I don't want what he had!

We have all fallen to whatever John had 10 days ago. Yuck. It sneaks up on you, if you're not paying attention (and really, we don't pay attention). For a day or two, you're just not firing on all cylinders. Then, *BAM*, you get a high fever that doesn't respond well to medicine. That takes you down for about about 24 hours, then you're left with a residual cough.

John still has the cough. Jase, Em, Jake and I have had the fever since yesterday. Blech. Zorak isn't sure if he's over the hump, or gearing up (he doesn't pay attention, either). James went down this afternoon.

The Cubmaster said he and his family had that same thing about three weeks ago. Looks like it's making the rounds! So we've quarantined ourselves for as long as there's a fever in the house. I hope we're fever-free in time for the Blue and Gold Banquet!

Meanwhile, the boys have fallen head-over-heels for Retro TV programming. John loves Magnum P.I. James adores Knight Rider, and feels quite firmly that Magnum's Ferrari has nothing on KITT.

Jake, Em, and Jase are just snugglers. Hot, sweaty snugglers. I'm so glad there are two parents, because when one of us is sick, too, it's SO nice to have someone else at least make sure nobody starves.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

And so it begins.

Tonight begins the pre-season tournament. I missed last year's, because I was in labor. As nice as it was to be home, alone, in the quiet house for four days, I'm kind of glad I'm not in the same situation again, this year.

We're going to attempt to put the house on auto-pilot today. Not sure how that's going to work out, as we haven't found the switch, yet. But it's *got* to be around here, somewhere. Right?

We'll try lasagna in the crockpot, since we'll be at the batting cages, then Smidge's practice, then the tournament, and won't be home until way awfully late. Of course, the kids will eat at the field, but somehow Snack Shack food doesn't register in the brain. I don't get it, but it's true. If we don't have food ready for them at home, they *will* be ravenous. (They'll be ravenous, anyway. It's just not as noticeable when they aren't draped over the breakfast bar, claiming they can feel their bodies turning in on themselves, eating their own muscle. Kids are weird like that.)

Maybe I should take burritos, too.

But for now, laundry. There is no auto-pilot for laundry. (Yet.)

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Still Alive

Sorry for being so quiet. It's been busy here. And evidently the Percocet makes things interesting *only* in my head. But no words come out. Weird.

So, I leave you today with things the kids have come up with.

EmBaby:
We don't put poop on crackers, okay?

(mmm, okay...)

Smidge:
I wouldn't want to be an Aztec OR a Conquistador because, well, because I'm a bit of a coward.

(ROFL!)

John:
You know, I think maybe when I'm done with baseball, I'll take up fencing. They don't make you run in fencing.

(good point. that one is definitely mine.)

James:
(after getting all of his Latin exercise correct on the first try)
*leans on my shoulder*
You don't have to drink because of me.

(not today, kiddo. not today)

Jase:
Doesn't say much, really. He's got three and a half teeth. That fourth one won't come in. We imaging if he could talk, he'd cuzz like a sailor on shore leave. So, it's probably good that he's not talking much, yet.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Friday Night Fun

Well, I offered to let Zorak pound on my kidney ("percussion therapy" - about as much fun as it sounds) while we watched a movie. Then I could fall asleep, he could finish watching it, and he could fill me in tomorrow on whether it was worth staying up for. He declined. Huh. Tell me the romance isn't dead. (I know. It's not always this bad, for either of us. Just been a long week.)

John's down with something viral. It hit him hard this morning, and he's been out of commission all day. James and I tore the kitchen apart, looking desperately for the Emergen-C, both of us wild-eyed and panicky. We. Cannot. Get. This. ACK!

On a side note -- It's kind of cool to have a child who is old enough to understand the fear, and to help, rather than just feel put out that his/her brother gets to have a drink. with a straw. in bed. Big Picture, here, guys - they do, eventually, get it.

We saw the doc this evening, and the doc said keep pushing liquids and rest. Not strep; nothing in the ears, sinus, chest, or throat; doesn't look flu-ish. Call tomorrow to touch base. If he's not better by Monday, we'll do a blood draw and figure out what's going on.

There are SO many things I love about the kids' doctor. His waiting room is a malarial hell, but he is worth the risk. He wants the parent to stay in the room. He stays open until late in the evening (doesn't open early - I'm guessing he is among us night owls, and how awesome that he can operate on hours that work for him, no? Hey, if he's a better doctor after eleven in the morning, I'm glad he knows his limits!) He's very thorough, but also fairly non-interventionist. He listens - not just to the patient and parent, but he listens to the child's body. It's wild to watch him work. Totally focused, listening, feeling, sorting. Skin tone, color, flush... sounds... just, it's hard to explain. The whole body comes into play when he's doing an exam. I get a kick out of him. And I trust him with my children.

So, no baseball clinic tonight. No Pinewood Derby tomorrow. John is disappointed, but true to his generous nature, all he's said was that he's sorry he won't be able to go. No fits. No drama. I owe God, big-time, for giving me this sweet, gracious, understanding child. (I was not such a good kid. This would have been a fit and a pity party of gigantic proportions, when I was eight. He must get it from Zorak.)

Come to think of it, I owe a big thanks for Zorak, too. He had chili ready when we got home. With homemade sopapillas, and lemonade.

And now, to bed. Or else they'll all be up at five and we'll be bleary-eyed and disoriented. That's never a good combination.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

And we're off!

I got something in the crockpot today!

Granted, it was just keilbasa and sauerkraut. And it only needed to warm up, not actually *cook*. But boy, did I feel like a Big People, dishing it up between practice and Scouts tonight.

We've been hit with a cold snap. Or more of just a super-chilly *period*. It's just chilly enough to make hot chocolate and games sound nice. Unfortunately, it's not cold enough to cancel activities, but too cold to be comfortable sitting on metal bleachers. Really. Metal? What's wrong with splinters? At least splinters don't get that cold.

This weekend will be wild, with practices and derby and church and cold and practices and... I'm not repeating myself. It's going to be that busy!

Meanwhile, EmBaby seems to have given up on the idea that she'll ever get an education if left to my plans, and she is forging on without us. She convinced the boys to change the audio on her favorite videos, and tonight she told me, "I'm learning French, Mom!"

It was probably a good call, on her part, to start teaching herself now. Poor James held out hope for *years* that I'd teach him French. All of my protestations about not *knowing* French, having never taken any French, and really not being all that interested in adding it to my To-Do list fell on his deaf, ever-hopeful little ears. Maybe EmBaby will teach him, once she gets the hang of it?

The fire is going, and the house is toasty. It's time to bank it up and head for bed. Busy day tomorrow!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Are you ready for some baseball?

No? Check back in, um, early June, then. 'Cuz I just filled in the calendar, all color-coordinated so I can tell from across the room which child I need to harrass about finding his cleats and helmet. And it's lookin' like... I need to pick colors that go together a bit better.

Blue, gold, purple, and pink. The calendar is a bit jarring to the senses right now.

Or it could be what it all represents. I wonder if it's possible to develop Agoraphobia by being out of the house against one's will more often than usual?

Just wondering, is all. Really. I'll be fine.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Goodbye Joe.

I'm back. (This is cross-posted from FB, so if it looks familiar, it's because I'm plagiarizing myself.)

I feel surprisingly good, although I have three little hickey marks on my "flank" (could they not come up w/ a Latin term for that???). It looks like I've been attacked by a three-fanged vampire. Or a toddler with a coffee stirrer/straw.

It wasn't bad. But I think they put in a trach tube, b/c I woke up w/ waxy stuff all over my face and my throat feels like I've had strep for a month. GAH. A little heads up on that would have been MUCH appreciated.

Didn't get to keep the panties on. Mildly mortifying. However, I was instantly distracted by the fact that they have heated hospital gowns now! How COOL is that? Do you have ANY idea how tempted I was to try to smuggle one out w/ me? Or how hard I'm trying to figure out if I can rig my hair dryer to do the same thing w/ one of those snuggie things? Man, that was nice. And they let me keep my wool socks on, so I didn't whine.

U-doc seems optimistic that they got it all broken down small enough to pass. It took some doing, though, and we were in there longer than anticipated. I think that's why there are three marks - they just kept moving and shooting. I wish I was awake for it, b/c a) I think that would've been fascinating, and b) I wonder if he acts like he's playing Astroids when he's doing it. (I probably would.)

I'm down a total of ten pounds, now. This is not the way to do this. And lemme tell you, having not eaten since Thursday evening, I am REALLY looking forward to supper!! (Less so, since my throat hurts, but like that's going to stop me.)

Got home to a trashed house, and as we all know, I just cannot relax in squalor. (Live in it? Sure. Relax in it? Nope.) So I sent the kids to play video games. Sent Zorak out to work on the balcony. And I cleaned. Ran the dishwasher, tidied the living room, took a Zofran (kind of like Phenergan, but a little stronger), did some laundry, cleaned the kitchen, swept the floor. Then I got the boys loaded for b-ball, took a pain killer (in the Percocet family, yay!), and sat my happy butt down here to play.

If the pain meds don't make me loopy, I'll go to the ball park here in a bit to relieve Zorak. (Jake has practice from 4-5, then batting practice from 5-6; John has practice from 5:30-7 - at some point, somebody's going to have to come home.)

As for what happens next, I'd just better not run out of pain meds before it's all said and done. Other than that, I'm just trying not to think about it. Or think about having to pee in a strainer. The boys thought it was hilarious when I pointed out that this thing had better not end up in the kitchen OR the sand box, thankyouverymuch.

Thank you for your humor, your thoughtful words, and your prayers.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Behind The Scenes

Man, it's hard to make codeine interesting. Then, just as I was thinking there was nothing worth sharing at this point in the process, I got to pre-register over the phone. And BADABING, I hit the motherlode!

The absolute BEST piece of medical advice I have received thus far?

If you want any hope of being able to keep your panties on, make sure they are 100% cotton.

I gotta tell you, that's a heads-up worth getting, isn't it? If the gown and the fluorescent lighting isn't enough to come to terms with, just imagine getting hit with, "Oh, and we'll need you to remove your undergarments, please." Yeah, right before they knock you out. Fun!

Turns out, synthetics can cause a spark during the lithotripsy procedure, thus raising the potential for a fire in the lab. Really, I stopped listening at that point. Who needs more motivation to check the tags for that 100% cotton mark than the fear of having the fire department called in to douse your butt?

I also got the rest of the low-down on "Being Prepared". It looks *nothing* like the Boy Scout manual.

Shower and wash your hair the morning of your procedure, but don't use any hair product. No lotions, creams or salves. No makeup. No nail polish, jewelry, or accessories. I get most of the restrictions, but then it hit me - the real reason behind these guidelines.

Remember years back when there was a spate of doctors taking inappropriate advantage of patients who were under general anesthesia? Yep. This pretty much guarantees that you will look as unappealing as you. will. Ever. look. while you're under. Ain't nobody gonna wanna get near the damp, scaly, pale iguana dumped on that exam table!

And so, I'm off to divest myself of any remaining bling, and then to bed. Tomorrow we beat the tar out of "Joe". Yay!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Medical Update

Not nearly as cute as the kids, sorry. I had an impacted wisdom tooth extracted this morning. For some heinous reason, the oral surgeon gave me codeine rather than one of the lovely -cet drugs (percocet, darvocet, you know, the Good Ones). I slept through that part, or I'd have asked him why. Anyway, I've fasted for testing four times in the last two weeks, have lost five pounds, and I am ravenous.

But now that I can eat, I can't keep anything down, not even the Phenergan. I swear, when this is all over, I am going to park my rear at Barnhills Fry-For-All Buffet and refuse to leave until they run out of food.

Had the follow-up for my C/T Scan on Thursday. In the sage words of the N-doc, "It is what it is."

Yep, it's a kidney stone. A huge, honkin', wedged-in-there-tightly stone. We discussed options: live with it, monitor it, and wait until it causes infections or blockages to do something *insert furrowed brow and tilted head, here*, OR (my favorite) see a Urologist about breaking it up to get it out.

Luckily, the Urologist (who we will call the U-doc) had an opening for 1:30 that same day. Yay. I met with him, and told him that while Joe is not a source of constant pain, I would rather evict him now than allow the little squatter to wreck my pad. So to speak. The actual wording was more along the lines of, "Are there any drawbacks to performing a lithotripsy at this stage?"

He said it's borderline for the lithotripsy to work (should have been referred to him sooner), and may actually take two procedures, but that would most definitely be his recommendation. As in, post-haste. As in, can you come to the surgery center Monday morning? We talked shop a bit. Made arrangements. Got a list of foods to avoid, and picked up the magnesium citrate for Sunday.

The irony of trying to remineralize my bone density after weaning, while fasting for tests, and avoiding all the foods that will remineralize bone density is not lost on me. It'll be funny later. Right now, not so much.

On the drive home, I was just so very thankful to be able to address this now, when *my* reason and logic have more bearing on my own medical decisions than those of a central board. An oversight committee would have looked at my doctor's report (nothing wrong here) and the radiologist's report (nothing wrong here) and determined that there was nothing wrong here and I was, quite simply, a troublemaker; appeal denied.

It's not fiscally plausible to cater to every Tom, Dick, and Harry who thinks the professionals are wrong. Two or three of those on file, and you're looking at a recommend for a psych eval. Dang. But that's where we'll be in a very short time, once we have Centralized Health Care put in place.

So, yeah, we're going to be in debt for another couple of years. But I'll be in debt with two good kidneys, at least. And a team of doctors who will listen to what I have to say and work with me, rather than focusing on how I saw the images, or where I got the idea that having something in my kidney is a bad thing.

I'm going to go see if I can slip another Phenergan down without my body noticing. And then, get some rest.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

SNOW!

We got snow!

Beautiful, cold, wet snow! There wasn't much, but that didn't stop the kids from enjoying it:

Snow angels:

Kind of...

Snow gnomes:

(You have to look close to find him...)

Even snow pellet fights. (No pictures of those -- we didn't want to risk getting hit.)

Walking in a winter wonderland. In March. Go figure.

But it was such a treat. The kids had given up on having any snow at all this year. They played until there was absolutely no snow left, at all. The snowman on the balcony melted enough to lean back and fall to an early, fairly warm demise.

And then, it was time to come in for hot chocolate.

Good stuff, and a truly delightful surprise!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Derby Time!

The boys' Pack Derby was Saturday. They had a blast, and it wasn't painful for us big people. That's always a fun combination!

LB called dibs on Nanny Duty before we even left the house, so she spent most of the race with Jase - and his thumb - hanging out, talking with the other kids.

EmBaby's lil' pink pickup stood in as a filler car for the oddly numbered dens, so they'd have a car to race against. Hers wasn't designed for racing, and it's ridiculously light, but she didn't care. She loved seeing her car go down the tracks.

The boys in the Pack all joined in, rooting for "Baby Sister", which we thought was really sweet. (The Dads all loved the pickup, and later dug the change out of their pockets and loaded down the bed. They ran it after the race, in buddy races, just for fun.)

James took third in his Den. John took first in his Den. He also took second in the Pack. So, we're off to the District race in March for more Derby Fun.

I don't have too many pictures to share online, as most of the shots have other people's children in them, where their faces are identifiable, and I don't have permission to post them.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Beautiful Day

I think we all needed this day. The weather was absolutely exquisite, and it felt SO good to get outside, roam a bit, and stretch those muscles...

LB was in heaven with all the wonderful bird sightings and fun things to look at.

We stopped to smell the roses (well, the bamboo and cornfields, actually).

The kids ran. And ran. And ran.

We took our time. (Last time, we got there too late and had to leave after only an hour or so, so they could close the gates. This time, we got there right after breakfast and stayed until well after two.)

We got scads of great pictures.

I'll post a few favorites in the morning. (Blogger won't let me put more than five shots in one post.)

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

It's THURSDAY!

The sun is up. We've missed it. It's warm! (We've missed that, too.) Gah, it's been one cold, wet week here at the Forever Home.

Poor LB comes to get away to the temperate winter of the South, and we get hit with not-so-Southern temps. Ah. Well, today's a new day. A bright, sunny, supposed-to-be-warm day!

And, we're off to the Wildlife Refuge!

And now, the rest of the story.

(Sorry for the delay. Zorak beat me to the computer last night, and I couldn't outlast the Medal of Honor combat.) So, picking up the story...

This morning, I left the kids with LB. They were having a beautiful breakfast, planning feats of artistic creation that are best performed when I am not home.

I picked up the ultrasound films and headed to the appointment. Small mix-up with the scheduling. They told me ten. They wrote down down eleven. Then, I actually got there early (it's a new thing I'm trying - not panning out so well, to be honest), so that made for a lot of sitting and mocking of the various sales propaganda. (Hey, Baxter makes a large variety of dialysis machines, but they don't seem to know squat about diet, other than, "food and drink are the primary causes of waste". Aren't ya glad you asked? Oh, you didn't ask. OK, nevermind. Moving on, then.)

In a nutshell:

The N-Doc (Nephrologist, but N-Doc is shorter and catchier) asked me to fill him in, because he could not make any sense out of ex-Doc's notes. (His words. I swear I am not projecting.) So, I filled him in on the ongoing pain, my tendency to compartmentalize (aka: ignore) pain, the fear-of-cancer that spurred me to go in, our relief at finding it's not cancer, and our current frustration that ex-Doc refuses to listen to my concerns regarding Life, the Universe, and Everything. (Or, more specifically, the pain, the kidney, and the ultrasound.)

N-Doc looked at the radiologist report. He asked to see the films. He took one look and had no trouble finding The Thing That Isn't There. He said, without fear of reprisal, "Well, that looks nothing like nephrocalcinosis! That looks like a huge stone. Or two stones. Or, I don't know what, because it is in an odd place for stones. But it is definitely NOT nephrocalcinosis." (And yes, the report said "nephrocalcinosis", not "nephrosis", which is what ex-Doc had said it was.)

As a matter of fact, he was surprised to find that the radiologist's report bears no resemblance whatsoever to the images on the film, other than that it's about kidney. And both have my name at the top. (The film, not the kidney. Although that might not be a bad idea...)

He agrees that we need to know a few things:
A) What is that?
B) Why am I making things like that?
C) What can we do to make it stop?
D) Is there anything else in there that might indicate a pattern?

He said the fact that it's unilateral is odd, for stones, considering the sheer mass of the thing (or things - he wants to find out more on that end, too). The placement is odd, for anything. The size is "impressive", according to him, and when I said I really had no desire to pass something that size on my own, he snorted and said, "Oh, you couldn't. I can tell you that, right now."

All of the things I suggested to ex-Doc, which she poo-poo'd and blew off, and accused me of making things up? Yeah, he brought them up on his own:
A) 24-hour urine test to determine the makeup of whatever that is
B) Dietary modifications, if/as indicated by further test results
C) Um... oh yeah, further tests

I go in for a C/T scan tomorrow, so we can get a better picture of Joe (KathyJo named it for me). And then I have the following week to just enjoy the kids, the family, the friends, and the weather before my follow-up consultation. But there will be a follow-up consultation! Yay!

Just another reminder that we've got to pay attention. We've got to be willing to educate ourselves about anything we might come in contact with. And we've got to keep going until we get answers -- clear, upfront, above board answers.

THANK YOU, all for your continued thoughts and prayers. For your words of encouragement and kindness. I can't tell you how much that meant.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Hookay.

I thought I'd blogged more after this post, but before this post. Obviously, the brain is the, um, *counting in my head* third? thing to go.

The visit with my (soon to be ex-)Doc on the 12th did not go well. The Doc says:

All is well. Nothing wrong here. Nothing to see here. Don't know what the pain is, but it's not that. Oh, and that isn't anything. It's nephrosis. Which is nothing. Don't know why that kidney is bigger. Or what you're talking about with this "thing" that's in there, because there is nothing in there. NO, I haven't seen the films. Why would I? I'm not a radiologist. How did you see this thing you're saying is in there? Who let you see it? You're not qualified to see that, and of course you're frightened, but you're wrong. You're obviously nuts.

OK, that very last sentence is a paraphrase. But not by much. And the rest are direct quotes. According to her, I was making a mountain out of less than a molehill. Her plan? Wait for an obstruction -- that will probably not come -- and then just do emergency surgery. Obviously, I found that prospect unacceptable.

I also took issue with the assumption that someone has any place to "allow" me to see my own innerds. If I recall correctly, I gave *them* permission to take a peek. But I don't have to ask leave to look, and God help the first person to try to stand in the way. In this case, my impertinence may well have saved a kidney from a long, ugly demise.

So. In order to placate me (much the way she placated me by ordering the ultrasound in the first place, when I refused to accept her off-the-cuff diagnosis that the pain is gallbladder), she sent me to a Nephrologist for a second opinion. I actually tried to get out of going to see him because of the way she worded the referral. It was like she was giving a buddy a head's up that she needed a backup for her alibi. Not encouraging.

And this is where it gets weird.

I emailed a friend to ask who her DH (who is a dr.) would send her to in this situation. Never heard back from her.

I left a message for my midwife, asking for information on a doc she might recommend. Never heard back from her.

My pastor's wife talked with her doctor, who she used to work for, to see if he would see me. He's not taking new patients.

Every avenue we tried to take was blocked.

By last night, I was a bit manic. So, I prayed for calm, for strength and grace, for wisdom and fortitude, for kindness tempered with a good dose of pig-headdedness. And I accepted that, lacking any other options, I would, in fact, be seeing this guy in the morning. *poof* Total calm.

As if God were saying, "Well, yes, that is what I had planned, thanks."

This morning, I gathered my notes, my cross-references, kissed the babies and headed out to pick up my films...

I've got to get supper on, and I'll finish this after that's done.

So Busy!

Oh, my. Well, my camera has developed some form of ADHD (auto deficiency hyperactive digital... something-or-other) and 99% of the pictures we've taken are fuzzy and/or grainy. WAH.

LB has been a Godsend in so many ways. (I napped this afternoon - didn't mean to, but man, was it nice!) She made eggplant the other night. It was delicious, and of course, we ate all of it. We are nothing if not appreciative of those who cook for us. There's been singing - lots and lots of singing. And plenty of kissing those babies.

We had a lovely time at church today. The potluck was so relaxing and enjoyable. Everybody was warm and welcoming to LB. She got to wallow in babies and delightful older ladies, kids running about all over the place, more good food. I'd hoped to get some fun outdoor shots, but although the light was *perfect* for pictures, the wind was straight-out-of-the-Arctic. *brrrrrrr* We've got cold and rain for two more days, and then we should have some good Outside Weather. Hopefully, that will also mean we'll get more pictures.

Although we haven't really even started on "the fun stuff", I don't think anybody's been bored. But we're definitely sleeping well at the end of the day!

I'm off to see the "kidney specialist" in the morning. Please pray that I will be able to be calm, concise, and rational. Pray that he will be willing to listen, and able to help me. Pray that, should the need arise, Zorak will be able to get me out of the building without incident if the first two don't happen.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Fun With Friends

HI guys!

We've got LB here (Needleroozer). We've just been lazy, hanging out, telling stories, playing with babies. We'll do something interesting and get pictures up soon.

In the meantime, have a beautiful Thursday!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Love Those Extra Days!

We got SO much done!

The living room and dining room are "nicely appointed" now. The wooden thingies above the doors are no longer wooden thingies, but have sheetrock and mud (now if we can figure out where we put the texture brush...)

The kitchen door (leading out onto the balcony) has a new threshold. And new to-code exterior electrical boxes. And wiring. And I think there's a light fixture out there, but it's just holding down the balcony right now.

The foyer looks like something other than a transfer station for recycling, donations, and childless shoes looking for their owners.

2 of Five and 3 of Five are registered for baseball. 4 of Five is torqued that we would not register her for T-ball on the argument that she's "three AND four" and, therefore, officially qualified to play T-ball in the 4-yo league. She'll get over it. I hope. Or, she won't, and it'll be a Really Long Season.

Jase is Officially Ours. He has a sense of humor, and we have opted to keep him. We had to light a fire this evening, and he was fascinated by the flames. Naturally, he'd crawl to it to check it out. So I gave him the "unh-unh-uhhh" warning. He stopped. Sat down. Turned to me and said, "unh-unh-uhhh," laughed, and resumed his trek to the flames. So, he gets it. He just thinks it's funny. Or optional. The boys think he's the funniest baby we've had yet. (If only they knew...)

The schoolroom is re-arranged and semi-functional. Though mostly as a reading nook and hang-out spot. But that's okay. We do a lot of reading and hanging out in our school. So that works out nicely.

It's going to be a beautiful, joyful week. I don't care if it kills me, it's going to be. Tons to get done, but I've got support coming, and am hopeful.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Weekend Warrior - Project Blogging

This weekend, we have several projects to complete. *Edited to add a detailed shot of the tie-backs. They set off the denim on the couch, and pull in the cranberry from the futon chair. I am happy with them, and they were SO easy. Yay. Didn't get pics of much else this weekend, though, so this is it./edit*

The first: tie-backs for the living room curtains. Because nothing says, "I have completely given up trying" quite like using your couch to hold back the curtains. But have we given up? Well, not yet. So, I bring you the first completed project of the Warriors' Weekend Work:

The second: cull through the art in the basement and decide what gets hung. Then hang it. It is fortunate for me that Zorak forgot that was *this* weekend, or he may have had an emergency something-or-other to do up at Me-Wa's today. And tomorrow. Oh, and it might have taken 'til Monday. We're about 2/3 of the way through this one. I have six empty boxes and a pile of ready-to-hang framed things. But no pictures. Will do that tomorrow, when this project is complete.

The third: these stoopid little spots over the doors, one over the back kitchen door, and one over the hallway opening. We'd planned to do something interesting with wood there. Please don't ask, though. We don't remember what we were thinking. Which is probably why, three years later, they still aren't finished. However, we've decided we'll probably never remember what we were going to do, and so, the sheetrock is up and the mud is drying. Yay. (I took a picture, but Zorak pulled an Executive Order out of thin air and asked that I not post it.)

So, I will leave you with a photo from one of last week's project that didn't get blogged: balcony top rails. Wide enough for coffee cups, yes indeed.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Domestic Miscellany

I love that phrase. It fits so much of my life. *grin*

I found the copy of John's birth certificate that we've used for baseball the last two years. It's not a "certified" copy, but they've taken it for two years, so, *shrug* it'll work. And Smidge's new one is scheduled to be delivered today. Of course. I have to be at the doc's at eleven, and I think that's about when the UPS lady comes. I'll try leaving her a note, but since it requires a signature, I don't think that'll work. However, I did email the nice-lady-who-doesn't-like-me (she's in charge of all things paperwork, so I can't blame her for not liking me a whole lot), and told her of the situation. She gave me a reprieve until the 21st to get Smidge's cert. to her. Yay! Sometime before Saturday, we can go sign our lives over for this Spring and Summer to the Community Recreation Association! Happy Boys!

Now, to put the house back together. *ack*

I'm hoping Amy will do another Weekend Warrior thing. This is just the perfect time of year for it, and I am, evidently, a child, who needs somebody to promise to put my project up on her fridge, because these projects really motivate me to get things done. Or, more accurately, to get things done in a timely manner. Good stuff.

This weekend, I want to hang art on the walls. Or, again, to be more accurate, I want to hang *things* on the walls. We don't have much art. Zorak and I haven't found anything yet that we both like, and as quiet as he is, he will speak up about putting Ugly Things on the walls. (It's a good thing - I'd hang some seriously atrocious things, just because they make me smile.) However, we do have a few nice pieces that we both agree on. And we have pictures of People We Love, which always makes me smile. So. That's this weekend's plan.

And now, we are off to see the Doc. Hopefully, this will go well. I do have feelers out for another doctor. There are a couple of Naturopaths there, but, as with much of Alabama law, their practice is limited in scope. For our protection, and all that. bah. I won't get started. I won't get started. I won't... which means, I should probably go, now.

Gotta round up the wee ones and find all the shoes! Have a splendid day!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy