Halfway thru November!

I can't believe November is halfway gone, and Thanksgiving is in a week! Once Halloween is over, the year flies by. We just had a three day weekend, and I had such a bad cold that I didn't enjoy it, I just slept all day for 2 days. I still have a cough from it.

I sewed! I found great fabric at Joann's that is made up of 4 inch flannel squares already sewn together. So it was a matter of putting batting and backing with it and quilting it together. It's for my future great-nephew Joseph. 

I picked up my new glasses lenses today, hopefully they got it right this time. So far so good.

Ralph dug out all the reel-to-reel tapes that he sent to his family and they sent back, when he was overseas in the SeaBees. He's transferring them to CD's. It's amazing that they are still playable after more than 40 years. 

Manda and Ben get in on Monday night! We're doing our usual Thanksgiving dinner at Mike and Donna's. Then Saturday will be Thanksmas at Heather and Ed's, where we'll do gifts with them. Sunday is the baby shower for Joseph and Ali, then they fly out Sunday evening. 

Manda is bringing the supplies to teach me how to knit socks! I'm very excited by that. I need something to frustrate me! 

The time change is terrible. It's nice to leave when the sun is up, but it's dark by 5 pm. 

And so it goes!
Holly

It's November!

Hurricane Sandy has left, and the cleanup is ongoing. The shore is a real mess, and I hope the people who lived there have good insurance. Ed worked long hours all week for the power company. 

Our district missed two days, and some missed three or four. For the first time in over 100 years, the NJ Teacher's Convention is cancelled! It's always held in AC the second Thursday and Friday. Since AC is such a mess, it's cancelled. 

Our district did the smart thing, and we have school next week, as does the town I live in. We already have off every holiday known to mankind, and some that I swear they make up, so we're always the last district to get out in the summer. Adding the two hurricane days would have brought us up to the next to the last day in June. As it is, we're off Tuesday for Election Day, even tho the kids can't vote, and next Monday for Veteran's Day. 

Yesterday we went to Bob Evans for breakfast- I had a coupon. From there we went to AC Moore, since I had used up the last of the yarn I had for baby afghans. I hit the last day of a 30% off all yarn sale, and stocked up. Then I came home and took a nap!

Last night daylight savings time ended, so for a while I'll be getting up after it gets light. The downside is that it will be dark by suppertime. 

And now that it's November, it's time to think about Thanksgiving and Thanksmas. This year Manda and Ben come to us for Thanksgiving, and go to Nebraska for Christmas. So we'll have Thanksmas the Saturday after Thanksgiving and exchange gifts with them, and have a family meal. Also that weekend, on Sunday, is the baby shower for Joe and Ali. 

And Manda agreed to teach me how to knit socks while she's home! I'm excited. When I told Barbara, she invited herself down for a lesson. She's knitted forever, but is just learning socks, and she's stuck. 

So November is going to be busy!
Holly

Falling down on the job!

I haven't posted in weeks! What's up with that? Just a total lack of ambition. 

We survived Hurricane Sandy. Our power was out for two hours last night, and Mom's was out for 18 hours- hers just came back on. I'm so glad Ralph is retired- it was so scary when the power was out and the wind was howling. It was just so dark! All the schools were closed yesterday and today. Tomorrow is back to the real world.

Today is a sad anniversary. It's one year since Sam died. She fought the good fight for ten years with grace, dignity, and a snotty sense of humor. We all miss her so much! It snowed the day she died, and we had Hurricane Sandy on the one year anniversary. Is she trying to tell us something? 

I really have to learn to post pix here from my phone, and from FB. I have a lot of beautiful pix from David and Juliette's wedding. 

Dave and Juliette have been married for over 2 weeks now! We drove down, and it was a beautiful drive. As soon as you leave NJ, it's not flat anymore! Five minutes from the hotel, the car started to make a funny noise- not good. I texted Ed and got some advise from him. 

The day of the wedding, Steph and Dan and Manda and Ben went to Antietim in the morning, and brought us back lunch. The wedding was at 4.30, on the grounds of a B&B. The B&B is built along a hill, and was built by the brother of George Washington! 

The ceremony was beautiful! The bride cried, the groom cried, we all cried! It was a lovely evening.

The next morning Ed and Ralph took the caravan out, and no sound! yay! To be safe, we had Steph and Dan bring Manda and Ben back to the airport, since they had an early evening flight. We made it home fine, they made their flight, and all was well. 

And it's going to be November! We have birthdays- Kevin, Morgan, Donna, Joseph, Franny, Carol.

I joined yet another ABC swap on the HGTV message boards. I took the letter P and got pumpkin fabric. I cut the squares today, and Ralph will mail them off to the swap hostess for me.

And the beat goes on!
Holly

Thursday!

The week goes by much faster when it starts out with a day off! I saw Dr. Furey Monday about my foot, and he ordered an xray, but said he doesn't really think there's a fracture. By the time I saw him, the foot was feeling much better, and only painful to the touch in one small area. I ended up waiting til Tuesday and having the xray on my way home from work.

After seeing the doc, we went to Applebee's- Monday is broccoli cheese soup day! Then I went into Target for the first time since I got my new knee. I did fine walking around the store. 

Last night was Camden County School Nurses Assn. We had dinner courtesy of one of the drug companies, and an inservice on Glycemic Control. It was mainly boring, but it was good for 1.5 CEU's. I was home right before 9 pm.

Manda and Ben get in tomorrow night around 7.30. Ralph is going to the Amish Market to get dinner for them. Tonight I have to put sheets on the bed. I already raked off the kitchen table. There was about 2 weeks of mail that has to be sorted, so I put it in a bag and I'll go thru it while I watch TV. 

Saturday we leave for W. Va. for David and Juliette's wedding! Manda and Ben will ride down with Steph and Dan, and back with us. Heather and Ed will come down on Sunday, so that Ed and Jeanne will only have the kids for one night. 

I stopped at Saladworks and got us salads, which we had for dinner and we each had enough left for lunch tomorrow.

It's been getting so cold at night! We have the windows closed, the heat set at 68, and the electric blanket is on the bed. Every morning Cliffie runs to the porch door. We let her out, she goes on the porch and realizes that it's cold out there, and comes back in. 

And the beat goes on!
Holly

Brrr!

All of a sudden it's Fall! We knew today was going to be in the 50's and dreary, so we closed all but the bedroom window last night, and that got closed in the middle of the night. We turned on the heat for the first time today, and I put the electric blanket on the bed. As Ralph says, Cliffie will never get out of bed now!

Somehow I hurt my left foot. It's swollen so much that I had to buy different shoes- my slides won't go on my foot! I've left a message for my doc asking for a referral for an xray. I'll get that done tomorrow, since we're off for Columbus Day. It also hurts to walk on it. 

I need to find out what's up with the foot, because next weekend we go away! David and Juliette's wedding is next Sunday. Manda and Ben get in on Friday evening, and Saturday they'll ride down to W. Va. with Steph and Dan, and Ralph and I will go by ourselves. We're all staying at the same hotel. Heather and Ed will come down on Sunday. We're all coming back up on Monday, and Manda and Ben fly out Monday evening. We all took personal days for Monday. 

My new knee is doing great! I've cut the tylenol way back, to one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and that's mainly for the old knee. I also use the cane for the old knee, although right now I'm using it for the sore foot, also. 

And the beat goes on!
Holly

It's October!

September sure whizzed by! The weather has been gloriously cool and clear, til yesterday. It started raining, and got humid, and foggy. all of which make my new knee stiff. This morning I limped into work, following the aid that had major foot surgery this summer and is in a boot. A teacher limped in after us. Even getting out of the car I have to twist more than usual. 

October has Mom Florence's actual 90th birthday, Charlotte's birthday, and Justin's birthday. 

When I saw the cardiologist who did my ablation, he cut my beta blocker dose in half, and the last week in October I can discontinue it altogether. I can't believe how much better I feel with the dose cut! A beta blocker makes you tired all the time- everything is an effort. 

In September I read 13 books- 2 from the library and 11 on the Kindle or Nook. I also continued crocheting baby blankets for various babies who will be arriving soon, or have recently arrived. 

This weekend is a three day weekend, for Columbus Day. I'm looking forward to sleeping in. 

And so it goes! 
Holly

Weekend!

It's been such a nice day- fall feeling. It's going to get chilly tonight. Toast is visiting for the evening. Steph and Dan are having a party, and Toast gets anxious around a lot of people. Whiskey is very sociable, and goes to everyone. She's better off here, curled up with Ralph. 

I'm getting back into the work routine. Other than the part about getting up at 6.30, in the dark, I like it. We're getting in a bunch of new kids. At the end of the week, Health Services was notified that we all had to enter the doc's order dates on the med kids onto the website where we document meds. And it of course had to happen within two days. Since I was one of the few who knew how to do it, Health Services had anyone having issues call me to walk them thru it. It was easy enough to help, and it earned me some brownie points! 

I just finished another baby afghan. It seems like there's a bunch of pregnancies this year! I've been using various colors of varigated yarn, and making big granny squares, so they work up fast and look cute. And they require no concentration. 

Ralph and I still each have a cough, but are feeling much better this week.

I read a "real" book from the library, and it felt so strange after reading on the Kindle and Nook all summer. The new TV season has started. I've only DVR'd two new shows- nothing else looks like I want to be bothered with it. 

When I was at the cardiologist a couple weeks ago, he cut down the beta blocker by half. In six weeks, I can stop it altogether. It's absolutely amazing how much better I feel! The beta blocker made me tired all the time, and everything felt like it was such an effort. I'll be so glad to stop it altogether, and I haven't had any palpitations or episodes of afib since the ablation. Mom was at the cardiologist, and the EKG lady told her that they have so many people with afib now! 

Two milestones- I can come up the steps one foot per step, after years of putting two feet on a step. I have to hold the railing and the cane to do it, but it feels good. And the shower chair has been put in the basement- I took a standing up shower for the first time since my knee surgery. That felt so good! 

And it's time to change the laundry!
Holly