Ida Interdonato, 1920-2009

Dave's Grandma passed away this morning. While we weren't totally blindsided, it still came as a shock. We were still hoping she would get better and go home. The only comfort is knowing she is in Heaven with her husband. So while we grieve, there is a sense of comfort in knowing she is resting in God's presence.



"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

Biggest Loser

I am doing a Biggest Loser inspired competition with some women from my MOPS group. I was really spurred on when I went to the doctor and my weight was hovering in the pregnancy weight area -- and I am not pregnant. Of course, my scale at home was kinder and I choose to focus on THAT weight. Still I need to drop some poundage so here I am almost a week into it. Instead of following a "diet", I am trying to just eat sensibly. If I go to a function and there are treats, I will have one instead of five. No seconds at meal time. And major cutback on the soda.

So wish me luck and slap my hand if you see me reaching for an extra cookie.

Grandma update

Got this email from my FIL ...

Hi,

I dropped Mom at the hospital early this morning and went in to see Grandma for a short time. They have replaced the stomach drain tube with a smaller feeding tube. When I left a respiratory nurse was beginning a two hour test to see if they can take her off the ventilator. The start of it appeared to me to be going well.

Grandma is very alert but of course cannot speak because of the tubes. She recognizes everyone and waved goodbye to be me as I left to go to work.

That's all I know at the moment. Will keep you posted.

Love,

Dad

Prayers for healing

Dave's Grandma is in the ICU in Buffalo with heart failure. We don't have a lot of details at this point but we sure could use prayers. She is 88 years old and Dave's only living grandparent. We just saw her a week ago and she could looked good. Life is so tenuous and fragile. All we can do is pray that God heals her ...

I hit you because I love you ...

So sayeth my sweet little daughter.

Three Things on Thursday

Three random items from the cluttered files of my mind ...

1. As you can see in post below, I lost my keys. Now I know that I had them Monday because I drove home from a friend's house. So they made it home. After that, its anybody's guess as to where they went.

2. Here are the stacks of books I currently have out from the library:


I just added six more to my hold list so the stack should grow in the next few days.

3. I had hoped today was a snow day for the simple fact that I wanted to go back to sleep. It wasn't. Darn these Michigan people and their ability to handle snow. In Kentucky, we'd have been out of school for a week.

Anyone seen my keys?

Yeah, neither have I.

Can't argue that one ...

Jake: I don't want stew for dinner.
Me: Well I don't want kids.
Molly: Well you have to because we already have beds here.

Mom 0, Molly 1

Where'd she hear that?

Molly is telling her toys to "focus, focus, focus!"

Snow Day!

We got 11 inches of snow today. The last day of school before Christmas vacation was canceled. We are expecting more on Saturday night but how much is still up in the air. I should be weather woman -- you only have to be right 95 percent of the time to keep your job.

Three Things This Thursday

The challenge has been thrown by Michelle at Psalm 104:24 to post three random things on every Thursday. It can be recipes, craft ideas, good books ... whatever you want to write about.

So here is my contribution this week: Three things sitting on my computer desk.

1. An old cellphone I am sending to Cellphone Trade-Ins for a whopping $4.
2. National Geographic 3-D glasses (they belong to Jacob).
3. A stack of pictures to be added to a calender I have been coerced into making for my MIL. Which I am sure will be as graciously received as all of her other gifts with the very monotone "Oh, that's nice."

Not Me Monday!

I did not wake up this morning to no power and a windchill in the negative zone. I did not fall down the stairs for the second time in two weeks (at least this was the first part of the stairs, not the second because I like variety) I did not get a call as I was walking out the door to say school was delayed two hours. I did not drag my kids to MOPS -- which wasn't canceled -- because I was bringing food and a Secret Santa gift. I did not say an obscenity after I smashed my elbow on the new DVD stand my husband built for my car. I did not have the uncooked french toast casserole leak on my passenger seat down onto the backseat floor. And the person receiving my Secret Santa gift wasn't not there. I did not have all of these things happen on a day when I was working on less than five hours of sleep.

Yes, she is a Diva.

Just in case you thought otherwise ...



I think this may be the only time in three hours she bothered to lift her precious head up and acknowledge the humans around her.



But of course I did wait three hours to get a book signed, so who's the fool? In my defense, I got the book for free.

Why?

All I am saying is I think a sip or two of whiskey would have the same effect -- and you get more for your money: Cold Medicine

Where am I?

I had a conversation on Monday at MOPS with my group and I was talking to them about something in Michigan -- and I totally forgot I was IN Michigan. I was explaining to them like they'd have no clue. My body was there but apparently my mind transported back to Kentucky. Guess that's the hazard of moving every two years -- your brain never really knows where it is located.

I succumbed ...

... to the draw of the Christmas season.

I put up everything but the tree (which I will do tonight) and the outdoor lights (which is Dave's department).

I normally wait until after Thanksgiving but we are leaving tomorrow until Sunday.

Of course, now I have Molly asking me "Is Santa coming tonight? Tomorrow?" We have a Christmas countdown but you need to recognize numbers before that means anything.

Snow!

Yes, I sent her outside in just a cute outfit to try for a Christmas card photo. It worked.



And with her snow munchkins.



Yelling "SNOW!"



Jacob wasn't home for any daytime snow pictures so his photo for the card was taken inside.



Maybe I'll add some fake snow to it.

Not Me! Monday

My Charming Kids blogger MckMama apparently has a weekly tradition of listing her (and others) "Not Me" moments. So I am jumping in this week. Drumroll, please ...



I most certainly did not spend part of my afternoon paying an almost overdue speeding ticket. And my daughter did not ask the police officer if he was a good cop or bad cop when he was writing the aforementioned ticket.

I most assuredly did not say "wine" at MOPS when asked what I was thankful for this season.

I most definitely would never get irritated with librarian on the phone when she told me I would have to either buy a new DVD case or keeping paying $1 a day -- even though I did return the actual DVD. And I did not find the aforementioned cover sandwiched between the TV and the side of the entertainment center.

So what did you NOT do today?

Rewind

I am an admitted book addict. I love to read and I can't help but adding more and more books to my library queue. Some of the books are okay, some are great and some really resonate with me. Enter Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch. The premise of the story is a suburban mother, disgruntled by her current life and haunted by memories of her ex, finds herself seven years in the past -- before the marriage, the suburbs and the baby. The best part: she is fully aware that she has gone back in time and has the gift of hindsight. She has the chance to rewrite her life or follow the same path. Raise your hand if you have ever wished -- even for a second -- that you could go back and make some different choices. The past is always prettier when you view it in reverse.

I'd have to go back a few more years then seven -- more like 13 years for me. Its not so much that I want to change my path but there are a few people I'd like to revisit. My entire college years were emotional for me. Where I had once been strong in high school, I suddenly felt unsure and upended. There were people along the way who I clearly wronged - or at least treated pretty badly. I wish I could do right by them. I made career choices that I wish I might have not made. Frankly, I was never cut out to be a journalist but I thought that's what I needed to do. And I will admit, there's a few boys I'd like to kiss again. I mean if I am going back in time, I might as well have some fun. ;)

But of course, there are no rewinds in real life. Plus I wouldn't really want to alter my course. This is my life -- the good, the bad and even the boring.

Obama

I hope this speaks to the state of race relations in the U.S. Even if I don't align myself completely with the Democratic ticket, I still think its amazing that a Black man was voted president. Amazing in a good way.

Someone on the news said it Dr. King's "dream" come to fruition. I don't think we are there yet but this is certainly a good start.