WET WEDNESDAY

[helia]

Having lunch - finally getting here.

Apparently, the church youth group's Haiti mission team left this a.m. for the airport earlier than I thought - at 3:30 a.m. They should be in Port au Prince now, and have a 2 - 3 hour bus ride to the orphanage/mission.

I am just back from the airport where we waved good bye to GG as she starts the journey back across the Atlantic to Germany today. I think she had a good year with us. We'll miss her, but we all have the feeling we'll be seeing her again in the future. She's already making plans to come back in 2 years for dd16's graduation party. (I was hoping we might get by without a big grad party for her. ..) In the meantime, my house will be much more quiet. In 24 hours, we're down from 3 teen girls to 1. . . and that one (dd16) is more of an introvert.

Ramble. . . Oh, teacher discussion - it is my humble opinion that teachers probably don't get paid enough. I believe it is in Finland, the country whose test scores have come out on top of the international tests (if you think those things say anything substantial. . ), teaching is highly respected and highly paid and teachers are also highly educated. I REALLY respect what teachers do; they can be very influential in kids' lives, and we've encountered so many great caring and helpful teachers who are committed to the kids and the subject matter during our years with kids in school here. They love to see the kids succeed and do well! Many of them love the kids for who they are and love to see their talents, whether academic or not, shine through. I think most of the teachers in our district have grad degrees (I think this is/is becoming the norm across the country?), and I've heard we pay well, so when there are openings, there are also hundreds of applicants.

--This sat here while I just fielded a call from the friend who did the kids camp staff snacks the last 2 days re: what is leftover and what we still need. Apparently, there is a banana allergy and an airborne cinnamon allergy among the staff. SO, those 18 cinnamon crunch bagels I ordered yesterday - they're not going to work. I'm going to have to change the order. I need to add coffee to the order anyway.

OK - I need to get going. Next for me:
- progress on a.m. routine
- Costco run
- Panera - change my order
- perhaps stop by Target too

Tonight is a care team meeting at 7:30, so we'll need to eat on time, around 6/6:30.

[lucylee]

It is NOT wet here... of course, that doesn't mean we might not get showers this afternoon.

Looking back at yesterday's still to-do's... last night after my last post I
walked away the pounds 17 minutes... and
wrapped dgs's gifts...

and so far today I have
called daunt... (but had to leave a message)
s2s (finally) (did that while this post was still just sitting here! Boy... this child really started getting wild for a little while... into EVERYTHING!!!) and
watered (some of) the plants.
Also have given LOTS of attention to dgs and put a load of clothes in the washer.

~~ still to-do ~~
dust bedroom, 15 min. focus there b/c I skipped last week
15 min in master bath focus
upload pictures to Wmart site
post office
lunch/supper for me/dgs
waiting on dfriend to stop by and give me a copy of Three Day Potty Training. We'll see how that goes.

Y'all I'm trying to keep my head from spinning, but the last two nights, when I go to bed, I start having stomach upset and almost-panic attack feelings... I guess it is normal after all we've been through the last two years... DGS's 2nd birthday is tomorrow and since he was conceived, as I've told y'all, we've been to at least 8 funerals in close family, and ds/ddil have been to 3 more. It's like I'm just waiting for the next shoe to drop, you know? I really prayed hard last night, and that helped. I know that God is not trying to frighten me, or worry me, or warn me of something... it's just all we've been through and my mind playing tricks on me. (I've NEVER been one to have premonitions or anything at all like that, -- if I ever have SPECIFIC worries, they always prove to be unreasonable, and everything turns out fine. Right now, what I'm dealing with is a generalized sort of anxiety. Do y'all think my current/recent events explain that? I've been taking Zofran to calm my stomach and sleep the last couple of nights.)

[Twins' Mom]

Helia, at least you can still change the order! Thank goodness you found out now!

Meeting at temple was very good - strong turnout and I wasn't leading it!


1. set up upstairs treadmill from folded position
2. upstairs linen closet
DONE 3. email info to the attorney from yesterday afternoon
4. info for congregational dues
DONE 5. a.m. routine
6. straighten up laundry room
7. WW weigh in
DONE 9. meeting at temple (put up with little old lady alligators....)
10. 10 pieces of paper gone

Lucylee: I think it's very, very normal! You have had your plate full with family illness and deaths and it's almost like a post traumatic stress illness. Might a little benydryl help you sleep? I sometimes take 1/2 of a 25 mg tablet and sleep very well - might want to even take well before your expected bedtime.

[lucylee]

Thanks for the reassurance, Twins. Benadryl probably would help, but I already take a 24-hour antihistamine at night so I don't know if I should add to that (probably not) or switch to Benadryl... but I could probably take the Benadryl and then do my 24-hour in the morning. Hmmm... Once my stomach stops churning, I can sleep pretty well, though... it's just that with my crazy CRAZY stomach, I never know which came first -- the nervousness or the nausea. If I get nervous about something, I get nauseated... and if I get nauseated, I think it's because I'm nervous about something, so my mind starts coming up with something to worry about. It's a vicious cycle.

And there is so much in the news... that episode with the child in Atlanta, "forgotten?" by his father and left in the hot car 8 hours... since he (the father) is an Alabama native, I keep running into things on the internet about that case. And of course, dgs is getting to an age where he's more accident-prone anyway (climbing into chairs/up and down steps on his own/constantly into SOMETHING)... and then I read something online about how important it is to make sure when your child visits another home that there are no guns within reach... and of course drownings... and just yesterday, a young teen near here was run over and killed walking to football practice... (At my mention of THIS one, dh assured me that there is NO WAY, no possibility EVER that dgs would EVER have to WALK to football practice.)

OH -- and get this -- I am worried about (A) whether ds has realized that now that ddil is working full-time and he is not, he should pick up the slack w/housework. * sigh * He probably already does more than his share... but she IS out of the house now 5 days a week and he generally is not... and (B) IF/when they move into dmil's house, ds wants the outside building where the pool table is to be his "studio/music room." I'm worried he will spend too much time out there and neglect ddil.

Yeah. I need some Benadryl. I need a shot of Valium or something. I need a lobotomy.

My mind truly IS a waste of a terrible thing.

[lucylee]

I'm not just incapacitated by this though... 2nd load of laundry in, 1st load hanging to dry...
Better start the photo upload. Nooo... I'm going to wait about that. I'll have pictures from the birthday party Friday, so I'll do the upload this weekend.
Or maybe I should go ahead and do these now, weekend when it gets here. Just b/c you do the upload doesn't mean you have to place the order...
* sigh * Maybe I am incapacitated by my state of mind.

Okay... while waiting for dfriend I will
1. start upload
2. do 15 minutes in bedroom
3. do 15 minutes in bathroom

That's the plan.

[Ivy]

GOOD AFTERNOON, VILLAGERS!

It's sunny & 70* now that we've burned off our Marine Layer. DH & dgs finished getting firewood. Dgs showered & they left to run to Costco to grab lunch (it's very economical there!) & get some groceries & things. DH will look at tops for me, to see what they have. I'm too small for XL, but a smidgeon too large for Medium, in a lot of things, although I wear "some" Medium sizes, like 10/12 or 12/14. It depends upon the cut or style. But told DH that size Large or 16-W is a good rule of thumb to go by, for me, right now. I'm anxious to see what he comes home with.

I'm writing a card/letter to an old pal & have 2 to go after that. The Gastritis pain is really bad today, no matter even though I'm taking what I need to & eat the Gastritis diet closely. This pain just has to "go", so hoping my Dr. can fix me up. I got the Dr. computer list done with symptoms b/c I get nervous & forget to tell him everything, so if I hand him this sheet to read, it'll be easier for him, to glance through it, & he'll KNOW what I'm describing. Sometimes, he asks to keep my print-outs for his own use & paper file, although he does a lot of computer files stuff. He's a very good Dr., listens to his patients, is compassionate, & hates to see anyone suffer. You get #1 care from him & any referrals he's ever done on me, have brought me into the office of exceptional Dr.'s, too. I'm always very pleased with who I get, when he sends me to them. He does such a good job. He used to be DD & dgs's Dr., too, but then they moved, when I started seeing him, getting in b/c I was family. Now, they no longer have that "rule" & anyone can get in to see him, if they need a new Dr. It's so nice b/c in our area, when there was a huge clinic open, it was great, but when they went bankrupt, the clinic closed & people were scrambling to find new Dr.'s. I had a P. A. for years, until I finally found this particular Dr. & it was a pleasure to work with a bonifide Dr. again.

Have a great afternoon! We're nearly into July!

[Cowinkie]

Lucylee...sometimes your posts just make me laugh Good grief girl, if I did as much worryin' as you do my stomach would be upset all the time too. I have to laugh because you know my son has the same problem as you do and I can just imagine his mind churning away like yours does. I'm sending you great big hugs cause you seem to need them at the moment

After I left here, I vacuumed the house, washed all the shutters in the house...thats all I have for window treatments...did 3 loads of laundry and put them away, redid my laundry closet, changed beds, dusted and oh yeah, Francis the First, my fish, is now swimming in a new clean home.

I've been enjoying my music from my iphone. I have a radio app that I listen to. Right now I'm into the 80's music. Right now I'm listening to Kenny Rodgers and Kim Carnes...dont fall in love with a dreamer. Being able to listen to music all the time is the best part of this phone. Love love love it and makes me happy.

Thinking of Kathryn and her bathroom woes....I had a similar problem trying to find a kitchen towel rack that I could install in the cabinet under the sink...geesh you would think I was asking for the moon. Couldn't find a screw in rack anywhere. All any one wanted to sell me were those racks that hook over the top of the cabinet. Yesterday while in W Mart I saw some suction cup hook thingies and decided to give them a try....and Hooray they worked. Now I can hang my kitchen towels out of site like I wanted to.

My day sort of took a different direction than what I planned, but hey that's alright. Now I am sitting in a clean house with free time to do what I want without those little naggy thoughts of things I should be doing. A win/win solution for me.

Ivy, we teachers don't get paid for any free time. So while the rest of the world gets paid for say President's Day we get the day off without pay. No tickie, No shirty

Helia... thank you for your kind thoughts and good save on those bagels.

Dee, I have yet to work in a Jr. HS where there isn't any gang stuff. Most of the kids are really what I call wannabes but still. Course when I worked in the inner-cities of Mobile, those kids were for real. However I never had any problems with them, and they were the kids I was teaching. There's good in 99.9% of most kids...you just have to work harder with some to find it.
Plus mMost have stories to tell that would break your heart and make you wish you could have been the one to raise them...

[lucylee]

LOL, Cowinkie -- maybe at least my purpose is to help you understand your ds even better...

Well, HOORAY for ME!!!
1. start upload -- DONE -- photos are all neatly filed and waiting in Walmart account... PLUS, organized and filed in document folders of "My Photos" AND "My Passport."
2. do 15 minutes in bedroom -- DONE -- dusted everything except baseboards & crown molding
3. do 15 minutes in bathroom -- DONE -- organized a lot of paper stuff, magazine articles, recipes, etc... bathroom vanity is sorta also my personal "office." That's where I keep my card file, journal, and devotional, dieting, and organizational materials.

Second load of laundry ready to be hung... dfriend says she will come by on her way to church

[Harmony]

(Lucylee) look over in the boat where you're sitting - I'm right next to you. Though others here have gone through more than I have recently, my life challenges plus ones I don't even mention here really threw me for a loop so much so that I had to speak with my dr. about it all.

We both need a long quiet rest somewhere. Though I suspect both of us would take our problems and worries right along with us in our brains!

I have basically quit doing most of the things that make my life "normal". Practically no routines. My desk is so piled up...I've only been doing what would cause big problems if I didn't do it. We've been eating mostly leftovers.

It is miserable living this way, but I am tired and can't get motivated to do anything. I have big puffy bags under my eyes (which I don't usually have) and look awful.

I know I should just get my household notebook out and just go down the pages and do what I should be doing, but I don't have the energy to do that. Sheesh.

I did run a big long errand for DH today and now I must go pick him up and take him to other place so he can get his truck...that stuff I MUST do... and I opened a door at jobsite this morning for inspector while DH was off to dentist...and so far that is my big accomplishment for today.

[helia]

Done:
x emails re: th. dinner crew
x changed the Panera order by phone
x went to Costco
x went to the church and deposited all the food items for snacks at the church.

Doesn't look like much, but those are pretty big things.

I'm proud of myself b/c I've found a pretty efficient way to get across town with all the construction and alternate routes. The church is WAY on the opposite side of town, and I got home, no problem, no traffic jams.

Now to turn my mind to dinner. Leftovers, so easy peasy. I need to remind myself what leftovers we have, though.