[Jean]

Good Afternoon, Flowers! I am doing the "Happy it is Friday" dance! The sun is shining brightly and it's been another nice day in my corner of the world. This morning the weatherman said we would have rain this afternoon and through the weekend. Maybe it will rain tonight.

"Gma" -- Do you think that stress might be a factor in Jack's chest pains? It is scary for you both, I'm sure. I hope the doctor has some answers for you at his appointment next week. I'm sure things will work out in the financial department, but it is a worry in the back of your mind, I'm sure.

Bob just got home from doing chores so I suppose he is thinking about supper. I hope you all have a nice weekend! Do something nice for yourselves!

Jean -- from Iowa!

[gma22]

Good morning flowers! Looks to be a nice day here today. We have the dreaded commissary run today and you know how I love that. Thankfully it is a week after payday and SS checks come out so maybe it won't be packed today and I can get in and get through.

Poor Jack, if it isn't one thing it is another. The new meds have given him a ferocious headache so he can't take them and last night he developed a bad lower backache and didn't sleep much last night. He is in the recliner this morning with a heating pad trying to get some rest. He has sure been through the mill.

I strained my shoulder taking down and rehanging the shower curtains so it is sore, but I just put some heat rub on it and usually in a day or so it is better. Jack's skin is so sensitive that even a tiny bit burns him so he won't use it.

I talked to my dil for about an hour yesterday. She is such a nice girl and sure does care about us. We had a good talk. I know she is so anxious about her own dad who has to have surgery for the fourth time to have his tricuspid valve replaced again. He is in prison and as such they don't tell the family anything. She says on top of that, they pulled 5 of his molars to prevent infection they said and haven't given him any bridges so the man can't eat. He is this skinny thing anyway from the pictures and is the same age as Jack but looks 70. Then she worries about Jack too, bless her heart and Jay has been in Chicago since Tuesday and won't be back home until late next Wednesday night so she is all alone. She has a lot of friends in the area and her sister lives there in South Bend so she does have company if she wants it.

I need to go and get the rest of my daily chores finished. You all have a great Saturday!

Faye

[Jean]

Good Afternoon, Flowers! It's a dreary day in my neighborhood. The temperatue has dropped into the 60s and the sky is cloudy and dark. This weather makes me appreciate the sunshine even more.

I've been doing laundry and made a grocery run. One of our mentally (really, it is true) challenged custodians was hit on his moped last week. A lady ran a stop sign and hit him; he has a broken nose, broken collar bone, plus multiple cuts and bruises. Actually he was very lucky. He lives fairly close to Subway so I stopped to buy a gift certificate for him and they were out. GRRRRR! Obviously someone didn't do their job. The lady said they would be in sometime next week and I replied that I needed it today. He also lives within walking distance of Godfather's so went there instead.

I need to attack the pile of ironing and put the rest of the groceries away.

"Gma" -- I was surprised that the grocery store wasn't very busy this afternoon. I hope you found the commissary to be the same. Of course I forgot a couple of things that I mentally was going to pick up! Why I didn't take time to write them down is beyond me . . . I should know by now that my memory only lasts for a short time. I hope both you and Jack feel better tomorrow! It's not fun to have sore backs and muscles.

I hope you all have a nice "rest of the day" and a super Sunday tomorrow.

Jean -- from Iowa!

[gma22]

Good morning ladies! Hope your morning is nice and cheery. It seems to be comfortable outside this morning when I took a bag of trash out, but it is supposed to be pretty hot today. We are planning on hanging around the house and get a few things done today that we didn't accomplish yesterday.

Jean: Just for future reference, you can google email gift certificates and it will list companies that will email you a gift certificate that can be used in a restaurant. Each website has a list of places you can get the gift certificate for and you can have it printed with a personal message, etc. I am going to email you a couple of them you can put in your email address book so the next time you find a store that is out, you may be able to get one at one of these places. I hope the man gets well soon and did they ticket the stupid woman? A broken collar bone is really painful too.

Jack is still sleeiping. He woke up when I went to the bathroom and said he came to bed around 11:30 so he will probably be getting up soon. His favorite race car driver didn't make it into the "Nascar Chase to the Cup" so we may be done watching Nascar for the rest of the season! We also quit watching the CUBS games because their team is such a mess. They only had one veteran pitcher pitching and he hurt himself last week I think and will be out so they probably won't win another game this year. I just hope they don't can the manager because they have had HUGE injuries this year especially with pitching.

I have got to try and get the carpets done upstairs today. Jack's back is still bothering him so I am sure he won't feel up to it. I don't know how much time before they will do surgery after his consult on Tuesday so I need to get everything done asap.

You ladies have a great Sunday!

Faye

[Jean]

Good Evening, Flowers! It has all day long! We served coffee and donut holes at church this morning then headed up to MIL's on a spur-of-the-moment decision. She heads back to AZ a week from Wed. and we have a full schedule next weekend. The kids and grandkids were there too. There's nothing worse than 4 little kids and 7 adults crammed into a small lake cabin on a rainy day. All there is to do is eat and the kids had crumbs and drips from one end to the other! We left before anyone else so they had to clean up their mess before they left. "Wie" and I took a snooze in the back bedroom rocker for an hour. Now I have another load of laundry going and need to empty the dishwasher.

"Gma" -- Thank you for the gift certificate email! I will check them out. We did see the "accident guy" at church today. He looks like he has been in a fight and moving pretty slow. He said he was just plain sore all over but agreed that he is very lucky. The lady who hit him does have insurance so that is good. He is in charge of washing the football uniforms, vacuuming the classrooms that have carpet, and shoveling snow. I'm not sure how much he will be able to use his arm/shoulder for awhile. I'll be thinking of you and Jack on Tuesday!

Susan -- I hope all goes well for Stan and you!

Have an enjoyable "rest of the evening" and a nice day tomorrow!

Jean -- in the in Iowa!

[gma22]

Good morning ladies! I was going to sleep in until 7 but the dog had other ideas and sat on the floor and barked at me until I got up. I am officially on SBD now, though I haven't had breakfast, exercised or anything. I am making the little individual veggie quiches this morning and then freezing the extras.

Jean: UGH, that sounds like fun all being stuck indoors in a tiny cabin. You have to feel for the little kids too. Has to be no fun for them either. Hope you did have a good visit with everyone though.

Susan: We are thinking and praying for you and Stan and that everything will be ok and he will be up and around again soon!

I am doing a bunch of downstairs cleaning chores today as I didn't get anything but laundry done yesterday. I am still sore in my shoulders, but I am going to do a few weight training exercises this morning to try and get the muscles working. I think it is partly because I haven't exercised in several weeks and put on a bunch of lbs more than likely.

I guess we will know tomorrow exactly what is what. It sure would be nice if the surgeon does the MICS rather than the more involved CABG where they crack the sternum, you are on a heart lung machine, etc. I doubt they will be doing the other procedure so we aren't counting on it. Jack is still having those pains and though they haven't become worse or last longer, he does have a few a day. He is also tiring easier so I know that his heart isn't 100%.

Well gals, I have a lot to do today so I need to get going. Have a great Monday and stay dry. I am hoping we get no more rain today because I have a package laying out by the gate for the postman to pick up and it is already paid for and I don't want the postage label to get wet.

Faye

[Jean]

Good Afternoon, Flowers! It's been a cool and cloudy day in my neighborhood! It was 61 degrees on my way home from school. The weatherman said to expect the 80s again later in the week . . . crazy weather for sure! Not much newsy from Iowa today. I overslept by about 45 min. this morning. I had plenty of time, but hate being rushed. I need to check the alarm and see if I had it set for radio by mistake. Bob said he didn't hear it either so maybe it is time for a new alarm of some sort. We have a 7:30 staff meeting tomorrow and I certainly don't want to walk in late.

Five years ago today, I was sitting in a classroom. I don't remember why the TV was on, but we saw the first plane hit and then the second. All of the classrooms had their TVs on all day long. We may live in rural America, but we are much too close to the Omaha and Rapid City air bases for my comfort. The jets fly over us all the time when they are playing war games and it makes me nervous. What were you doing?

"Gma" -- Hope your sore muscles are feeling better by now. I will be thinking of you and Jack tomorrow!

Susan -- I hope all went well today. You were/are in my thoughts and prayers.

Have a nice evening and a better Tuesday tomorrow!

Jean -- from Iowa!

[gma22]

Good morning ladies! Thought I would sneak in posting before I get going for the day. Jack's appt is for 9 and we want to leave at 8:30 even though it is only about 5 minutes or so from here. It is tough to get a parking place over there for one thing. He picked up his referral from the doctor's office (bless that ER doctor's heart) so everything is ok insurance wise.

We just have one thing after another. Yesterday I was cleaning and I put the self cleaning mode on the oven and let it clean. Well, to make a long story short, something has gone kaflooey and the oven door is now locked and won't unlock. I am waiting to hear from Whirlpool to see if there is anything to do, but I have error codes blinking on the clock timer and they mean "The door is locked." Well, DUH! So, now another expense we can't afford right now. Good thing I don't have anything that needs to be cooked in the oven for awhile, because it is going to have to wait until next week for me to call the home warranty place. I can't even afford the service call right now. I have to save the money we have because I don't know how much I am going to have to pay up front at the hospital.

I can remember exactly what I was doing on certain dates, the day Kennedy was shot, the day Elvis died and 9-11. I was still working and it was one of my coworkers birthday's. His wife had called me and ask my ideas about something to end him to the office for his birthday and I suggested a candy basket because he loved candy. The office was in a bad section of Memphis and we had to buzz people in. I remember buzzing in the lady from the flower shop down the street with this man's basket asking if I heard they had "hit the towers." I had no clue what she meant then all heck broke lose at work just about the same time because people were hearing it on their respective radios. My dd went to Liberty University and was on their debate team so she traveled all over the country to debates, one of which was the Naval Academy. She made friends with two young men there, one of which was in the part of the Pentagon when it got hit. He survived but was burned extensively and has never been the same since.

Jean: We have a perfectly good electric clock radio with a backup battery in case the power goes out, but the only thing Jack trusts is the alarm on his watch so that is what he sets every night. The thing is, the new one we bought a few months ago has a softer alarm on it so I am the one that has to listen and wake him sometimes. I have it set for 6:30 this morning, but Jack needn't get up that early. I just wanted to get morning chores done and get my breakfast. I survived my first day on SB but I have such an awful headache from caffeine withdrawal. Unfortunately, I just have to hang in there because advil, etc doesn't help a wit for it.

Susan: Hope you and Stan are doing great and things are coming along ok. I am praying for you guys.

Gotta run and get things done and get some breakfast.

Faye

[QuilterInVA]

Ladies, just a quick note today to let you know Stan came through the surgery and everything looks good. He is very depressed and upset and that is par for the course. The doctor said he will go through a grieving process just as though someone had died only it's his leg. The man who will be making his prosthesis came in yesterday afternoon and told me he'll be working daily with Dr. go get the stump healed and shaped with elastic shapers (he warned me it is a painful process but must be gotten through) that help to get the swelling out. He said that he expects him to be fitted for a temporary prosthesis in 4-6 weeks and then they would give him another 2-3 months for healing and shaping to set and he'd get his permanent prosthesis. At this point, the prognosive is very positive. Stan called me this morning and was all upset about his leg being gone and the fact he can't move the stump. I called the nurses' station and told them to get someone in there to calm him. Fortunately the floor is only half occupied so they have plenty of time for him. The nurse night called me at 5 this morning to tell me he had a good night. Of course, they have him on a morphine pump so he is pretty much sleeping all the time. Dr. said pain is horrible the first few days so they keep them pretty sedated.

Please keep those prayers coming!

[Jean]

Good Afternoon! I woke up at 5 this morning! Since I had to get going earlier than usual I didn't wait to see if the alarm would work; I just got up. Anyhow, I am hungry! I was hungry at 10:00, at 12:30 when I eat lunch, at 2:00, and at 3:30 when I left school. I don't know what my problem is today, but it is so annoying! I stopped to buy a couple cards after school and couldn't believe how much Hallmark cards have gone up! I refuse to pay $3.49 for a card for someone I hardly know and they will probably throw it away anyway. Guess I will check out the grocery store and/or dreaded WM.

"Gma" -- I will be anxious to hear how Jack's appt. went. You two have had more than your fair share of things to fix lately! I hope your oven is a minor thing that can be easily fixed without buying expensive parts. Computers are nice, but when they don't work they can sure mess everything up! I was sitting in a college science class taking a test when Kennedy was shot. Everyone just got up and left; I don't think we ever did finish that test. I don't remember what I was doing when I heard about Elvis. My radio has two different alarms on it plus I can set it to come on with the radio or the buzzer. I probably just didn't push the button far enough or had it set for pm rather than am. The wind up clock makes so much noise ticking I hate to use it.

Susan -- Thanks for checking in. I'm sure yesterday was traumatic for you both, but I'm glad the surgery is over and you can move on. It's nice to have a timeline to work with.

Have a wonderful Wednesday tomorrow!

Jean -- from Iowa!

[gma22]

Evening gals! Thought I would catch you up tonight instead of in the morning. I have so much cleaning to do and so little time now. Jack's surgery is bright and early Monday morning. He has to be at the hospital at 5:30 AM. His surgeon is a peach, young and gorgeous! He went through the whole procedure, showed us where the blockages were (no Minimal invasive though because there are two) and everything else involved. Don't think my dd is thrilled that the doctor is just a few years older than her brother, but I grilled him about how long he has been doing this, his training about how many he has done etc. We are very satisfied with him and he said with Jack's overall excellent health there is only about a 1% risk of stroke, or bad complications or death. They will use his two mammary arteries instead of taking anything from his leg because the dr says they are very strong and practically last forever so it would be unlikely he would have to go in and have them replaced somewhere down the line. Jack's sister will be here early Saturday evening so I have to contend with her for several days. She is such a royal pain. I am glad she is bringing her younger dd though as I like her a lot. We talked to our son and we don't know whether he is going to be able to come down here or not. It is going to interesting to cook with no oven. I am planning mostly crockpot meals as I can stick them on in the morning and everything will be ready to eat when we get home in the evenings. It is either eat modified SB food or go out to eat. I don't really care which they do. I can't afford to eat out and need to eat at home so that is what I will do except for lunch and I think I will just take something with me to eat for lunch in Jack's room each day. I pray that his sister only stays until like Wed then goes home.

Susan: I am hoping that in a few days Stan's mood will inprove some. The morphine doesn't help him to be cheerful either and combined with what has happened to him it is no wonder he is grumpy and depressed. Just take it one day at a time sweety and this too shall pass. I am doing really well on SB. This is my second day and though I was hungry yesterday I guess I was too busy to be hungry today.

Jean: I think the price of cards is disgusting! I sometimes just print my own. I have a great graphics program called print artist and can make really cute cards.
Hope the hungrys have left you. I get that way during ovulation usually or what my body pretends is ovulation at any rate! It will be like I want to eat the house sometimes. I have nothing bad here now and the SBD is going really well.

Well, gals, I have somethings I want to get done this evening. I am washing the bedding on the guest room and it is in the dryer. I have had the cat urping hairballs all over the place and the dog got mad at me because I had the stairs blocked with the sheets from the guest room so he peed on the bed. I got so stressed out that after I cleaned the pee up and the puke and got the rugs and the sheets in the laundry, I made myself a homemade mug of sf hot chocolate and stuck a spoon of frozen cool whip free in it and sat and listened to The 60's on 6 on XM radio for about 20 minutes. I have to get control of this stress and just calm down because Jack is going to need me to be rested and such.

Have a good evening gals!

Faye

[nanacas]

Just popped in for a moment.

Susan: You and your DH are in our prayers. You are going through a most horrendous time right now but with time it will get better for you both. If this operation means the DH can heal and go on with his life it will be great.

Faye: You, too, and Jack will be remembered in our prayers. It will be a difficult time but you are a strong woman and I know will come thru this well. As for sil, you know she won't be there forever so just bite your tongue.

Jean: The hungry horrors are with us all at one time or another. I try to keep light snacks around for the between time hungries. Sometime it even works.

Take care all.....I will check in again in a few days.

Gloria

[Jean]

Good Afternoon, Flowers! It's been a beautiful day in my corner of the world; it's been sunny all day, 77 degrees, and NO wind . . . PERFECT! I skipped the reading meeting after school today. No one officially gave me the schedule nor said I had to go this year and I didn't ask! Yesterday I was going over speech grades for my study hall students and found a special ed. student who enrolled from CA and is in speech with me, but was on no one's case load. Fortunately he is in all the right classes and just needs to be assigned a contact teacher. I have bell choir at 6 tonight and we have to dress in our performing clothes for pictures. We now wear black turtle necks, black slacks, and have different colored scarves. I'm taking another shirt along because I have a feeling it's going to be too warm to practice in long sleeves and a turtle neck.

"Gma" -- I'm glad Jack's surgery is scheduled so you don't have to sit around and wait. The best part is having confidence in and liking your doctor! I will keep you both in my prayers! Hopefully your sil will be too busy worrying about Jack to bug you. Did you buy your card program or did it come with your computer? I don't mind paying more for cards for special people, but I hate to shell out the $$ for people I don't think appreciate the effort I put into choosing just the right card.

Gloria -- It's nice to see you peeking in today. Hope all is well with you and your family.

Susan -- I hope today was a better day for Stan and you.

I'm off to change clothes! Have a nice evening and a terrific Thursday!

Jean -- from Iowa!

[gma22]

Good morning ladies. Well Jack is off to work. He has today and tomorrow and that is it for about 6-8 weeks. He had one of his "flushing" incidents from his niacin this morning. He turned bright red and said his body was tingling like bugs crawling all over him. I told him to sit and wait until it past just in case so he did. I have been awake since 1 AM having had a nightmare and not being able to sleep after that so I am pretty tired this morning. I have a lot to do though so I am going to get it done and then nap if there is time. I put a couple cornish game hens with rotisserie seasoning in the crockpot for dinner. I had to remove the skin from mine for SB and good thing they are a tight fit as my just flopped open since she didn't have any skin to hold her together! I could have tied her all up, but when I put them in side by side they fit tight enough I didn't have to do that. I always put about 1/2 can ff chicken broth in the bottom so I have good basting juices.

Jean: Hey, you SNUCK out, good for you! Won't be many times you can get away with that. I know how you hate all the stupid meetings you have to go to. We bought Print Artist years ago and really like it. I am sure there are fancier ones out now, but it has a nice big graphic section and you can do almost anything, business cards, cards, banners, posters, etc. The hard part is the printing on a regular printer but it can be done.

Gloria: I can hold anything together for the sake of Jack. Not that he would care. I am sure he wished I would stand up to his sister, but I don't feel causing bad feelings helps anything when the person you say something to won't see it constructively anyway, you know? He told me last night that he is going to tell the family he wants a few minutes alone with me before he goes in and that I am the first face he wants to see when he opens his eyes. Actually, that will probably be a nurse because of the ICU visiting hours. His surgery is at 7:30, takes about 4 hours, then it be another couple hours until he is ok enough to see him in ICU, but the ICU hours are 9-10, 12-1, 5-6PM, 8:30-9PM. I think with the surgery time and all I will miss the 12-1 so will have to wait until evening to see him. Once I know he is ok, I may come home and let the dog out etc and maybe get everyone to come here for a bite of early dinner before heading back at 5. I plan on putting a roast and carrots in the crockpot with a beef broth gravy and then heating up a couple cartons of those premade mashed potatoes. I'll put the cat up for the hour we are gone and then leave the mess and clean it up at 6 then go back at 8:30 for the half hour. It is going to be interesting because besides myself, there can only be one other person visiting at a time so they are going to have to take turns. In this instance I am going to be totally selfish and stay with my husband. They can just come in a visit for a couple minutes then go out and let someone else come in.

Susan: Hope Stan is improving daily. I am doing well on SB and am determined not to weigh until Monday. I haven't had any cravings at all but the caffeine withdrawal was bad. My only thing is getting in enough veggies per day. I don't like a huge variety of vegetables so I do try and get some of it in with like tomato juice in the morning and such.

Everyone have a great day and take care of yourselves.

Faye

[QuilterInVA]

Faye, I'm so glad they have Jack's surgery scheduled so you can get this behind you. Very stressful, I know.

Stan is doing better. The physical therapist got him out of bed yesterday with a walker! The surgeon and prosthesist changed his dressing and put the first shaper on this morning - a painful process that just has to be gotten through. Still waiting for a bed to open up in rehab. He ate most of his dinner last night and that was the first he ate anything since Sunday night.