A Full Life

Lordy! It's been a coon's age since I've posted anything! I had to go back and read what I wrote just so I wouldn't backtrack and share the same thing again!

There have been a lot of things goin on around here lately! My cousin had her fifth baby. There was a bit of a scare because my cousin's other children had come down with the H1N1 flu. She was running a high enough fever that at her check-up, the day before her scheduled c-section, she was admitted to the hospital. Medical precautions were such that she was isolated in a compressed room and could have no visitors in her room! Not one of her family members or friends could go to see her. Her husband stayed out at their farm to take care of the older children since he wasn't allowed in the room either. After a shot, an IV, and lots of praying, her contractions stopped over the course of the night. Her fever left and when she had been 24 hrs fever free she was released to go home. Bein' that her delivery had been scheduled via c-section the morning after she was admitted, they re-scheduled the delivery for the next Monday. A healthy 7 lb 15 oz (if my memory serves me right) baby girl named Sage Lillian was born. Her middle name, Lillian, is in honor of the greatest great-grandmother she never will be able to know.

Last week Sunday, I received news that a very dear friend of mine was rushed to the hospital with severe pain in her female organs. After being transferred to an unknown (to me) number of hospitals they found she has cancer. As of yet, I do not know the date of her surgery and the doctor's have no idea as to the extent/growth of the cancer. She had text me last week Monday to let me know, firsthand, what was goin' on. I replied her my sisters were on it and I had known there were complications since the day before. She was flyin' in a good friend from Florida that night, to help her care for all the critters on the farm; a doe with two fawns, a few horses, a herd of dogs, a number of cats, a coop full of chickens and who knows what else she's coaxed in to adopt and care for! She is a very grounded individual with a husband who has made her his life. I have no doubt they are finding strength in each other and very importantly, leaning on God's understanding and peace.

In betwixt these to tidbits of news, my aunt had her 3rd and (and very strongly pray) her final back surgery!! She has been at home for almost two weeks now and has been improving and healing very well! She's been down a long path of back pain and previous surgeries. This third time has been easier than the previous two but in a way, harder emotionally, waiting for the healing to take place and the extensive therapy that will be involved.

Before the cold set in we were havin' beautiful weather! So much so that I opened the windows and we welcomed, much to some of the kids' dislike, a number of outdoor insects! Here is one of our guests which made my nephew yell repeatedly during lunch time, 'Aunt Janae!! Aunt Janae! I don't like spiders!! I want my momma!' And thus began a fit of crying mania.



I trapped the green invader and let him back outside. Bug gone, drama vanished.

Jd has taken to 'sleeping' with Buster.



And then he pesters him while his brother wants to share the pillow with Buster:





Oh, look! There's our toothpaste! That kid has been stealin that tube for over a week now! Never a dull moment!

We've had an owl in our maple during the evening hours, and I caught this avarian species out back just the other day:



Where's Woody? Where's Pecker? Never mind. My version of 'Where's Waldo?' isn't goin' to be a sensational hit among any genre, young or old. Anyway, it's a red-bellied woodpecker. And so far, he's left the siding alone. He's gonna have to find different peckin' ground if he so much as puts one hole in my house!

Talkin about birds. The kids and I made bird feeders from pinecones, peanut butter and seed the other day. Of course, the day I chose to make these just had to be a warm enough day that we couldn't even hang them up! The feeders are in the freezer waitin for the next onslaught of cold days, which will be comin soon. Sooner than I want. Oh, I guess it is mid-October. Blast it!





I'm not sure what's up with the ever-pensive look on my son at this time but it seems he was really chawin' on some thoughts. Maybe he was creating a plan to save the people of our country from impending doom!



Okay, back to the feeders. It's so much more philosophically soothing to think of feeding birds in your backyard.



We've also, this past week, been in a great friend's wedding! We had a weekend full of wedding festivities and a grumpy lil' cowboy who almost ended up in his own Boot Hill!! More on that later!

Have a great weekend, especially now that it's half over!

Ramblings About Rumblings

Date: Jun 6, 2008

...excerpt from my email to my sister...b/c i'm lazy like that and i don't care. and you don't have to read it anyway.

As for plans for the weekend? No, not really. i might go down to derby and drive thru all the garage sales b/c i'm looking for another table to put out back on the deck since the other one got smashed fromt he wind.

this morning i started on my diaper stacker. i was racking my brain trying to find a way to put something hard/stiff in the bottom that wouldn't be destroyed on the off chance that i'd have to wash it. i finally thought of it. cardboard....but.....i took my laminating sheets and used them to seal it up on all sides. now i could wash it if needed. i'm making it out of dark brown material with a very off white ribbing. it'll match the play pen.



well, we got storms, lightning and thunder and lots of it and the wind!! and a TON of driving torrential rain! But thankfully NO hail or tornado! we have some very small branches tore off the tree. only about 2" in diamter and very green. it was weird. E is taking the storms a heck of a lot more seriously now that we have wyatt. used to he never paid ANY mind to them! even when the sirens went off. he'd check to see where the rotation or funnel was spotted and then just go on watching tv. but NOW? i'm downright proud, not that i expected him not to care, it's just, he's never been like this before we had wyatt. he had the air mattress, blankets, pillows, water, batt. operated lantern and other stuff all downstairs and ready to go. he fried bacon early and got wy fed while i gathered extra clothes diapers, snacks (in the pantry in the basement anyway), wipes, some toys and had them down there. our sirens went off but the funnel was hitting down about 30 mi. south of us and going n/ne direction. there was a funnel straight west of us but b/c the storms were going n/ne and downtown wichita always seems to dissipitate the tornadoes, we didn't have to worry about that one either. it was actually pretty uneventful compared to most times. and yes! i know what you mean about missing the thunder! and lightning across the prairie.
i was planning on washing buster today or tomorrow, or sun. or monday. whenever i get around to it. you know, i bought those collars called 'gentle leaders'. i do NOT like choke chains and i used to use the pinch collar on buster and the ch. chain on prix. but the pinch collar somehow got all bent out of shape and i can't bend it back to normal. so, i bought those gentle leaders. it's a collar but it has a loop that goes over/around the nose/mouth area behind the lips and down to the collar underneath the neck. it acts the exact same as a halter on a horse. when they pull forward with the neck and head it puts pressure on the top/back of the neck instead of cutting into the muscle/throat/airways like a choke chain. i'm pretty impressed. yesterday i put them on the dogs to get them used to it. prix did great. buster fought it and acted like a huge baby, like his whole body wouldn't work b/c of it!! it was hilarious! today when wy and i took the dogs out down the road to see how they'd do prix kinda fought it a little more than buster! but it subdued buster enough that he actually walked down and back without getting so damn excited and yipping and barking and yapping and dancing all around that whole way! it was really nice! and off course they didn't bolt out the door when we left too. i kept telling them to 'walk'. they did good! at least i didn't feel like strangling them and leaving them home!
i think wy thinks we're crazy when we say my belly is a baby b/c he knows babies only as babies-real live crying, wiggling things that look like him! but i'm hoping there will be a connection somehow that i don't know about. when we come home from the hospital we're going to have him ride home with us so that he knows that the baby is all of ours....kinda help him understand that and make the transition.
after i get wheeled back into the recovery room we'll be there probably until mid-afternoon before i can handle the move up to the higher floor w/o puking like i did last time. the dr. is going to be able to tell if i ripped the internal stitches when i puked. i'm glad he doesn't do the stitches on the outside or staples! i like the fact that i don't have to have anything removed after a week or so. the last length of thread just dissolves and i can shower or take a bath as soon as i can get out of bed pretty much. which is about 6 hours after the surgery when the epidural is totally and safely worn off that i can walk with help. i will probably text you girls first thing, then call mom and dad and then later i'll give each of you a call to talk. but, it might be earlier b/c i might have time, who knows!
okay, i'm dying to get back to sewing. wy of course is down for a nap and i'm getting hungry besides!
love ya and have a barrell of fun on vacation!!!!