Juel's Journal

Happy Halloween!

First of all, I got my camera back, repaired and good as new! I got a few pictures yesterday, and thankfully was able to get shots of the kids tonight while they were trick-or-treating. We all had a good time, the kids sure enjoyed themselves.. Joel was right in the swing of thing, saying "Trick or Treat!" Even to passersby, like we'd say "Merry Christmas" at Christmas time. Afterwards, Bonnie called, she said he was still excited, that he told her he was ready to go out and Trick or Treat again.. *laughs* Of all the grandkids, he loves candy the most. Candy and table salt. I'm constantly running him out of the kitchen and taking my salt shakers away from him.

I was able to go to the King-Miller cemetery today to get photos too, so Harley-G, I'll get them posted, hopefully tonight. Thanks for letting me know that was there.. I missed it when I was up that way the first time.

Sarah's been staying here since Roy's been in Mississippi. She said last night at 1 exactly, the den door just popped open as pretty as you please. Tonight, we took the girls up to see their Nana, and the phone rang, it was Mom calling for me.. she said that Bonnie and Lisa had stopped by here and my door was wide open. My heart sank, I just knew Fudge had gotten out. I didn't think about things in here being stolen, I just knew my dog was gone. It sure didn't take long to get attached to that little rascal. It was okay though, he was just hiding in the bathroom behind the door. No clue as to why that door keeps opening like that. I'm the one who closed and locked it before we left. I know it was locked.

Mikyla's over here asleep, talking up a storm.. most of the things she's saying I can't understand, but she's said "Trick or Treat!" quite clearly several times. She must be dreaming about being back at the court square.

Mallory is sleeping peacefully, and Maegan is too, but for coughing a little bit once in a while. They've both had respiratory infections this week, but they're finally getting over them. Thank goodness!

I can't really think of much else to say right now, it's time to get to bed, I just wanted to post some pics, I hadn't in so long.

G'nite world, I hope you had a wonderful Halloween!

Halloween, 2006!

I think Nick was a little worried to go into Papaw's room with his costume on... I think he was scared he'd give papaw a heart attack!

I've never seen so many people around the court square on Halloween before!

The little guy didn't want to put on his costume earlier this evening, but I think he was glad he did later.. he couldn't decide what to eat first, there was more good stuff than he had hands for holding it! He was having an awfully good time! :)

3 Ladies

Tommy & Papaw...

From Nikki!

Maegan & Joel Yesterday

Today...

Papaw had a nurse today.. one comes out on Tuesday's and Thursday's, so I don't worry too much about going because Mom has help with him then. Lisa helps her in the early mornings, then at bedtime, but it's the daytime between when Mom needs help. She's ok but for the B.M's. And that doesn't stand for Big Macs either, let me tell ya. Today, I got double lucky because Brenda and Shelly are over there, so if it happens, they get booty duty! *laughs* Evil.. yes, why yes I am.. I hate that part of it... just hate it.. yuck, ick, ugh!

Poor Mom, she'll say, ok now leave that phone by your bed.. he's not had a BM yet, so just in case.. or.. you be on stand by, because BM's happen.. *coughs*
I just get so very enthusiastic about that.. yeah Mom, ok Mom, anything you need Mom...all the while trying to devise a plug that won't let BM's happen until Lisa's over there, or a legitimate excuse that sadly, keeps me busy with my affairs in England, or Iceland...or anywhere but there at BM time! *grins* Don't let Lisa know I said that though.. that would be bad.

I was there all day yesterday.. all day, and he didn't do it! I was so proud of him! Then... when it was time to leave.. I serreptitiously took my plug and got the hell out of dodge! (teasing, teasing, I haven't invented the plug as yet, honest!)

I miss my camera so much! Kodak has it now though, they say it's still under warrantee and are repairing it, or will send me another one. How cool is that? I can't wait to get it back.. I've missed a whole week of school spirit with the girls.. ie/crazy hat day, whacky clothes day.. school colors. I hate missing those things. Jana sent me the prettiest little afghan for Maegan and I've not been able to get a shot of it yet for here, I keep forgetting to take it to Mom's, and when she's here she doesn't have her camera.. but wait till you see it, it's cute as can be. :)

When I get it back, I'm going to go stay the night at Mom's and see if I get any anomolies in papaw's room.. I have a hunch Mamaw's hanging around in there. I know this sounds odd but I've smelled her twice there right beside me in Mom's kitchen. Odd after all these years of nothing from her at all. I heard her call for me twice the past few weeks, once in my backyard, and once here in my own house the other day. I guess maybe she's near where he is.. or .. my skeptical mind says maybe it's just that I look for it harder now and maybe my mind is just hearing what I'd like to hear.

A little about my dog.. He thinks he's human. I know it's a 'one of the pack' thing, but that little fella just fascinates me to no end. He sulks if he gets in trouble. He likes to torment Maegan, I guess since she's the smallest next to him he thinks she's the one he needs to best so he isn't the total 'least' of the pack, I don't know, but she holds her own and it makes him so mad! He sounds like he's sneezing when he barks, he thinks he should have a bath when it's bath time around here, that's the funniest thing, he leaps trying to get into the tub, and I won't let him, he gets mad again and sulks. At mealtimes here he just stares and glares, thinking he should be at the table too, I'm sure.. I've not had time to teach him to fetch a ball, he does but it's not anything I taught him, he won't let go of it so I can throw it again, he's more.. AHA, I got it and you can't have it back.. He does help me get my clothes out of the drier.. again not a thing I taught him, he just likes to pull the clothes out and he stands there holding them in his teeth until I take them from him and get them folded.. that is downright wierd!

Mikyla, Mallory and Nick got their report cards this week and they all 3 did just GREAT!! Good job kids!!!!! I'm so proud of you I could bust! (I know that word's burst but it sounds so stupid to me that way)

Maegan is beginining to talk up a storm now, that youngin is adorable. She's been calling me "Mumsy" today. Strange, she's been calling me Mammy for weeks. Mumsy.. why would she decide to call me that?

Joel.. bless his soul he's been potty trained, doing so well, but the past couple of weeks he's backslid. Ol' poopy pants, ick, yuck, ugh, he's too big for that. And my stomach's too weak for it. Wasteful, and sinful, I know, I know, but I can't help it, I refuse to wash those big old smushed in turds out of his undershorts, so I just sneak and throw them away. Putting him in the tub and washing him off is bad enough, but having to deal with the undershorts is the next thing to being in hell to me.. but...Bonnie caught me and said "Mom, they're too expensive, please don't throw them away!" Okay, okay, properly chastised, I promised to stop throwing them away.. so now... I just pick them up with 2 finger tips, arm extended as far from me as I can get it.. and I drop them into a walmart bag, tie it in about 4 knots and then I hang it on my doorknob for her to rescue when she gets in from work. *laughs* She hates that.. said there's nothing like coming home to frozen turds after work.. but.. it's either that or the trash barrel.. I .. Can.. NOT... cope.. with poop. God, Bonnie, Papaw, Mom, the whole world.. forgive me. I can't do it. Yuck. Ick.. UGH! Joel! Get with the program... you're almost 4 now.. STOP THAT! Hell, even the dog uses puppy pads.. Hey.. do you think I could get Joel to use puppy pads too? *laughs* Wouldn't Bonnie just love that? I'd be inviting the lot of you to my funeral, I think.

Okay enough of this crappy post.. I have to go do laundry. Scrub the toilet, mow the lawn, wash the windows... absolutely must restack the firewood, till the garden for next year.. so much to do.. go to the doctor.. get Stan's eyes examined.. his head examined.. etc, and so forth.. so many ways to avoid.. I mean just so much to do it's hard to find time for much else..

NO REALLY!!

Dede!

*laughs and hugs ya*

These Halloween presents really tickled the girls, they think you're too cool! Thanks again!

Dance Kittens

Both girls are in the Dance Kittens this year and their first performance was last night. The photos are courtesy of Mom, who surprised me and showed up to watch! Thank you, Mom! I looked up and there she was, and I really didn't expect her to be there, and I thought, wow that looks like my mother..and I didn't know it WAS her until she smiled and spoke to me. *laughs* That tickled me. They did so well, they'd only been to 4 practices and I thought they did just great. Mallory looks pretty somber in one of these shots because one of her kittenmates couldn't seem to stop crying.. talk about stage fright, that poor child, maybe she'll enjoy it better next time. You go Mik and Mal, I'm proud of you!

Bethani Grace

Welcome to the world! She's just beautiful, Shelly, I just know you're going to enjoy her with all your heart! Congratulations Gramma!!!

Joel

Fudge, our dog, was licking his hand this morning.. he giggled and said, "Mammy, the puppy's drinking me!"

Papaw

He made me cry today. Just made me sit and weep like a small child. I guess it scared Mom, she came in wondering why on earth he and I were crying like that and I couldn't answer her for crying, he couldn't for crying, then finally I just threw up my hands and said, "Mom I'm not even sad! He just started talking about Mamaw, he started crying and it made me cry! I can't help it, make him stop! I'm not even sad!" Sheesh! I had Meli's journal on my mind and I just couldn't help it.

Then the man started laughing because I was standing there like a dribbling idiot crying because he was. Then he blessed my heart. I guess we all need a good cry sometimes.

He's been eating really well, and today he sat up on the side of the bed. It was the first time since he'd been there that he sat up like that, and he wasn't in pain, he was just scared he was going to fall.

Mikyla went with Sarah for a while this evening, but Mallory and Maegan stayed with me. Mal read to him and then later we went and got ice cream from Dairy Queen and took him one back. He really enjoyed that. :)

Orders from Headquarters:

Mikyla: Mammy it's time for bed.. and you are NOT getting on that computer!

Me: I have to get on there, if I don't at least say good night to my Mom she gets all out of sorts!

Mikyla: Fine, but just get on there, say, Mom, I'm not a bit mad at you it's just bedtime and I have to go.. goodnight. It's easy.

egads!

eep!

I've been a slow poke here..and my site hasn't been updated in 2 months! I'm a sloth! I have pics to post from Dede, and I have a few cemeteries I need to get to to get pics (camera still dead though, trying to get it replaced from Kodak)
so it'll be a while. Not long I hope, I feel lost without that camera in my hand all the time.

Sarah's work schedule has been the same this week, but it's about to change next week. I think. Anyway, soon, I'm just not sure when her training is over. She said she gets out early tomorrow or Friday one, again I don't remember, so she can pick the girls up from school and take them back for their dance kitten's practice. The girls have 3 practice nights this week because they have a performance next monday.

I'm over my bronchitis, thankfully...but the cough as usual is hanging on, but I do feel a thousand times better. It was a scary week this week with the coughs and the fevers and the crankies the kids have had... their cousin Zack burned his little hand on the muffler of one of those 4 wheeler things while he was with his daddy a few weeks back, and his burn became infected, and he ended up in the hospital with MRSA. Now from what I've read, MRSA is an antibiotic resistant staph infection, contagous and never goes away.. it stays with whomever has it for the rest of their lives, weakening their immune system with each infection they get.. or that's how I read it. Then his sister started coughing, pretty sick, and now she's been diagnosed with MRSA, and so since the girls have been up there with them for a couple of hours in the evenings this week, and since they've all 3 got coughs, they had to be tested.. but thankfully, they don't have it. Say a prayer they are lucky enough to avoid that one.

Bonnie is doing very well on her new shift.. she brings joel in at about 15 to 7 in the morning and picks him up at about 3:30 in the afternoon. I like this shift because now the kids can sleep at night because Joel never really was a night sleeper.. he's changed now though, it didn't take long with bon getting him up so early. He burned his hand the other day here on a brownie. It was semi-hot and he picked it up off the plate, and held it in the palm of his hand then he just started yelling, OW OW OW...holding his palm out at me. I was across the room and said throw it down Joel, drop it fast! He didn't.. he just stood there, and since Mik was closer to him she ran to him and knocked it out of his hand. Now.. the question begs. He's almost 4 years old. Shouldn't he know to drop something that's burning him? *furrows brows* Mik was eating them, they weren't too hot for her, but they were for him.. it didn't blister his hand or anything, just made a little red mark but still.. why wouldn't he drop that brownie? Curiouser and curiouser!

I think as of the last entry, I'd posted that papaw was in a nursing home. Well, he fell twice in that first home he was in, and the second fall resulted in a broken hip.. so he had hip replacement surgery.. ouch! After that, he was supposed to go into rehab for a couple of weeks in the hospital, but he said it hurt him too badly and he refused the treatment after a couple of days of rehab, so they sent him to a different home. (Where Bon works this time.)
Mom and I went to see him and he just seemed so scared. Mom couldn't deal with seeing him there like that so she decided she wanted him home with her. She had me call Brenda to see how she felt about it, Brenda was all for it, so the next day they had him all set up at Mom's in the spare room. That terrified look in his eyes is gone now, and he's laughs easily..he's eating again and he's looking much better. They took the staples out today, and he was able to roll from side to side on his own.. all the way, too, not just a little bit. He does have an ugly looking bedsore on his right heel, but Brenda's going to get the medicine to treat that tomorrow. Mom's been using Neosporin on it but that's just not helping much. I'd like to know when that thing formed and why 3 different medical institutions didn't see it and treat it. That makes me sad to see it, knowing that could of been prevented. Anyway, he's doing tons better now, and I think he's going to get even better as days go by. I go up there in the mornings after I get the girls to school, help Mom and Lisa get him bathed and ready for his day, then I usually go back in the evening to see how he is. Mikyla has sure taken a shine to him. She calls herself his 'day nurse' and goes to take care of him in the evenings. I think he sort of likes her too. Mallory doesn't go in there too much, she'll peep in and say hi but then she's back out of there.

Lisa was over there this evening, we were cleaning him up and just talking afterwards and she had me laughing..she said she'd gotten her light bill and it was so high she called the woman at the electric company and asked them if they didn't think they ought to come out and check to see if her electric was leaking because she didn't believe she was using so much as they said. I laughed so hard, she said the lady said "NO Ma'am, it's impossible to get an electric leak!" only Lisa!

I started to gather up my crew to take home to cook but mom said oh noooo i can make spaghetti here.. so she cooked for all of us after tending papaw all day. That woman is something else. We helped clean up the mess then got home in time to get the girl's bathed and their homework done and in bed by 10. TIME IS FLYING! My goodness I can't believe how fast the days are going.
Thanks for dinner, Mom!

Okay, it's getting late and I have to get myself into bed - tomorrow's another early day. I won't have Joel though, tomorrow and Friday are Bonnie's days off.. so I'll just have Maegan in the day, unless Mallory misses tomorrow. She's got a bad cough and we may just let her stay here.

G'nite world! Be safe.

Jana, I'm sorry you were worrying!
Pete, Your house looks WONDERFUL! Good Job!! Now paint mine!!
Dede,
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!!! I LOVE YA!!

Today...

Maegan has a bad cold, she's okay during the day but at night, oh the coughing. Poor kid. I wish I could make it go away for her, I know she's miserable when she's just content to sit on my lap with her head on me, quietly. I was up most of the night with her last night, but for now, she seems to be sleeping fine.

After school, we took Mikyla for her allergy shots, then we had to go by K-mart and get her some socks (has to be those little anklet things only) and a couple of turtle neck shirts for them to wear for school pictures. We got in there though, they had a ka-zillion Halloween costumes, and once the girls feasted their eyes on those, that was it, they just had to buy one. They're as cute as can be, and were 30 percent off, so I'm not gonna grumble too much.

(Photos compliments of Mom)

Don't think Maegan doesn't know what's going on. While I'd left her in the car with Dippy, I knew it wasn't fair not to get her one since Mik and Mal were getting one, so we picked out the closest thing to a chick coming out of an egg that Sarah mentioned wanting for her. At Mom's later, we went to take Nick the one we got for him - the 2 older girls went to try theirs on. Maegan came straight to me, got hers out of the bag and dragged it in the other room with them, to Mom, to have her put it on for her too. She knew.. how that kid knows things like that I'll never know, but she does. :)

Now Sarah had told me she wanted Mallory to be a sandwich. I'm not sure what kind of sandwich, but that's neither here nor there, they didn't have a sandwich costume, and when I reminded Mal that that's what she was supposed to go as, she insisted "NO! I wanna be a unicorn!" So that's what she got. Cute one she is, too, isn't she? :)

Once Mikyla's eyes landed on this Genie costume her mind was changed from being a pickle (to go along with Mallory's sandwich) to being "Jasmine" the princess. I think she'll be a little cold for Halloween, but it's what she wanted.. still, it's cute. :)

Nick made me a sign to hang at the front door yesterday.. "No Politicians! Beware of Dog!" *laughs* I loved it! I detest it when they come door to door to leave their little cards, promise the moon and walk away thinking they just won another vote. I think they need to stop that shit nowadays, especially when they come a-knocking on a door where there's a house full of children. There's too many nutcases these days out there to open the door for anyone you don't know, and here they come, vote for me, vote for my son, vote for my Aunt Josie's next door neighbor's cousin. Blah blah blah.. now they know to stay away, thank you Nick! Anyway.. I saw this suit and just knew he had to have it and I'm glad I got it too because he really liked it, and it looks SCARY on him too! :) Now, this wolf suit of Nick's.. caused some internal turrets to come creeping about. I'd gotten his seperately from the girls, so that I'd have a seperate receipt for it so that if he didn't like it he could take it back to trade it. The price was $24.99, with 30 percent off. I didn't have anything else, just the one costume. When I walked up to the register, there was a stench there, and the teller (a guy) was spraying the area around himself with this can of air freshener. Still, it was stinky. I didn't comment but just waited to pay and get out of there.. but then he rang it up and said my total was $42 and some change. I said noway.. and he said uh huh, he said the hands to the wolf suit were 24.99 too.. *laughs* I said Mister, look on that cardboard, it says wolf mask, hands and robe. it's a set. He said ohhh well someone put a tag on the hands too.. I said well I'm not paying double for that, take the hand charge back off.. so while he was doing that I said.. "It stinks up here." He turned red from the neck up, and nodded, "yes, it does."

I.T.
You farted your brains out and that's why you charged me double for one wolf suit.. you have no more brains with which to think...

He knew I was thinking that too.

I wanted to get Joel the cutest Care Bear one, it was blue with the little rainbow on the tummy, it would keep him warm and it was just precious, but Bonnie told me she had his suit a few days ago so I didn't want to step on her toes. I'll mention it to her tomorrow and see what she says. She promised me some banana pudding and I don't want to do anything that might make her change her mind about sharing it. :)

From what I hear Papaw is doing fine, the nurses just love him and he's going to be going into rehab for a couple of weeks.

Mom is doing good too. I'm pretty proud of her. She's got her own reading group in the class now, and bless her heart, she can't skip going anymore, because she's obliged to be there for her group. She just stays half a day, but one little boy was asking for her yesterday afternoon, he said he wants her back, that she's his favorite teacher. That made Mom feel like a million bucks. I think that's cool. :)

I forgot to call Dad tonight to tell him a story. He likes stories. First of all I couldn't think up a good one, but I'll have one for him tomorrow. I'm going over there for breakfast tomorrow, and if I play my cards right, I'll still be there for dinner, so that'll give me plenty of time to think up one. I hope she's making roast. Or a ham. Or chili.. or spaghetti, or cabbage rolls.. or... *coughs*

Okay, I've babbled enough.. I'm off to get some sleep. G'nite world!

Cotton Candy

The Danial Boone Festival has come and gone, I didn't go, I didn't feel well this time, but we did drive downtown going to Mom's a couple of nights ago. I saw a cotton candy stand and commented that I'd like to have some. But to get some we'd have had to have found a place to park and it was just too much hassle. On the way back however, first time I'd ever seen this happen, a man was standing there in the street, holding his big bags of pink cotton candy. We bought a bag without even having to get out of the car. How cool was that? We got home and I put it on the arm of the couch, intending to eat some while watching tv. Before I could get back in there, I heard the girls come in. They'd been to the fair, riding the rides. I heard Dippy say, "You better not eat that, that's your Mammy's cotton candy"... I heard Mikyla's reply, "Oh Dippy, I'm her whole world, she doesn't care if I eat her cotton candy." She ate my cotton candy. All of it. *laughs* How could I mind though? After all, she (and the other little ones) IS (are)my whole world.

Bonnie is going to be going to day shift come Monday.. that's tomorrow! I'm so GLAD! Greatful! Thankful! Happy! Now Joel can come and make all the boy noises he needs to make, it'll be fine because it's the waking hours, the girls can sleep at night, I can sleep at night.. oh Happy day, I'm going to pause for a second and do one more Snoopy Dance in celebration...

We've had a busy week...we've painted the bathroom, done some work on the floor in there.. painted the kichen cabinets, and we painted the den. Jana! Finally, it's the cranberry color I wanted in there, and it looks so pretty! I still don't have a battery charger for my camera, but as soon as I get it, I'll take a pic with my pretty afghan you made me in there to show you how nice it looks!
Lisa said she can tell I'm in a Christmas mood because of the colors, but I'm not, not yet... it just worked out to be Christmassy. I love it!

Shan had to have surgery last week.. and the day of her surgery, Mom and I went to the nursing home to check on Papaw, he hadn't been feeling well. We took him some Dumplings and he ate them, said they were the first thing he thought of when he woke up. We stayed a while and then about an hour after we left, he fell trying to get into his chair and broke his hip. He had to have a hip replacement surgery the following day. Ouch! This is twice he's fallen while in there. The first time though he wasn't hurt. the poor guy. His luck hasn't been very good lately.

Bonnie, you're going to love this...Mom said Midge had a dream about me a couple of nights ago, she said in her dream I'd sold her a Marijuana plant for $3.48. She said she didn't remember if she smoked it, but she remembered the price. They all played the number 348 on the pick three lottery last night. I wonder if they won. I bet she's been watching that series "Weeds" on Showtime.

Speaking of Showtime, have any of you watched the new one, "Dexter"? Sheesh, what a series! He's a forensic blood spatter specialist, but also a serial killer. Talk about creepy. The guy playing the part of Dexter is eerie. Downright perfect for the part. Dayam!

A Little on happenings in the news lately. There were three school shootings in one week last week. The first one, an older man went in and killed a young woman, after holding several female students hostage. The second one, someone shot a school principal, and this last one, the children who were killed in an Amish one room school house. I don't understand why people want to do this. All were horrible senseless killings, but the Amish killings were the hardest to hear about. I've never heard of an Amish Terrorist. Never heard of an Amish Murderer, Rapist, Burglar, Stalker, or even an Amish Jay-walker. I'm not saying they're perfect, but don't they just seem to try so hard? And now their families forgive the killer. This is the world we live in and share with our children. This is the way it is, and the way it's going to be until someone figures out a way to make it even uglier. It's a scary thought, isn't it.. that the world is better right now than it's ever apt to be again. Things like that could happen to any of us, to any of our kids. If you think it couldn't, think again. None of us are charmed. None of us are guaranteed a tomorrow. I think "The Village" is looking better and better to me all the time.