Show and Tell

John had the joy of taking me to see the Doc today. I was so glad to get out of the house for just a little bit. I had not been out since Friday. He was so sweet and salted the sidewalks for me. I was shown pictures that were taken during the operation. I, of course, had no idea what I was looking at. I did get him to describe to me what he had done to try and make scar tissue grow. He said he used this tool that is like an ice pick and he punched holes in the area that was without cushion. I guess where it bled and started to clot is where there should be scar tissue. If that failed, the partial knee repair is the next step. I had him show me what that was and it makes me think of retreading that part of the joint.

I get to start PT on Friday. John is going to be loosing so many hours having to run me here and there. I asked him if I was worth it. I got the LOOK and I think you know what I mean. I am trying to be patient, but I really do NOT like being on crutches. We went to lunch to my favorite place called Qdoba. I was trying to get in and this young man came and opened the door for me. He said, "I was on those for 3 months and I know how they suck!" I just had to smile as his kindness. You rarely see that these days and it was an unexpected pleasure.

I am not sure I should put a picture here of my knee. I will so that you can see what was done, Mom and Dad. I still have some pretty good bruising going on. Time will make that improve. Tessa is waiting on the sidelines for me to play a few games with me. The book fair is at our school and John is going to have to go with her as I am kind of out commission. I really do think it is ok for him to have to experience this at least once. Till next time...

Too much time

I will let these photos speak for themselves. I have finished these in 4 days. I think you will agree I have too much time on my hands. Till next time...

Taco Dip

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 package taco seasoning mix

lettuce-shredded

tomatoes-diced

green pepper-diced

onion-chopped

cheddar cheese

chips

Mix cream cheese, sour cream and Taco seasoning. Place on bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Top with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate. Serve with tortilla chips.

All within one week.

First, I wake up one morning to the sound of rain. NOT GOOD! I was glad that I did not have far to travel as many ended up in accidents or in the ditch. The end of the week brought the snow. I have these photos of the car taken under those two very different types of weather. There is so much pretty snow right now, and I wish that I could have been out to enjoy it. Till next time...

February 25, 2007

I did NOT think I was going to be able to sleep last night. I must have left my leg down to much working on that puzzle and so it was feeling tight and achy. I asked John this morning if I kept him up, the tone he used says that maybe I was no fun to sleep with. I am just glad that I did NOT almost fall like I did the first night.

I finished that puzzle and I know Tessa is going to want to start this other one. John went to pick her up and they asked if she could stay longer. John is out shoving the snow again and Allan was out with the snowblower early this morning. It looks like the forecast is for snow all week. I know that John has been taking photos and eventually I will have access to them to put here. Right now I am trying to not become impatient with the healing process. I do NOT like to be a burden and needing help. Till next time...

February 23, 2007

The day went so fast, at the hospital at 8am. I did not go back until almost 10am. I think the part that I dread the most is the iv stick. The nurse was having a hard time finding a vein and I was thinking "where is the anesthesiologist?" Once the versad is in the rest becomes a dream. I remember then getting me on the operation table and then I am in recovery. The nurse taking care of me turned out to be a neighbor on my block.

I was shocked when the Doc said that I would be on crutches for 3-4 weeks. I am NOT looking forward to being on them for that long. Tessa is very excited and wants to play with them. I told her I had better not need them and find them not where they are supposed to be. The rest of what the Doc said I am not even going to think about now. I will write more on that if it becomes a reality.

Tessa and John got to shop for a birthday gift. She gets to go to a sleep over tomorrow again. I guess John and I will have a nice quiet night tomorrow. I just hope that I can sleep ok. Till next time...

That time is here.

This will be a quick entry and I am not sure when I will be back to write. I am supposed to be at the Hospital at 8:15am for pre-op and I guess then the fun really begins. Tessa does not have school so she will be hanging around with John. He took the day off, which is kind of a relief. I am really NOT looking forward to those crutches. I have spent the day trying to get things done around here. Good Lord, this is a boring entry! Till next time...

February 21, 2007

You Are Sunrise

You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary. You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward. Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts. All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

What Time Of Day Are You?

This one is SOO far off, I just had to laugh at the results.

You Are a Kinetic Learner

You learn best by doing, and you have a talent for complicated, physical tasks. You excel at athletics, drama, and fixing things. You would be an excellent Olympic athlete - or a Broadway star!

What's Your Learning Style?

I am doing it again

I know that this will NOT strike some as funny, but tonight it was funny to me!!!


Dear Kotex,

I recently noticed that the peel-off strip of my pantyliner had a bunch of "Kotex Tips for Life" on it. Annoying advice such as:- Staying active during your period can relieve cramps.- Avoiding caffeine may help reduce cramps and headaches. - Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day to keep you hydrated and feeling fresh. - Try Kotex blah blah blah other products.

Obviously the person behind this was someone who has never possessed a functioning pair of ovaries. Go ahead and tell a menstruating woman TO HER FACE that drinking 6-8 glasses of water will help keep her feeling fresh. See what happens and report back. I'll wait here.

While you're at it, dump out the coffee at work and remove the chocolate from the vending machine. I guaran-damn-tee that the first responders will be females who just ovulated.

Look, females don't need or want tips for living on feminine hygiene products. Younger girls are already hearing "helpful" crap like that from their elderly relatives. Veteran females have already concocted their own recipes for survival, most containing alcohol.

Printing out crap advice while sneaking in ads for the brand THAT WAS ALREADY PURCHASED is just plain annoying, not to mention rude and enough to send a girl running to the Always brand.Mostly we'd like to forget that we even need these products.

It's not a fun time, but DO NOT try to cheer us up by adding smiley
faces or bunnies or flowery cutesy crap to your products or the
packaging. Put the shit in a plain brown wrapper so we can throw it
in our carts discreetly and have it blend in among the wine and
beer.

There is nothing more annoying than having a blinding pink package
announcing your uterine state to everyone in the
damn store.

The ultimate goal of your product should be functional invisibility
at every stage, including the point of purchase.

So take your tips for living and shove them right up your arse.
(Try drinking six to eight glasses of water to make you feel
fresher while you're doing it!)

Ovarily Yours,
Miss PMS

February 20,2007

I found this in an email from years ago. I just think there is something so wrong with this picture. It sure must get the attention of anyone that happens to see it.

What a Night!

I have survived my sleep study and I really do hope that I do NOT have to repeat it. I am not saying that is was terrible, but I really did NOT sleep that great with all those electrodes stuck to me. I had straps on my ankles, around my chest and waist. A oxygen sensor on my finger. A mic stuck to me on my throat so that they could hear if I snored and too many pads and things on my face and chest. Every time that I tried to move I felt like I was tied down, UGH!!

The biggest surprise was when I realized where the sleep lap at. The old Peds department where I used to work. The room was very nice and the picture I took will show that. I just hope this will show that I do NOT need to wear that mask thing at night. I hate to have anything on my face. Time to loose weight as that can be one of the causes of sleep apnea. Till next time...

Grand Forks, ND

Random shots around Grand Forks

Game night at the Saure's

Gamenight @ Alicia's

February 19, 2007

Game night at Alicia and Gregg's was totally awesome. Tessa at first wanted to NOT cooperate. It did NOT take her long to realize she was missing out on the fun by not playing. Miss Mariah won both games of Skipbo, and we all decided we had helped her TOOO much. It got pretty loud when we started to play Catch Phrase. There were not many of us so we just kind of went around the table giving the clues to the words everyone was supposed to guess. Tessa was rather aggressive in wanting it all the time. Mariah was able to do so much better than I thought she could. It was hard to call it a night and hopefully we can do this again. Brenna it would sure be nice if you were there to join in next time!!

Tessa was invited to a friend's for a sleepover on Saturday. We first took her to the music store to have her violin checked to make sure it was ok. They showed her how to tune it and showed her the tuner she should buy. I will not invest in that until she shows she will stick with playing this instrument. We also were told that she needed this little bottle thing for humidity. She is saying she wants to play a guitar now. John says no for now and wants her to stick with what she is doing. The friend's father picked her up at noon and we will see her tomorrow at noon.

John and I went to a movie on Saturday called "Ghost Rider". I loved that movie!! We came out to snow but the nice fluffy kind. We did the rest of our shopping and then home. You know we are stuck in a rut as we did NOT have any little people and we still went home. John had taped this Hallmark movie and he wanted me to watch it. I always end up crying over those movies! The next morning before Tessa got home we went and drove around Grand Forks so that he could play with his camera. Tessa wanted her friend to come for the afternoon, but it did NOT happen. The issue of the room keeps getting in the way. I decided to color my hair again. This time I did it myself and the carpet did NOT have to change color again.

Today the weather has been great, the temp is above 30 and the sun is shining. I have my sleep study tonight and I will be glad when I have that behind me. I know all I have to do is sleep, but I hope I can do it properly! I guess I will close for now, need to think about supper and pack my little bag for my sleepover. Till next time...

Blonde Cowboy

The Sheriff in a small town walks out in the street and sees a blonde cowboy coming down the walk with nothing on but his cowboy hat, gun, and his boots, so he arrests him for indecent exposure.

As he is locking him up, he asks "Why in the world are you dressed like this?

The Cowboy says, "Well it's like this Sheriff .. I was in the bar down the road and this pretty little red head asks me to go out to her motorhome with her. So I did.

We go inside and she pulls off her top and asks me to pull off my shirt ... so I did.

Then she pulls off her skirt and asks me to pull off my pants ... so I did.

Then she pulls off her panties and asks me to pull off my shorts ... So I did.

Then she gets on the bed and looks at me kind of
sexy and says, "Now go to town cowboy... ".


And here I am.

Son of a Gun, Blonde Men do exist.

I laughed till I cried!

I have to write about this before I forget. I am talking to a dear friend as he leaves work and walks to his truck. All of the sudden the words coming out of his mouth are well they remind me of my Grandpa Glenn. At first, I thought he was pulling a prank on me like John does. NOPE! I guess this pigeon thought his bald head was a great place to relieve himself. I know this really is NOT funny, but I could NOT help myself. I said the only thing good about not having much hair up there was the fact it was so easy to clean up. He does NOT dare tell any one as he knows they will never let this live down and he will get called s#&# head! I do believe you can fill in the blanks. Till next time...

UGH!

The sun is hiding today, but the temp is good. I am once again battling my mind and spirit. The desire to just go and lay down is constantly pulling at me. Tessa goes to a sleep over tomorrow. I am not sure what John and I will do with a whole 24 hours to ourselves. We are supposed to have her violin looked at. I am really NOT sure why that is required.

Tonight we are planning to go out to Alicia's. She has invited us out for game night. It is something that Tessa had once said she wished we could do. I think it is a very nice thing that her sister will do this for her. I will have to let you all know how it went! Till next time...

They are contagious

It is amazing how a smile has the ability to put a smile on your face. I have this cup sitting on my desk and every time I look at it I have to smile. I may not be my favorite color, but yellow is starting to grow on me. It has the ability to almost cheer a person up. I do NOT understand why different colors give different feelings, but yellow is HAPPY! TIll next time...

:(

Moments of joy can just as easily turn to sorrow. Tessa learned another lesson today. NEVER leave your candy and lego's together and on the floor. The dog will make quick work of it. She was just devastated when she realized her candy was all gone and most of her cards. I just can not even let my mind go to the place, I am so tired of dealing with the dog. I have now vented!! Till next time...

My Red Valentine

John decided that I needed this. I now have to learn to use a new camera and change is always difficult. I know I will be tempted to pull out the old one, that is until he hides it on me!Till next time...

I am hoping right now that they do NOT turn our power off to deal with the power outages that have been going on in the northern part of Grand Forks. I did NOT even know there was a problem until I heard something on the radio and Alicia called to ask if we had any problems here. I guess this was affecting certain computer programs or something at her job. She was NOT sure what they would be able to do.

I managed to get more fudge made so that I could put that with their Valentines gift. She was NOT sure she would stay in town tonight so that Mariah could go to Missionettes. I spent I think over 40 minutes on hold with a call to Kodak that ended up in the Philippines. It was such a poor connection that I could hardly hear the voice on the other end. My new camera was missing a piece when we got it. I found out today that apparently it was NOT even stocked yet and that as soon as the piece was available I would get it.

Brenna wrote the best email just telling how God was working in her life. I also think she learned a little lesson about maybe taking the advice of her elders. I was going to write about my experience the other day. I just never got to it, and lets just say that John said I needed more brown hair dye. You know your mind is on other things when you leave the clinic with out getting a shot that was waiting for you. I really am NOT found of getting my tetanus shot. I had to laugh when Sandy said I was good for 10 years and all I could say was I was going to be so old and she said that makes both of us. Mom and Dad, Happy Valentines Day!! You know me, I am not very good with cards. I will close for now as soon Tessa will be home, and I will have to hear about the day! Till next time...

When you are down to nothing ... God is up to something!!!

February 14, 2007

I am someone that does NOT like to go to the Doctor. I have been to see to many Doctors in the past few weeks and it does NOT seem to be done yet. Today I saw someone about my knee. I was given the option of just taking advil, MRI or a scope. I picked the scope. I just want to get this over with so I can get back to normal for spring. I will have this done on the 23rd, next week is kind of busy with the sleep study being done on the 19th.

Tessa is going to be having me make treats for school. I still have to go and get her candy for the valentines cards. I asked her what she wants, she did NOT like the idea of me going and picking it out myself. I am going to thought, so much easier. I know this is NOT very exciting, but it was the easiest way to let my family know what is going on. Till next time...

It is almost warm out, 16 degrees is great. Tessa was invited to a friend's house so I had lunch with Mariah and Alicia. I had NOT seem Mariah in weeks. I do NOT know how that had happened. It was fun to just listen to her talk, she had won a cake on Friday night. They were asked to go to Reynolds for a cake walk and bingo thing. She is very excited to have Maddy visiting for 2 weeks. It is Saure's little dog. Only one accident so far and it was on the hardwood. She may come to our house Wednesday night as it is church night and she will have been in town all day at the shop with Gregg.

John did NOT come until 3:30pm so another long Sunday at work. I had a lovely little power nap before he arrived home. I also wrapped this package I am sending Brenna, I just hope it gets to her ok. Tessa is NOT going to come home until 6pm now, I do NOT think we will be making those heart cookies that she wanted to make. I am right now upstairs in Brenna's room back to work on those photos. Alicia keeps saying she needs to get caught up. I keep telling her we just need to have a day of working on that. I don't do this during the summer, so time is starting to run out! Till next time...

HOW TO WEIGH YOURSELF CORRECTLY

I can't believe I was doing it wrong all these years!

Saturday is always a good day as John is home with us. I need him here to just help me keep Tessa in line. She really is a Daddy's Girl! Conte Luna (John's work) had problems so he had to run in for a while to try and fix it. I do NOT know how he keeps from getting totally bent out of shape. He can never go one day with out having that cell phone on, IT is like he is on call 24/7.

The usual shopping always kind of stresses me out. I would really have liked to keep Tessa at home, but she needed stuff for her Valentines box for school. I can not believe that we forgot her candy for the cards. I am really NOT sure where my head is sometimes! The biggest surprise of the day, was when I filled the prescription for my meds. The one bed been given me free for 2 months and this will be the last month I can take them. The $79 price tag is TOOO much for us. I am now hoping I can get rid of a headache that found me and as so far refused to LEAVE! Tessa is back in her room, but I have given up hope that she will ever make any progress in there.

Julie, I know you will be leaving in the next day or two. I hope you have a safe trip and I can NOT wait until you are back HOME! I am praying you have a safe trip!! Till next time...

I sometimes have to smile and also smile when I take photos of my phone. It seems that Tessa must have been playing with mine again. I am not sure why she thought she needed to take pictures of her dolls. They do look kind of cute. Alicia invited me to lunch, so I will be heading out of the house. BRRR!!! Till next time...

I just could NOT resist capturing these roses that were in that bouquet that Julie gave me a few weeks ago. They managed to retain their beauty till the end!

Recap

I seem to have gotten so busy that I have NOT had the time to share my so NOT interesting life. I had the fun of Julie being here Monday and Tuesday. We had lunch with Alicia on Monday and due to an appointment that kept her in town Tuesday, we also had lunch together that day. I know that sometimes I can say something that really blows her mind. I will get that "Oh, Jacqui!."

The cold is really starting to get to me, a knock at the door solved the problem of shoveling the snow. I had to gentlemen wanting to earn some money and they accepted my price. I have not done much shoveling this winter. I had to finally break down and get my knee checked and now they are sending me to a surgeon to see if I need to have it scoped. I have been down this road before, I really do NOT look forward to it. I just want to be to work in my yard this summer and NOT being able to kneel down makes it kind of hard to do what I love most. I hope everyone is staying warm!! Till next time...

SMILE!

Miss Beatrice, the church organist, was in her eighties and had never been married. She was admired for her sweetness and kindness to all. One afternoon the pastor came to call on her and she showed him into her quaint sitting room.

She invited him to have a seat while she prepared tea. As he sat facing her old Hammond organ, the young minister noticed a cut-glass bowl sitting on top of it.The bowl was filled with water, and in the water floated,of all things, a condom!

When she returned with tea and scones, they began to chat. The pastor tried to stifle his curiosity about the bowl of water and its strange floater, but soon it got the better of him and he could no longer resist. "Miss Beatrice", he said, "I wonder if you would tell me about this?" pointing to the bowl.

"Oh, yes," she replied, "Isn't it wonderful? I was walking through the park a few months ago and I found this little package on the ground. The directions said to place it on the organ, keep it wet and that it would prevent the spread of disease. Do you know I haven't had the flu all winter?!"

I am sitting here kind of waiting for time to go by so that I can get Alicia and meet Julie for lunch. I am doing the usual surfing and found this little clip that really cracks me up. I must say that little bag packed some punch! Granny VS. Cabriolet. I hope this link works. I just learned how to do this today. I know, do NOT laugh, but I am still fairly computer illiterate! Till next time...

Another Sunday

I received a call from Julie asking if we could go to Prax and plug in her Jeep. I do hope it will start for her tomorrow! The Temp this bright sunny morning was a balmy -26 degreesF. I saw somewhere else on the net that we were actually -29 with out any wind. BRRRR!!! John has spend all day answering calls from work. His worker is having one of those days where is something can go wrong it is!

John and I did venture out to get the groceries that we did NOT get yesterday. Tessa stayed at home to work on her cleaning, or so she was told to do. The many calls from her stating that Nakita was freaking out every time a dog went by. I had to smile as it is what I deal with everyday. Supper is done and now it is time to relax and watch a bit of tv. Till next time...

February 4, 2007

Unexpected Changes

When John and I woke up this morning, we expected it to be just another normal Saturday. We would eventually go out and do our errands and spend a quiet day at home. The phone call came that changed all of that. One of his guys called to say he could NOT find a babysitter. It would have meant John having to go into work on the ONE day he has off each week. I asked him if he would rather work or have us babysit the baby. The baby came and spent the day here. He was awfully cute and the dog kept wanting to get close.

I could NOT resist taking a photo of him sleeping. I do NOT think there is anything better than watching a baby sleep. The innocence on their faces and the peaceful and trusting way they just lay all sprawled out on the bed. I had forgotten how much they can sleep when they are small. I think that the father will be pleasantly surprised that his son survived in our care. He was worried that we had forgotten how to take care of babies. I certainly was not going to try and convince him. John and Tessa have been working on her ROOM. She kept wanting to take play breaks. She has found she likes to put puzzles together. I just need her to put them away when she is done. That is all for now, supper needs my attention. Till next time...

February 2, 2007

I found this and it made me think of what I look forward the most. SPRING!! I cannot wait to see which of the new bulbs that we planted will appear! John plans to work on Tessa's room with her. This should be interesting and hopefully NOT to stressful. TIme for bed soon, need all my strenght to face tomorrow! Till next time...

PC Repair

I was having trouble with my computer. So I called Harold the computer guy, to come over.

Harold clicked a couple of buttons and solved the problem. He gave me a bill for a minimum service call.

As he was walking away, I called after him, "So, what was wrong?"

He replied, "It was an ID ten T error."

I didn't want to appear stupid, but nonetheless inquired, "An, ID ten T error?
What's that .. In case I need to fix it again?"

Harold grinned.... "Haven't you ever heard of an ID ten T error before?"

"No," I replied.

"Write it down," he said, "and I think you'll figure it out."

So I wrote down . I D 1 0 T

I used to like Harold

Confused

OK, I had 2 really great days and I am determined that this one will also be remembered as a good day. I am so affected by the mood of others around me, that I know better than to get pulled into a conversation that will not end well.

This morning I was broadsided with one of those conversations. It may have only been via text messages, but I really hate it when someone tries to guilt me into saying things they need to hear. I was NOT going to have anything to do with it, but I still feel guilty that the other person must be hurting so much to need to do this. I feel that no matter what I do, I can not win in these circumstances. I never want to hurt anyones feelings, but life in general has a way of doing that. I have left so much unsaid, as it is private. I just do NOT like the way I almost ended up just wanting to go and sleep. Is everyone keeping warm as we get hit with this Arctic blast? How are you doing Dad? Love you guys! Till next time...

I just can not seem to stop smiling today. I really do think that is an improvement over how I have been the last few months. It is darn cold out, and people are crazy while they drive. I saw 2 cars spin out of control while taking Tessa to school. Do these people forget how to drive when there is a bit of snow? Do men trucks think they can just drive fast and think they can turn without troubles? This guy almost ended up on my neighbors front step, it is good he was NOT in a car and could drive over the snow piled up on the berm. I could not resist chuckling a bit under my breath. If that had been me there would have been some screaming going on!(I just know how Julie hates these!)

I spent the morning trying to upload photos so that I could order my free 40 photos from this site. I was trying to multi task and I managed to finally get them ordered after I took Alicia back to work. She did NOT have her car as they drove together to work today. It was nice to spend the hour with her. I will be picking Tessa up from school, it is down to 0 and only going to drop more tonight. I really do dread the cold this weekend. Now isn't this an exciting entry!? Till next time...