THE GROWTH OF A PAPERWHITE

Paperwhites are strange flowers.  You either love them or hate them.  I love them because they bloom at Christmas when everything else seems dead or dormant.  And they grow so quickly.  I could almost watch them grow throughout the day.  I got three bulbs at the farm in the fall and kept them to plant this year.  It is the first time I have done it since I've been married.  They have a very strong scent.  Joe hates the scent.  He can't wait for them to die.  Guess I won't be doing this next year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!

Today is my birthday.  I turned 57 today.  It is hard to believe I am that old because I feel as if I am still 16.  I decided to take it easy today and that is just what I did.  I watched some TV, took a nap and read some of my library book.  A few of my friends called me and Debbie even sang to me so that was nice.

Joe gave me two sweatshirts, one black with sparkley snowmen and says "My heart melts for you" and a gray one with cardinals and fir trees.  He also got me a paint set and a DVD of "Beauty and the Beast."  I love Disney animated movies and I am trying to replace all my VHS tapes with DVDs.

We went to see Joe's dad at the rehab center this afternoon.  He looks great.  His color is good, he was laughing, smiling, talking.  He was in the dining room when we got there, so it wasn't as if he was even in bed.  That was good to see.

Joe got me Chinese Egg Drop Soup for dinner.  It was so good.  For dessert I got a slice of cheesecake.  I am taking my chances eating the cheese, but I figure I'm home, so who cares.  I wouldn't eat it out in public though.  There were two pieces.  Joe stuck a candle in each piece and lit them.  After I blew them out he took one of the pieces.  But the way I figure it I got two wishes since there were two pieces and two candles.  Ha,ha!

My two slices of cake.

Getting ready to blow out the candles.

One of the shirts Joe gave me.

DECEMBER SNOW

We got hit hard with the snow storm on the day after Christmas.  It wasn't as bad as down the shore where they got over 2 feet of snow, but our 12 inches was quite enough for me.  I wasn't allowed to shovel, so all of it fell to Joe.  He did a really good job of it too.  Even got my car shoveled out.  As you can see from these pictures the high winds really did a number on our yard.

CHRISTMAS DAY

Christmas morning Elaine made us delicious scrambled eggs for breakfast.  They were so good.  She and Joe got to eat bacon with them.  I couldn't.  : (  But that was OK.

We had lots of gifts to open.  And I mean lots.  For a poor Christmas we did pretty good.  I can't even begin to name all we got. We are so fortunate.  Joe gave me a Tassimo beverage maker.  I had wanted one, but never thought I'd get it.  Can't wait to try it out.  Elaine gave me a lot of clothes.  I need them since I lost so much weight.  My other clothes are falling off of me.  And she made sure they were soft and stretchy so they wouldn't hurt my incisions.  My big gift to Joe was a quilted hoody jacket.  He loves it.  And Elaine got a new set of pots and pans from Joe and me.  Of course there were lots of other stuff too.

We got to talk to our two brothers on the phone.  That was nice.  We never get to be all together anymore.  Maybe some year we can arrange that.  

Joe also talked with his son and his family in Tennessee and his dad in the hospital.  Yes, his dad is back in the hospital and has been for the last week.  His breathing is bad again and his blood sugar went up to over 400.  That's coming down now, so that is good.

About 3 p.m. Joe called our friend, Carole, who was taking care of our cat, Jenny, for us.  She told us about the coming snow.  We immediately got on the computer and was looking at all the different websites and scenarios of when and where the snow was coming.  Then we decided that we had better leave immediately.  The only problem was I was really tired, we hadn't eaten and we would be driving in the dark again.  We ended up with Joe packing up the car and we stayed to leave first thing in the morning because the best sites seemed to say that we wouldn't get the snow until the morning.  We figured if we left early enough the most we would drive through would be flurries.

Elaine made us angel hair pasta with asparagus and shrimp.  It was very good. 

So we stayed over and had a really nice time with Elaine.  So glad we stayed.  It worked out so much better that way.

Under the tree was loaded!

Joe with his morning coffee in a nutcracker mug.

Me and Cody enjoying one of his toys.

Joe in his new jacket.

Elaine opening her pots and pans.

Joe gave me a beautiful ring with our names engraved on it.

Joe and I with our haul.

And Elaine with hers.

Me and Elaine

CHRISTMAS EVE

I've been away for several days, so haven't been posting.  But I want to catch up.  I'll start with Christmas Eve.

We were going to my sister's for Christmas.  She lives 2 hours away, so we stay overnight.  I had planned to leave at 2 p.m., but you know how things are.  One more thing to do, and then another before we can get going.  So we ended up leaving at 4:30 p.m.  That put us driving in the dark.  I don't like to drive on those back country unlit roads in the dark.  Everything looks different and I lose my bearings of where I am.  But God was good and got us there safely.

We had a wonderful chicken dinner and I was able to eat a lot of it.  It was so good I'm afraid I overdid it a bit and my stomach hurt.  But I kept it down and that's a good thing.

We always have Christmas crackers on Christmas Eve.  Crackers are decorated cardboard tubes that snap loudly when the ends are pulled.  Inside is a paper crown (which you have to wear through dinner), a joke, and a toy.  I got a purple butterfly barrette.  Joe got a pirate eyepatch.  I forget what Elaine got.  Here's my joke:  Q.  What does the word minimum mean?  A.  A very small mother.  (groan)  I had pictures of us in our crowns, but they all turned out bad, so I got rid of them.  Just trust me, we wore them.

Elaine's church had a Christmas Eve service starting at 11 p.m. and lasting till midnight.  Since we got up there so late we had missed the 7 p.m. service, so we went to the late one.  It was really nice.  The best part is at the end when everyone makes a circle around the church, all the lights go out, and everyone has a lit candle.  We all sing "Silent Night" and wish each other a merry Christmas.

So then it was home to bed and a very deep sleep until morning.

Joe

The table with our Christmas Crackers

Cody hoping Joe will slip him a treat from the table.

My sister's beautiful Lenox nativity

Joe got the Pirate Eyepatch in his cracker, but I stole, I mean borrowed, it.

A Visit

Last night I got a call from my co-worker asking if she and a couple of others from work could stop over.  I said sure, but to ignore the house because I've been too sick to clean up much. It turns out the librarian, Jerry, and two of the library assistants, Donna and Diane, came.  They stood outside and caroled to me and Joe and then came in.  They had a huge, beautiful bouquet of flowers for me.  We sat around and talked for a couple of hours.  It was so good to see them again and to catch up on what's been going on at work.  Diane even brought over a book she thought I would like to read.  What good friends.  I don't miss the job, but I do miss the people.

The Hawk

Last Saturday my neighbor called me and told me to look out my back door. There was a hawk sitting on the fence between our two houses. As I was walking to the door she said, "Oh, it flew away, but now it's in the yard in back of us and two houses over." I was able to grab my camera and get a picture of it. The photos are light because it was so far away and I was shooting through the glass. We don't see a lot of hawks in this neighborhood.

Good News from the Doctor

The tree at the Steamboat Inn in Paradise, PA Christmas 2009.

Who would have guessed that at 56 years old I would be a poster child?  That is what the doctor said to me today -- that I was the poster child for hiatal hernia surgery.  She said it was one of the easiest she had ever done and I am recovering remarkably well.


The first doctor I saw was one of the residents -- a Doctor Richards -- who removed the final two steri-strips.  The skin on my stomach is in bad shape, but hurts a lot less now.  I think a lot of the pain was coming from my adhesive allergy.  There is still some pain left, but it's better.


Dr. Chojnacki was very pleased with my progress.  I asked if I could up my diet a bit from pureed food.  She said that I should avoid crusty bread, things like chips and popcorn (crispy things) and meat.  Other than that, if I could tolerate it and it didn't get stuck in my esophagus I could eat it.  My throat and stomach are still swollen and it will take about another 9 weeks to go back to normal size.  She even said I could have a piece of cake for my birthday.  In fact she said I deserved it.  That's nice.  She thinks a lot of the progress I've made is because I followed their instructions exactly.  I guess a lot of people cheat.  All right I cheated only once, but was very sorry afterwards.  I guess once in three weeks is better than most.


So Christmas, my birthday and New Year's Eve is looking a little brighter for me food wise.  I never thought much about food until I couldn't have it.  Now I look up new recipes and think up new ideas for things that I can eat.  We always want what we can't have.  Human beings are a strange entity.

I'll Be Glad When It's Over

There are so many things I will be glad to see over.  Today we went to the Hallmark store to try to finally finish things up.  I got slightly sick driving over there, but it passed.  What is it with the car and getting sick?  I got the cards I needed and some Christmas candles.  I will be glad when all of the Christmas shopping is over because I am tired of going from store to store and always finding there is more to get when I have no money.  But I am doing the best I can.

I see the doctor tomorrow for my first follow-up visit following surgery.  I will be glad when it is over and I know just where I stand.  I think for 3 weeks (today) I am doing wonderfully.  I started eating solid food yesterday.  I chew it up very well and I have not been getting sick on it.  I hope I am doing the right thing.  I need to talk to Dr. Chojnacki about it tomorrow.

I will be glad when all the steri-strips are off and I can get my skin cleared up.  There are two left and they are on very tightly.  I am hoping she will remove them tomorrow.  My stomach isn't black and blue anymore.  Now it is all raw and scabby from my adhesive allergy.

On the other hand....

I will NOT be glad to have the Christmas Eve service at my sister's church over.  It is always a beautiful service with several choirs, a couple of messages, and the best part is at the end when they turn out the lights, everyone stands in a circle with a lit candle and we all sing "Silent Night."  So beautiful.

I will NOT be glad when Christmas is over.  I am looking forward to Christmas and being with my sister.  I am looking forward to the surprised looks on Joe and Elaine's faces when they see their gifts.  I am looking forward to making them happy.  And it is so nice that I hear songs about Jesus even on the secular radio stations.  I love the Christmas lights.  When I was a very little girl (2 or 3 years old) I used to call them "Happy Birthday, Jesus Lights."

I will NOT be glad when my birthday is over.  I like being a Christmas baby and being able to put my birthday gifts under the Christmas tree.  I always felt I was special when I was a little girl because my birthday was 4 days after Jesus'.

So even though there are things I will be glad to see over, I guess there is more that I am looking forward to.  Tomorrow I'll give a report on what the doctor says.

The Gifts of the Magi -- Matthew 2:1-12

There were three different responses to the birth of Christ.

1.  Of  Herod -- He was Jewish by birth, but had no spiritual background.  He was ruthless and brutal.  He killed all he suspected wanted his throne including his wives and children.  He was not of the line of David so was not the rightful king of Israel.  And he knew this.  So when a huge caravan comes into his city asking where the king of the Jews is, he is upset.  They have legitimate proof -- they have seen a star.  This was very important in that day.  The heavens foretold the rising and setting of kings.  There was also a prophecy of the Star of Bethlehem.  People listened to those who observed the stars.  Herod took this very seriously.  People still take stars seriously -- the Horoscope.  But God, not the stars, controls everything.  Herod decides not to make his own decision, but calls his counselors and priests to him.  Some people derive their ideas about God from the media.  They don't go straight to the source, but get ideas from the ones who are speaking the loudest.

2.  Of the Religious Scribes -- They don't hesitate to tell Herod where the Christ is to be born.  They knew instantly.  The scribes were the legal experts.  They were well versed in Jewish law and the Torah.  They had studied and it was part of them.  But their response is nothing.  They don't do anything but give Herod his answer.  Their response was neither good nor bad.  It was indifference.  Are we so familiar with the Christmas story that we have lost the awe of it?

3.  Of the Magi -- Who are they?  They were not kings.  They were not royal.  Magi is translated as "wise men" but they were so much more than that.  Magi = magic.  Most scholars believe they were from Babylon or around there.  There was a religious belief called Zoasterism -- a Babylonian version of Judaism.  They could have been of this.  Another theory is that when Judah was exiled to Babylon and then were allowed to return to their own country, many Jews stayed behind.  They had businesses and established lives in Babylon.  These men could have been descendants of these people.  A third theory is that these were pagans who studied the stars and ancient manuscripts.  They felt a powerful ruler was born that they needed to pacify and make peace with.  We don't know if they fully understood what they were doing when they came to worship.

We don't need to know everything right now, but we need to take action to learn more and spread the gospel.

The gift of the Magi was not the gold, frankincense and myrrh, but their journey thousands of miles to worship the Christ child.

Going to the Farm While Sick is Not a Good Idea

Yesterday was our farm pick up day.  Before I left I was a little sick to my stomach, but didn't want to take medicine because I was afraid I would fall asleep and I thought I was going to drive.  It ended up that Joe drove and we were only half way there when I started feeling as if I were going to throw up.  We stopped for gas and I rolled down the window to get fresh air and felt a little better.  When we got to the farm I was really sick.  Walking around in the fresh air helped some, but not a lot.  They were having a craft show there and Joe bought some handmade soap.  Everyone wanted me to smell it, but the scents just made me feel sicker.

We got a lot of good stuff though.  We got Amish butter, a piece of brie cheese, a half gallon of milk in a glass bottle (a blast from the past) which we have to return next time, 2 lbs of onions, 2 lbs of apples, 2 lbs of potatoes, kale, a bag of cranberries and a small chicken.  I'm trying to figure out what to do with the cranberries.  I've never used fresh cranberries before.  I'm thinking of making a sugar-free apple and cranberry pie for Joe for Christmas.

Next we had to stop at the library to return a couple of books I had finished with.  I stayed in the car and Joe went in.  He was inside a long time.  I kept getting sicker and sicker.  When he finally came out, Donna (the Library Assistant 2) was with him to see me.  It was so good to see her again.  I do miss the people I work with.  Joe said everyone was asking for me and wanting to know how I was doing, etc.

Our last stop was at my friend Debbie's house because we were going to exchange gifts.  I was too sick to go in.  Joe went to the door and just handed in our bag and got hers.

When we got home I ran into the house, took my Compazine and laid down.  In half an hour it was as if someone had switched off the nausea and I felt fine.  I have learned my lesson and will take it before I go out next time.  I suffered needlessly for 3 hours.

Today I felt so much better and even went to church.  It was good to be there.  We sang Christmas carols and had a message on the Magi.  Even so, it doesn't feel like Christmas at all.

The wreath I made for the front door the day I came home from the hospital.  The "berries" are gold jinglebells.

Not Every Day is a Good One

Today was not a good day for me.  I have a lot of pain in my liver.  It got so bad I ended up taking a Tramadol which I haven't done for almost two weeks.  I ended up going back to sleep.  It took the edge off for awhile, but the pain is still there.

I have been out of it all day.  I have just laid around and didn't do anything.  Have I been trying to do too much?  Actually, if I had another type of job I would have been sent back to work by now.  I don't know how people can do it.  I still have stitches.  Is it me?

Then tonight Joe was at the store when the UPS driver delivered two big boxes.  I had him slip them into the house, but I couldn't close the front door.  So I picked them up and put them on the chair.  They were heavy even though I lifted them one at a time.  Almost immediately I got dizzy and nauseous.  I got myself to the sofa and laid down until Joe got home.  He got me a Compazine and in half an hour I was feeling OK.  Don't know what happened there.

One good thing, two of the steri-strips fell off today.  That's such a relief.  The skin is all blistered from the adhesive, so now I can start treating it.  The scar is so little and you can see the teeny, tiny stiches that were used.  A 3/4 inch scar has 4 stitches in it.  The surgeon should be making quilts, her sewing is so good!

A Visit from a Friend

I had a very nice visit with my friend, Sarah, today.  Joe went to pick her up and brought her over here.  My favorite little person, Elise, was with her.  Poor Elise was sleeping when they came in, but as soon as we started talking, she woke up and looked around like, "Where am I?"

One of the first things Elise discovered was the stuffed animals and my Raggedy Ann doll that I keep on the back of the sofa.  So she had lots of things to play with.  Joe gave her some goldfish crackers and she ate almost all of them.  She was so cute when she took a tissue and wiped her mouth after she ate.  We had to laugh.

It was so good to see Sarah.  She stayed for a couple of hours so we had lots of time to talk and catch up on things.  She is such a nice person and such a good friend.  Sometimes not being able to get around as well as I used to I feel so left out of things.  She understood that and came to give me someone new to talk to.  What a sweetheart!  Even though she is moving to New York when she gets married in Oct 2012 she says she will be down often to see everyone.  I sure hope so.

Here's some pictures.

Elise with her "na-na".  She wouldn't let go of it until she saw the goldfish crackers.

Here she is wiping her mouth with the tissue.  But her tongue is out to get the last little crumbs.

Elise and her mom, Sarah.

Can't Sleep

I'm up early again today.  I woke up 4:30 a.m. and can't get back to sleep.  I guess that's because I tried to do too much yesterday and wore myself out.  So I fell asleep at 8:30 p.m.  I think I am going to try to start my day early because I am having my friend, Sarah, visit me today with her little girl, Elise, my favorite little person.  Elise is almost 2 years old and the sweetest child you can imagine.

I wish I could be more like my cat daughter, Jenny.  She can sleep any time and any where.

Christmas Shopping

I took it easy most of the day, but about 3 p.m. Joe and I decided to go Christmas shopping for a few things.  Joe had ordered his dad's gift online and never got it.  After calling the company this morning he discovered that the shirts he ordered were out of stock and would not be back in until after the holidays.  So he canceled the order and we went to Foreman Mills to see what we could find.  Well it took awhile, but we found two nice shirts at half the price he would have paid online.  I also found a nice top for his dad's wife and a pretty pink sweatshirt for me.  I have been wearing sweatshirts because they are soft on my poor incision laden stomach.

Then we went to Dollar Tree and I got a bunch of stuff for my sister's stocking.  I still have almost nothing for Joe's stocking.  I have to go to Rite Aid and see what they have there.  I would have done that tonight but after walking around so much my incisions were killing me.  So painful.  I felt like someone was stabbing me with a knife and then the pain made me feel nauseous.  So even though I drove to the stores, Joe had to drive home.  I guess I'm just too anxious to be well.  I think I can do it all after 2 weeks.

Joe's dad called tonight to see how I was doing.  He doesn't sound good at all.  Please continue to pray for him because he is still having trouble breathing.  He does much better in the hospital, then they send him home and he gets bad again.

I knew Joe must have been getting short on money, so for some unknown reason I asked him to check his bank account when we got home tonight.  It must have been God's leading, because when he pulled up his account online he discovered that someone had used his debit/credit card and charged over $800 on it.  There is no way we would be using that kind of money with me out of work.  And it was for a travel agency.  Yeah, I'm really in a state to travel.  So he got on the phone right away and called the bank and then the agency and put a hold on everything and canceled his card.  God really took care of this because it had just happened and he was able to cancel everything without losing any money.  Even in the midst of someone trying to hurt us, God is in control of the situation and is fighting for us.  Praise the Lord!

Home Alone

Joe has a doctor's appointment today.  He left at 12 noon.  His appointment is for 1 p.m., but he probably will be sent for blood work and have to get prescriptions so I don't expect him back until around 5 p.m.  It is the first time I have been left alone since my surgery.  That was 2 weeks ago today.  It seems so long ago and at the same time like it just happened.  I hardly ever get the chance to be alone in the house, so I am taking advantage of it.  I am going to get some gifts wrapped -- especially those for Joe.  Under the tree is going to get a little crowded.

It is cold today!  I have the little space heater stove going because I was freezing in the living room.  I am so glad my sister gave us this stove last Christmas.  It is keeping our fuel bill down quite a bit.

I had a scrambled egg for breakfast today and didn't puree it.  I just chewed really well and I had no problem with it.  It wasn't very good because I made it, not Joe, and I put too much pepper in it and overcooked it.  But not getting stomach pains or getting sick on it is a very good sign.  I want to start adding to my diet each week, so that is my food for the week.  Hurray!  I actually had to chew something!  But I will be very good the rest of the day and go back to my baby food so that I do not get sick.

I was reading my blog from last month earlier today.  I knew I was sick, but I didn't realize how very sick I was.  I guess I am glad I got the surgery done after all.

Another Sunday

This is the second Sunday I haven't gotten to church.  I miss going, but just cannot sit up that long.  I try to do things and be "normal" but I am so tired and not there yet.  I don't think people understand this.  Because I had laproscopic surgery all people see are tiny little cuts and think it's nothing.  It was major surgery with my organs being moved around, my diaphram being repaired, and it hurts a lot.  I am still not sleeping through the night because the pain wakes me up.  But I can't seem to make others understand this.

I have a severe allergy to adhesives.  The steri-strips that were put over my stitches are still sticking fast and now are actually burning the skin right off of me.  I think a lot of the pain comes from that.  I was told to not take them off, to let them fall off themselves.  However, I am going to try to call the doctor's office tomorrow and ask if I can take some of them off (from the worst spots) to help me.  Let's see what she says.

Enough of my complaining.  I have lots to thank God for.  I know I am some better.  I know this will not last forever.  It has been 2 weeks tomorrow and I have been able to keep all my food down and even eat more than I could before the surgery.  In fact I felt well enough to make a meatloaf and a turnip/potato mash for Joe for dinner.  I was going to do another vegetable too, but ran out of energy.  I couldn't eat it, but he said it was wonderful.

We watched more of the Christmas DVD this afternoon.  We saw "The Honeymooners" and "The Andy Griffith Show".  Andy was a very old one with Don Knotts and I had never seen it before.  The next one on the DVD is "The Brady Bunch."

I was able to go to Rite Aid this afternoon for about 15 minutes.  I got 2 of the last 3 gifts I have to buy and some cards.  I also got a huge gift bag for Joe's huge Christmas gift which I can't say what it is because he reads this.  You all will know what it is when he does.  LOL!  I also got the last 2 little polar bear figurines they had.  They were $3 each and so cute.  I put them by the TV.  Here are pictures of them.  I have loved polar bears since I was a year old and my parents took me to the zoo.  It was all I talked about for weeks.  I called them the "big white bears."  : )

I'm hungry

There's so much food in the house.  How can I be hungry all the time?  Well, let's see...  I can't eat any of the food we have.  Last night I made a pasta and red bell pepper dish for Joe to try to start using things up because the food is starting to go bad.  I had chicken and sweet potatoes baby food.  It felt so good to cook again, but hurt my incisions at the same time.  I guess I can't do it by myself every day.  But I want to get back into it.  I don't think Joe eats right when I don't cook.  He has a habit of making himself sandwiches instead of fresh fruit and veggies.

We watched the "I Love Lucy" Christmas special from 1956 yesterday.  I was almost 3 years old when it was first shown and Joe wouldn't be born for another 1 1/2 years.  But it was still funny.  We were laughing so hard.  Some humor is timeless and I really do love Lucy.  Thank you, Elaine, for leaving your DVD with us.  We are going to watch "The Honeymooners" today.  They really don't make good shows like that any more.

There is a Christmas Bazaar today at the farm where we go for our co-op.  If I feel up to it, I want to go for a little bit.  I want to start going out, seeing different things, being with people.  I guess that means I am feeling better because at the beginning I didn't want to see anyone or do anything.  I didn't turn on TV, didn't read, nothing.  It has not been 2 weeks yet since the surgery and everyone tells me I am doing so well.  If I go, I will try to take pictures.  We'll see.

Every day is better

A week ago I would not have believed I would feel as good as I do this morning.  I woke up this morning laying on my stomach.  I usually sleep that way, but haven't since the surgery.  This must mean I am getting better since I got in this position in my sleep.  I am still in pain from the incisions, but feeling more like myself every day.  I am trying to take it easy, but still move around since sitting still causes me to stiffen up and make it twice as painful when I do try to move.

I think I overdid it yesterday.  Joe had to go to his doctor's appointment.  Our friend, Carole, drove him there.  My friend, Debbie, came over so I wasn't alone the whole time.  I knew Pastor Justin and his wife, Cherie, were coming over to visit in the afternoon, so Debbie sort of straightened up some.  There wasn't that much to do since the house was pretty good to start with.  I sat there saying, "throw out", "recycle", "put that over there."  It was a great help.  But I ended up sitting up for hours longer than I was used to and by the evening I was really hurting.  Nothing much going on today, so I'm going to take it easier.  Up and down is good.  Up and not resting is bad.

Joe made me a pureed scrambled egg for breakfast.  It tasted so good.  Joe makes wonderful scrambled eggs to begin with.  The best I've ever had.  But having real food and not baby cereal, it tasted even better.  All I want for Christmas is to be able to eat.

I want to try to cook dinner tonight.  I tried last night, but it didn't work.  I was too tired to do it.  So I am going to try again tonight.  But if I can't, it will just have to wait for another day.  I love to cook.  I miss it.  I just want to start feeling like a real person again.  Does everyone recovering from major surgery feel this way?

The commentators on the news are talking about their favorite Christmas movies.  They mentioned "Elf", "Polar Express", "White Christmas", "Miracle on 34th Street", "It's a Wonderful Life", "The Christmas Story".  There are so many good movies, I couldn't possibly choose my favorite.  I have a lot of them on DVD so I think while I have the time I am going to start looking at some of them.

Our car is back in the garage today, but not the transmission shop.  We canceled that and decided to go the route of changing the transmission fluid (which is really dirty and oxidized) and filter.  Hopefully that will solve the problem.  It had not repeated the problem of stalling and slowing since that one night.  Better to spend $100 for that first rather than $1,000 for a rebuilt transmission.  Especially in a 1998 car.

Time for me to take my shower and start my day.

Feeling better

I finally got a good night's sleep last night and woke this morning feeling much better.  I slept a lot during the day yesterday too, so I think my body finally got caught up.  I am still having some problems breathing, so I really have to get in line with my breathing exercises.

My appetite is coming back, too.  I know that must be a good thing.  Joe has been taking regular food and pureeing it for me in the food processor.  It's way better than baby food.

Joe put the car in the garage yesterday.  They were not able to fix it, but confirmed there is a problem with the transmission.  We now have an appointment with Northeast Transmissions for Friday morning.  Hopefully it will not cost a lot because we are broke.  : (

The mail just came and in it is the Family Medical Leave form my surgeon has to fill out and fax back to Human Resources.  There are 4 full pages she has to fill out and I have a feeling it will not be a welcome task for her.  But I need her to do it

My sister and I put up the Christmas tree on Monday.  Because a lot of our stuff was destroyed in the basement flood earlier this year, Joe and I decided to just buy some new stuff at Target and decorate our tree in aqua and silver.  It turned out beautiful.



Our beautiful tree.  It looks so Victorian.



Proof that I really made it through the surgery.  Although 30 lbs lighter than I was.



Our beautiful front window.  Another help from my sister.



We put the nativity we got in Lancaster under the tree.



The jingle bell wreath I got in Kitchen Kettle 4 years ago.  I love this wreath.



Sorry about the TV tray in the way.  The living room decorations.