One of the items I make

Here's a good picture of one of the jewelry pouches I make. My techniques have improved through the years and I'm really happy with this batch of pouches.

Now if people would just buy the things, I'd be happy. Maybe I'm selling them in the wrong places.

Suggestions, criticisms, etc., graciously accepted.

I filled the trash can and other tales

It takes a lot to fill our trash can. One dozen bags, more or less, will make the lid not shut. Regulations insist the lid must shut.

Not only was our can full this morning, I snuck a few bags into the neighbors' can. A few weeks back I noticed they had added to our can, so I figured turn about was fair play.

A second can would cost $75. I don't need a second can that bad.

I stirred up a lot of dust while cleaning yesterday, so I've been using the antihistamines. I will be sure to get by my doctor's office tomorrow.

The children are feeling better

It seems that I planned badly and every day this week we have some sort of appointment. (Cue the whiney children...)

Based upon the way they all acted (read: argued) at Oldest's physical yesterday, they are completely healed. Heading out the door to my doctor's appointment today, I instructed the girls to each bring a book. "You get a toy," I told the boy. I should have specified "a quiet toy".

Both girls were told to stay in the waiting room when the nurse called me back. "You are with me, boy," I said firmly. There was no room for argument. I allowed him to demonstrate "Shake 'n Go Mater" for both the nurse and the doctor. "Now switch him off. He's too noisy and we need to talk."

Between the nurse and doctor, Youngest demanded the April issue of "Martha Stewart Living". It was the pretty magazine with Easter stuff on the cover. He turned a few pages. "There's no Easter eggs!" he whined.

"Keep turning pages. They're in there. You're in the middle of the ads in the front. Keep going." He gave me the "you can't possibly know what you are talking about" look. Several pages later, he got to the food section. Now bored with the magazine, he dropped it on the floor and ran Mater over it.

The good news is that I shall live. My cholestrol is "excellent" and won't need to be checked again for a few years.

I am SO going to that special place in Hell for Mommies

Sunday night, I was trying to play NWN with some friends. I was walking into "Estrogen's Castle" when Oldest, already late for bed, asked, "What's that on the floor? The red thing. Is it paint?"

I knew I couldn't properly concentrate to play NWN until all the children were in bed. With a perfectly straight face I said:

"It's the blood of little children that didn't go to bed on time."

For some reason, Oldest hopped right into bed.

I've been a little too busy to post. Here's why.

"What happened?" you might ask. Even today, tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies are not without complications. Complications of the "Is my child bleeding to death?" type. Multiply that by two.

I had thought, how silly of me, that getting them both done on the same day would be a GOOD THING (TM). I was wrong.

Big Sister (a.k.a. Oldest) did just fine, but she had two separate procedures separated by three years. I'm still grumpy with that first doctor for refusing to remove her tonsils with her adenoids when she was four. By the time she was almost seven, Oldest was back to snoring. We went to a different doctor and he removed her tonsils. She ate a hot dog, albeit cut into small pieces, after her adenoidectomy. Likewise, I can recall no major issues when Oldest had her tonsillectomy.

*Sigh.*

I don't normally post pictures of my family on this blog, but today is a little different. Perhaps you will understand more when you read the following timeline.

Timeline for T&A Tuesday, June 12

07:15 We arrive at surgery center.
08:00 CS goes into OR.
08:30 JM goes into OR.
10:30 CS goes home.
11:30 JM almost faints, curls into fetal position, nose bleeding.
13:00 JM goes back into OR to have right side of adenoid site cauterized.
14:00 JM and I head home.
14:30 CS wakes from nap with blood on shirt, pillow, and hands.
15:00? CS spits up small amount of blood.
16:00 CS vomits 100cc of DARK blood.
17:30 CS vomits 300cc of DARK blood. I contact on-call doc.
17:35 Doctor instructs me to take CS to Obici ER.
17:40 CS projectile vomits blood into ice cream bucket before I get past the neighbors’ house.
17:41 I begin my attempt to set new land speed record to Obici.
18:00? I note lack of attention caused by passing busy weigh station @ 80mph.
18:05 Left lane of US58 opens up and I discover Caddy CAN do 100…
18:15 Arrive Obici ER.
18:16 Male ER patient asks, “Did he do that?” and points at bucket. Same patient announces to nurse, “You’ve got a lady with a boy and a bucket of blood you MIGHT WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT!” (I thanked the man later.)
18:20 ER crew is getting history from me and IV into CS.
18:25 “Hurry up and wait” begins as we wait for Admissions Clerk.
19:00 CS is in surgery to cauterize his right tonsil site.
20:30 Recovery Room Nurse and I discover CS to be first ever patient to have surgery with his shoes on. Then she gives him morphine.
22:30 The bed assigned to CS is for patients in traction. Evil, foolish nurse calls them “monkey bars”.
23:30 I finally convince CS to let nurse know he needs something to be able to sleep. And, no, they are NOT monkey bars. (This speech is to be repeated at least three more times during the night.)
EVERY HOUR DURING THE DAMNED NIGHT: The IV pole alarms and is not heard at nurses’ station. I must wake up enough to push call button so they will reset it.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13
09:00? Hubby & JM arrive. I finally get to eat some food down in the cafeteria.
10:30 Hubby stays with CS. I take JM home.
11:05 I change answering machine message and pass out on sofa.
13:30? CS is discharged.

#1. I thank GOD for the GOD-given Mother Instinct which said, "Do not take JM home while her nose is bleeding. This is not normal, no matter what these nurses say." Within the hour, the nurses were agreeing with me whole-heartedly.

#2. I thank GOD for having me realize CS's vomiting was NOT a "wait and see" situation.

#3. Since finally catching up on my sleep, I no longer want to slap the nurse that said "monkey bars", however I would like to point out to her that it was a BAD THING, especially since she was NOT the person tasked with keeping CS from falling out of the bed all night.

Monkey bars, indeed.

Now, if CS will decide to talk again, I will be happier. I do not blame him for refusing to open his mouth or speak in front of "others" after the past couple of days he has had.

When we went to get CBCs (Complete Blood Counts) done on JM and CS today at the urging of their regular pediatrician, the lab tech was practicly in tears as she apologized for having to hurt him some more. The techs could see all the tape residue and needle marks on both of his arms. JM was very brave and sat in the chair all by herself and willingly bared her arms for the techs to choose a vein to draw her blood.

The pediatrician called late in the afternoon to say, "Neither one lost enough blood to 'hurt them', but they need to start on vitamins with iron to build them back up."

How was your week? Mine stunk. BIG TIME.

He would have been 100 next month

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for the insects.
—Robert Heinlein

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The Heinlein Centennial

A commemoration of Robert A. Heinlein's life and influence

Kansas City, MO * July 6-8, 2007

Featured speakers: NASA Administrator Michael Griffin, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Peter Diamandis, and (via video link) Sir Arthur C. Clarke

Details: www.HeinleinCentennial.com


I guess I need to learn how to conn a ship.

The Router: a sob story

Yesterday I spent several minutes writing about what happened to our computer router. Then Yahoo ate it. I was not amused.

Here’s the recap of the saga of the router, originally titled, “It’s dead, Jim. I’m a doctor, not a computer tech…”

We had a bad lightning storm on Tuesday night. I had enticed Hubby upstairs at a reasonable hour, so as a result, we were asleep before Midnight. All Hell broke loose at 2 AM.

Recall, if you will, that we get rather nervous about lightning storms due to the fact that our chimney was struck by lightning a few Summers back. We are a little “gun shy” to say the least.

I said many a prayer early into Wednesday morning as I listened to the storm rage outside. “Thank you, GOD, that we are safe inside, snug in our dry beds. Bless those poor animals outside. Keep us safe from another strike. PLEASE let the kids sleep through this.” The storm kept me awake for more than an hour. Every time I started to drift off to sleep, the storm would kick it up another notch. Then something exploded outside.

I snapped my head up to see if my alarm clock was still glowing. It was. We still had power. I had startled Hubby awake. “What’s wrong?” he asked in a very alert voice for 2-something AM.

“Transformer blew. We still have power.” We settled back in and tried to sleep. The storm raged on and on. Sometime close to 3 AM, I managed to fall asleep.

Wednesday afternoon I tried to check my email. “Send/Receive Error”.

Ut oh.

Best Friend, the children’s godmother, called with a need for emergency transport. I left a note for Hubby about the computer. At that point I feared it was the modem. Apparently my note was not clear enough. I called to let Hubby know we were finally on our way home and explained my note. By the time the children and I returned from our rescue mission, Hubby was hard at work diagnosing the problem.

“It’s not the modem,” he tells me as I’m dialing the internet provider to get a diagnostic ping. “I’m on the net right now.” Several minutes and much cable moving later, Hubby said confidently, “It’s the router.”

Lovely. More money to spend.

Hubby spent several minutes on the phone with the router manufacturer. Our new router should be here today. If it doesn’t make it today, it will be Monday before it is delivered. We have only one computer attached directly to the modem. This is the computer with the keyboard that doesn’t work right and the insane mouse. Don’t bother to suggest switching equipment around. We plan to get a newer keyboard and mouse soon.

The old router has been put back to work. This is the same router that decided certain computers could not access the internet on certain days, whereas other days they could connect just fine. Obviously, this situation is NOT good for playing online games. Connecting to GameSpy is flakey enough without having the router play roulette with my access. Since I’m all for reducing stress and anxiety, I will not be logging in to play until this situation is remedied.

Once the new router arrives and is installed, we hope to be able to link all our machines so we can play NWN with the kids. The girls still need some help with game mechanics. Playing a magic user as a noob just is not a good idea.

I Talk to Dead People, Part Four: Rev. Brooks Visits

If the previous posts about talking to/with dead people haven’t scared you away yet, read on.


I’m not shy about revealing that I talk to dead people. I’m asleep and dreaming at the time, so it’s not like I could MAKE them stop, now is it? I remember my dreams best first thing in the morning. People that want to say something for me to remember, say it then.

There are “just” dreams. Then there are communication dreams. When talking to people in Heaven, I can feel the difference. “Just” dreams are entertaining. Communication dreams are more personal. Quite often people give me encouragement before I start my day.

So, several months back I was visiting my parents. When I had a quiet moment, I asked Mom, “Did I mention I talked to Reverend Brooks?”

“Um, no, you didn’t,” Mom answered. Mom looked a little nervous, but she waited to see what I said next. I wondered how many years he’s been dead now, but didn’t stop to ask at that moment. It probably wasn’t a good time to ask.

“Well, I dreamed I was at Rhett Avenue watching a service. Rev. Brooks was the minister. His sermon was about the Pilgrims and how they were seeking religious freedom. Afterwards, he walked to the narthex and he talked to me. He was happy and relaxed. I guess he would be, since he’s in Heaven and all that. I woke feeling really positive.”

I spent a minute telling Mom about minor details of the dream, but those were unimportant. The first minister I can remember, the man that married my parents, took time out of his busy schedule in Heaven to give me words of encouragement as I started my day.

GOD bless Reverend David Brooks. One day we will meet again.

The PARTY in HEAVEN

I have attempted to explain to people what I see when I visit Heaven in my dreams. My description leaves much to be desired, but try to play along for a few minutes.

Imagine a party, if you will. Everyone is standing around, happily talking, laughing, and just visiting. No one is in a hurry to get someplace. They literally have all the time in the world to listen to a long story and they really want to hear the story their friend is telling. There is music faint in the background. The lighting is not harsh, nor is it too dim. No one is bored. Everything is just right.

If we were at an earthly party, everyone would have drinks in their hands. The listeners would be busy stuffing finger foods in their mouths while the story tellers told their tales. But we aren’t at an earthly party. We don’t need food to distract us from the business of reconnecting with old friends.

So we talk.

I’m allowed to join this party for a few short moments before I wake up. Some people have a message to pass along. Others just offer encouragement.

I hate to leave the party.

I have been sent back against my will. I could hear my alarm going off and the man I was talking with laughed and pushed against my chest. “Go back NOW,” he instructed. His shove slammed me back into my body. Who was he? I have absolutely no clue today. I knew him well enough to speak with at length. He was/is a Heaven Friend.

I have seen a recently deceased friend. He waved at me, then turned back to his argument with his cluster of old pals. They tried to make him understand that no one is ever 100% ready to go. He was still very much arguing with them and they were good naturedly explaining matters. Much later I worked up the courage and spoke to his widow. “He really didn’t want to go then, but his friends told him ‘Your wife and kids will be just fine. Here’s how things will work out…’ Then they started showing him how things were going to come together.”

I think she might have understood the message, after she got over the shock of “Why would YOU dream of him?”

Because he was a friend. I passed along a message for my friend.

The tapestry is being woven, even if we don’t see it. We will see all the pretty colors when we get to Heaven and our friends that preceded us point them out to us.

I look forward to the day I get to join the party, hopefully MANY years from now.

Why I don't own a dog

Mom always said potty training a toddler and house breaking a puppy at the same time was NOT FUN. This is yet another reason I still do not own a dog.

I don’t care how many people say “You have a boy, you should get a dog.” Little do they know: I found out I was pregnant with the boy, so dropped my pitch to get a dog. I tell friends, “I wanted to get a dog and Hubby wouldn’t let me. So I had another baby…”

"Which Star Trek character am I?" quiz

Your results:
You are Uhura

Uhura 85% Chekov 70% An Expendable Character (Redshirt) 70% Beverly Crusher 60% Geordi LaForge 60% Deanna Troi 60% Data 52% James T. Kirk (Captain) 45% Mr. Scott 45% Jean-Luc Picard 45% Will Riker 40% Worf 40% Spock 32% Leonard McCoy (Bones) 20% Mr. Sulu 20%

You are a good communicator with a pleasant soft-spoken voice. Also a talented singer.

Click here to take the "Which Star Trek character am I?" quiz...


Thanks Ambulance Driver.

Playing NWN again

I will be playing "Akiko" tonight. Check out www.neverworkingnights.com for more information.

Changing weather pattern clouds

This was the day that started my most recent series of cloud pictures. Back in Feburary a cold front was moving through. Heading towards the Midtown Tunnel, I beheld a wonderous sky! Traffic was at a crawl, so I pulled out the digital camera.

The fence gives a perspective on the size of the cloud bank. Portsmouth International Terminal (PIT) is in the distance. The giraffe-looking things are the cranes that lift containers off ships.

I especially liked how the fence and wall run into the clouds, dwindling to "nothing" in the distance. The solid cloud was indeed solid over my head. I knew the conditions would not last and I wouldn't get another picture like it if I waited even a few minutes.