Halloween Part 1

 

I figured I would start this today, with the preliminary Halloween pics, and post again tomorrow with all the wild, costume-y, too much candy induced crazy pics tomorrow.  Iain is on his way to San Antonio so this year I’m flying solo.  Trying to keep it as low key as possible.

We carved our pumpkin last night, and when I say “we” I mean “I” because the group cohesiveness I was counting on dissipated after about twelve seconds.  See that pic?  That’s all I got.  After the initial “let’s carve!” they started running around, tearing the head off my decorative scarecrow and playing baseball with no bats, gloves or a ball.  We’ll call it phantom baseball!  Because it’s Halloween!  But, I got that sucker carved and did a fine job if I do say so.

This morning, Cinderella soon morphed into a Longhorn cheerleader and our mighty morphin power rangers eschewed all costumes in favor of a Halloween tee shirt, with the sleeves cut off because he wont wear long sleeves (in addition to Halloween costumes, apparently.)  I got them to preschool and watched their music performance and parade and it was really super cute.

I am hoping and praying for a quick and successful trick or treat, baths and bed tonight.  Part 2 will tell the real story.

Today I am…

 

• Stealing blog post ideas from this gal because I think she is really awesome and her blog inspires me more than any other. 
• Getting stuff done.  Throwing out so much that we just don’t need and with each bag, I feel a little lighter, a little less stressed and a little more in control.  Also donating…not just cluttering the landfills.
• Determined to get all the laundry put away.
• Taking Claire for her follow up appointment after her hospitalization last week.
• Planning on carving pumpkins with all three kids.
• Panicking about Halloween costumes. 
• Planning on a decent dinner.
• Grateful that Iain is coming home, even if it’s just for about 12 hours before he leaves again.
• Praying for Duncan at school because he is a great kid and I love him and school can be hard sometimes.
• Drinking too much coffee.

What are you doing?

It all started out so well

 

Last Saturday, Iain had taken the boys on the cub scout camping trip and Claire was at my mom’s and sister’s.  I had the whole house to myself for 24 hours plus.  Saturday was so wonderful.  I watched PBS cooking shows, took a three hour nap, then went to dinner with a great friend.   During dinner, my sister called to tell me Claire was coughing.  We discussed it, I told her to give her more Benadryl and see how it went.  A few hours later I got another call that she was still coughing…we discussed me going out there but hoped she would finally fall asleep.  I went to bed, and wondered.  The next morning I found out the night did not go so well but we still thought it was just a terrible allergic reaction.  I ended up going to get her around noon, and by the time we got back the boys and Iain were home too.  We went to Duncan’s baseball game and she seemed better…rolled around in the grass, ran around.  Came home and put her to bed and things kind of went downhill from there.  It was a really bad night so the next day I took her to the pulmonologist.

We did four breathing treatments and in the end were sent to the ER.  Her saturation would not come up.  Did a strep test.  Positive.  Oh, and I had the boys with me. Wheee!

At the ER, they put her on a constant breathing treatment.  As in never-ending.  Of Albuterol.  Oh my sweet Jesus.

ER doc decided to admit her pretty quickly.  Got her IV in without much trauma (see last hospital visit post…egad).  Iain finally took the boys home, my niece and her husband brought me something to eat and we got in a room by about 9:30.  At this point, I hoped we would go home the next day.  In the end, we were in the hospital five days.  Status asthmaticus, pneumonia and strep throat.  So much medication I can’t keep track.  Sleeping on the Bed of Pain.  My hips will never be the same.

We are going to have to manage her very carefully at this point and I think an allergist is our next stop.  Seems keeping the allergies in check might keep the asthma in check.

It wasn’t all bad spending so much time with her but it would have been more fun doing it at Disney Land.

Thanks to wonderful friends and family, every once in a while I got a break and left to grab a bite to eat or to see the boys.  We missed Claire and Finn’s 4th birthday, and that made me super sad. 

But in the end we got to take our girl home.  Which is more than a lot of those families can say.

And she got to paint, and got stuffed animals from nurses, and kind of had the run of the place once she was off the constant breathing treatment stuff and her IV came out…about Wednesday night.

And gratefully, Friday afternoon, around 3:00…we got to go home.  Thanks be to God…and the doctors and nurses. 

And everyone is happy about that!

I Should Have Taken a Before Picture

 

Because this is the after.  And I think it looks pretty great.  But the before was bad.  I tried to cut it myself and gave him possibly the worst haircut ever.  And I’ve done some real botch jobs on our kids’ hair.  He has SO much hair…like duck feathers.  It gets really thick and so if it’s cut kind of blunt well…it’s just bad.  It was almost the dreaded chili bowl.  So, I whisked him to Great Clips after school and we got it remedied.  Got Claire’s trimmed too.  We are still growing out the rather large patch that she chopped off with the clippers a few months ago.  And I keep trimming her bangs because I just don’t have it in me to grow them out.   How boring is this?  Dang.  I’m boring myself to death.

Iain is in Pittsburg.  Realized last night it’s the last week of the State Fair and we haven’t gone yet, which means I am taking them tomorrow after school.  Tonight is the baseball practice/church hybrid. Always a juggle when Iain is traveling but we get it done.  Man, this is still boring.

I should probably quit while I’m ahead.

Pintimidated Project–Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was in a real baking mood yesterday and realized I had all the ingredients (well, almost…see below) to make these cookies that I saw on Pinterest.   I will say that the dough is really, really good.  Not that I eat cookie dough.

The cookies, albeit without the white chocolate chips because I had none, are good but not great.  My biggest issue with them is that they are a cakey cookie. I am not a fan of the cakey cookie.   I like a crisp cookie.  But, the pumpkin flavor is really good.  I might even see how I could up that next time.  The oatmeal is good…the chocolate is good.  I might try it with raisins instead of chocolate chips next time.  I’m also going to try baking them directly on the baking sheet, instead of parchment paper, because I’m not sure what purpose the parchment serves.  They have plenty of butter in them and should not stick.

The Pintimidator gives this 6 out of 10 stars.

things that make me nuts

i am sitting at the twins gymnastics class, at the local rec center. this is our fourth or fifth week. i do not exaggerate when i tell you that 1) the only topic the women here seem to be capable if duscussing is childbirth and 2) they do it every week. also, the phrase "all natural" in regards to a drug free birth sends me reeling. isnt all child birth natural? is there artificial childbirth? do we have to compete with who was the most brave? who showed the most valor? ugh. #rantover

You never know

Our mom is in the hospital, which is sobering mostly because she is 86. She is quite healthy and active, so even though you kind of know it can happen it is unnerving when it does. Heart rate too high, blood pressure too low. Updates to follow.

Things I Am Loving

 

A few weeks ago I was buying a tutu for Claire, and was asked if I was buying it for my granddaughter.  I immediately drove to CVS and bought three anti-aging products.  This was one of them and I love it.  Keep it in my purse all the time.  I have a fantasy that it works, and sometimes that is all you need.

This book (series) has given me more reading pleasure than any other series ever…perhaps even any book.  This is book 5 and possibly the heftiest of the series so far.  I drag it around with me everywhere I go and get a little street cred from the cool peeps at Starbucks who see me, your average mom/housewife, reading it.  Got a thumbs up from the barista today.  Yeah. 

Fall.  Technically it’s here so I broke out the fall/halloween tub of stuff and put a few things out.  While I am not crazy about this light fixture, it is easy to hang some swag and say that I’ve decorated! 

The must have candle for me every October.  I usually burn through about two or three of them.  #addict

What are you loving this week?

 

Test

Testing phone blogging.

47

 

There is a lot I like about this picture.  I like that all my kids are in it, I like that I am looking right at Finn, I like that you can see right into my kitchen and out the kitchen window (which is open!  because the weather is gorgeous!), I like the splash of turquoise that is my Kitchen Aid, and that you can see we drank some wine with lunch.  I’m not too crazy about my neck. 

Had most of our family here yesterday for lunch and birthday cake.  It is such a joy to me to have them in our home, and just spend the day eating, drinking, and enjoying each other.  It gets a little crowded around the table but I embrace that too.  We just cram in and enjoy the good food, which was really good yesterday because my mom made it all. 

The kids would rather have everyone here that go out to eat or do just about anything really.  Duncan has always loved his tribe and feels safest and happiest when we are all here…all generations.  If he had his way, my mom and sister, Iain’s sister and her husband and all the critters would all live with us under one roof.  I suspect the little ones will be the same.