rain on tulips

Done: Watergate Salad (ie: Pistachio Pudding fluffy salad); Pineapple Cottage Cheese Salad (ie: frog in a blender salad); banana/jello salad; parker house rolls; cheese/beef stick/ham slices for crackers; cheese logs; cookie dough; purchased ice, bake and serve cinnamon rolls, and opted to make a pie tomorrow with AE.

My entire day one list wasn’t completed, but enough was done that I don’t feel as though tomorrow will be a nightmare, and I might get some knitting done. becaue I didn’t today.

But, I did get a new coat today while I was out shopping. Because my old winter coat wouldn’t zip past my hips anymore (Fuul said it shrunk; yeah, we’ll go with that story). Its nice and cozy, and not at all bulky! Perfect features in a coat!

Yesterday I wrote up a master list of the things I want to have for Thanksgiving, and found recipes for the few salads and the praline yams that I love and printed them off. Then I divided the list into “Things to fix on Wednesday” and “Things to fix on Thursday”. Winds up that neither day is going to be too overwhelming, and I managed to do pretty well in my impromptu shopping trip yesterday. I only need to pick up a pie (everyone is still conflicted as to which kind), a bag of ice (our ice maker died this week, and Fuul is having withdrawals!), bananas, and cinnamon rolls (Fuul decided that its a new tradition in his mouth to have cinnamon rolls for Thanksgiving — weird boy!)

So. Today shouldn’t be too bad, and its possible that Fuul will actually not work today… he’s been marked as being on vacation the past four work days on my calendar, only you wouldn’t know it based on the 24-hour days he’s been pulling. He came home last night at 7:30 and said he was done until after Thanksgiving, then sat at his computer and argued with ‘idiots’ (his word) until after midnight on email. Yeah. Sounds a lot like vacation time to me. And there is still the question of whether or not they are going to reimburse him for the vacation time he’s not going to be able to take before the end of the year because they keep wanting him to work. (Yes, this is a sore spot for me).

OK. Enough. He’s off work today, I’m off to run kids to school, and then we’re going to bake cookies and rolls and make jello salads and watch movies and knit. Because its vacation time and I can. So there!

_{*I can hear the line in my head. I’m certain its from a movie or something. 10 points to whoever can remind me what its from! LOL}

So. Still not perfect vision.

But I’ve figured out that the trick seems to be the frequent, bordering on obsessive use of eye drops. As in: vision is not good, can’t focus, can’t see well. Apply eye drops. And suddenly, it’s as though I’ve put on lenses.

Not sure how long this side effect should last. But I suppose it’s a tolerable one. For the most part.

Though how annoying is it that my eyes can get dry while they are closed and I am sleeping!

And how annoying is it that they can be so dry without feeling dry during the day! (I didn’t think the use the eyedrops so uch before, because my eyes really didn’t feel dry. weird.)

Next followup with the doctor on Tuesday.

Today is not a good vision day. My sight is only good at about 3-7 feet.

But. At those times when it is good, when it is stable, I know what it is I’m waiting for, and its going to be so worth it!

Can’t wait to be able to knit from a cable chart again, tho, because my commission knitting is on hold until then….

She came home from school, loved on her dog, found her Cinderella Barbie, asked for help with her Princess dress and crown, and is a happy princess waving her septer and watching Spongebob. Oh, to be four again!

So, Fuul and I spent the better part of the weekend trying to find his car key/work badge (which are hooked together with the idea that that will make them more indispensible) and have been missing since Thursday afternoon. This effort has been greatly hampered by my lack of sight (*ahem*) and Fuul’s glasses breaking Friday afternoon (*double ahem*).

So. Search search search. Tear apart the bedroom. The cars. The kitchen. The living room. No luck.

I am certain that once I can see again, I will find them again. (I’m the finder in our home)

While I was dressing CC to leave the house this morning, I asked him in passing if he knew where dad’s keys were. He didn’t say anything, and I went and grabbed my stuff so we could take off.

Three minutes later…

“Dad! Here your keys!”

We tried to find out where they had been — all he would say was “right there” as he pointed to them in Fuul’s hands. We assume that he must have put them somewhere the other day, but we still have no clue where they have been this entire time!

(At least they’re back! — going tonight I hope to make a duplicate or two so we don’t have to search quite so hard next time).

Four already!?

(Thank goodness for touchtype and knowing where the ‘buttons’ are on the screen)

Vision down almost to where it was pre-PRK. Light sensitiity maxed out.

Last night I had to take my vicodan because of pain — my eyes hurt from the sensitivity (and, ok,probably overuse). Looking forward to next week when things are starting to improve again.

One day check this morning: healing well. Keep taking all the eye drops. Vision checked out good.

Vision failed rapidly as the day went on.

Was explained that because the surface of the eye was removed for the reshaping to take place, the vision was good the first day. As the surface begins regrowing, it grows at irregular rates, causing irregular surfaces for seeing through making visiou erratic and irregular. Woohoo. Days two, three, and four can get dramatically worse. Day two has.

The irritation factor (physical) isn’t bad; the irritation factor (not being able to see anything) is. So glad I decided to work on a miles-and-miles-of-stockinette cardi that requires hardly any looking and even less focus, and the ability to touch-type.

Tomorrow will be worse. Sunday is hit or miss. Monday should be better, and the contact lenses will come out, and things should get progressively better from there.

So. Consider yourselves updated.

Closeup vision is not so good. Distance vision is worlds better, but not good.

Doctor said today would be good, tomorrow would not, and things would get slowly better from there.

No pain, though the itching and the “do not rub” is driving me batty… but I’m up, doing laundry, fixing dinner, surfing the net at short intervals, and thinking about working on my big-needle knitting for a while. And I can watch tv without to much trouble, so long as the tv is big and half way across the room!

And artifical tears are heaven-sent!

Done.

More when I can see better; when I’m not so loopy from the valium; when my eyes aren’t wattering so much.

But I’m happy with the quick and dirty results so far…

Off to get EK off the bus and head off to bed for a nap…..

Still here, still kicking, still busy. Last weekend, when it was sunny here (rare recently between record-rain-dumping storms) we went down to the pier and wandered, saw a lot of shops, went to the Aquarium (got a year/family pass!), and ate at a nice seafood restaurant — yummm… crab and shrimp and fish……

So. Us.

The kids have just finished up the first quarter of school; mostly good grades (would be better if they would follow through turning in finished items, or writing down assignments to be done before they were late). But nothing can’t be corrected with a little focused work.

DA is doing his 30 required hours of community service helping Devin and his family — daily living skills, homework, etc. He’s got the best of both worlds, there. He’s also very into writing music right now, and has been invited by the choir teacher at the Junior High to compose something for the choir to perform.

JS is still staying with my cousin, doing alright in school, but butting heads with the study hall teacher who doesn’t help him study because she doesn’t understand what he’s doing, even though its pretty basic middle school math. He’s looking forward to being back in school up here next semester.

AE is excelling her her school, and has been on several field trips. They’ve been to see a ballet version of “Dracula”, and went to the Aquarium the other day. She loves her art class and the guitar circle group that meets once a week after school. She rides the city bus home from school every afternoon; Fuul still isn’t quite sure about this one.

DS is doing well in school, though I think it has more to do with getting to play football with his friends than actually being at school. He’s even been teaching GC how to play so she can get in on the action.

GC loves 2nd grade, and claims to be her teacher’s favorite. How could she not be? She’s been to a couple of birthday parties, and had playdates and gone to movies with a friend from church. I think she has a busier social life than her teenage siblings!

EK is doing really well in school. All of her teachers have started learning sign language this year, and her communication skills have taken off as a result. She’s trying to talk, as well, making sounds or word approximations with each of her signs, which is great forward progress. She recognizes her name, and will even try to write it, telling us whch letter she’s writing as she gets to it. She knows most of her uppercase letters, and many of her lowercase letters. Looking at improving her numbers and counting next. (And how on eart did we get to her fourth birthday coming up on Monday???)

CC is busy busy busy all the time! That “I Don’t Have An Off Button” tshirt I got him is very accurate! He goes goes goes all day, and is trying to give up his naps as well. He gets PT/OT at home twice a month, where we work on him maintaing positions without motion — a real challenge for him! –; and he goes to a feeding group once a week, where they work on expanding what picky eaters will accept, and help kids who stuff their mouths (ie: CC) to learn to moderate. Its fun, and I think we both learn a lot in both places.

Fuul is working too much and too many hours, as usual, which wears him out but gets lots done at work. His bosses love it; his family less. He’s gotten to play his guitars some, and his boss bought a guitar recently, so I’m hopeful that he will have more opportunities soon.

I’m taking the new migraine meds. The side effects are lessening, but I expect them to pick up again when I up the dose again tomorrow. But, the migraine intensity is lessening exponentially, if not the frequency. I have hope! I’m working on a sweater on commission for a lady at church for her daughter for Christmas; its going well, and she loved how it looked when she stopped by to see it last night. Finally, I’m going in for PRK (a type of Lasik) tomorrow morning, but shhhh, don’t tell me — I’m not thinking about it so I don’t worry!

I started a new medication to control migraines today. All the information I have on it says that it really will start helping after about a month of taking it, but after I had 14 migraines last month, it’s time. I’m hoping that if the headaches and the days recovering from the headaches let up, things will improve all around.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

that is all….