January

Where did January go to? It's come & gone so quickly. It's been a crazy, crazy month, esp. weather wise. Thinks were pretty hectic over the Christmas holidays, and seemed to continue into January. Always seems to be something that needs to be done, or places to go.
We've had such a mixed bag of weather & temp. this month, as things have gone from freezing cold temp. to snowy days, freezing rain, rain, and on the occasion we are blessed with sunshine. For many the dark, cloudy days of winter seem to make this time of year seem endless & very depressing. Winter Blues.... When you see how many days we go without sunshine, it's no wonder that people get so frustrated & down, esp. those who are shut-in and seldom seem to get out of their homes.
One of the girls had skiing for her gym classes this month, and they only had 3 opportunities to go. One of the days was warmer with a drizzly rain and the slopes were gradually getting green spots on them. Another day was cooler, with some snow. Their last day it was quite chilly out there, and they had to dress for the day, but they seemed to enjoy the time out. The girls had some sick time this month, and time off at home as the colds settled into their sinus, but neither got too bad.
We've had problems with each of our vehicles breaking down, and a lot of extra expenses trying to keep them running. Seems to be a never ending job these days.
My oldest had her 14th birthday, and while we didn't do anything major we tried to make it a good day for her. My birthday was only a few days after her's and one of my best friends came & took me out, and we spent time with another friend and they took me out for lunch which was a nice treat. I came home to find a surprise from my daughters & husband...they had a single white rose for me, and a heart shaped balloon with Happy Birthday on it for me so that was nice. Then my oldest used her babysitting money to buy pizza for dinner so I didn't have to cook anything. Now that's what I call a nice relaxing birthday! Makes me thankful for my family & friends and how they have really blessed me.

Christmas

Wow, it's hard to believe how fast time often passes by. We spend so much time in the preparation of getting ready for Christmas, planning special events, meals, shopping, cleaning, fussing, running around...and then the day comes and we're too tired to enjoy it. For the person who does so much of the running around, cleaning, shopping, meal preparations etc. it's a lot of extra work that we aren't really used to doing. The stress & strain of so many events & things going on and running about, along with a lot of extra financial strain is very difficult for many to handle. Then there's the part that many families now deal with, and that is the one of trying to split up your time between each others families, parents, siblings, friends, church events.... I don't really have any easy solutions for anyone. It was hard having to do many of those things, and esp. when the children were younger and we also had to take along extra toys, clothes, diapers etc.
I used to enjoy all the fuss & having people come over, and just getting together with others. I always enjoyed that special time when the family would all gather together as one, in unity, and love. I miss my mom on these special holidays and especially during family events. We seldom 'all' get together, but families have grown, & gone about their lives in so many different ways. Now it's just our immediate family & my dad. My son & his family do their own thing. My brother & his boys came to visit for a little while to spend time with my father. That was nice to see them.
Unfortunately the years do pass by all too quickly and I don't want to think past today and where things will be as my daughters grow older. I do hope that they will remember & place value in the importance of families.

Merry Christmas-a right, or a choice!

The following article is one that is floating around in the internet world. I have not been able to confirm if this was true or not. It is only one of many opinions that I have received lately in regards to this topic. I for one don't have a problem with anyone coming here from other countries, and enjoying the freedom & beauty of this country. What I do object to is them coming here and changing the ways we are allowed to do things, and controlling & complaining about people's views & choices that already live here. I really don't understand why there is so much fuss & bother over something that has been a tradition & way of life for years..that of being able to wish someone a very "MERRY CHRISTMAS". Why are we suddenly being punished for a lifetime tradition of just a few words and wishing someone a Merry Christmas. Because someone chooses to take offence at the word Christmas, we are suddenly not allowed our freedom of choice & rights.
Christmas is a holiday time that has been around since long before I was born, or my parents or grandparents & many other ancestor's. Does it appear as Merry Christ - day, or Merry Christ - mas? Should I wish people a Merry Christ Birthday? Perhaps that would be more suitable, since it's the day we celebrate the birth of the Baby Jesus when He was born in a stable, and laid in a manger. If we open our bibles up to the New Testament of Luke, chapter 1 talks about Christ's mother Mary, and how she was favored by God, and chosen to be the earthly mother of God's only son, Jesus. Luke 2 talks about the birth of Jesus Christ...vs. 11: "There is born to you in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Praise God! He gave us HIS son. That is the real reason why we have Christmas, to celebrate His birth-day.
The Lord's prayer has been taken out of 'our' schools, along with many other rights, priveledges, and choices because someone was offended by our choice. It doesn't matter if our choice & right of freedom has now been taken away.
Society has changed so much these days that we now keep the stores & factories, and many other businesses open 7 days a week. Gone is our way of life when Sundays were a day to go to church and spend time with the family, along with a day of rest. I suppose there are many people who prefer this and appreciate the fact that these places are open on Sundays. It's the people having to work it all of the time that have had their time taken away, and in many cases their rights of freedom to attend a place of worship. Meanwhile there are some people who are allowed time to leave their job for a short time, several times of day to pray because it is their religion. Now if I asked for that time I would be denied.
I'd also like to know where my rights of freedom especially my freedom to choose where & when I worship my heavenly Father. I'm not going to go on and on with my opinion. It's pretty clear that I feel my rights and others rights are being denied, both in this topic, and in other areas.

WHAT IS YOUR VIEW ON ALL OF THIS?

......................................................................
Will we still be the Country of choice and still be Canada if we
continue to make the changes forced on us by the people from other
countries that came to live in Canada because it is the Country of
Choice??????

Think about it!

All we have to say is, when will they do something about MY
RIGHTS?

I celebrate Christmas...........but because it isn't celebrated
by everyone..............we can no longer say Merry Christmas. Now it
has to be Season's Greetings.

It's not Christmas vacation, it's Winter Break. Isn't it amazing
how this winter break ALWAYS occurs over the Christmas holiday?

We've gone so far the other way, bent over backwards to not
offend anyone, that I am now being offended. But it seems that no one
has a problem with that.
This says it all!
This is an editorial written in a
Toronto newspaper. He did quite a job; didn't he? Read on,
please!

IMMIGRANTS,
NOT Canadians
MUST ADAPT.
I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we
are offending some individual or their culture. Since the
terrorist attacks on Sept. 11,
we have experienced a surge n patriotism by the majority
of Canadians. However...... the dust from the attacks had
barely settled when the "politically correct! " crowd began
complaining about
the possibility that our patriotism was offending others.

I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against
anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Canada
Our population is almost entirely made up of descendants of
immigrants.
However, there are a few things that those who have recently
come to
our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand.
This idea of Canada being a multicultural community
has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national
identity. As Canadians.......
we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and
our own lifestyle. This culture has been developed over centuries of
struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have
sought freedom.


We speak ENGLISH/FRENCH, not Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic,
Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language.
Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the
language!
"We Stand On Guard For Thee" is our national motto. This is not
some Christian, right wing, political slogan.. We adopted this motto
because Christian men and women.......on Christian
principles.............founded this nation..... and this is clearly
documented.
It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our
schools.
If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of
the world as
your new home.........because
God is part of our culture.

We are happy with our culture and have
no desire to change, and we really
don't care how you did things where
you came from.
This is OUR COUNTRY, our land, and our lifestyle.
But once you are done complaining....... whining...... and
griping....... about our flag.......
our pledge...... our national motto........or our
way of life....I highly encourage you to
take advantage of one other Great Canadian Freedom.......

THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.


It is Time for Canada to Speak up
If you agree -- pass this along;
if you don't agree -- delete it!

AMEN

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Christmas Tea in November

Last night the ladies from our church got together and had a Ladies Social Event...what we called "Christmas Tea in November". There was a lot of time and hours that went into planning and preparing for this event. It took a lot of organization, things had to be planned, phone calls & emails sent out, meetings, and many hours spent making booklets, bookmarks, cookies, squares etc. Along with the planning committee, we also had someone invited to speak, someone to sing, and someone to do a craft demonstration. Along with that, we had some wonderful ladies who volunteered to come and hostess a table which meant bringing their own tablecloths, tea & coffee urns, fancy cups & saucers, etc. and the tables looked absolutely beautiful when they were done setting up. Behind the scenes, we had the one special lady who agreed to oversee everything, and a few others who committed a lot of time getting things organized. Tickets had to be sold, and then came the night of the tea, and all the work of setting up, making things, organizing, etc. and getting ready for the arrival of the first guests. Two of our wonderful young ladies came to help out for the evening and did an amazing job keeping the trays of cookies stacked up and filling up tea pots, checking to see if anyone had any needs and helping with dishes. We also had the help of a few men, one who came & helped out in the kitchen, and a few others who spent their evening helping with the sound equipement. All in all, it turned out to be a lovely evening of entertainment, & fun and getting to know others. Each of the hostesses had their own plans for their tables and it was fun to see how they all spent time decorating, and setting their tables up.
I know I met several new people, and had the opportunity to talk to another lady who also suffers with fibromyalgia.
Many of the people who were visiting thought it was something we had done before. Everyone I've talked to really enjoyed their evening out and was asking when we might have another evening out. Since this was our first major event, I think they all did an amazing job and I'd like to thank everyone who participated and helped in making this evening such a great success and special evening for all.
Hopefully, somewhere down the line, we will be able to plan on something special for
another time of the year if everyone is willing to help out and participate in one again.
I wonder if anyone has any idea's or suggestions for another event...?? If you do, just jot some ideas down to be published on my blog.

The first real snow...

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone there. I was feeling pretty tired after being out last night, so this morning I sat & watched part of the Macy Thanksgiving Parade from the states. It's always a good one, although for a few people it turned out not to be when one of the large air balloons hit a lamp, then collapsed onto several people in the crowd causing injury to them. Rather a scarry situation to have to experience.
While today is not actually the first snowfall that we've actually had this winter season, it's definitely the first real big snowfall, that holds promises to stay for more than a day. There were winter storm warnings out for today, along with snow sqalls causing white outs in some areas. So far, the snow has totally covered everything. The driveway, & lawn & car are totally covered over in snow, and it's still drifting and blowing around. The temp. outside is dropping and it's a bitter cold temp. of 1oF, and still dropping.
This morning when I went out things were covered but no great accumulation. There was just black ice underneath the snow, so I had to be careful driving.
A rareity of happening in one area north of here was snow falling, while it was thunder & lightning. Now that doesn't happen very often! As I look out my window all I can see is blowing snow swirling all around, covering the cars, the trees and housetops. There is no sight of green grass around anymore, and out here, I can't even tell where the road starts and ends. I'm just glad I don't have to go out into this weather. While beautiful to look at, it is not so great to be out in or to have to drive in. Looks like winter is definitely on it's way. There's certainly enough snow out there!

Nasty Flare up's

Sometimes I feel like a broken record, but living with pain just seems to be something that is a big part of my life. This week I suffered an awful flare up of pain, and could hardly walk for a few days or stand the pain. I think perhaps it's due to the changing weather and barometer. It's turned cold & damp with snow in the forecast, and strong winds.
My back, neck & leg pain was horrible and there were times when I wondered where the pain was worse when it seemed to be all over my body. I spent three days on the couch or in bed, resting and sleeping when I could, and just trying to deal with the awful pain. As it began to ease up a little and become more bearable I have been able to do a few more things, and finally get out of the house to get some groceries and take my dad shopping.
I'm certainly thankful for my family who helped out with a couple of the meals, and doing some dishes. It's amazing how those dirty dishes seem to just pile up!
The pain is still bad, but at least its tolerable and I'm able to get out and move and do more. Thanks to all who kept me in their prayers this past week.

Santa Claus Parade

Today was the local Santa Claus Parade. The weather was cold, but sunny,and no snow(at least not by the time it started) so I think it was enjoyed by most everyone.
The past few days we've actually had snow lying on the ground and bitter cold temperatures, and such damp cold winds that just go right thro' you to the bones. Thankfully the sun warmed things up and took away the little bit of snow that remained on the ground.
Our church had their own float again this year. While I wasn't able to be involved in the decorating & preparation of it this time, I was able to join in on the final preparations, and early start, and be on the float with the kids. I'd rather have been out walking along the streets giving out the brochures & candy canes, but I do enjoy being up there on the float as well, and I just can't walk that distance anymore. The parade theme was "Christmas in Canada" and our church group decided to do our float with a theme of what Christmas might be like in Northern Canada...an Inuivut Christmas. They had part of an igloo at the one end with Mary & Joseph & the baby Jesus in a manager. They made a little box in the middle with some red crepe paper and a fan underneath that was supposed to look like flames coming up and a fire. There were two of the youth on some drums, and on the front was a sleigh and they put two of the youngest children in there, and had my daughter in a fur coat looking like she was out getting her dog sled ready. We just didn't have the dogs. The younger children along with a few of us adults sat on the float, while some others ran back and forth from the float handing out little flyers, and candy canes, and one guy was dressed as a trapper, while someone else dressed as a seal.
We sang while the drums played, and waved and yelled Merry Christmas all thro' the parade, and a fun time was had by all. If you haven't been involved in the preparation of getting a float ready, it's a lot of work & preparation ahead of time(much done by our youth & leaders along with the pastor), along with many hours in the cold outdoors getting the final things done to the float, making your way to the starting point, then waiting in line as all the floats arrive, and making any last additions to the float and getting people ready.
The flyers not only took some to make up & cut and roll, but then they had to be tied with ribbons and a candy cane attached to each one. That is a very time consuming job as well, which some of the ladies worked on. I believe from the time many people went outside, until they got home and helped break down the float and got home to some warmth, 5 hours had passed by. Brrrrrrr...it was good to get home to a nice hot coffee, and to enjoy some fellowhip with some good friends. For me that was probably one of the best parts of the day, getting out amongst friends, and being able to just forget about everything else and have some fun for a little while.
Tomorrow is the big Toronto Santa Claus Parade and I'm looking forward to watching it from the comfort and warmth of my home on the television!

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digital camera's

Ok, I don't know how many people might be reading my blog, but I'm wondering how many of you happen to know things about the digital camera's. If someone is interested in starting out with one, what advice would you give them and what would sort of things should a person look for in a digital camera? Once you have the camera, what other expenses are also involved if you want to use the pictures and put them on your computer?
Any advice you have would certainly be helpful......

Painful days...

Ok I'm sitting here once again, just taking things "one day at a time", or better yet, today I've been trying to take things one moment, or one hour at a time, and waiting for this day to end, and hopefully to wake up to a much better one tomorrow.
I've been having not only 'one of those days', but several of those days lately where for me, the pain has been so great, and all over that it's such an effort to get around. I know it may seem to some that I'm just sitting here complaining about the pain, but if they had to live with the constant, everyday pain, for years, and years, knowing that it will never likely go away, then I think perhaps others might be writing about their pain too. If I stand for any time my legs and esp. my knee's are throbbing with pain. If I sit too long, they are still hurting, and weak and it's all I can do to just stand up and get around. Even sitting here, I'm not sure where I hurt worse. My fingers, my hands, my arms, my neck, my head, my chest, my ribs, my back, my stomach, my legs, knees, feet......
Some days the pain is not as bad as others, but those days seem to be few & far between. Lately the pain has just been so constant, and never ending, and bad. Right now I can't even touch my sides as they are so painful. My fingers and hands are stiff with the arthritis that is in them, and tonight is one of those times when it does hurt to sit here and type. I just have to keep believing that there is a reason for it and for all that I go thro', and all that others much endure in their lives.
Sometimes it's really difficult to understand why bad things happen to us, or what we must go thro' the trials we are forced to endure. I suppose if I'm able to help someone else who has had a hard time then that is something I need to try and do.
I know I've put some weight on lately, so I fear that this is adding to my pain, and it's something I really need to try and do something about. I cannot continue to put on the weight, and eat things that will add to it. Somehow I need to find out what foods might possibly be aggravating things.
Right now I can't sit here any longer, so I need to say goodnight and try to move about, and loosen things up so I can get up the stairs...now that should be interesting tonight!

My 2nd born child

!haha i serisely got just passed around from house to hosue while my mom was in the hospital having becca....one day it was my brothers and then the next day it was my uncles!!!! it was just becasue becca was so hard to bring into this world...the see section and all but i was a purfect 7 pound baby who just came right out!!!!!!lol
Well after reading this from my daughter, I've decided to write something about her birth.
After waiting many years to finally get pregnant and carry through the pregnancy full term, the day finally came when I went into labour. I had to call my husband at work and ask him to come home. We were both excited as we had been married for 11 years, and despite our attempts to have children, I either couldn't get pregnant, or when I did I miscarried usually early in the first term. We had gone the route of trying various things, and medications, and I'd been on Clomid to increase our chances of fertility. I did get pregnant a few times during that period but never seemed to be able to get very far into the pregnancy before I suffered a miscarriage. Eventually we stopped all the extra efforts, and we decided that if it was meant to be then it would happen. I never stopped praying about it, and asking God to bless us with a child. While I had many miscarriages, I finally found a doctor who was able to give me hope. He felt my body was not producing enough progesterone which was necessary to carry a pregnancy full term. When I became pregnant again, and was able to find out early, they started me on progesterone, which I continued for a certain period. It worked! While I was sick alot during my pregnancy, I did manage to carry thro' full term.
I can't begin to even describe how happy and blessed I felt that God had finally answered my prayers to have another child. I really didn't care if it was a girl or boy so long as the baby was healthy, although I must admit, I was secretly hoping and praying for a beautiful little girl. As my labour progressed, I worried about what I might have to go thro'. The birth of my first child had not been an easy one, and I almost died. Despite that, I was prepared to take that risk, and desperately wanted another child. As the labour progressed, so did the pain. I had a lot of back pain, especially in my lower back. At times the pain thro' my back was so bad I hardly knew what to do with myself. As things progressed, I tried my best to keep things as natural as possible. Finally the baby was born, and I was so happy to find out it was a beautiful, healthy 7-pound 14-ounce girl. I got to see her briefly before they whisked her off to check her and hand her over to her dad. Almost immediately I felt like I was drifting away, and they were working fast to take care of me as I had hemhorraged. It was awhile before I was able to see & hold her, but eventually I did have that opportunity and I was so thrilled to finally hold my new baby daughter in my arms. God let me be ok, and blessed us with a healthy child after all the years I'd waited. My firstborn son was 17 years old, so it had been awhile, and I was elated. My greatest and most heartfelt prayer had been answered.
I was anxious to breastfeed this baby, and determined that I was going to do that. Unfortunately my daughter had other things on her mind, and unfortunately had already been given a bottle while I recovered after the delivery. She wasn't nursing properly. Anxious to succeed, I spoke to the nurses & health nurse, and was given several methods of trying to encourage the nursing, via a few different types of tube feeding, and pumping my milk. I was allowed to go home 3 days after her birth, on my birthday, and it was a wonderful birthday present. I'd like to say that things changed overnight, and she started nursing right away, but it took quite a number of weeks of pumping milk and trying to feed her again and again, till she finally latched on. She was also colicky during those first 5 or 6 months, but I didn't care. I was so just so happy to have my precious little girl that I was just happy to hold her & cuddle her and take her everywhere. Her daddy seemed pretty happy to have her here as well, and seemed to delight in holding her and checking on her at night time. My parents were delighted and thrilled with the birth of their first
grandaughter. My mother had fun knitting for her, and going out and buying some adorable little dresses for her. When the day came that I had to return to work, my parents offered to help us out by looking after her. That worked out great, until the day my mom's health worsened and she stared suffering with congestive heart failure. At that point I was forced to look for someone else to look after her, and was fortunate to find a wonderful Christian lady who seemed to enjoy caring for children. During those days and times, I was always so happy & delighted in spending time with my precious little girl, and feeling so blessed with such a wonderful and amazing gift. She was indeed a true miracle from God, and worth every bit of pain & work that I had to go thro' to have her. Love you so very much Jen. One day,(and I hope it's many years from now) when you are older, I hope you will know the joy & blessing of holding your own precious bundle & miracle in your arms. xo xo xo xo

My daughters birthday

Yesterday was my daughter's birthday. I let her choose where she wanted to go for dinner, and we ended up at A&W. The food was ok, but it sure has changed a lot from the days I remember it from. Anyway, that was her choice, so that's where we went. I can't believe she is already 11 years old. Only one more year and she'll be officially old enough to babysit. Wow, that's so hard to believe. She's my last born, and 'my' baby, and she's getting so grown up, just like her big sister.
When we were done eating supper, we decided to go up and walk thro' WalMart to get a few things. The girls decided they really wanted to go over to our Pastor's house to see his family, and most of all their newborn baby daughter Esther who was born only 6 days ago now. I didn't want to just land in on them, so I got Jen to call and make sure it was ok, then went looking for a little gift for their other two adorable children. I figured since we were taking a gift for the baby, it was important for the kids to know we hadn't forgotten about them. Isn't it amazing how a little baby doll, and a toy jeep can hold their interest for awhile?
My girls were so thrilled to be able to hold this little newborn girl. I just can't imagine where they got that fascination for newborns...lol Hmmm, I've always loved and enjoyed holding a newborn baby and marvelling at the miracle of such a wonderful and amazing creation. They are so innocent and perfect and tiny at that time, and I can never seem to get enough of holding a newborn in my arms and cuddling them close as I watch their little chests go up and down and marvel at their tiny little fingers & toes. God certainly gave us a beautiful and amazing gift with the creation of our children.
I remember back to 11 years ago when Becca was born, and I was so thrilled at the precious gift & miracle of life that I was blessed with. Now there were times when I doubted that I would be here to share her life with her, after I hemhoraged badly even after the C-section, and I also had a bad reaction to the epidural. While I hemhoraged, they handed my newborn daughter to her father, tied my tubes, and closed me up and gave me the medication I needed to stop me from hemhoraging. That first day I was unable to even get out of bed, or change her diaper, but despite how I felt, I insisted I be allowed to nurse her. When they tried to get me up the following day, I found I couldn't even sit up or hold my head up without terrible pain. As I continued to get weaker, they ended up trying several proceedures as they felt I had fluid leaking from the spine. When I continued to get worse, and slip in and out of consciousness, they finally realized I was not in very good shape. My husband called our family doctor in an effort to get something done, as I was not doing too good. I truly felt I was sinking away, and not going to make it. Turns out I was indeed going downhill. When my family dr. came in and saw what was happening, he arranged to give me blood transfusions, and my Christian friends held me in their prayers. By the grace of God I did survive, and was able to finally come home with my newborn and be with my other daughter who had been passed around amongst my family and friends who took good care of her. What a welcome relief that was, and certainly an answer to prayer. I am truly thankful for both of my daughters, and so glad that I have been given this time to be with them.

This past weekend my family went to help some friends with their roof. I'm afraid I wasn't very much help as I'm not able to do a whole lot. It was really cold and damp, and that only helps add to my pain and stiffness. Unfortunately there was a lot to do and those who were out working were trying to do all they could despite the cold damp weather, and the rain the following day. Time is becoming an issue, as the weather continues to get colder.
Saturday I came back home and got some food, and picked up a friend then went back to attend a ladies potluck dinner which we were supposed to be going to. Part way thro' the evening, someone informed us that it was snowing outside. YUCK...it's just too early for it to be snowing. It's still October. It can't be. Despite the ground being snow covered, and the snow falling down rapidly all around them, a number of the ladies put on their swim suits, and braved the elements and ran outside in their bare feet in order to enjoy the pleasure of the hot tub. I didn't take my suit, so I sat and spent a little time with my knitting, and waiting till someone decided to come back in. When my friend came back in, we decided to get ready and head home before things got too bad. Well there was much more snow than I had expected, and it was still coming down quite hard. I wasn't sure if I should go down the highway, or one of the back roads, but since the visibility was getting worse I didn't waste any timd, and decided to head down the back road. Between the driving snow, and the darkness of the night, it was really difficult to see much of anything in front of me. There wasn't much of a choice but to keep on going so that's what I did. I drove slowly, and just kept my eyes on the middle line. When someone wanted to drive past, I slowed down and let them pass me. It was a little scarry at times esp. since you could hardly see anything at times. It took us a lot longer than normal, but we needed to both get home, so I just kept my hands on the steering wheel, and kept driving. I can't believe we had all that snow so early in the year, but it happened. Thankfully most of it was gone by the following day, but it was a reminder of the snow that is to come....one that I did not need and one that I can certainly wait for. Perhaps it won't come for awhile!

Plans change as we take things one day at a time

Sometimes the best of plans are changed overnight, and we never quite know what to expect in life.
Recently my eldest daughter came down really sick and complaining of stomach pains. She was unable to keep anything down in her stomach, and the pain was getting worse, so I ended up taking her to emergency at the hospital around midnight one day. Since my husband was away, I had to get my youngest one up out of bed, and we headed off to the ER. Once checked in, she ended up having to have a variety of tests done, was given different medications for the pain, and also for infection. Since nothing would stay down, they finally ended up giving her some needles, and also putting her on an IV in order to try and settle things down. This seemed to do the trick and she was able to finally doze off and get a little rest while we sat there with her. At 6am they decided to send her home as they couldn't really seem to find anything wrong. My youngest came back and grabbed a little sleep, then went off to school, while I layed down for a few hours. By the afternoon, Jen was back up with a fever & still in pain, so I went to get a prescription filled to try it. The following day brought more pain, that just wasn't going away, so off we headed for the ER again. This time we had to wait 6 hours in order to be seen by someone, and all the while Jen's pain was getting worse, and she's had nothing to help it. When they finally took her in, and checked her out, they had to order more tests, and call in another doctor. At that point in time, they finally decided her appendix was the problem and wanted her admitted, with surgery scheduled for the following day. This time at least, her sister was at least with friends and getting some sleep. I decided to stay with Jen, and went with her to her room. She was on IV and given pain medication, and an antibiotic as well, so we both decided to try and get some rest.Unfortunately her pain was not improving at all and she was in a lot of pain, and really couldn't rest. Around 3am, she was up in tears complaining that the pain was worse than ever, and unable to get comfortable. We called the nurse, who in turn contacted the doctor, and she was given more pain medication. Then they checked her temp. and discovered it had gone way up to 39.6 oC, which I understand is pretty high. The nurse didn't waste anytime calling up to the surgeon, and I knew something was up, and her appendix had likely burst...and I was right. The surgeon was just finishing up with another major surgery, and didn't end up wasting time having her sent up to surgery to have her appendix removed. Between surgery and recovery, she was gone for 2 hours. I was left to wait by myself in the front lobby till the doctor came out to tell me that the surgery was over and had gone well. I was told to go back down to her room to wait for her so that's what I did. She was back in her room before 5:30am, and was awake, and complaining about the tube that ran down her nose to her stomach. I'm sure it had to be pretty uncomfortable. With surgery over, I stretched out on the chair that folded out into a bed, and tried to sleep with little success. Jen tried to rest, but with the nurses coming in and out, and the noise in the hall, we were both lucky to doze off for a few moments. Jen is pretty sore, and in pain, and running a fever but she's doing ok,and had a few visitors over the afternoon. Someone whose name I won't mention, came in and took her picture with the tube still in her nose, so she wasn't very impressed. Hmmm, I'm not sure why! Ok guess I wouldn't like that either, but it does seem interesting when it's someone else. Hope I get to see that picture. Her father happened to show up in the evening, when he got home early and found a note so he came over to the hospital.
With the evening came the reality that I wasn't going to be able to go away for the weekend with the rest of the ladies as planned, but as much as I'm sad to have missed my weekend away, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else when my children are ill. They are my life and I hope they know how much I love them. I'm just glad that I was still at home and not away when she took sick and had her appendix burst.
We are certainly blessed to have some amazing friends and very caring people in our lives. Many came to visit, or called to see how Jen was & brought in or sent little gifts, and spent time praying for her.
The doctor decided to release her earlier than we had expected, so she was home on her 4rth day there, and a few friends still came to visit her at home when they found her checked out of the hospital.
She's doing better, however still in pain, and very tired & weak, but at least she's eating something, and moving around a little better. Later on in the week she will have to go to get her stitches removed, then we will see what the doctor says about her returning to school. I understand that she won't be allowed to do anything strenuous for at least 4-6 weeks now, so that means she won't be allowed to take gym at school, or do any sports for now. I'm sure there will be a few things she will be disappointed to miss out on, but for now she needs to take care of herself and get better.
Hopefully she is on the mend and will never have to experience that kind of pain again!

Migraines & Roofing

This past weekend we planned on working on our roof and replacing all of the shingles. The large garbage bin was delivered on Thurday. Unfortunately I wasn't able to be here or help out with much of anything. The girls were both home sick, and I finally resorted to going over to the emergency at the hospital after spending two weeks with a migraine headache. I had been assured that they now had some new medications out that were used to break a migraine. I did a lot of debating about going as I really hate having an IV, but the pain was getting so bad, and just turning my stomach so much that I just couldn't stand it any longer. I was gone all afternoon and part of the evening. I spent over 3 hours waiting for them to actually come & do anything and to see a doctor. While I waited they had provided me with a room in the ER, and a stretcher to lay on, and turned the lights off so I could have some quiet, and darkness as the lights were really bothering me. Unfortunately I wasn't there long before the police ended up bringing in someone to the room beside me, and the noise & swearing & talking was non-stop from then on. There were 5 police officers in the beginning, but by the evening only 3 seemed to remain. There seemed to be a few scuffles, and I heard a lot of stories, and pleading. When the dr. finally came in to see me I was just getting ready to leave as I couldn't lay there anylonger. They did put an IV in, and as usual, ended up with it in my elbow which makes it rather uncomfortable as you can't bend your arm. They tried one dose of medication, and left me for an hour, then finally came back and came me another dose. I'm not really sure if they would have given me anymore, but the migraine seemed to be easing up and I'd had about all I could stand of the noise next to me, and just trying to lay there with the sheets falling off, and such an uncomfortable bed. I'm not quite sure what they gave me, but thankfully it helped. I was actually pain free for 3 days straight which was certainly a blessing for me, and none too soon.
Jen has been amazing helping me to clean around the house before any people come over. Rebecca has also been pitching in, and my wonderful friend Mona came & gave up her time & spent the day cleaning my kitchen and baking banana bread for us. She is such a blessing to me as are my two wonderful daughters, and I am so thankful that they are willing to help out as I really don't know how to keep up with everything.
On Friday, I had to run out to take my father shopping and pick up some groceries for us as well. I wasn't sure how many people were going to be around over the weekend, but I tried to stock up on things. When school ended on Friday, people began to show up. Jen & Becca were already here, and a number of other's began to arrive, and rushed up to the roof and began working right away. In two short hours they had scraped all of the shingles off each level. I knew they were up there working so hard, and I spent some time preparing food for dinner. They worked till it was too dark to do anymore.
Sat. morning arrived, and while cool, it was bright & sunny. I rushed out to take my dad to dialysis, while Earl & the girls got ready for people to arrive and grabbed something to eat. It wasn't long before there was people all over and up on the roof working, fixing up things, replacing plywood, and beginning to shingle. Along with the food I had prepared, a few of the ladies had either sent or prepared some extra food for me to put out, so we were blessed and had no shortage of things to eat. They worked steady all day, and they worked hard. Some came & left early, while others arrived later, and stayed later. We needed them all. As evening arrived, we realized that it wasn't all going to get finished, but the most of it was covered, and things were covered up with something. I noticed there were a lot of stiff, hurting bodies around that evening, including myself. I may not have been up on the roof, but I was constantly on my feet, preparing food, serving things, and making more things. It was sure good to sit down that evening, but I seemed to have overdone it and the pain was not about to let up very quickly. I didn't sleep very well because of the pain, and I understand there were a few others who felt the same.
I can't begin to thank all of those people for their hard work up on the roof and for all they did to help us out. We could not have done any of it without them and we are so wonderfully blessed to have such special and caring people in our lives.
Thank you Lord for all you have blessed us with .
During the night we had a thunderstorm and it rained. Well I suppose if it's gonna leak, now's a good time to know if it's gonna leak or not. It was raining in the morning again, so we all got ready and went off to church. I noticed a number of people struggling with pain & stiffness in their joints & muscles from doing more than they had counted on and weren't used to doing. Praise God, the sunshine came out while we were in church, and we decided to ask for help if anyone was able to join us.
We rushed home to change and I got some food ready for who ever might arrive to help. By the time Earl & the girls went out, one man arrived, and a little while later, a couple arrived, and then a few more people. Despite still hurting, they gave up their Sunday afternoon and rest time to come & help us out. God is indeed good, and so are these children of His! I can't begin to explain how thankful I am for all of their help. Even when it started to sprinkle a little, they kept working. When darkness ascended upon us, some of them still kept on to make sure most of the job got done. That evening brought more rain, and the following day brought dark clouds, and showers. Bill & his workmate stopped by after work and finished off some different jobs, and Earl has spent his mornings, trying to organize things, and return leftover shingles & wood etc.I'm sure glad to have that job behind us. Now all we have to do is pay for it all. I can't believe how much the cost of things have gone up. Last count left the cost at $2300. and there are still some more things to add it...yikes. It's done, and they did a great job, and it was something that did indeed have to happen.
There were a few mishaps, a show thrown into the garbage bin, a few falls into vent holes, some scrapes & scratches, and lots of mess to clean up. A job well done, and hopefully will last for at least 20 more years! Roofing brought together a lot of caring people and I hope we can help them out sometime in the near future.

Summer Vacation

I can't believe how much time has actually passed since I last posted on here or even looked at it. My summer was busy. There always seemed to be something happening or we'd be going somewhere. Jen did a lot of babysitting, and I had to go and pick her up at different places. We also went to visit a few friends and did some swimming in their pool. I have continued to take my dad to dialysis 3 days a week as well. Dad turned 80 this summer, and had to end up giving up driving so it's meant more running for me in taking him out to do errands and shopping but I don't really mind as I'm usually wanting to get out places and pick up things myself, and I know how hard it can be when you don't have a vehicle and no one to take you places. It's hard living on your own esp. when you've had someone living with you and in your life for 50 years. I think perhaps some people have no idea of what it's like to be stuck on your own, or dependent upon others and in need as well as being very lonely living on your own with no one to talk to. For years I've heard all these stories about enjoying one's 'golden years', but I must say, I am having trouble understanding where those golden years actually are for many people. Oh, there are some people who might be blessed in having both the money, the time and the health to enjoy those years, I am finding that there are so many more living with poor health, financial difficulties, and just unable to get out and do anything.
I watched my mom's health get worse and worse over the years, and saw her suffer in pain from her arthritis, and heart condition. Her latter years of life were not very enjoyable. Many of them were spent in and out of the hospital, and totally relying upon help from someone else. Now I watch as my dad grows older, and his health gets worse, his vision is failing, and he is having to depend upon someone else to get him out and around. Since he was unable to keep driving, I ended up with his van. It's older than the one I had, but definitely in better shape inside and out.
In August we had booked some time away at a cottage near Bancroft, so I ended up having to spend time finding and organizing things, doing extra laundry,buying extra groceries, packing things up, and getting ready to go.Earl had to end up working right till the last moment the night before so I had to rely upon both of my girls to help out and thankfully they are old enough now that they are able to help out with many of these things, as well as pack up their own things, and locate things which I'm unable to do. I was really thankful for all of their help this year, as I was having a difficult time getting ready. They even helped with loading up most of the things into the van.
The night before we left we had an unexpected, and totally unwelcome visitor. A black and white animal that has been living somewhere nearby and visiting our yard and those around us. You guessed it...a skunk. This nasty little creature decided to venture into our yard up near our back door right at the same time as our dog Honey was outside. I was sitting inside the house, and the smell suddenly took my breath away, and I found my eyes burning and that was with all of the doors and windows closed. I yelled for my daughter to let the dog in only to be met with a smell that grew even stronger. I looked out the back door to see the skunk just walking along taking it's time as it sauntered around the yard. Great...I was trying to get things packed up and my plans were quickly changed. My evening was spent grabbing the dog, and taking her down to the laundry tubs and giving her an in depth, scrubbing, and cleaning as my eyes watered and I gasped for breathe. We didn't have any tomato juice in the house, so I just did my best with what I had at such a late hour. Of course we had to put up with the smell all night and open all of the windows to try and freshen the air.
By morning we had to spend time packing everything up, and loading the car so we could head out for our vacation. Finally, some time away, with no deadlines, no committments, and no time schedule to follow. Just what I was needing and looking forward to.
We made pretty good time getting to the cottage, and it was wonderful to get up there by the lake and into the place we've been to for a number of years now.
Mornings to sleep in, days to sit by the lake or go into town or visit with someone and just relax. Time to sit and feed peanuts to the chipmunks and the bluejays, and do some crafts or read a book. Evenings to go down and fish at the dock and watch the sun set across the lake. What a beautiful view! Nights to sit by the campfire and roast marshmallows, and listen to the total peace & quiet of the evening save for the call of the loons back and forth to one another. Time to sit and look into the skies and to wonder at how many stars there actually are in the sky. You sure don't see that many when you live in a town or city with lights all over. A very short holiday that we wait all year to enjoy!!

A Few Special Sites to Share

http://fibromyalgiahelp.homestead.com/PastorPhyllisPoems.html

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/fibro_chronicpain-support/

Busy times, pain & blessings!

This seems to be one of the busiest summer's that I've ever had. I feel like I'm constantly on the go, running here & there, trying to get my dad places, taking the girls places and picking them up,going to a few friends places, but still not making it to all the places I would like to be able to go. How can things be so busy that I haven't got time to have coffee with a friend, or go to visit someone for a little while? I'm still trying to figure that one out. Guess by the time I get home after running about, I come in and have other responsibilities, or I'm ready to crash. Just trying to keep up with the basic housework has become such a chore for me. I had hoped this summer would be a better one for me with the pain, and it had started off that way, but the past few weeks the pain in my legs & back has been awful. Some days I go to stand up and feel like I haven't got enough strength in my legs to do anything. I know I've got too much weight on, but it's such a vicious circle. I'm supposed to try and exercise, then when I do, the pain gets worse and it lays me up for longer than I care for. The added running around takes time, and just the basic job of going shopping leaves me in such agony that I cannot do anything more than I need to afterwards. The pain & cramping in my legs gets so bad, that somedays I'm not sure how much longer I can stand it. You see I have two bad knees that are full of arthritis. Some days it feels like bone rubbing against bone. Other days the pain seems to spread up and down my leg and make it worse. Eventually I will have to have surgery on my knees, but they don't like to do anything till you're older. Perhaps because their are a lot of people who are worse afterwards, and the success rate isn't so good...? I also have the osteoarthritis all through me, and although it seems to be worse in my knees, there are days when the pain is really bad in my neck & shoulders, or my hands.
The heat & humidity that we seem to be experiencing this summer also is hitting me hard and causing more swelling, and pain with the fibro and arthritis, and for some reason with the fibromyalgia, our internal thermostats don't seem to adjust properly and we tend to feel the extremes in temp. and have more problems. When it's hot, I seem to feel extra hot, and these days I've been feeling like I ran into a brick wall at full speed or had someone run into me with a truck. Thank goodness for the air conditioning in the house. I don't have it in my car, so I've really been noticing it this year, because I've had to be out running about so much. Isn't it funny how we use words like that...because I'm really not doing any actual running. I only wish I could somedays.
Then there are days when I'm not too bad, and I try to enjoy those days and times the best I can. The pain medication helps, and so does the anti-inflammatory, but it certainly doesn't get rid of things. If I miss one of these pills then I certainly know it. I'm really not complaining. Life goes on and I do the very best I can most of the time. I feel blessed to be here, and to have this time with my children & family & friends. There was a time after the delivery of my youngest child that I almost died, and thought I'd not be here to see my children grow up. They are all wonderful miracles in my life, especially my two daughters who came along later in my life. I thank God for every day that I am here with them, and able to do as much as I can.

My house is very cluttered, and at times I'm afraid it's not always that clean. There are many things that need fixing, but we either don't have the funds to fix things, or the time & energy. Because of that, there are a lot of jobs that need to be done and things that don't seem to get done. Jen is a wonderful help when it comes to cleaning and she had certainly helped to organize some things, but she's often busy with her own schedule.

We've been blessed with some wonderful friends who help us out, and spend time with us, and allow us to spend all sorts of time in their swimming pool, and at their home for various activities. There are so many other people in our church who have become such special & caring friends, and I am so very grateful for all of these special people in our lives.

To add to these special blessings, I have discovered so many wonderful friendships via the internet, and come to know some very special people who have touched my life, and been there for me at times when no one else was there, except for my heavenly Father.

I live with pain daily, but one day that pain will be gone when Christ takes me home to be with Him. I pray that these wonderful Christian friends I have found will be there to walk with me thro' those golden gates of glory when I can walk without pain once again.

Until that day, all I can do is to do the best I can, and just take things one day at a time.

Blessings & Hugs to all who read this.

Special Events at our church

Gee it's been awhile since I last posted anything. Right now I'm really busy with various projects for our church, helping my dad with things, getting work done on the cars, and keeping up with my kids while they are home for the summer.
For anyone who happens to read my blog, I just want to let you know that our church, Orangeville Alliance Church is celebrating our 10th anniversary with some various activities over the long weekend (Labour Day weekend) in September. For anyone interested in attending, here's the info:

Agenda

Friday...Evening, informal get-together (dinner out, dutch treat)
When & where to be announced later, or upon your RSVP.
Saturday… 4 pm Meet & greet @ the deMan’s, then help to celebrate the union of Haley Mitchell & Josh Cornelius at 5 PM!
Sunday...Service is also at the home of Garry & Mona deMan’s. Start at 10:30 am (refreshments before service)
Special Music
Welcome & Congratulations (special guests)
Dr. Peter Hay (guest speaker)It will be nice to have him back
Pastor Darryl
Special Music
Lunch provided after Service! Bring your bathing suits and come prepared to have some fun & time visiting with one another.
RSVP to: Donna: d.matheson@rogers.com before Aug. 20 or after to: Debbie: sitcom_mom@hotmail.com, or dbuckle@sympatico.ca
Or 519-941-6024 (Church phone #)
Pictures of past events over the past 10 years would be really nice to have if you could email, or mail them out to us, or bring them along that weekend. Thanks.
Have a great one all!