Friday, September 26, 2008

Friday night again!

Wow, this week just zipped on by! It was a busy one. Tuesday night we had to stay late at work, Thursday night I watched the grandchildren so that Heather and Ed could go to their first ever back to school night. Tonight I came home and took my traditional Friday night nap, then went to the grocery store to get the rest of the stuff for the party tomorrow.

Manda's plane should be landing anytime now. She hasn't seen Eddie and Julie since Easter, so she'll be happy to see how they've grown. She's staying over Steph's tonight, and they'll be here after Steph's class tomorrow.

The area where I had the tooth extracted is still tender, and I can't bite into anything. I follow up with the oral surgeon on Monday.

Holly

Sunday, September 21, 2008

It's Ralph's birthday today!

DH Ralph is 60 today! And it's his weekend to work, so he had to be up and out early.

I first met Ralph when he was 21 and I was 17. Our local paper published the names of local servicepeople who were in Vietnam, and I sent him a Christmas card. We wrote for a little bit, but he's the world's worst writer, so we started sending cassette tapes back and forth. When he came home the end of June, we met, and started going out.

Ralph was a plumber in the family biz when I met him. Then his dad retired, and he went to work for someone else. Construction plumbers are out of work a lot of the winter, and he decided to go to college. We already were married, had a house and Heather and that point. VA money helped put him thru school, and he got a BSN and started working as an ER nurse.

He's been a nurse for 27 years now! His nurse manager calls Ralph their "go to guy". His big hobby is fixing computers, and I think he's fixed every in the ER's computer at least once.

Last August Ralph developed a sudden terrible headache with awful nausea. He was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor- how scary is that?! And the fabulous neurosurgeon Dr. Turtz removed it thru his nose! Didn't even shave off his mustache!

That was the hardest thing we've been thru. I wasn't sure Ralph's mom and I would survive that week. The night before they operated, I was on my way home from the hospital at 4 a.m. and I had a long conversation with his dad and my dad, the world's most unlikely angels. I asked that they keep him safe for me and Florence and my girls, as we weren't ready to lose him. Either Joe and Rocco had some influence with God, or it just wasn't Ralph's time, because he came thru the surgery wonderfully, and was home 48 hours later.

When Ralph was able to go back to work, I convinced him to go part time- 2 12 hours shifts per week instead of 3. The mortgage is paid off, we don't have to pay for college anymore, and we could afford the cut in pay. It's made a tremendous in his quality of life- he looks so much better and less stressed.

We're having a joint birthday party next weekend for Ralph and our grandson Eddie, who will be 5 on Tuesday. Manda is even coming home for it!

Happy Birthday Ralph! We love you!

Friday, September 19, 2008

Friday night!

What a day! Last night I chewed on a pretzel and my upper front tooth broke off at the gum. I said some very bad words. I had given up using very bad words about 5 years ago for New Years, but a tooth breaking off is an exception.

So today I had to go my dentist and get an impression of my mouth, take my partial plate to the lab for them to add the tooth, go back to the lab to pick it up, and go to the oral surgeon for the extraction under general anesthesia. Some things are better slept thru. But it's all over now, I can talk and be understood, and there's not a lot of swelling. It's definately tender, but doesn't really hurt. Calling out from work was a pain- I have things I'm in the middle of, and a day not there wasn't in my plan.

Manda, Ben and the kitten are on their way back to Houston. They left this afternoon, with a cooler and a lot of nonperishables, and hope to be home tomorrow morning. Travel goes a lot faster without rainstorms following you!

Ben has power, Manda doesn't. So they will camp out at his place. JSC was opening today, and the gas station at their corner is up and running. They'll be glad to be home, and back in their routine.

Tomorrow I go to Quilting Possibilities in Bayville (50 miles away) for an all day class in the use of my HQ16. I signed up for it 6 months ago, and I'm so looking forward to it. There will be 12 of us, and they'll have 6 machines for us to use.

And it's chilly! So chilly that I have all the windows closed, and the heat on to take the chill off. Looks like fall is really here!

Holly

Thursday, September 18, 2008

More on the evacuees

Manda and Ben are planning to head back to Houston tomorrow. They'll leave Ben's parents around noon, and plan to get thru Kansas in the daylight (see previous post).

Their apartment complex, the Palms, has some power- Ben's building does, Manda's doesn't. Johnson Space Center is running on generators. Downtown Houston has a dusk to dawn curfew, to prevent looting.

So they're shopping for non perishables in Nebraska, to take back with them. Especially cat food- can't run out of cat food!

Holly

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Update on Manda and Ben

They are safely at Ben's house. Kitten is settling in- she's eating and drinking and using the litter pan, and hiding under the bed. When I talked to Manda last night, they were at a friend's house. Ben was watching football and Manda had taken a nap.

I went to the Houston Chronicle's website, and the Houston officials are telling evacuees not to come back yet, as most of the city is without power. It's a scary situation, and I'm so glad they are safe in Nebraska.

Yesterday I took a Mystery Quilt class at Quilted Treasures. It was a lot of fun, and will be a fun quilt. I have to recut one strip set, as it didn't end up the right width, even tho my strips were correct, and the 1/4 inch seam was dead on. But correcting is it only a matter of cutting 3 strips and sewing them together, then subcutting- maybe a half hours work.

Today is a meeting of the South Jersey Longarmers Guild, also at QT. I'm the least experienced person there- everyone else does Longarming as a business. The meetings are informative and fun, and make me realize that I so do NOT want to go into business. Right now, longarming is fun. If I do it as a business, it becomes work, and I already have a job.

Things to be happy about-
Manda and Ben and Kitten are safe
You don't have to evacuate for blizzards
Work is going really well (knock wood)

Holly

Friday, September 12, 2008

Evacuation Update

When I talked to them at 7 a.m. they were in Kansas. Manda said Kansas must not know there is reflective paint for roads, because it was very dark, and raining hard. So they stopped at a rest stop and slept for a couple of hours.

She left me a message at 11 that they were just pulling into Ben's parents' driveway. They drove 1070 miles! Poor Kitten!

Watching TV, I'm so glad they evacuated, and seems like it may be a lengthy one.

Holly

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Houston Evacuation

Manda and Ben's zipcode is under mandatory evacuation. Johnson Space Center closed today at noon, and they packed up their laptops, quilts, and the cat and headed for.......Nebraska, of course! They considered Austin, but their friend in Austin is away, so they decided to drive the 1000 or so miles to Ben's parents in Nebraska. They left their car at a friend's who is a little more inland (the friend is also evacuating to several states away), and headed out.

When they called tonight at 10, they were near Oklahoma City, and traffic was fine. They plan to alternate drivers and napping, and arrive around 5 a.m.

I've been laughing all night about evacuating to Nebraska, but I'm so glad they are safe. Stuff can be replaced, if necessary. Since Manda's apartment is on the second floor, and Ben's is on the third floor, their stuff should be fine. Ike is supposed to make landfall tomorrow night, and it's a big one. Keep all the Texans in your thoughts!

Holly

Monday, September 8, 2008

We survived the storm!

We had a whole day of rain and some wind from Hurricane Hanna on Saturday. It was a dreary day, a great day for laying around and not doing much, so that's what we did. Other than taking Toast outside a few times, we stayed in. It was nice, and the rain was sure needed.

Now it's back up into the 80's and humid. Toast went home with Steph last night, and it was strange to come home to an empty house. The cats don't count, they don't care if you come or go as long as food appears in their dishes on a regular basis.

I got a lot done at work today, which was very satisfying. On the way home I stopped at Joann's fabrics for the pattern sale, and got dinner for Mom and us from Boston Market. Got home and ran the dishwasher and washer, trying to whittle down the mountain of email.

Ralph got the new computer hooked up, and everything transferred. We have a nice fast computer now, and the big moniter is working great.

Tomorrow is my friend Barbara's birthday, and also my niece Sharon's birthday. Last week was my friend Linda's birthday, and later this week is my nephew Mikey's. Happy Birthday to all!

Holly

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Back to work

Summer is officially over! Staff started back to work on Tuesday, and the kids came in today. I'm exhausted! I was so out of the habit of getting up early and going to bed at a decent hour.

Tuesday and today I came home and napped. Yesterday I managed to stay awake, and even got the first border on the mystery quilt. I want the second border on before I cut fabric for another mystery quilt class that I'm taking on Sept 13.

Big news- Mom drove! After not driving since mid-May, she drove up and down her driveway yesterday, and went to the food store in town (4 blocks away) today. I'm so happy- I didn't want her to lose her independence. She's used to running to the doc, the food store and out to lunch with friends.

Steph is home from her Labor Day weekend visit with Manda. She'll be down after class on Saturday morning to pick up Toast and take her home. I adore the dog, but I'm ready for a break. She's definately a high maintainance pup.

Manda was thrilled with "The Wind Cries". She had claimed the fabric when I bought it, and the quilt top has been assembled for probably two years. I've been working my way thru the family, and everyone will eventually get a quilt, but no one should hold their breath.

My grandson starts kidnergarten tomorrow! He'll be 5 on the 23rd, where did that time go?

So just modest goals-
Put the second border on the mystery quilt.
Cut out the next mystery quilt
Cut out the pirate jacket for Eddie.

Holly