WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2008 - CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

WARNING: THIS BLOG IS RATED PG AND YOU SHOULD GET YOUR PARENT TO READ IT WITH YOU!!





THIS NATIVITY STABLE WAS MADE FOR ME BY MY FATHER!! I VERY MUCH CHERISH IT!! IT IS WIRED WITH A BLUE LIGHT AND IS EXQUISITE AFTER ROOM IS DARKENED!! DAD HAD JUST BEEN RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL AFTER HAVING TO HAD CPR WITH A HEART ATTACK.

THIS IS REALLY MY PURPLE TREE!! IT IS BEAUTIFUL, BUT THIS IS TERRIBLE PICTURE!!

WANDA DECIDED TO PUT MY "SMALLS" COLLECTION UNDER THE TREE!!

THIS GREEN TREE IS MEMORIAL TO MY FATHER. HE MADE EVERY ORNAMENT ON THIS TREE!! I JUST STARTED TO FIGURE OUT HOW OLD THEY ARE!! "MAD MAX" AND i WILL BE MARRIED (TECHNICALLY) 30 YEARS THIS SUNDAY!! MY FATHER HAD MADE THESE ORNAMENTS PRIOR TO MY MARRIAGE!! THERE ARE SOME TRULY AWESOME ONES THAT WE NEED TO DO SOME SLIGHT REPAIRS TO AS THEY JUST ARE STARTING TO FALL APART A BIT.

HELLO ALL DEAREST ONES,

WELL, WHAT CAN I SAY!! WANDA IS GOOD, VERY GOOD!! SHE CONVINCED ME TO LET HER PUT UP A FEW OF MY VERY FAVORITE DECORATIONS!! SHE DID A GREAT JOB!! I JUST NEED TO START GETTING ALONG WITH THE DARN CAMERA!! NOTE: CAMERA TO DO LIST!!

I TRULY DID DOWNSIZE SEVERAL CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS!! OH, THIS TURNED OUT TO BE REALLY FUNNY!! WANDA AND I SPENT AN ENTIRE EVENING GOING THROUGH ALL THE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS ABOUT A WEEK AGO.

WANDA TOOK WHAT SHE WANTED. WE DECIDED TO SAVE THE NUMEROUS, PARACHUTE MATERIAL LIKE, BLOW UP FIGURES. WHY? THEY ARE BRAND NEW!!

WE STILL HAD SEVERAL BOXES OF WONDERFUL ORNAMENTS THAT I REALLY WANTED TO FIND A NEW HOME. WANDA THEN REMEMBERED SHE HAD ONE OF THE CLASSES SHE INSTRUCTS GRADUATING THE NEXT DAY. SHE INSTRUCTS SINGLE MOTHERS ON HOW TO GET A JOB AND KEEP IT. WANDA ASKED IF I MINDED THAT THESE DECORATIONS WE DID NOT WANT COULD GO TO THESE SINGLE MOTHERS. I TOLD HER THAT WOULD BE GREAT!! WANDA SAID THAT THE DECORATIONS WERE A REAL SURPRISE TO THESE LADIES AND THEY ALL SCRAMBLED AT ONCE TO PICK SOME THING OUT!! WANDA SAID THEY ALL THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THEM!! I AM VERY PLEASED TO KNOW THESE HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE TO SOME ONE ELSE!!

BUT, IN GOING THROUGH A STACK OF BOXES, WE SOON LEARNED "MAD MAX" JUST THREW ANY THING ANY WHERE!! RIGHT SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF ONE BOX OF CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS WAS WHAT WANDA THOUGHT A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF RUBY RED GLASS. I GOT A GOOD LOOK AT THIS PIECE AS I COULD NOT VISION MYSELF WANTING ANY THING RUBY RED AT ANY POINT IN MY LIFE THUS FAR. I GOT A GOOD LOOK AND WAS INSTANTLY MORTIFIED!! WHILE SINGLE I HAD THE ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY OPENING BASH AND THE LABOR DAY CLOSING BASH FOR THREE DIFFERENT CITY'S SINGLE'S GROUP. WE HELD THESE PARTIES AT MY HOME EVERY YEAR AND EVERY YEAR THEY GREW. THEY WERE WONDERFUL!! THE GUYS ACTUALLY PUT IN A REGULATION VOLLEYBALL COURT IN MY BACK YARD AND IT WAS MAINTAINED ALL THROUGH GOOD WEATHER. THESE BIG PARTIES HAD A MINIMUM OF 125 PEOPLE. I HELD THESE FOR SEVERAL YEARS, AS IT JUST GOT TO BE TRADITION AND EVERY ONE KNEW HOW TO GET TO MY HOME!! MY BIRTHDAY IS ON MEMORIAL DAY!! AND, WE HAD A REGULAR MEMORIAL DAY BASH ON MY 50TH BIRTHDAY!! ONE CLUB'S GROUP ALL GOT TOGETHER AND DECORATED WHEELCHAIRS AND BROUGHT THEM. AFTER A BIT OF ENCOURAGEMENT, WINE COOLER FOR ME, SOME ONE SUGGESTED WE TAKE THE WHEELCHAIRS UP THE HILL BESIDE MY HOME AND RACE TWO BY TWO DOWN THE HILL. SOME ONE STOOD IN THE INTERSECTION AND WATCHED FOR ANY TRAFFIC APPROACHING AND WHEN IT WAS CLEAR THEY WOULD WAVE THE FLAG FOR NEXT TWO WHEELCHAIRS TO COME DOWN THE HILL. I DON'T KNOW HOW WE DID NOT HAVE MAJOR INJURIES, BUT WE DID NOT!! GRANNY LOU AND HER HUSBAND (HE HAS PASSED SINCE) SAW WHAT WE WERE DOING AND WERE THE FIRST TO BRING OUT THEIR LAWN CHAIRS AND CLEARED THE WAY FOR ALL THE NEIGHBORS TO LINE THE CURBSIDE TO WATCH!! ALL I COULD VISION WAS ME GETTING ARRESTED AS I HAD "CONTROL" OF THE PARTY!! GOD WAS TRULY WATCHING US OLD FARTS THAT DAY!!

ANOTHER GROUP BROUGHT DECORATED BIRTHDAY CAKES TO SERVE EVERY ONE!! AND, YES, YET ANOTHER GROUP BROUGHT THE OFFICIAL "OLD FART" GAG GIFTS!!

SOME OF THESE GUYS DID NOT CARE HOW MUCH MONEY THEY SPENT, IF WHAT THEY DID GOT THEM CENTER OF ATTENTION!! I HAD ACTUALLY WENT OUT TO DINNER SEVERAL TIMES WITH ONE PARTICULAR GUY!! I GOT THE TITLE OF THE "ICE QUEEN" AS I SURE DATED ALOT BACK IN MY SKINNY, BIG BUSTED AND BLONDE DAYS, BUT I DID NOT SLEEP AROUND!! THUS, THIS PARTICULAR GUY PRESENTED ME WITH AN ABSOLUTELY LOVELY WRAPPED GIFT. HE INSISTED I OPEN IT WHEN EVERY ONE WAS SITTING DOWN EATING SO ENTIRE CROWD WOULD BE NEAR. I FINALLY OPENED THIS LOVELY WRAPPED "THING" TO FIND IT WAS THE ABSOLUTELY MOST BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF RUBY RED GLASS I HAD EVER SEEN!! MY FIRST REACTION WAS "OH, THANK YOU, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS"!! WELL, AT THIS VERY SAME TIME, MY BLONDE ROOTS WERE GLOWING!! WITHIN ABOUT THIRTY SECONDS I REALIZED THIS LOVELY PIECE OF RUBY RED GLASS THAT I HAD JUST TOLD GOD AND EVERYONE "I TRULY LOVED IT" WAS A GENIUNE AND QUITE DETAILED "DILDO"!! I WAS ABSOLUTELY MORTIFIED!! WELL, A FEW MORE BERRY WINE COOLERS AND IT WAS OKAY AND FORGOTTEN!! AFTER THAT BASH I HAD AN ENTIRE BOX OF "TOYS" THAT I HAD RECEIVED AS GAG GIFTS!! I ALWAYS INTENDED TO REGIFT THEM!!

OBVIOUSLY, THE REGIFTING NEVER HAPPENED!! I AM NOW ON PINS AND NEEDLES EVERY TIME WANDA BRINGS ME ANOTHER BOX WONDERING WHAT "SURPRISE" IT WILL HOLD!! TALK ABOUT A WHORE IN CHURCH!!

WELL, AS THE EVENING WENT ON, AS I ACTUALLY WAS LOOKING FOR MY KEWPIE DOLL THINGS, WANDA AND I DECIDED THAT THIS RUBY RED "THINGY" WOULD BE HILARIOUS IF IT SOME HOW ENDED UP IN EUNICE'S STOCKING CHRISTMAS MORNING!! WANDA IS CLEANING ONE EVENING A WEEK FOR EUNICE NOW. THUS, SHE SAID SHE WOULD TAKE THE "THINGY" HOME WITH HER AND TAKE IT TO EUNICE'S CHRISTMAS WEEK AND SLIP IT IN EUNICE'S STOCKING!! IT TRULY WILL BE A RIOT TO SEE EUNICE'S REACTION!!

HOWEVER, WANDA AND I HAD LOST TRACK OF THE TIME WHILE SEARCHING THROUGH THESE BOXES. IT WAS ABOUT MIDNIGHT BEFORE WANDA LEFT FOR HOME AND A VERY NASTY WEATHER NIGHT OUTSIDE. WANDA TOOK THE RUBY RED "THINGY" AND DECIDED TO KEEP IT HIDDEN IN HER CAR UNTIL CHRISTMAS WEEK.

WANDA MADE A HUGE MISTAKE AND PLACED THE "THINGY" IN ONE OF THE BOXES SHE WAS TAKING TO WORK TO GIVE HER SINGLE MOMS!! WANDA JUST TOOK THE BOXES INTO HER OFFICE AND TOLD THE MOMS TO EACH TAKE SOME THING FROM THE BOXES AND THEY DID. EACH MOM WOULD HOLD UP WHAT SHE HAD PICKED OUT!! BUT, EVENTUALLY THE RUBY RED "THINGY" SUDDENLY APPEARED FROM WHAT WANDA DESCRIBES AS "NO WHERE"!! WANDA'S ENTIRE IOWA WORK FORCE STAFF WAS WATCHING ALL THE FESTIVITIES!! WANDA IS THE OFFICE MANAGER!! WANDA HAD SOME REAL EXPLAINING TO DO, WHICH I HAVE HEARD WAS "NOT GOOD ENOUGH"!! WANDA SAID SHE WAS WAY BEYOND MORTIFIED!! I TOLD HER SHE COULD RELAX THE NEXT FIFTY YEARS OF HER LIFE AS SHE HAS TRULY HAD THE MOST EMBARASSING INCIDENT OF HER LIFE!!

WELL, THE RUBY RED "THINGY" WILL BE EXPOSING ITSELF NEXT AT EUNICE'S FIREPLACE CHRISTMAS STOCKING ON CHRISTMAS MORNING!! POOR MARION IS GOING TO BE IN T R O U B L E !!!! I GAVE EUNICE AND HER HUSBAND A BEAUTIFUL NEW DINING ROOM SET FOR CHRISTMAS LAST YEAR. "MAD MAX" HAD ARRANGED TO HAVE IT DELIVERED TO EUNICE'S HOME ON DEC. 23. "MAD MAX" ACTUALLY WENT OVER TO EUNICE'S HOME JUST BEFORE THE DELIVERY WAS TO ARRIVE AND ASKED HER TO GO OVER TO OUR HOME TO WATCH ME WHILE HE DID A CHRISTMAS ERRAND!! EUNICE'S HUSBAND HAD GIVEN "MAD MAX" KEYS TO THE HOUSE. EUNICE WAS AMAZED THAT "MAD MAX" WAS BACK SO QUICKLY!! MOST OF THE NEIGHBORS WERE ALL OUTSIDE WAITING TO HEAR EUNICE WHEN SHE WENT BACK HOME AND OPENED HER DOOR TO THIS BIG AND GRAND NEW DINING ROOM. HOWEVER, EUNICE HAD DECIDED TO STAY ON HERE AS WE WERE DOING SOME THING OR ANOTHER. "MAD MAX" FINALLY CAME UP WITH NEEDING TO BORROW A BANDAGE, IMMEDIATELY, SO EUNICE LEFT JUST TO RUN ACROSS THE STREET TO GET "MAD MAX" A BANDAGE AND SAID SHE WOULD BE RIGHT BACK. SHE OPENED HER DOOR AND LET OUT A SCREAM THAT WAS HEARD THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD!!

THUS, WHEN EUNICE CHECKS HER STOCKING ON CHRISTMAS MORNING, WANDA AND I ARE EXPECTING A VERY LOUD SCREAM, MOST PROBABLY DIRECTED AT HER HUSBAND OR WANDA AS SHE KNOWS I CAN NOT ACCESS HER HOME WITHOUT THREE PEOPLE ASSISTING ME!! I AM BLESSED AS I HAVE AN ALIBI!!

WELL, I AM OFF TO FIND ALL MY TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS THINGS!! I WAS TRULY BLESSED WITH A WONDERFUL PARTNER!! EVERY THING WAS EXACTLY FOR ME!!

I WON THE BATTLE, BUT LOST THE WAR IN MY "STITCHING SANCTUARY"!! I HAD JUST A FEW THINGS LEFT TO DO IN ORDER TO CALL IT PERFECT ABOUT A MONTH AGO!! BUT, WANDA AND I PULLED OUT THE THREE HUGE STORAGE BINS STACKED IN THE CLOSET FULL OF MY "BIG" KITS. THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF CHAOS!! I NOW WOULD LOVE TO HAVE IT DONE BY CHRISTMAS. MIPREZIOUS NEVER SAT IN MY "STITCHING SANCTUARY" WITH ME AS SHE "WAS" A "DADDY'S GIRL"!! HOWEVER, I BELIEVE SHE REALIZES AND UNDERSTANDS HE IS NOT COMING BACK AGAIN AT THIS POINT IN TIME. WE HAVE SUCH SEPARATION ANXIETY NOW IF I EVEN GO TO A QUICK APPOINTMENT!! SINCE SHE IS NOW SPENDING ALL DAY AND EVENING WITH ME I REALLY WANT THE CARPET CLEANED AND A PERMANENT "NEST" SET UP FOR HER ON THE FLOOR.

HAD AN INTERESTING DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT ON MONDAY!! WE WERE SIMPLY JUST CHATTING ABOUT HOW WELL I CAME OUT OF BOTH SURGERIES. HE SUDDENLY TELLS ME HE WAS "VERY WORRIED" ABOUT ME HAVING SURGERY AGAIN!! HE SAID HE HAD TO TELL HOSPITAL I WAS A "SPECIAL CASE" AS THIS LOCAL HOSPITAL HAS HIRED A "HOSPITALTICIAN"!! HE SAID THE LOCAL DOCTORS HAVE BEEN TOLD THEY MUST USE THIS "DOCTOR". THUS, IF YOU NEED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL NOW, YOUR REGULAR DOCTOR WILL SEND YOU TO THE HOSPITAL. THE "HOSPITALTICIAN" WILL ADMIT YOU, TAKE CARE OF YOU THE ENTIRE TIME YOU ARE A PATIENT, AND DISCHARGE YOU WHEN HE THINKS YOU ARE DOING BETTER!! YOU THEN GO BACK TO YOUR REGULAR DOCTOR FOR RE-CHECK!! I SURE DO NOT LIKE THIS AND WILL SERIOUSLY CONSIDER BEING TRANSFERRED TO DAVENPORT, NEXT BIG TOWN SOUTH OF US 50 MILES!! BUT, I WAS A BIT UPSET WITH MY REGULAR DOC TELLING ME HE HAD SO MANY CONCERNS ABOUT MY ORAL SURGERY AFTER THE FACT!! I WAS ABOUT OVER THE EDGE WITH WORRY AND FRIGHT AT THE TIME. HOWEVER, THE SURGEON WAS VERY GOOD AND PUT ME AT EASE. I FINALLY JUST ASKED MY REGULAR DOC IF WE ALL WERE ON THE SAME PAGE NOW!! HE STARTED THAT BIG BELLY LAUGH THAT RARELY APPEARS FROM HIM. HIS ENTIRE OFFICE STAFF ALWAYS ASKS, "WHAT DID YOU DO OR WHAT DID YOU SAY THIS TIME"!!

PRESENTLY MY LEGS ARE NOT REALLY GOOD!! THE DOCTOR PREACHED HIS NEVER ENDING SERMON OF "I HAVE TO KEEP MY LEGS ELEVATED AT ALL TIMES"!! THE PAIN INCREASED A WHOLE LOT TODAY, SO I AM GOING TO STAY DOWN A BIT FOR NEXT FEW DAYS AND JUST STITCH. I AM HOPING TO HAVE EUNICE AND GRANNY LOU'S GIFTS FINISHED BY CHRISTMAS!! THE DOCTOR SAID HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT MRSA RETURNING AS I HAD FOUR BOUTS OF IT LAST YEAR!! THREE WERE "HOSPITAL ACQUIRED" AND ONE WAS "COMMUNITY ACQUIRED". I WONDER WHAT MAKES IT EACH WAY!! THUS, I AM ON TWO ANTIBIOTICS AGAIN!!

OFF TO STITCH!!

LOVE AND HUGS!!

DEBORAH

AND

MIPREZIOUS, TOO!!

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2008 - Barb's Dream House!!

Hello Dearest Ones,

This WAS Barbie's Dream House!! And, this was a total "Dream House" in a very nice neighborhood. And, Barbie did live there!!

Early Tuesday morning, 2:38 a.m., this turned into a real nightmare house!! Barbie, WAS a very prominent community leader both in Fulton and Clinton, volunteer with every charity group in this area, wonderful lady who NEVER said "NO" to any one and more importantly and WAS very generous woman who helped any where and every where there was any type of need!! AND, most importantly I had the privilege of calling her good friend!!

Barb fought one of the hardest battles I have ever seen to overcome an agressive breast cancer for two to three years!! She was just declared cancer free about a year ago!! Barb overcame her cancer, but Barb perished in her "Dream House"!! We had planned to build our new home in Fulton right in this same city block!! We finally gave up our building plans as we had tried to get it started for five years in a row, but very difficult situations always developed with either "M" or myself that prevented our personal attention!! This "killer" fire is just another reason that has come out that has made me quite glad we let our "Dream Condo" plans crash and burn!!

There are three television stations covering this tragedy because Barb held such prominent positions in both my city of Clinton and a small town right across the river in Fulton, Illinois. And, there are two local newspapers also covering this horrific fatality. I have come to absolutely hate seeing this picture!! The picture appears to me to look like a big old pot that is boiling and is about to explode!! Just now being aware that Barb lay inside the fire makes me quite ill!! A few of the other friends have contacted me after years of not much contact to ask if I would like to go over to the "house" and see what remained this morning. Besides, being it is barely 7 degrees out with dangerous windchills with two fairly significant ice storms accumulation under the three inches of snow we got yesterday detering me from going out, I truly do not think I want to see this house!!

Barb's husband is a school teacher and some how he did make it out of the house uninjured at all!! I can not imagine what goes through his mind over and over and over!! Barb also had a daughter and a son, but I believe they were both out of the house!! Barb was always into the Scout troops, PTA, school activities, sports, you name it!!

Barb was truly one of the most giving and caring people I have ever met!! Even through her own battle with her breast cancer she continued to work every day and kept up with most of her community and charity groups activities also.

Barb's family has had the greatest loss ever!! Both the cities of Clinton and Fulton have had a very great loss!! And, her friends, which I am honored to have been, have experienced great loss!!

My sincerest sympathies are with Barb's family!! And, I guess this proves once again "only the good die young"!!

Rest In Peace, Barbara!!

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2008 - JUST LAZY FUN DAY!!

Hello Dearest Ones,

After having the worst of worst evenings on Thursday, I just had to get away from my Christmas deadline projects!! I am sure I will live to regret this decision, but it is now HISTORY!!

I am going to attach a photo of my Christmas gift Sampler, GOOD NEIGHBOR, that I am attempting to have done for Granny Lou and a duplicate for Eunice and Marion. The one I am attaching just needs the initial "S" for Short and then a "A" on the other yet to be done Sampler.

I also wish to incorporate the year's date on this also. I had it stitched in towards the bottom already, but promptly took it out as I did not like it!! And, I have plans on finishing them both as "Flatfolds" if JoAnns ever sends me my fabric. I had to change my banking account due to Max having access to it. And, in course of doing this, the new bank has given me a VISA Card instead of the MASTER CARD I have had forever!! It appears JoAnns can not get their records changed and get it correct. Thus, I have no fabric for Flatfold yet!! I sure hope these are done in time for Christmas!! Of course, both Eunice and Granny Lou are going out of town for holiday so I may have a day or two extra!! And, if history is to repeat itself again, the good Lord knows I will need each day I can get!! So, I almost have one Sampler done, but have no idea how long it actually took me!! I intend on spending the rest of this day and all of this evening on the second Sampler!!

As for my fun time Friday and yesterday!! I rebegan my "KEWPIE DOLLS"!! Attached is a front all finished and cut out. And, on the plastic canvas sheet is the beginning of the back of this Kewpie Doll. You whip stitch the front to back and fill it with polyester fiberfill, especially in the stomach to make the extended rounded belly of a Kewpie Doll!! I can not wait to get one stuffed and see how she comes out. I have five different KEWPIE DOLLS that I want to make!!

And, I received a beautiful piece of White Opalescent fabric for my new and very exciting to me "Secret Project"!! I want to stitch a cute little "black" angel that has a sign attached to her that says "Merry Christmas" after my Christmas Samplers for Wanda, but I don't even think it has a remote chance before New Year's, but she too will be out of town so it will give me some additional time. But, I plan on beginning my new "Secret Project" on Christmas Eve and just stitch through the entire holidays!! Hopefully this will afford me enough time to finish it. It is going to be a Bell Pull when I finish it. I am very excited about this project!!

And, I will be posting all my beautiful "12 Days of Christmas" things, but I am going to take my time and get the pictures right!! So, Tracy please don't think I have forgotten these, as I definitely have not!! Again, THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!

As for the nastiness of Thursday evening. I simply do not want to discuss it any further as it totally repulses me and upsets me. I will just update that I am going to go through Social Worker in the morning to initiate THEM recommitting him as I simply will not do any thing more other than give them a very serious warning that something must be done. I just do not understand why things have to be repeated over and over, before some one else will take action!! This has finally come to a very serious head and I hope for Max's sake the Social Workers do take my advice. We would/will be married thirty years on December 21 and thus I do know just how bad it can get!! Unfortunately, Thursday evening was far worse than I ever had to see before and I WILL NOT DO IT AGAIN!!

So, hopefully I will catch up here and have some really neat and pleasant things to end this year!!

Love and Hugs!!

Deborah

and

Miprezious, too!!

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2008 - MY CHRISTMAS TREE AND ETC.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 06, 2008 - VERY SAD DAY!!

I had a lot to catch up on with this Blog entry, but I am going to keep it short, but very sincerely with great sadness!



My dear friend, Kathy, lost her Mother this evening at supper time!!



This still came as a terrible shock to Kathy even though she has had to daily witness her dear Mother fail a bit more!! Mrs. Kiley had just had a pretty good day yesterday, or the day, before. This gave Kathy, as well as myself, renewed hope one more time!! Sadly, this turned out to be false hope!! Many times previously either a doctor and/or a nurse would predict Mrs. Kiley to not be able to recover, but Mrs. Kiley proved them wrong over and over!!



Mrs. Kiley has had some real severe bouts of her "bumps in the road" pretty much most of this year!! However, Kathy never failed to be right by her Mother's side!! I have never known, or heard of, any one who took better care of any one, than Kathy did for her Mother!!



Kathy very willingly got up many nights in the wee hours. This was in spite of knowing she had to be up shortly to get her Mother prepared for the new day and herself off to work.

Kathy never complained about the care of her mother and very willingly and happily saw to her every need!!



Mrs. Kiley was a very wonderful and kind lady!! It is easy to see where Kathy got her goodwill and caring of every one from!!



Kathy is absolutely the most wonderful Daughter and Caregiver that any one could ever wish for!! Kathy has my utmost respect and awe for her continued care of her Mother. Kathy did not just leave her Mother bedridden ever!! Even, when Mrs. Kiley was hospitalized, Kathy always made sure her Mother was kept clean, was up and exercised with physical therapy as she could tolerate and kept out among what was going on and with people!!



Kathy, you have my most sincerest sympathy for the loss of your dear Mother!! You also have my utmost admiration of being the very best daughter any one could ever wish for and for being the best of the best woman I have ever known!! Kathy, I am ever so glad to be able to call you my Best Friend!!



Much Love, Hugs and Tears,

Deborah

and

Miprezious, too!!

MONDAY, DECEMBER 01, 2008 - WHERE CAN I HIRE A HIT MAN?

Hello All Dearest Ones,

Just a quick need to vent, and then I will try to catch up a lot of loose ends in tomorrow's, Tuesday's, Blog!!

Max showed up at MY HOME again this morning ranting and raving as this was his day to pay his Support Alimony to me!! I some how have to go in to the Court system and get his check garnished and be done with having to deal with him in any way shape or form!!

I would have called the Police this morning, as I was in middle of sponge bath when he arrived unannounced!! He came in and began to rant and rave about "his imminent death"!! I have heard this too many times for too long of period!! Although, he does look very bad!! He looses a substantial amount of weight each time I see him. It is now to the point I DO NOT HAVE ANY DESIRE, OR WANT, TO SEE HIM!!

Max just decided to have MY cell phone cut off today without any previous warning!!
I have been paying the darn cell phone bill for both of our cell phones from the time he returned in my life, once again, in 2004 through this very day!! I was livid, but I acted like I could care less while he was here!!

I had to be at my oncologist for my melanoma recheck in a few hours after his "visit"!!
He completely un-nerved me and I immediately went into the "big ugly cry" when he left!! Eunice soon came over to take me down to the cell phone store, I-Wireless, before we had to get on the road for another 50 mile drive to oncologist.

This was just one of those days I needed downright sympathy, but all I got was extreme "coldness" out of Eunice!! I am sure she is as fed up about this situation as I am!! And, what she always tells me is absolutely the right thing to do and think, but today was one of those days I needed to talk him out of my system and have a good ole girlfriend cry!! It was extremely hard to just sit and keep every thing bottled up inside when all I wanted to do was explode!!

And, my dear, Wanda, arrived at 6:00 P.M. this evening!! And, I did begin yet another of the "big ugly cries", but at least she told me to let it all out and she gave me just the little bit of sympathy I did so badly need all day!! And, after I had my good cry, we both agreed that although I truly did not need to hear it earlier, that Eunice was, as always, absolute correct in what I had to do about Max!! And, Wanda immediately set to trying to first making me feel a bit better and then carrying out every thing that was needed to be done to prepare Max's extensive amount of things for the driveway!! I am sure even the local homeless mission would be more than glad to get all the very nice things that are sitting in all these massive boxes!!

We went immediately to the I-Wireless Phone Store!! This is where I really needed the HIT Man additionally!! I was met with Max was the primary name on the account and I could do nothing with the old account and this INCLUDED NOT EVEN BEING ABLE TO KEEP MY OWN CELL PHONE NUMBER!!! Anyone, thinking about getting or has an I-Wireless Cell Phone better think twice!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND, to add insult to injury, I was going to have to pay a $175 DEPOSIT to create a new cell phone account!! AND, I was going to have to pay for a new ACTIVATION FEE again!! I was instantly livid and you don't even want to know what I told that Manager of that store!! I am writing corporate first thing this morning!! I can not believe their audacity!! They could go through, or I could produce, every single payment made to this cell phone company since 2004 and they were made by ME on MY OWN ACCOUNT because Max could not even get a bank account because of HIS previous history problems!! I can guarantee this email letter will burn a hole in some one's screen!!

So, the gloves came off!! Even though it is one of Max's dialysis days, I had called Max's voice mail and informed him that all the remaining, which is most, of his clothes and things, including a $3,000 bag full of custom golf clubs are being placed in MY driveway this morning at 7:00 A.M. and will be removed to Good Will at 7:00 P.M. this evening!! Wanda also called, and too got his voice mail, and reiterated, as well as witnessed my notification to him, that this was it!! Max somehow went to pharmacy and medical supply store a few weeks ago and picked up my morphine and my Huber needle kit!! I have no idea of what he was thinking of in doing this, unless he has also reverted to his old habit of using drugs along with his drinking, gambling and porno addictions!! It came down to the night before I HAD to have these supplies. Max had held them for EIGHT prior days!! I called his voice mail several times a day in an attempt to get these supplies as well as Eunice went down to the horrific end of this town to the scummy rooming house he occupies with five other AA and NA Group members (all using again also) in an attempt to retrieve these supplies. She only met with dog feces and garbage to her shins and several big barking dogs!! Thus, that evening, I had no choice, but to call the Police as he had picked these things up fraudulently and I had to have them for the next day. My oral surgery was the same week, and I could not afford to have this medication off schedule any whatsoever!!
The Police did come and talked with me. They said that "officially" they could not do any thing!!
I could not believe this!! I had neither asked or given Max to pick up these things and they are both very controlled medical supplies that should have been his being open for having them fraudulently as far as my thinking went!! However, the police officer informed me not, "as long as any of Mr. Markham's things are still in MY home"!! Okay!! We fixed that as of this day!!

I am going to immediately begin to take all the steps needed to change my name back to my maiden name of Jones!! I also am going to get an unlisted phone number here at my home!!

But, after 7:00 P.M. Tuesday evening, I will have met all the stipulations the Police have told me I had to meet in order to have legal action taken against "Mr. Markham"!!

And, with resuming my maiden name of "Jones" and by getting an unlisted home telephone it will make it impossible for me to be reached when he does finally get himself either rearrested or recommitted to yet another mental health institution!! And, I have no doubts it will happen very soon!! During the past thirty years, I can not even remember all the pre 8:00 a.m. telephone calls, I have received that are "Hello, Mrs. Markham. Do you have any connection to Lynn (Max) Markham? Would he have any previous substance abuse and/or mental problems"" And, like the dummy I used to be, I would be answering, "Yes, Yes, and Yes"!! BUT NO MORE!!

Now, I will try to regroup myself and begin my letter to I-Wireless!!

Oh, I rarely break down to the point of tears!! My voice may get to point of cracking, but very, very rarely tears!! And, upon seeing my oncologist, she immediately found an area right under my right eye that she said she was absolutely positive was pre-cancer!! She immediately sprayed, the "stuff" from the "thingy" that resembles a fire extinguisher on this area to freeze it in hopes it will simply blister and every thing will just flake away!! PRAISE THE LORD!! However, it was not a good day for all those tears to fall right on that darn area though!! Oh well, if that is the worse thing that happens to me, I can consider myself really lucky!!

Love and Hugs!!
Deborah
and
Miprezious, too!!

NOVEMBER 30, 2008 - ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS EVEN ONE TOOTH TO GNAW ON!!!

Hello All Dearest Ones,

Yes, you are looking at those bad boys and girls!! I truly wish I had left even just one of these left behind so I could possibly even gnaw!! Thanksgiving was great, and I did all right, but I sure wish I could have done a bit better.

I finally went into the hospital on November 20. It was very unclear about every thing, other than the teeth were coming out and that the doctors greatly preferred that I spend the night in the hospital, but then on was pretty well left up to me!!

My Surgeon was a complete dream doctor!! I only would ask why he did not choose to become a medical General Practitioner!! This Surgeon conferred with my regular doctors and determined travel was not good for me in any way, shape or form!! Thus, he volunteered to make the trip of 50 miles up to the local hospital here!! I would have gotten far better care going to Davenport, but the trip home could have been extraordinarily hard if I had a bad go of this!! The Surgeon telephoned me the night previous to my surgery to reassure me every thing would go fine!! Upon arriving at the hospital the following day this doctor was there before me and was first to greet me and show me to the "kennel" they had assigned me. The Anesthesiologist even had issues with these extra small cubicles!! He talked at length with my mother attempting to explain every thing to her. Eunice had brought her to the hospital with us. Mother does not stand too much any more, but she truly does not hear much any more and refuses to even discuss a hearing aid or any thing!! The Surgeon then exchanged pleasantries with Eunice as she really had no questions and then he pretty much sat and tried to calm my raw nerves. He rolled the bed into the Operating Room and held my hand all the way through until I was out!! He was also the first person I saw in the Recovery Room. He accompanied me up to the Medical Floor and told Eunice he would sit with us until he knew I was comfortable.

Comfort would not come in those first few moments upon them transferring me. The Surgeon decided he would do some thing, but get a nurse any too quick, simply does not happen in that hospital!! He then asked me if I was in discomfort and I said, "OH, YEAH!!!" He then went out to Nurse's Station himself and got the bolus of Morphine and put it in my Port. I got instant relief and that was it, as the nurses suddenly rushed in with the Morphine Pump and got it working and pumping regularly into me. The Surgeon did leave. My Mother was absolutely having a "melt down" and said she had "never seen me look worse after any of my other surgeries"!! Eunice finally took her home as Granny Lou had arrived and said she would stay for awhile until Eunice could return. Eunice was not gone long and returned set to stay as long as she felt she was needed!! I was told I immediately went into deep sleep and Eunice vowed to the staff she wanted me kept that way and unhooked the telephone even!! Eunice later told me she stayed till about 11:00 p.m.

I had a fairly good night!! The next morning my regular doctor arrived, at his usual rounds time just before 8:00 a.m. and actually woke me up. He asked how I was feeling and what did I want to do. I told him I probably would have been open to staying, but since I had been placed on the Medical Floor instead of the Surgical Floor I really thought I would be better off at home!! The Medical Floor at our local hospital is one of the very worse!! Thus, he explained my increased morphine amounts over my usual daily dosages and told me if this did not hold me that I could call him at any time and he would do some thing else!!

Thus, I called for Eunice. Eunice answered her phone barely!! I wondered if she was even awake, but it turned out she was quite ill again!! I told her I would just have to call upon some of my other friends, but she said "absolutely not"!! She told me to just get as ready to go home as I could and that some one would be there very soon to take me home!! In a very short time, Wanda appeared and said she was taking me home and that she intended to call in to her regular job that afternoon and say she was not coming back to her office, and that she would stay with me!! However, as soon as we got pulled into my driveway, Eunice came running across the street in her night gown and robe!! She insisted on helping me transfer and assisted me getting into the house. I thought it was way too cold for her to be even out. After we got in the house, Eunice insisted Wanda go back to work and she then resettled me in to my bed and she made a bed on my couch!! And, of course, my dearest little one was right there all hyper and stressed out wanting to see me immediately!! Thus, Eunice put little Miprezious up into my bed also. Mi and I talked and talked while cuddling a whole lot as she had quite a story to tell me!! I knew better and that she had been spoiled as much as possible by Marion and Granny Lou!!

And, YES, I came home with all the teeth I went in with!! I have yet to see any evidence of the TOOTH FAIRY arriving!! What is the secret of this one? LOL!! LOL!!

Well, I always vowed I would go to my grave with all my natural teeth!! Albeit they may now have to be in my pocket or perhaps even purse, but they will go with me!!

I had so wanted to get my "12 Days of Christmas" Exchange finished and shipped prior to going in to the hospital, but it just was not to be!! I had the most wonderful pattern made by our own "Vee". She is a good friend who is also a Designer and owns her own Design Company. I love her things!! And, she is the very best and most wonderful friend!! She designed a chart just for my Exchange Partner for me the very night Colin gave me the name of my Exchange Partner!! And, in my mail box the following morning was this wonderful chart!! I do not know if I have a decent picture to show of it or not!! I took pictures, but they were not very good!! The important thing was my stitched piece was phenominal!! It is so lovely, on the perfect fabric and included many beaded areas. Perhaps, my Exchange Partner can send me a much better picture. BUT, I had worked on this piece daily beginning like the Sunday after my surgery on Thursday!! I was not going to be late on this one!! Well, I worked all of Tuesday on trying to finish this piece as my second Flatfold!! The fabric for this was a perfect match to the piece. And, I worked non-stop on trying to make that flatfold. Kathy K. told me I had a step by step illustration of what I had done the first time right on my own Webshots!! I had not remembered this and I am sure she knew this!! Kathy is always so diplomatic in trying to tell me I messed something up!! I had a complete success going until the very end and WALLA - I put the stitched piece on upside down!! Now, Cynthia tells me just say it is the first and original of my own designed upside down flatfold. And, of course, Kathy tells me she would give any thing to have such a stitched piece from me as she is aware of how long it takes me with all my disabilities now to complete any piece!! Well, this is surely overdue to her!! But, unfortunately, I did not have Kathy K. or Cynthia for my exchange partner. I am not sure, at all, if my Exhange Partner is going to feel so "special"!! But, I simply had to send it on as I had no choice at that late date!!

Presently, I am working on getting out all the spoken for "STASH TO GO"!! I am also stitching like crazy on an Erica Michaels piece called "A Good Neighbor Is Found Treasure"!! I need to make two of these for Granny Lou and Eunice for Christmas, I HOPE!! I truly would like to make duplicates, minus the original new upside down-ness, for Eunice, Marion and Granny Lou, but I think I am WAY out of my present realm for right now!! However, after working only last night and today and tonight, I am very well on my way of nearly finishing my first one!!

Unfortunately, tomorrow is my day for another re-check of my melonoma status. And, as usual, this requires yet another trip to Davenport, which is 50 miles away!!

But, going to Davenport, also means getting access to all the GOOD food!! Eunice and I had to go back to Davenport this past Friday to have my surgery rechecked. The Surgeon said he thought I could begin to increase my food intake a bit!! I just sat and truly prayed for Eunice's mouth not to move in any way other that verbalizing only "Goodbye and Thank You"!! I truly can not complain I went hungry. Eunice was quite ill, but her only worry was passing a nasty bronchial cold/sore throat thing on to me. Thus, upon bringing me home she had made a great pot of home made chicken noodle soup and cherry jello!! We had also gotten cottage cheese on the advice of Kathy K. That is pretty much what I existed on through Sunday. I was getting quite hungry by Monday morning.

Eunice and I got drafted into the Benevolent Society's 622 Thanksgiving FoodBasket distribution on Monday morning. I really did not know if I could do it or not!! But, I did!! After we had put in our shift there, Eunice wanted to know if I could try to eat scrambled eggs or some thing quite soft at the Village Inn. We were to meet Marion there. I said, "why not"!! And, so away we went. She ordered scrambled eggs for me and they came with wonderful crisp hash browns and pancakes!! I ate the whole thing!!

Oh, and I must mention, I was not overly excited about the holidays at all. Thanksgiving really kind of sneaked up on me with my surgery and all. On Wednesday evening, Eunice called over and asked me what I was doing. Well, I was waiting on one of the gals from the salon to come and comb my hair was it for the evening!! So, Eunice then asked if I would like to come over and keep her company as she had hours and hours of cooking to put in that night!! Well, I still can not see skin color, but I must admit to experiencing many black cultural things, all of which have been very good things for me, since becoming such close friends to Eunice and her husband, Marion and having such good relationships with my Caregivers, most of whom just happen to be black!! And, Eunice's Thanksgiving plans were quite much of a black cultural thing in the way she was preparing many things, so I knew I could learn a lot. I just wondered how in the world she thought her and I could get me up her 25 steps that comprise her entry up her home front very much on the hill of hills in this neighborhood!! As it turned out, the gal who came to comb my hair volunteered to help!! Thus, they wheeled me over to the base of the steps and took my wheelchair to the first of three landings on the way UP!! Then, they each took a side and I went for it. It truly went very easily and very well!! I truly feel I am going to be walking on my own by this coming Spring. I think I will set Easter as my true "coming out or coming back or whatever"!! I was thoroughly exhausted as were my "helpers", but we did it so I had to rest a bit initially!! However, soon I was diving right into doing whatever Eunice assigned me from my sitting position on her island bar in her kitchen. It was wonderful, as I finally got to actually see Eunice's home and how wonderful the new dining room set I gave her last year looked in her dining room also!! And, I baked my first sweet potato pies. Learned there is real macaroni and cheese and it is not all Kraft!! Had the most awesome, kick butt, deviled eggs made with several things I never heard of before that included Maraschino Cherry Juice!! I made four pans of corn bread the previous evening in my own home for her. Marion had picked them up and they were all such perfect and golden brown squares!! And, this night, I got to pick them up and totally smash them so they could be made into Eunice's famous cornbread stuffing. Well, the cornbread did not really bother me, but when Eunice suddenly dumped a bunch of black slimmy looking things into it when she thought I was not looking it was the deal breaker!! Oysters!! I changed the name from cornbread stuffing to rotted gut stuffing immediately and decided from that moment on I would make my own sage and onion dressing and bring it along the next day. And, I helped and saw the special way of cooking sweet potatoes was done and how it was specially seasoned that no one is supposed to know!! Again, I thought, going to try out those Ore'Ida Microwave Steamed Mashed Potatoes that have been staring at me from my freezer. Eunice took those potatoes home when she and Marion returned me home about midnight!! We also backed banana pudding and several other things that I just can not think of now besides a big turkey and ham!!

I had pretty much decided that this Thanksgiving was meant to be just another day for me although I had so much to be thankful for this past year!! However, Eunice and Marion would not hear of this and ordered that I get ready to go to their home all of Thanksgiving. Eunice has four Schnassuers ( I know I slaughtered spelling) DOGS!! I turned out to be very allergic of these dogs that caused extreme stuffiness for me. However, Eunice's oldest daughter is very allergic and suffers to point of complete asthma attack!! Eunice's grown children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were all very much encouraged to come home for Thanksgiving together this year. This was the very first time Eunice had accepted, and decided she could, have them all together since the death of her thirty-seven year old son a little over two years ago. And, amazingly all of them did show up. They just kept coming and coming and coming!!

I thought the odds there were not real good considering Eunice had only one extra bedroom, sofa and den had one sofa and additionally considering only ONE toilet and shower!! I really thought this was a special time for them to have gotten all together again, but Eunice ordered her "boys" to come for me and not to let me walk as I had exhausted myself the night before. Well, I finally said "Yes", but only if we did the steps again the same as night before. We kind of did, except the boys just kind of picked me up each step!! I was delighted in finally meeting all her family and they were all so very, very nice!! In fact, the oldest daughter that suffered so from the dogs (which guests had brought two or three additional ones along also) quickly accepted my offer of my "That Room" as Wanda had prepared it for occupancy when I went into the hospital as she thought it would surely be used!! It was such a delight to have someone here in the home again!!

Another cute thing!! I did make up a sage and onion dressing as a side dish as I did not have a bird to use. I simply made it up in an 8" dish. It turned out a bit too crispy for my "gumming", but was put out on buffet. I heard one of the kids answer someone's "what is this" with "Bread Pudding"!! I thought "oh, good answer"!! And, as each person went through the buffet line the message was carried back of "Bread Pudding"!! After every one had ate all they had planned to for that round, I asked "Okay, whose dressing got ate the most"? My "Sage and Onion Dressing" was gone!! Naturally, Eunice's Cornbread Dressing started out with more, but the dish was not nearly empty!! And, then some one said, "No, that was Bread Pudding"!!

Eunice laughed and laughed and laughed!! I just told her that "I was a quick learner"!!

I truly am NOT looking forward to the Christmas holidays whatsoever!! I do imagine my mother will put in a brief appearance, but willl have to be home before dark. Eunice and Marion always go into Chicago for the Christmas holidays!! Granny Lou has a standing room only crowd sometimes or else no one. I have no idea what it will be this year. But, I simply am not decorating or planning too much this year. Too many changes!! If, I can just finally finish my main "Stitching Sanctuary" I will be absolutely thrilled to simply camp out in it for the holiday and just hope it passes quickly, which always happens when I can stitch!!

And, I was quite thankful this Thanksgiving!! I am so very, very happy that I finally had the determination and follow-through to tell Max he had to leave MY HOME!! It was a long time coming!! We will have thirty years in December 21 and it seems like they were all in vain!! But, if I had not gotten the strength to just finally tell him to leave, I can only take a wild guess as to the condition I would be in by now. Max simply wanted me to be a bedridden invalid so he could finally control me!! I thank the good Lord daily that I did get that strength to tell him to leave and I truly thank him for giving me the strength to try and be an independent adult again. I have come so far since July 16!! I pretty much was completely bedridden the past six or seven years simply so Max could control me. I can see so very much now in hindsight which is of little value except to point out things I will never let happen to me again!! I am doing so very well after a very rough and rocky year and I am ever so grateful!!

It is clear that Miprezious and I are going to be absolutely okay!!

Love and Hugs!!

Deborah

and

Miprezious, too!!