I've Lost Count ......

...... of how many times during the last 5 1/2 years that I've come here ...... to ask of you ...... to pray.

And here I am again.

I'm worried.
I'm sad.

And I'm scared.

Most of you know that I haven't been scared of much, if anything, since Jim died.
But tonight I'm scared.

I'm scared for D, but I'm mostly scared for my mother.
I wish I could block her from reading this post, but I know I can't.
Besides, she's no dummy.
We've been basically living together for the last week.

And tonight ...... she got scared.

D seems to be doing "ok" physically, other than the obvious pain of having a knee replaced and having to go through PT.
We've mostly become used to that and he has seemed to make baby steps each day in moving his right leg.  Very, tiny baby steps, but hey... steps are steps.

It's not his physical condition that has caused this fear to rise up into our throats.
It's his mental one.
He seems to be slowly losing his sense of time, days, and just reality in general.
Not all of it, but enough that a phone call to my mom tonight made both of us feel sick (this was not the first of such calls, but it was the first one that I heard).
I could almost feel my blood run cold as I sat here, listening to her end of a conversation that made no sense ...... and heard the fear in her voice as she calmly tried to reassure him that all was well and that she'd see him in the morning.

I felt helpless then and I feel helpless now.
I can understand a little of how she felt when Jim died and she could do nothing to make me feel better, knowing that I'd never again feel "all better".

I don't think this situation is hopeless ...... not at all.  But we both think we need to either get him out of that hospital asap, or get him into a private room so that we can be with him 24 hours a day.

If there is no change for the better tomorrow then I'll be canceling my trip to NY.

So I come here again, and ask for your prayers.
Prayers for my mom's strength and patience.
Prayers for D's strength and for clarity.
Prayers for me as I try to support my mom through this.

I hope to give you a positive update tomorrow.
Thanks, Peeps.

A Message to You ....

.... my Peeps, from my friend, Vicki.

Only in the blogging world…where people are connected by the wonder of the internet highway…can we establish connections and even relationships with

others down the street, across the country, and around the world.  Some we know in our face to face lives, many we only know through our keyboards.

It is through this medium that my dear friend, Janine, has developed a very special connection to people near and far.  She refers to you as her Peeps,

but you are more…so much more. 

I know because you have blessed me and most of you don’t even know me.  You see, I am a friend of Janine’s, and she asked you to pray for my husband and my son.

And you did.  You prayed, knowing she was with me and my family when my husband donated one of his kidneys to our son, Grant.  You prayed when she sent the

word out, not once but twice, when his condition was unstable and we were helpless and scared. You prayed and God heard.  I will always believe that.

And so I want to thank you…thank you for your responsive and heartfelt prayers.  I will always be grateful to you, though we do not know one another and most likely

will never meet, you have blessed me and my family.  

Only in the blogging world!

Vicki

A Change of Plans ....

              Jim's brother has been hard a work, turning old family slides
              into new digital photos.  I'm so thankful he's done/is doing this.
              This is, of course, Jim .... my trike-riding cowboy.   :)



.... has occurred with my plans for next week.
For a good reason, that happens to come from a bad reason.

As you hopefully remember, my very dear friend, V and her son G came to visit us last week.  V and I have been friends since we were 17.  We then went to the same college (Go Cowboys!!) and joined the same sorority and became closer.  And closer.
Then we graduated, I married Jim, she was in our wedding, she's the godmother to my daughters, she got married, I was in her wedding ..... and we continued to grow closer.  She is much more than a friend to me.
Much, much more.
If you've read from the beginning of my blog, or at least from the point where Jim died (which was only 3 months after I began it) you know that she came down to stay with me more than once.  She helped me during those first days, weeks and months when I could barely see my hand in front of my face.  She was here to help me make big decisions.
She was here when someone, posed as a friend, hurt me beyond belief by using Jim's death to try to take advantage of me.
She was here to make tough phone calls to a certain university which threatened to drop my daughter from her classes because, the week after Jim died, I wrote a check for tuition but forgot to transfer the funds to that account.

She's been here to guide me, hug me, listen to me, not listen to me .... to just be .... with me.
She's worried about me from afar, not knowing what to do or say, but just praying.
She's seen me go through a sobbing haze, through a crushing depression that threatened to be the end of me, to a place where I began to smile, to a place where she knew the depression did not get the best of me, to a person who has held on, grown stronger, moved forward and found joy again.

And now, it is my turn to be there for her.

We have known since G was two or so, that he would one day need a kidney transplant.
It was only a matter of time.  A matter of waiting for his kidneys to let everyone know that they are done and can do no more.
That time is now.

The plan was always that, hopefully, V's husband would be able to donate one of his kidneys.  All signs and tests pointed in that direction.
The last few months have been full of tests on both G, and his dad, R.
They have also been full of many ups .... and downs.  Of tests done .... and passed.  Of more tests done .... and failed.  And stress.  And prayers.  And hope.  And dashed hope.  A few weeks ago hope was almost given up.  But, surprisingly, I demanded that it not be given up.  Me, of all people.

Then two days ago, a miracle happened.
R was given the all clear sign and told that he could, indeed, be G's donor.
And the date of the surgery was set.
To next week.

Tears of happiness, thankfulness and relief have been shed in the last two days.  And those were just by me, so I can only imagine how many have been shed up in Oklahoma.  :)

G's surgery will be next Thursday, in another state with a wonderful children's hospital, where a wonderful doctor who specializes in healing children of this type of problem has been treating G since he was very, very small.

So now it's my turn to fly to be with a friend who is much more than a friend.
It's my turn to sit with her, to hug her, to listen to her .... or to not listen to her.
It's my turn to just be .... with her.

Yes, the situations are different, but the friendship is the same.  Very, very deep.
I never really thought about being there with her when the time came, until she told me that the time had come.  And then I knew.  I knew with certainty that there was no question .... I would be there.
I cannot repay her (or any of my other amazing friends) for all that she has done for me.
But thankfully, that's not what friends expect.

But I can be with her.
I can pray for, and with, her.
I can make her laugh.
I can help her wait.
And I can celebrate with her when both surgeries are over and both of the men in her life are awake and doing well ..... one with the blood .... and kidney, of the other giving him health .... and life.

So ironically .... or not .... I asked you several days ago to discuss prayer .... not knowing that the doctors would very soon be giving R the awesome opportunity to show his son how very much he loves him.  Not knowing that G's surgery would be scheduled so quickly.
Not knowing that I'd be coming to you within a matter of days .... to ask you, once again, for your prayers.

Thank you so much to those of you who commented, who told us your thoughts and beliefs about prayer.  I appreciate your openness very, very much.  I love hearing/reading what other people think about things, even if ..... no ..... especially if I don't agree with those thoughts/beliefs.  We don't have to agree with each other about things to learn from each other.
We don't have to agree in order to love someone and care for them.
We just have to be open to listening .... open to learning .... open to knowing more about another person.
So thank you again.  I'll have to come up with an even better topic next time.  :)

Everything has been great in San Diego.  It's been a quiet, relaxing visit with my loved ones.  The weather has been amazing.  I really can only describe it as .... perfect.
So perfect that I am perusing real estate magazines and newspapers.  In a couple of years I will be at a point where I can stop, take time to re-think things, and decide what I'd like to experience next in my life.  I have a list.
It's a list of places I'd like to live .... for a year or so, just to experience the vast differences in these places.
And San Diego is definitely on the list.
:)

Tomorrow I move over to the hotel to work with the other board members to get things ready for Camp Widow to begin on Friday.
While I'm sad to be leaving J. L and S, I'm very excited to see some wonderful friends .... and to make new ones.
It's been a great week .... and will continue to be a great week.
A week for which I am very thankful, and still feeling good on my meds.

And I'm thankful for you, and for knowing that I can come to you and ask for prayers for V, R, G and the rest of their family.  And prayers for the doctors, nurses and surgeons.
And for peace .... peace to fill their hearts.

So maybe I pray a bit more specifically than I thought I did.
And I'm ok with that.
:)

Thanks, Peeps ..... and happy Wednesday/Thursday.
:)

An Update .... and a Discussion .... (now entitled, "Are You Kidding Me?")

.... or at least I hope this will be a discussion.

UPDATE on the update:
Really???!!!  Only two people out there have anything to say about prayer???? (Thank you Megan and Beth!).  I'm hoping that we can generate more of a discussion than the three of us.  Maybe some of you are taking time to think before you write (something I'm not very good at, as I'm sure most of you have witnessed!).
C'mon!!!!  DISCUSS!!!!!!
Pretty please?
: )




First, for the update.

I had a great time at the lake with V and G and think Son #3 really enjoyed having G here to tube with and hang out with.
You all know that we came home a day early, due to the break down of an AC unit.
Well the next day, an AC unit here broke down.
And it was all I could do to hold it together.
But I managed.  Not easily, but finally.

My brother and his family came down from Oklahoma (yes, they have decided to move to Oklahoma, rather than Florida, which is nice because they're closer now) on Wednesday night.  The three Sons and I joined them at the lake on Thursday.  Two aunts and an uncle joined us later that day, too.  And then Daughter #2 came up on Friday.

We had a great time.
I think all of the kids, including my two beautiful nieces, had fun on the boat, tubes, wake boards and jet skis.
And the boat worked fine.  Yay boat!

It was so good to see them.  I hadn't seen my sister-in-law or nieces since the summer before Jim died.  That was our last family vacation .... to Alaska.
I'm so glad we went.

Daughter #2 and I came home this morning.
I had a "coffee date" today.
And it was ok.

Then I came home and did laundry and packed.
And everyone else came here late this afternoon and we all went out to dinner.
One last dinner before my brother drives back home tomorrow.

And then D2 and S! and I went to see "Crazy, Stupid Love" at 10:00 p.m.
I slept on the way to the theatre.
But managed to stay awake IN the theatre.  And liked the movie.
Then we came back home and I finished packing.
And now it's almost 4:00 a.m.
Again.
Three nights in a row that I've been awake until 4:00.
Hopefully I'll sleep on the plane in the morning.

That's when I am outta here and outta this crummy, boiling heat.
I'm heading to San Diego to visit J & L & S, Jim's brother and his family.  Then I'm going to Camp Widow.
And.
I.
Can't.
Wait!

It will be wonderful to see old friends again and to meet newer friends.
Very wonderful.

But before I go you know it's customary for me to leave you with a question for you all to discuss while I'm away.
I'll still have my computer with me, especially as these are the last few days before CW and there is still a bit more work to do.

I've had a few discussions lately (again) about .... prayer.
A month and a half after Jim died I wrote this post.
My belief about prayer and the way I had always prayed changed drastically on December 18, 2007.
They have not returned to my former beliefs.
I pray.
But I pray much differently now.
Still.

Before Jim died I prayed very specifically.
And many, many times, those prayers were answered in the affirmative.
I don't know why .... I didn't know why then.
Maybe it was because I was more "in touch" with God and so I prayed for things or occurrences that were already in His will.
I don't know.
I do know that God has blessed me with the gift of sometimes just "knowing" things .... without being told, or reading something .... just a deep-feeling knowledge, a certainty, that something has happened or that something is about to happen.
Jim learned to trust this gift over the years and to just go with whatever I said, especially when I would say, "I don't know how I know, I just know."
It's defined as the gift of "Prophecy".  It also manifests itself in an ability to read people, to see beneath the surface, to read between the lines, and to tell the "Truth" when I feel God nudging me to say it.

So maybe that "gift" shaped my prayers.
Maybe.

All I know now is that I don't pray that way anymore.
I rarely ask for anything specific.
I don't believe that my prayers cause God to act one way or another.
I don't believe that my prayers cause God to intervene.
I don't believe that my prayers change God's mind.
I don't believe that my prayers cause God to heal anyone.
Not anymore.

I do believe that prayer is for me and for my relationship with God.
I believe that as I pray,  I grow closer to God.
I believe that it's best to pray for people that are hoping for a certain outcome.
So I pray for them and for their acceptance of whatever that outcome will be.
I pray for them to experience peace, love and strength .... no matter what.

But enough about me.
What about you?
What do you think about prayer?
Do you pray?
Do you "meditate"?

If you do pray, why?
And have your thoughts about prayer changed over the years?  How so?

If you don't pray, why not?
And is that something that has changed over the years?

Please feel free to discuss this as much and as honestly as you can.
There is no judging here.
There is no right or wrong answer.
There is just my curiosity on how people pray .... and why.

I think there's a lot of interest in that topic, from the many things I've heard over the last few years.

So please discuss.
Yes, even you lurkers.  :)

And discuss only what you believe, or what your friends have told you they believe.
Please don't comment on what anyone writes .... especially in any negative, critical or judgmental way.
I will delete any comments that are written in that context.
I'm proud to say that I've never experienced that here .... from any of my readers of this blog, so I don't expect any of it now.

You are all wonderfully supportive Peeps and I hope that you'll jump in and discuss.

So, discuss amongst yourselves ..... and enjoy the different viewpoints.
I know I will.
:)

And thanks .... ahead of time.
And Happy Sunday, Peeps.

The next time you hear from me I'll be in a MUCH cooler climate.
YAY!!!!

So ..... Prayer.
Now discuss.
:)

Now Is The Time For All Good ....

.... men Peeps/Prayer Warriors to come to the aide of their country Blogger.
And pray.
 :)

Here is my day, in pictures.
Enjoy.

                     This is the view from under the Bimini top on our boat.  If you look closely, I think you can see a wasp, eating a spider.  Yep, that's pretty disgusting, but the first thing I said to Son #3 was, "Take a picture!"  See, I'm always thinking of you, Peeps.  :)  Disgusting or not.  I also thought it was quite interesting.

         Son #3 and G.  Son #3 trying to be all "GQ" .... or something.  WhatEv.

                                  We tried to drown them .....

         We tried to break them .....

      And still they did did "show-offy" things.  Guys.  Sheesh.

                  We anchored the boat at an island and enjoyed some relaxing time, on the boat and in the         water .....

               .... in spite of the fact that it was so dang hot out that we could not put out feet down on anything black .... or, even worse, anything metal! Yes, I know that it looks like our feet are down on the black part of the deck, but they were not.  They were tucked up on the end of our seats, hanging over the black part.  Trust me, we would have blisters now if we'd kept them there.

                             The water was like glass .....

                     So the boys got back on the tube ....

                 and continued to show off .....

                  Which led to this .....

                            And this .....

And a whole lot of laughing by the two moms in the boat.

Yes, V and I took our turn on the tube.  And we busted out on that thing and topped out at the amazing speed of 15 mph.
Don't judge.
The older you get, the harder it is to recoop from those spills.
Especially with one shoulder not all the back to perfect health yet.
We.
Are.
Not.
Stupid.

And so we stayed tubing at around 11 mph.
I bet many people whizzing past us thought that these two young men were rescuing us .... or something to that effect.
It was a bit pathetic.
But fun.
And not painful.

The only unplanned thing that happened (well, unplanned by the two of us) was that Son #3 tried to drown us when he slowed the boat down so much that the tube was forced under the water, thus dumping out its two occupants.
The boys that it was hysterical.
Us .... not so much.

But we got back in and went out for a bit longer, under dire threats of making everyone go home if we happened to get dunked again.
Yes, I'm mean like that.
But it worked.
;-)

After we brought the boat in and cleaned up, it was time to finally do the deed.

Methotrexate.  Four pills once a week for 4 weeks.
Then back in to have blood drawn and chest x-rays.
To make sure my kidneys, liver, blood count and lungs are A-OK.
Sounds fun, no?
No.
But hopefully, this will work.
And hopefully it will work without the horrible side effects.

I took the 4 pills at 6:00.
We had dinner at 7:30.
Steak.  Corn on the cob.
All good.
All I wanted to enjoy tonight, just in case I can't enjoy them tomorrow, or the next few days.

It is now 2:00 a.m. and I feel fine.
I know enough about this med to know what the side effects are, or can be.
But I haven't researched it enough to know when they can hit, though I think it's the first couple of days after taking them.
I didn't want to read too much about it.
Not to be in denial.  But just to not focus on the "what ifs".
Because sometimes, though you might not know it from reading this blog for the past 3+ years, .... sometimes ..... the "what ifs" don't happen.

And that's the hope I'm going with tonight/this morning.
Again, all prayers are appreciated.
Very much. :)

Night, Peeps.
I hope to post to you sooner, rather than later.
Happy Monday.
Happy August.
:)

Still praying ....

     Thanks to everyone for praying for Stellan.   It's still not going well and Jennifer is growing weary.  Stellan seems to be holding his own, but his little heart is working way too hard and no one can seem to figure out why.  Please continue to pray for him, and for peace, comfort and strength for her and the family, as well as wisdom for the doctors.

     Today was a good day.  Two in a row.  Yay.

I went to work this morning.  I left Gabby out of her crate, thinking I would only go in for a couple of hours.  Over 5 hours later I returned ...... dreading walking into whatever I might find.  Amazingly .... and rather suspiciously, I found nothing.  Nothing wet, nothing stinky, nothing torn up.  I have yet to fall for it ...... I'm thinking there has got to be a pile of ...... something .... somewhere around here.  

I will keep you posted.

     I am supposed to play tennis tomorrow.  A real match.  I wonder if the the 3 other women with whom I'm playing have any idea of what they're getting themselves into.  I'm not sure that they do, as I really don't know them all that well.  

Poor them.

     I'm taking Son #3 and two of his friends back to the lake this weekend.  Hopefully the weather will be better than the monsoon-like rains we had today.  If not ..... it may be a rather short visit.

     I had dinner with some people who love me very much tonight ..... they have adopted me into their family.  Truly.  

I can't express how wonderful that feels.  

T.A.N.W. ----- except for "healing".

     I think that's a pretty good word to leave you, my Peeps, with.  Especially because it's a word that applies to each of you.

     Healing ........ one breath at a time ......

Please pray .....

.... I come to you again, my Peeps (wondering if the majority of you like the nickname?), to ask for prayer, though THIS time it's not for me.

     I know that many of you read the blogs listed over on the right ...... and many of you are aware of MckMama's blog, "My Charming Kids", and so you are aware of baby Stellan.

     For those of you who are not aware ..... I will be brief.  Please pray for him (and his family).  He's in the hospital with heart problems that cannot seem to be brought under control.  His birth and life have been a miracle.  He was not expected to survive.  But he's done great .... until now.

     So please, for me ....... but really, for them ....... pray for Stellan and pray that the doctors can find the right meds to control his heart rate ..... soon.

Please.

Please.

Please.

Ask Me Wednesday

---- I'm actually rolling up my sleeves as I start to type this!

OK --- and here we go:

anonymous said...
Are all your children coming home for Thanksgiving? Including daughter #1? What will you prepare in your new kitchen? What are you thankful for?

Wow, anon .... you ask a lot of questions!  :)

Yes, all of the kids are coming home .... yay!  Son #2 comes home in 2 days.  Son #1 and Daughters #2 & #3 come home on Tuesday and Daughter #1 comes home on Wednesday.  Thanksgiving day is her birthday so we will have an extra reason to enjoy being together.

As for what I will prepare ...... I have ordered a deep-fried canjun turkey (can't wait!) so we will do the sides.  My mom will make her delicious pies.  I will be doing mashed potatoes, a wonderful green bean recipe Daughter #1 and I made last year, stuffing ...... that should do it.  Oh, and the traditional Mac & Cheese.  Traditional for my family anyway.

And what am I thankful for?

Oh, so many things.  For my God.  For my children, my family, my friends, our health.

And for having had Jim for almost 27 years.  And all that that entails.

monike said...

HAHA! I knew I was going to love C from the moment I saw him for a reason. That's something more diabolical than I could have ever thought of, but you have to give him credit.

PS. Is K closest to you and L on her left in the picture? I am trying to hone my twin-telling-apart skills.

PPS. Judging by your current appearance and the picture of you that you have there, here's to praying that I age as well as you do. What a hottie! :)

First I have to tell everyone that Monike is my daughters' room mate, so she's a bit biased.  And I also call her Daughter #4.  And she can't see all that well.

Anyway, yes, Daughter #2 is closest to me.  Good twin-telling-apart skills!!!!  Kudos, Daughter #4!

My Mom asks:
Do you need any moral support on Friday?  Let us know if you do.  We'll be glad to come in.

I will need all of the moral support I can get, but don't worry about coming down.  Maybe we'll have some good bonding time.  Here's hoping anyway.

And thank you.

nat said...
My question for this Wednesday is pretty deep. I liked what you had to say in an earlier post about "The Shack" and your closeness to God at this point in your life and your words really touched me. You spoke about being with God all day long and feeling his presence in your life daily and throughout your day. I have always had a tough time with my prayer life. I can do devotions and read the Bible and gain more knowledge from these things but when it comes to prayer, mine always seem very repetitive. We pray as a family before our meals and when I pray on my own I seem to ask God for healing and comfort for other people and thank him for all that he blesses me with but I feel I need to pray on a much deeper level. Thoughts? You said to dig deep-is this deep enough?

OK, Nat .... I'm rolling up my sleeves again!  

     I think that we often times make our relationship with God too difficult.  

We do.  

He doesn't.

     We have certain expectations of what our prayer life and quiet time should "look like". 

 We do.

He doesn't.

     My expectations "before" were very different.  In every aspect of my life, but especially this one.

Jim's death changed my entire life.  All of it.  Every corner.

I would like to think it could've changed without that, but I don't know.  And it doesn't do any good to think about it.

But I hope that it doesn't take anything as drastic as that for those I love.

     The main difference in my relationship with God/Christ is that those expectations are gone.

I don't think I have to sit down with my Bible for a certain amount of time.  I don't think I have to sit and pray a certain way.

But mostly, I don't beat myself up anymore for not meeting my expectations.  

Mine.  

Not His.

     I talk to Him all day.  I don't pray "formally" .... unless before a meal, really or with a group of people.  But I talk to Him throughout the day .... as if He were standing next to me.  

And He is.  

     I talk to Him as I would a friend who is standing next to me.  I talked to Him today while having my teeth cleaned!  I talk to Him in the car.  I talk to Him while I'm getting ready in the mornings.  I just talk.

     I don't sit down every day and have my "devotion/quiet time".  And guess what?  He's great with that.  

And now, so am I.

So I guess my thoughts for you are, "Maybe you're looking too deep.  Maybe you should try just having a conversation with Him.  OK, this will sound really stupid and not very "religious", but it's kind of like the way you should talk to someone who's in a coma.  Stop laughing.  Really.  You should talk to them, a lot.  Tell them about your day, what's going on around them, what you think about things, etc.  Right?  It's like a one-sided conversation.  But the other person/God can hear you.  You just can't hear what He is thinking.  So you just talk."

There.  Those are my thoughts.

I hope I was able to explain it a bit clearer than I think I did!

anonymous said...
Did you ever want to tell your kids "That's it. Nobody is going to do anything but school. I'm tired of spending all evening as a taxi driver"? My kids only do one activity each and I'm driving 6 days a week.

Oh my goodness, YES!!  In fact, I did do that one year.  We were about 3 months into the school year and I was in the car every day.  I wasn't getting home in time to get a good dinner on the table.  I was headed for a nervous breakdown.  Seriously.  So I finally told Jim that I couldn't do it any more.  I was not the "supermom" that I wanted to be.  I felt like a failure.  He was behind me all the way.  He had seen how much stress I was under (as well as the lack of dinner!).  He knew that I wasn't a failure but that our schedule was just too much.

The hardest job was telling the kids.  I cried.  I told them that I was sorry but I just couldn't do it anymore.  And that it wasn't fair to them that were 6 of them, but that's the way it was.

They were wonderful.  Kids usually are when you're up front with them.  So we pared down the activities .... by a lot.  

And I did not have a nervous breakdown.

Not then anyway.

Good luck!

your sister said...
Ok, my questions for you is really coming from Kristine. Taylor is wantiing to wear make-up and I told her that she had to wait unitl she was 12 but only then could she wear light eye make-up and a little mascara but very light. I think Kris disagrees with me on this. What are your thoughts and when did you start letting my lovely nieces start wearing make-up??? Love you!

Well, my darling sister, the girls started wearing makeup when they went into middle school, 6th grade.  And it was also light.  I think it's still pretty light, but then, so is mine.

I think a lot of girls start in 4th or 5th, but we didn't.  They need to be little girls for a bit longer than our society thinks, in my opinion.

Anonymous said...
help! how do I help my children become responsible spenders???My son (whom I love, but not so much today) just spent his book fair money on a book on how to cheat on electronic games (gameboy, psp, etc.), none of which he owns because "someday I might" ...meanwhile he's been trying to save up to buy himself a nintendo ds but now has that much less money to make the purchase. I'm trying to let them have freedom to spend their money however they want, but am totally frustrated with their choices. susan

Oh, Susan, I wish I had the magic answer for this.  I have a few children who will hold on to their money until the day they die and it has to pried out of their hands.  Then I have a few who will spend it as soon as they have it.  There is no magic pill or answer for this question.  Either they are savers or they aren't.  And M probably isn't.  I am guessing that my "spenders" will discover, once they are on their own, that Jim and I really knew what we were talking about.  If not, they will be in debt and will have to figure it out.  

I try not to control their spending, so I think you're doing well on this part.  All you can do is remind them why they are saving their money, and bemoan with them when they can't buy what they want because they spent part of it earlier.  

Sometimes it helps if they have a sibling who doesn't do this and so can save up to buy something really great.  Is B like that?

All you can do is remind them that they want to save up to get "whatever" .... if they choose to buy some little crappy thing, then the consequence is that they can't buy the bigger "whatever".  I firmly believe in consequences, and will not bail them out to accomplish their goal.  

Stay strong.  You're doing the right thing, even if M isn't learning the lesson .... yet.  Be prepared that this may be a life-long lesson for him.  Just keep doing what you're doing.  

Melanie asked me about Gabby's leg:

She seems to be doing a bit better.  She's not limping as much, though it's still there.  So I hope that whatever it is it's now healing.  And thanks for the positive words about getting two.  I keep going back and forth and wonder if I can handle it.  I think Gabby definitely needs a playmate and I certainly love her temperament and how good she is.  I wonder if 2 will be too much for me.  

Oh well, at least I have a little time to decide!  Good luck on getting A to agree to another one!  I'm glad that Huck is doing so well!!

OK, I think that's it for the Q & A.  Kudos to all of you who put forth such good questions.  I am enjoying the "Ask Me Wednesdays".  I hope you are, too.

Until tomorrow .......

Freaky Friday

Mardi Gras

Well, the hatches are battened, the yard is empty, the shutters are shut and the canned food is stocked.  OK, so I have 5 days worth of Chef Boyardee, but beggers can't be choosers.  I have an mattress in my bathroom and sleeping bags in my closets.  The flashlights are loaded and the ac is set very low so it will stay cooler longer.

I think we have about an hour until it really slams into us ..... it's already hit land.

We are "hunkered down".

We have cancelled my Grandmother's flight until next month.

My mom is here, K and her family are here.  

I will post when everything blows over ..... so to speak!!

Hopefully everything won't be "Gone With the Wind".

OK, I'll stop. 

Before I get really irritating!!!

Pray!!

uh-oh

No post tonight.  I am totally preoccupied with trying to find a credit card.  

Yep.  I think Jim made me lose it.  I know how he works.

I'm trying not to panic .... it's not helping that Daughter #1 is making me watch the Democratic Convention.  It's really difficult to go from the Olympics to that.

So if you think about it could you please lift a little prayer up for me and my Visa?  I cannot describe the HUGE pain it would be for me to stop this card and get a new one.  Sigh.  I can't think about it.

So I guess I'll just watch Michelle Obama's brother sing her praises.

Double sigh.