Typhoid Martha

I came down with a bad sore throat the other day and was lucky enough to get right in to the Dr.
They did both throat and nose swabs and ran cultures. I have both, Strep throat and the Flu. I am thinking it's H1N1 as he prescribed Tamiflu. I am in Day 3 and still don't feel good. Mainly head, throat and body aches.

I miss my boy. He was always right there with me, especially if was sitting or laying around which I am doing alot of right now.

I sent Jamie to daycare the last two days as per the Dr's suggestion. I guess the thought was she would less likely catch what I have if she wasn't sitting with me all day.

Mike has been taking her out on her bike every day - he got both of our tires pumped up and we all went out on Sunday.

She loves her bike. And her Unicorn Pillow Pet, her Tangled doll and tower and her games. Not so much for the Walking Dog she HAD to have. and the FinFin was fun that one night but she hasn't asked for it again. FinFin is this cute little fish in a fake aquarium that swims around and makes little noises. It is supposed to be trainable and interactive. (IT IS SO BLOODY LOUD!!)

I haven't done much, glad I cooked like a fiend last weekend, we have been eating leftover Lasagna, chili, ham, bean soup from the ham and Beef burgandy. I think we pretty much finished everything off yesterday so I will be cooking some Shrimp and Pasta today I think.

Yup, mainly just resting. I think this is God's way of forcing me to rest. Yup, just get me sick so I will sit.

Happy New Year to you!

A Game Player is Born!

Yes Jamie has been playing Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, Memory game and Hi Ho Cherry O!

Those games are ok once in a while but I have to say they are pretty monotonous. She really excels at the Memory Game, as she beats me most time we play. (this is the game where you play out all the cards face down and pick two at a time trying for pairs). I guess her little brain is fresher at remembering.

A friend had gotten Blokus from a friend, who suggested it for her child who is Jamie's age. She sugggested it as a game that could be enjoyed by parents as well as almost five year olds.

So I bought it as a 'Santa' gift to the whole family. And my Mom bought her 'Go Fish' and "War" Yes these are both card games that can use an actual regular pack of cards, but these are cute with the Toy Story characters as the numbers.

Jamie LOVES playing all three of these games! And me and mom LOVED playing them with her.

Try Blokus for a fun simple strategy game even a almost five year old can play. It's a strategy game that I hope will give her the background knowledge and skills to progress to playing my all time favorite Strategy game Settlers of Cataan someday. In Blokus all you need to know is to put your next piece on the board touching corners of their own color.

Jamie caught on immediately.

Fairy Tales can be Scary!

Christmas is over, the houseguests left this morning. Photos are forthcoming, I need to download from both cameras.

I got a lot of library books last week - mostly picture books to read Jamie. One of them was a beautiful edition of 'The Little Match Girl'. I had forgotten the ending of the story and set about reading it to Jamie a couple nights before Christmas.

When I came to the last page I decided not to finish it...

Do you know the story?

It's about a poor little girl out selling matches shortly after Christmas Day. She is barefoot and afraid to go home to her father who will beat her for not selling any matches. She sits down to rest and lights the matches one by one for warmth and imagines various scenes including a warm stove, a loaded holiday table and Christmas Tree and her loving grandmother who died recently.

She goes into her grandmothers embrace and begs not to be let go.

Then on the last page she is dead.

Wow talk about morbid.

Then because Jamie recently saw Tangled and got Rapunzal doll and tower for Christmas we found the Grimm fairy tale version. Also pretty morbid, but ends more happily.

Here is the final paragraph:

"Thus he wandered about miserably for some years, finally happening into the wilderness where Rapunzel lived miserably with the twins that she had given birth to.
He heard a voice and thought it was familiar. He advanced toward it, and as he approached, Rapunzel recognized him, and crying, threw her arms around his neck. Two of her tears fell into his eyes, and they became clear once again, and he could see as well as before. He led her into his kingdom, where he was received with joy, and for a long time they lived happily and satisfied."

I can see why they were referred to as the Brothers Grimm.

Why is our 1900 sf house so crowded with only four people in it?

My mother and brother in law (s?) arrived yesterday and today I am having difficulty with wrapping and doing the last minute stuff. We have the old crib mattress in our room on the floor and had the gift wrap stuff in the guest room.

I knew I would need to wrap today and there is a large open desk in the guest room. I didn't count on my motherinlaw being out of sorts and needing to lay down.

And Uncle Bruce is 'Skyping' with his new fiance from China in the dining room, but some of the gifts are for Jamie that I am wrapping so that wouldn't have worked anyway.

So we moved the pallet in our bedroom (Uncle Bruce is staying in Jamie's room) and put up a caard table so I can wrap.

Mike took Jamie out to ride her scooter and get her wiggles out and get her out of the way.

So One Peep is sleeping, 2 peeps are scootering, 1 peep is wrappping and 1 is 'Skyping' all through the day!!!

I am stumbling around but all is good. Hope my mother in law feels good enough to come to church with us tonight for the Christmas Eve service.

RIP Truman

Truman wasn't quite 3 yrs old. He was part of a group of three littermates that we adopted from Animal Care and Control when they were a couple months old right around Mothers Day 2008.

He had blocked with FUS (Feline Urological Syndrome which is where their urethra gets plugged up with crystals) about a week ago. After all night catheters and a couple of days at the vet we brought him home last Saturday. This is the third male cat I have had out of four to develop this evil syndrome. I think it must be something in the food water or litter lately. WTH?!

Anyway after picking him up, I was dosing him everyday with pain meds, antibiotics, prednisone and valium. Apparently he is the one kitty in a million with an adverse affect from the valium. He got glassy eyes and was staggering a bit but I figured it was from the pain meds and didn't think anything of it. He stopped eating Sunday and assumed the 'position'. Cats who are in miserable pain tend to hunch themselves up in a bit of a crouch into themselves. He also stopped eating and when I dosed him he vomited up the pills and some bile. That was Sunday late afternoon and we thought he would be ok until Monday morning. We were wrong. The doctor thinks the valium caused liver damage that we were unable to reverse. He stayed at the vet all day and last night and died about 4am. Which was shortly after Mike and I got up to see the eclipse.

My poor sweet boy.

Eclipse was pretty cool

Mike and I both woke up and made it out there to see the Lunar Eclipse tonight. Glad we didn't take Jamie, it was pretty cool, but she wouldn't have appreciated it. And it was COLLLLLLLLLLLDDDDDDDDDDDD BRRRRRRRR!

In memory of my great Aunt Pat

My mothers Aunt Pat died last weekend. She was the family matriarch and loved by us all, especially my mom. My mom talked with her often on the phone and had a close relationship with her. She was my Grandmothers youngest sister and lived to be 85 yrs old. She did not die of old age. It appears she was choking on food at the table at the nursing home and they weren't able to dislodge the obstruction in time. What a terrible way to die. She lived a long and happy life and had four beautiful daughters two of which are pictured here. She was always so kind and loving and I so enjoyed her company. I love you Aunt Pat!

At the Speed of Life

My post title is stolen from my pastors sermon yesterday which really touched a chord in me.

My weeked was very chaotic with my cat Truman plugging up Thursday and having to be rushed to the kitty ER. $1100 later and now I have my cat on $50/bag cat food. Third of my four males cats I have owned to get this Feline Urological Syndrome. *Sigh* He is home now and very neurotic and needy and not liking getting 12-15 pills a day shoved down his throat. Either am I.

Jamie had a Build a Bear event for her BFF's Birthday party, this is her second BAB event and she had a great time with Mike while I picked up and soothed kitty.

Not at all ready for Christmas. Have 2 VERY large gifts in mind for Jamie and Mike, not sure what to do when to get, how to hide etc.

Then there is gifts for coworkers and accounts. I really can't afford this now...on top of teh kitchen and the cat, but I am being told that even if my company has cut back on gifts for our accounts we still should do something...But what?

Four days left til my WONDERFUL 2.4 weeks off for the holidays.

HO :0 :) :0 :) Ho Ho!!!

Whoa I didn't see that coming!

Jamie just made this remark a moment ago (Whoa I didn't see that coming) and like many things she says in recent days it took me aback. This is my four year old! Where is she coming up with this stuff!?