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.

News, news, news.

Either not much is happening in the news this week, or I need to look into better ways to get news. But I am definitely glad that I know Mariah Carrey wants white kittens and doves wherever she goes. Seems to be a conflict of interests, if you ask me.

Well, do you want the bad news first, or the good? Let's go in chronological order. Yesterday my mother came over and watched Abbie while I took Grant to visit his buddy the dentist. We know our dentist very well. Grant had his first serious cavity when he was 2. You may remember that Grant had a swollen cheek from a tooth infection earlier this fall. The back molar on that side was the problem, and still is. It needs a procedure called a pulpotomy. It's the baby tooth equivalent of a root canal. They drill all the way down to the pulp, insert an antibiotic tablet, then fill it back up. He also needs 7 fillings. Dr. Dooley says that if Grant is good and still and quiet, they might be able to get all of that done on his next visit, which is scheduled for Dec. 17th. If he's wiggly or uncooperative, it will just be the pulpotomy.

More about baby teeth: They usually don't require much work. If a child Grant's age gets his first cavity, the dentist (at least ours is like this) will sometimes leave it, unless it is causing the child pain, because they fall out. He says preventing pain and retaining tooth function are the only two reasons to work on baby teeth. With Grant, who has been having bad, fast growing cavities since age 2, we have to worry about him still having enough tooth left to chew. He explained that until Grant's 6 year molars are in, he can't really consider pulling any of the teeth. For his bottom molars, there is already less tooth than filling. On the good side, all of Grant's front teeth are fine, which is unusual for kids who tend to develop the fast growing cavities. Sadly, those will be the first ones to fall out.

Abbie did not see the dentist. Her teeth are perfect.

All afternoon, I had a terrible headache. Some people have suggested that maybe I gave it to myself by worrying how much money I'm going to need to fix Grant's teeth. And pay bills. And renew the car registration. And pay for Josh's class. And pay homeowners' association fees. And make it through Christmas. Motrin and lots, lots and lots of water did not help. I stayed home from taiko practice.

But! It turned out to be the best idea. It turns out I was getting sick. I am dizzy today, and my head feels too heavy, and my headache is now a sinus one, etc., but at least I didn't share my germs at practice. My current job is to get better before Thanksgiving. Wish me luck.

Speaking of jobs, I am still looking through a bunch of work from home stuff. My savior, Missy, sent me lots to look at, and I did a lot of that until yesterday afternoon. I've only applied for one job so far, but I have my eye on several. Might take a break today and just veg.

Now, for the latest news! Our mortgage refinancing came through today! Did you know that notary republics make house calls? I drank hot cider (has vitamin C) in my own kitchen while signing the new papers. And the best best news of all is that I don't owe any house payments until January 1!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!

In other news, I talked to my brother yesterday. So that is all fine again. I think he is even going to call my mommy today. Speaking of Mommy, I did some Christmas spying and sent a secret email to my dad at work telling him something to get Mom for Christmas. I love it when I can do stuff like that. I hope she likes it!

We're switching to the Wal-mart cell phone plan. (I pretty much hate Wal-mart, at least in the abstract.) Josh has a new cell phone. How is it that when we are dead broke, Josh still gets new toys? We still don't know what's going to happen with my phone.

I didn't sleep well last night. Geh.

My mommy gave us a turkey. I am not really a turkey person. I am a chicken person. Josh dug out an Alton Brown DVD and tomorrow we're gonna make some turkey.

For lunch we had chicken soup and toast. It was a huge hit.

Hope you are all about to have a fantastic weekend! Sick people like me hardly notice that it's Friday, but we sure know the first sunny day in a month when we see it! Go take vitamins. Don't get sick!!!