Our Situation Has Not Improved

1. Well, that's not exactly true, even though it's an awesome quote from Indy III. Miranda has almost finished her antibiotics (which means her ear infection must be healing) and doesn't have to be held down anymore by both parents and the dose shoved down her throat to get the full effect of that medication, which is how affairs were last weekend. We're down to one breathing treatment a day, before school. And she's back to waking up at 3 am because she's hungry. Which means she has returned to being the impossible 4 year old we know and love. At least we've changed from punching to spitting when she doesn't want to clean up the toys she's strewn all across the house, but she's still throwing toys when sent to her room for obstinacy and disobedience. I know understand why my mother looked forward to my illnesses when I was this age: the Miranda who was seriously ill and a completely pathetic child of last week was much easier to cuddle and care for. My problem this week is that I am so tired from her 3 am "feedings" that I'm not always ducking successfully from the flying Little People tractor. Dang it.

2. On a happier note, the ice and snow is gone so Alex is a much happier boy. And we've adjusted his ADHD meds slightly to help him focus more at school, so life for his teacher is getting a lot easier, and he is earning new books again. If he comes home with a good report today, we will be off to the bookstore straight after school. Darling boy.

3. Not only are my crocuses blooming outside on my front stoop, but in the front room I am enjoying the end of my third amaryllis and first paper whites, I have 2 still blooming primroses my mother-in-law gave me several weeks ago on my table, cut tulips were on sale at Trader Joe's last Sunday so I got 10 of those in a lovely peach-pink, all in addition to my usual African violets. Although, half of the violets really need to be replaced. I can keep them blooming and happy for a couple of years, but then they get leggy and need to be discarded and replaced with beautiful new ones that usually cost $.99 at Produce Junction.

4. I can't find the camera anywhere, so I have no progress picture for you this week, even though I finished page 10 and made a good start on the top half of page 11 this week. I will probably need to clean Miranda's room to find it since she's known for running off with things like that and stashing them somewhere "safe." 

5. Because we had a forecast for snow on Tuesday (which was much less than advertised and so the cancellation of school seemed a bit silly), on Monday I pushed all of us out of the house to make a trip to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden even though I knew it would be absolutely mobbed because the children really needed to get out of the house and do something fun if they were going to be stuck at home Tuesday (and, remember, Miranda missed 4 days of school last week because of illness) and Alex would miss his field trip to Pump It Up, his most favorite place in the universe (thankfully, it's been rescheduled for next Tuesday). We had a good time even though we did it at a dead run and were crowded out of a few exhibits. 

6. I am continuing to work my way through Series 2 of Spooks on my own and Season 1 of Mission:Impossible when Marshall is available to join me. I did see, many years ago, the American cuts of Series 1 & 2 of Spooks, repackaged as MI-5 but missing at least 15 minutes of each episode so the stories did not flow together very well. The UK version is much better. Soon, I will move into Series 3, saying good-bye to Matthew Macfadyen and hello to Rupert Penry-Jones and episodes I've never seen before. 

7. My mother's book, Bathsheba's Lament, continues to earn praises and recognition from among a growing number of readers. There is a great review of it on the International Christian Fiction Writers' blog that you must read! There is another awesome review of Bathsheba's Lament on LeAnne Hardy's blog. Read it here. Remember, if you haven't already ordered a copy, you will find it available here, or, if you are a local fan, inform me that you are claiming one of my few remaining copies.

Bonus 8. For the record, my favorite Valentine's Day movies, that I've revisited in recent weeks, are The Replacement Killers and Romeo Must Die. Somehow, 10 Things I Hate About You, my previous favorite, just isn't the same since Heath died.

And here's Jen.

Oh, God. I'm going to die.

1. That was the first thought in my mind every time I had to get out of bed since about midnight, last Sunday morning. This has been one of those weeks that I hope disappears quickly from my memory in a haze of grogginess.



2. If you missed all the excitement last weekend, Miranda contracted croup overnight Saturday-Sunday and when I finally had enough wits to page the pediatrician Sunday morning, he sent us straight to the ER. We quickly made arrangements for Alex to be cared for after dropping him at church for Sunday school (so handy that the hospital is 2 blocks from our church) and followed Miranda through an exam, chest x-rays, several breathing treatments and oral steroids. She was much more herself by the time we left the hospital 4 hours later with a nebulizer and more steroids in hand. Marshall and I were still pretty dazed, although that could have been shock or lack of sleep or both. Neither of our children have ever suffered from anything like this before so it took us a bit to come up to speed on all current treatments, but we learn fast. And I can say with gratitude that we received excellent care the whole time we were in the hospital. My only previous hospital experience is in the maternity ward, so it's good to know Virtua-Voorhees' pediatric ER is so reliable.

3. Because I was so desperate for sleep, I sent Miranda back to school Wednesday morning even though she wasn't quite her usual self. She'd already missed the Valentine's Day party and the trip to the Book Fair, but I wanted to give her a chance to catch up with her friends, distribute her Valentines (she worked really hard on Saturday writing the names of her friends and teachers on the cards and I wanted Miss Barbara to see what a great job she did) and pick up her new books. And I really, really, needed a nap.

4. I think I survived Wednesday on the promise that my cleaning lady was coming at 3 pm and no matter what happened, the house would be clean by dinner time and life would be better because of that. I had been so exhausted from Miranda's sudden illness and all the excitement thereof that I hadn't been keeping up with the disaster we create daily by living and moving through this house and the floors were starting to look scary. Bless her; she's really wonderful.

5. It was a good thing Wednesday ended well because Miranda woke up Thursday morning with a fever. The steroids had done their job well but also suppressed her immune system and, after a trip back to the pediatrician's (we'd been already on Monday for a follow up from our hospital trip Sunday) we now have a diagnosis of an ear infection and a new set of antibiotics to consume. My poor little woozle. God, I'm tired.

6. Somehow, I have managed to keep stitching in the evenings, probably because it's such a nice, safe distraction from how distressing life has been this week. Here's your progress pic:

While I've stitched, we've been watching the first season of Mission:Impossible. It's amazingly suspenseful. 

7. My mother's book, Bathsheba's Lament, continues to earn praises and recognition from among a growing number of readers. There is a great review of it on the International Christian Fiction Writers' blog that you must read! There is another awesome review of Bathsheba's Lament on LeAnne Hardy's blog. Read it here. Remember, if you haven't already ordered a copy, you will find it available here, or, if you are a local fan, inform me that you are claiming one of my few remaining copies.

Bonus 8. Okay, the week wasn't all bad. Alex's behavior finally improved at school (probably because the snow is almost completely melted and the weather is warmer and pleasant) so he earned a new book and permission to go on the class field trip on Tuesday. Marshall is settling in better at work since the most recent reorganization. My father's recovery from his knee replacement almost 3 weeks ago is going really well with his progress well above expectations. The team my church sent to Haiti returned safely last night after a great week. And Miranda is chipper and hungry this morning after waking up at 3:30 am hot and miserable. So, life should be better soon.

And here's Jen.

I Still Have Foggy (Cold) Brain

1. This has got to be the longest lasting cold I've ever had. And it's only a cold, because I had a regular visit with my doctor on Monday and he said as much. So I've been experimenting with different over the counter medicines, trying to find that perfect cocktail to avoid the grogginess of most cold medicine and keep the cough at bay with only some success. Dang.


2. I made great progress on my cross stitch this week as the pattern moved on to an easier section. Thank God, because I thought the confetti was going to kill me. Here's your progress pic:

3. Tonight our church is hosting a special couples' night so we get to drop our kids off at church at 6 pm and go down the block to enjoy a meal with our spouse. It's going to be a lovely way to start the weekend, especially since this will be Marshall & my 15th Valentine's Day together. Woohoo!


4. I was kind of sad when we finished the last of all 26 episodes of The Green Hornet last weekend. It was a charming little show, if rather predictable. So, I've decided to stay with that era of television and start us on Season 1 of Mission:Impossible. I'm also blaming my pastor, who just finished a sermon series of the same title and showed clips from the original show, thus whetting my appetite. I remember watching in syndication when I was much younger. According to many reviewers, it holds up pretty well, in spite of the nearly 5 decades since production. We'll have to see.

5. Marshall and I watched a fascinating documentary this week proposing a counter-factual history called Virtual JFK: Vietnam if Kennedy Had Lived. We highly recommend it, even though it makes you wish we'd avoided so much of the blood shed there. Although, The Fog of War is better, but only slightly, and we also enjoyed the television movie, Path to War. I'm not a huge fan of Alec Baldwin, but watching him bring McNamara to life is amazing, especially for someone like me born after the war was essentially over. These kinds of films help me understand the world my parents grew up in but fill me with dread about how later generations will look at the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lord, have mercy!

6. Three of my friends welcomed new babies this week, two girls and a boy, which was cheering, since we know of two other families who are soon to be saying farewell to their loved ones as they go home to Jesus, one older but one way too young. Yesterday, our church sent a team to Haiti for a weeks' worth of work in Jacmel, where this missionary family has been serving Jesus and is now about to bury their 4 year old daughter. Christ, have mercy.

7. I just finished working on my own Valentine cards and will be spending tomorrow helping my children prepare theirs. It helps that they are in small classes (8 students in Alex's and 9 in Miranda's) but instead of doing them all myself after the children go to bed, their teachers want them to "help" by writing their friends' names on the actual cards. Which should keep us busy for quite a while tomorrow.


Bonus: 8. My mother's book, Bathsheba's Lament, continues to earn praises and recognition from among a growing number of readers. There is a great review of it on the International Christian Fiction Writers' blog that you must read! There is another awesome review of Bathsheba's Lament on LeAnne Hardy's blog. Read it here. Remember, if you haven't already ordered a copy, you will find it available here, or, if you are a local fan, inform me that you are claiming one of my few remaining copies.


And, just in case you missed my blog post yesterday, I have to share this again:

And here's Jen. 

Signs of Hope

I have been watching these little green sprigs growing for about a week and then yesterday--Poof! A flower! I will grab onto this visceral reminder that winter is not forever and hold onto it tightly! It's still absolutely frigid outside and the world still seems covered in ice (although patches of grass are peeking through), but spring is coming.

I also had a great meeting with Alex's teacher and case manager this morning and we shared equally about how we can continue to encourage him both at home and at school, because he has been struggling, especially with the winter blah's. So join me in blessing Miss Pam and Miss Kathy, the aide who works with Alex, as I do daily. They are wonderful! And God seems to work daily through them to help my sweet boy.

I will still post tomorrow, but I had to share the good news. And this hilarious picture:

Amen.

More Than a Little Grumpy

1. So last Friday my cold was at the annoying stage. By Saturday morning, it hit the miserable stage and I spent most of the weekend in bed. Ugh. I am up and functional at present, with the aid of cold medicine. But I am not recovering quickly. I have a doctor's appointment for Monday morning anyway (a "well" visit - Ha!) so if it isn't better by then, I can get some professional help. Sharing person that I am, I gave it to everyone else in the house, but most of them have mostly recovered, especially Alex and his steel-like immune system.

2. In spite of dire warnings, there were no school cancellations this week due to bad weather. The ice storm that was supposed to hit our region Tuesday-Wednesday moved north and all we got was rain. Of course, it's turned all of the snow in the yard into ice so it's not much fun to play in, but we feel blessed that God spared us from the worst of the storm.

3. In other, minor news (NOT!), my father had a successful knee replacement surgery on Monday. My mother stayed with him in the hospital and they returned home on Wednesday. So far, he is healing really well and physical therapy is going swimmingly. The Lord is gracious indeed.

4. On Wednesday, Marshall took the day off of work to escort our children to the dentist. Alex's appointment was at 10 am and Miranda went at 2 pm, scheduled to give Marshall a break in between and interrupt the school day as little as possible. We have a great dentist and work with a wonderful hygienist, but I have dental phobias left over from my orthodonture years and I was too scared to go with them. Marshall was a pillar of calm and both children were extremely well-behaved, which also resulted in good reports for everyone. Except that Alex finally has a loose tooth. At least it gave me an excuse to order the new Shaun the Sheep DVD: Spring Shena-a-anigans. It should be here in a few days. :)

5. Miranda is off of school of school today for a District Inservice but I talked my sister-in-law into leaving my niece, Lilly, here this morning to help keep my daughter entertained. They are having a good time together. I am so grateful for the extra company and it gives Leah a break as well. Win-win.

6. Since modern American television has been boring me lately (except for Human Target, Lie to Me and Detroit 1-8-7, which are all in danger of cancellation, which just goes to show that I continue to fall for the shows that are never popular enough to last very long which makes me wonder, again, what is wrong with me!), I've been watching a bunch of other things:

• Right before The Green Hornet movie opened (which Marshall and I still want to go see), the ScyFy channel ran the entire 1960's TV series. We've been watching a few episodes a night and enjoying it as the perfect light, entertaining affair. No angst, no drama, no worries, and lots of pretty people. 
• I finally finished Series 7 of New Tricks. Somehow, I missed the last two episodes until now.
• I found this new show called Strike Back that was amazingly entertaining and ended on a cliff-hanger! There is a new, 10-episode series scheduled for next year that I am really looking forward to.
• I watched Series 2 of Whitechapel that was, like the first series, not terribly interesting in terms of plot but the characters created by Rupert Penry-Jones and Philip Davis are fascinating enough to warrant a viewing. I guess I'm trying to get my nerve up to start Spooks, which is supposed to be one of the best creations of British television in recent years but I haven't wanted to get involved in it as of yet. Like other UK shows, it has no compunction about registering a large body count and kills off major characters regularly. 

Of course, none of the British shows listed above can be watched legally in the US. Sorry about that.

7. I finally hit my stride again with my cross stitch and made great progress this week (even though I had to do a bunch of frogging), which might account for all of the TV show watching. It does pass the time. Here's your progress pic:

Definitely past the halfway point. Woohoo!

Bonus: 8. My mother's book, Bathsheba's Lament, continues to earn praises and recognition from among a growing number of readers. There is a great review of it on the International Christian Fiction Writers' blog that you must read! There is another awesome review of Bathsheba's Lament on LeAnne Hardy's blog. Read it here. Remember, if you haven't already ordered a copy, you will find it available here, or, if you are a local fan, inform me that you are claiming one of my few remaining copies.

And here's Jen.