mrshoppes

07:15 pm: This is going to be pinned to the top.

By this time next year:
Be 90% self-sufficient wrt produce.
Have the wood furnace working.
Have the windmill up, working, and operational.
Have a whole house generator.
Be off the grid.
Increase our goat herd.
Increase our flock.
Lose 100 pounds.
Take an EMT course.
Make my own medicines.

As we accomplish things, they will be crossed off. As I think of things, they will be added. Maybe I should add have Hannah potty trained so we can stop with the diapers?

11:28 am: I Moved
I am fed up with livejournal.  I tried posting my Friday Update seven times (or more) and it would not post.  So, I decided to move.  This is not the first time I had run into this problem and it does not seem to be getting better.

Anyway, here is my new blog.  If you've linked me, you might want to update. 

http://hoppeshomestead.blogspot.com/

I will keep my account here so I can continue to read friends pages.

Sorry to inconvenience everyone, but this will hopefully take care of the problems of sitting for an hour trying to get a post to go through and maybe I can stop losing posts. 

See you in cyber-space!

=)

07:52 pm: Random Thoughts
I have a massive head-ache so I don't think I will make much sense.  As a result, I am just going to blog mindless ramblings.

In history today, we discussed some of the highlights from 2002 to today.  I fired up the laptop and had Charlie (and the girls) watch a few minutes of Bush's inauguration and Obama's inauguration.  A few observations.  

1.  At Bush's, a bunch of liberal democrats (or people who did not vote for Bush) broke through the barrier and had to be stopped by police and they shouted out threats and curses.

2.  At Obama's inauguration, the people who did not vote for him (Bible clinging, gun clinging republicans to use Obama's words) quietly welcomed him into office without threats or drama.

3.  When Bush came out to "hand over the keys" so to speak, he was booed.

So much for bringing the country together.  It seems at a glance that while liberal Democrats are all for tolerance and acceptance, it is only on their terms.  They've had control of Congress since 2006 and still they complained about everything that came down the pike.  They've had opportunity for "change" and the only change that has happened over the past couple of years is everyone starting worshipping this guy who loves his country so much he has found time to write two books about himself (not his country) side-stepped questions, claims to love his family, yet leaves his own brother living in squallor.  www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/2590614/Barack-Obamas-lost-brother-found-in-Kenya.html
 
President Obama is a very eloquent speaker.  I'll give him that.  But it sounds very empty.  I'll pray for him and I'll continue to pray for this country.  I pray that he proves me wrong.  I pray that he does great things.  In the meantime, I will happily classify myself as one of the bitter clingers he has referred to and see if I can find a countdown to mark the end of an error.

In other news, my MIL does not look good.  She knows she's dying.  She might not know the details, but she knows.  She told us two things when we all went to see her.

1.  She never thought she would die like this.  (In a nursing home?  Don't worry, Mom.  You will be brought home before you die and we will have hospice.)

2.  Keep doing God's work.  (That's our priority in life, Mom.) 

04:28 pm: The end of an era
No, I am not talking about the inauguration.  I am talking about the chickens.

ALL THE ROOSTERS ARE DONE!  And we ended up butchering a hen by mistake.  Woops.  The rest of the hens were freed, the roosters are in the freezer.  Life is good.

I examined our pregnant goats today and Robin has another month easy even though she is HUGE.  Her vulva shows no signs of getting anywhere near ready.  Flora, on the other hand, has a vulva that is clearly sticking out beyond her body and her udder feels fully developed.  We are going to do checks on her every few hours rather than a couple of times a day and have her up on the milking stand twice daily just to get her used to it.

We also examined Gi-gi and she is definitely showing signs of pregnancy.  She is getting rounder.  If I were to guess, I would say she has another three months or so.  This is a good thing because her kidding in the dead of winter is not good.  She lost a kid that way last year.  She dropped one of the twins out in the open in the middle of an ice storm and she (the kid) never made it.  So, spring kidding is best for Gi-gi.

George pulled the bookcase out of the wall and did some exploring.  Apparently, there is some ice forming on the ceiling in the access area to the solar panel blower thingie.  (Like my technical jargon?)  That is not a good thing.  I also noticed wetness on the floor inside the wall and when I looked up, there was mold and what looked to be some rot.  So, there is a roof leak inside the wall where the bookcase goes.  This is not a good thing.  We can't afford something like this.  Maybe if I ignore it, it will go away.  Hey, I had no clue it was there until we did some exploring.  The bookcase is back in place so it no longer exists.  Right?  RIGHT?  

Anyway, the bookcase is back in the wall and I need to get the books back in the bookcase and get other stuff organized.  I have a disaster on my furniture.

09:52 pm: Long Over Due Pictures
I have some pictures here that are long over due.

Our "fridge" that is doing a fantastic job.  (It is plugged into a timer now):



The food inside.  I have discovered that I need to label the lids of the jars rather than the sides from now on.




And the lid.  I think I'm going to keep a sheet of paper on it to jot down notes or shopping lists.

09:16 pm:  We got the confirmation today with the biopsy. My MIL has terminal liver cancer and has 3-6 months to live at the outside. What happens now, I have no idea. I do know we will have to get ready to go to New York at a moments notice. That is where her husband is buried.  

We got two roosters taken care of today and Hannah’s appetite is definitely back. Although she is still coughing horribly, she ate half a chicken by herself. And right now, she is eating popcorn. (It’s the good kind. Not the pre-packaged tons of junk added to it kind.)  

I did a bunch of dusting today and vacuumed the whole house. I also cleaned some intakes and noticed something. There is an intake above the thermostat and I’m wondering if that doesn’t affect the thermostat at all. So, we blocked it off. I need to get on a high enough ladder to clean the one up on the balcony and I want to put some kind of filter in it.

I put up some fabric in the doorways to the kitchen and dining room. I am hoping that it will help with containing the heat controlled by the thermostat. The kitchen and dining room won’t freeze since there are a couple of heat vents in there, but with the area being sensed by the thermostat, maybe we can use a bit less electricity while still maintaining the temperature in the main area of the house.

Tomorrow is Obama’s inauguration. Why they don’t just call it a coronation, I have no idea. The whole thing is just sickening. I can’t believe how bad people just fall all over themselves to get a glimpse of him. He promises change, but I seriously doubt the change is going to be a good change.  

People have been complaining about Bush for a few years now, but just about everything that has come out of Washington that people have been complaining about has come from a democratic controlled Congress. Obama is just going to make things worse. I saw the best picture that perfectly describes what is happening.

09:36 pm: GRRRRR!
I finally caught my tail between my teeth and can finally settle down into some sort of normalcy. MIL has been moved to a nursing home and seems to be doing very well. Both girls are recovering from pneumonia and are looking and sounding much better. Hannah no longer has a fever and looking at her, you would never know she had been sick.

M called to say her children will not be at Geography tomorrow, but that is ok. I have plans for Geography tomorrow that I have been mulling over in my mind and I am going to implement them if no one else shows up.

This week, I am going to focus on hearth and home. I have been gone so much this week that even though I put gas in the van, it is hovering around empty. This will force me to stay home and take care of the house and the family. I know my family has been feeling very neglected lately and I need to remedy that.

Oh, crud! I almost completely forgot! I have a sonogram of my gallbladder tomorrow at 8:30am and I have to go on an empty stomach. I am also going to have to take the truck. I don’t want to go. I want to stay home. I have a husband and children. There is coffee here. I can’t even have coffee before the sonogram. Or even water.

I’m off to set the alarm. The children actually let us sleep until 8:30 this morning.

 

11:41 am: I've been tagged
Rick over at http://musingsofavastright-winger.blogspot.com/ tagged me with the direction to share 6 things about my self. The rules for participation are as follows:

1. Link to the person who tagged you. Done
2. Post the rules on your blog. Done
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself. Done
4. Tag six people with a link Done


1.  April will be 10 years I've been married.
2.  I miss photography.
3.  I used to be anti-gun until I educated myself on the realities of guns and gun ownership.
4.  I do not like doing dishes.  But when I do get around to doing them, it doesn't seem that bad.
5.  I bite my nails and pop my joints.
6.  I can't carry a tune to save my life, but still love to sing.

Tagging:

The same people I tagged in the Lemonade Stand.  =) 

11:35 am: Substitute America for England
You get basically the same thing.

Gun bans work. They work great. If you want to live in fear, get killed, or be a perpetual victim.

 

10:51 am: Lemonade Anyone?



Thanks to http://tinlovewith4.blogspot.com/ for thinking of me.


If you are not familiar with what the Lemonade Award is, the Lemonade Award is given by a previous winner to 10 people who have shown a great attitude or gratitude this week. It’s a great way to show these people that you appreciate them.
I am passing on the award to the following:


http://modern-homesteader.blogspot.com/  First and foremost, anyone who can stay married to me for close to 10 years and still laugh is most deserving of this reward.

http://supportyourlocalgunfighter.com/  Anyone that can maintain a sense of humor while rasing three boys, a new girl, and be a cop deserves this award.

http://mysimplegifts.blogspot.com/  A wonderful friend and a great attitude with life, she is the epitome of the Lemonade Stand Award.

http://rtsponderings.wordpress.com/  An amazing person who seems to have no end to a wonderful attitude about life, weight loss, and a great relationship with God.

http://jedimomma.livejournalcom/  Good friend and a great attitude about life.  Even when her children have been subjected to my children.

http://rebbyribs.livejournal.com/  Pregnant and raising children and still having a sense of humor?  Definitely deserves this.  (Unless lemonade makes you nauseous?)

I don't know if that's 10 or not.  I know there are plenty more deserving of the reward, but my sick children need me.

09:17 pm: Friday Update
ELECTRICITY: Yes, it is high. Very high. The heater in the shop is running on low so that the animals don’t freeze to death and Flora has some heat that is above 0* for when she kids. Did I mention the 20* below zero temps? This also means the truck has been plugged in. Plus, the freezer-into-a-refrigerator experiment had a small snafu that we fixed. The door, when it was lifted to open, pushed in ALL the little pins on the timer so it ran constantly. That has been fixed, so we will hopefully see results of that in our future readings. Oh, and we have been running the dryer and using that to add warm, moist air to the house.  

Anyway, without further ado, here are our readings:
63280 reading
1319 kwh
625% of the national average.


IDC: The ornamental (Medusa) pepper plants have been transplanted into bigger pots and were used for science Homeschool. They got separated out and the children got to take them home. Due to the dangerously cold temps, George put together his winter bag which includes boots that protect to 40* below, a full body snowsuit, and a bunch of other stuff. We also made sure there are blankets in the truck for just in case. With this cold, we are realizing just how lax we got since leaving the Buffalo area. We have gotten lazy in our cold weather preps with regard to vehicle supplies. Granted, this is Indiana, but it still obviously gets cold. It just doesn't get snow. (And no, 2”-3” of snow does not constitute snow.)


GARBAGE: The shredder is great. I used the shredded paper to fill the pots about ¾ full and then topped it with dirt. The way that children pack dirt tightly, this allows the roots to grow and be healthy while still allowing the children to do the dirt the way they like.
The garbage bag is on its second week and still not half filled. YAY US!


GASOLINE: Yes, we bought gas this week. The number of gallons are in the truck. I just put 2 ½ gallons in the van. We had to go to Indy yesterday for Hannah’s CT Scan and today, we took both vehicles into town because both girls had to see the doctor and right after, I had a meeting with the homeschoolers. Plus, we have been coming into town everyday because of MIL being in the hospital. (She got transferred to a nursing home for rehab this evening.) So, there has been lots of gas usage.

By the way, the CT Scan shows normal blood flow to the heart and lungs, and showed congestion in the lungs. Both girls have pneumonia.


MONEY: The notes for this are in the truck.

HOMESTEAD: The goats are still pregnant. There are still roosters alive. This week has been devoted to running around in circles bound and determined that I am going to catch my tail between my teeth. Staying above water with housework makes me happy at this point. MIL in the hospital and two sick children make for a draining week. Especially with one of them getting rapidly sicker.
Monday night: Fever over 101
Tuesday night: Fever over 102
Wednesday night: Fever over 103
Thursday night: Fever 104.2


HERBAL STUDY: I was going to do research on asthma and I still want to, but it just did not happen this week.

HOMESCHOOL: The schedule still seems to be working even in the midst of chaos and confusion. I think this schedule has actually helped me to stay focused on what needs to get done and making sure that the children are being taken care of both physically and in their education.


WEIGHT LOSS: I am 258 this week. I lost another pound making total loss 2.5 pounds. I still have not had time to exercise, but I still seem to be losing. I wonder what would happen if I were to actually start to focus on losing weight rather than running here, there, and everywhere. I bet part of the weight loss is also from when I was sick last Sunday.

GOALS ACCOMPLISHED: Walk Away The Pounds. FAIL AGAIN!
Herbal Study for asthma. FAIL
Sew One Skirt. YES! I did Hannah’s skirt. I sewed it by hand, but it is done! I made a matching skirt for Bethany several months ago and I have a cut out for my match.

NEW GOALS: I am going to put “Walk Away The Pounds” down again not that it will do any good.
For herbal study, I am going to put asthma on the back burner for now and study fevers and pneumonia
My sewing goal this week is to do repair work. I have a few skirts that need fixed and a couple of sweaters that have holes that need mending.

 

10:41 pm: 103.2*
Hannah is running a fever of 103.2 and is pretty miserable.  We gave her Motrin and will do a rub down on her feet if the Motrin doesn't start to bring it down in 20 minutes.  Ok, we just took her temp again and it's 101.9.  It is coming down, but she is very miserable.  I feel bad that she is sick.  I m also concerned that this will affect the test somehow and we have no way of contacting anyone to ask.

I also just found out (looking at Clarian North website) that Clarian North is part of Riley even though we were asking for St Vincent.  I am praying that the people we deal with will be better than the pediatric cardiologist we dealt with before.  I am still aggrevated by that.

Well, I am going to take care of Hannah again.  She is not allowing anyone to put her down right now and George's shoulder blade is about to fall off.

08:54 pm: Yesterday, we had our appointments and Hannah's well child visit was very well.  Her height is at the 75 percentile and her weight is at the 70 percentile.  So she is well proportioned.  She does have a CT scan on Thursday to examine her heart.

I had a blood draw done for my thyroid and Dr. E decided to do a liver enzyme check on me to make sure that is functioning properly with the issues I've been having.  I am also going to have a sonogram done on Monday to get a look at my liver and gallbladder.

Anyway, after a wonderful appointment with Hannah being perfectly healthy (with the normal exception of her heart) and her temperature being 95.8 (normal for her) she decided to spike a fever in the middle of the night having it shoot up to 102.8.  She was perfectly fine yesterday and sick last night.  I gave her some motrin and benadryl so she could rest and today, she was fine.  Then this afternoon, she became miserable again.  George gave her some medicine and she is resting next to me.

MIL has a biopsy tomorrow.  She was supposed to have it today, but paperwork and a broken machine caused a shift in scheduling.  She is doing much better.  She is on a thick liquid diet.  No solid foods and no liquids.  Everything has to be pureed to babyfood consistency and she has to be spoon-fed.  Even her water needs to be thickened.

We had science today and transplanted the ornamental pepper plants.  We discussed what is needed to make things grow and talked about our favorite foods and what grows (apples) and what doesn't (cookies.)  I asked them what their favorite vegetables were and am going to be looking into getting seeds if I don't already have them.  That way, they can grow their favorite vegetables. 

01:28 pm: I spent the day in bed yesterday with a stomach virus I most likely picked up at the hospital. I’m feeling better today, but my stomach is still feeling icky.

We have an appointment with the doctor today. Hannah has her 2 year check-up and I have a routine appointment. I’m also going to get my thyroid levels checked and see about getting a full work-up. (Cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL, etc.)

We had our US Geography today and I am going to get the info for our drivers so I can establish contact with them to play our game. Since M’s children are in my class and the Indiana driver is M’s father that will be an easy contact.

We took a Twister game and modified it. Perfectly graphed out, I wrote the letters A through D along the top and the numbers 1 through 6 down the side. I then wrote each graph spot on a piece of paper and we got started. I spin the spinner, call out a person’s name and pull a paper.

“Charlie: Left Foot. D4.”
“K. Right Hand. C2.”

And so on. It was a lot of fun and I even had M join in. We then looked at a picture of the US map and had them find Indiana, Indianapolis, and looked for states where other people they know live.  

Next week, M is going to bring her giant floor map and I am hoping for a large wall map so we can start charting our drivers.

Tomorrow is science and we are going to separate out an ornamental pepper plant and I’m going to send each of the children home with one for them to take care of and watch grow.

I did get rid of 99% of my cloth diapers today. I kept three all in ones, six prefolds and six vinyl covers. The prefolds and covers are for when we are out and about. The prefolds get folded into the underwear for extra absorption and then cover goes over the underwear. That way she can still wear underwear, go potty, and if she pees while she falls asleep, there is no leakage through everything.

Well, I need to get ready to go and make sure I have all my notes for the doctor for Hannah, MIL, and myself. 

08:33 pm: Indy 1500 and other stuff
We went to the Indy 1500 gun and knife show and it started out bad and got worse.  We get there and there are signs saying all guns need to be unloaded.  No problem.  George unloaded and unchambered the gun in the truck and we walk 1500 miles (it seems since it was cold and windy) to get to the place.  The line is outside and around the corner.  We go to the end, work our way in and get our tickets.  George having a gun has to have it checked when we get in.  Me not having a gun was pushed in by some woman even though I told her I was with my husband.  She didn't care and said I needed to move through anyway.

Being civil and not following my knee jerk reaction of "You do not separate me from my family" I continued on.  He had both girls and I had Charlie.  I'm looking at him and see him getting annoyed.  Something is going on and there is nothing I can do about it.

Apparently, the gentleman who checks guns asked him if the clip was loaded.  (Keep in mind the place is PACKED and NOISY.)  He said the clip was not in the gun.  The gentleman said "JC." and raised his voice.  George looked at him and said "Please do not swear and take the Lord's name in front of my children."  The response?  "If you want to teach your kids a lesson, do it somewhere else.  Not here."

All of that over a miscommunication.  The guy said "clip."  George thought he said "gun" in reference to "loaded" in the middle of all the noise and the guy gets rude and then ruder still when called on it.  And no one cared.

We are in the place and the place is so packed (most certainly beyond fire safety codes which were obviously being ignored by the cops) that you couldn't move.  You couldn't look at items even if you wanted to.  People were beyond rude, stepping on you, pushing into you without so much as an "excuse me" and I had us basically make a train to keep all of us together.  The minute I saw the crowd, I put Hannah in a carrier.  I was not about to let her walk.  It was a miserable experience.

The up side is we went to the Salvation Army store while in Indy since we passed right by it and found some nice stuff.  We got a couple of suit coats for Charlie, some nice skirts and dresses for the girls, and some nice skirts and a few sweaters for me.  And the skirts are nice!  They are ankle or just above ankle length so they are perfect.

When we got back in town, we went to see my MIL and she is in poor shape.  More tests will be run Monday.  But, she is in a lot of pain.  She can't seem to keep her teeth in and she is in a fog.  There is a DNR order for her.  She still doesn't know about her liver and we are keeping it that way.  She got moved during the night and she is being moved again back to telemetry.  Her blood pressure is out of control right now and her pulse is on the low end of normal dipping below 50 at times.  SIL got to the hospital this evening and we were discussing final wishes.  No heroic measures, feeding tube and IVs allowed.  Life support not allowed.  All things MIL had made clear years ago.

09:17 am: Friday update and special note
 Note: Most of this blog was done last night and just waiting the meter reading which I did this morning. This worked well because I seriously doubt I would have done an entry for today. We got woken up this morning by a phone call from the doctor. My MIL who is in the hospital recovering from a stroke has cancer of the liver and does not have much time. Weeks maybe. So, here is the Friday Update and when I have a chance, I will update.

ELECTRICITY: We are doing a Great Experiment. The Great Experiment requires testing my sanity, rearranging the kitchen, cleaning out the freezers and refrigerator, and basically wondering if I have truly gone off the deep end.  
I had heard about people using chest freezers as refrigerators. Still using my SIL’s fridge since ours died and having a small chest freezer in the garage, we (I) decided that we (my husband) should go out to the garage and bring it in so we can do this.
After cleaning it up, putting five gallons of water (one gallon jugs) in the bottom, taking some cardboard and wrapping it in foil to place on top of the jugs as a new “bottom,” we filled it up. Setting it on its lowest setting (what would be the “warmest”) we ran it to see what would happen. (This is basically how we live our lives. “Gee. Let’s try it and see what happens!”) Everything froze. But, we learned something important. Freezers do not have to be on 3, 4, or 5 to freeze. They can freeze quite adequately at 1. As a result, we turned our “freezer” freezer down. (Up?) Remembering also another time when we thought we would have success at saving energy and having our “freezer” freezer on a timer to run for a couple of hours every six or eight hours and everything thawed but was still cold, we put the “fridge” freezer on a timer and we will see how that works.
Meanwhile, here are the readings:
Meter: 61961
KWH: 617
% Nat’l Av: 292


IDC: I have not planted anything this week and the seeds are not germinating. I have filled nine gallon sized jugs with water. (Five of which is the new bottom for the “fridge.”) I know last week I was wondering about food waste when it is being fed to the animals. I still haven’t come to a definitive answer with that when it comes to scraping plates. However, when I am cleaning out a fridge and I have unidentifiable stuff, it is most certainly waste. Or should I say wasteful habits. I did manage to finally get around to labeling a bunch of jars. I also learned how important it is. While I may know what something is, my husband might not. And asking for applesauce (red because I don’t peel) and being brought pureed tomatoes can lead to disastrous results if I’m not paying attention. So labeling is important if you don’t want tomatoes in your brownies.  


GARBAGE: I don’t have a scale yet to weigh garbage. But with the shredder, I am seeing a difference. I am seeing stuff that would otherwise go to garbage or get burned. Instead, it is animal bedding and then garden fertilizer/filler. We are also saving small boxes to keep on hand for mailing out orders of soap.


GASOLINE: There has been no gas put in any of the tanks this week so I have no idea how many gallons of gas has been used. I will keep this section here for now even though there may not be a weekly update. It will at the very least keep me aware of it as a category and something to be held accountable for.


MONEY: I have not kept track of the spending this week. I know it has been horrible and I am too ashamed to keep track. This is where the wasteful spending goes. A couple of bucks here, $5 there, it adds up. I did not write it down even though I knew I should. And now, I don’t even have any kind of total to share.


HOMESTEAD: The goats are still pregnant. There are still roosters alive. My husband has a new blog. http://modern-homesteader.blogspot.com/ I hope he enjoys it.


HERBAL STUDY: I did research on Vitamin D overdose and found nothing to make me think that there is a problem. It is fat soluble and the pain in my knees (aside from being fat) is also because I have been more active. (D’oh!) Yeah, I’m a moron. So, I will pick up more Vitamin D next pay cycle because it does help me. And the sun is not strong enough in the winter to provide me with the amount I need. (This is where the whole “Seasonal Affective Disorder” comes in.)


HOMESCHOOL: The new schedule seems to be working well. At least when my MIL isn’t having a stroke. I felt bad canceling in the first week, but family comes first. And if people don’t understand that an 88 year old woman having a stroke takes precedence over a Homeschool class, then there are much bigger problems than a missed class.
Anyway, we had a lot of fun with geography and have someone in line for “Where in America is Driver ____.” (My focus is US Geography.) The children also had a blast doing time lines and Charlie was very interested in when people were born and how that fit on the time line.  


WEIGHT LOSS: I am 259.0 this week. Down 1.5 pounds even though I ate garbage and didn’t exercise.


GOALS ACCOMPLISHED: Of the three goals I listed for myself, I only accomplished two. I cleaned and organized my sewing room and I did the Vitamin D research. I did not do any kind of work out.


NEW GOALS: I am going to put “Walk Away The Pounds” down again.  
For herbal study, I am going to study asthma. A friend of mine and her daughter are asthmatic and the drugs are expensive. While I would never say “don’t take your medicine” if there are alternatives to keep flare-ups at a minimum, it would be nice to have that information to share with her so she could do some research based on my findings.
My third goal is to do some sewing. I would like to do a skirt a week, so my goal for this week is to actually finish a skirt. When the sewing machine cooperates, I can do one in a couple of hours. (Interrupted,) When it doesn’t cooperate, I have to call in the professionals to have my machine exorcised and holy water dumped on it. Maybe even put a stake through the bobbin.

06:49 pm: Oh, what a night!
Early January, 2008!
Oh what a fire!
Oh, what an ER!

(Sung very off-key to the tune Oh, What A Night by Frankie Valli)

So yesterday, I decide to stick my nose in and do a well person check on someone that no one has heard from for a few months. The person I went with called to say she was ready for me to pick her up and in the midst of that, our hot water heater decided to catch fire. George and I are yelling “fire” to the children and telling them to get to the front door and Charlie and Bethany are saying “Fire? There’s a fire? Where’s the fire?” Hannah is naked as a jaybird so I am grabbing a blanket to wrap her in so I can carry her and Charlie is standing at the front door, looks down and says “Oops! I forgot my shoes and goes back running upstairs for his shoes.”

George, meanwhile, finds the culprit and shows me the thermostat that is blackened from the fire. Things back under control, the children are sent back upstairs and I’m on the phone with M and she is asking if we should do this (check on the person) later. I look at George and he is still ok with me going so I tell her I am on my way. Fire averted.

We go, check on the person, get her husband who says she is visiting family, and we leave with mixed feelings. I have fun on the drive to and from Prairieton with M and she thinks either I am funny or certifiable. I’ll get clarification later.

On the way home, I get another phone call. It is my SIL. She is describing my MIL and I say “It sounds like a stroke. Get her to the hospital.” Telling me she is housebound (non-working vehicle) I make a sharp U-turn at my road (I was very close to home) and tell her I am on my way. Calling George, I tell him what’s up and he says “Do what you have to do” and reminds me to take it easy.  

Approaching my SIL’s I see the paramedics AND a fire truck which means that Terre Haute is still wasting money sending out a fire truck on paramedic calls. Walking in, MIL is on the gurney and is looking in bad shape. She gets loaded, SIL gets dressed, I let the dogs out for a few minutes, and we head to the ER. I let SIL off at the door and go park. I go in and the desk won’t let me back there. After waiting for over half an hour, I ask if I can have an update. The nurse goes back, comes back out, gives me a pretty green sticker, and lets me back there.

After running tests, it was decided that she did not need the “magic” drug given to some stroke patients in the three hour window and she came out of it on her own. She does have a bit of pneumonia and her urine is a bacteria farm.

There is a nurse there that I know that was working last night that was telling me she remembers the call coming in from EMS and they gave a very detailed report over the radio. Before MIL arrived, the trauma room was cleared, the ct-scan was waiting for her, and the Dr and nurses were by the door waiting when she arrived. I am very impressed and very pleased.

I am on my way back there now to see her. She was admitted last night and SIL and I didn’t leave until 1:30am.

 

03:27 pm: Looking for suggestions
It is taking an annoying amount of time to post my entries.  I am having to copy my post, close out, open a new window, paste it, and do this several times before the "submit" button works.  It was an occasional annoyance, but lately it has been constant.  I've been thinking about going back to Bravenet, but the talking ads are annoying.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

Requirements:
Spell check.  (My spelling is ok, but my typos are awful.)
Ability to post pictures.
Ability to navigate the "administrative" side with ease.  (I don't want to have to relearn everything if I want to edit links on the front page.)
Stat counter.  It is fun seeing where people come from to read my blog.  (Saudi Arabia and Korea  for example.)
Keeping it fun.

02:59 pm: Historical Event!
Well, not really.  But, we did history today and the children made their own timelines.

Bethany's is the top and Charlie did the rest:





Our timeline of the past week:




And our timeline from 2002 till now:





And the timeline across the wall:







Next week, we will pick this up and work our way back.  Charlie definitly has the idea of what a timeline is and was asking when we were born so he would write it down.  

09:47 pm: Hi, Honey
Honey is a great cough soother.  I gave Charlie a spoonful earlier and it quieted his cough for a while.  I gave it to him again when I heard him in bed sounding like a bull frog and now, he is asleep.  I love the natural stuff.  No dyes.  No chemicals I can't read.  No tons of sugar.  (Or in the sugar-free stuff, aspartame.)  He is sleeping peacefully and not coughing and I am happy.

Due to several inches of ice, no one showed for science.  Which is fine.  Safety first.  I'd like to say we had science anyway, but since Charlie decided to play instead of do his math, science did not get done.  Granted, the math he was given was a step up so it was a bit harder.  But instead of trying or asking for help, he decided to continuously break his pencil tip while he was doodling.  So, he spent a long time doing math and not getting to do science.  Would I have made the same decision if people were here?  I don't know.  

Tomorrow is Hannah's pulmonology appointment and George is going to take her while I stay behind and do history.  (Yes, I was confused last night.)  The time line is already made out so I don't have to worry about that.  I'll make some "blanks" for those who show up.

In the mail today, we got a shredder.  It was an option in one of those gift catalogs that some people give for Christmas.  I went through files and did a bunch of shredding today which led to other cleaning which led to organizing which led to cleaning which led to shredding.  We are going to use the shredded paper as bedding for the animals and as fill for the garden.  And even when the bedding for the animals gets cleaned, it will still go to the garden.  Our trash will go down a lot.  I've been bad about recycling, but even when we do recycle, some things still go in the trash.  Credit card offers, $5,000 loan offers, stuff like that.  Plus anything with our info on it.  It builds up quick.  So, I'm happy.  I've had my identity stolen once and it affected my credit a bit.  Too bad they didn't bother taking over the mortgage payments.  If they are going to be me, they could at least pay a few bills and do a few loads of laundry.

We got the 1G whatever thingie that goes on a key chain and goes in a computer.  (Like how technical I am?)  We chose that as well through the same gift thing so we can keep emergency medical information on it.  Name, DOB, Dr's name, emergency contact info, medical conditions, medications, etc.  At least I don't have to put down breastfeeding anymore.  Over three years straight of that and driving some doctors nuts because I demanded to know all the information about different drugs and how it affects a baby or small child even though it was being given to me.  And may God help anyone who mentioned the "W" word.  It was worse when I was pregnant AND nursing.  Although nothing as comical as when I broke my elbow and the ER staff didn't know the word "nursing" meant  "breastfeeding."

Boy am I rambling tonight or what?  

The routine I have set seems to be working for the most part.  With the exception of the impromptu tearing everything apart to shred and organize.  (Organize then shred?)  I pulled out old folders and went through them and am going to start up again what I used to do.  As bills come in and get paid, the receipts get put in the folder.  Finding a bunch of paid medical bills is going to make me want to go through them with a fine tooth comb and compare them with what AP&S is saying is in collections.  On the one hand I am going to look forward to that.  On the other, I'm not because I know it is going to be drudge work.

Anyway, I am cold and thirsty so I am going to get myself some water and get into my pajamas and warm up and head to bed.