(And my cousin. I picked this photo, because my cousin's birthday is the day after my mom's, and we always celebrated them together. So Happy Birthday to Karen, too.)
This is my great- grandmother, Anne, from whom I was given my middle name. I think my mom looks like her in this photo.
But not so much in this photo.
The bride and groom.
A handsome couple.
Her children and grandchildren, who call her blessed.
She loves spending time with her family at home or on a trip.
Snuggling with a grandchild is also at the top of her list of favorite things.
She is also willing to be a little crazy.
Or a lot crazy, you know. (But not to out do her husband.)
I am quite thankful for my mom. She has passed on a sense of family value. She always had a home cooked meal for us. My mom passed on great recipes as well. My favorite is, for dinner, her beef stew, and for an afternoon snack, warm homemade applesauce and chocolate chip cookies. Yum!
She always has a listening ear and is willing to lend a hand. If she sees something that needs doing, she'll do it.
My mom encourages others. Including my friend.
All she has passed on to my brother, sister and I, is also passed on to her grandchildren.
My dad is a tireless worker. He always has a project going on. Lazy or procrastinator could never be used to describe him. He doesn't complain, just keeps working.
Sometimes he has help.
He works in his garden, fortifying it to preserve the produce from varmints. He grows enough beans and tomatoes to can for the coming fall, winter and spring.
He loves his grandchildren. And wears their birthday crowns.
And holds them when they ask. They love to see their Poppop.
My dad is a man of character. He can fix practically anything. He can be quite animated. I look up to him. He is an example for me to follow. He's my dad. Happy Birthday. I love you.
I was thinking today of my previous posts about our house. And thinking that one might just get the impression we do not like it and in fact regret buying it.
In actuality, I am more upset with the sellers and the state in which they left the house. And I feel cheated and lied to by them because of the condition of the house and items they left.
It isn't the house's fault the sellers didn't take care of it.
"Thou shalt not commit adultery." Although the ancient Hebrews restricted understanding of adultery was rather limited, we Christians have a much broader sense of the word. And before reading this post, I hadn't thought to relate it to parenting.
In the post, the author says that adultery "is about breaking covenant and giving someone else a place that doesn't belong to them." How often have I chosen to ignore the needs of my children to please a stranger or even an a acquaintance, not wanting to offend them? What about my own children? They are indeed a higher priority.
And even though it is more the spirit of the commandment than actual commandment, I am reminded to be committed to my children, after my husband and before all others.
Here I am again. My life has been somewhat chaotic since we signed those papers. Those darn papers. (I don't have it in me to type "damn" there.)
Those papers that made this house our problem. But yet, don't get me wrong. I am liking our house more and more. Once all our junk is put away or sold away or given away or thrown away, and we fix or replace or decide to just put up with the broken appliances, it will feel like a pretty nifty home, not just the place we get our mail.
And with people like these living here . . .
. . . who couldn't love these faces!
Lilly is our new puppy dog. She is about 5 years old. And if you can't tell, she's a Saint Bernard (yes, AL we decided to get one anyway.) Josh and Ellie adore her. They want to take her for walks, play with her, give her treats, brush her, feed and water her. Ellie will even wipe her mouth after she drinks. (It can get a little messy otherwise.) But they draw the line at picking up poop.
She is a great dog. She is calm, hardly barks, doesn't jump (we have to lift her into the car, which isn't easy with a 96 pound dog. She'll put her front legs up and then wait to be hoisted.) She absolutely LOVES belly rubs. Though she spends most of her time on the floor snoring, she does like a walk around the block. But don't make it too long she says, or she'll start slowing down.
Today we went to the groomers. She came home all pretty and with a bow on her ear. When I took her, I had to pull her in, while a vet tech pushed. She remembered being there yesterday for her vet visit. Yesterday she walked in the door, then thought better of it once it was time to go on the scale. And again when time to go into the exam room. She hunkered down and wouldn't budge. The floor is nice and slidey, so we kind of pulled/pushed/dragged her. She eventually realized she was going and got up and walked. And once it was time to go, she held nothing back. So, once back at the same place as yesterday, she put on the brakes at the front stoop. She wouldn't even go in the door.
It's going to be great fun trying to get her in to have her nails clipped more often. They were neglected, so the quick is too long and have to be trimmed more often to get it to recede.
At closing, the previous owners said they cleaned the house. She needs to check with Webster about the definition of clean. Because there was no "clean" at our new house. The refrigerator was filthy. Cabinets had hardened food residue. Floors were dusty. Cobwebs clung to walls. The tub and toilet were grimy.
I knew I would wipe down surfaces for moving in, but I didn't realize I would need to scrub nearly every surface within an inch of it's life.
It was disheartening.
First week of ownership:
1. Clean refrigerator and cabinets. My friend cleaned the fridge, while I scrubbed cabinets. She, also, was taken aback at the dirtiness in the kitchen.
2. Buy supplies.
3. Cut down spruce tree.
Weeks two and three:
1. Spackle and paint.
2. Buy supplies.
3. Clean. I am tired of the filth of the previous owners.
Weekend of July 27-29:
1. Move in.
2. Buy supplies.
3. Clean. Really tired of finding more filth from the previous owners.
Weeks following:
1. Unpack.
2. Buy supplies.
3. Clean. Tired of finding mouse poop because of the filth of the previous owners. Even found mouse bones stuck to sticky pads under the stove.
4. Continue moving remainder of belongings still at parents'.
5. Organize.
6. Figure out how to eliminate the water in the basement every time is rains, not just during heavy rains as the disclosure states, and the leak in the attic, of which the previous owners were unaware, so says the disclosure. (A River Runs Through It.)
7. Work really hard at not being completely discouraged by the problems with the house we bought.
8. Contemplate which breed of dog to adopt - Lab or St. Bernard.
Not that I am a Miley Cyrus fan or anything, but for some reason I like this song. And I like watching this fellow sign it. And my goal is to sign it as well.
First of all, we are buying a house. The papers were all finished being signed on Saturday.
We went camping for our anniversary. To Ocean City, NJ. All four of us. It was a fabulous time. The kids were well behaved and very helpful.
The only negative was the beach traffic driving down and coming home. It was ridiculous. We avoided most of it by going out of the way, but it still took us over three hours both ways.
Josh fell asleep on the beach. He had a fever on and off all weekend but didn't want to miss a moment at the beach.
Ellie and Josh are leaning on the ledge of our restaurant. We ate on a schooner in Cape May. Which the kids thought was the greatest thing. They got to watch boats come and go. And did I mention they ate on a boat? The only thing better would have been if it was moving.
Cape May Lighthouse
We each climbed all 199 steps to the watchroom of the lighthouse. Which the kids thought was the greatest thing. They we a little nervous being so high. Neither said the climb was too much.
We rented a surrey for an hour. Which the kids thought was the greatest thing. Ellie was up at 5:30, she was so excited.
Ellie discovered the remote for the camera and was practicing taking her photo with it.
She also was taking candid shots. We were not posing, but it's the only photo of our campsite.
6 The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
I read these verse this morning and thought how they fit in my life as a parent. With my kids, if I behave with them harshly, they are usually harsh with me. If I am calm with them, they are more able to be calm with me. Right now, Gary and I are the main source of their regulation. Eventually they will learn it for themselves. And I wonder "How am I doing as their teacher?"
Sometimes I lose heart. I grow weary often. But again the source of my strength is not me, and although I lose heart and grow weary, I know the Spirit is doing what I cannot.
I have been wanting to become a bone marrow donor for a while now. I finally finished my application to receive a donation kit.
I have looked over all the info. about it. I have heard comments about it being painful and why would I want to do that. My response is that it isn't much compared to what the people go through who need the bone marrow. That their life is at risk. I think a little discomfort is something I can make it through.
When Josh and Ellie came into our room this morning, I was not the one they came to see. Gary got up and they all slipped out quietly. A little bit later, they were back with my breakfast of a bagel, orange slices and orange juice. I heard a chorus of "Happy Mother's Day" accompanied by hugs and kisses. It was a great start.
At church Josh had a plant for me and Ellie had a coupon book. After lunch we went to Evansburg State Park to attend an orienteering event.
Gary made dinner and dad cleaned up.
May you all be blessed by the women in your life.
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
I recently watched the above video and got to thinking about what to I can do.
I decided to look at our school district's website for information about sexual abuse. This is what I found:
Safe School Initiatives
North Penn School District Preventative Measures
·Crisis Boxes:
an emergency procedures plan in place in each district school building
which contains plans for building evacuation and response plans for a
variety of emergencies
·Student Assistance Program:
school teams that assist in the identification of students at risk and
provide intervention and make referrals to outside agencies for more
severe problems
·D.A.R.E. Program: a drug and alcohol awareness/prevention program designed to teach elementary students about the dangers of drug/alcohol abuse
·District Behavior Specialist:a
person designated to provide consultation, observation, and on-site
training to staff to provide support for students with behavioral issues
·Alternative School Day Program: an
in-district alternative educational program designed to meet the needs
of students in grades 7-12 who are not successful in the regular school
setting
·Alternative School Evening Program: a
district run alternative setting designed to provide a placement for
high school students who have not been successful in other alternative
placements
·Student Codes of Conduct: district approved comprehensive K-12 student code of conduct aligned with state and federal regulations
·Child Study Teams: K-12 school based teams designed to review the academic and behavioral issues of students referred to them
·Mainstay: drop-out prevention program for middle and high school students
·Rapid Response Plans: Police are specially trained to respond to school incidents
·Automated External Defibrillators: each district facility has at least one AED on site for health related emergencies
·Safe and Drug Free Schools Committee / Activities (Act 211)
·Building Security: security personnel and cameras are in place in all secondary (and some elementary) schools including:
o69 Surveillance cameras
o19 Security Officers.
·Bus Safety measures
They have programs for drug and alcohol prevention, natural emergencies, security, behavioral issues, and bus safety. There is nothing about sexual abuse.
I called the school and asked. What training do the teachers and all who work with the children have for learning the signs of abuse and what programs are in place to teach children about inappropriate touches and to not keep things secret, especially if told to by an adult?
They have to get back to me.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The first bouquet of spring of one of my favorite flowers.
Last night we took Ellie to a small outside re-enactment of Jesus' last week. It reminded me of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ." After the kids were in bed, I put it on. I have seen it once, back when it came out in February 2004. When I wasn't a mother yet.
I watched up to the part when Pilate washed his hands, claiming innocence. I expected to be affected, knowing my sin and seeing Jesus sacrifice. And I was.
I did not expect to relate to Mary, watching her son be accused, mocked, beaten, tortured. She knew it was coming. She knew her son would die, and that she could not do anything to help him. And I believe that even knowing what was to happen, knowing the long ago words of Simeon, "Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed - and a sword shall pierce even your own soul - to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed," that she was not ready for that sword. Who would be prepared ?
The anguish this mother had for her son, I was not prepared to feel. I have been taught about, read through, and seen re-enactments of the torture and sacrifice of Jesus. But before last night I never really saw it from a mother's point of view.
It was hard. I thought of my children. Of the pain I'd feel if anything happened to them.
But of course the movie is more than what we think or feel about it. Christ hurt. He bled. He died. Jesus brought redemption. For us. And seeing it adds to it's meaning. At least for me it does.
When will it end? Last night I finally got a full night's rest. No calls of "Mommy!" No near inconsolable crying.
But the day time. Oh the day time. Josh has been beside himself for five days and Ellie was sick two days prior to that.
For five days, I've had a very unhappy kid around. And besides the fever and sore throat, Josh has at least 3 mouth ulcers, that make eating very hard for him. There isn't much that doesn't hurt him to eat. And he lets you know if it hurts. Loudly and frantically.
When Ellie had the sore throat, just keeping her well supplied with throat drops was good enough. Josh is a different story.
First it was just a sore throat. Then he got mouth sores. So it hurt to eat and swallow. Guess how that went at meal times.
Today, finally the sore throat is gone. But the ulcers still remain. Ambesol works well enough (when you have it around,) but don't let it touch his tongue.
And apparently it hurts to move his mouth in general, because he has been talking as though his teeth are wired shut and his lips don't work. And as you know, he is hard to understand anyway. It makes for some frustrating conversations. Which usually leads to some yelling.
Let's just say I've had many, many opportunities to practice my patience. I've done better than I thought I could. Certainly not on my strength.
The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him. ~Psalm 28:7
My sister recently gave my parents a laptop computer, a MacBook. My mom is tickled pink. My dad already refers to it as her computer.
Tonight is lesson one for my mother. She wants to be able to check email and access Facebook. Those are her goals for tonight.
She has her handy notebook to jot down things to remember, which is everything and anything.
She absolutely loves this photo of her, poor photography notwithstanding.
We got the internet thing working, Facebook and her favorite blogs, but we were not successful with email. Mainly because I know practically nothing about Macs.
Ellie We toured the elementary school before she started. It looks a whole lot different from when I went there. Though she just may well sit in the same seats I did at lunch. Those chairs and tables are indestructible.
Her teacher is the same teacher my brother had. She went willingly to class after we got the principal to take her, since she didn't remember where to go.
It takes about 5 minutes to walk her to school. I remember it taking a lot longer. When we picked her up the first day, she hugged her teacher before she left. I have enjoyed walking to take and get her from school. She enjoys walking with the girls across the street more than with me.
Gary Gary's first week has gone well. He has his own office, complete with an actual desk, a drafting table, bookshelves, a closet, and a bathroom. He has to dress nicer, which means more ironing for me. He likes it so far. This new place is much more organized and has a better atmosphere. He has a longer commute, even though it's about the same distance away, since there are about a million more cars on the road.
Last November Hunter was diagnosed with lung cancer. It was very far along and had probably spread there from somewhere else.
Pain medication has tremendously helped him live as long as he has. Without it, he could hardly move around. With it, he was almost like his old self.
But within the last two weeks or so, his coughing and breathing and walking around have declined steadily, even with the meds. And he has been eating less and less.
It's been twelve years since I last lived at my parents' house. Then I was one. Now I am four. Adding four people to a household at one time is a lot. The kids have their own room. It is good for the kids to have their own space, even though they still like to hang out together.
Moving us in is a work in progress. Mom and Dad still have to make room for some of our stuff and go through some of their stuff. And we are putting some of it in storage, but we are waiting to rent the space until we move things from the storage space at the cabin. So there is stuff everywhere and at times, it's overwhelming. But I think that in two weeks, most things will be in their place and the house will feel better.
We truly appreciate my parents letting us stay here. Thank you Mom and Dad!
This is the last week of school for the kids at EverGreen Elementary. And Josh's last week of pre-K, since North Penn school district does not have pre-K, so he's almost done for the year.
Gary's last week of staying home.
Our last week of doing endless dishes and living in cramped quarters.
We were at Gary's dad's house this weekend. Here are Ellie and Josh enjoying the pool last summer. I can't find a winter photo.
The men went to the car show on Saturday, while the children and women stayed home. The kids were in their PJs from Friday night to Sunday morning. Ellie set up an office in our bedroom. She played the doctor (psychologist) and Gary and I were her patients. She kept detailed notes on our answers to her questions. Josh played with trains and watched Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Judy and I went shopping Sunday afternoon. Then before we left, she went through her cupboards and found us five bags of groceries. Very generous.
We forgot to bring home two very important things: a Christmas present that we missed, a pretzel maker, and my birthday present, a device to stream Netflix on the TV. I sure do like my Netflix.
Gary is no longer employed. They told him it wasn't working out. He packed up and came home. Honestly, I am glad he isn't working there anymore. It was not a healthy working environment.
Gary is honest, trustworthy, diligent, and dependable. Somehow these qualities didn't work for them. He is also a capable engineer, who has attention to detail, knows his abilities and what he can improve upon. Again, these qualities didn't work for them.
Gary is an asset to any company.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
While visiting my parents, I've come across old photos.
Aren't we just adorable, my brother and sister and me?
Last week I cut up Josh's blankies. I cut off the nasty parts where he has gnawed holes, as you can see in the first photo, and sewed the raw edge.
In this next exhibit, you can see a full sized gnawed blankie and a cut down one. Quite a bit smaller.
I forgot to clean up the evidence before I picked him up from the bus stop. He found it and demanded I put it back on and got further upset when I explained I couldn't and that it needed to be done.
He has since accepted the inevitable and holds tight to the one I didn't get to yet.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
We finally bought wood! I was excited. We bought almost two cords of logs for the price of one cord split. But . . .
But . . . (and all you seasoned firewood buyers probably already know this) . . . but even though this wood has been sitting around for over a year, being still logs, it isn't really seasoned yet. It's still green in the middle.
In trying to buy wood for this year, we ended up buying wood for next year and still need wood for this year. But since we did pay off the car this month and now currently have no debt (except for my student loan which refuses to go away,) we can't do anything about wood until February.
Maybe we can scrape something together from my paychecks.
Three days later and my rib barely hurts, except for when I cough and sneeze. And I am not taking any pain meds anymore.
Ellie has been having better control with her emotions. Her fits have been less frequent with a shorter duration. We are trying to handle emotions differently and using better tools.
Unfortunately the house has not grown while we weren't looking, but I am thankful we have been able to live here. We are one payment away, which is planned to be paid this month, from our goal of paying things off while we lived here. It took longer than we wanted, but we made it.
And just in time for the Subaru to have some expensive worked done. Eventually, we will get to start saving again.
The LORD Praised for His Goodness.
1Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart, In the company of the upright and in the assembly. 2 Great are the works of the LORD; They are studied by all who delight in them. 3Splendid and majestic is His work, And His righteousness endures forever. 4 He has made His wonders to be remembered; The LORD is gracious and compassionate. 5 He has given food to those who fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever. 6 He has made known to His people the power of His works, In giving them the heritage of the nations.
7 The works of His hands are truth and justice; All His precepts are sure. 8 They are upheld forever and ever; They are performed in truth and uprightness. 9 He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name. 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.
Spent the morning at the ER today. Nearly two weeks have gone by without much respite from the pain in one rib. This morning it was the worst it's been. We packed up the kids and headed to the hospital instead of church.
Although I was the only patient in the waiting room, I had to wait. When I was called back, they asked questions, took x-rays and asked more questions and there was ore waiting. Much more waiting.
X-rays were negative, I was given one pill there and a prescription for Vicodin and sent home, with directions to check in with my family doctor later this week.
I laid on the couch napping with a war compress on my ribs, waiting to take the Vicodin. I woke around 4:00, took my pill and drove to work. Two hours after taking the Vicodin, I felt no better. I came home and asked Gary to clean the other bank for me. I took three ibuprofen and laid down on the couch again with a warm compress.
That worked and I felt better enough to finish cleaning.
I guess warm compresses, ibuprofen and couch time is what I need.
Gary and I were invited to an outdoor minor league hockey team that played at the Phillies stadium. We drove down to my parents', dropped off the kids, met up with friends and enjoyed a night out.
Compared to a baseball field, a hockey rink is tiny. We had premium seats too. Gary and I were thinking we should get Phillies tickets in the Hall of Fame club section, but they are too expensive. Minor league hockey is cheaper.
My sister will fly back to California on Friday. She decided to take some time and come up with my mom to visit us a little more before she left. This photo is the last time she was here, in August 2010.
But this time we won't fill our days with shopping, just staying home with a fire blazing. To accomplish that last part, I just may need to scrounge around the woods for some logs. We are very low on wood and waiting on Gary's extra paycheck to buy more.
Tonight my mom went with me to work. It should have gone faster than it did since she was with me and I just cleaned last night. But since it also snowed last night, the bank floors were a mess. And the new vacuum is not as efficient at sucking up the dirt. I find myself re-vacuuming areas. Very annoying. But no one consulted me on vacuum options.
For our Christmas break, we traveled to Gary's dad's house for Christmas weekend. During which we saw his mom Christmas day. We then went to stay at my parents' house Tuesday until today.
A lot of visiting, a lot of busyness. Of the 8 days we had with family, only one was a day we didn't have plans to go anywhere and just stayed at "home" and relaxed. Our days were mostly filled with visiting with various family members and friends, shopping and a little present opening.
My sister and I went shopping and she bought me my birthday present early (black dress boots and flats,) instead of sending me something from California later. And I bought myself some new skirts to go with the dress boots. Now I am stylin'. At least with a few very cute outfits. Perhaps I'll post some photos of me sporting my new duds sometime.
Yesterday, we took our yearly train ride to the city to see the Christmas Light Show and Dickens Village. The kids never seem to tire at seeing the trains.
