Another Day in Paradise

It's been a while I know, but life has just been insane. 

We opened the office about a week and a half ago.  Doing pretty good, several patients and more to come.  Wish I had more time to spend there, but with school going on it's understandable. 

The girls are having a good time at school.  Took a little while for Maggie to get adjusted to pottying at school, but it's better now I think. 

Picked up my Master's degree last weekend in St. Louis - wish they had just mailed it to me, but it was good to see everyone again. 

Had a patient bring me goat's milk and goat's milk yogurt.  The yogurt was great - didn't get brave enoguh to try the milk though.  It's so funny that the kids here have had almost no exposure to culture.  They had no idea that milk could come from something other that hormone and steroid loaded cows and the hummus was chickpeas ground up. 

Slowly but surely bringing a little excitement in...several new students from the local public school - anxious to see how they are going to do in my classes.

Gotta get back to work...

Ugh, so tired!

Yesterday, Mom and I worked at the office - still not finished, but so very very close.  Waiting on the computer - it should be ready tomorrow.  Looking for a rug that will fit in a 9X14 room. 

First day of school today, wonder if the girls will be as tired as I am.  County wide peprally tonight.  Hoping to collapse on the couch afterwards, may not even make it to bed...

First Day of In Service

Today was our first day of in-service at Central.  Josh and I both were late to the faculty meeting even though Josh was not required to go.  It was also Abbie's first day at daycare here at the school. 

Going to pick her up in a little while...

Borrowed a staple gun from Coach Sciple to staple the fabric to the ceiling at the office.  Hoping to get that finished tomorrow.  Had my phone installed yesterday and got my modem in the mail this morning.  Talked to someone about letterhead, envelopes and cards today.  Will hopefully have a proof by the end of the week.  It may all come together despite all odds. 

The best thing about this entire situation is that my work as far as school is done - lesson plans, etc. - and there is someone to watch Abbie during the day.  The next several days should be pretty productive!  I have got to get my final paper finished and sent to Logan so I can graduate on the 20th.  That and the office are high priorities this week. 

Where's Maggie?  At my grandparents, enjoying her last long term time with them for a while.  Kind of somber about the whole thing...

Who are they?

I am pretty sure that I gave birth to 2 little girls.

Maggie has always had a habit of twirling her hair to put herself to sleep. Over the last year or so, she has pretty much stopped or the knots were really easy to get out. The last three or four mornings she has made knots with knots to the point we have had to cut them out of her hair! Of course she cries when you brush her hair and it's an early morning adventure.

Maggie, our great eater, has gone on what seems like a fast. She will only eat two or three bites off her plate. Her sister, on the other hand, has decided to gorge herself on anything she can find. She has an insatiable appetite lately. When she doesn't get fed soon enough, she grabs the tray of he highchair and shakes it and yells.

School is getting ready to start for Josh, Abbie and I next week. Maggie doesn't start until the 9th. I can't wait for her teacher to tell me about her saying "Otay" as the pad answer for everything!

For the next several days, I will be calling my children Buckwheat and The Hulk! Maybe I should tell people to refer to this blog for further explanation, or maybe I'll just be considered a nut!

Aaahhh,so close!

Update on the office setup: we have the lease signed, the electricity turned on, paint and supplies purchased, table and desk moved and fabric bought for my office. The phone line is ordered and should be installed on the 2nd. I just have to get the stationary ordered, the table cleaned and the office painted and decorated. First day for patients will hopefully be the 9th.

The wandering child has come home. Last week when we landed in Jackson, Maggie wanted to stay with my grandparents. Josh and Abbie picked her up yesterday. So I am the only one not present and accounted for. I am in St. Louis at my last lab for my Master's degree at Logan. Plans to finish the material today so I can leave early tomorrow for home. Failed to realize that if you move 2 hours east, the the trip to St. Louis becomes 9 hours not 6.

So glad that my wonderful friends let me camp out at their house! A special thanks to Maddox for letting me use his bed and congrats to the little fellow for a week of staying in his big bed! Rumor has it there is an ice cream party coming...

Can't wait to get home-got a LOT of stuff to do!

Home

I got home yesterday about 8:00 p.m. after a stop at the church to play and sing before Josh preached.  Maggie did not make it back here, but is staying with my grandparents.  We had a great time in Minneapolis.  Maggie rode several of the rides at the Mall of America and we got to see the Minnesota Zoo.  I think the airplane ride was the best part to watch. 

Got the key to my office today.  We bought the material to hang up in the consultation room at Hancock Fabric on Sunday.  Looking for a laptop to use to bill insurance.  Considering getting Josh's fixed - it only needs a new screen - which is WAY cheaper than a new computer.  I like the idea of portability too.  Leaving Tuesday evening to get my desk, table, piano and a few other smaller items from home to put in the office. 

Friday, I am headed to hopefully my last lab at Logan.  Very glad to have friends that live in the area!  Thanks Sheri, for letting me crash at your house!!  Can't wait for French Silk Pie and coffee!

Will It Ever Stop?

This post is a rant-you have been warned! I am certain that my youngest child is possessed by the devil and has an insatiable need to touch me at all times. Thursday morning, I believe-the delirium has caused each to seem endless-Abbie decided that 4:30 am was an appropriate time to wake up screaming. This episode lasted until 10:30 that morning. Since Thursday, she has screamed trying to go to sleep, when she wakes up, when she eats, when she does most everything. I told you this was a rant.

On Friday, we picked up Maggie from my grandparents in Mathiston. She had been there since Monday. We got all the clothes tried on and are happy to report that only 3 items have to be returned.

I am very excited that Maggie and I are leaving on Wednesday evening for my mother's. We fly out early Thursday morning for Minneapolis. I hope they still have the huge Dora on the side of the ferris wheel at Mall of America. This will be Maggie's first flight so we are pretty excited. Will let you know how everything turns out!

Bargain Finds at the Mall!

Today, I took off for Tuscaloosa to look for myself a dress.  When I went in the mall, I set my timer for 1.5 hours.  The first and only store I made it to in the mall was Gymboree.  I found 27 articles for $165 including tax which averages to about $6 a piece. 

This picture is Maggie's striped skirt, her black buttoned cardigan, khaki bermuda shorts and full-length-roll-to-capri purple pants with fairies on them. 

The next picture is of Abbie's outfits: blue shorts with a pink top that says, "I Scream";  a navy blue dress with butterflies; and a pink spaghetti strap shirt with patchwork pants.

This is Maggie's school girl skirt - navy blue, cream and red. 

Another set of Abbie's clothes: a blue dress with ice cream and a onesie that says, "daddy's sweet"; green cargos with flowers and an orange shirt; and navy blue pants with pink butterflies and a pink long sleeve shirt to match. 

This is my favorite of all the pieces I bought today.  It's for Maggie and it's a full-length orange sweater . 

The shorts above are Abbie's and the pants and shorts below are Maggie's.    

The Funeral of a Friend

At 2:00 p.m. today, a wonderful friend of mine was buried.  There are 82 counties in Mississippi, one has 2 county seats (Tallahatchie), two share a county seat (Alcorn & Benton).  We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare...

She taught me that Carter was a terrible President because he stopped all grants for repaired and refinishing antebellum homes.  She loved Natchez and Rosalee and everything about history.  She could tell stories about Longwood and the slaves of Windsor Ruins that made you feel like you were right there.  Sometimes I'm convinced that she knew more about how the government worked than the legislators do today.  She should me how to used the card catalog system in a library and how to log in new books.  She let me edit the school newspaper and make changes like adding a colored cover. 

She had liver cancer and diabetes.  She retired this past year after over 20 years of teaching.  No more students will learn and love what she learned and loved.  No one will be at the basketball games at the scorer's table harassing the referees. 

This world paid their last tribute today to a wonderful person who truly knew how to make her students love what she loved...Thank you Mrs. Schultz.

The Bakery and a New Phone

Barring the delay of the arrival of the computer, everything else is pretty normal for moving. We have one more trip to make to completely clear out the house but one more trip after that for my adjusting table and piano.

We picked Maggie up on Wednesday; she had been at my grandparent's since Friday. Abbie had really missed her sister!

We have made several trips to school already since weightlifting is at 4:30 on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. I'm rehabing one of the kids who is 4 weeks post second ACL repair. He is only 16!

I hsve managed to lose my phone. I got out of the car yesterday, put it on the hood and fed the dog. Josh got a call from the landlord about the clinic and I had to leave. Needless to say, we took a trip to Starkville today to get my new Blackberry Curve because they don't make my Pearl any longer.

I almost forgot-we have a Mennonite Bakery about 6 miles from our house. It's wonderful! We have already been once as a family and Josh went the other morning for coffee. I can hardly wait to go back again!

We also got our schedules at school the other day. No surprises for Josh-computers and Bible. I got Spanish (really?) and a study hall-guess I won't have to bring any papers home to grade!

Mid-Week Exhaustion

The reality of this undertaking has set in...Josh with some help from Will Sciple (thanks!) moved two loads of our things on Wednesday.  He also turned the electricity on and stayed last night in the house.  When I picked up Abbie yesterday, to my amazement, half of my clothes were gone.  P.S. For those who are unaware, I cleaned out my closet on Sunday but most of the clothes I kept don't really fit right now.  Time for a little math lesson - If you have a closet full of clothes and half of them don't fit, then someone removes half of the clothes in said closet, how many outfits do you have left to wear?  Answer - well, I found an shirt for today that was tolerable. 

Abbie and I went to Jackson yesterday to visit my great aunt - my maternal grandmother's sister.  She was boiling some beans last week on the stove.  She went to pick up the boiler and had a mild heart attack and dropped it.  She has second and third degree burns on both legs, groins and her buttocks.  They did the heart cath this morning and she has three blockages, so stents were out of the question.  Also, they can't debride the burns until they get her heart situated.  Really a big mess, but she seems in good spirits. 

Today, Mom and I went to Maudelle's retirement luncheon.  Had a good time.  Realized this week that I have enjoyed spending some time away from the office with other people. 

Update on the packing: crib needs to be broken down, toys and clothes need to be packed, kitchen needs to be boxed up.  Mainly the last minute things right now.  Plans to take the remaining items on Friday evening with the girls. 

Speaking of the girls, we are taking them for pictures this evening.  We do this every year at Maggie's birthday and Christmas.  Because of the chaos of the last week or so, I forgot about the pictures. 

Sheri, I have to come up on July 23-24-25 for a lab and again on August 20-21 for graduation.  Can't wait to see you and have coffee and french silk pie!

The Final Week

To say the least, this week is going to be insane.  How much furniture do you really have to have to survive with 2 little ones?  We'll find out if we can all sleep in one bed or not!

Maggie's birthday party went great.  Everyone seemed to have a good time painting their shirts and playing in the yard.  After everyone went home, we ate lunch with Nana, Big Daddy, Granny and Pete at the Mexican place.  Yesterday, we even got to go swimming in the "big pool" at Dr. Murphree's house and Granny cooked dinner for us.

How pitiful is this: I cleaned out my closet and hung up everything but pajamas.  Grand total: 4-50 gallon garbage bags for goodwill and a full closet still!  It's really sad but over half of the clothes I kept don't fit.  But that's for another story.

Took Maggie with me to work today and am waiting for the grandparents to come pick her up.  Left Abbie at home with Ms. Jessie and Josh in the shed organizing.  Everything we own will probably be in boxes when I get home...

June 18, 2010

Ok, so technically we haven't moved yet, but I wanted to get some idea of how this would look.  Tomorrow is Maggie's birthday party.  Not a lot of kids coming, but the ones that are sure are great kids.  Of course, all the fam will be there including Josh's grandparents.  Dora cake is ordered, gotta pick it up tonight.  Plates, napkins and forks taken care of.  Josh is weed-eating the patio and cleaning out the cooler for drinks.  Tables and chairs situated for t-shirt painting.  T-shirts are bought, need to cut the cardboard to put in them. 

Onto the packing stuff.  A couple weekends ago, we moved some of the not so necessary items to the house in Macon.  Dressers and Maggie's twin bed, some dishes, pictures and what-nots.  We still have quite a bit to pack and are kind of slow about it.  Josh is at home now and off the truck, so he is packing up things during the day.  Hoping to get a load over there on Tuesday.  Need to turn on the electricity in Macon too.

Both of us will be teaching at Central Academy and I had high hopes of an adjunct night class at MDCC, but they decided it would be too much of a commute.  I understand, so I am applying at University of West Alabama for some night classes there.  Sure hope it works out, we could use the extra cash!

Got some bad news today...one of my best friends from college has breast cancer.  She is only 2-3 years older than me.  If you are reading this, please pray for her.