Did I mention...

I hate this.  I hate that my dad is hurting and I can do NOTHING about it.  All I can do is tell people that they should be talking to the nurses.  Can't actually do anything about it.  I'm not good at that.  Oh, I hate this.



HEY I just found out he gets them out tonight!  He'll have his fourth treatment now and he gets the needles removed tonight!!  HOORAY!!!

I am elated!!!

He's going to have all night to have things get back to normal and not have to push himself so hard in the morning to get on his feet and get going.   Wow, what an enormous relief.  Wow, what a mood shift between the beginning lines of this blog post and now.  Seriously, this is the best thing I've heard in a very long time.  Now we can all sleep better.  :)

Pictures

So here are pictures of the two sets of cupcakes I've done in the last few days.  The first two are the chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes from Saturday's party.  I forgot to take pictures of them, so these were done by Dusty's coworker.

These are the cupcakes the mother is picking up today for the girl's party at school tomorrow.  They're strawberry cupcakes with strawberry buttercream icing and sprinkles.  I think they're really good.  Not sure how they'll fair with the kids, but I didn't pick the flavor.  The first two pictures were, obviously, before sprinkles.  I'm getting better at my 1M swirls! :)

Now I will go eat a cupcake. :)

More Cupcakes

So yesterday I got a message from the mother of the girl who had the birthday party.  She said they were good, and she wanted to order another 24 for Tuesday when the girl has a party at her school.  The girl has ordered strawberry cupcakes with pink icing and pink and purple sprinkles.  Not specific at all.  Then the idiot that I am, I asked her if she wanted strawberry buttercream or regular buttercream.  She said strawberry.  Seriously.  I'm not that intelligent.  I've never made strawberry cake or strawberry icing.  Well, I have now, but I hadn't 5 hours ago.  I think they're good.  It's more of a yellow cupcake with strawberries.  It's good though.  The icing is my regular buttercream with strawberry puree in it.  It's good.  The kids loved the icing.  Not the cupcakes though.  Hm...that's not promising, now that I think about it.  Oh well.  What else do you expect from a strawberry cupcake? 

I've now decided that my cupcakes are too cheap.  I will make yellow, white or chocolate cake with vanilla or chocolate buttercream for $20 for 24 cupcakes.  Anything else, ANYTHING, is extra.  Sprinkles are extra.  Filling is extra.  Other flavors are extra.  I'm adding $.50 a cupcake for any extra.  (Except sprinkles.  That's a $5 flat fee extra.  I have to buy the sprinkles!) 

So I have the cupcakes made already.  She's not picking them up until tomorrow night and they're not being served until Tuesday.  Too early?  Probably, but having never made that recipe before, I had to try it early, and the ingredients are too expensive to make them again for what I'm getting paid.  I think they'll still be great, but I'm not sure if I should refrigerate them or not.  Ahh, decisions.

Tomorrow my dad starts a clear liquid diet.  I'm so excited for him...8*/ (That's the international sign for sarcasm.  Brett made it up.)

Cupcakes are done

They're ready to be transported and put on the cupcake stand I bought.  I hope they don't mind me taking like 15 minutes to put them together because I'm planning on sitting the cupcakes, which I baked in white cupcake cups, in cuter cups. 

My kids and I have played in the snow the past two days.  Well, I say I played, but really I didn't.  Oh, and now that makes me regretful.  Looks like I'll be playing in the snow tomorrow after I get back from assembling cupcakes!  I probably went overboard on this because I did buy a cupcake stand, but I wanted to look professional.  I didn't want to look like someone just asked a random friend that they know bakes to make the cupcakes.  Also, I will be charging more next time.  This was WAY too much work and money for supplies to break even.  Oh well.  At least it is for a friend.

Dusty just mocked my typing.  And then touched my hand and shocked the mess out of my finger.  I LOVE winter, but I hate static electricity. 

Hannah was "teaching Seth how to read" tonight.  By that, she means she'd read a word and he'd repeat it.  This went on for several pages.  Too bad Seth wasn't looking at the book at all. 

I've succumbed.  I'm watching The Bachelor.  I won't be, however, watching American Idol.  I started watching it tonight, and I stopped.  It was horrible.  And that is all I have to say for tonight.  I'll add a picture of my cupcakes at some point in the near future, hopefully.

Cupcake Trial Run

I made some cupcakes yesterday, just to make sure that everything well together well.  It did.  I took a bunch to Dusty's work at lunch today, and Dusty passed them out to all the IT people.  I've received a lot of positive feedback already.  I bought a cupcake stand, cupcake cups and some special star sprinkles from Hobby Lobby today for the girl's party.  I'm hoping things come together well.  I'm still not great at using this particular tip with icing cupcakes, so I'm hoping it all works well tomorrow. 

My oldest brother is 40 today.  It's kind of weird that he's 40.  He's also going to be there during my dad's radiation.  We're going to be going there at some point, but when is the question.  I'm just not sure when we should go, or why we should go whenever we choose.  I'm just expecting someone to tell me what to do and when, and it's just not happening.  Silly people that don't treat me like a child.

Are you praying for Joanne?  She's being weaned off her coma drugs right now.  They're hoping that she wakes up and has an insignificant amount of deficit.

Alright, so I need some new clothes.  My clothes are too short and too low cut.  I'm not happy with a shirt that I have to hold to my body with my hand when I bend over.  I have too much to do with my hands to have to do that, and I don't always remember.  Also, when I bend over I don't want to have to jerk my shirt down over my pants.  Why is it that so many clothes manufacturers do not consider the consumer when producing the clothes?!?  I think I need a seamstress.  Add that to my list.  Nanny and seamstress wanted!

And a couple more things...

Last night I made an orange breakfast ring (yes, I understand what time of day breakfast is supposed to be) after supper, so the kids got back in their seats.  In between supper and making the orange thing, I had cooked my bread.  Two large loaves and four small loaves.  Hannah climbed up in her seat to eat the orange thing and looked around at the table.  In her constant commentary she said, "Five loaves and two fishes!?!?  Wow!" and she recommenced her current story line.



*pause for laughter*

Also, last night after the bath Seth started to get cranky.  I hurt his arm as I picked him up in my lap, apparently (ooh, that reminds me of another one), and I said in a smoochy poo voice that I was sorry I had hurt his arm.  Is he OK?   Poor little boy. (You'll have to be around me sometime to hear the voice.  It is impossible for me to describe.)  Then he said, "Yeah, I'm falling apart.  Fall!" and he completely relaxed his body, flopping on my arms.  I think that one would be better in person.  Oh well.


Hannah has started using the word apparently, which makes me VERY aware of how many times I (we) say that word.  Apparently, it's quite frequently.  Yeah...I wish I were just being funny there, but that's really the word that came to mind.

There was another one...I can't remember.  Well, I'll just tell you about something else then.  Recently Hannah has been saying nonsensical things.  It frustrates me usually because it's normally at a time when I'm trying to get information out of her, and she doesn't form a thought.  None at all.  Just random strings of phrases.  Dusty has started calling me out on my random phrase strings.  I guess (apparently is what I wanted to say) I do this often.  I'll be explaining something to her and use a phrase with another phrase that makes no sense whatsoever in her little brain, but it does in a reasoning adult's brain that can put things into context.  Not even like it's too abstract for her, just it does not make sense by itself.  Rather amusing.  Sometimes.

Oh, and remember those four small loaves I mentioned earlier?  Well, I told Dusty to tell the people at work that I'd sell those for $1.50 each.  I already have an order for one a week from the woman that buys a loaf a week.  Yeah, I am happy about that. :)

OK, tiredness overcometh.

TOOOOO Sensitive

I had an ex-boyfriend that told me frequently that I was way too sensitive about everything.  Anything he said made me upset, or angry, or sad.  Turns out he was actually a huge jerk, but at the time I didn't know that, but that thought stuck in my head.  Now whenever things out of the blue upset me, I think, "Man, I'm being way too sensitive about that."  Most of the time I'm right.  Maybe he was pretty insightful...and a huge jerk.

I just saw a video posted on facebook of people we're close with at a preschool gym.  Granted I just took our kids to a similar place yesterday, but I was actually quite hurt that they didn't invite (OK, I typed "me" initially, but then I realized I should've typed "us", but then I realized that I'm not hurt that they didn't invite the kids, just that they didn't invite ME!  Self-centered much?) me to go with them.  I know they went out to lunch afterward because I saw they'd talked about that a couple of days ago.  Now, it's no secret that I stay at home all day with our kids, so I just feel like it would've been nice to be invited.  Maybe I have to have my husband at home during the day in order to be invited?  I don't know.  It's not like I'm that bent out of shape about missing the company of the husbands, but it just makes me start thinking unhealthy things about myself.  Is it my personality?  Is it my disciplining of my kids?  Is it because my kids are older by a little bit?  Is it because you just simply don't enjoy being with me?  See.  Unhealthy.

C'est la vie...I guess.

We're going to the library tomorrow.  Books love me (can I get an amen?).  I hope it's a good time. 

I think I'm a needy high maintenance friend.  I want a friend that is only friends with me, and is there whenever I want to go somewhere or do something, but then gives me space too.  I don't want her to go and do things without asking me if I want to go, but I only want her to do things I like doing, and be on my schedule?  Is that too much to ask?  Yes?!?  Oh.  Maybe I just need a nice nanny.  She can tag along with everything we do and everywhere we go, and I can talk to her.  And she can play with my kids.  Yes.  This is a nice setup.  I'll have to see about those free nanny services...ooooh wait...that would probably not be what I want.  Never mind.  Scrap the plan.  We'll have to come up with another plan tomorrow night, Pinky.

Note my new sidebar addition

I urge you to pray for this woman.  Please pray that the swelling in her brain goes down and that her family can keep their faith and stamina.  She had a stroke and was found by one of her daughters lying next to her treadmill convulsing.  In my mind that is one of the last things on earth I would ever want for my daughter.  What horror she had to have felt.  Joanne has had some pretty trying moments the past five days, and the swelling in her brain has gone down a little tonight, but there is MUCH to be done for healing.  They believe the only reason for the swelling to have gone down is because she has been placed in a very deep coma to even prevent her subconscious from functioning.

I could go on.  Please just pray. Visit her website too, if you want to read any updates her husband posts.

Yea!

I got the first order for a baked good!  One of Dusty's coworkers, who is also a friend, asked me to make his daughter cupcakes for her birthday next week.  I'm making 2 dozen chocolate cupcakes with chocolate chip cookie dough filling.  And I'm getting paid for it! :)

My grandma's birthday is tomorrow.  She'll be 83.  I'm so thankful that she's at home for her birthday, and has no long standing difficulty. 

My engagement ring diamond is loose.  I had a lifetime warranty on it, but I'm not sure it'll still last.  I had to get it checked every 6 months, I think, in order to keep the warranty.  The reason I didn't keep getting it checked is because the store is in Memphis.  I think I'm going to just call the store and see if it could be fixed, and if not, then I'll just get it fixed somewhere here.  It clicks when I tap the diamond.  I hope it can be fixed easily.

My kids got gum for Christmas and they've been having a great time popping the bubbles I blow.  It's fun for them. :)  I'll have to get the pictures off the camera and post them soon.

I haven't wanted to do much of anything recently.  I'm not sure what's going on with me.  My wonderful husband has been diligently working on different projects, and I just laze around.  Can't quite get myself motivated to do much of anything.  I play with the kids, but supper just doesn't get made.  I've only made supper once this week.  Dusty has made it 3 times.  I'm just not sure what's going on.  Hopefully it's just a lack of sleep and I can get back to normal after tonight.  I slept well last night, for the first time in a week, so that was a good boost.  I'm going to bed in 15 minutes.  I'm ready.

I'm being very self centered in this entry, so I'm going to end this now.  Good night!

Ahhh...

He's better. Thank goodness!

My husband is right now making lavender essential oil with a contraption he's been working on for a while.  He's doing a beautiful job of it.  He has a lot of stuff that has come out of the lavender.  Now whether or not it's all oil is the question.  I think it's mostly hydrasol.  I don't know what that is.  That's just what Dusty said.  It smelled really good and lavendery in here at first, but now it just smells like really bad air freshener.  Really bad. 

I struggled a lot with my emotions last night.  I desperately want to be in Peoria in a couple of weeks and I can't be there.  I want to be with my parents, and mainly my dad, during the time he's in the hospital.  It's not awkward for me to stay a couple of hours.  It would be awkward for others to stay over 20 minutes.  There's so much more I could say about this, but I won't discuss it any more just to keep away from stepping over the line of saying too much.  I have a tendency to do that, as opposed to saying not enough.  Surprised?

So at the risk of saying more than I should, I'll stop.  I just want to say, I really think maybe I need to have a private journal instead of, or maybe in addition to, a public blog.  I really want to publish things about my daily life and things I think, but being transparent is impossible on this blog.  Hm...

Sick again

So Seth is sick.  Again.  I'm not sure what's going on with him that whenever he gets ANYTHING he gets a 102 something fever.  When he gets the 102 fever, he almost inevitably will vomit, as he did last night.  I saw the clock at 1:56 when he called out for water, and I eventually gave him medicine, at 2:56 when I got back in bed after cleaning him up and after Dusty cleaned up his bed, and then at 3:56 when he just generally called out for me because he felt horribly.  It was not a restful night.  It was so not restful for us that Dusty called in sick for work.  He's been trying to get well from the same sickness I had, and hasn't taken any days for it.  We figured it was as good of a day as any. 

We gave the kids a bubble bath last night, which means they have an extended bath, so they can play.  We let them play together for a while, and then Dusty and I started playing with them.  I gave Seth a bubble shirt, and then Hannah wanted one.  I rinsed bubbles out of Seth's hands about 1600 times and then made his hands inside bubbles.  He had so much fun, and I did too.  I don't usually like to be childish.  I actually struggle with pretending and "lowering myself" to do such things.  It's an issue I'm trying to work on, but playing with snow and bubbles doesn't seem to affect me like playing babies or some other pretend games that I despise.  In the bath Hannah said to Seth, "What did you exclaim to me?"  It cracked us up.  Also, she was rinsing out some sponge animals in the bubbles and said, "There.  Now you're all shiny and blue!"  Kids are so funny.

Snow, snow, come out in the snow!

Well, it did snow, about 2 1/2 inches here.  South of us, some places got 10 inches!  Dusty did have to go to work, but didn't leave until around 9:30.  It took him over an hour to get to work.  Though it's a scant amount of snow, the drivers in this area lack any ability to drive in it.

My kids got to play, and Dusty was here long enough to take pictures.  As long as there is enough snow on the ground for them to eat, my kids are ecstatic!!  I built a "snow man," which was pitiful.  The snow isn't really snowman-making type snow.  I did my best though.  Here are a few pictures:

 He's not really sure what to do with the snow at first.

 She, however, knows that eating it is a must-do.  She actually went out in her pajamas with her coat and boots on...just to eat snow first thing this morning.

 He wanted to help me.  He was such a hard worker, tracking down that snow.  

 Ready and...

 JUMP!

 See how gigantic our snowman turned out to be?!?

Hannah got to write her name in the perfect snow on our driveway.  I didn't take a picture of that because Dusty had already gone in with the camera.  A good time was had by all.  The great thing about snow in Tennessee is it melts fast and never gets really nasty and slushy yucky.  Also, it's so warm that you can play for a while and don't get cold as fast.  It's good.

OK, so, totally a side note and it's impact on the world is negligible, at best.  Remember Joey from Friends?  He has gray hair now.  Not that it's a bad thing, it's just in my head he should always look EXACTLY like he did as Joey.  Also, Neil Patrick Harris is a very funny guy.

IT'S SNOWING!!!

We're expecting around 3 inches!  I know this is a drop in the bucket to those of you I know that live in the north, but for here it's a LOT!  I'm excited for my kids to get to play in it...and me too.

Want to see the cutest faces on the planet?  Yeah, I thought you did.

He didn't want to wear his bowtie today.  He was a bit obstinate about it.  So he's more relaxed.
Dusty's mom likes to buy them clothes, and Hannah got a Bitty Baby from them for Christmas with a matching dress and hat.

We were going through Sam's yesterday and my kids were sitting in the cart together.  This is the result:

Sweetest kids ever.  In this last picture, Hannah was starting to say, "Aw, Seth!  Thank you!"

All the schools are closing around here already.  Union is closed and all the Jackson schools are closed.  Funny, funny.  I'm hoping it snows enough that Dusty can't go to work tomorrow.  What a shame that would be... :)

My nose hurts.  Yeah, it's one of those sicknesses.  But at least it's not my stomach muscles or something similar.  I've been quite a zombie as of late.  I haven't been able to focus on much because I've just been feeling badly.  It's not even one of those curl-up-on-the-couch-with-a-blanket sicknesses because I have no fever, it's just one of those have-to-wipe-your-nose-26700-times-a-day and your-throat-sounds-weird and you-can't-breathe kind of sicknesses.  I just have felt like staring off into space.  But today I took DayQuil (somewhere I just heard a chorus of singers harmoniously singing AHHHH!).  I could breathe pretty well, my throat stopped being super weird sounding, and I got things done.  I started supper early in the crock pot, so I wouldn't have to do it later when I didn't feel like it anymore, I made hummus, I made hot chocolate mix, I unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, I hand washed some dishes, I swept, I played with the kids and got lunch made.  I was a regular person!  Although, I noticed that although my symptoms were gone, the stupidity of my mind from being sick was not.  I melted my cutting board on the eye where I was boiling water with beans to quick soak them while I was cutting up a potato, then when I was trying to scrape the plastic off the bottom of the pan, I spilled some bean water onto the corner of the laptop, which was offering me the recipe for my supper.  Ah, the joys.  At least all of my fingers are still in tact.

I made some ham soup for supper.  I figured with the wellness factor of my family that soup would be a great solution, and I had...um...ham remnants (you're welcome, Dusty) that needed to be used.  If I had it to do again, which may or may not ever happen, then I'd use more ham.  The soup was really good, and it allowed me to breathe out of my nose completely, a miracle in itself, and Hannah loved it too.  Seth...not so much.

My kids have been exceptional for the past two days.  They know I don't feel well, so they're extra careful to watch their volume.  I'm afraid that once I'm well, they'll blast me out of the house, but I'm up for it.  Tonight we watched a National Geographic show on Volcanoes, since they're freakishly interested in them.  I think, I THINK, Hannah asked me a question every 2.6 seconds.  Seriously.  Now, them being chatty isn't unusual, especially when it's something new, but I have never heard so many questions asked in such a short period of time. 

Yesterday I wrote down some of the things Seth said that were funny.  One time I was getting him out of the car and I said, "I smell Strawberry Shortcake!"  He said, "Yeeaaaahh, it's herrr.  She's got plasticy hair."  Then Dusty got home from work and was chewing gum, "What are you eating, Daddy?"  Dusty told him, and then later Seth RANNNN over to the couch where Dusty was and flopped down on his stomach and asked pointedly, "WHY DO PEOPLE EAT GUM?"  Funny stuff.  I think it's probably funnier if you hear him say it. 

Yesterday at lunch I prayed, and asked God to help us to be well.  Then after the prayer Hannah said, "Mommy, I would like to pray for you that you will be well."  She prayed, "God, please make Mommy well."  Sweetest. Thing. Ever.  Until tonight.  Dusty started praying and Hannah leaned over and kissed my hand.  Dusty kisses her hand after the prayer (he had a great influence from my dad on that. :) ), but she decided to kiss me.  Then after she had eaten and eaten and eaten, she leaned back, sighed, and said, "Mommy, you are the best cooker ever."  She has said it before, but it never gets old. She only says it when she really means it. 

In summary, I have the funniest and sweetest kids ever, my husband is the greatest gift God could've ever given me on this earth, and I'm feeling better!  I love days like these.  I can't help but hear Chris Rice sing, "Why can't every day be like today?"  (It's called "One of Those Days," if you want to look it up.)

Oh, and on a completely unrelated and really useless topic, it looks like Chuck E. Cheese mylar birthday balloons never ever deflate.  Just FYI.

Back to normal

Tomorrow we return to normal.  It has been a wonderful two weeks, and I wish I could do it all  over again, but I'd like to give myself a couple of months to recuperate.  We had a fantastic time with my side of the family at my brother's house.  Here are a couple of pictures, so you can see how many people were there.  The first is with none of us "kids."  The second is all of us, minus my mom and dad.

 It was a very fun [noisy] time.

My grandmother is in the hospital as of today.  Now this is not just any ordinary grandmother.  This is my grandmother, who has had now 5 stays in the hospital, this being the fifth.  The first four were for when she had each of her four children.  She'll be 83 in 13 days.  When I say someone is going to be 83 I instantly think of a decrepit old woman.  Granted she's having more pain, and therefore more shuffling, when she walks, but she and my grandpa just washed all the windows in their house a few months back, she put up quarts and pints of green beans, pints of strawberry jam, salsa, relish, pickles, froze peaches, strawberries, corn, and who knows what else.  This is not your every day, run of the mill, grandmother.  Here she is in September.

Anyway, she fell today trying to get a newspaper that fell behind her furniture.  She got dizzy, from some unknown, as of yet, ailment, and couldn't regain her balance.  She fell on a toy, which is because the toys are stored behind said furniture.  She has fractured two ribs, and has the unknown difficulty causing the dizziness, and hence has found an arrhythmia in her heart.  The worst case scenario is a pacemaker, so I think that's good.  While it's a pain, at least the problem is able to be fixed.  Hopefully they can figure out the dizziness problem soon.  It seems there are differing thoughts on what it could be.  Please pray that everything will be healed soon.

I'm so happy to be part of a sharing family. My kids were mildly ill when we went to my brother's house, and some of the other kids were sick too, so I think our viruses melded and we made a new one.  All of the other grand kids are sick except my two.  Hannah's got a runny nose, and Seth has a bit of snuffiness.  I have a sore throat and some snuffiness, and just general malaise [General Malaise *salute*].  I think Dusty's dealing with some snuffiness too.  So here we go with being normal. :)

On a positive note, I'm pretty sure all the mice (oh, yes, there were more than just that one apparently) that were in our house are now dead, and I've also almost rid our house of the ants that decided to invade while we were gone.  Fortunately they were aimless because my kitchen was so clean *pats self on back*, so they were easily disposed of, and have yet to return at full force.  Hopefully within the next day or two they'll be completely gone.  We are the house of infestations!  Come on over!!! :)  Seriously though, I'm pretty sure our house was built on a gigantic ant hill because we have WAY more than the average amounts of ants outside, and when Dusty created a compost pile this year he put it right by our house.  Evidently mice love that kind of environment.  He's decided to put it elsewhere next year.

I got a bike for Christmas from Dusty, and I went on my first ride today.  I had a bit of energy, and thought that getting out and exercising would aid in my progression toward wellness.  I'm still debating the value of that ride, but it was fun while it lasted.  BOY I'm out of shape though!  I went less than a mile and my legs were BURNING!!!  I can't believe when I was little how much I used to ride with absolutely no effort or out of breathness.  Dusty rode too, and when he got back, his body didn't respond quite as joyously as he did when he left for the ride.  I think we need to be exercising more.  Hopefully this bike will initiate that.  Hannah had a great time riding when I took her, and Seth is sort of learning to pedal, with help from Daddy.  He cracked me up (facebook redundancy warning) when we were going out.  He put on his snow hat, and I put on his coat.  I zipped him up, and he said, "I don't need my coat hat, Mommy."  Hood...coat hat...whatever. :) 

So, I'm going to take my sore throat and go to bed.  At least I don't have a horrible cold, or I'm not sleeping somewhere like South Dakota tonight.  I can rest easily in my bed, and the other three in my family can too.  So thankful.

OH.  I'm starting a Scripture memorization thing for 2011.  Memorizing 24 verses in this year, 2 a month.  My first verse, which is actually two verses, are James 1:19-20.  See if you can figure out why I might want to memorize this.  "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires." NIV
Any ideas?