Last Day of 2009

I wish I could say how great 2009 was to me...but about half of it really stunk!  With that said I am grateful for many blessings that have come our way this year.  There has been many. 

I look back even a few months ago when all the kids were going to school for the first time and I was so upset about it all...What would I do with my time?  Then I hurt my back...guess that was answered...I would have prefered a day at the spa...oh well.

Before I got hurt I made a list of some of the things I wanted to do this first year that the kids were in school.  I haven't really done much with it so far.  So I think I will turn part of it into my New Year Goal List.

1. Family History

2. Make quilts for Humanitarian Aid

3. Crock pot cooking / Meal planning

4. Service

5. Learn to sew something simple

6. work harder at having Family Home Evenings

7. scripture study... family and personal

8.  Organize photos

9. Work on Food Storage

10. Raising Chickens

11. Blogging

12. Baking Bread

That should keep me busy for 2010...or for the rest of my life!  There are other goals but I am sure this is more than I can handle.   I hope this year is wonderful.  It will be the year I turn the big 40...I haven't wrapped my brain around that one yet...I am not sure if I ever will or will want to.  When does one feel grown up anyway???  I guess that is another blog topic.  Have a great and happy and safe New Year.

Why do we spend so much at Christmas?

Why exactly do I worry about Christmas?  Why do we spend so much time and effort on finding the right toys?  My kids aren't spoiled by any means but I find it funny that they are done with most store purchased items in a few days.  This is the latest game they have thought up...well it is a version of the pull 'em on the blanket game...the slippery pants made the blanket not necessary.  Without the blanket apparently you can do smaller circles until you both eventually get dizzy and wipe out.   I particularly love the bike helmet...another part of the game and fun is wapping your head off the floor when you finally spin off out of control.  I am glad they thought of the helmet!

So Stressed...

Well...today I am trying not to freak out...trying.  I woke up this morning and my leg hurts again.  Not as bad but yet it hurts the same way...It has only been one week since my surgery...one blissful week of no leg pain.  I am stressed!  I really really really really really don't want to deal with this any longer.  Plus today I am going to the doctor because my blood pressure has been running about 140/100  my pulse has been about 100 bpm.  Usually I would say...oh I hope they don't put me on medicine...now I am like...give me the meds so I don't have to think about it any longer.  Probably the wrong attitude but I am so sick of not feeling right and all the worry.

Plus it is still snowing and we have to travel all the way to Youngstown to the doctor.  I hate driving in the snow...with all the kids...in the doctors office...I am sure my blood pressure will be fine when we get there...ha ha!!

Curtism

After listening me lecture Jacob...it gets quiet and Curtis says "What is Juvy anyway?"  I told him it is where bad kids go... "oh" he said, "like kids that litter?"

Recovery Mode

The operation went well.  Other than me being a complete basket case. No more leg pain.  Now it is just really hard to move because of the incision.  I haven't had to take many pain meds.  Compared to the pain before...this is nothing.  It is hard to do much still...no bending or lifting.  So basically I can mill about and see all the stuff that needs to be done.  That can make me a bit nuts.

Tomorrow is Christmas and I am so happy to be able to spend it with my family.  I am hoping each day I feel a bit better and that this will all be a memory. 

I can't wait to see the kids open gifts tomorrow.  That is one of the best parts. 

Have a Great Christmas!!!

The Last Day

This morning before I was really awake...kind of half in and half out of a dream...I start thinking about my day and what to accomplish.  My "organizing time" if you will.  I thought I could try and make some bread with my new super duper mixing machine...some laundry (undies at least), wrap a few presents, really need to clean the bathroom before someone from Relief Society comes to clean my bathroom, and a host of other things I have been not doing around here because I haven't been able to bend or move real well without pain.  I thought "today is the last day" because tomorrow is the operation and then I won't be able to lift or bend for who knows how long.  So I could do it today..with some pain...I thought.

Then to awake to the realization that today is the day with absolutely NO Pain MEds.  I kinda cheated yesterday.  I couldn't stand it. 

By the time I reached the bathroom and sighed over the pile of laundry covering my floor...I gave up on that idea as I pictured myself literally crawling over mounds of dirty clothes...brushed my teeth in a disgusting sink that someone "forgot to clean" when they were assigned the bathroom chores...and headed downstairs...ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch bleep ouch ouch bleep ouch....by the time I reached the bottom...baking bread was out.  I barely got myself a bowl of cereal because no one has done the dishes in days.  I scored the last bowl and semi clean spoon. Yeah me.

By the time Jacob left...I was done...I was dressed but went upstairs...ouch ouch ouch ouch bleep ouch ouch...and went back to bed for 15 min until it was time for the others to get up.

Time to get back up...I felt blessed to be able to score two pair of clean underware for the kids in less than 10 minutes.  We cheated and bought some new socks the other day...so that was an easy find.

Mostly dressed and ready...Maggie had forgotten her homework...crisis.  Finished in time but couldn't find her mittens.  Running out of time I sent her without them.  The thought of crawling around on the basement floor to look for them (because they aren't put away...get real) was too much.  I know I am a bad mother...I admit it.  Hopefully they won't go outside today, because she is in a skirt (no pants left to wear) with no mittens. 

I am so wanting to do stuff and my back says "oh no your not!"  I hate this so much!!!

Tomorrow is the big day.  I am scared out of my mind and that is an understatement.  I know people get operations every day...I know it is outpatient surgery...I know I am a wimp...I know I probably won't die...probably.  I know that when I wake up I will know that I worried for nothing. 

I hope tomorrow is the start of the end of this very long awful chapter of my life.  Almost 5 months of daily pain and popping meds.  I am tired and sick of being like this.

I am hopeful that today is the last day of this kind of pain.  Everyone says the pain from the operation will be there...but I am ready to trade this back and leg pain away for good. 

Merry Christmas from Our House to Yours

May you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I pray you all have many blessings given you this year. 

To Do List for Today...

1. Bills (Yuck)
2. Wrap gifts and figure out who has what and how many gifts. ( Yuck)
3.  Call the Doctor about what meds I can take before my surgery (yuck)
4. Laundry (double yuck)
5. Clean (yuck yuck)
6. Break down and get a new mop. (maybe depending on the bills this month)
7. Stocking stuffers (once again dependent on #1)
8.  Cash a check (yippee!)
9.  finish paperwork for surgery (yuck)
10. find a picture of Maggie when she was a baby for school.  (Uuuhhhggg)
11. Oh yeah I almost forgot...start refering to surgery as a "procedure."  :) I think that will help me.

I can't think of anything else other than stuff I can't do because of my back.  Paint the foyer, mop the floor, pick up junk.  Clean the basement.  Oh well that will all have to wait...maybe 12 weeks or so. :)

Christmas before Christmas

Here is the Before Christmas Christmas Celebration.  My Mom and Dad came to visit early so we had Christmas together.  The kids love Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa.  Although they get the coolest gifts early and the real Christmas might be will be a bit lamer.  Oh well who can compete with Grandma?  Not us.  We have yet to get out and shop and we aren't really sure of a budget...which really means...we have no money.   Oh well.  That is Christmas with 4 kids!  We are quickly running out of time to shop. The calendar is filling up fast.  I would say...next year I will be more organized...but I will not, because I know myself too well to make such promises.  I hope you all have a happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year.  Can you believe it will be 2010?  Too weird.

New Bed

Steve made me a new bed frame out of old kitchen cupboard doors.  I think it looks nice.  We still have a bit of work to do on the  bottom doors,  but it came out really well.  I love to make old things into something new.  What do you think?

I am thankful...

I am thankful for all the blessings Heavenly Father has given me and my family.

I am thankful for good health.

I am thankful for my four beautiful children.

I am thankful for a loving and supportive husband.

I am thankful for the best parents in the world.

I am thankful for wonderful in-laws who always make me laugh.

I am thankful for a beautiful home.

I am thankful for the opportunity to learn and grow.

I am thankful for the opportunity to serve.

I am so thankful to be a mom.

It is a good life.  For that I am thankful.

Maggie's Baptism

Maggie's Birthday

Happy Birthday my dear Maggie! I can't believe she is 8 years old! Jacob turned 13 the week before...we were all sick so we haven't celebrated his birthday yet.

Sorry it has been too long...

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately. My back has been giving me trouble and sometimes it is hard to sit...or stand...or concentrate... I have a bulging disk in L5 S1...whatever that means. It is causing pain down my leg...OUCH!

Now 3 kids have the swine flu...Maggie probably soon to follow. So we will be down for a bit. Hopefully we will be up and running again by next week or so.

I hate flu!

So much for my plan...

Who doesn't get to eat? The girl who dropped the bowls or the boy who accidently tripped her? So goes my week. Sigh.

Edit your Life...

I am sure I got this idea from someone in internet world...I was so sick of a MILLION dishes every day...all over the counter...all over the table...still in the dishwasher...etc. So I packed them all away. Yes, I am that mean! Everyone gets one plate, one bowl, and one cup. I color coded the cups with zip ties, wrote names on the bottoms of plates with marker, and each bowl has a ring around it of a different color. If you are caught with someone else dish...you are in BIG trouble. If you use your dishes and want something else...wash them yourself. They will be washed in the dishwasher each night.

This has cut down on the amount of dishes but it has cut down on everyone eating a million snacks each day. "I don't want to wash my dish" is returned with "then I guess you aren't hungry"

I am soooo happy. The children however...are not. :)

Boys Letting Off Steam (and one masked girl)

School is just so "school"...sitting and being quiet all day. The boys are ready to let off some steam and play. I am glad it has been (kind of) warm enough to let them run around outside and play when they get off the bus. All that pent up energy is not good in the house.

I am finding this energy isn't easily dispursed during "organized" sports. They really have more fun just playing and hanging out. I think they get more exercise too. It takes a lot of energy to pin down your older brother.
Other than the occasional "that's not fair" or "he hurt me" etc. They get along well and laugh a lot.

This is often followed with a game of "tag" or "star wars"

Hopefully they will all grow up to be great friends. ( Oh yeah and take care of me when I'm old :) )

Random Pictures of the Farm

Curtism

Curt comes downstairs each morning to cuddle and sit on my lap. As we were sitting talking and cuddling...I said to him..."Curt I don't know what I would do without you." He looked at me and said...

"You could play board games."

Soccer Pictures...

Today was filled with soccer, soccer and more soccer. Games at 10, 11:30 and 1:30. The kids were full of sugar, pizza, corn dogs and lunch at Wendy's. I mostly got pictures of Maggie's game. The first one we had today. I was fresher...and mostly spent the last two games going...stop it, quit it, don't touch each other, stop it, quit it...knock it off! So I didn't get many pictures. Oh well there is always next Sat...Uuuugggghhhhh!!!!!!Curt in his uniform...pic for Grandma. Is this ok?

Here is Maggie saving a goal. Trust me it is her. I get too excited to take pictures and cut off her head. It was a great save...and if I didn't cut off her head it would be a great picture. Sorry.

Maggie taking control.

Warm ups.