Friday, October 30, 2009

...to remember me by.....

In our area , everyone seems to be affected by this H1N1 virus that's going around. Last weekend I had Ben in bed....we weren't too sure just what his problem was because when Ben gets a tiny thing wrong with him...well, let's just say that the world is coming to an end....and that's putting it mildly. Then during the week, Maya started to feel unwell....she kept taking Vitamin C but continued to get worse...by yesterday I kept her home...now, it wasn't the virus but it was definitely something so I kept her home for the day....which she chafed about all day...but her voice sounded like a shadow of it's former self and I figured others really wouldn't want her near......she took Cold FX, Vitamin C, Tylenol.....I made her gargle with warm salt water......which she hated.....I made her drink water, juice and her favourite Lipton Chicken Noodle soup......all day......it's one thing to make them do all this when they're little but when their taller than you and bigger than you....well....it's just different....but she complied because she really wanted to go back to school...yes, she wanted....go figure.

The problem with this stupid virus scare is that any other time you'd say, 'you just have a cold, you're fine'...but now , in your head, you're saying is it a cold or is it the dreaded virus....oh no,..what to do and you start second guessing yourself.

This morning, she got up...sounded much better and I knew she was intent on getting back to school....I insisted she take more Cold FX, Vitamin c ...and the dreaded gargle with salt water before I would let her leave the house....but leave she did.

Now, second eldest daughter called the other morning, sounded like she was at death's door.....she had all the classic symptoms of the H1N1...but she works at a drug store...the next best place to pick up the virus ..right up there with the doctor's office.....when they are older like that you are kinda torn.....not sure if you go over and mother them.....or just give verbal instruction....drink lots, gargle with salt water, rest......or do you go over there...but then do you just carry the germs back and forth from the two homes .......since Ben had already been sick, Maya was in the midst of something and Megan was starting to look like a dying duck in a thunderstorm........so I made the decision not to go to her house. It was not without a lot of guilt but I was hoping that her boyfriend would be there for her, when I couldn't. (he's usually there anyways).....I think he was...he's a pretty good guy. It's hard when they're all grown up and have partners...you're just not sure what your role is anymore......

Today is hubby's 'everyotherfridaydayoff' day.....I call them DDO.....Don's Day Off......I'm trying to convince him that we should go to Costco and get some Christmas shopping done......for some, I know it's early..but......when you have 9 kids (12 counting in-laws), one serious girlfriend, 6 grandkids, parents and mother-in-law to buy for......well, I have to start early.....especially, since we only have 3 weeks to go...before baby W is due to be born....I'm almost done his quilt...I finished the hand stitching last night and now just have to get the binding put on and it's finished!!! Then I can start eldest grandson's quilt...I have the material all washed and ready to cut! When his is done then I'll have all the grandkids done! Yea! Some of my kids have had their noses out of joint cause the grandkids got their quilts before them......I figure if the Lord allows me time and ability to do quilts for them all ...then I'll be very happy....something to remember their mom by.....even if I can't be there for them all to make chicken soup when they're feeling lousy! :0)

Monday, October 26, 2009

Ryan and Jennifer....









I probably should have asked for permission...but....I didn't....in fact I didn't think of that till blogger was uploading/downloading,whatever it does...them.....
Eldest son was down this weekend...Ryan had some conference that he had to attend for his church........his poor wife was home fighting off a virus...one of the twenty million that are going around.....she would have loved to come but I think she also was grateful for the quiet cause Ryan brought the puppy with him. While Ryan was here he used my computer to check a disc of pictures that were taken of them two weeks ago and my computer automatically imported them....there were many....many.....but I chose a few.....of course the pup, Flannery is part of their family now so she got in on the deal.....
Ryan and Jenn are expecting their first child next month....we are all very excited.....ultrasounds say it's a boy....but they wont tell us the name!!!!!!..oh well, something needs to be a surprise.......when Ryan left last night I told him that he must call as soon as labour starts..even though it's the first and it will take awhile.....it's at least a 3 hour drive to where they live......I've been there for all the other grandbabies births...I really want to be there when this little guy comes out...if at all possible!
Counting down the days!

Friday, October 23, 2009

Life Choices ~

Well, it's the end of the week and I, for one, am very glad that it is. Way too much going on this week....I must be getting old.....ever wish for a little place in the country that you could just hide out at? Then again, that's probably not good for me considering that seems to be the reason that I'm not suppose to live past 83! Yes, yes, I know you wonder how I know that...well, in all my driving that I was forced into yesterday, when I took Ben to his social program for delayed kids, then went to Maya's basketball game, so she could have a ride home (and I got to see the last half of the game...it wasn't pretty), then on to the highschool to have seven parent teacher interviews from 5:50pm to 7:00pm, then back up to the 'mountain' to pick up Ben from eldest daughter's house, cause she picked him up from his program for me because I haven't figured out how to clone myself yet to be in two places at once-whew!.....say that all in one breath! Well, in all that driving I was listening to John Tesh and he said about this web site you could go to if you wanted to calculate your life expectansy...well...usually I avoid those kind of things...like the television ad for Alzheimer's..the one that tells you to go to this web site and do a test to see if you are a candidate for it?.....well, my paternal grandmother had Alzheimer's...not very nice and secretly I've always been a little terrified of ending up with it..so I don't go to that web site.....but...apparently this site is designed to get you to change some of your life habits so you can live longer....so I did the test! They deduced from the questions that I answered that I need more friends...that this social interaction is important for my well being and to live longer! Son of a gun! They do have a point, I guess....I don't have any 'girlfriends' that I hang out with, sister and I do somewhat but heck, we both live busy lives....other women, my age, are looking at retirement and not still raising four teens...plus, because I was so busy raising kids, relationships like that kind of fell to the wayside ...you know, if you don't use it, you lose it.....
but that little hideout in the country is appealing........

Would you take a test like that....don't get me wrong, I do strongly believe that my days are already written down, the Lord knows exactly when I will meet up with Him...but it was kinda interesting...and it did bring out the friendship thing, something that's been niggling in the back of my mind for years....

What about it...would you?

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Irish Quilts and Donneybrooks!

Yesterday was a wonderful day....until I got home...but first the day...

Some time ago an older lady from the church who has been such a friend to me invited the ladies from our quilting group to attend a quilt show with her. My sister and I were the only ones that were able to go and Marilyn just squealed in delight when I said that we would go....she really is a sweetheart...anyways....when we agreed I really had no idea of the schedule for the day. First of all we had to meet the coach bus......ya...I went on a bus....haven't been on a bus since before I was married and had to take a coach bus into the city every day to go to work......and I don't want to seem coach bus snobbish...but......I much prefer my own vehicle.....you know...leave when I want to leave....stop for a snack or washroom break when I needed to...not when it was scheduled for 50 women to stop.......you must visualize the picture here people......50 women + one Tim Horton's + one washroom with three stalls!!!!!!....ya, I think you get my drift.......so we had to meet this coach bus at 7:45am!!!! ...which means that I got up at 6 a.m.,...the middle of the night.....(hubby argued with me on this point but I firmly maintain that if I'm still in bed and it's still pitch black dark out...then obviously it's the middle of the night! So, we boarded the bus, made one rest stop along the way and arrived at our destination around 11 a.m. The community centre was filled with quilts from Ireland...being of Irish descent is the reason why it caught the interest of sister and I. The quilts were very beautiful.....sister got many ideas for changing, once again the quilt she's presently designing....we had lunch...looked some more.....but we were finished about 2-1/2 hours before the bus was ready to leave....another drawback of not having your own vehicle. By this time sister and I were definitely flagging as our energy just seeped out our toes....but finally the bus was ready to leave. On the way home we made a stop at a Swiss Chalet restaurant and had a lovely chat with some ladies that we hadn't met as of yet....they almost convince me that joining their guild would be a fun thing...but that would be an evening out.....which, I will explain in a minute why that would be a problem!

So we arrived back in the city about 8:30 p.m. and then sister had to drive to her place and then I drove home....and was met by four teens all tattle tailing at once...even the two dogs stuck to me like glue when I walked in the door, as if they too were trying to tell me about all that had taken place...(it really is too bad that they can't talk because I might have got the whole truth from them!)

Apparently, youngest daughter Megan had a huge blow up....not quite sure what triggered it yet....but the blow up included hitting, scratching kicking...not only her siblings but the dog, breaking things as she threw them at sibs and pushing furniture over.....this is the abbreviated version....I'll spare you the details...(I wish that I'd been spared).....so, you can see why that since hubby teaches 3 evenings a week, I really think that it's unlikely that I'd be able to attend a guild meeting.....sigh....it would have been nice I'm sure.

When I agreed to go on this little day trip I didn't figure on arriving home so late and the kids being at home for as long as they were...normally, one would be able to leave a 14, 16, 17, and 18 year old for a few hours but in this family that would be a loud resounding NO!

...it really was a lovely day.....

Thursday, October 15, 2009

This week....

Good Morning Company Girls!

Well, the weather has turned quite coolish in this part of Canada.......considering how weird our summer was, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Fall/Autumn only lasted about a week! Today my kids wore their winter coats and mitts to school! This is not fair!!! My least favourite season is winter and here we are in the middle of October and the weather guy is mentioning snow! Snow, people!!!! A bit much I'd say!

Today is second eldest son's 26th birthday. This guy is one messed up person. He came to live with us at the age of 2-1/2 after being in five other foster homes. When he was three, he nearly drowned...well actually he did drown...he just didn't die. Eldest daughter, who had taken him to the beach, found him face down, spread eagle in the water where we camp....she gave him C.P.R. and the life guards from the pool that was close by the beach, came and helped. He was a fortunate little guy. A couple of years later, he became available for adoption. Quite frankly we really didn't know whether we were the right parents for him. The Children's Aid agency who we fostered for, looked everywhere for another family...you see, his birth parents were born in Morocco, and as such he wasn't considered Caucasian...plus his family was(is) Muslim...we are Christian......the agency found no one.....Muslim people are very particular about 'the blood'...they don't adopt other people into their family who aren't blood related. At this same time, we were trying to adopt a little girl that came to our home as a new born just three months after this toddler came......... a social worker told us...'you might adopt one,...you'll never get two'....well, the adoption papers were finalised for both kids just two months apart. This also made us a trans-racial family...which came in handy later on, when we wanted to adopt a little bi-racial girl that came into our home when she was just 3 days old.

As this little boy grew, it became obvious that he had a number of problems...at the time he was diagnosed with ADHD. It wasn't until he was in his late teens that we realized that it was really FASD....Fetal Alcohol....his mother had consumed alcohol while pregnant with him and damaged his brain...permanently.

We tried to help him in many ways,....counsellors, therapists, doctors...even an expensive place for teens down in the states...to no avail......by the time he was 18 he was living on the streets, going from one place to the next.....involved in drugs and drinking. Every once in awhile when he was desperate for a place to sleep he would show up and we'd make up the couch for the night.

Five years ago, he fathered a little boy......a cute little guy who sounds amazingly like he did when he was that age.....we see him from time to time.....

Last Saturday our son showed up for an hour or so before Thanksgiving dinner...he hadn't communicated with me after I invited him so he didn't know the time of the dinner and he had to leave before most of the relatives arrived. This morning I sent him a text message to wish him a Happy Birthday...I asked him if he was at home so I could bring his gift around........he didn't reply.........maybe I'll just save it for Christmas.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Thanksgiving '09

This was the 'adult table'....it actually had a lot more people than the pic could hold......there were 17 here..... This was the 'kids table'.....with 10 kids from age 4 - 18.......of course little Verity strikes a fabulous smile!....and Honour....has that..'what are you doing look'.... :0)

Lauren....pretty as a picture...my second oldest girl....Maya, to the left...she's number 3!
This is army boy's girl...her name is Sara,....this was her first 'big family function'...brave girl...she handled herself well....



Eldest son and my brother-in-law,..actually he's my hubby's twin brother..holding the new pup...




Some of the family........






...another family shot.....





...and here's Flannery.........






...isn't she a cutie!???









.....our female Maggie, brought out her mothering instincts....







Well, Thanksgiving is done! Well, actually, officially...it's tomorrow...but...since we had our big dinner yesterday than ours is done....today we are recuperating and hubby is doing the last of the kitchen clean up.....me...I'm completely wiped. Two people weren't able to come...eldest daughter was still sick so her husband and our grandkids came without her and one of the nephews had to work...so that left 27 to sit down for a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings!
I cooked a 24 pound turkey...the gravy turned out perfectly, if I do say so myself,....mashed potatoes..eldest son threw me a curve by putting garlic in the potatoes when he was mashing them, peas, carrots...yummy sweet potato casserole that eldest son made, stuffing and homemade cranberry sauce (thank you Barb) and rolls. For dessert there was pumpkin pie, harvest berry pie, apple pie, cheesecake, and banana chocolate loaf cake...throw in ice cream and whip cream to compliment and you have our Thanksgiving dinner '09.
People started arriving around 2 p.m. and the last left about 9:30pm.....doesn't seem like many hours ....but...I will admit to being tired when everyone left.
So, as you can see..I've posted a few pics...added some of the new puppy that eldest son and his wife have , she's a cutie so I thought you'd like to see her...her name is Flannery!
So, tomorrow I'm hoping for a quiet day...we'll see.




Friday, October 9, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

Good Morning Company Girls!

This weekend in Canada is our Thanksgiving weekend. I really like that our thanksgiving is in October (please don't be offended it you're an American and reading this).......we have a huge turkey dinner and since it's in October, we have to wait two and a half months til we do it all over again at Christmas! Yes, I must admit that I don't do the big turkey thing more than twice a year...why?....I have no earthly idea.....it's not like it really is more work than the other big meals that I prepare for a large number of people.....but....I just don't. It does require a little more preplanning....for instance, we've had this humongous turkey sitting in my fridge, thawing since last weekend. Today, I have to go and buy the rest of the food that will hopefully feed the 29 people that are suppose to be sitting at three different tables tomorrow , in my house.

Eldest daughter came down with the stomach flu yesterday so I certainly hope they're able to come tomorrow....it wouldn't be the same without them and especially the four little grandchildren that come with them! Other grandchild is way up in northern Canada for the weekend with his mommy's family...and oh, yes...there's still one grandbaby to come...but he's still enjoying the warmth and security of his mommy til he's born next month! His mommy and daddy ...well, they're the ones that got the new puppy a few weeks ago....go to this blog to see....http://juniper23.blogspot.com/........new babies and puppies...nothing better! Then there is army boy and his girlfriend, second eldest daughter and her boyfriend...second eldest son was invited but he has not replied so I guess he's still angry with me and wont be coming......

The rest of the group is my husband's side of the family...usually we get together at Christmas but this year hubby's twin brother, wife and kids plan to be in Florida at that time, as well as hubby's sister. My dear mother-in-law wanted to have a family gathering sometime so this seemed the most logical.....

So, I must get going...get on my high horse and do a lot of cleaning and shopping to ready everything up for tomorrow!

I pray that you all, whether you celebrate this weekend or in November, to please have a wonderful Thanksgiving, where you can praise God from whom all blessings flow...because without Him there would be nothing to be thankful for.......

My daughter says I speak with a southern accent...weird I know......so...

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!!!!!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

This Job.....


She stood at the foot of my bed this morning...she had questions about her brain. She had listened in to a conversation between the pediatrician and I the other day....how we were talking about her delays and why this had possibly happened to her. Sometimes you wonder if doctors ever use their brains when they speak in front of the child, forcing you to answer questions that you don't want to answer in front of the child....so this morning she wanted to know about her brain.....this brain that has been working for over 14 years....not well but working. She wondered why her brain was bad.....I quickly said and had to repeat myself several times in our short early morning conversation....your brain is not bad....your brain was damaged before you were even born...it is not bad. Over fourteen years but developmentally it stopped at age three.....then she asked about her heart....she was born with a heart that didn't work properly....she had three surgeries...one when she was just a few days old....'well, if they could do surgery to fix my heart, cant they do surgery on my brain?', she asks.....'no, I'm afraid not...there isn't any surgery that can fix your brain'......I know what she's thinking...babies...she wants babies....I've had to tell her that she cant have babies....she wouldn't be able to look after them......and then it comes out...'so I cant have babies?'...'no, I'm afraid not'.....'will my sisters be able to have babies?'...'yes, they will'.......

I hate these conversations.........as the mother, I'm the one that has to dash their hopes, their dreams...when they were little you could listen to what they said and smile and say 'maybe...we'll see'...knowing in your heart that it wouldn't happen.....but when they're little you can 'put them off'....delay the hurt....as they get older you cant..... When the 18 year old who is really 6 years old in his comprehension, wants to get his driving licence,...you have to gently say no...that's not going to happen...you have to find the words to explain the why...words that they will understand but hopefully not hurt...but they do,...they always do.....

....there are definitely parts of this job that I hate.....

Friday, October 2, 2009

So much excitement!

Good Morning Company Girls!!!!

This is what happened at our house this week!
The old oil tank being removed....I really took these pics so hubby, who was at work could see the process....aren't you lucky...I wouldn't want to not make your day complete without seeing them!
They always say pictures make a blog more interesting...so, I know that you'll just find these so fascinating! First of all...my two dogs...the male on the left is Reilly...he was clipped down during the summer so his fur isn't as long as Maggie's on the right...the were not impressed with all the activity in the house. Reilly was determined to protect the house from all the males that wanted to enter in... This is the new furnace,,.....in my messy basement.....which actually looks not as messy as it usually does...sad, I know....my name is Marie and I live with a messy basement.....

The old oil furnace...quite a bit bigger.....



The space that was left after having an oil tank sitting in it for 50 years! Ya, I know...groady!



Well, out with the old and in with the new! No...I didn't get rid of my husband,......the kids....unfortunately..NO! Something very boring but necessary....the furnace! Yes, yes I know...so much excitement...it's hard to contain myself...in fact...in the middle of all the exchange..I left and went and had a massage....works for me! When the gas man showed up last night to do his part and actually turn the furnace on...I confessed to him that I was kind of apprehensive about this whole thing.....we've been an oil furnace family all my life...gas makes me nervous....this guy looks at me and says....oil tanks make ME nervous...200 gallons of oil just sitting in your basement......to him dangerous....to me...comfort....oh, well, each to his own, I guess. This is suppose to be much more economical so we'll give it a try...anything to save a buck!
Today is hubby's day off...every other Friday...which I'm really enjoying so we hope to go on a little road trip and visit his mom...it's her birthday this weekend so we would like to get up to her place for some lunch....to get there we have to drive through a little town well known for it's Mennonite people....and quilts!!!!! We never stop...we're always intent on getting up there and getting home....I wonder...since we have no kids with us if I could convince hubby stop...just for a quick peak, ya know....really...me...material shop.....never....... :0)
Have a great weekend ladies....if I have any energy left I'm to go scrapbooking with eldest daughter tomorrow...since it's been three years since I last scrapped, I'm going to have to find all my stuff...except the basement is all in a dither with the furnace activity......hope I can find it all!
See ya!