Washington visit

My visit to Washington is coming to an end.  Tomorrow morning S'te will drop me at the shuttle so I can catch an airplane and meet Keith in San Diego.  He has to work but I plan to enjoy the sun and dry out from my two weeks here in the drippy fall!

I have enjoyed being with the kids and thier family.... doing the school thing, going to Tetee's soccer game (I missed Jaleel's Saturday afternoon tho' - and his team won!!), and cooking for people that eat - and I do mean eat!  I've always enjoyed watching people enjoy food that I've fixed!  Last night Brayana, Destini, and I fixed homemade pizza casseroles.  There was very little left over - even Cavelle had 3 pieces!  I found the 'soy' section at Safeway so was able to score some soy ice cream for Makk - so we all had ice cream for dessert!  Amanda and her family even stopped by for a short visit!  It was a great fun evening!

Today comes the job of doing laundry and making sure I've picked up and packed all my 'stuff'.  It is amazing how quickly one can get 'spread out'!! LOL

Makk is back to school this morning (he will still miss 2 days this week for post op followups)!!  It is so amazing how God made the human body as resilient as it is.  I know we don't always think so - I've had my bouts with self pity! - but to see this little guy looking so great - when not so long ago - it caused him agonizing pain to eat anything solid, move on or off of a bed (right after surgery), and terribly inactive due to the lack of nutrition his body was able to process - it is truly amazing!   S'te has taken them so that she can show the staff how to hook and unhook his tube and flush the port after feedings.  It is really sooooo much simpler than the oral fed formula drama so many times every day.  Technology is such a blessing (at most times LOL)!!

And... right after S'te left with the boys- thier PE teacher called - she has nominated Jaleel for some sort of award for his perseverence and focused (yes, Jaleel!) achievemensts on the UNICYCLE!!  He is the fastest in the school - and by the way - Makk is the fastest for his grade.  I've not seen him ride - I hope to for our next visit!  I didn't realize that he had advanced that far in such a short time!

I told her that S'te was probably pulling up at the school as we were speaking - so she was going to try to catch her there.  What a great achievement!  Way to go JMan!

So my next post should be from sunny San Diego!  I'm ready!

Uses for Coffee Filters

Coffee filters are eco-friendly and cheaper than paper towels!!  Try some of these hints and see for yourself.  I have tried most of them...

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.  I LOVE THIS ONE!

2.. Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.

3. Protect China. Separate your good dishes by putting a coffee filter between each dish.

4.. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.

5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust. THIS WORKS WELL TOO!

6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.

7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.

8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.

9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent The soil from going through the drainage holes.

11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.  WONDERFUL FOR GRANDKIDS!

12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters.

13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. Soaks out all the grease..  WORKS GREAT!

14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."

just pictures

On my way up the Oregon Coast......

I found this while 'surfing' and I love it!

Just for today when my heart feels like breaking, 
I will stop and remember that grief is the price we pay for loving and the
only reason I hurt is because I had the privilege of loving so much.

Our Weekend

On Friday the older 2 girls went with their Youth Group for retreat.  I dropped them, clothing (a LOT of clothing LOL), sleeping bags, pillows, and snacks off on our way out of town.  The younger 3 and I went down to DuPont, Washington to spend the weekend at the Liberty Inn!  

Jaleel and Taniyah were eager to see Mak and I know that all three were eager to see their Mommy and Daddy!!  The days without them went along well enough – but they missed them badly.  Actually, all of the kids missed Rod and S’te a whole bunch and did well in helping me keep body and soul together!

Anyhow, we spent a leisurely weekend at the 'hotel' as Taniyah was excitedly announcing in the days leading up to it.  The kids swam, S'te was able to come over from the hospital and spend some time with them down in the pool.  Rod came and took the older 2 over to the hospital to see Makk while Cavelle and I hung out, had dinner, and kicked back.  Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to go hug my grandbaby boy - by the time we got there I had a full fledged cough, runny nose, plugged ears cold ~ so a visit was not in my baby's best interest.  So I did the next-best-thing and made it possible for the others to spend some time with Makk.  Rod and Jaleel had to make a quick trip back up to Bremerton Saturday afternoon for Jaleels football game - which he and his team won - by the way!  They are heading off down the line to the playoffs - 1st time in 4 years they've had a good season!!  Way to go team!!

While Jaleel was off playing on the wet and soggy field - Tetee, CB, and I took the Hostesses advice and visited Charlies Safari down in Lacey.  It is a great place for kids to let off some energy when there has been 5 straight days of rain!  I think they had fun.  I was entertained and it was a great way to while away an afternoon.  We spent so long there that it was dark when we finally returned to the 'Hotel'.  LOL  They were all worn completely out and we had a nice calm deep sleep, no-argument-about-bedtime night.  The kids slept in this morning to the tune of ~ I woke them up so we could go to breakfast and they could get a swim in before we headed back North and pick up the returning girls.  We did get in a quick visit with Makk when we stopped to pick Rod up (he came back up with us) ~ even I had to at least see him before I left ~ but I kept my distance!  He had a rather rough morning and was not real excited about the company - but he was feeling much better by the time we left.

We made it back to town safely, the girls are home safely.  Everyone is tired (especially the ones back from the retreat LOL) and all tucked safely and tiredly in beds (with visions of lollipops dancing in their heads)!

The hope is for Makk to be released and be able to come home within the next day or two.  He is sore (of course) and was doing really well before (in my humble uneducated opinion) they decided to push him on the feeds and he started having issues again.  S'te and Rod have been vigilant in returning items on his trays that he cannot have and should not be eating.... since he hasn't had solid foods in so long - large meals or hot dogs (complete with roll!) didn't seem to be in his best interests (in their same kind of opinions).  Hopefully (again in that same sort of my opinion) the medical gurus will back off and let his little system find it's level and go from there.  Of course, that is the Grandma talking there!

Thank you everyone for all the prayers - I know that they have helped him in the quick early recovery - and he is feeling and doing much better, his voice sounds less raspy - and it can only get even better!

Makkiah

I spoke with S'te late last evening.  Mak is doing a bit better.  He has allowed them to raise the head of his bed to about 20 degrees without having to terribly much more pain.  They have allowed him to suck on ice chips a couple of times also.  His pain meds have dropped a bit - his bp has come down enough they know his pain level has dropped... all really great news!

They haven't tried a tube feeding yet - will not do that for another day or two yet.  I heard that they want to make sure he can tolerate his own body fluids before they put anything else into him.  He said his throat feels better than 'it ever has' even before the surgery - so the reflux levels must be down quite a bit.  So things are looking up for him!!

The other 5 and I are 'bonding'! LOL  The older girls are helping in many ways - it is amazing how things change as they get older.... now for the hormone levels to just level out (oh, I'm so relating... mine are going the other way... LOL), Jaleel is busy from the time he wakes until bed with school and sports.  He does take time out to eat - but so far - that is about it!  Tetee has made it to Head Start - and I've even remembered to pick her back up... and CB and I have become best pals.  So I have had a wonderful time so far.  Sometimes relating different happenings might sound a bit b***** but really - nothing out of normal is happening...

Oh, and BTW my DD has learned e-speak... he puts LOL on everything he sends to me... he said it is for 'lots of love' -  that is my funny for today... LOL

Thank you Good Samaritan....

Had a flat (almost) when I came out of the bank. Had 5 minutes to pick Tetee up from school. Got her in time. A good Samaritan at the gas station filled the tire up with air while I dug for the 75 cents the machine wanted. Bless him!!! then to Goodyear to hear that they could fit me into their schedule tomorrow afternoon..... (sorry I couldn't schedule the leak for a better time! LOL)... Fellow sent me to Sears 'right across the street' ~ that I never did find.... I asked for "real" directions... since I am totally unfamiliar territory.... drove around in circles.... Tomtom blurting directions at every intersection... Found Midas.... Thank you God!! Midas was able to find the leak ~ there was a flat sharp piece of metal in the tire~ fix the tire ~ provided a little play place for the 2 littles ~ I had gone thru the McD's drive thru (and they forgot the Ranch dressing in BOTH sets of nuggets) so they did have something to do ~ but Midas got the tire fixed and pulled the car close for us. Thank you Midas!

Then on to Target... oh... and did I mention that it is raining cats and dogs thru all the get in the car, get out of the car, buckle carseats, unbuckle carseats.... and I did buy an umbrella at Target!!! so that was my story from 10:40 - 1:30!!

Better than best news is that .... Makk is out of surgery... it went from 10 - after 1 pm.... and he isn't out of Recovery yet... but he is safely out of surgery. I feel a bit disappointed because they didn't find any obvious reason for his digestive paralysis.. I was so hoping they would look and do a "House" thing as say .... 'oh, no wonder, and we can fix this right now'. Unrealistic -I know ~ The tube is in, the wrap is done, the specialists all got their peeks of his insides... just waiting ~ still praying for a merciful recovery period. What trauma for an 8 year old....

Some day I will type up the story of my drive North... LOL...

The Great Pumpkin!!

10-10-2009 12-22-57 PM_0030
Originally uploaded by Amah

Saturday Clint and Sallie came over... Joe and Halley too. They brought the little trailer... they loaded all 340 pounds of pumpkins on it and brought it down to the garage where it got weighed! Joe did the weighing for us... The biggest was 144 (I think) pounds, and the smaller 3 each were about 75 pounds each.

Joe loaded 2 of them into the car so that I could bring them with me up to Bremerton for the kids, the largest went to Sallies for Halley and Tucker to carve for Halloween, and Clint dropped the other one off at Judy's.

I know there are lots and lots of bigger pumpkins. Ones that would make these just look like seeds... but they are the biggest ones I've ever grown, or even seen for that matter. And I am proud of them!!

After getting to Bremerton on Monday, the World Newspaper called and asked about them... sooooo funnnnyyyyy!!!