Mom is obsessing with toothbrushes this afternoon.  She is obsessed with wrapping everything in a paper towel, and I mean everything.  She is now wanting my toothbrush wrapped.  I don't.  She is very confused about this.  Little things like this drive me crazy about the disease dementia.  It isn't her fault, but oh my when it kicks in.  She seems to be finished with this one now.  I hope it doesn't surface again today.  She gets so upset over these type things and then she cries.

Anne was in town this weekend and I got to see her!!!!!!  I would have been able to spend more time with her if I had my phone not on vibrate.  After lessons yesterday I forgot to turn the volume up.  Ugh!  I missed 45 minutes with Anne.  She lives in NYC now and works at a Oxford Publishing.  She says its alright.  Her grandmother turned 75 this weekend so they had a party.  I wanted to have a party for Mom this past March when she turned 75, but we were flat broke. 

Monday, Katie is coming over after lessons to help pass out flyers for teaching.  I printed 500 of them and bought rubber bands for the houses that don't have the doors we can slip flyers into.  I am very grateful both she and Rachel are going to help me out.  I am hoping for at least 10 students, 20 would be better! 

My arm and shoulder as usual are burning.  My chest isn't hurting today, but it hurt again in the middle of the night.  I am really getting annoyed with it!  Stop hurting already!  My head isn't too bad right now.  Was a little worse this morning.

It looks real pretty out with the sun shining, however, it is a bit chilly.  I don't mind though, it is better than the 90 degree heat we had for a few days.  I ache so much more in extreme heat and cold.  To bad there is no utopia in temperatures.  I can't wait for fall to arrive.  I love fall with the changing of the leaves.  They look so nice.

I hope this finds you having a good day.  Not sure if we are scootering today, depends on Mom.

I thought bankruptcy was supposed to protect from this stuff, but since I haven't filed yet, only hired the lawyer, I guess not.  We got a bad bad surprise from the bank when we went to our Tim Horton's this morning.  Our card was declined.  Now I check my bank account everyday and couldn't imagine why it was denied.  So we went to the bank.  Apparently the lawsuit from Citibank is over and they have garnished my bank account - only I didn't know anything about it so I wasn't prepared.  Not that you can ever prepare for something like this.  I know am off of the bank account.  It is better this way - no one can touch our money now.  We lost like $600 to this incident (they were trying for $3900 - if I had it, I would have paid the bill!)  Ugh!

Other than that, we fortunately have a savings account in mom's name only so I removed $100 from it for food!  We are completely out!

Pain level is high since the money incident this morning.  My knee is at least back to normal.  I thought I was going to have to go to the hospital last night since I was having chest pains, but they went away and I stayed home.  It has been happening on and off all week.  I'm not sure it really means anything - so I will wait and see if the pain stays - if it stays I will go otherwise, I won't.

It is a raining day so no scootering today.  Maybe tomorrow!  No students today - but Katie and Rachel are going to help me pass out 500 flyers about lessons.  I hope to get more.  We all know what will happen sometime this year if I don't.  We will lose everything.

Try to have a good day.  

My dreams have been dashed.  No new studio.  I will be staying here at home to teach.  It was false advertising on the potential new place.  I am mad about that, but, hey, life goes on.  I will just take the marketing plan I was working on for the new place and change it for here at home.  I do have to call Alicia and let her know about no new place.  She will be sad too.

My knee has decided to join my arm and shoulder in pain.  Can't believe how bad it hurts.  Worse than the arm and shoulder.  It kept me up most of the night.  It is difficult to sleep now.  I need my pain killers!  The doctor needs to call the pharmacy back fast!

Hallmark channel put 7th Heaven back on!  Yeah!  I love this show.  It is a Christmas episode today.  I haven't seen this one.

It is raining out so unless it clears up, no scooter this afternoon or evening.  Mom will be bored again.  I don't know how to entertain her anymore.  She can't play games or do puzzles anymore.  It is sad.  So we sit and watch TV.  If I get more students, she will be busy.  She likes checking them in before their lessons and chatting with them.  She comes alive with children.

I hope this finds you doing well and well, not in pain, or less pain if you have any!  Have a great day!

I made an important decision today.  I will open a music studio again.  Not a store, or band and orchestra rentals, or selling anything besides lessons!  Just lessons.  I already have one teacher ready to join me and I have called a couple of others.  I hope to hear from them soon.  I plan to open on September 14, 2009.  I have two pianos here at home (what is left of my store!) that I will transport to the new studio.  I am just waiting on the owner of the building to call me.  I hope she calls me soon.  I've left a message.  If not, I will call other places along Van Dyke to see what their rents are.  Somehow, someway, we will open on Sept 14.  I am going to ask some of my students to help me pass out flyers in the area.  I can't afford newspaper advertising right now.  I hope to be able to put something in the paper by October/November.  I won't need any employees because the teachers will be subcontractors and take care of their money and pay me for rent.  That seems to be the easiest to do.  That way, I don't have to deal with payroll and taxes and such things.  Mom can answer the phone for me while I teach and she can check students in.  She is able to do that much I think.  It will keep her busy too so she will be happier.  We won't be staring into each other here at home for much longer!  Yeah.  I feel so much better since I decided this.

Pain level is high today with my knee joining in.  I know that it is the arthritis kicking in.  It has been doing that for 2 days.  Yuck, oh, and my pain killers are out and the pharmacy is waiting for the doctor to call back.  Oh well, it will be soon (I hope!) The doctor can take up to 5 days to call a pharmacy back, I forgot about that when I called in the refill.  My other refill, I have to call the doctor on because they won't refill it over the phone.  I don't understand why, but oh well.

I hope this finds you doing well and having a good day.  The sun is finally coming out!  Yeah!  No more rain?!

It is definitely better today, however, I am soooo tired because we don't have milk and Mom was hungry so I had to get up and go with her Tim Horton's to get her breakfast.  I was an unhappy camper about this.  I am not a morning person especially when I don't get enough sleep at night, so to be woken up early, well, it wasn't a pretty picture.  The problem is, Mom gets her money TOMORROW, so I get to get up early tomorrow too, at least I am anticipating that since we don't have money today for milk.  So I feel cranky right now because I am sleep deprived.  I did try to take a nap, but Mom kept interrupting me.  I can't seem to get any sleep!

Pain is high today.  My arm and shoulder are not doing well.  My head seems to be joining them.

I have one student this afternoon and that is it.  I am glad that I have Charlie for his lesson.  Frank has cracked his wrist, so no lessons for at least 4 more weeks.  I miss him already.  Poor guy.  A cracked wrist.  That has got to hurt.  For everything I have done, I have never broken a bone.  Oops, wait, I cracked both collarbones as a baby.  I forgot about that.  Apparently, the first time I rolled over I rolled right off of the changing table.  The second time, I kicked myself out of Mom's arms and right on to the floor.  Fortunately, I don't remember the pain.  So I must amend my observation, I haven't broken my bones, just cracked.

I already scootered with Mom earlier.  I don't know if I want to go again.  I hope you are having a great day!!!

I was supposed to meet Donna at Tim Horton's this afternoon.  She didn't show up.  No phone call or anything.  After 1/2 hour I called her.  She was still at home.  I understand that she was waiting for her granddaughter who was supposed to be dropped off by 11 am and it didn't happen.  However, that is no excuse not to call me and let me know she wasn't coming.  That makes me so mad!  I freak if I am going to be 5 minutes late and I call.  She knew she wasn't going to make it and didn't call to tell me so I am of course worried that she is smashed on the road somewhere.  I hate when people do that to me.  (I mean that not calling, I would have totally understood her not coming)  She was mad at her daughter for not being on time, yet it was okay for her not to call me?  I don't think so!  Anyways, it is over now and I am glad Mom and I didn't wait to order food like the last time she did this.

Pain level is high today, I got very little sleep last night.  I think I was awake more than asleep.  My left arm and shoulder are just burning.  I hate it!  I think it is making me crankier than I already am.  Poor Mom, she has a very cranky daughter today!  I think we are going to go for a scooter and buy our winning lottery ticket!  (Okay - so I am very very very optimistic about that!)  that would certainly help solve our lack of money situation and we wouldn't be in danger of losing the house or car!  It would so help us a lot.  I would even split it with the big brother since his job (the contract one) will be gone in September and he will be out of work again.  I don't know if his children really understand what all this means.  I hope not because Abby would freak out about no food.  (She did that one day last winter - it was the day before Jennifer went shopping for groceries and Abby melted down about no food in the house)  She is older now though so she is probably catching on.

Mom is doing alright today.  I gave her two tylenol PMs last night and I think she slept better until I had to wake her because she hates me going down stairs on my own.  I am more than capable of walking down the stairs, but because one time I nearly fell down the stairs, she wants to be with me when I go down stairs to the kitchen.  So I had to wake her up (my luck she would hear me and have a hissy fit).

I hope this finds you having a better day than me!  Enjoy the sunshine!

Yesterday was not a very good day.  Mom asked me if I was Heather first thing in the morning.  Kinda killed my day.  Today she is much better.  She knows who I am.  Her memory is going fast right now.  I hope it slows down since I am on my own for figuring out what to do with her.  Both of my brothers live far away.  (I wonder if this was planned that way - so they won't have to see Mom decline) Anyways she is better today.  

I worked a bit on my copywriting course yesterday but just couldn't get my mind wrapped around what I need to do.  I have already done the first assignment, so it should be easier to do this time.  Only it wasn't.  I am going to work on it this afternoon too so I should have it ready to post tomorrow.  I have to call them and get the rest of the assignments after I post this one.  I am anxious to return to writing after 3 years of a music store.  I was doing well at my job at the time when I bought the store.  I feel like it was an interlude now and going back to writing will be good for me and Mom (she feels like she's helping because she reads everything I write and checks for spelling - not that she can spell these days, it will just help her feel important again)

Pain is high in the head and arm today.  Not happy about that.  My hands are too bad with all the typing I have done so I am happy about that.

I hope to scooter later this afternoon for a break.  Right now we are heading for Tim Horton's.  I hope Donna already got Samantha back and will meet us there.  

Have a great afternoon!!!!!!

Sewing went well as usual today.  Only Natalie and Lydia were able to pick out their new top because Hannah was sick.  She had a booster shot yesterday and reacted badly from it.  Mom is alright today.  Woke me up early though and kept coming in my room so going back to sleep was impossible.  She gets lost in our house now in the morning.  She is fine the rest of the day, just not when she wakes up.

Pain is medium today.  Had another doozy of a headache last night again and am getting a bad one again right now so I am going to lay down.  This will confuse Mom even more of what time of day it is, but I need to go and lay down.

have a great evening!

I have one student today and then we are going to a movie.  We're meeting Katie to see My Sister's keeper.  I haven't seen the movie yet.  Mom just woke up from a nap, I finally got her to sleep!  She sleeps so poorly at night now.  She is freaking out over fire, (believe me, you would think that our house would have no scraps of paper in it because of her fear, and it is the opposite!  We are covered in paper - especially her room!)  She now leaves a light on at night when she sleeps, I don't know why.  I guess she is afraid of dark?  Maybe.  Last night she was flipping out over the light but wouldn't turn it off, she wanted to sleep in my room with me.  Not happening.  I toss and turn way too much and my bed just isn't big enough for both of us.  I finally got her in bed about 11 pm, we went up at 8!  This is what we go through every night now for the last week.  I hope it ends soon!  She and I need our sleep.

Pain is medium today despite the rain.  I started working on my copywriting course again.  I have now read up to part 4.  It is very interesting how the sales letters are put together.  I did copywriting for a few years at Dale Corp and enjoyed the writing.  I plan to get involved in it again as a freelancer.  You can make a lot of money doing this.  Writing is about the only thing besides teaching I can do to make a living especially because I can't leave Mom at home by herself.  Goodness only knows what could happen then!

Try to have a good day even though it is raining!

Feeling pretty tired today.  I had a doozy of a headache this morning.  I hate those (okay - so I know absolutely no one who likes them!)  I think I am going to take a nap because it wiped me out.  Mom is doing much better with her cold.  I think it is actually gone.  Mine is almost gone.  Lucky her.  I'm glad it didn't last too long for her, she is a terrible patient and hates taking any type of medicine.

Pain level overall is medium, the weather is pretty nice out today, rain tomorrow and high humidity.  Yuck!  I am glad summer is almost over.  

I found out yesterday that I can work a bit with disability, so that will help with the money situation.  I can't work full time because I am not well enough, but part time would be good.  That means I need more students!  Yes, about 8 more!  I haven't decided how to advertise for them yet because it costs money.

Richard emailed me back!  I was very excited.  I told him about the day center for mom and he thinks it might be a good idea.  We are going to look at it early next week when my cold is completely gone.  I don't want to get anyone else sick.

I think we might scooter tonight.  Have a great afternoon!!!!

I gave Mom my cold.  Oops!  I didn't mean too, however I knew that the chance of her not getting it were pretty slim to none.  I mean, she drinks out of my cup a lot because she thinks its hers.  It's been three days since I last wrote, a record except for the time we didn't have Internet in the house.  I have been mostly sleeping the last few days, trying to get rid of a cold.  You know how that is.  I have one student today.  Yeah!  a student, a real live student!  How exciting!

Not much going on except for the student.  I hope to be getting my back disability soon, I could really use it.  I am going to email Richard today and hope he answers, he doesn't always anymore, but it has been a while since I emailed him.  

I hope tomorrow to take Mom to the day center.  I hope she likes it.  She is afraid that I am going to desert her.  She told me so this morning.  She thinks I leave her at home and go out.  I had to remind her that I take her everywhere with me.  She was happier after that.  

My arm is hurting more again.  Stupid arm.  Wish it would stop hurting.  I had a hard time sleeping last night with the arm.  My leg was sore too.  What I wouldn't give to have a good night sleep!  Oh my!  What a dream.  

Well, I am off for a small nap before my student arrives.  Mom needs one too.  Have a great afternoon!