Dear ones,
I am writing from my sweet daddy’s favorite chair in my mom’s apartment in Lexington, Kentucky. Was scheduled to arrive last night but my flight out of El Paso was canceled due to mechanical issues after a 3 hour delay. Wound up catching a flight this morning at 6:30 am so it has been a long day.
My mom is home from the hospital. She is not wanting to eat or drink much and is very weak. Her vision is much, much worse and she is just very tired. Tired of the struggle from day to day. I am glad I am here. Thankful for all my brother has done to care for our mom. And looking forward to having my sister here on Tuesday.
WordPress Woes
WordPress has done some fancy schmancy update and I cannot figure out how everything works. Can’t insert a photo to save my soul. Have tried everything I know to do and nothing is working. I had most of this post ready but just wanted to add a few more photos. Silly me!
If there are photos added after my sentences for 11.20.2018, you will know I figured it out. If not you will know I didn’t.
Sentence a Day, 11.2018
- Feliz dia de los muertos, took my decorations to work for our party on Friday, ironed, worked on blog post writing and reading. 11.01.2018
- Busy day at work, more than met my quota, then grocery shopping at Target for kitty things and the commissary for human things, put the groceries away and ordered pizza for dinner! 11.02.2018
- Dia de los Muertos party at work was fun, bread of the dead was delicious, worked on inputting Rebecca Taylor dresses into the Ebay database, had never heard of her but my goodness her dresses are gorgeous! 11.03.2018
- A 2-sentence worthy day (make the 3). Our atomic clock, in its infinite wisdom, ‘fell’ back an hour sometime before we woke up on Saturday morning…a full 24 hours earlier than it should have, which made us an hour late for PC’s ball game and my piano lesson. When I arrived at my lesson the classroom was empty; now to fin out if class was canceled. Had a fun day walking through A Christmas Fair, enjoying a beer at a downtown bistro, watching the Dia de los Muertos parade, eating Mexican for dinner then walking it off at the outlet mall. 11.03.2018
- Longest day in recent memory – awake at 6:30 so PC could go into work, I went for a very early walk, did laundry (I seem to always be doing laundry), talked to my mama for an hour, scrapped with my sister, gym when my Prince got home, made Santa Fe soup from my BFF’s recipe, talked to my girls, watched football and soaked in the hot tub before bed. 11.04.2018
- Enjoyed creating a SIA Style Imitating Art outfit, successful day at work inputting pretty pieces from Free People, walk after work to collect scraps of pallet wood for our chimenea, worked on my winter jigsaw puzzle while eating lunch, blogged, ironed, gym and soup for dinner, worked on catching up on blog reading tonight. 11.05.2018
- Election day…wish there wasn’t so much politics in politics. 11.06.2018
- Almost an hour late for work after a fender bender slowed traffic to a crawl on the interstate, quick morning posting clothes, home to meet with city inspector about the issues with our pool (can you believe it?), talked to my daughters and Cady, good gym workout with my Prince, Panda Express for dinner and “A Million Little Things” on TV tonight while catching up on blog reading. 11.07.2018
- So sleeeepy tonight but my heart is full with the wonderful news that Lauren is six weeks pregnant with a due date of 07.03.2019, finished my book club’s latest read, A Spark of Light, which thoroughly exhausted me, cut my finger pretty deeply trimming a brisket so PC had to step in to finish the trimming and our dinner. 11.08.2018.
- Quick morning at work, home to clean house and cook before the kids arrived at dinner time, my Cia is talking so much these days – she isn’t a baby any more – played together with some My Little Pony knock-offs til bathtime, then milkie, a bedtime story and cuddles. 11.09.2018
- Up early to make breakfast for mi familia – SOS – played for several hours with Lucia – ponies again, sorting through all of my scrapbook bling, playing ‘bus’ on the stairs, and going for walk in the glorious sunshine til it was time for them to leave for Mexico City…so sad. Wonderful afternoon, though, with a power nap, soak in the hot tub, dinner at a new (to us) bistro and The Sound of Music musical at the Plaza theater. 11.10.2018
- Our schedule was off all day because PC anticipated having to go into work; wound up having to go briefly then we saw “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”, walk around the outlet mall, ice cream on the way home, soup supper and another soak in the hot tub with a fire in our fire extinguisher. 11.11.2018
- Sometimes our days just don’t go as planned which translated into hours of ironing for me today while PC was at work on his Veteran’s Day; pizza for dinner, taught myself some new tricks on the blog…right here. 11.12.2018
- My days never go as planned in my to-do list; work was quick and productive but COLD with our first temps in the 20s, met my Prince to buy a new oven finally…how long have I been complaining about that thing?; phone convos with Lauren, Brennyn, my sister and mom, gym, spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, lots of blog reading for dessert. 11.13.2018
- Call from my brother this morning at work has me worried about my mom again; she didn’t sound too good when I spoke with her yesterday and Kevin reports things are not good. 11.14.2018
- For a short week this has been a L O N G week, work, blog writing, gym and take-out from Panda Express, mom still sounds worrisome, glad we are going to Kentucky in a few weeks. 11.15.2018
- Started a new project tracking certain lots of clothes at work, home to pick up around the house, nap and gym then attended a hail and farewell dinner for a retiring Lt. Colonel my Prince works with, kids got home from Mexico City and to our house at 9:30, Lucia ran straight into my arms. 11.16.2018
- Fun with Lucia at the park before the kids headed back to Albuquerque which always puts tears in my eyes, PC and I had popcorn for dinner while we watched ‘Instant Family’, my mom spent the afternoon in the ER and the doctors found nothing wrong, thank goodness, but trying to convince her of that is another story. 11.17.2018
- Beautiful day in the neighborhood with 65* highs and lots of sunshine, we spent hours working in the yard, then enjoyed a soak in the hot tub this evening. 11.18.2018
- Mom had an early doctor’s appointment where her doctor confirmed for the umpteenth time that there is nothing (physically) wrong with my mom; she was temporarily convinced but back in panic mode by evening. 11.19.2018
- Such a difficult day, hearing the panic in my mother’s voice, the frustration and sadness in my brother’s voice and not knowing what to do to try to make things better. I am mentally and emotionally exhausted. Mental illness is not for the feint of heart. 11.20.2018
- Kevin called while I was at work to say that mom is in a bad place; I have changed my airline tickets so I can go up to Kentucky early to be with mom and try to give Kevin some relief; gym workout felt good. 11.21.2018
- Thanksgiving but didn’t really feel like it – probably my favorite holiday of the year but not quite the same without a table full of loved ones to share it with; fixed ham, mashed potatoes, Laura’s crack green bean casserole, jello salad, mincemeat pie – which I have never had before; talked with mom and she sounded very shaky. 11.22.2018
- Christmas shopping, baby! And my often Grinchly Prince was agreeable and actually almost enjoyed the day, ate Chinese for a late lunch/early dinner which blew us both up like dirigibles. 11.23.2018
- Up early with a message from my brother than mom was frantic and needed him to come over at 5:30 am to talk to her; seemed as though he got her calmed down so PC and I went on with our plans to go to the UTEP football game; a few hours later she calls him again, threatening to take an overdose; Kevin spent the next 12 hours visiting 3 hospitals (1 of them twice) with my mom in tow trying to get some help for her; finally at 4:00 am, he got her admitted to The Ridge Behavorial Health Center. 11.24.2018
- Finally a better day just knowing my mom is some place where she is safe from herself and my brother can finally get some rest; used the day to accomplish much, cleaned den from ceiling to floor (doing one room a weekend), took down fall decorations, washed loads of clothes and bedding, soak in the hot tub with wine and a nice fire. 11.25.2018
- Five days behind on my sentences but these days are all a blur of worry of my mom; Lauren, Lucia and Francisco and his family all picked up campylobacter, an intestinal bacteria in Mexico City, one that may be hazardous to both pregnant women and their babies, leading to intrauterine infection of the fetus, abortion, stillbirth, or early neonatal death; Lauren was given 1000 mg of a heavy duty antibiotic, now praying that was enough. 11.26.2018
- When I am not on the phone talking with someone about my mom…Kevin, Valerie, my daughters, the medical staff and my mom, herself, I am worrying, day and night; managed to get a little Christmas decorating done and all of my autumn stuff stored away; because my car didn’t want to start yesterday morning, PC started my car for me this morning before leaving for work. 11.27.2018
- Thankful for the distraction of work to give me somewhere to be instead of crawling back in bed and hiding from life. 11.28.2018
- Robotically going through the motions of my day and checking off things on my to-do list, paid bills, ironed, finished a scrapbook page, wrote and read blog posts, but began feeling sick today with a sore throat, cough and then tummy troubles before bed. 11.29.2018
- Sick this morning so stayed home from work and curled up in bed most of the day, my mom is not progressing, Lauren took an at-home gender test and it looks like Lucia is going to have a baby sister! 11.30.2018
So, I haven’t figured out this stupid update yet and I am too tired to try tonight. Wanted to share a photo of my very first mincemeat pie…to bake and to eat. Ideally, it would be up by the sentence for 11.22 about Thanksgiving. But I’ll be darned if I know how to move it up there with this new format.
The pie was good.
Your Turn
So, had would the sentences from your November read? If you have a Sentence a Day post to share, hope you will link up with us.
Normally, this is where I would add the InLinkZ code for the link-up. If you see the little blue InLinkZ frog below, I figured it out. If you don’t, I gave up and went to bed.
Well, what do you know?
And my signature? Is it going to show up? Let’s find out. Please take a minute to run by some of the Sentence a Day posts of my blogging bus linked up to this post.
Have a restful weekend.
Hugs and kisses,
Catherine Pritchard
Wow, what a busy November you have had. Congratulations on the baby news. The pie looks fantastic too but it is no wonder you have fallen ill with all the stress and dashing about. I hope you are starting to feel better and that your Mum becomes a little more stable so that you can relax just a bit. Try to make some “me time” for yourself.
Nancy
I am so sorry you are going to such a rough time with your mother! That must be very stressing. But perhaps now you and youre family can get a bit of rest now people take care of her! Congretulations on the baby news! I hope you will have a good December!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you sweet friend for coming by. December was a tough month but boy, oh, boy are we looking forward to staring a new month and a new year!!
Gail
What a month you had! I feel breathless for you. So sorry to hear about your mamma, and what a worry with the campylobacter and Lauren’s pregnancy! But good news with the baby girl confirmed. And you figured out WordPress!
Lysha
At home gender test? Never knew there was such a thing. So sorry to hear your Mom is not doing well. Sending prayers and well wishes for her way.
Deb
What a month! So sorry that your family has so many worries with your mum, I do hope that she is now in the right place to look after her and keep her safe. Your brother must be so pleased to have you close at the moment.
I really hope your daughter keeps well with this pregnancy – a six week scan? That is early! Over here you have your first scan at 12 weeks and the gender scan can’t be done until around 20 weeks, I never knew you could have an ‘at home’ test – how is it possible that so many things are so different over there?
Take care of yourself x
Terri Webster Schrandt
Looks like you got the photos sorted out, I’ve heard the new Gutenberg editor can be vexing. I haven’t dealt with it on WordPress dot com, but its coming! Congrats on a new granddaughter, how exciting! Sorry to read about your mom. My mom’s health declined slowly as both her physical health and then dementia conspired against her. She went into a skilled nursing facility 8 years ago at age 70.😑 These are tough times dealing with aging parents, my heart goes out to you, my friend. Enjoy your holidays!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Hope you are out about enjoying your time away from blog world. Thank you for coming by to visit me. I have copied and pasted the Sunday Stills prompts for January into a blog post draft so I can participate.
Gee, your mama was so young to have to move into a nursing facility. I live in El Paso where the majority of families are Hispanic and their culture dictates that elderly parents move in with their grown children and the family stays together. So many of my friends have asked why I don’t bring my mom here to El Paso to live with me. But she wouldn’t come if I begged her. We are grateful that she has the financial means to afford the care she needs in Kentucky. Such a tough time for us and our parents.