Janet, it might be wonderful for you to be with young people right now. Keeping busy is also a good thing. Setting the alarm clock, not so good!!!

Sounds like Rick loves Mom a lot. I will keep him in my prayers along with you and Mom.

I am waiting for the sun to come out! It is supposed to be this afternoon. My crazy friends and I will go to the pool. We are like salmon swimming upstream! We wander over there even if it's cloudy!

Jessie and family are leaving for North Carolina on Friday!!! I can't believe it's here so soon! I am nervous about them going away. Car accidents, hurricanes, illness, etc. keep running through my mind. I guess I'm a helicopter Grandma! I am not going to tell them this, of course!

I had a doctor's appointment this morning......a follow-up from my previous appointments. She was so impressed with my blood sugars!!! She said that I shouldn't have any trouble meeting the A1C of 6.5 in a couple of months when I'm tested again!!!

I have also lost a total of 14 pounds and she was excited about that as well!!! I like this diet and I really feel like I won't be gaining the weight back. The girls have talked another friend into joining us so we'll be able to share recipes and stuff. Amy was so sweet and made supper for us when we came home from the hospital with Dean and ALL of it was Atkins friendly!!! Amy has lost 17 pounds and Dae Lynn has lost 15 pounds as well!!!!

I also went to our little Alco store and shopped while I was in town. Then I met Amy for lunch at Pizza Hut (which we found out makes an Atkins friendly pizza so next time we're having that!!!). Then I went to the hardware store and visited with Jaci as well as brought some things. I also went to the thrift store to see if they had any smaller clothes for me to get into......just planning ahead.....but I bought a pair of slacks and a pair of shorts that has a skirt attached.

Now I'm suppose to be getting ready for our children's night at church. We're watching a movie so it will be an easy night!! I love working with the kids!!!!

Please say a prayer for Glen.....he's still feeling guilty about Dean and what happened. He's always so cautious about having the kids around so this is really hard for him.

Good news, Diana! Judy, I'm hovering righ there with you!

I met the house inspector and was only surprised with two repairs that weren't obvious. The water heater wasn't vented to code and there's a couple of drain pipe leaks under the house. All are supposed to be $2 fixes. Jeff assures me that we can fix almost everything, so I'll be closing on Friday afternoon.

I'm so excited.

Yay!!!! Sandy's getting her new house!!!! I'm so glad that there weren't any major problems!!!!! :cheer:

Wow, Sandy! This is wonderful! Congratulations!!!

School started today so Dae Lynn and Karlie had to leave early!!! Karlie just got home a while ago. Tomorrow will be her first full day!! Life is changing again for us!!! Soon it will just be Dean and me at home most of the day.

Long day! New graduate student orientation - new and LOST students all over the place, makes for a chaotic environment!!!

I'M TIRED.

Nothing exciting for me and that's ok! Groomed my doggie and plan to go to bed when it's dark enough.

I ran my route of course....I have one young kindergarten boy that may just drive me insane before the year is over....we'll see. God grant me patience with this one please.....

Got laundry all caught up.....again...lol. Did my nails (hand and feet) and put on some polish and soaked in the tub in-between routes. I needed to pamper myself just a bit.

Mom may be released from the hosital tomorrow into a nursing home closer to my house, just 10 minutes away. I went and toured the place on Monday. It's not as cozy as the place she spent 4 days at earlier this year, but it's clean, staff is really nice and helpful, nurses and CNA's are everywhere, rooms are nice size and she will have to share. That can be a good thing. She has the window side of the room and is only a few doors away from the physical therapy room. This nursing home also does dialysis with the same company Mom gets her supplies from and Mom can take her cycler. It will be a good thing....hard....but good.

Mom knows she is going there and really hasn't been against it. We told her that she needs to get stronger and that I need to get stronger with my PT because at this time I can't lift her. She understands that. So....it's going okay so far.

Please keep us in your prayers....I'm really not sure how hard it will be for Mom since her short term memory is gone, but it's going to be awful for me. Even though it was getting really hard....I miss not having her with me. I don't know how I'll ever handle it when she's gone. Until then....I'll be able to be her daughter and she, my mother again.

Janet, you're absolutely doing the right thing. Some things just aren't supposed to be easy. Love you.

Janet, even though you will miss having her with you, this place sounds perfect. It will work out much better now. You really couldn't do it anymore with Mom at your house, and she needs 24 hour care.

You are in my prayers.

Diana, I missed your post about your doctor's appointment. What good news about your sugar levels! Good job! You really took control over your own health, and I am so happy for you!

Thank you, Judy!!

Janet, I know that this is so hard for you but your Mom will be getting good care. After a while you'll realize how much better it is for her.......and you. Plus she won't be too far away that it will be terribly inconvienent for you to go and visit. It's so hard to make a decision like this but this is the right decision and you can go back to being her daughter.....not her caretaker. Hugs and prayers for you both!!!!

Regular day ... Worked an hour late, waiting on one manager to get his weekly report to me ... Working on a 3-day offsite to Galveston for 52 of my people and I get to go too. My knees have been bothering me lately, feels like bone on bone. My neck is better, as long as I take the relaxers and do exercises. I added some appliances to my online wish list.

I hope you feel better, Sandy. It's not fun when your knees hurt!!!

Oh Sandy, I imagine all the stress you've had is creating havoc with your weak areas (neck and knees). Having knee pain is no fun at all. Do you take glucosamine (over the counter, Walmart, 2000mg per day)? It might help your knees a bit. It will take a few weeks to see a difference, but it does help some.

Hope you feel better Sandy.

I have Jessie's dog, Smoochie. They are going on vacation, and since he has congestive heart disease, left him with Grandma. He is a wonderful dog. I feel so bad for him. He wheezes and chokes if he gets excited or is active. I'm giving him his medicine, and he loves to lay on the deck in the sun. Max is trying to dominate him, but Smoochie won't submit. If he felt better, he would have had Max on his back within 20 minutes! Annie barks at him, and then runs to me.

They will figure it out! I do see some marking going on though! Oh well. I expected that.

You could put belly bands on the male dogs, Judy.......or you can pin a tea towel around them if you don't have belly bands. That is so fustrating!!!

Reuger does a choking thing. I think that it's because he has a small trachea. I think that it's a fairly common problem with yorkies........of course, I know that Smoochie isn't a yorkie. I've found that if I place my hand over his nose it helps to calm him down and stop the choking.

Dae Lynn's taken Dean to the doctor. He was back to crawling this morning but it could be because he didn't have any pain meds yet. He's got a really bad bruise on the bottom of his foot.....poor little guy!! Dae Lynn took off of work today because the doctor is in a neighboring town and she was going to miss most of it anyway. The school has been treating her really well with all that's going on and they told her to take all the time she needed. I'll post more about how Dean's doing after she gets back home and I know more.

It's kinda' nice right now........I'm home alone!!!!! That doesn't happen much anymore!!! I guess I should get off of here and get some things done!!!

Today Mom was transferred to the nursing home. It was a very hard day for me, but I wrote about it in another thread.

Right now...I'm exhausted. My husband and a family friend are heading to Florida tomorrow to bring home Mom's household from her home there. They are also going to try to sell the place. The neighbor wants to buy it so if she is willing to pay the asking price or negotiate a bit, we hope to have it sold while they are down there. If not....it's going to be one big headache if we have to sell it after Mom's passing.

I can't believe this is all happening. I was hoping that when it came her time to pass, that she would go quickly like Daddy did. She doesn't deserve all this and it makes me sad she is going through it. It also makes me sad that these are going to be part of the memory of my Mom. I know there is always a plan......

Oh Janet, I'm so sorry. Remember the good. Wasn't it just a couple years ago that she was hooking up her camper to travel south. I remember you being so proud to post a picture of your mom, looking young and active. We were all amazed at her age. Remember the good. Hasn't she had a good full life. And, I'm thankful that she gave us YOU. Remember the good. I love you

Janet, you and Mom went through this together, and a more loving daughter would be hard to find. You have worked so hard for her comfort every step of the way. I hope you can have no regrets. You did more than your best, and she knows that.

My prayers.

You know that in time you won't remember all of this. I went through so much with my Dad but I really don't remember it often. I remember the good times. It will be the same for you.

I slept in this morning, did some packing and laundry, picked up Laura and her family to show them my house and take Andrew out for an early birthday dinner. They've been looking for a new house and have found one about as close to me as they are now. They said my house looks like me.

Today would have been my Daddy's 84th birthday and I really miss being able to tell him about my accomplishments. I miss him and his love.

When are you planning to move Sandy? I hope all goes well and that you have lots of help. I was so very very tired after our move, it really wore me out!

I didn't do much today - I ran a few errands, looked at paint for the kitchen - man, it is hard to pick paint. I'm so afraid I'll make a big mistake.

I'm looking for new hardware for the kitchen cabinets. The old hardware looks dated, but I am having a hard time finding new hardware that I like. I've bought 6 different pulls and knob sets home and I only like one of them. Hey! I'll post pictures of two of them and you all can help me!

The first is the one that I like - both the pull and knob have fruit embossed on them - kinda cheesy, but I like it and it looks good with the granite. You can't really tell how good it looks with the granite from the pic, but it does look good (I think). Gary likes the brushed silver, but I don't think it looks good with the cabinet color - but if you do, tell me!

I like the whimsy of the fruit and agree that it matches best. I'll be doing the same thing in a few months. Gayle, I do think we have the same cabinets and they're the same as in my married house.

I've decided to move sooner than later. I had thought I'd split my time between the house and apartment, but plan to give my 30 day notice when I pay rent next week. First, I'll paint my bedroom and change the flooring. Then, I'll move out there and not be running back and forth.

Remember, I live alone in a 700sf apartment and I don't have a dining set, so I don't have much. I'll need to buy all big appliances, a second bedroom set and dinette. The kids told me its too much land for a push mower, so I might be getting a John Deere. I hope to only take off one day for the movers and save my vacation for later.

That sounds like a good plan - you are not "lucky" that you have so little to move - but from a moving perspective, it is a good thing.

You DO have too much property for a push mower, so you DO need to get a riding mower, for sure. I'm fortunate in that I have someone who mows for me every two weeks - but if it ever starts to rain, I will have to mow more often and use MY John Deere!

I like the fruit pulls and knobs, Gayle. The design of the silver is beautiful, but I think you need to go with a bronze color.

Paint is so hard to choose! I took Jessie with me when I picked out paint for the house. She taught me about using color cards, and whether you want complementary, or two other combinations. I think you can go onto Home Depot or Lowe's for matching up color choices to your room, trim, etc. I found it less overwhelming if I had it narrowed down a bit.

Sandy, you are fantastic! You'll be in your new home, furnished and all, well before Thanksgiving! Good for you!

Were you planning on painting the cabinets? I can't remember for sure. If so then the paint may change what you like. Personally I like both sets but the polished silver stands out to me.......but either will look great!!!

Yes, I was considering painting the cabinets - but have decided not to for now.

I like the first set the best, really nice. It would be nice to be able to start over in a new home, so exciting and fun redoing the inside. You'll definitely need a rider for your yard Sandy. I sure wouldn't want to push one.

Today I groomed the 5 Yorkies. I'm embarassed to admit but it's probably been a month or longer since I had. They needed it so bad and now smell so good and feel so soft. I started somewhere around 10 this morning and finished around 3:30. Then I had to clean up my mess, run the sweeper and then got myself cleaned up to go visit with Mom. She still isn't eating well at all. Just as I was leaving my younger brother showed up. Tomorrow Mom will be moved into another room. She'll be the only one in there for awhile, but she'll get to be by the window and she'll like that much better. Her roommate now is a talker and joins every conversation. From what we were told, she runs off most roommates because their families get tired of her when they come to visit. Her daughter comes once a week and she's just lonely for conversation. I've tried to include her, but sometimes I just want my Mom.

Came home, fixed some tomato soup for supper and now I'm checking in here and watching Big Brother. I'm so tired so don't know if I'll be able to stay up and watch Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

I slept in again thie morning and have been on the couch all day. Guess I need it. Can you say lazy?

No not lazy, just restin' up for the storm to come! LOL!

I went to a Writers in the Mountains "Gala" yesterday. It was a lot of fun, great food, lots of really nice people, and we honored a lovely woman who has worked so hard for WIM. I read a story, along with about 10 people. It was fun because I had the whole audience laughing. That felt really good. The stories and poems were amazing!

I ate everything I could get my hands on! I am on the Transition part of my diet, although the food I ate yesterday sure isn't on the approved list! Tough! Life is short, and lox and capers and lemon cake are so delicious!

Everyone at church was so glad to see Dean yesterday and are calling him "The Miracle Boy"!!! It's so hard to believe that it's been a week already since it happened. Several times this week I found myself thinking about what if things would have had a different outcome and how I would have felt. I just praise God that we didn't have to deal with that.

Dean's doing much better this morning. He's still limping but it's not as bad as it was and the bruise is starting to get much lighter in color. He certainly acts like himself!!!........Into everything still!!!!! I do think that he's gotten a little spoiled by the attention and he's learned to really show his temper!!!.........And he's really shown us how attached he is to his Mama!!!!

Today's the start of a new week and I'm hoping to start getting into a routine now that school's started and it's just Dean and me at home. I really have some things to work on while everyone else is gone!!!!

Monday work day and I'm trying to understand my new boss, but she's making it difficult. Hoping she moves on soon.

Found out I go to divorce mediation Oct 3rd. I'll be so glad to have this over with.

Yes, pre-resting is a good thing.

Okay.....what is divorce mediation?

I was wondering what divorce mediation was also!

Busy day. New faculty orientation and then some general faculty development. Tiring day. Of course, it didn't help that I woke up at 4:00 and couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up at 4:45 and did a few things. Then Gary and I were at the paint store by 7:30, but once again, they were to busy to help us much. So we got a couple of samples and went on our way. I'm thinking of writing Sherwin Williams corporate to complain about the lack of help in two different SW stores. Of course, I understand I'm just small potatoes, and that the regular painters are their bread and butter, but it felt crummy to be told, "we don't have time today to talk with you about paint colors". Hello! Is is NOT a paint store???

So, we went onto a local paint store and they were very helpful. The young man there helped us pick out a color for the island. And they also have the green that I "think" is the final color choice. If indeed, these are our final choices, I'll be glad to buy from a local store, rather than Sherwin Williams who was really less than helpful.

They want us to come to an agreement and not go to a jury. So, they put me in a room with my atty and him in another with his. Then, a mutual atty goes back and forth with our offers, declines and agreements. I think some places call it arbitration. Bottomline: Texas says I am entitled to half no matter that he made twice as much as me. He'll argue why I should get the percentage I earned and that I'm the one that left.

I like Texas divorce laws Sandy! I hope you get half! And, I hope it's over soon.

Gayle, I can't tell about the second color. That is a nice green in the first picture. Is there any green in the granite?

Jessica and family are in NC, where hurricane Irene is supposed to land at the end of the week. They don'r know a lot of the facts yet, but they are going to have to evacuate if it will land in NC. As of today, they are saying that it may be a category 3 hurricane when it does land. I feel so bad for them! They drove down for 2 days and have only been there for a few days. I told Jessie to find a hotel with a pool, and just head on over there if they have to evacuate, and that I will pay for it. I did set a limit, but I don't expect them to have to stay for too many nights. They haven't had a vacation in 7 years, and I would hate for them to be so disappointed! The kids have been so excited about this, and are enjoying being away so much too!

I went to a meeting last night, and ate too much. This morning was a writing group, and this afternoon was a nice time at the pool. It is cooling off here, and if a cloud blocks the sun, it is chilly. The water is cold too, probably because it has rained so much. It still is a wonderful place to be. My friends are always there. They have to go home in a couple of weeks, so we are spending a lot of time together. I really love them all. I am not happy about the winter coming sooner than later. It is just too long to be stuck inside! I don't know how, but I think some kind of change has to be made. Either I have to get out more, no matter what, or go someplace warm for a month or so. The ideal would be to have a wonderful man in my life to keep me ccompany!

Today I went to see Mom. She looked really good when I first got there. They had just finished doing her dialysis and were giving her a bed bath. I guess they try to get them up for a little bit, but they have to use this thing called a hoyer to get Mom from the bed to a wheel chair. I hate it....it's so humiliating. She sat in her wheel chair for just a bit. I wheeled her around the NH and then she was so exhausted she couldn't hold her head up. I had to get someone to get her back in bed. My heart just breaks for her. If I didn't have to work for the insurance....I'd quit and bring her home.

Attachment 6754 Attachment 6755

I drove home crying again. I know she doesn't remember much, but I always wonder what she is thinking. I tell her I love her, kiss her and give her raspberries on the cheek and she'll tell me she loves me too.

Rick called and said they were on their way home. He and our family friend have loaded everything except for the large furniture and appliances and are bringing it all home from Mom's place in Florida. They were going to stay another day, but decided it was just to darn hot and decided to head this way today. Since they are pulling a U-haul trailer, they most likely won't be home until Thursday morning.

I cleaned out the garage when I got home from the route this afternoon so there will be plenty of space to unload everything. Not sure what he meant, but said I was going to be surprised at a few things....we'll see.