Sunday, February 12, 2006

FREEDOM!

I finally got some "doors" on my schoolroom. Actually, after talking to my dad about installing doors and the different options I had, I decided on putting curtains in the doorways instead. I got sheer curtains with silky stripes. The one in my kitchen is a dark red (to match the chilies) and the one in the living room is a mossy green (to match my eventually-to-be garden room). They work wonderfully. I now have freedom to leave the schoolroom in a bit of disarray without it being an eyesore to the rest of the house. Sometimes we have a big project or a science experiment going on, or something, and you used to be able to see straight into my school room as soon as you walked in the house. Now I have a bit of privacy, when I need it. So far I like the look on the kitchen side, better, with the deep red, but I think the mossy green will look great once I get the living room looking like I want it to. I also picked out some paint colors that will fit what I want. :-) I got a mossy green and a light yellow that coordinate. I am going to stripe them, probably, and then I found a lovely wallpaper for another wall. Eventually I want to put a wicker rocker and a wicker table in there along with a bird cage and a lot of plants. I want to try to bring the look of a closed in patio, into the room. Eventually I will actually have a beautiful patio and I will already have the furnishings for it! :-)

Just talked to my mom on the phone. Emily had accidentally spilled the secret about Shooky Doo and so my mom was asking what she was talking about. She said "Does Emily want a little dog?" I told her "Yes" and she said "that is ALL you need." LOL. As I said.....

Well Kaedra is up now, so I am going to go hang out with her. See you later alligators!

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Trying not to "crash" again!

Tonight I am having an Usborne Party at my house. Just my homeschool group. I didn't think I was going to sell Usborne anymore (because nobody has bought in about a year) but at the recent seminar my friends mentioned it during their speech, so I did get some "bites." I am having tonight's party to see if there is still enough interest to sell. I spend about $20 every 6 months to keep my business running and if I am not making any money, there isn't any point! I am really not interested in a busy party schedule so I have to rely on word of mouth for me to sell. And repeat customers! I am going to make yummy gooey brownies and some other snacks and I am just excited to have my friends over! LOL. As you can see, selling isn't my forte!

Renee (one of our nurses) is training a new nurse tomorrow. The new nurse has a patient in the hospital, so she will not be working here regularly...she will just be here when her patient doesn't need her and as a backup for our nurses. She is going to be working this Saturday, which will probably be actually more of a training session than a free day for me! LOL I wish I could move our nursing hours around the way I want them. I would love to have nursing care ALL day Sunday (so Michael and I could both go to church), ALL day Wednesday (so I could do school in the morning and still go to church at night) and have Friday and Saturday without daytime nursing. Maybe just a nurse coming in earlier on Friday and Saturday nights. Okay, scrap the whole idea, I just want her off the vent!!!! That would make it SOOO much easier. But we would have to keep Linda and Tarry...Linda because we adopted her into the family and Tarry because she quit her job to come help us and I like seeing her so much. So we will keep them, somehow!

Speaking of Tarry, she lent me a spelling book by Mcgraw Hill that looks really good. Brittany is perusing it right now. (yes, I did well on the vocabulary part of the ACT) I am praying about using that or Sequential Spelling or Spelling Power. Brittany just decided she wants to try the McGraw Hill book, but I am still praying. Well, not at the moment...but in general. ;-)

I had BIIIIG plans for everything I was going to get done today. ROFL I was going to do a "crash laundry" day and I ran out of detergent. I was going to do a "crash freezer cooking day" and Michael asked me to wait until he could be here too, to help. (awwwwwwww) I was going to do a "crash scheduling day" and I crashed. I REALLY needed that nap though. :-) I stayed up WAAAY too late last night reading. Remind me not to do that again. Read, I mean. I always get caught up in books! LOL. Some people have their soap operas (although I don't personally know any), some have their Survivor (are you reading this Denise????), some people have their wrestling (yes, honey, I am talking about you) but I have my books....aaaaah, my books. Just thinking about reading makes me dreamy. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz No wait, that is lack of sleep.

Okay, off to get ready for my party and find caffeine. heeheehee

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Fellow rib-kid

This is a news story about a little boy named Collin. Collin's mommy, Sarah, and I have been chatting online for about a year. I just wanted to share this story...they are such a sweet family.

http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060117/LIFE04/601170311/1035

Kaedra's baby steps!

YES!! They happened!! Superbowl Sunday Kaedy took a step toward me, while I was holding her hands and Linda was giving her a little support. Michael came to see her do it and she did it again for him!! Yesterday, she was walking towards Michael while I was giving her support and she took about 4-5 steps!! WOOHOO!!! And last night she did it again with Tonya. We are so pleased and thrilled and we thank the Lord for her baby steps!!! :-)

Also on Superbowl Sunday, she put a cheeto in her mouth. (she does not usually put food in her own mouth). We could tell she got a little bite of it because she kept rolling it around in her mouth. Later that night, she put her hand in my Dr. Pepper and licked it off. Then she put it in and offered it to me to lick off! LOL. These are huge strides in her development...usually she is totally against food and it never gets near her mouth. We are so thrilled that she is venturing out.

She is talking more and trying to put words together. Last night she said "Hi Daddy" over and over. She still hasn't said "Mommy" but I know it is around the corner. I am not worried that she will go to college, still not saying Mommy!! LOL. We worked on a lot of signs last night. She really enjoys learning Baby signs and is very attentive when I am using them. She is not using as many as she has in the past, but she does recognize them and react to them.

We are still due to go to San Antonio for surgery on March 21st. We are on the waiting list, though, in case they have an opening. I can't wait for her to have it done. She definitely needs it. I am almost ready to get the 3T clothes out for her...she is getting SOOO big. And she is only 15 months old!!!!

Ramblings of a mom starved for adult conversation. LOL

I have horrible news! My palm pilot died!!!! Michael had left it on the bed and it looks like Madison (our black lab) might have jumped on it and cracked the LCD screen. The glass itself is not cracked, but under the glass is all cracked. It will probably cost almost as much as my palm pilot to just get the screen fixed. :-( We are waiting to find out, though, so I am pilot-less for awhile! AHHHH!!! Reminder to self: I can do ALL things (even live without my palm pilot) through Christ who strengthens me. I feel "naked" without it. No phone numbers, no calendars, no memos, no mp3s, etc etc. :-( Oh yeah, I can do ALL things....

God is SOOO amazing!! We are back to getting a pool. I am not supposed to say where it came from, so let's just say God has provided one for us. It is a 24' pool! It hasn't been delivered yet, but we are preparing for it. We need to pick the site and kill the grass there and then the Okie people are coming to put flags in where our underground lines are. We should be getting the pool next week. WOOHOO! I can't wait for summer now! I can't even get my mind around having it. It is going to be so much fun. Especially to have cookouts, for the girls to go out and play, and for Michael and I to enjoy in the evenings! WOOHOO! Thank you, Lord!!

School has been going great lately. I have been trying different schedules including putting history first in our day, instead of last. That freed up Brittany to do Math while Emily is napping in the afternoon, so she can concentrate better. It is working out great, still a few little things that need to be tweaked. I am really relying on the Holy Spirit to direct me in this (and all things) and it is so wonderful not having to rely on my self! Our history is Ancient History this year and we are using a Biblical curriculum. It is awesome the things we are learning about Biblical history. We are still only in Genesis, but we have learned so much. There is SO much going on in Genesis, I think some of the other parts of the Bible will go much quicker. Plus, we are actually reading the Bible in chronological order, rather than book order, so we have skipped around some.

My parents are coming to visit in a week. I don't know how long they will be here. They don't know about Shooky Doo yet, so I am praying that will go well. They also don't know about my back, because my mom is a worrier and I hate to make her worry. I am not worried, I know I have the victory!

Teri Kelley and her family came over for the Superbowl. We had a great time. Her family is so sweet and we all get along so well! Michael enjoyed having a guy to hang out with again, it has been a really long time. I wish they lived nearer! Teri wants to start an organizing business but she is nervous starting one on her own. She wants to come and watch me work at Melanie's house and see how to work with people and them maybe work with me someday. She is an organizing "junkie" too! Even though she was here for almost 5 hours, it didn't seem like we had enough time! I feel that way with Tarry Donathan, too. I get to see her twice a week, when she comes to be Kaedra's nurse, but I never have enough time to talk with her. I have always thought she would be a great friend, and she only lives a mile away, but somehow we never had much of a chance...now we do!

Well I have stuff to say about Kaedra, but I will give her her own entry.