What an end to the year

I am sitting here listening to the police scanner go off telling the local rescue squad where to go and that they will have a snow plow headed that direction to help them get where they are going. Looking out my window, there is maybe 3-4 inches on the ground in my driveway. I am told this is because we live out in the open, the wind has blown most of our accumulation away from us, in town there is 18 inches. In the last 2 days we have gotten that much, preceded by freezing rain and sleet. In short, a mess. We stayed home (not that we could go anywhere anyway) for Christmas, just our little clan. I made my very first prime rib roast, twice baked potatoes, asparagus and cracked out cheesecake. We sat as a family and ate. It is so easy to forget to do simple things like that. The kids spent all day playing with their new stuff and Mike & I were totally lazy. It is killing him today though, he has gone to town twice, burned the trash, and is trying to find a shovel to scoop out the driveway. Chick and 411 have gone through their clothes, getting rid of all the too small and just don't likes. And I am going to go make chicken and dumplings.... Something with a certain stick-to-your-ribs quality!a> In the meantime, here are a few pictures of recent festivities.

The Great Tree adventure '09

We decided this year we would go cut down our own Christmas tree thanks to a leaky basement ruining the fake one (lil blessing in disguise!) So we loaded up our family and Chelles and went to the tree farm. Didn't put two and two together that a foot of snow 4 days earlier would probably still be on the ground....

















Mr gave up and wanted Mike to carry him. I am surprised this picture turned out ok, I was laughing so hard. Poor little guy was up to his chest in some spots.
















So we found one that we liked and gathered everyone up to take a picture....

Then we changed our minds and Mr refused to do anything but be carried.

The pre-cut trees at the house were so much easier to get to and transport!!

There was this really cool old church I HAD to get pictures of. It always makes me a little sad when I see old buildings just rotting away like this but it made an awesome backdrop!

Coming soon: pictures of the Christmas program '09!

A tale of my days....

So I spent all day yesterday wrapping packages for under the various Christmas trees at work. I thought I was kickin' butt doing it too. Till I realized that it had taken me ALL day to do it. To be fair to me, I was interrupted to go do other things a time or two. The district manager was there and she told me I was crazy because I like to wrap gifts. I will admit 10 hours of it was a bit much. :)
Bubba's procedures went fine, he was in a hurry to get it done so he could eat. Poor little guy had to stop eating Monday night and didn't get it done till Wednesday @ noon. That seemed like forever. I think he has finally stopped hoovering everything in sight.
Chick got four of her teeth pulled. She wanted me to stop and get her all this food that she couldn't eat. She doesn't get to go to the city as much as everyone else and she was sooo disappointed. I couldn't see doing it when she couldn't eat it though, fast food is NASTY reheated.
411 got her Girl Scout nut money turned in finally. I was really lazy about taking her to sell them and she still sold over $200 worth of stuff. She is a natural seller. Or everyone knows how good the stuff is.
Mr goes into a reading class to help him catch up speed wise with his classmates. He is starting to really enjoy it, he finally caught on that if he learns to read, he doesn't have to ask 'what does that say?' . I can always tell when he hasn't done his "homework" for her though, he doesn't want to go to reading that day. I have to make time every night to listen to him read his two books. It gets to be frustrating when I don't get home till 8:30 or 9 but I am the mom :)
Today I have to go to work, we are bringing Santa back to the Brandeis. Apparently, that used to be a huge deal back in the day. I was amazed when we were out handing out flyers for it how many older people remembered going to the Brandeis to see Santa and were totally jazzed to bring their grand babies. I am really thankful that I don't have to wear the elf suit.

Feeling overwhelmed

I have been getting alot of grief lately for not updating. I know I am slacking, there is just a lot going on right now and I feel under alot of pressure, it doesn't make me too chatty. To give lay it out there, I changed to a day time position that I am confident I can do once I have all the means to do it. The kicker is though, I am getting bits and pieces, lots of 'O, I didn't tell you?' things. Kind of frustrating. We are looking for another house because we have decided this one really isn't going to work for us, so once again we are looking at moving in the middle of winter. Great. Bubba has to have a colonoscopy (sp?) and upper GI scope tomorrow. Nerve wrecking. Chick has to have four baby teeth pulled to try to make room for her permanent ones to come in tomorrow. Groovy. Trying to think of something cool for all my kids for Christmas when all I want to do is sleep. Aggravating. I have 3 quilts I am supposed to be making and I just can't get inspired. Poor poor me, I know I am wallowing. Sometimes you just got to take a minute to assess where to start.

On a lighter note, our good friend/brother/pain in the ass BEB (or Snatch, as he is known) was here for the Thanksgiving holiday. It was really good to see him and his son again. He drove 10 hours to get here, stayed 3 days and drove 10 hours back. He says it was worth it. It must be a guy thing, I HATE driving long periods like that.

So that is what is going on, now, aren't you sorry you asked? ;)

Better late then never

I think I am in trouble, she is rocking the vampira look!






















Superman away!!






















Zombie's attack Iowa, aaaahhhh!























My little fairy. You can't see it but she was GLITTERY!

a minute to sit

I actually have a minute or two to sit down and tell ya'll what I have been up to. Not a whole lot to be truthful. Trying to get Mikey to go to a class so we can get re-licensed for foster care. I thought we were signed up for one today and it turns out we weren't so I have 4 hours to do what I want. Hmmmmmm...
I am working on a Christmas gift, realized that maybe starting early would be beneficial with the way things are going. It seems there just is never enough time to get anything done after I sleep all day. I really am understanding why everyone wants a day job. Having people to talk to is nice. Having a similar shedule makes communicating a ton easier. I am keeping my fingers crossed that something will come up where I can move to days.
We are going to a family get together at my sister in laws tonight. I made a coconut cake and artichoke dip. It is a yummy combo. Just kidding, the dip goes with the beer bread that Chick made for me. I have never made a coconut cake before, I am excited to try it.

Fascinating story

I was sent this story in an email and went to Snopes.com to see if it is true. They say that it is. AMAZING!

http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/sendler.asp

It is the story of Irena Sendler, a woman who was nominated for the Nobel peace prize in 2007, and how she rescued over 2500 jewish people during world war two. She just died at the age of 98 recently, fascinating.

Hadleigh Ann Griffin

This is Haddie. She was born with HLHS. Basically the left half of her heart didn't work. The doctors discovered it when her mom was 28 weeks pregnant with her. The doctors told her that she probably wouldn't survive being born. She survived. She needed 3 surgeries to repair her heart. They took her off to the first surgery and warned her parents that she might not make it. She survived. They warned her parents she might not make it to her first birthday. She survived. Last spring the doctors told her parents that a heart transplant was her only option for survival. She survived. Yesterday afternoon, Hadleigh Ann lost her battle against HLHS, four days after her second birthday.

These days

So we finally got to have our sister breakfast for me this past weekend. I got a really cool digital camera and an MP3 player I never would have bought for myself. I had a lot of fun as usual but I am not sure how things will progress in the future. Kinda sad.
The kids are all doing well in school, I have to take Chick to get 4 teeth pulled. She still has 12 baby teeth in her head and the orthodontist is hoping having these teeth removed will motivate the permanent ones to come on down. Needless to say, she is less then thrilled with this development. I can't blame her but at 15, we need to get the ball rolling.
Bubba finally got into the pediatric gastro-intestinal specialist. She gave him a bunch of 'softeners' and we haven't had a problem since. He was backed up almost to his small intestine, which is most unhealthy. Now we just have to figure out why.
411 is selling girl scout nuts and chocolates again. I hate it.
Mr is adjusting to first grade. He is getting a little extra help in reading so he is finally understanding that once he learns how to do it, he can read everything. Great. No more spelling things out.
We might have some great news soon, keep your fingers crossed for us!

Tired

I am adjusting to working the night shift (from 11 pm to 7:30 am) an hour away. I am doing better, at least I am getting more then 3 hours sleep per day now. It is still hard though because there is stuff that has to be done during the day like doctors appointments, grocery shopping, hardware store shopping, meetings etc. I enjoy my job but think I would like it more during the day, but it was my choice to take the hours. I will suck it up and am hoping to eventually get totally adjusted. eventually.

I rolled off my chair!

Awhile ago I received a really funny email that had pictures of people in Wal mart ( Wal mart proves God has a sense of humor). I just found out there is a whole website dedicated to the hilariousness. WWW. PEOPLEOFWALMART.COM There are about 150 pictures of random people/things that you would only find at a Walmart.

wow

There is a woman in Tennessee who is having a very bad year. She is friends with BEB, i got to meet her and her boyfriend (now husband) this summer. She is raising 5 kids, with no financial support from her first husband, four of whom they adopted together. Both her mother and father passed away within a couple of months of each other this year. Now, a sixty year old woman crashed her car into Donna's house. It is condemned and they have to find somewhere to stay with all 5 kids till the insurance can get it all straightened out. This is bad enough, then you have idiots like this one.............

chickenshift wrote:
this house has pool out back.. nice lawn furniture, four or five cars. always got out lots of xmas decorations. etc. not hard up for money..

posting remarks like this on the local newspaper's website. Seriously? Does the fact that they are providing a nice home for their kids make it any less tragic that they are for all intents and purposes homeless unexpectedly through no fault of their own? Her home is in the middle of the block and set back away from the street a little way. How much money she has, how nice her home is, what kind of cars are there, none of that matters. And morons like this guy are why I say STUPID SHOULD HURT.

A new favorite

While shopping for groceries the other day, I thought to myself, we haven't had bagels with cream cheese for a long time. I adore the flavored cream cheeses and it's a treat they kids love. SO I cruise on over to the dairy section and find...... Spinach and Artichoke cream cheese spread from Kraft. Now might a good time to mention I also adore Spinach Artichoke dip appetizers when I go out to eat. Finding this combination was AWESOME! My children and husband think I am nuts, they so don't get it. I am telling ya'll, spread some of this yummy stuff on a warm and toasted bagel and I am melting!

seriously

I have had a rather rough re emergence to the productive faction of society. Another words, it';s been rough since I started working. First, I am having a terrible time adjusting to sleeping all day. I wish I could remember what it was like as a teen, these hours were the norm then. I get off at 7 am, get home about 8 usually and fall asleep around 9. Then I wake up anywhere from 11 to 1 sometimes 2 if I am really lucky. I didn't think I needed a lot of sleep but apparently, I missed the memo that tells me all the fun stuff about getting older. So, as I am cruising down the desolate gravel road on my merry way to the highway that takes me to my new job, I am thinking in my head all the stuff that I should have gotten done that day and what I can cram into the next, when I miss the slow your butt down spot and hit a 20 mile an hour curve at like 40. On loose gravel. Yeah... guess what I found out? An '07 Dodge Caravan will NOT fly over a cornfield and land gracefully. It goes CRASH, BOOM and there are 2 airbags in front of the driver. One is in the steering wheel and one is in the column to protect your legs. That one hurts like a dickens, FYI. So I had to call my husband and tell him that I wrecked our minivan. I started the call by telling him "you are going to be so pissed but don't be mean to me" and he was pretty great about it. Of course now I have to listen to "it's not harvest time yet" and "I didn't know Dodge made a combine". The insurance company totalled the van, when I get the picture ( I just got one, that is another story) I will have to share, to look at it, there wasn't that much damage. Till you looked under the hood, where the radiator was supposed to be there was corn stalks and mud and a little grass. The radiator was shoved against the engine so hard, it broke the motor mounts. Apparently, those are necessary. :) I felt so bad, especially when Mikey is back to driving his old truck after just getting his new baby a couple of months ago. Then I hit a deer. I still stand by my statement, it was a suicidal deer. I cracked up the grill on Mike's baby and he is fully on board with finding a little gas car for me to drive. I think the thought of another scratch is almost too much for him to bear. And really, I don't wanna keep the two of them apart, it is almost heart breaking to watch.

something different..

SO this weekend we are down at the river and we whipped out the ol' turkey fryer and made the most unhealthy meal. We fried chicken. We fried onion rings. We fried cauliflower. We fried Zucchini. Noticing a pattern? It may have been non calorie friendly fare but it was sooooo good. Here is the thing though, our family tends to over do it when it comes to get togethers food wise. We had a ton left plus dessert (I'll tell ya'll about that in a minute). The veggies weren't so good the next day but the chicken was crusty happiness. Fried chicken is one of my very favoritest things on the planet. I have a deficiency making it though, I have to have supervision. Anyway, we brought home ALOT so I was thinking, what could I do with this? My first inclination is to make COLORFUL CHICKEN SALAD but I am the only one in my house that likes it. :( Then I remembered seeing a recipe for MEXICAN CHICKEN MANICOTTI. I made that and let me tell you, it was de-lish! Everyone liked it, the boys even asked for seconds, something totally unheard of.
The story about the desert. In this family we make this stuff called NEXT BEST THING TO ROBERT REDFORD, it is a pecan/shortbread crust, a sweetened cream cheese layer, a pudding layer and topped with whipped cream. It is a staple at get togethers. Mr absolutely adores this dessert. Aunt Deanne thought she was going to get out of making it, but he quickly corrected that notion. You know those huge roasting pans that is like double a cake pan size? She made one of those and after we all gluttoned ourselves on all the fried stuff, we had a piece. There was ALOT left of that though, too. So Sunday morning Mr wakes up first and goes outside the camper to play. He was merrily digging in the huge hole on our lot with the kids next door so Mike and I dozed and rested and enjoyed a quiet, lazy morning. Mr comes in after awhile and tells us how his day is going. He tells us that he threw some paper towels in the fire ring to restart the fire and he got Robert Redford for breakfast. He got a BIG piece and it was good he says. He was so proud of himself, Mike and I had a hard time not giggling at him. We brought everything home and Mr had another piece because he was starving and that would make his tummy feel better. After dinner, he had ANOTHER piece for dessert. There isn't that much left now.



MEXICAN CHICKEN MANICOTTI

1 8oz package manicotti shells
2 C. cubed cooked chicken
2 C. (8 oz) shredded monterey jack cheese, divided
1 1/2 C. (6oz) shredded cheddar
1 C (8oz) sour cream
1 small onion, diced, divided
1 can (7oz) chopped green chili, divided
1 can (10 3/4oz) cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 C. salsa
2/3 C milk

Cook mancotti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chicken, 1 1/2 cups Monterrey jack cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, half the onion and 6 Tablespoons of the chilies. In another bowl, combine soup, salsa, milk, and remaining onion and chilies. Spread 3/4 cup in greased 13in x 9in x 2in baking dish.
Drain manicotti; stuff each with about 1/4 cup chicken mixture. Arrange over sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over shells.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle remaining Monterrey jack cheese over top. Bake additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.


NOTES: Obviously, this recipe can be adjusted for heat preference: use pepper jack cheese, hot salsa etc. I am a sissy and used Monterrey jack and cheddar marble with a mild salsa. Actually, it was a homemade salsa that my sister in law Kathy gave me that she had made. The only thing I thing I will tweek next time I make it is to use jumbo shells instead of manicotti shells, I didn't' like stuffing them. I got the recipe out of a Taste of Home magazine from 2006.

What a difference a few days make.

The kids slipped right back into their school routine, even with changing up who is getting them up in the AM with little trouble. I started a new job, had to train a couple of days and tonight I start the overnights. It is going to be a good schedule fit, it's weird to be going back to work after around 15 taking care of kids. I wonder if I will still get the comments about how I need to get a real job.... EEWW a little bitterness there. Anyway, I think it is going to be a good thing.
Today is school picture day. One week exactly after school starts. Homecoming is October 2nd, it seems like stuff just gets earlier each year. But, like my daughter tells me, "you've been out of school for like forever, you just don't know what it's like". I remember saying something similar to my mother. I remember her laughing. I understand that laughter now. It is true, things have changed alot but some things don't. There is still that kid that is miserable and loves making everyone else miserable. There is still the one that everyone loves but is secretly so jealous of. Still have those few souls that just don't fit anywhere. Somethings stay the same.
Mike is doing well, they are staying so busy at his job. It is really something to be thankful for when so many people are losing their jobs and have to start all over again.
I was talking to my mom yesterday, my uncle has prostate cancer. We aren't sure how advanced it is or where he's at as far as treatment. I bring this up because it's one of those things you hear about but think in the back of your mind, oh that is someone else problem, not mine. So, as my service announcement for the day, get your yearly physicals and tests done people. It is amazing to me how many people say ' I need to get this or that checked' and then don't. It isn't like a car, you can't just go buy a new body. Maybe someday we can. OOOO there is a happy thought, I'll order the size 8 with curly hair and perfect vision with great teeth. Hmmmmmm.........

RJ's Quilt

It's as off beat and fabulous as her. Almost.

First day

Of First grade




















Of 4th grade





















Of 6th grade





















And of 10th grade

Let me tell ya...

Yesterday was my 35th birthday. Every year it is really kinda a bummer because I am an adult and you just never get that huge deal made out of your day like you did when you are a kid. I know this but I still get really excited that maybe someone will do something super special just for me on my day. I know, we do the sister breakfasts and I get REALLY spoiled when it is my turn. BUT I am at least part toddler because I still hope that my day is MY day. Ya know? I woke up and Mikey had made a special trip to town to get me a fountain pop and a cinnamon roll stick thing. Two of my faves, not healthy in the least, YEAH! In the afternoon, I took my two niece's up to the city so they could spend their hard earned babysitting money on a gift certificate for their parent's anniversary. Which just happens to be the same day and did I mention that one of these niece's birthday is also the 13th? I thought it was so cool of them, how could I not help out? To thank me for my chauffeur skills, they bought me a bag of LINDT White Chocolate Lindor Truffles. OMG!! Love these, Godiva now has to share my heart with Lindt. SO, while I am out driving my teenage family around, my friend RJ made a surprise visit to drop off a gift for me from her and Shawna. I was so sad I missed her/happy I got a gift/surprised that they thought to do something. It was a Post Secret book! As you all know, I have this little fascination with Post Secret and that is what made this gift so much more to me. I cried ya'll. Just a little bit cuz I was overwhelmed with emotion but still.
Speaking of emotion, I do not understand people who can't understand how their actions directly affect other people's emotions. Or, actually, how one can deliberately hurt another human emotionally because they think it is a game. I am actually kinda ok with not understanding the whys and hows of that type of behavior because I think one would have to be broke somewhere to 'get' it.
The kids are almost back to school. I have 5 days left of them being home all day. I love my children but am soo ready for them to be learning again. I still need to get back packs, a binder, a scientific calculator, and a whole bunch of lunch supplies. It will be worth it though for daytime quiet. Which I will start to need very soon. I got an overnight job, Mike is not the least bit happy with it. I figure, I have no work history for the last 15 years, no work references, no marketable skills, I have to take what I can till I can acquire a couple of these. The hours will work out well, I will be available during the day if there is doctor appointments, early outs, sick kids, etc and I won't leave till everyone is in bed for the night anyway. SO I am on my way to being a productive member of society.
I had my foster license renewal visit today. The lady seemed surprised that I hadn't had a placement since August. I told her well, I won't take teenage boys so no, no placement. I don't' think a teenage boy would be a good idea with a 15 year old daughter. She agreed with me.

So so

I have taken a little break from working on the fabulous quilt. It is doing things all on it's own that I am trying to figure out how to work with. Chick came home from her annual adventures, complete with double ear infection. That makes for a happy teen.
I registered the kids for school today, two weeks till it starts. Bubba is going into 6th grade, 411 is a fourth grader, Mr is in first and Chick is my sophomore. From one to ten, I spread them out pretty good I must say.
I am procrastinating, I am supposed to be cleaning my camper out for our grand adventure this weekend. Mikey brought it home and washed the outside, I didn't realize how nasty it was. Sitting for a year and a half under mulberry trees will do that I spose. Good excuse to strip it out and put new bedding in, make sure all the pans and utensils are in place, and load up the new tv and dvd player since we keep forgetting to do that.
The next sister breakfast is in a couple of weeks, I am so looking forward to it. I am TIRED of the whining and arguing and sassyness. I am really thankful for these get aways.

a little bit more

I am so loving this project! There isn't a pattern, my only restraint being not using a certain color. I sneaks in there occasionally but all in all, not much. This is about half done, best I can figure. The downside being, I have to quilt it to a batting and backing then do a binding. I am not quite as scared of the binding as I was but not looking forward to the stippling (quilting it together). My lil ol arms get tired, ya'll!

sneak peek

This is the start to a lap quilt I am making for a certain artistic friend of mine....

winding down

so, all my trips are taken, all the company is gone, and school is starting soon. Matter of fact, I have to register my children on the 5th. It just gets earlier every year. Then we have to get school shoes/clothes/supplies. Let the fun begin.
Chick is ready to come home. She goes to her dad's family every summer and they spoil her rotten. She is treated like visiting royalty then comes home and is grouchy when reality comes crashing in. Apparently, she is not liking her visit this year as much because within 2 weeks she was ready to come home. She hasn't even seen everyone yet. She is fifteen now so maybe that is playing a part too. Fifteen, wow, how did that happen? I know, there is lots more to come, it takes me by surprise sometimes. I mean, yesterday she was wanting to go play with the 'germs' (German children in the neighborhood when she was four) and now I have to get her homecoming gowns and class rings. AND I have three more people to make this journey with.
My mother is getting ready to move. She was living at my grandmothers house and now that she has passed, mom is ready to get out of there. I am ready for her to get as far away from Missouri Valley as she can. Probably not very mature of me but I do not like that town. Lots of shady politics. So I imagine I will be enlisted, no, not imagine, I KNOW I will be enlisted to help. And I do so gladly.
Bubba went to the prostedontist (sp?) yesterday to get impressions for his over dentures. Poor kid, he is 11 and will have to wear them because his permanent teeth will never come in. He has 2 permenant teeth and has no molars, I feel kinda bad I hadn't noticed that till the regular dentist pointed it out. They are a little different from regular dentures in that they go over his existing teeth. They don't want to pull teeth unless they have to because without the teeth there, the jawbone starts to shrink and that will cause problems later in life. He really fought it, was kinda depressed about the whole thing. I think once he gets used to them, he will wonder what the big deal was.

Ed Freeman

I recieved this in an email and checked it out on Snopes.com. It is a true story and one that I thought is pretty damn cool.

You're a 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley, 11-14-1965, LZ X-ray, Vietnam. Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8-1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the Medi-Vac helicopters to stop coming in. You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is half way around the world-12,000 miles away-and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day. Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear that sound of helicopter, and you look up to see an un-armed Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because no Medi-Vac markings are on it.
Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac; so, it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come.
He's coming anyway.
And he drops it in, and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 2 or 3 of you on board. Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire, to the doctors and nurses. And, he kept coming back, 13 more times and took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out.
Medal of Honor Recipient, Ed Freeman, died August, 2008 at the age of 80, in Boise, ID. May God rest his soul.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/freeman.asp here is a link to check out the whole story.

What I have been up to..

Stocking for Aubree, I have had it done for weeks now, just now getting it sewn.




















From this....






















to this.....






















This is the quilt I am donating for Hadleigh's benefit dinner/dance/raffle.




















This is the back, it is much more burgundy in person but I like the effect of the white herats regardless.

pix!!

I finally got my camera and my puter communicating again. Here are a couple of shots from the party Saturday to welcome BEB back to the states.....

Quiet

So all my company bailed within an hour of each other today, like within an hour of each other. SO I have a few hours of relative quiet. I pulled the quilt I have cut out and got that laid out. I have four rows done and six more to go. I think it is going to be cute, hopefully help Hadleigh's benefit!

Which, I spose, I should share info so ya'll are not lost. My niece Hadleigh, who is a year and a half old, needs a heart transplant. She was born with HLHS which roughly means her left half doesn't work. There is a three part surgery to work around it, she has had the first stage. She developed pulmonary hypertension to add complications. She went in to see if she was ready for the second stage and ended up hospitalized for the last month. At one point the doctors said her only hope at living was a heart transplant, her body won't handle anything else. Then the specialists that would be doing the transplant refused her saying her antibodies are too high and she would reject a new heart. SO now she has had a pacemaker implanted till they can do the second stage surgery. A heart transplant would still be the best option but with all the other complications, this is what the doctors feel is her wisest course at this point. With all that being said, her mother can't work due to Hadleigh needing constant care, her father is out of time he can take off at work, they just bought a house a couple of months ago and the bills are piling up. They are a young couple who are doing the very best they can in an extremely frustrating situation. They have a three year old as well and just found out she is pregnant again. We are having a benefit to help them out financially because, honestly, all they should have to stress about is whether their little girl is going to live. There should be an easy button for situations like this. There isn't so we are doing what we can. There is a poker run , a scrap booking night, and a dancing/dinner/raffle. That is what I am making the quilt for. Local business' have donated cash and prizes to be raffled off. One lady on Whimp's message board sent a gorgeous prayer blanket and a box full of donations. Mike's work is matching employee donations dollar for dollar. I am amazed at the generosity of the human spirit sometimes. I have seen some of the stuff that is going into the raffle, I am saving my money to buy tickets! So, if you are in the southwest Iowa portion of the country on the 25th of JULY, come on out to the Mineola community center around 6 and help out a good cause!!

The Fourth

I am so boring, my company just snoozes...














I love the skeptical look on RJ's face. She KNOWS Mikey is full of it!

















Sitting relaxing with the in laws.
















Everyone needs a good campfire.

















Food? Check. Fireworks? Check. Seeing how many cousins we can put in a hammock? Check!

Welcome home BEB!!

Mike and G'Pa Gleichman on the bus
















Me and G'ma Gleichman waiting for the yelling to begin...

















There he is, our BEB, in the right country at last!


















And just for Shawna....

time is flying

Mostly because I am having fun. The trip to Arizona went very well, there are rumors of it being an annual occurrence. I haven't mentioned that to Mikey, I'll work up to it :) We were supposed to make our trek to welcome home Snatch Friday but they changed his flight date til next week. We are still going, Mikey told his boss that he was going to need so many days in between such and such date because we know how the military loves to change it's mind. I am getting super excited to go, days with no kids and just my hubby, it will be good for us to get away. We return just in time to have a fourth of July celebration. The next week Snatch will be up here so of course we will have a get together. The week after that our nephew and his long term girlfriend will be tying the knot. Our lot is definitely getting full use made of it this year. There is something going on all the time this summer.
We are meeting Chick's Grandma on the way so she can go for her summer visit. She wants to go visit her cousin in Arizona (which ironically, I was an hour away from) in July. I am not sure if she will get to go, apparently there is some logistics problems. I made her coordinate everyone this year to try to push responsibility. It sorta worked. She didn't start making the calls till she found out all the kids were going to my mothers while Mike and I are gone. Not that she doesn't love mom, it has more to do with being in close proximity to her siblings. She is used to being spoiled all summer (cuz that is the only time that side of the family sees her) and that is so much more fun then having to share.
Mr gets to go to summer school. He is not liking it at all. He didn't care for regular school so I probably could of guessed this reaction. He has 2 more days after today. If he would quit being so stubborn..... yeah, then he wouldn't be him.
The community is holding a benefit for Josh Hill this weekend, we will be unable to attend but I am sending our donations in tomorrow. I think it is really great how people are rallying to help one of their own.
Hadleigh is still in the hospital, she is feisty and that is a good sign. They had her sheduled to place a pacemaker but she got a staph infection. The baby girl is due for a break soon.

Ta da

The latest editions, Noodles (on Chick) and Biscuits (beside her).
















The latest quilt, all clipped and washed and fuzzied up.

















A close up of the flower. Now that it's done, I am not groovin on it. I ran out of the fabric I was using so I decided it would look ok with the patchwork look. I am wishing I hadn't done that but live and learn. And the tulips look like dinosaur footprints. I know I am being hyper critical but that is my job :)

I have to remember to breathe

SO I have less then 55 hours till RJ and I are in Shawna's hood. I am really looking forward to it. I think they might be just as excited to be reunited, but I could be mistaken ;)
Mikey had to go on a business trip to Texas for three days. His return and my departure might not overlap so chances are I won't see him till Friday night. He really missed me when I was gone for 4 days, we'll see how he handles 5 :) I need to publicly express my eternal gratitude to the fabulous Whimpy for easing my mind and taking my boys till there is an adult here again. My mother is taking 411 for her annual summer visit so that worked out nicely.
Miss Hadleigh had a great up turn, her heart was beating all on it's own. This morning, she has a fever and is relying on the pacemaker again. She is hanging in there though, and fighting hard. A cause has been started on Facebook called Praying for Miss Hadleigh (or something similar) and I am touched that so many of my friends that have never met her or anyone from this family for that matter have joined the cause. I knew they are good eggs. She needs all prayers and good juju she can get.
The local community is having a garage/bake sale benefit for Josh Hill the weekend of the 27th. All the proceeds are going to help pay for the massive medical bills the family is accruing. It is the town's annual celebration and there is usually a lot of extra people in town. Anyway, I must give a shout out to RJ for having the courage to face her storage unit and donate 4 moving boxes of items to the sale. Thanks so much. I am wondering around seeing if there is anything I can get rid of, I mean donate. Normally I would bake a bunch of stuff to help out but....
Snatch gets to come home early!! We will be taking a trip to meet his plane in a week and a half. I am really excited to be there. I am going to be a bawling fool, deployments and reunions are SOOOO emotional. OOHH I need to get his sheet painted!!
I promise to take alot of pictures of my various adventures. Boy, the rest of the summer is going to be boring.....

THe whole Fam Damily

Look, everyone is showered, in the same vicinity and wearing respectable clothes. That doesn't seem to happen very often around here so I had to share the documentation of this momentous event. It is hard to believe my camo dude is older then 411 by 18 months looking at them together.

new quilt

this is the back















this is the front, pre clipped

















this is a close up of the flowers since it's kinda hard to see...

So.....wow

Ok, things have gotten really unusual around here. I mean, usually, there is nothing going on worth talking about really. That doesn't stop me but you know what I am saying. So, this week, a couple of brothers from the local high school got into a car accident. Turns out both of them were on the Washington DC trip. The older one is "temporarily" paralyzed and the other one is home already.

Then my niece's baby girl, Hadleigh, took a turn for the worse. She was born with half a heart, one side quit working while she was still in the womb. There is a 3 surgery protocol for this health issue. She has had the first surgery and they were waiting till she was stronger/older to do the second stage. In the meantime, they discovered that she has pulmonary hypertension to add to her troubles. She is a year and a half and still has a feeding tube because she can't keep solids down. It was getting better but now, her levels are all off, her oxygen isn't looking good, they can't proceed with the second stage. The only option for Miss Hadleigh Ann is a heart transplant. Which, we have found out, they only do on infants in St. Louis and somewhere in Pennsylvania. Omaha Childrens hospital got on the phone with St. Louis and they refuse to put her on the waiting list for the transplant till her various numbers get to where they want them. The poor thing has had surgery and two procedures done in the last week. She is a fighter and we are all rooting for her to get where she needs to be to get a transplant.

So, last night, my sister in law had to take her husband down to the hospital because his gall bladder attacked him. what a week.

a few more

I loaded 342 of my pictures and over 100 of celeste's so I am picking through and trying to find the most interesting. I will share as I get a minute or two..


I have no idea what building this is but isn'[t it cool?































Here is the whole group on the first day. The yellow was a WONDERFUL thing through the airports and the more crowded tourist spots.



















One of the 3 pictures of me.

The inside of the dome in the capitol. Did you know that if you took the statue of liberty off her pedestal she would stand in dome from floor to peak and her torch would not touch? FYI....

the dome of the capitol