THIS AND THAT

We received some lovely gifts at Christmas. I thought I would show you a few of mine. We did get some wonderful gift cards to use. I actually got myself three new pairs of pajamas from Macy's with a gift card. There is a pajama that I like a lot but for some reason the buttons match up with our counters and I keep catching the buttons on the knobs. I'm so tired of sewing on buttons! Hopefully these new ones will work better. 

We also received gift cards to Amazon which are always appreciated and of course a nice check from Mark's mom. We also received some Target gift cards. We got our favorite grippy socks from Amber and Dylan so we don't slip, along with my Macy's card, Mark's Home Depot card and a Doordash gift card. 

I haven't sent out my Thank You notes yet but I have addressed the envelopes but still need to write the notes inside.  

This candle was from James.

This wreath was from Adam and Gabby. It was a suggestion of mine. When Mark painted our bedroom there was a picture we got rid of and I've been looking at the painted screw in the wall for a while now so I thought this would look lovely there and it does! 

This Lego Flower Bouquet is from Mark but this isn't actually what he bought me. I will explain. I had a article out for this last February for Valentine's Day. I never did receive it. After we went to New York in 2016 I was wanting the Statue of Liberty and he remembered that which was really sweet. However my feelings have changed since then. 

I felt really bad but there was just no way I wanted the Statue of Liberty displayed in the house. Heck, I need to get rid of things. I felt so bad but Mark totally understood so we returned it to Target. When he was shopping at Christmas he was unable to get this Flower Bouquet but it was actually available on Amazon the day we did the return at Target. I am excited to work on it. 

I do need to mention that 2 years ago I got the Lego Gingerbread House for Christmas from Mark and I haven't put that one together yet but I definitely will someday. I love it! These flowers will be simple to display in a vase. 

Adam and Gabby had given me a box of Nuts and Chews from See's candy which I love. When Adam was there he saw the glass ornament and definitely thought about me and my tree. I really love it and will be putting it on the tree next year. 

I purchased two Brain Teaser books for Seniors for Mark and I from Santa Claus so we can keep our minds sharp. I also gave Mark a $100 gift card to the Duluth Trading Company. 

It was a lovely Christmas. 

ANXIETY

I have to admit that my anxiety has been getting the best of me. Just when I thought I was going to be able to have more freedom to do some normal things again the Delta Variant shows its ugly face. Anyone else feel this way? 

I think it was a month ago when I meet my friend Kendra for lunch. First time I stepped foot into a restaurant in 17 months. Obviously I didn't get sick, all was well. Same thing with actually shopping in a store. I went to Target. It felt great. I would normally go to Target almost once a week on my way home from bowling each week. 

So bowling starts on September 8th and now I'm afraid to go. They are not allowed to ask who has been vaccinated and who hasn't. Do I want to wear a mask for 3 hours?? The thing about the new variant is that we can get it and we now want to be very careful not to pass it on to James. 

Next comes a trip to Milwaukee for my brothers Memorial Service and putting his ashes into Lake Michigan. This Memorial Service is being put on by his theater friends. It is at a restaurant where everyone will purchase their own food. 

Do I really want to be in a restaurant with 50+ people not wearing masks? NO!!! I am going to go inside and see if there is a place I can stand, far away from everyone and just watch. I'm assuming his friends will talk about him and I don't want to miss that. As far as his ashes go that will be private with my sister, brother in law and Mark. We will be outside so that is definitely safer.

Then we see the Bears pre-season game on TV yesterday and the stands are packed and no one is wearing a mask. I just wonder who are supposed to believe? 

Now what about flying. OMG....that's got me full of anxiety. Everything I have read says it is safe but is it? We did find a direct flight to O'Hare in Chicago and we will drive to Milwaukee from there. That way we don't have to be at another airport and getting on another plane and the direct flight is just 4 hours long. I think I can handle that with a mask on. 

We are looking forward to seeing my sister and brother in law along with a great niece of ours. I haven't seen them in over 2 years. 

Providing we go as planned we will be doing home tests for Covid when we get back. First will be about 5 days after we get home and then a few days after that. That's because we will be babysitting James for two nights and we can't wait!!! 

THIS AND THAT

Monday morning I had to be at the hospital at 7 am for an angiogram so I was up at 4:45 to shower and get ready. The hospital is about an hour away and you can never trust that traffic will be good. 

This was something that was talked about back in February with my cardiologist when I was having the breathing issues and we wanted to make sure that the shortness of breath wasn't my heart. It wasn't fun but we left the hospital to head home around 1 pm. All was well, no blockages found. Yay! 

My brother's attorney is literally a Godsend. He has been so wonderful. I don't know what my sister and I would have done without him. I won't go into some of the details but he has packed up his apartment and will be having someone come to take all the furniture away. He took pictures of everything to see if my sister or I wanted something. 

He also came to us with a request to lower his price when he is doing things that anyone could do. Things that you don't need an attorney for. We don't have plans made yet to go to Milwaukee but I have to say that I can't wait to meet this man and give him a big hug!! 

If you didn't read the post about him passing away last Saturday you can read it HERE.

Also, speaking of my brother there was article written about my brother that you can read HERE. Now this article was going to print having nothing to do with his passing. It was just about his career which is something the gentleman does who wrote it. However the timing was perfect. He contacted me through Facebook and he ended up making it a memorial for Raymond. He did however get the day wrong in his last minute fix but not the date. 

I had my second gel injection in my right knee yesterday. I've had these before and they definitely have helped usually lasting about a year for me. Praying that they continue to work because if that is not the case then it turns into a knee replacement. At least that is what happened with my left knee. Steroids and gel injections did nothing at all. 

My best friend who bowls with me has been trying to see my since the pandemic. Basically since March of 2020. She offered several times to come over and we would visit outside at a distance. We live about 25 miles away from each other but I just never felt like it. I was a bit of a poop during the lockdown. 

Yesterday after my gel injection I met up with her. We talked for two hours and it was awesome. Bowling does start in September. I want to go but I do have two issues that may change that. I don't want to wear a mask for 3 hours but I might. 

The alley is not allowed to ask anyone about being vaccinated so there is still a risk involved. Also we don't know what will actually be happening in our country in September. 

The other issue I have is on my right hand and it is a finger that goes into a hole in the ball. I get a steroid shot about 2 times a year in the knuckle and this time it lasted about 10 days and then all hell broke loose. It hurts all the time. Will most likely get a referral to a hand doctor. 

We are seeing Adam, Gabby and James tomorrow. It's been over two weeks since we went to Downtown Disney. I can't wait......

LIFE RIGHT NOW "LOTS OF FRUSTRATION"

This is probably going to be long....just so you know! 

Had a CD that was maturing so I called Wells Fargo and worked on it with a woman a few weeks ago. I was supposed to get a letter to sign and mail it back. Well it didn't arrive so 10 days later I called and the person was very helpful. The letter had just gone out. 

However reaching someone was a pain in the ass. I was on hold for 58 minutes before they disconnected me. Then I was on hold for 48 minutes before I spoke the nice lady who helped me. 

We were going to deposit the money into our account and we were nearing the grace period. She told me something I didn't know. If you are 59 1/2 or older you can close out a CD at anytime without penalty. The letter came, I mailed it back in and we will just watch to see if it gets deposited. 

We had to have Spectrum out a few weeks ago to fix our landline phone. While he was here he upgraded a few things. All seemed pretty good for awhile. Then our premium channels went out. Took me three tries before one woman had an idea of what might work. It's something called The Golden Key, they have to request it to be done. 

Next day our channels were back. However we set up an appointment for Wednesday just in case it didn't work. So I cancelled the appointment and wouldn't you know we had an issue on Wednesday! I was in my office, which is off of our bedroom. I was watching TV and I was on my phone. Mark walked into our closet, switched on the light and the Wi-Fi connection went out. 

We had noticed that our signal would go out from time to time since the guy was out here for the phone. Light bulb moment! Closet light was turning off the connection. Router/Modem is in the closet. It use to have just one single plug. Now there were two large plugs. So we took a surge protector, plugged them both into that and so far so good! Wi-Fi hasn't gone out in 24 hours. 

Mark needs to get a MRI on his brain for his left ear. They are thinking there may be a tumor for his hearing loss in that ear. Other ear is fine. Well he hasn't gone yet because of the lockdown. 

I just found something out that upset me and I'm struggling with it. In 2018 I had a mammogram and they found a spot they wanted to check further. We did that at the end of 2018 and it was nothing to be concerned about. 

Got my latest mammogram and received a letter that something needed to be checked further. Took the letter to my doctor in February. He said pick up the CD and take it to Centerlake Imaging. When I took it there they said they had no one to compare them and that your doctor needed to request it. Then someone said you should get a letter in a few weeks. Two different answers. 

So I called my doctors office and told them that he needed to call in the request to have them compared. My letter didn't have any further information. Well guess what, his did! This time it was my right breast which he never mentioned to me. I would have told him it was my left breast before. So I am going to go in May but I hate all of this time wasted and I'm really scared. How many times can we get "it's nothing to be concerned with." 

We are both going on May 13th but I am so concerned about social distancing. It can't really be done in this situation. I will be wearing a mask and the person I'm working with better be wearing a mask. I'm going to ask them if they take their employees temperatures each day. I am high risk and I can't get this virus yet we can't put off these important test. 

My dad's service was on April 9th. My sister and here family were able to be there. They were distanced by family units at the funeral home and everyone was wearing a mask. We were able to watch his service streamed live. 

Just typing this I started crying. Streaming his service was not closer for me. I'm am still struggling with him being gone. It doesn't seem real. I stare at the picture of him in his casket and it doesn't look like him at all. 

Then he was on a flight out the next day to Illinois. He was laid to rest next to my mom in a wall crypt that they have in the mausoleum in Woodlawn Cemetery in Forest Park, IL. 

You know how they say "Be careful for what you ask for", well about 2 months ago I remember saying to my sister "The last thing I want to do is see dad in a casket." I said this because I just didn't want him to leave us. He was truly my best friend and I'm tired of remembering people in their caskets. 

Also I have a stack of sympathy cards which I haven't had the courage to open yet. I remember when my mom passed away 38 years ago, I was busy with the kids and then nine months later Mark walked out on my. The one thing I do know is that I will survive and life does go on.

So how about some good news. We are going to see James tomorrow. The 10ft social distancing is working out great. We bring drinks and snacks so there is not contact between us. This will be our 4th visit. Otherwise I've been in the house for 44 days. Here are a few picks of James at Easter and last weekend. 

On Easter we get together with Gabby's family at a German restaurant and get German pancakes. Didn't happen this year but they ran and got take out so this is James enjoying his pancake! 

I myself finally got motivated yesterday. Been in a big slump. I dusted and vacuumed along with doing other small projects. It felt good to get busy. Today I'm going to start doing my Jane Fonda walk DVD and start using my days to accomplish something other than watching Hallmark movies! 

WHAT'S GOING ON HERE . . . .

We made it home from Montana. Hit about 4 hours of snow on Saturday morning and then it was clear the rest of the day. 

Then on Sunday we hit about 2 hours of snow in the morning. Sunday was a very long 12 hour day. Thankfully both days the temperatures were above freezing so the roads were not slick and Mark did drive slower than normal which I was thankful for. 

We had a nice visit with Amber and Dylan. We didn't do much which was perfect. Dylan worked most nights so he slept during the day. He was able to go out to dinner with us one day and we were able to do a Sam's club run. 

Then we ran errands with Amber a few times to a store called North 40 which Mark likes to visit. We also did a shopping trip to Walmart. We cooked a few meals at home and also had Roadhouse Diner two times. They have excellent burgers. 

We went out to visit Adam and Gabby on Thursday. They were both going to get home at 3 pm because they had someone coming out to quote them on putting in a pool. We went a little earlier so Mark could work on a sprinkler head of theirs. 

So after the pool guy left Gabby and I went to pick up James at daycare. Well for some reason James was not happy about that. When we got back home and he saw Mark there he ignored him all evening! It was pretty funny to watch and Mark was a bit taken back since all he ever wants is for Gramps to hold him. 

 Suddenly he is into Mickey Mouse on TV!

Skye had a haircut scheduled when we got home. I made her appointment for early March because originally we were going to visit Amber and Dylan in March. So she was shaggy when we ended up going in February but as it turned out that was okay because of the cold weather and snow. 

On Saturday afternoon we headed back out to Adam and Gabby's. (James was happy to see Gramps) Gabby was throwing a 70th birthday party for her mom that evening. We went early to their house so they could run some errands like pick up the cake and help with the setup. 

We were in charge of getting James to the party. This is him and Mark after he got up from his nap. We played for awhile and then got him dressed for the party. We were also in charge of taking him home when he had enough so he could go to bed and they could stay at the party. 

It was a fun party with about 18 adults, great food and a mariachi band. They were wonderful and Gabby's mom, along with her sister's enjoyed singing along to the songs. 

Update on my dad: He has a cold right now. He will be moving into one nursing home for a few months until the nursing home of his choice has an opening. He will not be going home. This is a difficult time for all of us. 

My dad is my best friend and it is very hard for me not to be there with him but with the state of the world right now I am not planning to fly anywhere at this time. I might be giving up on my bowling league too. I am a high risk for the virus with my Stage 4 COPD. 

LATELY.....

Of course I need to share photos of James. This first one was taken by his daycare's daughter. Doesn't he look happy?

We were over at Adam and Gabby's last Sunday to watch football. James was fun even though he was having some teething issues. He has such pretty teeth. 

Then after his bath we had a fun time on the couch. Adam and Gabby don't do this with him but Mark and I do when we babysit. We were not babysitting, we were over to watch football, but we did play on the sofa. 

He has a ball! We are very protective of him and he enjoys getting tickled and falling into the big pillow. It wears him out and he goes right down to sleep about 20 minutes later. 

I finally have Christmas packed up although I still need to take the ornaments off the tree. That will happen today. Then tomorrow we are heading over to Adam and Gabby's to watch football and celebrate Adam's birthday. 

Changed out my dish towel display. Yes I collect dish towels. They mainly come from Crate and Barrel. Took down Christmas and now these will stay up throughout the year. 

More to share in another post.....

CALL ME CRAZY

Actually I drove myself crazy trying to keep up with all the Christmas movies this year from Hallmark, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and Lifetime. 

Obviously you can't watch them all at the same time when they are on at the same time so you do the magic of looking for the other times they are showing it with your DVR. 

Then on top of that pressure I found times when my dad could watch them and set alarms to remind me to call him. Most of them were taped in the middle of the night so finding times for him to watch them was truly difficult. 

So I got into the habit of having a cup of coffee and watching movies in the morning. Now I don't want to stop and face the fact that I need to get busy around the house. 

Between those three stations there were 70 new movies this holiday season and yes I saw each and everyone of them! I am going to say that I enjoyed Lifetime's movies the most and Hallmark's Movies & Mysteries came in second place. 

Random Acts of Kindness was my favorite which was on Lifetime along with a few others. So for the last few days I've been taping some that I have already seen just because I've enjoyed my morning routine so much. Normally first thing in the morning I'm on my computer. 

Just for the record I'm also still listening to Christmas music while I'm on my computer. I bought Mark a Google Mini Home smart speaker for his birthday since we have enjoyed Adam & Gabby's for awhile now. I didn't even take out my CD's this year to play them. 

I also watched Fred Claus, The Holiday, This Christmas, The Family Stone, Elf, Christmas With the Kranks, Miracle on 34th Street, It's a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Arthur Christmas, Love the Coopers and The Santa Clause 1, 2 & 3.