We went to Red Lobster for late lunch/early dinner for my birthday.  Mom ate 1/4 of her potato and none of her fish.  She said wasn't hungry and since we ate breakfast late (we didn't eat as much as usual) so I wasn't upset.  I will give the rest to her for dinner later tonight when she gets hungry.  Tillie was here and came with us.  It was fun.

Not much happening right now or for the rest of the night.  We are just watching the news.  Like I said, nothing interesting.  Maybe we will go and get some ice cream.  I don't know, we will see.  Mom likes ice cream a lot.  Mom is doing well with every time I remind her it is "take a sip of water time" and then she takes a sip.  It much easier this way.  She had milk for dinner but didn't finish it.  She can finish it later.

I picked up my taxes yesterday.  I am so lucky to have Julie do mine for me and it doesn't cost too much.  She is an expert and does a nice job.  Unfortunately, I owe, so I will be sending the check this week.  At least it isn't much.  I am saving all receipts for next year so I will be in a better position.  It is hard though to keep everything in order.

I think we are going to finish up with Murder She Wrote this weekend.  We will then have seen all 11 seasons.  We wish there were more as we both really enjoyed the show.

I have a bit of a bigger headache than usual, Darvacet works pretty okay to bring it down to normal.  I am really a bit tired today but I am sure that won't help when I go to bed.  It is a dreary day outside, no sun, just cloudy.  I hope tomorrow brings us a sunny day!

Hope you had a great day!

Today is my birthday.  I am happy about that in a way, except I am now 42.  Same age as Kathy!!!!  She is four months older than me.  Mom is getting her picture her taken and now she isn't happy about it.  Oh well, it is being done anyway.  

We are back from Mom getting her picture taken.  For someone who glared at me when I mentioned it, she did a great job getting her picture taken and worked well with the photographer.  It was expensive, but well worth it because who knows when this would happen again?  So I picked out four 5 x 7's (we are getting five - ones a dup), 24 wallets, and one collage of three pictures.  They come in on the 21st.  Two weeks isn't bad for a turn around time for this.  I will let Richard and Andrew pick out what they want, you can see them on the Internet.  Isn't that cool?  I am emailing them tonight with the information.

Not too much happening right now, but more later, when we go out again in about 1/2 hour.  Mom is cold and I thought it would warm up but it didn't.  I will have to put her in her heavy winter coat, I have it handy.

It is cold out and my jaw hurts.  I don't know why, I don't think I clench it when I sleep because it doesn't usually hurt unless it is the first time I am chewing a food, then it hurts.

We are celebrating my birthday dinner tomorrow night, I don't really want to go tonight so we will go tomorrow afternoon.  Maybe we will see a movie, it's a possibility but I don't know what is playing.  We haven't seen a movie in a while so I am not up on what is out there.

It is cold and rainy here, I hope wherever you are it is nice and sunny and then please send some my way.  Hope you are having a good day.

I have Mom back with me.  I won't be doing that again soon that is for sure.  First of all, I decided I really like having Mom with me (most of the time anyway!).  Second, our house is too quiet with only me in it.  I don't sleep well without Mom in the house.  I start to freak over a possible break in.  Yes, I am aware that it wouldn't matter whether or not Mom is here, if someone wants to break in, then they will, but I sleep better and don't start hearing noises if Mom is here.  I don't know if Mom enjoyed her time away but she says she is glad she is back.  I think it confuses her more if she is not home and going back and forth to another house.  After we get back she asks when we are going home and while we are there she asks when are we going home.  So you can see why I think she gets more confused about where she is sometimes.  If we are home more, she doesn't ask unless she is very tired for the day.  I also don't think she sleeps well anywhere but at home and she doesn't sleep all that well here at home.  She was up 3 times last night and one time Monday night.

Tomorrow is my birthday and I will be 42.  Hard to believe, it seems like yesterday I was turning only 30, and here it is almost 42.  Mom is getting her picture taken and then I will have knitting with my friend Heather.

I think we are done with working on the house for right now.  I don't want anything else done right now.  The dining room, kitchen, utility room, and living room are finished and that is fine.  Mom's room is 1/2 done and I want to finish it myself, the garbage is out of the room, so that is really all I need.  I need to go through what clothes Mom has left and see what fits her, and see what she needs.  She doesn't really have anything for the wedding in June.  I do have a pair of black dress pants for her, and possibly a jacket, but all her blouses are gone.  They were turning color, from what Tillie said so they got rid of them.  If they were yellowing, they wouldn't do us any good.  Her shoes need to be replaced too because all she had for dress shoes were high heels, and no, she doesn't have the balance for those!  I will buy her a cute pair of flats that she can wear to church too.  She has dress boots, they are right in the dining room right now, but I will be moving them to the front closet.  Unfortunately, one of the tragedies of the clean up was my fancy skirt that I was planning to wear for the wedding (depending on the heat of course).  I don't know for sure that I would wear it, but the decision has been made now.  It is gone.  I think they thought it was Mom's and put it in the bag, but oh well, gone now.  Maybe next fall I can go to Liz Claiborne and maybe she would have a fancy skirt for the winter season then.  I can always make one too if I really want one.  In the fall they have some really nice winter color taffeta that would look real nice as a skirt.  I haven't worn in a few years and have worn it only about 3 times, all on vacations.  (cruises - formal night)  Like I said, I have a couple of pairs of really nice dress pants.  I need a new pair of flats too so I am going to be ordering them shortly.  I have a nice sweater that is light that I am planning to wear so I am all set for Elyse's wedding.  I just have to wait until June for it.

It is so nice having Mom here again!  I just had to say it again!  I really missed her.  I used the time to think about what it is I want.  I have come to the conclusion, I like taking care of her (most of the time - nobody can be happy with it all the time, I think) and I really like teaching.  I don't want to move, I like our house, it is just the right size for us.  We have a nice (now clean and fresh looking) living room that the pianos fit nicely in and so does some of my music.  We have a nice office in the family room that the music file cabinets fit and a table that I can put my big computer on and do some writing, editing, etc.  Our family room is kinda a catch all right now and we don't use it.  We have furniture from the living room in it and a nice table with 5 barrel chairs.  I have decided I like the furniture and the table and chairs.  If we have company and we want to go downstairs, we have the space.  In the fall I will get the fireplace (gas) started - yes, I will call the professionals for this one! - so if we want to use the family room, it will be ready for us.  I like the dining room furniture even though only 2 chairs right now are usable.  I will fix the other 2 this summer.  I think I can do it.  I just have to re glue them and then they will be usable.  So I have made some good decisions - ones that I can live with.  The violins and violas that are left over from the store will be sold and 2 will be given away on this blog.  I have about 25 of them left.  I will save 2 for the Michigan Music Association competition next year and then that will be all.  Also, 2 will go with my friend, Heather, for her 2 children.  Her son is just fascinated with the violins.  He plays with one every time his sister comes for her lesson.  I am going to sell my profession violin, student violin, professional flute, student flute, and student clarinet.  I am keeping my one student clarinet and my professional clarinet.

It is raining today so the pain is a bit higher.  I feel better about what is going on with the house right now.  I feel real good about it.  I made a few other decisions too that I was so upset about, I feel real good about that.  I really do so I am in a good place right now.  I am going to start doing more writing and maybe I will get something published.  We shall see!  I hope  your day has been a good one and your tomorrow is good too!

It is extremely quiet around here today. Mom has been gone since yesterday, and I have to say, it is really boring without her.  I mean really boring, more than normal.  I have been busy checking into things that we need though, so that has eaten up a lot of time.  I had a lot of calls to make, so that really took some time.  People have been very helpful through this entire process, it is unbelievable.

I am sad without her though, I worry about her, how is she doing, is she fine, is she talking or just sitting.  If you don't speak to her she won't speak to you.  She doesn't always know to ask something so you have to do the asking.  She was up 3 times last night Tillie said.  She sleeps on one side only and I think she wakes up because her hip hurts her.  I am going to be giving her something for the pain before sleep when she comes home.  I get her back tomorrow morning!  Yeah!  I get Mom back!  I want my Mom!

I got some sleep last night, but when I went to take a nap, my other cousin, Hayley, arrived to pick up her box.  She is just passing through on her way home from vacation.  She said the had a great time, so that is very good.  She got some more craft stuff in the mail.  She is very very very very talented, I don't think she realizes how talented she is.

Well, with all the cleaning out it was bound to happen, one of my formal skirts went to the donation box along with a couple of Mom's good blouses.  I am very sad about this, and yes, upset because had I seen what was going, I would have stopped these things from being in the donation bag.  Now I have to get another formal skirt for the wedding and Mom a formal outfit for the wedding since her formal suit is now gone.  She looked very cute in the outfit too.  They found some money in Mom's room and that is what we are going to use since we can't afford to use our monthly money, these things cost a lot of money, but we need to have the outfits for Elyse's wedding this June.  I am not putting her in a t-shirt, dress pants, and a jacket.  The pants and the jacket would be alright if it wasn't a formal wedding but definitely not a t-shirt.  That is just tacky.  Besides, it is a formal wedding.  I can't wait for it.  It should be a lot of fun.  Mom is looking forward to it too, at least when I remind her about it.  She smiles a lot about Elyse getting married.

Pain is slightly higher today because of the rain.  My left arm, shoulder, and wrist are sore.  It is rather annoying if you ask me.  I have a bigger headache because of the weather too.  Ugh, that is all I can say about that.

It down poured this morning but now it has stopped raining and will hopefully not start up again until after my lessons.

I hope it is sunny where you are and nice and warm too!

Mom is gone for a few days.  It is so boring without her.  I am supposed to enjoy this, but I am not.  I want Mom here with me.  She entertains me, I entertain her, we entertain each other all day long.

I ended Easter Sunday with a tummy ache.  Yup, a tummy ache and a bad one.  Not a happy camper about that let me tell you.  I still am not feeling 100% today on top of being lonely without the Mom person around.  When I am not feeling well she is very sympathetic.  I need some sympathy today, I really don't feel very well.  My head is bad and so are my legs.  I need a new body.  Know what I mean?  I know some of you do know this very well.

This will be short.  I will stop whining now.  It is beautiful out today!  Nice and sunny, wish I was enjoying it!  I hope your day is better than mine!!

I cooked the Cornish hens for dinner and they turned out okay.  I should have taken them out of the freezer on Thursday though because they were still slightly frozen on the inside.  I followed most of the directions, cooked at 350 degrees but because they were frozen, I cooked them for 2 hours instead of the hour and fifteen minutes.  We still had to microwave them for 3 minutes though so I wasn't happy about that.  I cooked the scalloped potatoes in the crock pot for about 2 hours and they were good.  You are supposed to cook them in the oven, but we have only one so how was I supposed to do that?  We didn't have a veggie because we also had really good rolls that we baked after the Cornish hens were done.  It was a nice dinner.  I am a bit bored right now because there isn't anything to do here and I want to take Mom out shopping for new jeans.  Hers are so big on her it is pitiful.  They look terrible too.  Tillie found some money in Mom's room that I am going to use for new shoes for the both of us and new jeans for her.

Tillie is leaving tomorrow morning.  I have to teach early so I will be leaving before they will.  I have to be at the Muglia's by 11 am.  I am glad I have them tomorrow!  I have them once a month and just love them.  They are really nice girls.  The whole family came for cake and ice cream for Mom's birthday yesterday.  It was a really nice party and I am glad so many were able to come to celebrate Mom's birthday.  Who knows what next year will be like and what shape she will be in.

I have come to a conclusion about Mom and long term health care.  I am going to keep her with me as long as possible.  I don't want her in a home unless she absolutely needs it.  I can get people to come in and help with care when we need it, but that is my final decision.  She is going to have to get really bad before I place her in a home.  It is best for us.  She likes being with me and going to lessons, when she can't I will get someone to stay with her for the short time I am away.  As long as the medications are working properly, that is all I need for her.  I have made some other decisions about her too that will be implemented later this week after I get the info I need.

It has been such a busy week in the house, I don't mean necessarily busy for me, but our house was in a tornado because it was being cleaned.  It is so beautiful now.  I talked to my cousin Maia, and asked her if she would come and vacuum once a month for us and I would pay her.  She said sure!  I would rather pay someone I know because I know she could use the money too and it helps us at the same time.  Maia and I will be good friends, I can feel it, not just cousins, but friends too.  I like most of my cousins but I am friends with a few of them too, you know what I mean.

I dread tomorrow night without Mom.  I will leave a light on downstairs again so I can sleep.  I don't particularly like sleeping in the house alone, but I will do it since, well, Mom won't be here she will be with Tillie having a good time.  (I hope anyways!)  Tillie has to go to the library this week and she is taking Mom, Mom loves libraries even if she doesn't read much anymore, she just likes the library.  I think it is because she has such good memories of going with us as kids.

Pain in the legs is kinda bad today, don't really know why.  My arm is sore too.  I dread dressing the next couple of days too because pain is going to be really high because no one will be here to help me and that will be bad.  I am bringing a change of clothes with me on Wednesday so I can have some help from Mom.  It is such a drag to have trouble dressing!

I hope your Easter was wonderful and filled with joy and love and that the Easter bunny left you something nice!  The Easter bunny left us M & M filled eggs (two of them) and a bag of nestle eggs and Mom got a little stuffed bunny!!!!!!

Happy Easter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am cooking today!!!!!!!!!  Write this down in history!!!

It's Mom's second birthday party!  I know she doesn't really remember the first, but that is okay, I remember it for her.  I have the camera ready and everything for it.  I only forgot pop so Tillie had to go out so she is going to get some.  I am excited about this like I was for the last one.

Mom's room is half done, I'd say more than half, but Tillie says half and she is in charge so she would know!  I am only an innocent bystander in this project.  Our dining room no longer looks like boxes everywhere and stuff all over.  Our table has the spring table cloth on it.  Basically, everything looks wonderful like a whole new house.  hard to believe what we have been living in.  So nice of cousins to come and help!  I really appreciate it because I just couldn't have done what they have done.  Not at all, I just couldn't.  You know what it is like with fibromyalgia and how you can only do things in baby steps.

I almost forgot to put the roast on for dinner!  Fortunately, I remembered and it is cooking now.  I love the pork roast kits you can buy, all the veggies are there and a nice cut of pork.  We are having Cornish hens (I think I have already said that) tomorrow and I am excited to cook them.  With the kitchen as nice as accessible now, I want to do more cooking.  It is a scary thing, Heather wants to cook again!  We have a freezer full of frozen food I have to finish first.  I love my crock pot too!  It is so easy to do.  I just sit at the table and cut up the veggies, then I toss them in the pot add a bit of water and bam! it is done and in a few hours we have our dinner.

I will be by myself for a couple of days.  Tillie wants Mom to go home with her so she is going to go with Tillie.  I will miss Mom, but as it is a Monday and a Tuesday, I will be busy with teaching.  I may even do a craft or two!  I will be at Tillie's early Wednesday for Mom's appointments.  She has a doctor and her bath appointments.  Thursday she is getting her picture taken at Walmart.  Since it will be right after the bath, she will be spiffed up.  I think I am putting her in a pink sweatshirt she  was wearing yesterday.  It is really pretty and she looked very nice in it.  Today she has a green one on.  She now has about 10 hoodies in her collection, we (they) found some when they were working on her room.  She looks very cute in hoodies.  I will post a picture when we get them so you can see what I mean.  I know everyone thinks their Mom is the cutest, but really, I have the cutest little old lady for a Mom.  Really.  I do.  She is the best even if she isn't all there anymore.  What is left of her is wonderful.

Well, off to teaching!  Have a great Easter and wonderful Saturday!!!

Today was a slow day.  Took a nap, got the ice cream, spoons, and plates for the cake and ice cream party.  We pick up the cake tomorrow morning before lessons.  

The living room is empty except for the 2 pianos and furniture.  It looks great.  They did a real nice job.  The only rooms left are finishing Mom's room and the family room.  We took the stereo out, I am going to donate it.  They moved the DVDs to the dining room and put a book shelf in the living room that now has the toys and the pirate ship and soldiers.   The pirate ship is a collectible and only for looking!  No one gets to play with them because they are pewter pieces and pewter breaks easily.

We went out to eat and I think I ate too much.  Oh my!  It was really good though.  We go to this little restaurant up the street from our house.  Tillie treated us.

I will end this now as I don't have much to say.  Looking forward from tomorrow though!  Mom's second party.

Our tornado is almost over in the house.  Most of it is almost clean, I am glad it is almost done.  I can't wait to see the finished product.  The only room in the house that hasn't been touched is mine and it doesn't really need it.  I am missing one of my hoodies though.  It is probably in the bottom of the dirty clothes basket.  I will look after all of this craziness.  Then I will do all my laundry and put it away where it belongs and then I will be able to walk in my room!  What a concept.

Pain is a bit high right now in the legs and head.  I guess it is just the way things are going right now.

Not much going on right now.  More tomorrow.

Mom had her bath today and her hair washed.  She is all spiffed up.  She looks so nice.  Tillie is here and Maia was here earlier.  They are working on the family room because they can't move anything out of the living room without redoing the family room.  It looks like a tornado hit it but when it is over it will look nice.  

Hayley is stopping by tomorrow morning to pick up her order.  Only one of the boxes is in so I don't know when the others will be arriving.

Tillie and Maia have found some strange stuff downstairs.  Old school papers of mine from high school, mom's old papers from college and a couple of things from Andrew.  How funny.  So far they haven't found anything of Richard's.  Who knows what they will find tomorrow.  It is a scary thing going through the house, you never know what you will find!

Mom did well during her bath and her hair wash.  She works well with Teri, her personal care worker.  Next week, Mom is going home with Tillie for a couple of days, I will miss her and am not sure I want her to go.  I like having Mom with me a lot, not all the time, but a lot.  I don't like being all alone at night in the house and 2 nights of it just doesn't sound like too much fun.  I don't mind being alone during the day, but not at night.  I will leave the kitchen and dining room lights on again like I did last time.

I have a personal dilemma that unfortunately, I can't really discuss, although I would love to.  How do you know if you are doing the right thing?  My stomach has been in knots for weeks now over this and I don't know what to do.  I don't know if I am doing the right thing.  I have a few more weeks before I make the final decision, but it is killing me.  I have panic attacks again over this.  I feel like I am not doing right, but I don't really know how to go and fix it.  It is that crazy over here right now.

So far, it has been an alright day despite the tummy knots that I have.  I hope your day is going well and everything!