Merry Christmas!

   I bought a new sewing machine. Did you know the new machines can cut the thread with the touch of a button? Amazing technology. Who thinks of this stuff?

   Spent most of the week getting ready for Christmas. I always want a perfect Christmas. But what is it? Time with family without fighting, eating and talking, togetherness. Pleasure or disappointment from gifts? We are grateful we can spend Chris at home this year. That is a bonus.

   We did get to skype with three of our children and a phone call from another. The children makes the time fun.

Bruce had four days of therapy, he is moving more, just gets stiff from his days off. 

He will begin swimming after Christmas. He is able to do more in the pool.

  It is too cold to take Bruce outside. 

Thank you for the cookie and goodie baskets. The bread and rolls are very nice. 

All Clear on the Wound

Monday -  Last time to wound Dr, yeah, will begin pool time in January.

Bruce took us to dinner at Golden Crown. We got Chinese and he gets Thai food and no dishes to wash. Andrew says he can cook dinner like that any night he wants.

  Tuesday was a hospital scan of his kidneys. One of the side effects from the antibiotics is damage to the kidneys. They found out he had a UTI so meds for that. Haven't heard result of scan yet.

  Thursday- Believe it or not I went out in this nasty cold, snowing weather to the UFO group and Teija was there with Carson, her young son! Yeah! She is sewing a surprise quilt. Ann was helping her. Carson and I ate cookies. 

I got some blocks sewn together, will have to add a couple of borders. 

  They are almost finished with greenwood school addition. the lights are on, cabinets in. And plumbing and painting done. It is looking good, supposed to be finished by Christmas break so they can move into the classrooms.

 I went to the QQ quilt group Christmas party and potluck last night. I took a strawberry pie, it was good they only ate half so I had a piece or two today. We did a pattern exchange. Eww, I don't like mine. Maybe I will trade with someone.

  I have to purchase a new sewing machine. The motor on my old one died and he said they don't make replacement parts for it as it is 10 years old. Rosala says to go three times and sew on the machines there before I decide what I want. Haven't had a car in a while and today went sewing, maybe Saturday I will stop in with a block or two.

Friday - 

I am sewing a baby quilt for a little girl. The fabric has owls with pink, brown, green, yellow and turquoise. It is cute. I think I want to keep it...

We went to the ward Christmas party. We left early when Santa came. We had ham and funeral taters, pink salad and cookies for zert. I loved the Frosty the snowman song Sara and Lindy sang. They knew all the verses.

The boys are going to see the Star Wars movie tonight. I like the quiet.

   Our regular worker wanted an evening off and the sub got sick so called one more person. So happy she could come, I needed her and she was a trooper. (bowel care problem) I couldn't do this without our caretakers. 

The new freezer arrived. Our old one was over 30 years old. We got our money's worth from it. We borrowed Kevin's truck and picked it up and Kevin hauled the old one away. Kevin mud and taped the hole in the wall the electricians left. And his lovely wife sent over jams, jellies and delightful cookies. 

Ellen stopped over with a basket (for me) filled with bread, cookies fudge and candy.

Chris brought over some homemade bread.

We learned about Temperance in church, something about controlling our appetites, will have to work on that after the holidays...

 

Wii Therapy?

   Bruce did a load of laundry today and made his own sandwich. Only needed minimal assistance with getting a plate down. Might have to lower the  plates.

  Took Bruce grocery shopping, met an old family friend. They sent us the card from Norte Dame and lit a candle for us. It was great to see them! Thank you for your prayers and love.

   A friend is coming over to clean my frig.  Her husband will put up a tree for us and maybe sheet rock the hole the electricians left. 

  We got a live tree this year to help a fundraiser and guess who got rid of the tree stand? I bought a new stand and it is for a fake tree so bought another tree stand. 

  Andrew is home from work on a lunch break and says he will help me after work. When I ask for help after work he says he is tired he has worked all day. Give me strength. I'm trying to figure out the new tree stand instructions. 

  Our son Rob went to Florida for training for the church. He said he was in classes from 9 - 9. 

He said the church paid for 3 meals and he about starved to death because there were no snacks in between and he did not want to pay the outrighteous prices on the vending machines. 

   We have to take in a urine sample. We think Bruce has an infection. My friend said to take cranberry pills. I don't think Bruce wants more pills to take.

Lynette cleaned the frig and her husband and Duncan set up the tree, put a piece of ceiling back on in the basement and then he raked all the leaves in the back yard.

    My friend Lisa took me to lunch at Mamacitas. It was fun. I don't know her very well but we can do it again sometime. Thank you!

Our friends Rosala and Debbie brought sketti for dinner (pasta and homemade meatballs) Andrew wanted the extra meatballs (my little carnivore) with an orange jello salad with mandarin oranges and melt in your mouth, oh my I want seconds m & m's brownies. Thank you!

  The freezer in the garage gave up the ghost. It was about 30 years old. Bruce ordered another one from Sears and it will be here next week. Hope we can salvage some of the food.

Went to Sears to look for a small front door freezer and they didn't have anything. No one was even in the front of the store.

Bruce ordered a new freezer and it will be here next week.

Kevin came over and repaired the hole in the wall the electricians left. He even mud and taped it. Will vacuum a small mess up later

Bruce does have a UTI another pill to take. We are soaking his left toe a small infection.

   Bruce came home Friday all excited. He played on the wii at physical therapy. Apparently it stimulates the brain to remind the body it used to do this. He played tennis, head soccer and skiing. He wants to order the foot pads to do at home. He has therapy for an hour and a half a day and then his body goes stiff so the therapists want him to work his feet doing this. 

   So Duncan and Bruce went to the game store and purchased a game, alas they did not have the foot pads. So Bruce ordered the foot pads online and it comes in a pkg deal with the game so will have to return the game soon.

  That's it for this week. Stay tuned for another exciting week at the home of the Kevans.

   

Standing

   We had the carpet cleaner man come in and vacuum out the heating vents so I am kinda stuffed up. Dust should settle but the heat seems to be on all the time since it is so cold.

  I bought a 48 inch big screen tv on Black Friday from Sears. Better quality than Wal Mart.  The clerk said he had a 55 in and wanted to get a 65 inch. We will never catch up. It is a good size for our small living room. 

 I had the boys, much to their chagrin help me move the furniture around. The room looks more open. I still have piles of stuff everywhere.

Been busy running errands and getting stuff organized for Bruce. 

I took one quilt top to the quilters. It is pink and greenish jelly roll with squares top. I figure one of the granddaughters will want it. Should get it back next week. Need to get another one ready for next week.

I got some of the Christmas decorations out. The house is beginning to look festive.

We have a live tree coming on Sunday, it was a wrestling fundraiser. Haven't had a live tree in ages.

 Hali got out again. Luckily the young girl that walks him, Sonnet found her and brought her home.

Duncan is making dinner tonight. Bratwurst and Mac and cheese.

Bruce says he has gotten all his movement back plus more in his hip area. 

They have been doing the electro stimulation on his thighs and that helps with movement. He has been standing up. They want to move him to the bathroom area to have him stand at the bar. He stood on his own for a minute. The next step would be pivot turns. That would make bowel care easier for everyone.

  They gave him two metal balls with sound in them. You hold them in your hand and move them around. I could do my right hand. They are Asian in origin in a red box. They are not supposed to click just make the musical sound. Bruce can do his right hand it is the left that needs to get stronger. They are not as easy as they look.

  Our friend Amy brought us chicken enchiladas on Tuesday and Rosala and Debbie brought over scalloped taters and ham on Wednesday. Duncan made bratwurst in croissants last night. Tonight is pizza night. 

   Bruce said they took him into the pool area and did a practice run through with him standing and the young man, Craig holding him under the arms, then a pivot turn to the chair that lowers him into the pool. He said it worked just fine. It is a lot quicker than the lift.

 

   Andrew came home with a Christmas bag of nice church socks and ten dollars from his work Christmas party. He could answer the trivia question of which country did Jesus family escape to when they were forced to leave after the three wise men's visit. (Egypt) He did not know what year the Chevy went to electricity. (2006) and our neighbors Chris and Rocky were there. He was happy he did not get the jar of nothing that his boss did. So it sounded like he had fun at the country club.

 I bought more bandages for wound care. We think one more week after this. The wound is down to half inch and closing fast. They will schedule pool time soon.

He could walk in the water so he is anxious to begin there again.

I mailed some coloring books to my mom and a small pkg to Crys and the diaper bag back to Lindsy with some cute Christmas pompom strings from Rachel. 

  I ironed some quilt pieces so they are ready for the next step. I ironed on the pellon to some squares so they are ready for my circle cutter which should come today or Monday. Yes I began another quilt top.

Goodnight from Lake Karenbegone 

Tomorrow

Monday - Ben won't be here until Friday. So will eat by ourselves unless I can think of someone to invite over. 

We got the carpet cleaned and will move the furniture around. The boys said they would help me do that tomorrow. Then will have to clean so it will be nice. It needs cleaning anyway.

  I got rid of some costumes to a church that is doing Amal and the night visitors. We won't be able to go. It sounds great. It is a fundraiser for the EOU music program and they are doing it at a church.

  We watched Elmo and the Mo tab tonight. It was fun. It must have been great in person. Andrew even laughed.

Going to finish my murder mystery.

   Tuesday - Went to walk the dog, it was misting, between snow and rain.

Our friend Reta Dolan brought over some pepper jam, tomato jam and a relish. That was an excellent start to Monday. That was most excellent. She read our blog, figured out what would help and this small gesture made the day. 

  Andrew made 50 cents in tips cleaning a car today. He is a rich man. He gets Friday off so will get to spend time with the cousins.

   They are working on Bruce's ankles. They need to be strong to help him with standing. He also said they were staying in one position so they need to be stretched out.

Looks like Ben and family will be here Friday for the day. We have tickets for Annie at the Elgin opera house in the afternoon so that will be fun. Lindsy said they would cook for us. 

Duncan and Andrew moved the furniture around for me. It looks more open. wont have to buy new furniture now. Ha ha

Thanks you Chris for dinner. It was simple and very tasty. I want to get more of that pita bread. The boys even ate it. Sorry I am so weepy, must need more sleep.

Wednesday - Got my hair cut an inch shorter. Will get it colored next Tuesday, that will be fun. It's cheaper if you do cut and color at the same time. Live and learn...

   My sewing machine died, good thing I have a spare. It will take 2 - 3 weeks before he can look at it. It is the plug in, hope he can fix it. 

  Thursday - had a nice feast, turkey, gravy, (no lumps) smashed taters, olives, rolls from the Mennonites and two of their wonderful pies and a pumpkin cheesecake pie from the Nazarenes. I love fundraisers! Duncan made the taters, Andrew set the table.

Had a day off, except for helping Bruce every two hours. 

   Friday - the fam arrived. We played around at the house. The boys wanted to use bruces hand wheelchair. They have a section in the new scout book about handicapped awareness. Even the four year old, Hallie could move it. They figured out turning too. Lindsy and our oldest granddaughter, Bruce and I went to see Annie in Elgin. The rest of the fam stayed here and watched Inside Out. We returned at five and went to La Fiesta, they were closed, so we headed to Moys and the grandchildren said they wanted Mexican food. El Errdero was open and they are wheelchair accessible, they had a nice long table for us with a high chair for the baby. Bruce sat by our youngest grandchild and fed him chips. They were both happy. Ben paid for dinner. Another stuffed from sitting day. Sad to say the fam left after that. They will stay in Pendleton for the night and head to Corvallis on Saturday. We were bushed. A busy, happy holiday for us.

Getting Stronger

   Looks like Andrew will be working full time. He cleans and vacuums the rental cars. He is home for an hour for lunch.

    Carma took me out to lunch and I went with her to run errands. We went to the sub shop and talked to Kathy Miller a friend. 

Going to nap.

    Tuesday - We had the carpet cleaned today it looks and smells really nice. I moved the couch over to center it in front of the big window. It kinda balances our the furniture a bit. Hali is sitting on the wet carpet. It will be nice to have a clean carpet with the grandchildren here as they sit on the floor a lot.  

   We also found out the carpet cleaners vacuum out the heating vents so he will be back the end of the month to clean those. He says it is good for allergies. Yeah, I hope it helps. They recommend you do it every three years. We've been here longer than that and I used the shop vac to clean them one time. So it is probably a good idea for them to come clean them.

     Thursday - sewing in the basement of the Methodist church is nice. A quilting friends husband was out hunting and fell down a cliff, seems he is giving the Drs and nurses a difficult time. She can't take care of him because she had shoulder surgery. I gave Ellen a big hug. Tears came to our eyes as we commiserated. 

       I put a quilt top I am working on on the wall. The quilt was easier to construct when looking at it from a distance. Rosala says it will be stunning. I realize our lives are like that seen better from a distance. Now life is lived one day at a time, one quilt block at a time. If I were to step back and view the whole quilt or life it will come together and create some beautiful masterpiece. Now the struggle seems overwhelming.

    Saturday - Went with Ernie to some bazaars today. Saw Sandra Leavitt, she was doing well, just cold sitting by the entry way. Carol was working. 

  Went with sister missionaries on splits. They are young and full of energy. Sis. Zitting from Alabama, said she would go with me because the car has heated seats. Yes, I asked her if she was teased in high school because of her name. She said it wasn't too bad. 

    One house had four dogs and a big goose. They were friendly until we got out of the car and started heading to the house. A man came out and called the dogs off. We waited and he came back out. He said he wasn't interested in church. A lot of people are happy without religion. There will be a final reckoning, will he remember he turned us away? The light of Christ is healing, teaches us to love and help others. I realize a person can progress without Christ in their lives. Seems some are always searching and never come to a knowledge of the truth. How do you help someone see light and truth when they have no need for it? 

   Andrew made dinner tonight, chicken stir fry with frozen veggies, it was pretty good.

    Bruce is progressing. They had him standing and then on his knees for balance, staying straight up. That way he works on his balance. 

   They are also working on his left arm. It needs to be strong because they are thinking he might end up with a walker or arm canes. 

Another week with wound care. The wound Dr., Roxanne said it was looking good, another two weeks to go.

   We are finished soaking his toe and it is looking better. We are worried about him not getting therapy for four days in a row over Thanksgiving. We will still stretch and range him in the morning and afternoon, so that will help.

One Day More

   Monday - We bought some taco soup and brownies for a dance fund raiser so I didn't have to cook today.

Have been sewing today. Made autumn leaf covers for the pillows and matching curtain for under the sink. 

Need to clean, don't want to.

Getting rid of Santa suits, more stuff to get rid of. 

Trying to get some quilt tops done to put in the local quilt show at the shop down town. They serve cider and cookies too. 

Will have to find another murder mystery to read.

   Wednesday -  I have an awful head ache, sinus again, couldn't be stress, right?

  I did clean two toilets and a load of dishes and cut out more strips for border and binding.

I need to thin the iris, but don't think that will happen this year.

Maybe I will sweep off the deck. Maybe

  Andrew took the white car back to Pres. Richards on Sunday. He needed it for family. We have had it a year. I should ask Andrew to write a thank you but he hasn't even sent any for his Sr grad gifts. 

Have to make three more blocks for the string quilt. Six blocks just isn't big enough.

  Bruce has an appointment in Baker today. If this headache doesn't go away I will stay home. Duncan is the designated driver. Bruce turned on Peter, Paul and Mary had to leave the kitchen, it hurts my head, it is too loud.

 It is raining here, no mail either.

     Bruce left for a Drs appoint and I felt better. You think there is a connection? An outward manifestation of inner turmoil. Sigh

   Thursday - Went to sewing this morning. Almost finished a top. The ladies are helpful with opinions and ideas. One lady brought sausage and potato soup in a crock pot for lunch, it was so good.

Bruce is back on his therapy schedule. It is only an hour a day until he gets stronger. Then he will work up to an hour and a half a day.

 Andrew got a job working at Goss motors. He will wash and vacuum cars from 8 am to noon or so. We are just glad he will be busy and have Sunday's off.

  Going to night RS tonight. We do a quilt class and then the regular meeting.

It is nice to get away.

  

    Friday - Had slight trauma last night, as I was settling into our cozy warm bed at 11 pm. Bruce's catheter came off. Had to get him up in the sling, change the sheets and blankets and put him back to bed. Had to get Andrew to help me get him back to bed and then Duncan to position him with pillows. I have trouble rolling him over. It is nights like these I wish he was in a hospital bed. I was very frustrated and had to hold my sobs back so Bruce wouldn't see or hear. When he loses control of his bowels he gets really quiet, it is humiliating for him. It makes me angry, tired and mean.

    I sewed all day at UFO yesterday. I did get a top almost finished, needs borders. I come home and things are still the same. I suppose the trivial things are what will keep me going. The top is cheddar yellow and indigo blue with Scottish thistle. It will be very nice.

Need to sleep