It hasn't been much, but this weekend, Brandon was obliged to preach at Elim in Maine and therefore, our family went to his parents for the weekend. His mom had to work Saturday and Sunday, so we came on Friday in hopes of celebrating her birthday a little early. We got here in time for dinner and enjoyed a little visiting.
Then Saturday, the children did not sleep in, but they were entertained by Brandon in the morning, so I got to sleep a little extra. I actually spent the majority of the day in my pajamas. You know, you can't do that very often at Fairwood when you live in the Main House. Too many people come to the door. But here- even if I did do many things that were quite normal, just the act of refusing to get ready for the day made me feel as though I was some how able to relax more. It also makes me less productive, so I'm not advocating neglecting the usual attire on a regular basis.
Ok, so pajamas....yeah! Then, we just had a great time of laying around the house and taking it easy. In the evening, we had a scrumptious meal of Italian Stuffed Shells. You know, it's a great thing that our children like this meal because we've had it quite a lot by accident lately. I made it two weeks ago for us to eat, but I made a large pan, so that means we ate it for leftovers for the entire week. Then, on Saturday, Brandon finished off the last bite for lunch and Elaine called up saying they had extras from Craig's B-day dinner and did we want some...it was stuffed shells. So we took it- it's food, we like it, and that means I didn't have to cook. We ate it for leftovers all week for a second week cause it was a large pan too. So last weekend, Carol had put a pan of stuffed shells in the freezer to save for us when we came. We came this weekend, just one day after finishing off the last pan, and enjoyed them yet again. I suppose I won't make them for a while, but it is a tasty dish and all three were different.
Tomorrow we are planning to head North for Brandon's preaching opportunity and then we'll return back home. So, it's a busy weekend and yet one we can relax on.
Now, if only I didn't know that my sink is full of dishes at home and the bathrooms haven't been cleaned in maybe.....or maybe you really don't want to know how long...Anyway, there's plenty to keep me busy when we return- there always is. And you know, I'm kind of glad I'm busy, I don't mean the times I'm insanely busy and I can't even think straight, but when there's plenty to do, I'm not as tempted to waste lots of time doing nothing which I do very well- given the opportunity.
I think I've rambled on long enough, so I'll leave you all with the update that Jonathon is doing very well- not much pain, and no emotional stress from the event- praise the Lord.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Jonathon's Day
Warning: Some readers might not want to read this out loud.
Today Jonathon had surgery. It was a small surgery called a “meatotomy”. For those of you who are unfamiliar with that word and since this is a rather delicate procedure, I’ll just put down the definition that I googled, since I do not recommend googling it unless you have a problem and NEED to research:
A meatotomy is a form of penile modification in which the underside of the glans is split. This procedure was performed to alleviate urethral stricture.
For the young eyes and ears: Jonathon had a hard time going the the bathroom, so the doctor gave him a little cut to make it easier.
While it sounded fairly unpleasant the whole thing took less that 15 minutes bringing total procedure time to less than 45 minutes. He had to be put to sleep and I’m rather grateful.
We were first on the list for the morning which meant we arrived at the hospital at 6 am. The surgery was at 7:30am and we were checking out of the hospital around 9:15.
Jonathon did very well. He was pleasant and polite. Woody (the cowboy doll) and Jonathon’s pirate dagger went with him every step of the way for comfort. We also read many Thomas the Train stories to keep him distracted while we waited.
While I don’t have long to write, I will say that everything went as good as it possibly could have and Jonathon is recovering nicely now. He is experiencing very little if any pain in the area and has been pretty happy most of the day.
Ok, gotta run….
Today Jonathon had surgery. It was a small surgery called a “meatotomy”. For those of you who are unfamiliar with that word and since this is a rather delicate procedure, I’ll just put down the definition that I googled, since I do not recommend googling it unless you have a problem and NEED to research:
A meatotomy is a form of penile modification in which the underside of the glans is split. This procedure was performed to alleviate urethral stricture.
For the young eyes and ears: Jonathon had a hard time going the the bathroom, so the doctor gave him a little cut to make it easier.
While it sounded fairly unpleasant the whole thing took less that 15 minutes bringing total procedure time to less than 45 minutes. He had to be put to sleep and I’m rather grateful.
We were first on the list for the morning which meant we arrived at the hospital at 6 am. The surgery was at 7:30am and we were checking out of the hospital around 9:15.
Jonathon did very well. He was pleasant and polite. Woody (the cowboy doll) and Jonathon’s pirate dagger went with him every step of the way for comfort. We also read many Thomas the Train stories to keep him distracted while we waited.
While I don’t have long to write, I will say that everything went as good as it possibly could have and Jonathon is recovering nicely now. He is experiencing very little if any pain in the area and has been pretty happy most of the day.
Ok, gotta run….
Thursday, February 16, 2006
And Thou Shalt Be Filled
Another first. Today I had my first filling at the dentist. I’ve never had any kind of cavity before. The only thing I’ve had is x-rays, cleanings, flouride, and braces. So today, I went in for a filling to be inserted into one of my back teeth. After I thought about it for a while, I realized (before I left) that this meant I was going to have to get a shot and some drilling. You see, I’m quite ignorant about these things, so lest I be surprised by anything else, I called my mother and found out from her what to expect. It wasn’t terrible, but I wasn’t particularly jumping up and down with glee either.
When I arrived at the dentist’s office and was called in, the first thing I found out wsa that I really didn’t know anything. In fact, I wasn’t even correct about which tooth they were filling. He put the cotton in my mouth and started rubbing on the topical anethetic and talking to me about what he was going to do. Then, la de da, he just pulled out that syringe and started to shoot me! AHHH!!!! OK, let’s just say I DO NOT LIKE NEEDLES! It was very stressful having him numb my mouth and I suppose that was the worst part of the whole thing. Well, except for when I mentioned that I was nervous. He said, “What!? You’ve had four babies! You can’t be nervous about a stupid little filling.” Oooooooh! I just wanted to pound his face and maybe somehow make him have a baby- then say- “What, you have a mouth full of fillings, what’s one baby!?”
It is NOT the same! I also think that everyone has there little sensitive spots and one of mine happens to be shots and needles and the like. It is not fun to me. I’d rather have a baby! Anyway, there’s not a lot of ways to drag this story out. The procedure went well and all through the event, the dentist kept saying he was almost done, so that was comforting…. somehow. And then I found out that they don’t do both fillings at the same time, so the other one I need, I’ll just have to come back another time for another thrilling time in the CHAIR!
Now for all you people out there that have not had this happen, I will say that I still don’t think dentists are scary- just ignorant. And perhaps you will get one that is as nice as mine was. It really wasn’t all that bad, just my own personal jitters, issues, and mental insanities.
Alright, now I’m off to do something besides think about my mouth. Yow!
When I arrived at the dentist’s office and was called in, the first thing I found out wsa that I really didn’t know anything. In fact, I wasn’t even correct about which tooth they were filling. He put the cotton in my mouth and started rubbing on the topical anethetic and talking to me about what he was going to do. Then, la de da, he just pulled out that syringe and started to shoot me! AHHH!!!! OK, let’s just say I DO NOT LIKE NEEDLES! It was very stressful having him numb my mouth and I suppose that was the worst part of the whole thing. Well, except for when I mentioned that I was nervous. He said, “What!? You’ve had four babies! You can’t be nervous about a stupid little filling.” Oooooooh! I just wanted to pound his face and maybe somehow make him have a baby- then say- “What, you have a mouth full of fillings, what’s one baby!?”
It is NOT the same! I also think that everyone has there little sensitive spots and one of mine happens to be shots and needles and the like. It is not fun to me. I’d rather have a baby! Anyway, there’s not a lot of ways to drag this story out. The procedure went well and all through the event, the dentist kept saying he was almost done, so that was comforting…. somehow. And then I found out that they don’t do both fillings at the same time, so the other one I need, I’ll just have to come back another time for another thrilling time in the CHAIR!
Now for all you people out there that have not had this happen, I will say that I still don’t think dentists are scary- just ignorant. And perhaps you will get one that is as nice as mine was. It really wasn’t all that bad, just my own personal jitters, issues, and mental insanities.
Alright, now I’m off to do something besides think about my mouth. Yow!
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
A Good Week
So far this week is looking up. I had a little bit of a rough time Tuesday, but I think it was similar to the depression that sometimes comes after a "high". (I'm not on drugs, though I'm sure some of you are convinced otherwise.) Anyway, we began spring cleaning here at Fairwood on Monday. I am VERY involved in this process, but mostly from the planning aspect.
News Flash: Brandon reports that he is feeling nauseous, but that's just to make me roll my eyeballs. He's fine- he's actually not permitted to be sick!
Anyway, I planned for the cleaning day and then in a fit of insanity, I told the other mothers here that I would keep all the kids if they wanted to work. That brought the grand total to 8 boys and 1 girl, with the oldest child being 5 years of age and Rachel the youngest. I had five in diapers and four of them had stinky pants while I watched them. I should hasten to add it went VERY well considering the volume of little boys and their tendency to move violently and break things. We had a fun lunch of fish sticks, mac n cheese, and green beans. We watched Robin Hood (Disney cartoon version), and played with trains. The last of them went home around 4pm. I was tired, but it really did go well. Of course, that night I did my shopping trip and run to Panera Bread.
Yesterday was a recovery day and I had a bit of trouble actually recovering to a point that was satisfying. Brandon, however, in a fit of wonderfulness sent me up to my room and told me to watch a movie and fold laundry for two hours after dinner. I was thrilled. I got the room clean, about 6 loads of laundry folded, a patch sewed on Jonathon's jeans and a shirt hemmed that I've been trying to finish since July.
Today I awoke feeling rested and upbeat and somehow before 9am I managed to wash three loads of clothes, change all the sheets on the beds, change some children's clothes, make and serve breakfast, clean up from breakfast, and take out some of the trash in the bedrooms. I figure I got enough done this morning, I can take the rest of the day off.
I should mention that yesterday, I had some good advice from my mother to spend less time talking about all I have to do and how busy I am and spend more time actually doing some of those things that need to be done. It's not that I spent tons of time standing and whining, but just a little of that greatly effects my attitude and drains energy away. I've also thought about "asaphat's" comment to keep everything in perspective and the two together have been some good encouragement.
It always helps to have well family members which I am encouraged to report is finally the case! (And for those of you who were interested Brandon's moles- three were fine, three were precancerous and he will have those excised in March. Praise the Lord for getting them early.)
So, I'll just carry on with some positive thinking for the rest of the day and I hope some of it can overflow to the rest of you as well. It's really helping. Tata.
News Flash: Brandon reports that he is feeling nauseous, but that's just to make me roll my eyeballs. He's fine- he's actually not permitted to be sick!
Anyway, I planned for the cleaning day and then in a fit of insanity, I told the other mothers here that I would keep all the kids if they wanted to work. That brought the grand total to 8 boys and 1 girl, with the oldest child being 5 years of age and Rachel the youngest. I had five in diapers and four of them had stinky pants while I watched them. I should hasten to add it went VERY well considering the volume of little boys and their tendency to move violently and break things. We had a fun lunch of fish sticks, mac n cheese, and green beans. We watched Robin Hood (Disney cartoon version), and played with trains. The last of them went home around 4pm. I was tired, but it really did go well. Of course, that night I did my shopping trip and run to Panera Bread.
Yesterday was a recovery day and I had a bit of trouble actually recovering to a point that was satisfying. Brandon, however, in a fit of wonderfulness sent me up to my room and told me to watch a movie and fold laundry for two hours after dinner. I was thrilled. I got the room clean, about 6 loads of laundry folded, a patch sewed on Jonathon's jeans and a shirt hemmed that I've been trying to finish since July.
Today I awoke feeling rested and upbeat and somehow before 9am I managed to wash three loads of clothes, change all the sheets on the beds, change some children's clothes, make and serve breakfast, clean up from breakfast, and take out some of the trash in the bedrooms. I figure I got enough done this morning, I can take the rest of the day off.
I should mention that yesterday, I had some good advice from my mother to spend less time talking about all I have to do and how busy I am and spend more time actually doing some of those things that need to be done. It's not that I spent tons of time standing and whining, but just a little of that greatly effects my attitude and drains energy away. I've also thought about "asaphat's" comment to keep everything in perspective and the two together have been some good encouragement.
It always helps to have well family members which I am encouraged to report is finally the case! (And for those of you who were interested Brandon's moles- three were fine, three were precancerous and he will have those excised in March. Praise the Lord for getting them early.)
So, I'll just carry on with some positive thinking for the rest of the day and I hope some of it can overflow to the rest of you as well. It's really helping. Tata.
Friday, February 03, 2006
Reruns
How many of you like reruns? I think I usually like them if it's a favorite show and I like them if it's just as good or better as the new garbage coming out, and well...my brain doesn't generally remember that I saw it the first time anyway.
This week's post is about reruns- and ones that I don't particularly care for. It seems as though we've been on the same theme for weeks. I know some of you out there are eagerly awaiting the day that I post an "ALL'S WELL". Unfortunately, that day has not come. Here I am again writing the same old stories:
The children are doing better, but I am currently sick. We just dicovered that Jeff had the same tooth problem that James had a month ago and so he just had one of his front teeth pulled as well. People here at Fairwood seem to be in a perpetual state of sickness. I'm not sure what we've got going, but I just heard of yet another family with a stomach bug and there are so many cold and flu things going on that it makes me not want to walk out the door. I'm going to the doctor this afternoon for a strep test, since that's the only thing I can think of that makes things just keep going over and over. We'll see.
On the other side of things, all this sickness has had a tremendous impact on what we get done around here. Brandon has work up to his ears and I have so much to do that I find it debilitating just to think about what needs to be done.
On that note, it's time for prayer meeting, so I'll run along. Hope you are all doing better than we are and I look forward to the day when I can write that people are well.
This week's post is about reruns- and ones that I don't particularly care for. It seems as though we've been on the same theme for weeks. I know some of you out there are eagerly awaiting the day that I post an "ALL'S WELL". Unfortunately, that day has not come. Here I am again writing the same old stories:
The children are doing better, but I am currently sick. We just dicovered that Jeff had the same tooth problem that James had a month ago and so he just had one of his front teeth pulled as well. People here at Fairwood seem to be in a perpetual state of sickness. I'm not sure what we've got going, but I just heard of yet another family with a stomach bug and there are so many cold and flu things going on that it makes me not want to walk out the door. I'm going to the doctor this afternoon for a strep test, since that's the only thing I can think of that makes things just keep going over and over. We'll see.
On the other side of things, all this sickness has had a tremendous impact on what we get done around here. Brandon has work up to his ears and I have so much to do that I find it debilitating just to think about what needs to be done.
On that note, it's time for prayer meeting, so I'll run along. Hope you are all doing better than we are and I look forward to the day when I can write that people are well.
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