Our computer crashed last night, so I'll be off for a while. 

 

 

I have a photo in this week's contest at iliveinmycamera

I can't tell you which one is mine, but there are some awesome close up photos this week. Go, take a peek & vote!


Dee

I have a list of things I have never wanted to do. I'm doing one of them tomorrow. I'm going white water rafting on the Arkansas River (Browns Canyon- supposedly the most popular white water trip in the country). It's a middle school family outing with our church. Since I have two middle school aged children, I get to go! (yipee- can you feel the joy?) Hubby would go, but he's got a wedding to go to, & he's going on the high school family rafting trip down the Royal Gorge next Saturday with two of the older boys.

You see, water & I are not good friends. I was thrown into the deep end of a swimming pool as a non-swimming child, & never got over it. I will go in water that is no higher than my chin. I will go under said shallow water as long as it is my own choice to do so. But being splashed in the face or dunked is not my idea of a good time! I don't even let the shower splash my face. Browns Canyon is going to be a major step of faith for me.

I did go out & buy a water resistant sleeve for the older digital tonight, so, if I can release whatever death grip I have on the raft, I'll take pictures.

If I live through it, I'll let you know how it goes!

Last night, my kids alerted me to the fact that my mil wasn't acting normal again. I had been down here in the basement working on a project or two. I went upstairs, watched her a little & talked to her & decided things weren't right, so I called Hubby at work, then had Son#1 help me get my mil to the hospital. This time, her blood sugar was too high; it has been for several days, due to a sinus infection & a steroid she's been taking. They did some tests, treated her for the high blood sugar, then sent her home after 3:00 this morning.

I "slept" on the couch last night so I could hear if anything happened, & so I would see her when she came out of her room this morning. She was back on oxygen while sleeping, & I was close to the roaring, thumping compressor. Funny thing was, I finally did get to sleeping through the noise, but I woke up when my mil shut it off!

She's still not quite right today, but she's getting better. She finished the steroid today, so hopefully things will start getting better in the next day or so.

We thought we might have to take The Girl to the doctor today. She's been sick the last couple of days with a fever, sore throat, stomach ache, stuffy head & dizziness, but she's better, not over it, but better, today. Boy, am I glad. I'm just not up to going anywhere after probably only 2 hours of decent sleep. I've still got plenty to do today, though, if I can find the energy.

I'd better go start dinner. I'm going the easy route with ham steaks & mac-n-cheese today.

I hope all the moms who read this had a great day. I know I had a good time.

We started celebrating yesterday, when Hubby & three of the kids pulled up to the garage just as I was unloading groceries. I was blocking the garage door, & he was driving the car that belongs in the garage. So I closed the car doors that were open for me to get the groceries out, & pulled the car forward enough in the alley to allow hubby to get his mom's car in the garage.

As I backed up, Son#4 came up to the car & informed me I had to stay in the car, & I had to look in the other direction. Dutifully, I did so. I love surprises when it comes to gifts, so I'm not a peeker.
A couple of minutes later, Son#5 (the four-year-old) comes running out to the car with a huge, priceless grin on his face, a small mylar balloon on a stick, & a yellow rose. I hadn't even gotten out of the car yet!

That was not part of Hubby's plan, but it was very sweet. As I went around the back to get a bag or two to carry in the hand not holding my flower (Son#5 very generously offered to hold the balloon for me ), Hubby came out, informed me that I needed some space cleared on my desk, & announced that I did not have to cook dinner!





When I got inside, Son#3 presented me with a red rose, & (sweet child!) a bag of chocolate truffles!
I went down to the desk in the basement, & Hubby presented me with a pretty purple bouquet in a little vase in a very cute wire holder. After I went upstairs to get water in the vase for my roses, Son#4 gave me a bouquet of three red carnations.

After groceries were put away, the six of us went out to dinner to Black-eyed Pea. Chicken Fried Steaks all around, except for Son#5, who opted for- what else- Mac 'n' Cheese. It was delicious, fun & very nice, but a little sad, since the two oldest weren't able to attend. While at the table, The Girl gave me her gift. She wasn't able to go shopping with the others, so she put together a little bag of beads from a huge selection she just got from Freecycle, & a little pin with a space to put a very small photo.

Before we left for church this morning, Son#2 gave me a card with a gift card for Michael's. I can see my bead collection growing! After a very nice church service, we went to my parents house for dinner. My mom hates to go out on holidays, but likes her family to be around, so she cooks! All of the kids but the oldest were able to come for an afternoon dinner, & he was able to come out around 4:00. While we were there, I took the opportunity to get pictures of all of the kids. My mil has a frame that has pictures of all of her grandkids in it, but they were taken almost three years ago. I'm going to update it for her this week. (She said NO GIFTS! I had to come up with something! ) Here are the uncropped "raw" photos. I'll have to size them to fit in letter shaped spaces)

Son#1


Son#2



Son#3



Son#4



The Girl



Son#5




We left my parents' house around 6:00, & headed to my next gift. We went out for ice cream, ALL EIGHT OF US! Getting all of us together is not an easy task these days. It was fun, even the ice cream fight my boys got into in the parking lot (no pics, they kept ducking from the camera). On the way home, Hubby indulged me, & took me to some of the older sections of town to take pictures of Victorian homes for this week's contest on iliveinmycamera
I didn't think I was going to be able to enter, since the pics must be taken after the theme is announced. I got some good shots, & uploaded one for my first entry into this fun little contest!
You can go there & vote, starting tomorrow. I can't tell you which one is mine, though!

I'm praying for a "normal" week. My mil is much better, although the steroid has driven her blood sugar rather high. But, she did her laundry today, & cleaned the kitchen. The road to recovery looks good!