A beautiful day!

The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and it's in the 70's. Perfect! Of course, we're getting rain the next 3 days. I was all set to post pix, and I can't find my cable. So it'll have to wait til Ralph gets home. 


Yesterday we took the moms out for Mother's Day. My mom picked Stone Grille as our destination. The salad was really good, the chicken parm was average. Ralph got eggplant, mom got a crabcake sandwich, and mom Florence got shrimp scampi. I love their Sunday brunch, but I wouldn't be in a hurry to go to dinner there again. 


Wednesday I went to Longhorn Steakhouse with the nurses. They've recently opened in Deptford, and it was really good. You could upgrade your salad to a BLT salad, and I did. The base was sliced tomatoes, topped with greens with an almost ceaser dressing, shredding parmasean cheese, and topped with a couple of bacon slices. So good! Lynn and Jean got steaks, and Mary Ester and I got parmesean garlic chicken breasts- it was a creamy sauce. I got a baked potato with it. I brought home most of the entree because I wanted to get dessert. I got deep fried cheesecake balls over ice cream, topped with strawberry sauce- served in a huge martini glass! Everyone helped me eat it, so they could try the cheesecake. Lynn got key lime pie which looked good, and Jean stuck with plain ice cream. We're going back there next month. 


I talked to the ortho's office, and the scan of my knee came out fine, so the mold can be made. I have an appt to see the rehab partner in the group. Things are moving along!


Friday I went to a Tastefully Simple demo with Steph, at Dan's aunts house. She lives on Sesame Street! I'm so jealous! Dan's sister Barbie is the demonstrator, and she did a good job. The last TS I went to was at Sharon's, and the demo was totally inept. She never got control of the demo. Dan's mom and sister in law were there, so it was nice to see them again. 


Manda and Ben are settling into their new place. Kitten had an upset tummy, so they got her a new vet and visited him. She seems fine now, which is a huge relief. 


John plans to come for a long weekend in June, and Nick is going to come up from Dallas and meet him here! We haven't seen my nephew Nick (John's stepson) for years! He lives in Dallas with his wife and has 2 sons and a baby girl named Scarlett. I love it! 


I've been a slug- I have 3 weeks of TV that I haven't watched, and maybe crocheted a row. I've been mostly reading on the kindle and the nook. 
And so it goes!
Holly

A Hallmark Holiday

Mother's Day is a nice idea, but it's turned into such a Hallmark Holiday. The radio showed that women want for gifts, in order, Flowers, Spa Days, jewelry, and iPads! And Heather heard a study that showed a correlation between "bad" Mother's Day gifts and divorce. Good grief! 


I've had a nice day. Heather and I went and got pedicures, and Steph and Dan brought us dinner from Gallery Pizza- she also dropped dinner off to my mom. Ralph and I are taking the moms to dinner next week- I won't touch a restrurant on Mother's Day- limited menus, and terrible crowds. 


Heather received the Excellence in Nursing award for her unit! It's a peer driven award, which makes it more special. Way to go, Heather!This afternoon they were taking the jet ski to the beach- it's a beautiful day for it.


I had the xray and CT with contrast done of my knee. Those measurements will allow the knee implant to be custom made for me. Knee day is June 27. My knee was so sore after the contrast injection that I iced, elevated, took tylenol and did nothing for 24 hours.


Steph and Dan spent the week in their timeshare in the Poconos. They did a lot of things- Bushkill Falls, wineries and breweries, movies, and a lot of relaxing. Toast and Whiskey stayed here for the week. 


Manda and Ben finished moving out of the corporate housing into their new apartment today. All their furniture and boxes of belongings were delivered Friday, and they can sleep in their own bed now. They sent me tayberry jam, lemon lotion and chocolates, all made in Washington State, for Mother's Day. They were enjoying living right in Seattle, but Ben's commute was ridiculous. 

It's been rainy, chilly and dreary all week, but this weekend has been so nice. More rain is predicted, of course. All week, Cliffie would run out when the dogs went out, and she's gotten used to a daily trip outside. It may take a while for her to get over that. 

And the beat goes on!
Holly

It's Sunday Again!

And I totally forgot to write a blog post last week!


I had my sleep study done Friday night. You show up, they wire you up like the Bride of Frankenstein, and tell you to go to sleep. I took my pillows with me, and did sleep. The tech said if a person is having bad sleep apnea, they wake them up and try a machine on them. That didn't happen, which I'm taking as a good sign. At 6 a.m. the tech woke me up, took all the wires off, and I was home by 6.30. They put electrodes on your scalp to measure brain waves, and the paste residue is best rinsed out with hot water, so I got a shower and went back to bed, in my own bed. 


No results from the synvisc yet, My insurance approved the MRI for measurements for the knee implant, and I have that tomorrow evening. 


It was a sad week. Uncle Pete passed away last Sunday. He and Aunt Dot had been married for 58 years, and have 3 wonderful sons and 5 grandsons. We didn't see them often, but when we did we were greeted warmly and made to feel at home. 


The funeral was Thursday, so I took a bereavement day and Ralph and I went with Mom Florence. Somehow I'd missed that Uncle Pete was a Navy Vet of WWII, and they did the flag ceremony at the end of the funeral. Hearing the mournful "Taps" played always makes me tear up, and think of my Dad. 


Mom Florence is failing. I had to point out to her which men were her nephews. She marvelled at how much Peter's mannerisms remind her of her later father. It was a long day for her. 


On a happier note, Dan got his eyeballs lasik'd on Friday. I haven't seen him without his glasses yet, but Steph says he looks dashing. Next weekend they leave for the Poconos to use Steph's timeshare week, so the pups will be spending the week here. Cliffie will not be happy. 


April is just about over. I only read 9 books in April, all from the library. That brings the yearly total up to 47 so far. 


Manda and Ben will move out of Seattle to their apartment in about 2 weeks. It will make Ben's commute much shorter, and they'll still be close to the city. 


Heather is loving day shift- she can live like a real person! Ed took Eddie to work with him for Take Your child to Work Day. It was a little boy's dream day- he was up 50 feet in the bucket of the truck, he climbed a ladder and pretended to be a victim and was rapelled down. They learned about safety when a wire is sparking, learned some first aid, planted some flowers, and had a catered breakfast. 


And the beat goes on!
Holly

Spring Break!

Our district closes for the whole week after Easter. Always. No matter if we've had no snow days, or if we've had ten. No matter if we have to have school on Saturdays to make up snow days, we're still closed. There is a reason- hundreds of people in the district work twelve months a year, and the week off is what they want. Kids making up snow days- they don't care, they are there anyway. School going til June 30- same thing. Apparetnly, it ain't about the kids at all. 


So anyway, we were off all week. Good Friday Ralph did the food shopping for me. We went to Mike and Donna's for Easter dinner, which was fabulous. Ham, lasagna, other pastas- yum. Pineapple stuffing, other sides, salad, and lots of desserts. Good company.


Monday I was doing nothing, and went into afib. It wasn't real dramatic, as it usually is, so we decided to hold off on going to the ER. At the ER, I would get blood drawn, be on a moniter, and watched. So I just relaxed, and it broke after after 5 hours. So Monday I got nothing done.


Tuesday, Ralph went with me to DMV and I got my handicapped hangtag. I'm officially decrepit. We then went to lunch and the library.  Heather and the kids came up in the afternoon for a visit. Eddie and Julianna's school was only closed Monday and Tuesday for spring break, and they get out two weeks before my district.  Wednesday I went and got blood drawn, and went and got my haircut.


Thursday morning I went to the eye doctor, and found out that my tear ducts are partially blocked, and that's why my eyes have been bothering me. Easy fix, warm compresses. In the afternoon I went to ortho and got the second synvisc shot, and talked to the scheduler about a surgery date. I came home and iced the knee and relaxed, and it didn't hurt like the first shot.


Friday I took mom to the endodontist for an evaluation, then we picked up Ralph and went to Olive Garden for lunch. Later, we met Steph and Dan at the diner for dinner. 


So the main thing I accomplished this week was a whole lot of running around! Monday back to work. Wednesday after work I see the ablation cardiologist, and Thursday is my final synvisc shot, and seeing my primary. I'm racking up the co-pays!


And now to ice the knee!
Holly

Finally!

I got the first injection of synvisc into my right knee yesterday after work. All I felt was the needlestick, and a little pressure. Ortho advised ice and babying the knee for a day or so. I iced and elevated. By bedtime, the knee hurt so bad that I could barely walk, even with the cane! I was up half the night with it hurting. 


By morning, it felt a lot better, but I'm taking it easy today. Ralph is making a grocery store run for me, to get the ingredients for my contributions for Easter dinner. I'm making mini crescent roll hot dogs, pineapple stuffing, a broccoli casserole, and of course Joseph's Trifle. Donna is making ham, and two lasagnas- meat and seafood. Mom is making her wonderful baked beans. 


Tuesday was my niece Naureen's birthday. Tomorrow would have been my Dad's birthday, and Ralph's Dad's would have been later this month. We also have anniversaries- Mike and Donna, and Frank and Charlotte. 


After borrowing my Nook for a week, Steph has ordered a Kindle touch. Ereaders are the greatest! Much as I love both my Nook and Kindle Fire, I have to recommend the Kindle, because of Amazon's fabulous customer service and website. BN's customer service stinks, and their website is so slow that I want to scream. My mom loves the Kindle DX that  lives at her house. With her arthritis, it's much easier for her to hold than a book. Her Kindle is on my account, so she has access to all of my books. 


We're off today and all next week for spring break- yay! I was asking a bunch of the kids yesterday, and they are all ready for a break. 


Yesterday was the 5th anniversary of my Dad's sudden death. It was the way to go. He spent the afternoon chasing squirrels, had dinner, and was gone by bedtime. We'll never stop missing him, but I'm so grateful that he didn't have a long, drawn out illness. He would have hated that. 


Ben starts his new job today in Everett, Washington. They've had a good first week, exploring Seattle. Manda found a yoga studio, and a yarn shop, so she's very happy. Some of their belongings will be delivered Monday, and hopefully their cars will arrive soon. 


And the beat goes on!
Holly

A New Chapter

Manda, Ben, and Kitten flew to Seattle yesterday from Houston. It was a five hour flight that and put them two more time zones away from us. The cat, with the help of a little valium, did fine. They are in a corporate apartment right near the Space Needle, for up to 45 days. They went from the 80's of Houston to the 40's of Seattle!


We took Ralph's mom out to lunch to the Olive Garden. Every time I see her, she seems littler and more frail. She enjoyed the lunch, and took home enough food for at least one more meal. 


Finally, this Thursday I get the first synvisc injection in my knee. I have high hopes for good results. Ed's Dad got the injections and felt immediate relief. Others can take up to 5 weeks to feel the difference, and it doesn't work at all for some people. 


Heather started day shift this week, and is delighted with it. She no longer has to worry constantly whether she'll get a nap before going into work. 


Cliffie is becoming quite the house cat. She's sitting on the computer desk as I write this, looking cute. She has a bad habit of racing thru the house meowing at the top of her voice at 5 a.m. We're not used to such an energetic cat, since for years we've had old cats. 


I'm reading a library book called Deader Homes and Gardens by Joan Hess. It's the latest in a series, but the first one I've read. I'm enjoying it, so I'll probably start requesting the books from the beginning of the series. 


Next week is Easter Sunday! Heather is working- none of the hospitals consider Easter to be a holiday, so if it's your weekend, you work, at straight time. We'll be having dinner at Mike and Donna's. They like to host on the holidays, since they have a whole crew who wander in and out all day. It's nice having Ralph retired, so we don't have to worry about him having to work. 


And so it goes!
Holly

A Quiet Sunday

Quiet is a good thing. I didn't feel at all good yesterday, and slept most of the day. I have a nasty dry cough, and just felt lousy. 


The latest on the synvisc- it's at the ortho's office. However, the ortho is on vacation, and I can't get the first inject until April 5. This is just ridiculous. As for the other issues, I'm in a holding pattern waiting for appointments. 


We had an inservice day at work, and the nurses had to go to Cooper Hospital for our inservice. It's the first I'd been there since they built the new parking garage, and the new tower. It's a hike from the garage to the lobby, which is a big atrium. The place is huge! I'm so glad I don't work there anymore.


Friday night we watched Eddie and Julie til Ed got home, while Heather worked her last night shift! She starts days Tuesday, and can live a more normal life. Working nights takes it out of you- you're always either sleeping to go to work, or sleeping to recover from work. And you're never really rested. 


Manda and Ben move the end of the this week. I still can't believe they'll be so far away. 


I'm reading a library book called Hounding the Pavement, by Judi McCoy. It's about a NYC dogwalker who finds a client dead and his dog missing. It's OK. There are others in the series, but I'm not sure I like it enough to take out the rest of the series. 


The weather was near 80 the end of the week, but it cooled down a lot yesterday. I had to close the windows and turn the heat back on. It was too hot, too soon. 


I crocheted for a couple of hours on the granny ripple afghan. It's in two shades of blue and white. I still download a bunch of free and reduced price books everyday to the Kindle Fire. 


And that is my boring life this week!
Holly