Saturday!

Well, it was a good day. After I got Preston showered, Junior and I went to town, all by ourselves. We hit Dollar Tree, 2 thrift stores, and Walmart to return something. The lady in front of us was returning several of her little girls gifts. The poor greeter was having a time with all of her returns. I had to use the bathroom so Jr. waited in line. Well, the man printed out the return sticker but didn't put it on the tag of the boots we were returning. Junior handed me the bag with the boots in it and the sticker. Well, I didn't know there was a sticker and got the bag only. So when the lady had checked the item in and gave me a gift card then she asked about the sticker. So I must have left my wallet out laying on that little spot by the debit/credit card machine and went back to find the sticker which was on the floor. I came back and gave it to the lady and went on my merry way. When I got ready to check out, I didn't have my wallet. I about paniced! So we went to the office and as I thought, I had left it on that little shelf and the girl had turned it into the office. Whew! Sure did scare me! I was so afraid someone else had found it before she had. But all is well that ends well, I guess, but I think it took a few days off my life! Mine and the children's SS cards, all my ID, bank card, etc. would have been gone. Anyhow, thank the Lord that it was safe. Anyhow, we just enjoyed looking around and being alone. It is nice now that the children are older and we can do that.

Well, Christmas is over and I am so glad. Don't get me wrong; I love the reason for the season, but it is so over commercialized and a very hard time of the year for anyone with mental illness of any kind, including depression. So it can get a bit stressful for us. The day after Christmas, Missie and I took down the tree and packed what little decorations I had out, away. Now as my cousin's wife remarked on facebook, we only 364 days (363 as the time I write this) left until we do it all again. LOL

Today is my inlaw's 50th wedding anniversary, and can you imagine that I forgot to send a card? I am glad for the example they are to us; 50 years and hopefully many many more. Junior did talk to them on the phone.

My brother was talking about how much he spends at Christmas and has gotten me wondering what we spent. He thinks maybe $400-500 but I don't think so! I am going to figure it out! It will be interesting to know. But I know we didn't spend much, because we didn't have much to spend. He was talking about the gifts. Other than the children, we didn't buy for many. I haven't sent my mom or step-dad anything yet, and we sent my inlaws $25 Walmart gift certificate. I have to get something sent to my parents soon. They are so good to us.

So that is it for now! Tomorrow is the Lord's day.

Christmas!

Well, it is Christmas Day!

Yesterday Junior and I were away for several hours; just us! It was very nice. Our church gave us a love offering and we were able to buy a few more gifts for the children, and what a surprise it was! They were sooo thrilled. We got Missie a phone card and also a card for texting for her cell phone. She was so happy! I was able to get some VHS for Preston at the goodwill! Our church has been so helpful and supportive of us since we have been here; they are wonderful people. We are so blessed.

Anyhow, we shopped yesterday, went out for lunch, and went to visit another pastor in town whom we knew years back. We had a great visit with them; it was so relaxing.

Today we had steak and shrimp for dinner; fries, slaw, pickles, cheese and for dessert I had made custard and chocolate pies, and had bought some cheesecake. So we had eaten good today; an untraditional Christmas meal. And we have played games. Junior and Missie played Monopoly (electronic banking version) and had a blast with that. Missie got it for Christmas from us. Then we all played UNO attack; I like that game! And we relaxed! I did wash some clothes and did some work in my craft room (which is part of the utility room) and organized it some.

Here are some more pictures!

It's Christmas!

Well, we had planned to have our Christmas this weekend because we had planned to go to Canada. Well, Preston has a HARD time waiting for Christmas. He is much better than he used to be, though, and didn't worry every day all day. So we had 2 evenings of opening gifts. He thought he had gotten them all the 1st time, but in a round about way found out he hadn't and I had hoped to wait until Christmas Day, but we didn't make it. So we opened the rest up last night.

Preston got: Shower chair with back (one of his favorite gifts)
3 Talking Mister Ed dvds
4 Adventures in Odyssey VCR's (I got these for .99 each at Goodwill)
4 McGee and Me VCR's (also Focus on Family and from goodwill)
1 pr. of flannel sleep pants
John Deere calendar and $15 Burger King gift card from Missie
$15 and chocolates from his grandparents
another box of chocolates from his great MawMaw Watson

My mom sent $50 for him and I found a portable VCR for $50, I had never seen one like it, so I got him that, from her. A guy in Indy had it and Preston and I went and got it.

Missie got: Electronic monopoly game
Love Comes Softly latest dvd, (she now has them all)
Laptop desk to use in bed or in a chair
2 extension games for the computer game she got from my mom
new backpack for school
Handmade beautiful wooden box made by her grandpa and chocolates
Ear muffs from her great MawMaw Watson
$15 from Preston
Bath set from where she drew names at school
Ornament with candy inside from her teachers

My mom sent $50 for Missie too and I got her a set of Hogan's Heroes dvds and a computer game she asked for.

So overall, they got enough! We cannot spend a large amount of money at Christmas and that is not the point of Christmas, but they were happy!

Missie babysit tonight for the Durgan's from church, they have 4 children, and she enjoyed it and enjoys making some money.

We decided to have shrimp for Christmas Day. They had the round trays with sauce on sale at Walmart for $5. It was the medium sized trays. Missie has been wanting some steak so I got a small pkg. of steak (Preston cannot chew it) and she and Jr. will grill it to their liking and we will have it and shrimp, fries, coleslaw, chocolate and custard pie for dessert. We had all the traditional food at Thanksgiving so decided on something untraditional! I did get a turkey ham for one other day, though. We had to eat the turkey hame because of Junior's blood pressure.

I made several loaves of pumpkin bread today. I had found some small loaf pans at a thrift store back in SC and got them, and used them as well as 2 regular sized loaf pans. I took a regular sized loaf to the pastor tonight with a card. They weren't home but someone was there so I left it for them. I plan to give some to our associate pastor and family, and Missie's teachers. I didn't have anything to give them yesterday when they had the party. They turned out sooo good. I was so pleased.

So that is the update for this time!

I'm back!

It is amazing how the days fly by, and I don't blog! If you have a facebook, you can see my updates quicker there.

Anyhow, plans for our Christmas have changed. We are not going to Canada to be with my family. The weather is just too cold and unpredictable, and Preston has to be bundled up every time we go somewhere and it is just too hard. So we are waiting until spring when it will be nice and go. Junior and I both have colds or sinus problems. I just don't have the energy to go on a trip right now.

So we plan to be here in our own home for Christmas. We are still trying to decide what we will eat that day. For Thanksgiving we had a big meal at the Fry's home, then I cooked a small ham and small turkey here for us, so we are not sure if we will have that again, or what. One year we bought lots of the good cheese and lunch meat, and all the fixings for subs and we enjoyed that.

Wed. afternoon both children go to the new doctor, so we can get referrals for both children. Missie needs a rhumatoid dr., she is suffering a lot more since we have moved. Preston needs a psychiatrist, neurosurgeon, & gastro-interologist. Preston is having a lot of pain and nausea in his side again, so I am going to request another ultrasound to see what is happening with the gallstones they found last year in SC. Anyhow, Jr. is getting off work at noon to take us to Lebanon to the new dr. A man in our church knows him and he is very nice! So that is a nice thing to know!

Sunday a.m. was our church children's program. It was very nice. I forgot the camera so didn't get any pictures. Tonight is the church Christmas supper and Missie went with the Johnsons, as the rest of us didn't feel like getting out. It is cold and everything had turned to ice when we got up this a.m. Missie was amazed that the leaves were even frozen, that were in our yard. The doors on van were frozen too. I was so sick, but had to go to bank and make a deposit.

Jr. is working every day, either for Mike Peck or our pastor. Last week he worked 32hrs. for our pastor and only 1 day for Mike. But today and tomorrow he is working for Mike.

Friday is Missie's Christmas party, and she will be off until after the new year. So now we can sleep in for a couple of weeks, yah!!

So this is the latest update!

Busy!

Well, it has been a busy yet good week.

I took Preston out to eat pizza, then to goodwill, and to the Health Dept. to get his flu shot. So we have that taken care of. He enjoyed it so much; the time we had out together.

Missie has been busy with school, play practice, performing in the school play last night, and being in the Frankfort Christmas parade tonight. Preston and Jr. went to the parade, and I stayed home. I didn't want to get out in the cold! We have snow and it is quite cold here. The pastor's wife said it is not usually like this here until January. So I guess we are getting January's weather in December. Hope January isn't much worse. But we enjoy the snow. Preston loves to sit on his chair in front of the window and watch it fall. She almost froze though, and was glad it was a short parade. She did great in the school play. It all turned out well.
She also sang in the missionary service on Wed. night. She and I have been friend's of Jessie Hales for a while, and she offered to sing for his missionary service, and he said that would be fine, and thought she did awesome.

Junior's c-pap is on its last leg; we are not sure it is even working to its full capacity. He is snoring too much, and that indicates it is not doing all it should. We were able to buy a nice used one for $75, and order the clinical manual for it off of ebay. It tells how to set the machine to his level of 18. This one is set at 10 or 11. It only has 70 hrs. on it, and is a newer one. So hopefully it won't take but a few days to get the manual in and he can have it set to 18 and start using it. Without insurance right now, he cannot afford to have another sleep study done here and get a new prescription; unless the free clinic would help him with that.

I have all the gifts ordered for the children that I am getting. As I said before, we don't go overboard in spending; it is not the reason for the season to lavish our children with lots of things they don't need. One of the things I got for Preston is a new shower chair with a back on it. He will be tickled about that.
I still have to get a gift card or something for my inlaws and get Junior's 2 grandmothers gifts sent out. I remember them every year, even if it is just a little something. They have been good to us over the years.

We are planning, Lord willing, to leave here Christmas Eve morning and travel to Canada, and be there Christmas day and Friday, and come back on Sat. My sister's whole family will be in on Christmas Day and we will get to see them. We haven't even met my nephew's wife. We are hoping the weather will be a little clearer when it is time to leave. It has been at least 10 or 11 years since I have spent Christmas Day with my mom. Missie was just tiny. The children already know they won't be getting any gifts that day; because Mom already sent the money and that is part of what I have used to get them what I have gotten them. We will probably have our family Christmas the weekend before we leave.

Well, wanted to write an update. Catch you later!