Sleepover Gone Awry

It has been a weird few days in these parts. I went to have a sleepover with Maria and her girls Friday night while their Daddy was out of town.

It was a beautiful evening so I took a few photos. I have been so lax lately, I feared I would be kicked out of the Grandma Club! 

At home Elise added a pretty new rock to the nature table at the end of their hall. I love that idea. They are always on the lookout for pretty things in nature.

I had a snuggly night with the girls. We watched little girl things on Netflix, enjoyed snacks and simply had a lovely time. At bedtime Cordelia wanted to go to sleep quickly so she could get up and enjoy more time together in the morning. Elise was a different story. She held my hand and chatted. And chatted. And chatted, pretty much up to the moment she dozed off. Sweet.

Maria and I enjoyed mother-daughter time the rest of the evening. It was wonderful. We just don't get enough of that anymore.

In the wee hours, though, things went awry. Elise woke up sick. I don't think she or Maria got much sleep.

In the morning Elise rallied a bit and tried to play outside with the glitter chalk but it soon became apparent she was not yet recovered.

We weren't outside long, though. The wind was bad enough we started worrying about tree limbs falling. I had read predictions of up to 60 mph winds, although I don't know if that really happened. It was really windy

I ended up staying another night. Eric want returning until today and Elise was pretty sick so I just stayed. I was glad I did as Elise needed all of her Mommy's attention as well as a little trip to the ER. (She is much better now. Maria may tell you more about that adventure in a day or so at littlethingsarebig.blogspot.com so check it out then. It isn't my story to tell.

Cordelia went to church with me this morning, even sat up front with the Worship Team. She was so sweet and cute and absolutely angelic. By our last song though, she was really scratching her tummy. As soon as we were done I took a peek at her tummy. Hives!

Yep. She was having a reaction to the antibiotic she was on for an ear infection. Good grief! Instead of going to Sunday School, she and I made a hurried trip to Walgreens for Children's Benadryl.  I dreaded telling Maria, with all she'd already dealt with.  Thankfully, Cordelia asked me to let her tell her Mommy about this herself. 

About noon today I left and came home. Their Daddy was on his way and things were looking up. The girls weren't yet well but all was under control. Still, it felt weird to leave. That is one of the crazy things about being a Grandma. I still feel very much like a mother and as a mother, would not leave my children when sick. But these are my grandchildren and they have a mother who is nearly super human in her ability to stay strong for them. It was time for this sleepover too end.

Get well soon, sweet girls.

Influenza A

I have been home a few days thanks to the flu. I got sick and tested positive for Influenza A. Apparently the vaccine this year had some deficiencies.

Anyway, the flu just isn't fun and rather zaps all of your energy and IT HURTS! This one caused horrendous headaches and body pain. I feel I am past the worst of it now, though. I hope I didn't share it with anyone before I knew I had it.

Friday, my sickest day, I received this sweet video...

In case you didn't understand, Elise said she hoped I felt "bettay".  Elise changes the "ER" sound at ends of words to "Ay" sounds. So bettay translates to better.  She is pretty sweet.

So, I should be back at work and feeling well on Monday. I hope you all avoid Influenza this year!

Get Well Cards

I had the sweetest get well cards in the mail today!

I think this one looks like Cordelia and Elise bringing flowers. I especially enjoy the sun with the streaks of blue sky between each ray. Also, I notice they are both wearing orange. They know I appreciate a happy orange color!

Delightful little two-year-old Elise likes to share her optimism. I love that!

Those girls are such treasures to me.

Orange Candle

This sick stuff is getting old already. I just got up to do a little experiment and was surprised at how exhausting it was. One advantage to being at this stage in my life is that when sick, I don't have to take care of little kids or anything. I can just focus on getting past the fever, aches, cough, etc. without wearing myself out around the house. For all you young parents out there without that advantage... sorry.

Want to hear about the experiment?

I have my phone, my Kindle and my laptop all on or by the bed. Mostly I just had Netflix playing episode after episode of "Bones" but last night I looked at Pinterest. I saw a pin about lighting oranges to burn as candles. Doesn't that sound refreshing! This morning I started breathing a little through my nose again (progress!) and realized that this little room could use some freshening up. I remembered the Orange idea.

I tried and I tried to light my orange but nothing happened. It was a waste of some good Vitamin C if you ask me.  Maybe I missed a vital instruction from the Pin. Maybe I was supposed to pour gasoline on it first or something.

Then!

I had a brainstorm!

I suddenly knew what I could burn like a candle, something with a lovely smell... one of my many candles!  That works. I am eating the rest of that orange!

The View From My Sickbed

When I was hospital-hopping with my Mom last week we both noticed there were a lot of sick people around us. It was almost like sick people were drawn to places like that. Anyway, I prayed that I wouldn't get ill. I washed my hands and used the alcohol gels so much my knuckles started to bleed. That wasn't so bad as it gave me an excuse to run to Bath and Body Works for yummy lotions. I knew that in order to be helpful to Mom I needed to stay healthy, and I did. For that, I was very grateful. 

Today is a different story. Tuesday night I felt like I was developing a sinus infection but by last night I was sick all over. I had to take today off so I don't share this with coworkers and patients. I have taken up residence in our guest room, trying not to share this with Mike. People need him, you know. 

So, what to blog about when you are sick in bed? I looked around me this morning and was enjoying the art in this room. I may have shared some of these with you before but if so, they are worth the repeat.

My mom painted this first one when I was a teenager. I loved how she used a palette knife, giving it a lot of texture. I don't think she actually ever gave me this painting but I pretty much just claimed it. It was probably the first piece in my now extensive family art collection. Possession is 90 percent of the law, right?

This piece is a photograph taken by our son-in-law. I purchased it way back when he was not yet our son-in-law because I loved it.  I still do.

This is another of my Mom's paintings. I expect I borrowEd it and just didn't give it back. She painted it from a photograph of my Grandma Rose. Grandma always, always kept her hair pretty but she really outdid herself when she was wearing it like that. Mom did such a nice job as this looks just like Grandma, right down to that dimple on her cheek. Below the painting is a plate I found in a thrift store in Denver. I just felt happy when I saw it so now it is mine.

The last wall in my sick room is this watercolor by our daughter, Maria. I think she produced this when she was in high school. I was drawn to it! I make up stories about this lady. She is a young singer, still kind of nervous, who is wondering if the audience can tell she is in early pregnancy.  By the way, she has a tremendous voice, sweet but powerful.

So, there you have it, the view from my sick bed.  Now, I need to rest.

Mom's Vacation

Last week my Mom had some adventures. It isn't my story so I won't go into details but I will say that my Mom has a funny way of vacationing. Some people enjoy special attention at a spa but Mom received her special care in an ER followed by some days in ICU. She didn't have to cook or clean or even choose her own clothing each day. That must have been relaxing.

When Mom seemed to be getting kind of tired of the fun she was having at one hospital, she accepted an offer for a 2 hour ride with a comedian in the back of an ambulance. It was actually a trip out of state. Again, she got a lot of special attention. Again, she had people waiting on her hand and foot. They brought her injections, bags of fluid as well as special drinks that she usually did not get to enjoy at home... barium, potassium, etc.

While I was doing the tag-along thing on my mother's vacation, my family at home tried to get their own special attention. At least 3 other family members during that week required medical attention, including 2 trips to the ER. Talk about trying to steal Mom's thunder! We received word of the most recent one just as Mom was finally discharged from the hospital. It upset us both and kind of took the "fun" out of the whole experience. You can read about that situation right here. It is actually kind of a horrible/sweet story so I hope you will hop on over to my daughter's blog for a second.

Anyway.

I think the drama may be over. Mom is recovering well, although a bit worn out. You know how vacations can do that to a person. I am home. Life is getting back to normal. I am doing laundry and it just does not get any more normal than that!

When I first returned to town yesterday I went directly to check on the little granddaughters. I was so sweet to get hugs from Cordelia and Elise. Elise greeted me with, "I'm okay!" She told me the doctor made her all better. I noticed that she pretty much just ignored her broken arm and did fine with just one.

As a special bonus, my niece, Stephanie, and her boyfriend stopped in as well. That was a nice surprise!

So, what did you all do last week? What do you like to do for a little time away from it all?

Get Well

Mom is better! She is much, much better!

I wanted to share with you the get well wishes sent to her by my daughter, Maria, and her little girls.

Ordination Celebration Part 4, Wyoming

...and still continuing with Sunday's presentation for Mike's ordination celebration of 25 years...

When Mike started feeling his work was done in Alamogordo, he heard from or about other congregations but none seemed like where he was supposed to go. THEN one evening the phone rang. I answered and it was a guy named Bob on the line. He made some comment about making "first contact" and I knew he was going to hit it off with Mike. You see, that "first contact" comment came from Star Trek and Mike was most definitely a Trekkie.

So.... on to Casper.  By that time Sam was the only one living at home. He wasn't thrilled about leaving his friends but he was brave.

We found Prince of Peace to be filled with angels!

Mike had his 50th birthday here. Some of you may remember that he was rather cruel to the ladies in this congregation who turned 50 just a few months before him.

Well, we got even as we inducted him into his own little Red Hat Society. Doesn't he look pretty?

One of the most memorable experiences here at this church so far has been the crazy idea of swapping buildings with another congregation.

What an absurd idea, to pack up our congregation and to move to such a big facility!

It was most definitely a God thing!

This photo was taken at one of the several hayrides we've enjoyed at a parishioner's family farm.

The people of the congregations are what Mike's ministry is all about... the people.  Now you will see that I found it hard to edit photos. I found quite a few of sweet people here and I just thought you all would like to see them as well...

Betty and all of us enjoying a picnic.

.   (I am omitting some of the recent photos of kids as I didn't ask permission to put them here)

And here's Renee, in her natural habitat, serving in the kitchen.

(Here I have omitted a photo of my friend, Renee...at her request.)

Mary and Diane look like they were praying but I don't think they were as I don't think I'd be rude enough to photograph during a prayer.

One of the things you may not know about Mike is that he is a photo-hog. I'm not kidding. I was wondering recently, "How many families have photos of him in their photo albumns for weddings, confirmations and such?"

Do you know how hard it is to take a photo of Susanne? This may not be a great photo but it sure captures her spirit. She is always, always working for this church.

The amazing thing is, she has been the only secretary Mike has worked with here and they've worked together for 10 years! That may not seem so unbelievable to you all but consider this... during his 9 years in Alamogordo, Mike went through 9 secretaries! Thank you, Susanne, for putting up with him as he is obviously quite difficult to work with.

Here you have witnessed Mike developing as a grandfather. It has been fun to see "Pastor Grandpa" in motion here.

Mike has had the joy of baptizing our two granddaughters into this congregation.

We've enjoyed a lot of years of Christmas Caroling here, and felt warmed by the parties that followed.

One thing about Mike, he's always so serious about his work...

a pastor does a LOT of teaching.  Here he is teaching the fine art of office golfing with his shepherd's staff...

This is Mike in his favorite fabric... denim.

Mike's parishioners are always so excited to come to church!

I don't know WHAT to say about this photo...

...Or this one...

So... Mike,

For delivering 1500+ sermons, 

for welcoming so many into God's family, 

for braving confirmation students, 

for inspiring preschoolers, 

for caring for the sick, 

lonely and wounded, 

for preparing so many couples for marriage, 

for praying with the dying, 

for comforting the grieving, 

for counseling the hurting, 

for showing God's love to the lonely, 

for sacrificing your days off over and over, 

for being on call around the clock, 

for sharing your strength and insight, 

for your gentle but dependable leadership, 

for sharing your quirky sense of humor 

and for your steady example of letting God guide the way...

We, your flock, say "Thank you".

Notes From Work

I've had a cold this week. I wore a mask at work so I wouldn't share my germs with patients. I had a bit of a coughing fit and a coworker gave me a cinnamon candy to soothe my throat. Later, after more coughing, I realized my mask smelled really nice, rather cinnamony. I just thought you would like to know that.

One of the jokes I put up on my board this week said, "I was addicted to the Hokey Pokey but I turned myself around." Did that make you smile?

People who get motion sickness are more likely to have nausea and vomiting from anesthesia. Because of this, every day, over and over and over, I ask people about motion sickness as I take their health history. Usually, that isn't a very memorable question. One day this week, though, I accidentally changed it up a bit. I asked a MAN, "Do you have any problems with MORNING sickness?" Oops.

THEN, I was looking through some doctor's notes (not one of our doctors) that were in a patient's file. I cracked up when I read this...

    She is a well nourished, well developed male.

Uh, ok.

Sick and Tired

Cordelia has been sick the last few weeks. She had bronchitis, felt better for a few days, then developed a wicked sinus infection. I think she is over the worst of it, though.

Maria mentioned that Cordy has a history of getting sick about this time of year. I guess it is true. I browsed through some photos from last October and found a couple of her when she was recovering from another illness. I smiled because I remembered how she was trying to play, even though she was pretty worn out.

Do you ever feel like that?

Girl's Day Out

Yesterday was lovely. I enjoyed a girl's day out. Maria and I went out of town to visit with my Mom, sister, aunt and cousin. We've been trying to make this trip for weeks but every time I had a day off, something came up. In fact, the last two times we scheduled this trip, we endured snowstorms instead. Anyway, it finally happened!

From the moment we arrived at Mom's house, Elise was ready for adventure.

She wanted to hug everyone and inspect everything. She was especially excited over Mom's cat and dog. They weren't so thrilled to see her but she didn't seem to take it personally.

She just kept on moving!

When my aunt, Michelle, and cousin, Anne Marie, arrived, Elise wanted to have time hugging everyone.



Unfortunately, Cordelia started feeling pretty sick. She remained sweet and adorable but we could all tell she wasn't her usual sparkly self. Anne Marie read books to the girls, which was
perfect for Cordy.






My daughter, Maria, gets a turn snuggling Cordelia. Throughout our visit, Cordy would ask different ones if they wanted a chance to snuggle with her. That was about all she had to give. Even sick, she was sweet as can be.

My sister, Tina, uses a motorized wheelchair. Usually, that is a disadvantage to her when it comes to little ones warming up to her. Not so with Elise! Elise loved it!

She even got Tina to take her for rides, sometimes even trying to "drive" it herself. Thankfully, Tina did not give up the controls. Cordelia, who has always been a bit worried about that wheelchair, decided to go for a ride as well.

She was polite but quickly said, "You can let me get down now."

I love all of these women and it was nice to spend time together. If you haven't already, go back to their names (Maria, Michelle, Anne Marie) and click to be magically taken to their personal blogs. Four out of five of us are bloggers! If my Mom is a blogger, she's still keeping it a secret.

Thanks for a fine day, ladies!