Easing into the weekend

Tomorrow is actually Halloween!! That also means that it is the last day of the month of October. I can not begin to think where this month has run off to! It seems like we shouldnt have been able to celebrate Lyndi's birthday yet!! But Thanksgiving will be here before we know it!
Today I went back to do a little marketing at a Health Fair being held at the hospital I used to work at. One of the ladies from the Atlanta office went with me. She told me that after meeting the people that worked at the hospital that she could imagine that it was hard for me to leave. And it was. I loved the people I used to work with. It was really like working with family. It was nice to see many of my former coworkers and the Doctors Poon (father and son). I got to see Kellie the Chief Nursing Officer of the hospital. She is a beautiful person that is just a wonderful supervisor and person. She has the prettiest flaming red hair! I was glad to get to chat with her for a little bit today.
One of the Pharmacy Techs at the hospital named Mona has breast cancer. Her cancer has spread to the bone (particularly the collar bone). Mona is 35 years old and has 2 children. As you can imagine with her being a tech, she probably doesnt make a fortune there. But all of the personnel at the hosptial have been helping to provide some financial support for Mona. Someone came up with the idea to sell t-shirts in Mona's honor. They are brown with pink boxing gloves on the left chest. On the back the t-shirt reads "Fight Like a Girl!" I love them. But the really great thing is that approximately $6 goes to Mona PER SHIRT! So far approximately 1100 shirts have been purchased!! Like I said, they are so cute! And they are for an excellent cause! I know that Mona is hugely appreciative for all of the support. She is a precious soul too, so is her mom Eileen that works at EMH too!
This week has been so blessed with GREAT news! I found out that Sherrie's tests came back clear. No brain mets or lung cancer. When she told me, I squeezed her tight! I could help but cry tears of JOY! If you prayed for her as I asked, THANK YOU! And THANK GOD for the huge blessings!
Another friend, Cindy, from EMH has informed me that her pregnancy (that has been somewhat high risk) is progressing nicely. She told me that she is at 30 weeks now. She also now has a little water melon sticking out in front! Praise God for getting fat huh?! Less than 2 more months to go! Please pray for her and her baby girl. This is her second child.
On a negative note, I found out that my cholesterol is quite elevated. Nevermind that I have been eating out a lot lately. And a quick burger and fries from McDonalds is not a good idea...no matter what! And no...I wont be sueing them...although I could use a little extra dinero....just kidding! But I have to swear that place off for good! ICK....maybe Im doomed to rabbit food. :(
I hope everyone has a safe day tomorrow!

Some more wonders of the World...

~I would like someone to please explain to me why it is that when you clean a Cat's box out that that is the immediate signal for the cat to use the box? I clean my cat's box daily and it never fails that as soon as I get to the end of cleaning it, the kitten is right there waiting! Does cleaning the box have a diuretic effect or a laxative effect on them? Hmmmm maybe Im on to something. What about all these poor folks that go to the hospital all stove up from not having used the bathroom in days or even more than a week?? Maybe instead of disimpacting them, we should suggest that they just clean the toilet! Hospital nurses, take note.
~Why must men go through MAN-O-PAUSE? As if one bitchy (sorry for the language) person in the house is not enough? And the thing is that they can be so much worse than the average woman. Its unbelievable. And how does a person judge when these men are going to have an episode? Its not like a woman's cycle where you can count 28 days. No, instead it just comes on full force and can last for days and sometimes weeks. And lets not even dip into the subject of a MIDLIFE CRISIS! HOLY COW!
~Hot Flashes....after shocks of Eve's greatest mistake??? Thanks again EVE! ...I met a woman recently that said that she had never had the first hot flash, ever in her life! She said that when her daughters complain of having them, she tells them that they are all in there head...thanks for the support mom! But what is it that triggers them? And how is it that it can bring on such a soaking sweat that it can wet PJs and bed sheets. I feel for menopausal women that get them so severe that it wakes them. Then they have to get up, change the bed and change clothes. And what if they have RLS on top of hot flashes? The poor legs run in place so they cant fall asleep, then when they get to sleep, a hot flash may wake them up!
~What causes cellulite anyway??? And how is it that skinny stick figures of women can get it on the backs of their thighs too??? And why dont men have it?
~What is the supernatural draw that causes kids to want to create master pieces on the wall? A child gets a pencil, pen, food or something else disgusting in their hands and its going to the walls!!! Whatever it is that draws them is powerful!
Anyway, I noticed on the way home from work today that one gas station has a gallon at $2.38! Its a miracle! Up the road closer to Athens, I noticed it was still in the $2.40s. Hopefully it will keep going down.

Sunday the day of rest...

Today we celebrated Lyndi's 2nd birthday. It was a delightful day with mostly family. Lila's best friend and her brother Cody came. They are my friend's (Nancy and Kevin) kids. My stepson came with his roommate Austin.
I made chicken tortilla soup, Pete made a great cheese dip and I baked a huge cake with cream cheese icing. We had some good eats today! I may have gained 10 pounds today from cake alone. It turned out really nicely!
Lyndi had a great time and thats what mattered! She played with her cousin Betty Carol. BC drove her around in Lila's Barbie Jeep. What better way to spend your birthday than to be chauffeured around in a Jeep. Mostly though, we ate, had cake and icecream, and opened presents. Lyndi was very impressed with the big girl panties she got from her Nana and Papa!
After the party, Pete's mom and dad helped us cut down a huge red oak that died in our neighbor Ashley's yard. We got 2 and a half truck loads of wood.Then we had to haul off all the branches..talk about back breaking work....
AND THEN IT HAPPENED.......
As Pete and I were unloading the trailer of all the limbs, Pete said "WAIT!!!" As we were about to throw a huge pile of limbs in a ravine on Nancy and Kevin's property, a tree limb caught Pete's nearly $400 Nikon eyeglasses.........
They are never to be found again. So Pete had to make the comment that the amount of wood we got (that we were so proud of) from Ashley's house cost us a cool $380..... thanks for that perspective on it Pete! Yea......
So life goes on I guess. Im really not very happy about the eye glass thing. Of course, it could have been worse...it could have put his eye out! I guess we should just be thankful!

Mr Mole

I think Ive mentioned my slightly OCD personality.....
Well, in my previous post about Sherrie, I mentioned something about my bosses' mole. Don't get me wrong. Its not like the woman's mole out of "So I married and Ax Murderer". It doesn't grow out long, gangly hairs and its not hard and crusty looking. Its just a mole.....that's located on the back of his ear.
Now, if this is weird...just call me on it ok...ok so don't bother...
I think had been working at VI probably a day or two when I first noticed this mole. Its located on the BACK of my bosses' left ear. Its maybe about the size of a pencil eraser and kind of flat. Its perfectly symmetrical and it is evenly colored. But I asked him..."Do you know you have a mole on the back of your ear?" I figured that there WAS A CHANCE that in his 52 years of life, he could have missed seeing the thing!
He turned to me and said something like,"Marci, you are missing one of those little filter things that most people have in their brain that tell them what they should and shouldn't say..." I think that David learned very quickly what I was all about! I told him that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't examine that mole and let him die from skin cancer! I COULD HAVE SAVED HIS LIFE!!!!
Now I do realize that tucking in our surgeon's tag on his shirt and picking lint (and stray hairs) off of Sherrie's shirt probably is not a life saving measure! HOWEVER.....appearances are EVERYTHING when you work in the beauty industry!! Could you really put your trust in a man that's a surgeon that can not even keep his shirt tag tucked in??? NO I didn't think so!
So after the mole incident, my boss has developed a certain comfort level with me. He likes to tell patients that I am working with them as part of a grant program funded by the Federal government for people that come from HALF WAY HOUSES! He tells them that I have been doing ok and that he thinks that once the court cases are settled on some of those cases that I have had to go to court for that things will get better for me.....or he says something about things have been ok with VI but he had heard that some of my previous employers are still trying to settle some cases......HE ISNT RIGHT!! I mean, I try to save his life and all I get in return is mockery and pain........ :)

Random thoughts....

Today I had lunch at a restaurant with one of by bosses and the person that is going to be over marketing for both offices. We ate at a hamburger joint located in part of what used to be the 40 Watt! As soon as I walked in, I was like, "HEY THIS WAS PART OF THE 40 WATT!!" I looked at my doctor and said," I mean, not that I ever went to the 40 Watt...." See, my coworker (and dear, dear friend) Sherrie and I have a running joke. We tell our bosses that we are always, ALL about work. We just work, work, work... and we never smile, we are always serious and we can not laugh. We want them to realize what good employees we are. Which they know isn't in any way true because we get along marvelously! We talk and laugh all the time together! We laugh so hard that we cry sometimes! Its great! Now that being said, we do work! We work hard. We care about our practice a lot! We don't ever want to see our practice fail or else we would have to find jobs at who knows where, with who knows who?! And both of us have worked for Jack the Rippers first cousins. I know I have worked for two of them already in the past. I don't ever want to go back.
I know you might think I'm joking when I say that at former jobs, I have actually been chastised for smiling. I can clearly remember sitting in shift briefing and having a Sgt or a Lt. say,"Heide! What are you smiling about? Is there something you need to share?" For goodness sakes, I really just liked my job...but maybe a little less after that incident. It was ridiculous. I smile a lot! That's why I have crow's feet at my eyes and deep parenthesis at the sides of my mouth. Believe it or not, I do try to be positive most of the time. I tend to fall on the side with the realists but I like to try to cling to optimism. My faith causes me to believe that life does get better than this!
I know Ive mentioned Sherrie before in my blogs. But I have never told Sherrie's story. Sherrie is such an awesome person and she come from an incredible family. I LOVE Sherrie. And I say that with the real love to back that up. She is a great friend to me. And I know that God has placed her in my life for a good reason! And to tell you the truth, I gratefully appreciate his generosity with her.
Back when I went to VI the very first time for my interview, I met Sherrie, our "Office Coordinator." When I saw her I said, "Don't I know you from somewhere?" No, I didn't mean that to sound like a cheesy pick up line....But she looked so familiar to me. I racked my brain backward and forward. Her face, her voice and her name...I KNEW at some point in my life. But the crazy thing was that she lived in Atlanta and moved to Jackson Co. about 4 years ago. I knew that wasn't how I knew her. She didn't get her hair done at my mom's salon (that's always a good jumping off point). So I started to file her under the "Ive probably seen you in Walmart" folder in my mind. Then we got to talking about one of our bosses moles (but that's another story). She mentioned that she had had skin cancer. SO THAT WAS IT! As it turns out, I remembered her from the cancer treatment center! Suddenly I was able to picture her clearly in my mind sitting in one particular chair. I remember that there was confusion over her name and how to pronounce it properly (this is another story). I remember that when I met her, I thought about how young she was and about her having 2 children. I thought that it could have been me sitting there instead of her. Any one of us could be one step away from sitting in one of those chemo chairs.
Anyway, that just amazed me! That whole day was really something. I was offered my job that very day. From then on, Sherrie and I were great friends. She and I have so much in common. BUT there is so much I don't have in common with her, and those things make her even more special to me!
Sherrie not only had skin cancer about 2 years ago....
A little over 7 years ago, Sherrie was about 31 years old. She had had a bout of pneumonia that wouldn't go away. She had a couple of chest xrays but no one had shown any concern. One day one of her doctors (she didn't see the PA or another practice doc) happened to look at her xray. He noticed that something didn't look quite right. He had Sherrie go for either a CT or an MRI. She got a call back that shocked her beyond all belief...she had lung cancer. And YES, she was a smoker. She told me that when she got the news...she immediately went out and smoked a cigarette. "I was stressed so I smoked a cigarette!" Who could argue with that? A diagnosis of that kind at 31?
Sherrie ended up quitting smoking when she had surgery to remove the lower two lobes of her right lung. She did not have any chemotherapy or radiation. And some time after that (I'm not sure when) she developed Thyroid cancer. She had to have her entire thyroid removed and had to have treatment. She also had to take medication to regulate her thyroid hormones.
About 2 years ago, Sherrie found a 3.5cm spot on her leg. The dermatologist ended up cutting a large plug out of her leg. As it turned our, she ended up having to have a core out of her leg and lymph nodes removed. She had melanoma. For one year, Sherrie had to receive Interferon via IV and then give herself shots of the chemo at home. One of the major side effects of Interferon
is depression. Some people have such a hard time with it that they can develop a major depressive disorder that involves psychotic episodes and hallucinations. Its not a fun trip.
Let me back up a minute and add this about Sherrie...
After having had her lung removed, Sherrie had her first child Emily (7). Then she had a son named Connor (he is 5). So through all of this, she still had a busy family to raise. I don't know how she managed to do it all.
Sherrie asked me one day if I ever look at my life (and how good it is) and still feel kind of depressed. You know....nice husband, nice kids, nice house, running cars, excellent job.....and yet still feel down. I had to admit to her that YES I do! I tried to remind her that she has been through an awful lot. A lot more than most of us. I don't think its being ungrateful to feel depressed! GOODNESS! But we as mothers tend to see other moms make it look so easy! Some of us think that if we aren't being a parent like so and so that we cant possibly be good moms....that's just not true!
After I had Lyndi, I had several people tell me to cut myself some slack..."don't be soooo hard on yourself Marci! You just had a baby!! You are going to be tired......" Well, I felt like the worlds worst parent. I felt like I couldn't keep up. I had Lila, a newborn and a new job, no house of my own and Pete had been in Milledgeville away from us (trying to sell our house there while we were in Athens already). Oh it was a tough time. And every now and then I still have tough times (just read some of my previous posts!!!)
But I told Sherrie that God knows whats in our hearts even if its not reflected in our moods. I just have such a hard time feeling down with Sherrie around. Ive come in and been in a rotten mood due to kids or stress or a kidney stone....and she has been there for me every time! She has been a shoulder for me to cry on...nevermind that it was hormone exacerbated....that's no one else's concern!
I truly believe with all my heart that God has placed us together for some great reason. Maybe its so both of us can lean on each other when we need it. Or we can hand one another a tissue when we tell a really touching story or get to laughing too hard! I'm telling you, I love her! She is so perfectly imperfect that I love being around her. She seems to accept me and all of my oddities without even a blink! She even thinks I am funny! Now that's just crazy! A person has to have a really dorky sense of humor to get where I'm coming from! And she is so very funny! She shares with me all of her great family stories and makes me laugh until my side hurts over the crazy practical jokes they have played on each other! She comes from a family of 4 girls!
Today Sherrie went to have some follow up tests done. They did a CT of her thorax and an MRI of her brain. I pray with all of my heart that those tests show that there is not the first cancer cell in her body. She has been cancer free for 7 years. So I ask that anyone that reads my blog, to please pray for Sherrie. Please pray for friend that I love so dearly, that makes me laugh and cry. That brings me candy corn and daisies because I had a bit of a hard week one time. And she gave me a card that ponders the terms, "butt naked or buck naked?"
Please pray for her Sherrie's family: her husband Lee, daughter Emily and son Connor. Pray that this world will have my seriously funny friend around for many more decades to come!
God bless!

Please God...

Dear God,
I am writing to you tonight to ask you to please be with me. I am praying for protection of my very last nerve. All of my other nerves are long since gone. They snapped a very long time ago. Im not even sure which bout of chaos made them snap, but it happened. I think thats about the time my first gray hairs began too.
Dear Lord, I found a cute little kitten today. He is a pretty orange tabby. He is very sweet. He just literally climbed into the car. Thank you for sending me something cute and cuddely to help bring cheer to my days. But Lord, tonight when I brought him home, Lyndi tried to pick him up by the neck. She thought that kittens evidently liked being carried like this. And Lord, she grabbed him by one of his hind legs and tried to drag him across the house.
Lord, and once Lila discovered this kitten's adorable, playful personality, she screamed at Lyndi to give her the cat's toys. She also grabbed the kitten and tried to hold him at her side while pushing Lyndi away. Lyndi screamed "GA GA!!! (which is Lila in Lyndi speak)"
So Lord, I took this cute little kitten that I have named Jack (on the advise of my coworker who thought since he was orange and its October and Jack O lanterns are popular right now) and set up a litter pan and food in my bathroom for now...then I thought I would soak in a hot tub bath for a little while to help calm my poor last quivering nerve....
Then Lila and Lyndi discovered my serene environment. Lyndi began whipping a cat toy wildly at the kitten. The kitten, though somewhat amused and confused, tried to play with that wild, out of control toy....And Lila began to holler,"LYNDI GIVE ME THE CAT TOY!!!" over and over and over because she wanted that one particular toy. All the other toys were not worthy of Lila's attention. So I begged Pete to take the girls out of the bathroom, PLEASE!!!
And Lord, at some point tonight, I think it was before I got in the tub, Lyndi decided that pouring the ENTIRE contents of the Kitten Chow on the floor and covering it with a dish towel would be fun. She was pretending to tuck the food in nite nite. Yea, so I had to sweep it up. And Lila fussed at Lyndi and told her it was a bad choice. And my head popped out another gray hair.
Dear Lord, I ask that you will please be with me. I need a little extra strength and courage. Lord, I feel like sometimes that if I have to hear LYNDI!!!!! in a whining, high pitched voice or the SHRILL scream of Lyndi saying GAGA!!! I might actually lose my mind.
Please watch over my two screaming, aggravating, gray hair inducing children. I love them very much. And Lord please forgive me when I have thoughts about selling them on EBAY. Lord, thank you for blessing me with two beautiful little girls that are too smart for their own good. And thank you for sending me a little happy, cute kitten named Jack. Please just bring calm this last little nerve I have.
Amen!

Fall into October

Sunday we went to 2 birthday parties for kids that go to our church. After having Lyndi in October, I found out that the largest number of births occurs in the month of October. Perhaps thats related to New Years or Martin Luther Kind Holiday.......ok maybe not the second holiday. Maybe its the cold weather. For us, I dont think there was a particular reason. I think Lyndi must have come about on a Monday. Nothing special going on on that day for sure. At any rate, the world must grow a little heavier after the month of October every year after all the births. The smog probably increases as well due to all the blown out birthday candles!
This cooler weather and rain that we have been having has been awesome! Im so grateful for all the Fall weather we have been experiencing. And along with the leaves that are falling....so is the price of gas! In the last few days, gas has dropped from $3.89 to $3.20's. What a tremdous drop! At the same time, the stock market has been ever falling.....but today....A MONDAY...the stock market rose exponentially!! I pray this keeps up for sure! For a Monday, today turned out to be a really good day! If we can just keep this trend going! Remember when gas rose over $2??? We threatened that we just wouldnt tolerate much more of an increase....then once it rose over $3 we were all in shock and angry.....then it rose over $4...and we all became scared to death and sickened. I pray that it goes back below $3. I promise that I wont take for granted gas under $3.....for real! Gone are the days of gas below $2....right along with the cup of coffee for $.25 or even $.50.
Some friends of mine and I were talking about mega pixels. A few years ago, I had no thought or concern about a mega pixel. But if a person was in the market for a digital camera, 1-2 mega pixels was really doing something.....NOW my friend has just gotten a 12 mega pixel camera....Thats just unbelievable. Pretty soon, we will have photographs that talk and have motion on a card...streaming video on card stock. I know we have talking picture frames and ones that flash digital pictures. But I think that our imaginations will be the limit on technology.
Anyway I hope that everyone has a joy filled week. Take time to enjoy the small things like the cool breezes and lack of humidity!! NICEEEE!!!

As I said....

As Ive said before in the past....kids are really something. Im sure everyone remembers the show Bill Cosby used to do "Kids say the darndest things." Well Im here to confirm and verify and give an example of this well known fact!
Today was a no school day for Lila and her fellow school mates. Lila, having no where to go, she had to go to work with me. The morning was a busy time for us. Lila did great. She stayed out of the way..she did aggravate our office assistant some (she called Lila hyper....uhhh yea....). She has a 7 year old by the way....girl too! Anyway, this afternoon, our doctor had to go assist on a REAL surgery at the hospital . As he was getting ready to walk out the door, Sherrie and I were sayng our goodbyes to him and double checking next weeks schedule. Lila suddenly piped up and said: "MY MOMMY HAS A NEW BOOB JOB!!!"
I know my eyes got as big as saucers (to match our doctor's!!!)!! I whipped around and said, "LILA, WHAT DID YOU SAY???" So she said it again....SAME THING.....Dr Malone said something like "WELL!!" I was in a stuttering "Uhhhh...uhhh...uh" mode! I put my hand on each one of Lila's shoulders and got down to her level and said, "Lila, say that one more time?!" She said," MY MAMA HAS A NEW BOO JOB!!!" She laughed! She was like, "BOO JOB!! LIKE A GHOST MAMA!!! BOO!!!" I looked at Dr. Malone and tried to rescue myself. Im sure that when he said it he probably looked down and thought...YEA RIGHT!!! SHE GOT ROBBED!
OH MY GOODNESS!!!! Sherrie just laughed her head off. Dr Malone went out a little red in the face and laughing. Great.........
Now Im not a shy person. I can talk bodily functions and anatomy all day long with folks....HOWEVER....I dont really want my 6 year old talking about BOOBS or talking about MY BOOBS with anyone!!!! Its bad enough that Lyndi has found a new fascination in my "boobs." She keeps poking me in them trying to figure out what they are. They must be awful funny because she giggles when she pushes on one. I clearly remember Lila going through this phase! She groped my mom one time. She is much larger chested than me. Needless to say, I wasnt crazy about my daugther having a boob fetish! Thankfully she did grow out of it....now its Lyndi's turn. GREAT!!! Of course it could be worse couldnt it?!!! Am I the only one with girls like this??? Why cant my friend Nancy thats a mammographer have a kid that likes boobies....well besides her son! Nancy has to deal with them all day long. Boobies are her lively hood!! Me.....its all legs, all the time!! Veiney legs at that!!!
Oh well...such is life huh? So if you have about 5k just laying around, Id like to go get that new BOOB JOB Lila is accusing me of having!!!! Thanks pal!

Monday

This is a very important month for me! Some really exciting things happen. Ill give you the run down of the list.
First, we had our Homecoming at the Church this past Sunday.
Next, Oct 18 is Shannon's birthday
Oct 21 is my weddng anniversary!
Oct 29 is Lyndi's second birthday!
As far as our wedding anniversary goes, this will be number 8! I was talking to my mom about it today. She said that she just could not believe that it had been that long since we got married. I dont know where time went either! Its like one day we have been married for 2 years, then 5 years and now 8. I guess the next 5 or so years will fly by too. Its strange.
If you know me well enough, you know that I never dated anyone over about 2 years or so. I found that I actually spent more time trying to figure out how to get out of the relationship or trying to decide who I would like next than I spent being happy in that relationship. When I met Pete, things were so different. The first few years had come and gone before I knew it. I thought from the beginning that he was "perfect for me." He seemed to know me better than anyone.
Its really kind of scary how well Pete does know me. Ive did something kooky recently and I didnt even have to tell Pete what I had done. He KNEW....because he KNOWS me and how I AM! I was pretty impressed. I hadnt told anyone what I had done. He just shook his head. Its kind of like someone knowing exactly how you sleep at night. Not everyone will know that. Pete thinks that I am predictable.
Oh the last 8 years.....I would LOVE to have one of those big ole pink gummy erasers and be able to selectively erase out certain parts of our lives. Some of those years took so much more work than others. Some days I wondered if I would make it to the next day with Pete. But here we are! I love him more than anyone on this Earth! He has the ability to make my entire day better with just a simple hug or "I love you!" Of course, he can crush my whole day by snapping or fussing at me. But I truly can not imagine life without him. He is my best friend. That friend that you share everything...even life's most ugly moments with! Im greatful for him!
And little Lyndi....almost 2 years old! I am so thankful for her! She is already trying us and flexing her independence muscle! She could win a prize for best screamer and spitter (when she is mad). Oh that girl! A good hug, with a pat on the back and a sloppy wet smooch....it doesnt get better than that! And the best part, "I wuv you!"
So 8 years, two pretty little girls, a nice house, good jobs and a great church later....here we are!

How Bizarre

Tonight after Lila got out of the tub, the toilet began gurgling. This has happened before. It always freaks Lila out. I think she thinks that the toilet monster is going to get her. I kind of wonder whats up with the plumbing. Our house is just over one year old.
Anyway, after she got out of the tub, she flushed the potty. I dont know if she had used it or not. I suspect she just wanted that sound to go away. Well, the toilet began to back up and overflow. And Little Miss Nosey had to come in and check things out....I had to run Lila and Lyndi out.
I grabbed the handy dandy plunger and began to go to work at it. The water went down but it didnt go down quickly or by very much. I hollered for Pete. This is not a good thing. We guessed that perhaps a sock or some object got "accidently" flushed down. Lyndi likes to throw laundry while Im in the tub and I had just gotten out before Lila gpt in.
Some time later, Pete used our guest bathroom at the front of the house. He came out announcing that it was a bi toilet problem and not just a one john worry. NOT GOOD!!! He plunged that one too. Same deal...slow, low drainage.
Thank God for the internet. I began reading about clogged toilets and backed up septic tanks. Pete went out to the yard to see if there was anything noticable there. He said everything looked fine and smelled fine.
I came across a number of websites that recommended the use of dish soap and hot water. So I thought...what can it hurt? Pete said "What good is that going to do?!" I was like...Ill try and see. So I squirted a healthy dose of Ajax dish soap in and rinsed behind with hot water (not boiling, just sink hot). Suddenly the water drained of the bowl. I couldnt believe my eyes. So I flushed the toilet to see if it was going to fill right back up again. Nope. So I went to the other bathroom and repeated this ritual. Same thing happened. I had to drag Pete off the couch just so I could have a witness to this!! He couldnt believe it either.
Now tomorrow morning there is always the chance that there will be a boat load of Ajax bubbles out in our side yard...and our toilets could runneth over in the night...but for now.....the day is saved..or the night...however you want to look at it!! I know Im just glad that our toilets are flushing. No drains are backed up FOR NOW.
As for what the true problem is that has caused this trouble???I dont know...I may be missing a sock. Or Lyndi may be down one toy. Or worst case scenario, our plumbing is faulty. I cant imagine our septic tank being full yet...we are kind of full of it...but dang...thats a lot of stuff from our family!!!
Ill keep you posted. Id really hate to have to call a plumber out on a Sunday. That could break the bank. But if you ever have a problem where your toilets wont flush, try the dish soap technique. Just dont make the water too hot...it could crack your bowl or pipes I guess. The sites warned about this. Then Id try a plumbing snake. Then if all else fails...call the plumber!

Kids scare me

Tonight at Church we semi-started AWANA, a children's ministry. Well, Ill just go ahead and be honest that we were GUILTED into it! If you are members of a church, you probably know that there is always a shortage of teachers for children. Which, I am told this is a good thing because it means that our church is growing and so there is a demand for more teachers. And the pastor's wife Lynn told me that it wasnt guilt, it was the Holy Spirit.......hmmmmm Those sneaky Pastor's wives....tricky...
This evening we were to stand in and observe "our" children and see what its like working with this bunch. I learned a few things after this experience. 1: Children scare me to death! 2: I will need to bring ear plugs and a bull horn. 3: Elementary school teachers have nerves of steel and they have the coolest tricks to make kids obey. 4: All children want to be loved...even if its by someone they dont know....like me.
I was standing in the doorway watching total controlled chaos. These kids were having a great time playing silly games. Afterwards, all the kids were divided into groups and our pastor was talking to them about the importance of church and learning about God. This little girl that was FOUR years old (she held up her 4 little fingers for emphasis) sat down at my feet and began staring at me. And I really wasnt sure why......
My whole life, I have never been one of those people that kids are drawn to. I think they are like wolves and can sense fear. And I always feltl like I just dont know what to do with them. As a young child I experienced a bit of trauma that caused me to have to grow up much too quickly. I had to learn the hard way about life. Plus, I spent a lot of time around adults. I never once went to camp. I had to spend my summers at the hair salon where my mom worked. We just didnt have a lot back then.
So this little girl...who is the tiniest, cutest little creature...pulled on my pants leg. She looked up at me with big eyes...I thought maybe she needed to go to the bathroom!! Instead she said, "would you sit with me?" WHAT?! You want ME to sit with YOU?!!! Dont you sense my fear? Dont you know that kids make me really nervous (I had to take 2 Zantac after we got started with the kids tonight!!!).
So, I squatted down, knees popping, moaning and groaning from the pressure....and I sat on the floor! This little girl came and piled into my lap. And I cant for the life of me figure out why she wanted to sit with ME!
I have two children. I know they love me and I love them dearly. I can play and laugh with them. I can correct them when I need to. But I gave birth to them. Im the only Mama they know...so they dont know if they are missing out on a really cool mom or not. If all you know is a mean old hag of a mom, you are still going to love her because she is YOUR mom!! Despite the fact that Lila thinks Im the worstest mom ever when I dont let her always have her way.......Lila loves me and thinks Im all right! Lyndi WUVs me too!
This little girl...she doesnt know me from Adams house cat. This sweet little child just wanted to have a little love and attention. She leaned back against me like I was an overstuffed Lazy Boy recliner! So for about 5-10 minutes, I let down my guard, dewrinkled my forehead and the space between my eyebrows and I let this little angel sit in my lap.
Now the other part to this story is that when Lila spotted this strange little girl invading HER MAMAs space.....she quick stepped it over to my side and grabbed on to my arm. She wanted to make sure that Mama wasnt going to all of the sudden decide to give away Lila's allotment of love......that cant happen and wont ever happen! But little Miss Jealous just wanted to make sure! If Lyndi had been around, I bet she would have been on me like Saran Wrap too!
Its great being loved isnt it?
Pastor Rodney asked at the end of our meeting if any of us were ready to quit.......the memory of all the screaming and chaos passed through my mind....................
But then the thought of that sweet little girl who doesnt know me, doesnt know that I dont like lima beans, doesnt know that I am grouchy sometimes, doesnt know that I dont like balloons inside of cars....she wanted to sit on MY Lap!
Yea...Ill be back...Ill just take my two Zantac (dont you hate acid reflux??!!) and keep some Tylenol handy....just in case!!!!