Funeral

Yesterday was my grandma's funeral. It was a beautiful service, but a very long day. The visitation was beforehand so we were at the funeral home from 11am until 3pm. But, I got to see a lot of family and friends who I've not seen in a long time and we caught up on each other lives. Just wish we hadn't waited until grandma's death to do it.

Afterwards, at the cemetery, I was chatting with my mom and aunt when my daughter put her head on my mom's shoulder. I thought she was just leaning on my mom for comfort, but the next thing we knew she was on the ground! My daughter passed out! Everyone scrambled to help her up, get water, cover her legs with a jacket (she had a dress on so didn't want her flashing anybody), etc. She ended up on the ground for about five minutes. She wasn't out for long, but had to get her bearings. My cousin, who is a nurse, was checking her out and we think that she passed out due to the stress of the day, the heat (we were standing in the sun) and lack of food and drink. She'd not eaten much that morning. She's fine now thankfully, but talk about giving her poor mom more gray hairs! Geez!

Back to School Time

Today was the first day back to school for my two kids. Neither was really ready to go back, but I think they were both happy to see their friends again.

My daughter is a Junior this year. Wow, do I feel old! It was bad enough at the end of last school year when she got her driver's license, but to now send her off to school WITHOUT my having to drive her, well, that was almost too much to handle. I hate to even think how her Senior year is going to feel. I might not want to send her back to school then!

My son started Jr. High today so this was a whole new experience for him. New school, new teachers, etc. He's not the big man on campus anymore, but a lowly little 7th grader. He seems to have done well for his first day though. He didn't get lost and said he found all of his classes just fine. He did have a bit of trouble with his gym lock, but I think he'll do fine once he gets some practice using it. He said tomorrow will be the real test because it will be a full day with a full class schedule. He's looking forward to it though.

Both came home with another list of school supplies so will try to get those things picked up tomorrow for them. I thought I was finished with my back to school shopping, but I guess not. Not a problem though because most things are being marked down now so they're super cheap. lol

Real Estate Courses

Are you interested in getting your real estate license, but don't know WHERE to get it? Maybe you'd rather deal in appraisals or home inspections, but don't know how to go about finding a school that offers those classes?

Check out Fastclass.com. They are a national directory of Real Estate Schools that focus on careers in those fields. Their website also offers direct links to the schools that offer online classes so you could take Real Estate Courses in the comfort of your own home. It's that time of year to head back to the classroom, so if these are the type of classes you are interested in, head to Fastclass.com today.

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TGIF

This has been one looooonnnnnnggggg week. I'm exhausted and really hoping this weekend is calm and quiet to give me a chance to recuperate.

Funeral arrangments have been made for my grandma. It will take place next Thursday. I took the kids with me today to get some nice clothes to wear. I had absolutely nothing, same with my son. My daughter just wanted something new:) Anyway, that seemed to take forever. You'd think black dress pants and a nice black dressy top would be fairly easy to find.....nope. I did finally find something that would work though. My son found a nice pair of khaki jeans and a nice polo shirt to wear and he'll be able to wear them other places so at least they won't just sit in his closet. My daughter found a really nice dress too. Also bought some nice shoes for my daugher and myself and the best part of that was that both pair were on clearance and had been marked way down in price. Mine were only $3.00!!! I figure I can handle that since I'll probably never wear them again. I'm just not a dressy person. I live in blue jeans and tee shirts.

After clothes shopping, I met my mom and aunt at the flower shop and we picked out the funeral spray for grandma's casket and I also ordered a bunch to be just from me, hubby and my kids. I ordered all lavender flowers since that was grandma's favorite color. I think she'd like that:)

At some point this weekend, I need to get my son's hair cut and also need to get mine colored. I know grandma wouldn't have cared if we were a bit scraggly, but I want to look nice anyway.

School starts Monday so at least that will give the kids something to help take their minds off what is going on. They will have to miss school on Thursday for the funeral, but both have said they want to go. I'm not going to say no.

Work is still working. I wish I wasn't self-employed now because if I worked for someone else I could at least take a day off. Here I can't seem to do that. The phone is still ringing and even though I haven't been answering every call, I am still pretty busy. It's helped keep me from breaking down though so guess, in a way, that is good.

Alzheimer's Memory Walk

The Alzheimer's Association is having a memory walk to help raise awareness and money for their charity. The funds raised would help pay for Alzheimer's care, support and research. This walk is held every year in hundreds of communities around the country and hundreds of volunteers of all ages help out. A typical memory walk is around 2-3 miles and is held on a weekend morning in the fall. Since 1989, the Alzheimer's
Memory Walk has raised more then $225 million! That is a lot.

Right now, Team Captains are needed. If you are interested in becoming a Team Captain, you need to sign up early to make sure you have enough time to recruit a team and raise money for the cause. It's really easy to start a team. First, select a walk near you then sign up online. That's it. Pretty easy, right? Then just ask three people to sign up with you and have them ask three people and so on and so on. You'll have your team before you know it. Recruit family, friends, co-workers and soon you'll have your team. Ask for donations too!

The Alzheimer's Association really needs your help. Please sign up today to be a Team Captain and help raise awareness and funding for this wonderful cause.

My Piece of Gold

Goldie L. Shotts passed away this morning at 3:55 a.m. She was with her two daughters, son inlaw and grandson when she went to be with God. She was very loved and will be sorely missed.

Grandma 8/22/07

Grandma is still hanging on. We think she is waiting on two of her sons to come see her, but I don't know if that will happen. The one son is in New Hampshire. He says he'll be here, but it's taking time to get plans arranged. The other son lives in Washington DC and his wife is very ill so he's not able to just drop everything and come either.

I've been at the nursing home every day. Today when I was sitting by grandma's bedside, I held her hand and she squeezed so hard I thought she was going to cut off the circulation! It felt good though, knowing that she knew I was there. She does look at you now and will follow you with her eyes as you walk around the room, but there's still no speech and she can't move her right side.

Her body wasn't processing the fluids that she was getting via IV so they took her off of that. The doctor said that it was actually making her worse because the fluids had nowhere to go. Her hands are very swollen because of this, but that will eventually be reabsorbed back into her body. She was also very congested, but is now breathing much easier. She still coughs, but nothing like she.

The Hospice nurses have talked to the family and gave us information on what to expect. It was hard to read, but it does answer some of our questions. Everyone knows that grandma won't be with us much longer so we're all trying to spend as much time with her as possible. I think grandma knows this and appreciates not being alone.

Grandma gazes at the ceiling a lot during the day when she is awake and mom said today that she wished she knew what grandma was seeing. I told mom that grandma is watching all of her angels and that right in the middle of the group is my grandpa, waiting patiently with open arms. Of course, mom cried, but she said that was the most beautiful and peaceful image for her to imagine and it was something that made her feel good to think about. I told her that is how I get through the day, by knowing that there are so many people waiting to have grandma with them again.

Web Publishing

How many times have you wanted to change some content on your blog or webpage and found that it was just too confusing? What does HTML mean anyway? That's where Texty comes in.

Texty is a new content management solution for small web publishers. It provides very fast and simple methods for web publishers so they can change web pages, bios, about pages, etc.

If you don't know HTML from a BLT, check out texty.com today.

8/20

Not good news about my grandma. They are moving her back to the nursing home, but putting her in Hospice care. The doctors don't think she will be with us much longer. They couldn't confirm it at the hospital, but are pretty sure she had a stroke. She can't move her right side, can't talk and is pretty much out of it. She doesn't recognize anyone at all. My mom said that if I want to see her and tell her goodbye that I need to be at the nursing home today to do so. I'm so not ready to do this.

Lap Band Surgery

I've tried every diet known to man and still am overweight. I've seriously been considering lap-band surgery to help me in my weight loss journey.

Lap band, to me, seems like a much safer alternative compared to the gastric bypass surgery. With lap-band surgery, the surgeons "will use laparoscopic techniques. This means that he or she will be making tiny incisions (rather than a large incision) and inserting special long-shafted instruments through these tiny incisions in order to wrap the inflatable silicone band around the upper part of your stomach. A narrow camera is passed through one of the incisions so your surgeon can view the operative site on a nearby video monitor. Like a wristwatch, the LAP-BAND ® is fastened around the upper stomach to create the new stomach pouch that limits and controls the amount of food you eat. The band is then locked securely in a ring around the stomach.

This creates a small stomach pouch that can hold a smaller amount of food so food storage in the stomach is reduced. The gastric band also controls the size of the stomach outlet between the new upper pouch and the lower part of the stomach. When the outlet is smaller, you feel full faster, while the food moves more slowly between your upper and lower stomach as it is digested. This procedure will allow you to feel full and satisfied while you actually eat less and lose weight."

JourneyLite is a nationwide network of lap band surgical facilities and surgeons who specialize in the LAPBAND procedure. If you are located or will be traveling to Los Angeles LA, Houston Texas and Tampa Florida, they have facilities located there.


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8/19/07

Grandma is in the hospital yet again. The nurses at the nursing home said she was unresponsive, not answering anyone, just staring into space, so they took her back to the hospital. My dad called me at 3pm this afternoon, but I've not heard anything else. My sister inlaw, who works at the nursing home, said that the last time she'd seen grandma that grandma had told her that she was ready to see Jesus and her husband, who passed away in 1985. It's sad to say, but maybe it would be for the best if grandma just let go. This is her third trip to the hospital in the last few weeks. I don't want her to go, but I don't want her to suffer anymore either and truthfully, I feel like that is what is happening now, that she is suffering. I will fill you all in when I hear more.

She's Back

Grandma is back at the nursing home again. They released her from the hospital this morning and she was back in her room by 11:30am. I didn't hear a lot screaming and yelling so I'm guessing she didn't put up too much of a fight. My mom said she was going to go visit with her this afternoon so I'm hoping that grandma wasn't too mad about having to go back to the nursing home and not to her house.

Edit: Mom said that when she went to see grandma that she was very tired and sad. She is still not feeling the best and just wants to sleep. Mom said that grandma doesn't have much fight in her at all and she thinks that she has given up the fight. I hope this isn't the case.

Missionary Travel

A girl that I go to the gym with has been chatting lately about how she'd love to become a missionary and travel to all of these other country's to help people. The only problem she is having is that missionary travel can be quite expensive. Enter Golden Rule Travel. They know what it means to be called by God to the mission field and will try to help find the lowest possible travel airfare out there for you.

They understand your needs because they have been there themselves. They currently have four former missionaries, a pastor, a Bible college instructor and a child-care worker employed at Golden Rule, who would be more then delighted to help you find what you are looking for. You can read testimonials from several satisfied customers on their website. They also have 24/7 cell phone service, special contracts with airlines for missionaries, and a honest Christian staff

I'm going to let Tracy know that I found this website and encourage her to check into it. If anyone else out there is interested, visit Golden Rule Travel to find out more.

Update on my Grandma

Well, grandma is back in the hospital again. They took her from the nursing home last night because she had a fever of 102. When they got her to the hospital, they took a chest x-ray and immediately started her on antibiotics. She was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection and a small spot of infection on her lung, which if not caught this early, would have probably turned into pneumonia. She is in ICU, for now, and will probably be in the hospital for a couple of days.

My mom is feeling terrible because when she visited with grandma on Tuesday afternoon, grandma kept saying she was really, really tired. Mom thinks she should have known that something wasn't quite right, but she didn't say anything and now feels terrible about it. I told her that grandma was saying she was really tired on Monday when I visited her too and I didn't catch it either. I just figured she was tired from all her therapy and was needing sleep to recoup from that.

So, we are back to running to the hospital again. My poor mom and aunt are running themselves ragged. When I talked to my mom this morning, you could tell she was just exhausted.

I don't have anymore news for now, but will update again when I do.

Need Help with Schoolwork?

School is about to start in our neck of the woods again and I'm already checking into some help for my kids. I have found a very Innovative Tutor through the Score Learning Centers.

They offer help to children ages 4 to 14 in reading and math. I'm going to check into it and see if my kids qualify for their program. If you would like to learn more about their program, go to www.escore.com and check them out.

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Have you been Simpsonized yet?

You've probably seen the commercials on tv. Burger King is a sponsor for The Simpsons Movie. They have the toys for their kids meals and also have a fun little website where you can make yourself look like a Simpson character. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it. It's very fun and pretty addictive.

All you need is a close up picture of your face which is at least 640x480, approximately a 5x7 one. Scan it into your computer and go to Simpsonize Me, upload it to the website and they will convert it into a Simpson's character for you.

Here is what they came up with for me:



It doesn't really look like me, but I like what they came up with. I also did my hubby. Here is what they came up with for him:



Actually, this is what they came up with for hubby the second time we uploaded his picture. The first time, he was bald with just a few sprouts of hair on his chin! It was hilarious!

Anyway, if you have some free time on your hands, check out Simpsonize Me. You'll be glad that you did.

My grandma

Last Friday, my grandmother, who turned 99 years old on July 21st, had to be admitted to the hospital because of massive bleeding. They ended up transfusing her with 4 pints of blood and she stayed there for 4 days. Tuesday evening she was transferred to our local nursing home to rebuild her strength before, hopefully, going home. Today was the first day that I've made it in to see her. When we got to her room, she was asleep in her chair, but she did wake up and carry on a decent conversation for about an hour. She ate lunch and afterwards started nodding off so we (mom, me and my kids) left her to get some rest.

I am keeping my fingers crossed and saying several prayers each day that she is able to go back to her home. She has lived on her own since my grandfather passed away in 1985 so is very used to her independence. But, I also know that she is 99 years old and when your body gets to be that age it doesn't bounce back as quickly or as often as it did when you were younger so it is highly possible that she will not be able to go back to her home again.

I am saying many prayers each day that it doesn't come to her spending the last of her lifetime in a nursing home. I know she wants to be in HER home with HER things and spend her life with the people that she loves.

Computer Games

There are a couple of new PC games out there. StarCraft: Brood War and the upcoming starcraft 2 PC games are being talked about over at CreepColony.com. If you enjoy pc games and would like to chat or get some more information about these games, head on over and check out CreepColony.
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Feelin' hot, hot, hot!!!

OMG! It is so hot here. This past week, temps have been in the 90's each day. Today it was 100! Felt like 110! Ugh. Can you believe that it's even been too hot to enjoy the swimming pool? I know that's weird to hear, but when the water temp is 92 degrees it just isn't refreshing at all. Thankfully, we've got central air. I don't know how I'd cope if we didn't. They say these temps will continue into this weekend and by the looks of the future forecast for next week, the humidity might calm down a little but the temps are still going to be in the mid 90's. I'm hoping that changes. I feel for all those people who have to work outdoors in these temps. Just going outside to get the mail has me practically melting.

New Movie

Have you heard that Rob Zombie is writing and directing a new version of the movie, Halloween? I saw previews for it the other day and it looks like it is going to be an awesome movie.

I remember watching all of the Halloween, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street movies when I was younger. I loved them and actually watched the Halloween movies several times over and over again. I still like the occasional scary movie and will definitely go see Halloween the movie once it hits theaters on August 31st.

I think this version of Halloween the movie will be much darker and scarier since Rob Zombie is the one directing it. He just has that type of aura and I think that is just bound spill over into his writing. I mean, how could it not. Jamie Lee Curtis was my favorite actress from the original movie, but unfortunately she's not in this one. Danielle Harris, who was in Halloween 4 and 5 playing Jamie Lee's daughter, is back again for this Halloween movie, but will be playing a completely different character. Here's a preview of the movie trailer.



See what I mean? Scary! I am so looking forward to this movie's release date. I've already marked my calendar and will set aside that Friday night for a good, scary movie to see with my sweetie.

Freaky Fun Friday

Thought this news article was too cute not to pass along to others for my Freaky Fun Friday post.

Click here to read about a real chocoholic!

Thankful Thursday

It's Thankful Thursday and I wanted to log in here and tell you what I'm most thankful for today.

1) My best friend....I don't get to see her as much as I'd like because she lives out of state, but when she does make it here for a visit we try to spend as much time together as we can. She made it here for a visit this week and yesterday she came out, bringing her kids along for a swim in our pool. What a fun afternoon we had. I just wish she lived closer so we could spend more time together. I don't realize how much I miss her friendship until I've gotten a taste of it again.
2) My mom.....I really don't know what I would do without her in my life. She is more then just a mother to me, she is a good friend. I feel that I can tell her pretty much anything that is going on in my life and whether she approves or not, she gives me her honest opinion on the subject.
3) My kids....They might be onery, but I love them with all my heart. And even though it will be nice to get my peace and quiet back this fall once school restarts, I'll miss them popping their heads into my home office just to say Hi.

You know I could go on and on about a lot more things that I'm thankful for, but will stop here and save the rest for another Thankful Thursday.