We finally got thru the ice storm of 2008. Here in New England it was quite nasty albeit beautiful. The ice coating every branch and each blade of grass was a fantastically beautiful but the damage it left was devasting to so many people. Trees were bent over and many toppled and broken branches were everywhere. The worst was the death of a couple of people from carbon monoxide poisoning and one very sad gentleman that was on oxygen died when the he lost power and the battery backup finally gave out. He was found in his bed, dead, and the temperature in his apartment was 35 degrees. There were fires, trees that fell on houses, and live wires across roads. We were fortunate to have lost power for only 4 days. My man stayed home and manned the fireplace so no pipes would freeze and I took our little one and headed down to Connecticut to wait out the power outage at my brother's house. My son was amazingly good for an autistic child who'd never been to his uncle's house before and isn't use to travelling so far. One thing that kept his attention was the train pictures uncle has hanging on his walls. J. loves trains and of course the "Thomas" dvds he watched. We even took him to uncle's barber for a much needed haircut.
The temps zoomed up to around 50 by Monday afternoon and we headed home the next day. My man was really thrilled to finally be able to take a hot shower and have some "real" coffee. We were glad to be home to sleep in our own comfortable beds. (My brother has this very old sofa bed that will be chopped up when he finally buys a new home).
Now we can finally get ready for Christmas. The only drawback being that we are in the middle of a snowstorm that has left us with over a foot of snow and altho it should have stopped snowing late last night, it hasn't. And it's really cold outside.
Next week, weather experts tell us to expect another storm starting either Christmas Eve or Christmas day. Definitely a white Christmas. My CT. brother will be coming up on Christmas Eve and I have suggested to my NJ brother and sister-in-law that it may be better to come up on Christmas Day since they can only spend one nite. They have their birds to take care of and can't really leave them more than a night alone so if Friday is better to travel back home so be it.
I hope and pray that everyone has an awesome, safe, and warm Christmas. If you must travel, please take it slow. My Vegas kid sez that they got snow in Vegas (Yeah!! about 3 inches) but that people actually slowed way down on the highways. I think it was due to shock!
Anywho, take it easy and enjoy your holidays!
So says amma today.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
Missing chapter
I was reminded the other day that although I finally posted to my blog, I left out an entire chapter! So without further adieu, here is "the missing chapter". The Saturday after Thanksgiving was my son's 4th birthday. Since he has autism and isn't really aware of what birthdays are, we celebrated with just a little fanfare. We got him a card, a small cake (he didn't know how to blow out the candle) and a book of his favorite character, Thomas the Tank Engine. This book was extra special since it was about Thomas' birthday. He really loved having us read it to him (several times) and he also ate some yummy chocolate cake. We have some difficulty getting him to eat a variety of foods so if he eats cake, so be it. (He does eat other stuff but rarely has "junk" food).
My Vegas kid told me she sent a small package to little J. for his birthday and we should get it soon. Well, the post being what it is, the package didn't arrive till the following Tuesday. First, there was a "sound" card which he loved. And then there was the peel and stick pictures of Thomas and Friends that sissy found in the home decorating department. Kind of like a wallpaper border. I put all the pictures up rather strategically so he wouldn't peel them off but the overall look of delight on his face said it all. Sissy always manages to get just the right gift. And I'm sure if he could talk he'd be saying thanks to Sissy for the really cool gift. Maybe I should get some glow in the dark stars for the ceiling that will both delight and put an end to leaving the light on after bedtime. For now, J. looks around his room when he wakes up each morning, just making sure his "friends" are still there.
Thanks, Sissy. I love you!
J.
So says Amma today.
My Vegas kid told me she sent a small package to little J. for his birthday and we should get it soon. Well, the post being what it is, the package didn't arrive till the following Tuesday. First, there was a "sound" card which he loved. And then there was the peel and stick pictures of Thomas and Friends that sissy found in the home decorating department. Kind of like a wallpaper border. I put all the pictures up rather strategically so he wouldn't peel them off but the overall look of delight on his face said it all. Sissy always manages to get just the right gift. And I'm sure if he could talk he'd be saying thanks to Sissy for the really cool gift. Maybe I should get some glow in the dark stars for the ceiling that will both delight and put an end to leaving the light on after bedtime. For now, J. looks around his room when he wakes up each morning, just making sure his "friends" are still there.
Thanks, Sissy. I love you!
J.
So says Amma today.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
T is for Turkey
Thanksgiving is finally over but as ours turned out, it was pretty good. My brothers and my sister in law were here to help eat glorious turkey and one bro makes excellent cookies and a pie. The sad part was that our mom passed away only a couple months ago and we all missed her. I was ready to call her the next day to tell her how well everything came out and stopped myself just a few feet of the phone. Then I realized that she probably already knows.
The highlight of this Thanksgiving was rather funny when my Vegas kid called the Saturday evening before to tell me she couldn't find "Bell's Seasoning", an essential part of making the stuffing. The next afternoon, Florida kid called with the same dilemma.
They tried every store they could think of. Vegas kid later told me that when she asked at one store, the clerk had no idea what it was. Needless to say, and $37 later, I sent them each a box via express mail. Poor Vegas kid ended up calling me frantic, that hers hadn't shown up yet. She finally looked it up online and decided to head over to the LV post office. She was informed that a notice was left but none was found. But she finally did get her "Bell's" and both kids made successful stuffing. The recipe has been used since before I was born so if you're gonna make it ya gotta make it right!!
Now we're into the Christmas buying mode. I've managed displaying a few decorations (the tree doesn't go up till the week before) and I've even bought a few things but I really hate to shop the malls so most of my buying will be online. I will stay safely indoors on the weekends until at least the end of January. Then I'll cash in some of those gift cards when the bargains are aplenty!!
So here's to all of you readers: I hope you're still enjoying some turkey and won't get to frustrated looking for a parking space at the mall.
Merry Christmas!!
So says Amma today.
The highlight of this Thanksgiving was rather funny when my Vegas kid called the Saturday evening before to tell me she couldn't find "Bell's Seasoning", an essential part of making the stuffing. The next afternoon, Florida kid called with the same dilemma.
They tried every store they could think of. Vegas kid later told me that when she asked at one store, the clerk had no idea what it was. Needless to say, and $37 later, I sent them each a box via express mail. Poor Vegas kid ended up calling me frantic, that hers hadn't shown up yet. She finally looked it up online and decided to head over to the LV post office. She was informed that a notice was left but none was found. But she finally did get her "Bell's" and both kids made successful stuffing. The recipe has been used since before I was born so if you're gonna make it ya gotta make it right!!
Now we're into the Christmas buying mode. I've managed displaying a few decorations (the tree doesn't go up till the week before) and I've even bought a few things but I really hate to shop the malls so most of my buying will be online. I will stay safely indoors on the weekends until at least the end of January. Then I'll cash in some of those gift cards when the bargains are aplenty!!
So here's to all of you readers: I hope you're still enjoying some turkey and won't get to frustrated looking for a parking space at the mall.
Merry Christmas!!
So says Amma today.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Meet and Greet
This past weekend was quite enjoyable as family and friends gathered at "The Yard" to meet and eat with my kid and her hubby to celebrate their recent nuptials. I was happy to see them (again) and equally happy that kid got to see some very dear friends from her college and high school days.
Dinner was fairly good, other than my nearly four year old son who had his own way of clearing the table. He has a bit of a cold but managed to show everyone at our table what he'd recently eaten. Afterwards, he seemed his old self while he delighted in running around with the other children and trying to sneak out of a door where he shouldn't be. Of course. He's four and testing the limits.
My brother whom kid refers to as "Uncle Caboose" spent a couple nights with at my house. We even went to church on Sunday morning and then he headed back to CT.
Kid's mister has never been to the east coast so this is also their (delayed) honeymoon trip. This being the peak of New England fall foliage they seemed to be enjoying the trip. They made no plans to really visit anybody else other than the special dinner on Saturday night so it was with extreme pleasure that kid called me Sunday night to explain that they'd postponed walking around Boston due to my son-in-law having an achy back and wondered if they could visit here. I believe she thought we might all go out to eat but with her little brother still a bit under the weather, I said I could whip something up for dinner and so they came.
I made a quick pot of spaghetti sauce and it was actually pretty good so we definitely had enough to go 'round. Mainly, they stayed for several hours so I was really charged! We even managed to go through a few things from my recently departed mom that are stored in the basement. Kid wanted a couple of furniture items which she and hubby will have to plan another trip for so this makes me happy to anticipate their next visit.
I would love to be going out to L.V. to see kid and her mister so at this point the thought process of a trip (maybe next spring) has begun. Like my mom used to say whenever I asked for something special....."We'll see".
So it was a fabulous weekend here in the hills of historic NH and for those of you that were there last Saturday, it was great to see you all!
So says Amma today.
Dinner was fairly good, other than my nearly four year old son who had his own way of clearing the table. He has a bit of a cold but managed to show everyone at our table what he'd recently eaten. Afterwards, he seemed his old self while he delighted in running around with the other children and trying to sneak out of a door where he shouldn't be. Of course. He's four and testing the limits.
My brother whom kid refers to as "Uncle Caboose" spent a couple nights with at my house. We even went to church on Sunday morning and then he headed back to CT.
Kid's mister has never been to the east coast so this is also their (delayed) honeymoon trip. This being the peak of New England fall foliage they seemed to be enjoying the trip. They made no plans to really visit anybody else other than the special dinner on Saturday night so it was with extreme pleasure that kid called me Sunday night to explain that they'd postponed walking around Boston due to my son-in-law having an achy back and wondered if they could visit here. I believe she thought we might all go out to eat but with her little brother still a bit under the weather, I said I could whip something up for dinner and so they came.
I made a quick pot of spaghetti sauce and it was actually pretty good so we definitely had enough to go 'round. Mainly, they stayed for several hours so I was really charged! We even managed to go through a few things from my recently departed mom that are stored in the basement. Kid wanted a couple of furniture items which she and hubby will have to plan another trip for so this makes me happy to anticipate their next visit.
I would love to be going out to L.V. to see kid and her mister so at this point the thought process of a trip (maybe next spring) has begun. Like my mom used to say whenever I asked for something special....."We'll see".
So it was a fabulous weekend here in the hills of historic NH and for those of you that were there last Saturday, it was great to see you all!
So says Amma today.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Catching up
What can I say?? It's been what seems like another lifetime since I last posted so this is just for catching up.
Kid's wedding was great. Being in Vegas was really hot but I enjoyed my time there and with my brothers, N Period and Bo. We did the tour of the strip for hours on the day of Kid's wedding and my feet barely fit into my shoes. N Period couldn't understand since he didn't need to put on high heels after all that walking. Had the extreme pleasure of meeting new son-in-law's parents, uncle and aunt. Awesome family!
I flew back day after the shindig but due to thunder storms back east, flight was delayed for hours and didn't get in til 1:30am. With other daughter and grandkids being here and leaving the next morning, I decided to get all of 4 hours sleep at a local motel and dear husband picked me up when he dropped the kids off for their flight to Florida. Phew! Glad that's over!
Summer was fairly slow with some hotter than hell days and some more tolerable. The few things in my garden took forever to ripen and some squash we planted never really did anything so now we wonder if we should relocate the garden or just give squash it's own space. There's always next year.
At lastly, sadly, my mom passed away. She was in hospital a week before with kidney infection, sepsis, and pancreatitis but most of that was cleared up. Damn osteoporosis was really taking it's toll on her nearly 88 year old body. She was nearly crushed because her back was so bent over from the osteo and breathing was difficult. Her doctor told me some years ago that this might eventually happen and it wouldn't be a good thing. Fortunately, she had great care in hospital and she was unaware and quite comfortable. I was with her when she passed, which was hard but I believe she knew I was there which made it a little easier, knowing she had no more pain. So I must advise as a mom would to sit up straight, drink your milk, get exercise and tone down or quit the smoking and drinking. Let up on the caffeine a bit as well. Take calcium. I have the dreaded osteo and arthritis but at this point the back is straight and I get plenty of exercise with hyper-autistic son (who's doing marvelously, BTW).
Now we are getting through the clean up of mum's apartment and much junk has been removed, the memories saved, and much of it, including furniture will reside in my basement for one of my kids to take their wants or some will be passed on. Lord forbid I should pass anytime soon because all I can say is it will be the yard sale of the millenium!!
All told, my family from coast to coast has been wonderful, loving and supportive. I suppose a reunion is in the offing soon so we can reminisce about our awesome childhoods. We feel the need to stay connected so this would be the way to do so.
And that dear readers, is all the catching up to do. Hope I'm forgiven for being so lax for so long.
So says Amma today.
Go to Kid's blog: kirstenL4w.com for some awesome pics she posted of her grandma.
Kid's wedding was great. Being in Vegas was really hot but I enjoyed my time there and with my brothers, N Period and Bo. We did the tour of the strip for hours on the day of Kid's wedding and my feet barely fit into my shoes. N Period couldn't understand since he didn't need to put on high heels after all that walking. Had the extreme pleasure of meeting new son-in-law's parents, uncle and aunt. Awesome family!
I flew back day after the shindig but due to thunder storms back east, flight was delayed for hours and didn't get in til 1:30am. With other daughter and grandkids being here and leaving the next morning, I decided to get all of 4 hours sleep at a local motel and dear husband picked me up when he dropped the kids off for their flight to Florida. Phew! Glad that's over!
Summer was fairly slow with some hotter than hell days and some more tolerable. The few things in my garden took forever to ripen and some squash we planted never really did anything so now we wonder if we should relocate the garden or just give squash it's own space. There's always next year.
At lastly, sadly, my mom passed away. She was in hospital a week before with kidney infection, sepsis, and pancreatitis but most of that was cleared up. Damn osteoporosis was really taking it's toll on her nearly 88 year old body. She was nearly crushed because her back was so bent over from the osteo and breathing was difficult. Her doctor told me some years ago that this might eventually happen and it wouldn't be a good thing. Fortunately, she had great care in hospital and she was unaware and quite comfortable. I was with her when she passed, which was hard but I believe she knew I was there which made it a little easier, knowing she had no more pain. So I must advise as a mom would to sit up straight, drink your milk, get exercise and tone down or quit the smoking and drinking. Let up on the caffeine a bit as well. Take calcium. I have the dreaded osteo and arthritis but at this point the back is straight and I get plenty of exercise with hyper-autistic son (who's doing marvelously, BTW).
Now we are getting through the clean up of mum's apartment and much junk has been removed, the memories saved, and much of it, including furniture will reside in my basement for one of my kids to take their wants or some will be passed on. Lord forbid I should pass anytime soon because all I can say is it will be the yard sale of the millenium!!
All told, my family from coast to coast has been wonderful, loving and supportive. I suppose a reunion is in the offing soon so we can reminisce about our awesome childhoods. We feel the need to stay connected so this would be the way to do so.
And that dear readers, is all the catching up to do. Hope I'm forgiven for being so lax for so long.
So says Amma today.
Go to Kid's blog: kirstenL4w.com for some awesome pics she posted of her grandma.
Friday, June 6, 2008
New blogger
I just found the most awesome blog : John's Incoherent Ramblings". This is a guy that travels extensively and describes himself as a math nerd. Has to have a hell of a job that takes him to conferences or to work on projects all over the globe. Plus he posts a few pictures of his latest visits. The pictures are spectacular and anyone who'd like to travel without leaving your armchair (or computer) I would urgently suggest you check it out this Aussie kid's blog. He can't be more than 30, perhaps a few years younger and I think he's one fortunate dude to be able to travel as he does.
OK so I haven't blogged in like forever. Cut me some slack. Spouse's new position in the company has him working from home a LOT and I don't get much chance to sit down and blog on (even tho he has a laptop). I've now banned him to the spare bedroom/office so he doesn't have all his work stuff strewn about on my breakfast bar. This does serve to keep an active 3 year old at bay while he works but it still drives me nuts having him underfoot. Yes, he does travel around the northeast sometimes but the company has put a bit of a hold on travel for a while. Fortunately, he had to attend a meeting for 3 days in the motor city so the little one and I have been lazing about. Tomorrow it's back to the grind. Then I'm off to celebrate kid's nuptials in hotter than hell Las Vegas in two weeks. I can hardly wait. Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!
So says Amma today!
OK so I haven't blogged in like forever. Cut me some slack. Spouse's new position in the company has him working from home a LOT and I don't get much chance to sit down and blog on (even tho he has a laptop). I've now banned him to the spare bedroom/office so he doesn't have all his work stuff strewn about on my breakfast bar. This does serve to keep an active 3 year old at bay while he works but it still drives me nuts having him underfoot. Yes, he does travel around the northeast sometimes but the company has put a bit of a hold on travel for a while. Fortunately, he had to attend a meeting for 3 days in the motor city so the little one and I have been lazing about. Tomorrow it's back to the grind. Then I'm off to celebrate kid's nuptials in hotter than hell Las Vegas in two weeks. I can hardly wait. Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!
So says Amma today!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Wedding
My beautiful daughter recently announced her engagement. And with that a wedding date. I couldn't be happier for her. But as is her nature, she is beyond worrying and totally stressed. Understandable. I am too, just trying to make plans to get and stay in LV for the festivities. I am flying out a few days early so I can have a mini vaca myself but of course if the bride needs any help from me, she shouldn't hesitate to ask. I know that this is one ginormous stressor and it's sooooo hard to pass off tasks, especially when you're in charge of all the planning but believe me, delegating is not that hard once you get the hang of it. And don't forget there will be wedding "gifts" which might help with some of the plans, if not new home. I think I'd probably be ready to slash my wrists at this point but, but how do you get the point across that you can take an hour to chill everyday if you want to?? I hope my last e-mails on this subjuect to the bride will not be dismissed. Imagine freaking out over a tie?? It's not that bad and if there's cause for concern, tell me exactly what you want and I'll do my best to make sure it's up to par (I said I'd get her dad a tie that will "tie in" with the bridal party colors which he and I even discussed but bride is still a bit uptight about that one). It'll all be beautiful and all will work out just fine. And when I win the lottery you shouldn't worry about the cost of this little shindig(if only). And don't forget to keep your live journal. BTW, we've got the fall festivity taken care of so no need to worry there. Just pour yourself a glass of relax when you get home from work and have FH massage your feet for a bit. Or just take one fukitol pill and call me in the morning,(or not). We're still here for you. Be chillin'!! And pray I lose at least one stone before the Big Day.
So says Amma today
So says Amma today
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
It happens in 3's
I started to write this blog last week sometime and somehow lost all the stuff I was typing so here we go (again).
The 1st weekend in March I usually head to NJ and have a "sibs" weeken with 2 of my brothers (and my sister-in-law. Spouse stays home with Imp Master J. My oldest brother and I celebrate our birthdays (they're 5 days apart and he's way older than me and I'm still the baby. We usually go out to dinner and other brother buys. I called spouse to let him know I was preparing to return home and asked how things were going. His reply was that J. had a "bubble" and managed to blast his breakfast all over Daddy's bathrobe. So spouse puts the robe in the washer, setting the water level for a large load of clothes. Washer decided to die and water leaked out over half the basement. He cleaned up as much as he could (he did exceptionally well. I came home to a somewhat damp basement and washday Monday was cancelled. On to the local suds and duds with one load that I took home to dry. Dryer is only 2 years old and still under warranty.
The following Sunday I went to church with J. in tow and met spouse afterwards at the appliance store. I had checked things out there the Friday before so we made the decision to buy beautiful Bosch front loader. They would be delivering the following Thursday.
I went home to feed J. lunch and spouse headed down to Manchester to do some errands.
I kept hearing this loud grinding noise and thought one of the neighbors was chipping wood. Not thinking much about this I continued on my way, changing diapers and clothes and picking up around the house. Noise continued and began to irritate me. I opened the front door to see if I could depict where this noise was coming from. I didn't hear it at all! I opened the basement door and noise was louder than ever. I panicked. It was coming from the gas furnace. I called the fire department. I put shoes and jacket on both me and J. and went outside, got in the car and moved the car to a side area, hopefully out jof harms way. I also shut the thermostat "off" so the heat wouln't run. I finally remembered the name of the gas company and called them. Spouse came home at that moment. We were instructed to shut gas off outside. Fire guys came and checked for leaks. Everything was ok. Emergency tech at gas company decided not to come out but repair guy would be there 1st thing in the morning. We were told we still had hot water and could use our gas fireplace for heat. The latter worked very well. The fan on the blower motor for the furnace had broken apart (hence the grinding noise. I was told I'd done the right thing by shutting off the heat at the thermostat.
The repair guy came on Monday morning (early)but had to get the new part. He went to some town on the Vermont border later that day and was back at 8:30 the next morning to repair the furnace. All is now well. Furnace runs quieter than ever.
Spouse was supposed to leave that Tuesday morning for a business trip to Connecticut put postponed it a day to be home for furnace guy. We regret he did.
About 6:30 Wednesday morning, spouse left for business trip. Travelling past Keene, NH on state Hwy. 10, he was into the little town of Winchester, NH when he ran into some black ice. He started to slide into the oncoming lane of traffic and grabbed the steering wheel, making the little '97 Explorer spin around, hit a snowbank, and folled over several times, coming to rest upside down. He managed to open the door and get out of his seatbelt. After getting out and someone stopping to help, he went back and shut the running engine off. The guy he almost hit, which would have most likely caused a chain reaction, called 911 and turned around to see how spouse was. So spouse called me from the ambulance as the took him to Cheshire Medical Ctr.
His first ambulance ride. The doctor thought he may have broken ribs, a punctured lung or maybe a concussion. Nothing. Only a small laceration on the side of his head that the doctor decided didn't really need stitches. Meanwhile, I'm at home talking to all his bosses, but mainly talking to the number one boss, God. When I picked up dear spouse several hours later, I told him how thankful I was to the Lord and that I was sure He had a hand in this. Spouse gently squeezed my hand. I didn't cry, I was just happy that this anal, uptight guy that doesn't always use common sense was relatively unscathed from what could have been far worse.
Financially, these things have all been really tough but we're alive, we have what we need and we're so blessed with all we do have. We know we'll get by ok, somehow. I keep praying that we will.
The other good news is that my kid in Vegas is getting married. She's in love and she's happy (fiancee', too) so that's what's important. We all can't afford to go to the wedding but I will go cause I have to see my first born tie the knot. I can't wait. Hopefully, the snow will be gone when I return (the nuptuials are in June. Spring begings tomorrow and the snow on our lawn is still about 3-4 feet deep. Never mind the huge piles of stuff that was plowed.
So that's our 3 tradgedies and we're done, at least for awhile.
I wish you all a Happy Easter and hopefully one of us will find a golden egg at the Easter Egg Hunt.
So rants Amma today.
The 1st weekend in March I usually head to NJ and have a "sibs" weeken with 2 of my brothers (and my sister-in-law. Spouse stays home with Imp Master J. My oldest brother and I celebrate our birthdays (they're 5 days apart and he's way older than me and I'm still the baby. We usually go out to dinner and other brother buys. I called spouse to let him know I was preparing to return home and asked how things were going. His reply was that J. had a "bubble" and managed to blast his breakfast all over Daddy's bathrobe. So spouse puts the robe in the washer, setting the water level for a large load of clothes. Washer decided to die and water leaked out over half the basement. He cleaned up as much as he could (he did exceptionally well. I came home to a somewhat damp basement and washday Monday was cancelled. On to the local suds and duds with one load that I took home to dry. Dryer is only 2 years old and still under warranty.
The following Sunday I went to church with J. in tow and met spouse afterwards at the appliance store. I had checked things out there the Friday before so we made the decision to buy beautiful Bosch front loader. They would be delivering the following Thursday.
I went home to feed J. lunch and spouse headed down to Manchester to do some errands.
I kept hearing this loud grinding noise and thought one of the neighbors was chipping wood. Not thinking much about this I continued on my way, changing diapers and clothes and picking up around the house. Noise continued and began to irritate me. I opened the front door to see if I could depict where this noise was coming from. I didn't hear it at all! I opened the basement door and noise was louder than ever. I panicked. It was coming from the gas furnace. I called the fire department. I put shoes and jacket on both me and J. and went outside, got in the car and moved the car to a side area, hopefully out jof harms way. I also shut the thermostat "off" so the heat wouln't run. I finally remembered the name of the gas company and called them. Spouse came home at that moment. We were instructed to shut gas off outside. Fire guys came and checked for leaks. Everything was ok. Emergency tech at gas company decided not to come out but repair guy would be there 1st thing in the morning. We were told we still had hot water and could use our gas fireplace for heat. The latter worked very well. The fan on the blower motor for the furnace had broken apart (hence the grinding noise. I was told I'd done the right thing by shutting off the heat at the thermostat.
The repair guy came on Monday morning (early)but had to get the new part. He went to some town on the Vermont border later that day and was back at 8:30 the next morning to repair the furnace. All is now well. Furnace runs quieter than ever.
Spouse was supposed to leave that Tuesday morning for a business trip to Connecticut put postponed it a day to be home for furnace guy. We regret he did.
About 6:30 Wednesday morning, spouse left for business trip. Travelling past Keene, NH on state Hwy. 10, he was into the little town of Winchester, NH when he ran into some black ice. He started to slide into the oncoming lane of traffic and grabbed the steering wheel, making the little '97 Explorer spin around, hit a snowbank, and folled over several times, coming to rest upside down. He managed to open the door and get out of his seatbelt. After getting out and someone stopping to help, he went back and shut the running engine off. The guy he almost hit, which would have most likely caused a chain reaction, called 911 and turned around to see how spouse was. So spouse called me from the ambulance as the took him to Cheshire Medical Ctr.
His first ambulance ride. The doctor thought he may have broken ribs, a punctured lung or maybe a concussion. Nothing. Only a small laceration on the side of his head that the doctor decided didn't really need stitches. Meanwhile, I'm at home talking to all his bosses, but mainly talking to the number one boss, God. When I picked up dear spouse several hours later, I told him how thankful I was to the Lord and that I was sure He had a hand in this. Spouse gently squeezed my hand. I didn't cry, I was just happy that this anal, uptight guy that doesn't always use common sense was relatively unscathed from what could have been far worse.
Financially, these things have all been really tough but we're alive, we have what we need and we're so blessed with all we do have. We know we'll get by ok, somehow. I keep praying that we will.
The other good news is that my kid in Vegas is getting married. She's in love and she's happy (fiancee', too) so that's what's important. We all can't afford to go to the wedding but I will go cause I have to see my first born tie the knot. I can't wait. Hopefully, the snow will be gone when I return (the nuptuials are in June. Spring begings tomorrow and the snow on our lawn is still about 3-4 feet deep. Never mind the huge piles of stuff that was plowed.
So that's our 3 tradgedies and we're done, at least for awhile.
I wish you all a Happy Easter and hopefully one of us will find a golden egg at the Easter Egg Hunt.
So rants Amma today.
Monday, March 3, 2008
The Pictures Have Arrived
So this is a VERY round about way just to show a few pictures. They are of Imp Master J and one of his very pretty little neice, Mia. I hope you take the time to view them so you can see the handsome little man that will soon share our last name. I know I did something very wrong earlier while trying to get these to my blog and kid will someday walk me through the right way to post pictures but for now this will have to do. Kid will eventually figure out that I went into my gallery, picked out the pics, and then sent them to myself. There is a "send to" tab on the top of my toolbar that says I can send it to "blogger" so that's how they finally got to my blog. WHEW!!!! I need to learn the easy way but that requires co-ordinating phone call and time with kid to do so. But for now, Enjoy the pics!!
So says Amma today!
So says Amma today!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
New Pictures
Not sure if this album will show but let's give it a shot. These are pictures of our son, my granddaughter, and NH snow this year. Hope you like them!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
New Bed
Phew! That was certainly a bit draining. I went out yesterday and (altho we've been somewhat discussing the issue) finally purchased one side bed rail for the un-occupied twin bed in Imp Master J's room. He's been in a crib since we were first blessed with his presence, just over two years ago. He came to us a 14 month old and now he's just a few months past the ripe old age of 3 so we thought it might be time to at least try to get him into the "big boy" bed. This should be interesting to see if this somewhat hyper, autistic little guy will understand the "no getting out" rule previously established with any of our toddlers in the past. Finally getting all the instructions to make sense and put the rail together, we marched off to J's room to remove the mattress and try to get this thing in it's proper place. Put mattress back, adjust the straps that attach to the blocks on the other side and pull tight. Carefully conceal excess strap under the mattress (for sure if they're found they will be thoroughly chewed!). Throw in kid's favorite binky. Insert kid.
Kid goes to binky like a magnet. Tell kid to stay in only for sleep. We sign "sleep" and cross our fingers. The first test will be in a few hours when kid takes his "snooze cruise" (nap). He seems to like this new arrangement and I carefully lift him out of the bed with the rail up so to make him think it's very similar to the crib. The crib, still standing, is at the foot of the new bed, lying in wait, just in case. We vow to be diligent in our quest to transition Mr. Hoppy to his new surroundings. He loves to jump on the bed and in the crib but after reminding him to not jump on the bed he now jumps only on his knees. I'm surprised crib hasn't fallen apart. Lately, when I've put him to bed at night, I'd noticed that he hasn't far to go before, strecthed out, his little feet will reach the end of the crib and so it must be now that the big boy bed be slowly introduced. We stand at our guard: "Ready, Steady, Go!"
So says Amma today.
Kid goes to binky like a magnet. Tell kid to stay in only for sleep. We sign "sleep" and cross our fingers. The first test will be in a few hours when kid takes his "snooze cruise" (nap). He seems to like this new arrangement and I carefully lift him out of the bed with the rail up so to make him think it's very similar to the crib. The crib, still standing, is at the foot of the new bed, lying in wait, just in case. We vow to be diligent in our quest to transition Mr. Hoppy to his new surroundings. He loves to jump on the bed and in the crib but after reminding him to not jump on the bed he now jumps only on his knees. I'm surprised crib hasn't fallen apart. Lately, when I've put him to bed at night, I'd noticed that he hasn't far to go before, strecthed out, his little feet will reach the end of the crib and so it must be now that the big boy bed be slowly introduced. We stand at our guard: "Ready, Steady, Go!"
So says Amma today.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Imp Master J.
Well here we are folks. The moment has finally arrived. Our son, the most beautiful, adorable, cutest kid anywhere on the planet has finally hit the terrible two's. We've been fostering this babe since he was 14 months old and are finally on the adoption track. But lately, I've been having my doubts (not seriously). J. was diagnosed with mid-range ASD last year and on some levels he's in the early toddler/older baby stage. We only needed to close a door to any room and he would not enter where he shouldn't be. In the last week or so, that rule no longer applies. Twice last week he opened the door to the main bathroom and twice I had to replace the brand new rolls of toilet paper. I finally gave up the tp stand and put the roll on an upper shelf of the etagere' above the toilet. We also kept a few things on the window sill that has his dresser in front of it with the boom box on top. Not anymore. His kid size table makes a great "stand" upon which he climbs to get any of the fascinating items once kept on the sill. These little gems now reside on a much higher shelf in his closet. We also kept a small collection of his favorite books on the entertainment center, supposedly out of his reach. Innovative little J. stands on a rocking chair next to the entertainment center and pulls all the books down at once and remains standing while he picks his current favorite read and then climbs down to read it.
The privy in our bedroom conceals his favorite toy of all: The toilet scrub brush! Generally, he keeps it out of his mouth. Yummy treats to eat he saves for the toilet paper he just unravelled from the roll. I don't bother re-rolling the paper. It's too time consuming and it just pisses me off. Sometimes I just want to give him back or maybe just keep him until somebody else adopts him. But of course we love the little tyke and we've all formed a very strong bond, regardless of the hard work involved in raising a child with Autism. So I think I'll welcome nap time this afternoon and have a good stiff drink, which if it weren't damaging to him, I'd let him have one, too.nd a good stiff drink which would be even better if I could share it with him!
We had called him "Poop Master J." for obvious reasons but for now he has been renamed to "Imp Master J." Does this ever end??????????
So says Amma today.
The privy in our bedroom conceals his favorite toy of all: The toilet scrub brush! Generally, he keeps it out of his mouth. Yummy treats to eat he saves for the toilet paper he just unravelled from the roll. I don't bother re-rolling the paper. It's too time consuming and it just pisses me off. Sometimes I just want to give him back or maybe just keep him until somebody else adopts him. But of course we love the little tyke and we've all formed a very strong bond, regardless of the hard work involved in raising a child with Autism. So I think I'll welcome nap time this afternoon and have a good stiff drink, which if it weren't damaging to him, I'd let him have one, too.nd a good stiff drink which would be even better if I could share it with him!
We had called him "Poop Master J." for obvious reasons but for now he has been renamed to "Imp Master J." Does this ever end??????????
So says Amma today.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Addendum to today's blog
I almost forgot! Hubby made a lateral move with his company and will be covering the northeast which includes part of NY, CT, RI, LI, and my beloved NJ!! He commented that maybe I could be on vacation in south Jersey when he has to be there for business and so might vaca together. I said that maybe there's hope yet for a move back "home". We'll just have to wait and see, especially since it's way more expensive to live there than here. But I think we could manage. For now, I call it the 5 year plan so we'll just have to wait and see. Last summer was more of a working vacation since we stayed at my neice's house while they went to Wildwood for the week. I think it was a little too much for me and the grandkids so hopefully we can rent something this year.
Keeping my fingers crossed and praying daily!!!
So says amma (again).
Keeping my fingers crossed and praying daily!!!
So says amma (again).
Zoom!
I've been wondering if a new computer would be in my future. But, thanks to husband's twin (he and his family were here for Turkey Day), I learned that I needed (1) a new mouse and (2) more memory. So after Christmas, as I set about helping my grandson cash in some of his gift cards at Best Buy, all by myself I picked out a new mouse and hubby actually installed it. Not that I couldn't but I wasn't home and I showed him and he did it. The old one I assumed was a male with only one ball and it appeared as tho that one had been badly castrated. I could barely click and drag just playing solitaire. Even tho the old one was a "Dell", flipping it over it said Logitech and so I replaced it's tired old ball with a Logitech 3x optical. What a huge difference!
Also, as a Christmas gift, hubby got me an e-gift cert from Dell and after searching, bought a 1G memory card. I'm not computer savvy by any means but when it finally arrived, I had to call kid to ask how the heck to open the "tower" so I could put the thing in. I finally figured it out on my own and following most of the directions, got that bad boy installed and it's awesome!!
Even hubby was impressed, mostly because a site he needed to check some of our accounts on he could never get into before just because the 'puter was sooooo slooooooow. Now he was done in mere minutes. I'm impressed myself so now I'll be blogging more often just because I don't have to wait forever to get to where I want to go. So thanks to kid and bubby for they're help and input. And today is a good day to play on the computer thanks to mother nature and her dumping more snow on the entire northeast. It started about 3:30 this morning and we have predictions of up to an inch an hour. No one has school today and we already have a few inches out there. It's not supposed to stop till later today. Thank goodness we hired someone to plow our driveway so poor hubby can get in when he returns from work. At least today he had the 4WD vehicle.
On a lighter than snow note......JMS went to pre-school last Thursday and didn't cry the whole day! The only crying was when they assemble the tykes to go outside for a walk and he thought he was going home. At least we made it through without throwing up and crying all morning. He's still happy to see me and glad to get home.
Next on the agenda, kid needs to call me if she hasn't spoken to her sister in the past couple of days. I've got some dirt to dish that she'll love but we'll see how long this good news will last.
Also, thanks to Courtney for your kind words. We'll have to get together one of these days and show off our beautiful boys!
So says Amma.
Also, as a Christmas gift, hubby got me an e-gift cert from Dell and after searching, bought a 1G memory card. I'm not computer savvy by any means but when it finally arrived, I had to call kid to ask how the heck to open the "tower" so I could put the thing in. I finally figured it out on my own and following most of the directions, got that bad boy installed and it's awesome!!
Even hubby was impressed, mostly because a site he needed to check some of our accounts on he could never get into before just because the 'puter was sooooo slooooooow. Now he was done in mere minutes. I'm impressed myself so now I'll be blogging more often just because I don't have to wait forever to get to where I want to go. So thanks to kid and bubby for they're help and input. And today is a good day to play on the computer thanks to mother nature and her dumping more snow on the entire northeast. It started about 3:30 this morning and we have predictions of up to an inch an hour. No one has school today and we already have a few inches out there. It's not supposed to stop till later today. Thank goodness we hired someone to plow our driveway so poor hubby can get in when he returns from work. At least today he had the 4WD vehicle.
On a lighter than snow note......JMS went to pre-school last Thursday and didn't cry the whole day! The only crying was when they assemble the tykes to go outside for a walk and he thought he was going home. At least we made it through without throwing up and crying all morning. He's still happy to see me and glad to get home.
Next on the agenda, kid needs to call me if she hasn't spoken to her sister in the past couple of days. I've got some dirt to dish that she'll love but we'll see how long this good news will last.
Also, thanks to Courtney for your kind words. We'll have to get together one of these days and show off our beautiful boys!
So says Amma.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Recap 2007
2007 was a whirlwind with lots of goings on. We barely settled into our new home and things started happening. We got a "new " car late in '06 and it's been totally awesome. It's an '05 Saturn Relay with automatic sliding doors and most important, a flip down DVD screen. This keeps our soon to be adopted son occupied with now unlimited "Thomas the Tank Engine" movies. As we moved into 2007, we finally started getting the speech therapy needed for our little guy and the therapist (an awesome girl!) gently suggested we think about getting into behavorial testing for autism. All I remember her saying was that Autism is on a huge spectrum. I continued to be in denial but in the back of my mind I knew something wasn't right.
So she got us the referral and we finally got the birthmom to sign all the needed paperwork.
In late April, I lost my beloved Aunt Helen. She's my mom's younger sister and they shared the same birthday. Mom is 5 years older. I really enjoyed e-mailing with her as she was a rather avid computer user. Some years ago she managed to put together quite a family history using the net and it was pretty interesting. Needless to say, it was a sad day for all of us who travelled from as far as the northwest to attend services. It was also great to see all my cousins that I haven't seen (some) in years. Most of us got together for lunch before some of us had to dash off to the airport. I also had the good fortune to visit with an old friend of my aunt's that I hadn't seen since the last of the big weddings of one of Auntie's girls. My aunt and her friend were born a day apart and met in high school and became lifelong chums. When this lady told her mother my aunt's last name, her mom recalled being in the hospital with my grandmother. They didn't know it till high school that they'd actually met at birth! I try to send this lovely lady a note now and then but haven't heard anything back. I'm thinking of calling her to see how she is. I know she never married or had kids and she seemed like she might have a little dementia. She lives in an assisted living apartment. She was still working, part time, taking the train into New York. Her last day of work, she never did get to the office, only as far as Newark and after some couple of hours of delay, went home. That was on 9/11.
In May, I felt a little pain and ignored it. A week or so later, it came back and I got in to see the doctor right away. I scheduled a mammogram and bone density scan since it had been a couple years since the last ones and on June 6 got those done. I flunked both. I have osteoporosis and now take Boniva and try to watch the salt and caffeine. The left breast showed a couple areas of calcifications and I was soon referred to a surgeon. I had a stereo tactic biopsy done (by a doctor who was born at the same hospital I was and also grew up in NJ so that was cool because we talked a lot about "home"). That was June 18 and the results showed I had cancer but it was non-invasive. After discussing the results with the surgeon, I said I'd rather have the whole thing removed because as he described, he might not be able to get it all with lumpectomies of 2 areas and I can get immediate reconstruction. So off to the plastic surgeon to discuss all that and get triple checked before the "Big Day". I also had to quit the butts.
Next up on the menu was our son's testing at Dartmouth Hitchcock in Lebanon, NH. This was supposed to take place Sept. 5 but they had a cancellation so we could look forward to Aug. 16 instead.
In between all this brou ha ha, the state took J.'s birthmom to court in June to terminate the parental rights or do a mediated adoption. The alleged father couldn't be found so his rights to J. were terminated that day. Birthmom wanted the mediated adoption. We got all our meeting and court dates together and she never showed. She also has another child she was going to do the same thing and never showed for that meeting. Seems birthmom broke up with her boyfriend in RI and moved back to NH. And has a miscarriage. She requested to see J. on Aug. 17 and so we went. She still wanted to mediate and was going to call her lawyer. She also got the test results from Dartmouth. Yes, J. was indeed diagnosed with Austism Spectrum Disorder (mid-range) and she said she wanted to go to all his doctor appointments. I had to explain that he'd be getting therapy at home (mine) and that this is not a disease but a neurological disorder. He cried when he saw her and I decided that this was the last time I would subject him to this trauma. But we needed more paperwork signed so we had to put up with it.
On Aug.21 I had my surgery. All went well and from the pathology report, the surgeon got it all. Good news was no chemo or radiation. Now I pretty much belong to the plastic surgeon or "boob" guy. I was referred to an oncologist and was able to get into a study that has me taking an anti-estrogen for the next 5 years and I don't have to pay for these very expensive pills.
On Dec.13 I had the other boob reduced and lifted so it matches the new boob better. Boob guy took a tissue sample and I only recently learned that there was a cancer there but boob guy got all that and it was non-invasive as well. The one that had the masectomy was supposed to be but in the 2 months before surgery it had become invasive. Again, all was removed so I should be looking a longer life!! Thanks to God and all my friends and family that prayed for me.
On November 20 birthmom had her parental rights terminated. She didn't show for court and called the case worker demanding to see J. and was refused!! She claims she didn't know when court was and after swearing and yelling ended the conversation with "I'm gonna find him". Fat chance of that since she doesn't work, drive or have a clue where we live so too bad. It's a shame that she puts herself before the welfare of her children and I'm sure her heart will be heavy for a long time but maybe it's part of God's plan.
And with the new year, J. has finally started his special ed preschool. I had to become an educational surrogate because we couldn't locate birthmom to sign the paperwork this time.
But the best news is that we have FINALLY started the adoption process. If we get all this paperwork of our own filled out and we also need to get fingerprinted, then JAYDEN MAGNUS STEVENSON will officially join our family by the beginning of April.
I trust you've all had a great 2007 and look forward to an even better 2008. As for me, all is well. (It's part of God's plan!)
So says Amma.
So she got us the referral and we finally got the birthmom to sign all the needed paperwork.
In late April, I lost my beloved Aunt Helen. She's my mom's younger sister and they shared the same birthday. Mom is 5 years older. I really enjoyed e-mailing with her as she was a rather avid computer user. Some years ago she managed to put together quite a family history using the net and it was pretty interesting. Needless to say, it was a sad day for all of us who travelled from as far as the northwest to attend services. It was also great to see all my cousins that I haven't seen (some) in years. Most of us got together for lunch before some of us had to dash off to the airport. I also had the good fortune to visit with an old friend of my aunt's that I hadn't seen since the last of the big weddings of one of Auntie's girls. My aunt and her friend were born a day apart and met in high school and became lifelong chums. When this lady told her mother my aunt's last name, her mom recalled being in the hospital with my grandmother. They didn't know it till high school that they'd actually met at birth! I try to send this lovely lady a note now and then but haven't heard anything back. I'm thinking of calling her to see how she is. I know she never married or had kids and she seemed like she might have a little dementia. She lives in an assisted living apartment. She was still working, part time, taking the train into New York. Her last day of work, she never did get to the office, only as far as Newark and after some couple of hours of delay, went home. That was on 9/11.
In May, I felt a little pain and ignored it. A week or so later, it came back and I got in to see the doctor right away. I scheduled a mammogram and bone density scan since it had been a couple years since the last ones and on June 6 got those done. I flunked both. I have osteoporosis and now take Boniva and try to watch the salt and caffeine. The left breast showed a couple areas of calcifications and I was soon referred to a surgeon. I had a stereo tactic biopsy done (by a doctor who was born at the same hospital I was and also grew up in NJ so that was cool because we talked a lot about "home"). That was June 18 and the results showed I had cancer but it was non-invasive. After discussing the results with the surgeon, I said I'd rather have the whole thing removed because as he described, he might not be able to get it all with lumpectomies of 2 areas and I can get immediate reconstruction. So off to the plastic surgeon to discuss all that and get triple checked before the "Big Day". I also had to quit the butts.
Next up on the menu was our son's testing at Dartmouth Hitchcock in Lebanon, NH. This was supposed to take place Sept. 5 but they had a cancellation so we could look forward to Aug. 16 instead.
In between all this brou ha ha, the state took J.'s birthmom to court in June to terminate the parental rights or do a mediated adoption. The alleged father couldn't be found so his rights to J. were terminated that day. Birthmom wanted the mediated adoption. We got all our meeting and court dates together and she never showed. She also has another child she was going to do the same thing and never showed for that meeting. Seems birthmom broke up with her boyfriend in RI and moved back to NH. And has a miscarriage. She requested to see J. on Aug. 17 and so we went. She still wanted to mediate and was going to call her lawyer. She also got the test results from Dartmouth. Yes, J. was indeed diagnosed with Austism Spectrum Disorder (mid-range) and she said she wanted to go to all his doctor appointments. I had to explain that he'd be getting therapy at home (mine) and that this is not a disease but a neurological disorder. He cried when he saw her and I decided that this was the last time I would subject him to this trauma. But we needed more paperwork signed so we had to put up with it.
On Aug.21 I had my surgery. All went well and from the pathology report, the surgeon got it all. Good news was no chemo or radiation. Now I pretty much belong to the plastic surgeon or "boob" guy. I was referred to an oncologist and was able to get into a study that has me taking an anti-estrogen for the next 5 years and I don't have to pay for these very expensive pills.
On Dec.13 I had the other boob reduced and lifted so it matches the new boob better. Boob guy took a tissue sample and I only recently learned that there was a cancer there but boob guy got all that and it was non-invasive as well. The one that had the masectomy was supposed to be but in the 2 months before surgery it had become invasive. Again, all was removed so I should be looking a longer life!! Thanks to God and all my friends and family that prayed for me.
On November 20 birthmom had her parental rights terminated. She didn't show for court and called the case worker demanding to see J. and was refused!! She claims she didn't know when court was and after swearing and yelling ended the conversation with "I'm gonna find him". Fat chance of that since she doesn't work, drive or have a clue where we live so too bad. It's a shame that she puts herself before the welfare of her children and I'm sure her heart will be heavy for a long time but maybe it's part of God's plan.
And with the new year, J. has finally started his special ed preschool. I had to become an educational surrogate because we couldn't locate birthmom to sign the paperwork this time.
But the best news is that we have FINALLY started the adoption process. If we get all this paperwork of our own filled out and we also need to get fingerprinted, then JAYDEN MAGNUS STEVENSON will officially join our family by the beginning of April.
I trust you've all had a great 2007 and look forward to an even better 2008. As for me, all is well. (It's part of God's plan!)
So says Amma.
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