sunday

We had a nice Christmas Eve and Christmas.
I enjoyed the time with my family.
My grown children and my dad
joined me and boyfriend on Christmas Eve for dinner and then we
played board games. It was a good night.
 My sisters and their families
met at mom and dad's on Christmas.
It was bittersweet...... Not quite the same without mom.....
I'm relieved it's over.
I plan on putting all the x-mas decorations away today. I'll keep the tree up though
through New Years Day.

I've had the last 4 days off of work.
Boyfriend and I went out for breakfast and then
to the gambling boat yesterday.
It was fun. I won 30 or 40 bucks a few times but gave it back.......waste of money but fun just the same.

I was supposed to meet a realtor early yesterday to look at a house. He stood me up...........the house is a great buy for only 36 grand. It's a cute little brick home, 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. It has a great front porch and a very large backyard. The roof and furnace are 2 years old. The rest of the house needs work but could be a doll house. It's in a small, safe, river town close to where oldest son lives. I really want to check it out.

Monday

I spent last week sick and in bed with a stomach virus and cold. I'm feeling better though and spent the weekend back at work.
Today I played catch up with my holiday preparations. The house is clean and it looks nice.........and    I have all the gifts wrapped and under the tree.
Tomorrow (actually this morning) I get to do the stuff I enjoy most......like baking and food prep. for Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner while I listen to holiday music. I'm looking forward to it......and
I'm looking forward to spending time with my family.......

saturday

So one of the other nurses agreed to work part of my 12 hour shift on Christmas Eve. A 12 hour shift is too much for her. She's 70 something years old. I've known her for years. She looks like she's in her 50"s.......a very beautiful lady who thinks everyone is Bi-polar....lol....she once took a baseball bat to her son-in-laws legs when she found out he had been beating on her daughter. She told him to leave and to never come back......and so he did...........she's going to come in for me at noon. So I only have to work 5 hours that day!

Daughter took and passed her state  test yesterday.
She was physically sick from nerves before the test. It got so bad that she could not understand
what her classmates were saying as they studied together just before testing began.
She pulled it together enough though to pass the test...............yay!!!!

Today I'm going to wrap gifts...........double check my shopping list..............and decide what to cook for Christmas Eve dinner....................I look forward to playing poker with my sons Christmas Eve.

The grave cover turned out pretty I think. I have a pretty

glass hummingbird on it that you can't see in the pic. Mom loved the birds that came to her yard.

Mr. Bojangles.

Responses from her brothers.......the different responses cracked me up.

thursday

Daughter had her last clinical day for school yesterday.
So unless she decides to go back, she's finished except for her state test
on December 12.
I'm proud of her!

I put a vacation request in for the week of Christmas. So far it has not been approved.
I have to use or lose my vacation time.
So if no vacation in December, I guess I'll take one
in Jan. or Feb. Looking forward to a long stretch of time off!

We have a lot going on today.
I'm preparing a special dinner for daughter this evening
to celebrate her finishing school.
We (boyfriend and i) will finish the grave cover.
Daughter and I are putting the Christmas up tonight......boyfriend too if
he wants to.
I need to go to the store and the bank...........I know there's other stuff to be done........can't think of them right now!

wed

I've been under the weather with a cold.
My ribs hurt from coughing and my nose is sore!
But I'm finally feeling better.

I just heard on the news that today is the
anniversary of the Who concert in Cincinnati where
11 people were crushed to death when fans ran through the stadium
to get to the best seats.
I was baby sitting my nephew that night for my sister and brother-in-law
so they could go to the concert.
They were not injured...........but it was a long night of worrying
for their friends and family, especially mom and dad.

I was going to order a grave blanket for moms grave.........looked at a couple
in the nursery but thought they looked tacky....and I wanted something more personal.....decided to make it myself.
Boyfriend said he worked for a nursery when he was 17 and knew how
to make them.........so we've been working on one for a couple days. Lowe's and Home Depot
have been giving us the branches from the Christmas trees they trim to use for our blanket.
It's looking pretty good so far...........

My Honda is great on gas.
I'm getting 35-40 miles per gallon.
I got about 18 miles/gallon from my Fusion.
So that makes me happy.
I miss my sun roof  and all wheel drive though.......

I had my mammogram. I put it off for 9 months because my left breast
was feeling weird. I was sure I had cancer. Lived with anxiety and worry
about it for months.......convinced myself the cancer had spread to my spine......crazy I know.....
it's how my mind works!
So I finally had the mammogram done...........told boyfriend if they send my results on a pink post card like letter then all is well........but if they send a letter, then it's bad news.
So I got the pink post card a few days ago...........was leaving to go shopping with boyfriend... He checked the mailbox on the way to the car and yelled out to me "You have a pink postcard!" Huge relief. :O)

Drug addicted sister checked herself into a rehab center, stayed for a week, left and used for about a week, checked herself into another place.......has been there for a month............that center sent her to the hospital for shortness of breath..........they did a full cardiac, pulmonary, and liver work up..........my understanding is that all checked out OK.............shes still at the rehab place............from there she will go to a year long drug rehab center.
She's not a nice addict.
She's angry, and hateful..............and she leaves a trail of destruction..............
I love her. I feel sad for her and for what she is going through. I feel compassion..............and yet
I hate the person she is when she is using......
daughter says "hate the disease not the person!" and I do for the most part.