to stay over). At about 11:00 there was a knock on the door. Jehovah's Witnesses. ON NEW YEARS MORNING????? I told them I had a houseful of kids and that it wasn't a good time. They were kind enough to leave me with a copy of the Watchtower. I told the kids, when they woke up, that I should have thrown them under the bus and told the JW's that there were 8 souls in there just waiting to be saved. But, once again, I listened to the angel on my shoulder instead of the other guy.