What came next. . .

Right after I finished the blog and was trying to upload the video, Leah called. The conversation went like this. . .

"How are you doing, Mom?"

"This is not a good day to ask!"

"Why? What's wrong?"

I then told her the story of the tree fiasco, how mad I was, and pretty discouraged. A few minutes later after lots of laughter, she told me how to upload the video and I left for work.

When I got home an hour and fifteen minutes later, Leah's van was in the driveway. Troops had arrived to help with the decorating.

I am so grateful for a caring family that takes me with all my warts and loves me anyway. This is what things looked like when Leah took her three little girls and went home . . .

Ho. . . Ho. . ..Ho. . . "Tis the Season

I got up at 5:00 AM to get ready to put the 8 foot tree up. It needed to be fanned out and the three sections put together on the stand. Beautiful!!

By 7:30 I knew that out of seven strings of lights, I had one that worked completely, three that half worked, and four that were dead. I took Andy to catch the bus to work, counting out sixty cents for a drink as I was out of drink boxes. Then to the drugstore that is open 24-7 for lights.

I bought 800 lights and spent the next two hours meticulously placing them on the tree. Back to front, equally spaced, just a touch of color. . . . As my kids can attest, Christmas is my baby. . . Kurt is not a big fan of the whole thing so each year I spend days decorating, etc.

Well back to my story. It is now time to move the wonderfully lighted tree back into the corner. I is now after 10:00 and I have to go to a meeting for work at 11:00 (By the way, Friday is my day off!!) I crawl under the tree, grab the stand, and push. Nothing happens. . I try again.. . . still nothing. It's just too heavy. I decide I can lift it into place so I grab the trunk and lift.

You guessed it - i pulled it apart. The top was too heavy to hold with one hand so it fell, taking me to my knees. I just came up here to whine and left the whole mess. When I get home again and calmed down I will start over. Hope I finish by 4;30 as I have guests coming for dinner

HO......HO......HO

,

Andy's Ears

Andy has always had a tough time with his hearing. He has small ear canals. Periodically as the wax builds next to his eardrums, he gradually loses his hearing. We make an appointment with the ENT doctor and clean out the problem.

We began to notice it was time for another appointment about three weeks ago. Andy wouldn't answer us or respond when we called/yelled up the stairs. He also was cranking the music and TV up. The final deciding note happened when I found him watching a Disney movie for over an hour in Spanish and he didn't realize it!

We made the appointment and the wax was removed. Dr. Stoker recommended he see an audiologist as well. The result was a mild/moderate hearing loss in both ears so Andy got hearing aids.

He calls them his ears. He is only adjusted to fifty percent now and will gradually increase to the level we normally hear. I can't believe how much quieter it is around here! Andy actually came into my "office" yesterday and wanted to shut MY door. It seems my music was too loud for him!

A Very Special Day

I'm such a slacker when it comes to blogging. I think I will catch up or something funny happens and I say to myself, "That would make a fun Blog" but I never seem to take the time to do it. Life is crazy busy during the school year so I say, "When the summer comes, I will get back to blogging as well as family history stuff, scrapbooking, organizing and scanning old photos. ."

Then summer comes and my best made plans fade with planting flowers, painting Andy's room, babysitting grandkids, refinishing furniture . . and I don't even remember the funny blogging stories I didn't write.

I do however remember what I was doing about this time thirty-one years ago. I was shopping with my mother for wallpaper for my kitchen and daughter's room. We found what we wanted and left the store because I had an appointment with the doctor.

I went home and quickly made four loaves of bread before the appointment. Little did I know that before the bread was out of the oven, I would have a beautiful new daughter. She was born just thirty minutes after my appointment. The appointment was at 2:30 and Leah was born at 3:05.

I was thrilled to have another daughter. We named her after Leah Adams, a dear neighbor who I called "Grandma" growing up.

My Leah has been and continues to be a blessing in my life. She helps me each year with the most time consuming tasks I do; planting flowers and decorating for Christmas. This my not sound like the job it is, but I have five flower beds in the front of the house and over sixty nativity sets to display at Christmas.

Leah is a wonderful wife to Melvin and mother to her three little girls. She enjoys many of the same things I do. We have taken a quilting class together with Jake's wife, Amie. We both read a lot of books and compare notes. We both enjoy Harry Potter and have tickets to see the latest movie on Friday.

Leah and Melvin live the closest to my mother so are often there helping when needed. She tends Andy when I need her. She works full-time and manages to meet her own family's needs as well as her calling in the Primary.

I am so proud to be her mother. Leah is a wonderful daughter and friend. I am so glad to have known her for thirty-one years!

It went like this . . .

Gaby wanted to play a reading game on my computer and asked me to set it up. I went upstairs with her in tow to get the job done.

Gaby, "Who's that?"( looking at my screen saver)

Grandma, "That's me."

Look of wonder at the screen. . . back at me. . . thoughtful expression. "Oh, you weren't old when you were young"