Feed a cold.....

Hello! I am ill. Seems like the flu. I have until Wednesday, preferably in the morning, to get better! That is my goal.

And now...some GOOD NEWS! Josh got a letter saying that he has been selected to interview for that dispatcher job he wants. We are all very happy about that. I'm not sure what the odds are at this point, and Josh will still be looking for other work, as well. But we should all hope he gets this one, since it is what he wants. Josh is on the good list. He brought me chicken soup and toast in bed.

Friday night, I was pretty out of it. Josh loaned our car to his mom, but I don't think I even noticed, really.

Saturday, Josh and I combined our efforts and cooked up a 13 pound turkey (gift from Mom) Alton Brown-style, complete with brine. After warning them of my illness, Josh invited a ton of people over. Our neighbors ended up being the only ones who wanted to come, which was fine for me. Too many people would have done me in. I made stuffing on the stove and green beans, and Becky brought a pumpkin pie. It all tasted great. The buttered green beans were the best for my sore throat. There was a little blood when Grant and Bree bumped heads twice in 2 minutes. The second time, Grant's lip split. That's what happens when you don't listen to Mommy when she says, "Don't play rough on the rocking chair." We played Monopoly, and somehow I ended letting Kirk borrow my books again, and they left around 9:30. I went directly to bed. Well, after I carved up the rest of the turkey and got it baged and refrigerated.

I really wanted to get to taiko on Sunday, but was just too sick. So I stayed home all day, even when Josh and the kids took Jake to get his toenails clipped and return another computer to Josh's parents (they frequently ask him to fix their computers).

Abbie had another nosebleed. The first time I tried to help she jerked away, so there was blood everywhere. Finally, though, I got her to let me pinch her nose, and she even helped me count to ten. I'm hoping she learned something from the experience and will suddenly cooperate, but that might be a little far fetched.

Today...I'm going to veg. Really. Okay, well, I'm going to make lunch first, but then....total vegetation!!! Hopefully.

I'm reading Daddy Long Legs still. Well, I started it before I went to Versailles and put it down, and this weekend I picked it up again. I am once again struck with several things - the same things that always strike me when I read that book. Thing no. 1: What the heck is it that we call education these days??? This girl is required to know so much, and these days there is so much more to know about....why have we gone backwards in our expectations???? Um...I'll stop there and save you from hearing me rant again. Thing no. 2: People (as a population, not individuals, although you have to start somewhere...) just aren't nearly as nice these days. It's so hard for me to make my kids into good, nice people with no good examples. I think it's so hard that most people give up. Or they want something else for their kids. I knew a woman who didn't want her son to be a victim, so she made fun of him a lot so he would be "thick skinned". No one will be surprised to hear this, but he made fun of the other kids at school, and then blamed them when they didn't like him. She chose that? I would be more proud of a victim than a bully. I would prefer to not contribute to the unpleasantness around here. But not everyone is like me. Obviously. Look at what they encourage in their children. And then, children are born with their own agendas and don't often listen as well as that kid. Thing no. 3: I would so hang out with Jerusha Abbot! Maybe she's like me in a way that no real people are. Or maybe it's something else. Hard to say. But she's just so lovable. I get her.

It's Thanksgiving week! Are you warming up your gratitude? Shall I recite my Thanks to you?
"I am thankful for the good health of my family, and the time we are able to spend in one another's company. I am thankful for the wealth of the past, the lessons of the present and the hope of the future. I am thankful for the liberty of my country and the American standard of living. I am thankful for my abilities, and the opportunities to improve my self and my life. I am thankful for my dog, my hard-working husband, and my charming, intelligent children. Especially when they are all behaving themselves." I am also thankful for you guys. MUAH!

Mom says my horoscope says my life is about to improve drastically. Do you think so?

Have a good week, my friends.