The DDA Trouble Free Zone Part 29

[Tinkaroo]

PD needed for Glynis and the kids... they have had a NASTY bug since they got back from the wedding. Cryptosporidium has hit them and they have all been down. She is hoping to take the kids to see Alan this weekend, so they need a LOT of PD!!!

Lots of , and many prayers, too. Get well, guys!

One of these meds has me in fast forward. I would swear that I'm shaking, but I'm not. This is not a good feeling. She started me on an anti anxiety med as well as the meds for the infection and she said that it gives some people extra energy and others get sleepy. I guess I got the extra energy. I just hope that I slow down before bed time or I won't be able to sleep. She said that I need to take it for at least 5 days to allow my body time to adjust before I give up on it. The med is just a precaution as we still don't know what caused my back pain last year. If it was stress related then I wanted to nip it in the bud before the holidays this year. I swear I feel like the energizer bunny right now

I know that's got to be a weird feeling, Deb. I hope it passes soon! What med is it? Jonathan works in that area and might be able to recommend asking for something else that doesn't have those side effects.

 

[babytrees]

Have you all decided when the beach week is happening next year??

My mom's husband was in town last night and we were discussing the next time we will be in Maryland how he'd like to rent a house at the Outer Banks...I instantly thought of you all.

I am sending my girls to Maryland next summer (Robyn, you'll have babysitters ) and the plan is Jim and I would go for about 10 days so I want to plan DDA time.

We are looking at early June to early July.

 

[Pooh67_68]

For thoes wondering about the carrot cake Janet posted. I read where it is a whoopie pie. We used to make whoopie pies and that is a cream center.

 

[Pooh67_68]

Poor Glynis and the kids. Hope they all start feeling better soon.

 

[Pooh67_68]

Beach?!??
I don't go anywhere near a beach. I refuse to swim in the ocean and I burn way to easily to lay on sand.

 

[lovesdumbo]

Nap Smap. We'll be at Disney!!!

Janet-try for a nap on the plane and ME bus ride to your resort. Doesn't sound like you'll be napping once you get to Pop.

PD needed for Glynis and the kids... they have had a NASTY bug since they got back from the wedding. Cryptosporidium has hit them and they have all been down. She is hoping to take the kids to see Alan this weekend, so they need a LOT of PD!!!

YIKES!

One of these meds has me in fast forward. I would swear that I'm shaking, but I'm not. This is not a good feeling. She started me on an anti anxiety med as well as the meds for the infection and she said that it gives some people extra energy and others get sleepy. I guess I got the extra energy. I just hope that I slow down before bed time or I won't be able to sleep. She said that I need to take it for at least 5 days to allow my body time to adjust before I give up on it. The med is just a precaution as we still don't know what caused my back pain last year. If it was stress related then I wanted to nip it in the bud before the holidays this year. I swear I feel like the energizer bunny right now

I always thought you were the energizer bunny. Seriously....hope you're feeling like your old self soon!

I'm loving the pictures!!

Whew, we've been so busy here. I have something every night this week. Hopefully next week will slow down a bit. My friend Suzanne's getting married on Saturday and Stephanie's the flower girl, so I've made her dress, helped Suzanne with some embroidered gifts, will help decorate, etc. tomorrow/rehearsal/dinner, plus we've had doctors' appts, haircuts, soccer, etc....I'm tired! LOL

Have fun at the wedding!

I got this email from a friend of mine the other day. It could not have come at a better time, with all the responsibility of my children being placed on me and their dad doing hardly anything, but still being a 'hero'. I hope it hits home for some of you too.

Tammi-thanks for sharing that!

 

[mommykds]

Anne Marie-Toys R Us is having their buy 2 get 1 free on video games in case you're looking for Christmas Nintendo games. I haven't had a chance to check it all out yet. Not all titles are included.

Thanks I'll have to check that out. The kids want a Wii for Christmas. No big gift for each one..just the Wii & some games for them to share.

I'm back from the doctors and I have a very bad UTI. I'm sure that if I hadn't waited weeks to go to the doctors it would have been not so bad So I'm on an antibiotic and a pain med. Things should be back to normal in a few days. In the meantime I have to work and more importantly I need a nap. TTYL

Feel better soon!!!!

I love this one!

PD needed for Glynis and the kids... they have had a NASTY bug since they got back from the wedding. Cryptosporidium has hit them and they have all been down. She is hoping to take the kids to see Alan this weekend, so they need a LOT of PD!!!

 

[lovespoohbear]

i told my parents all i want for christmas is an ipod nano. dad says we'll see mom say since we are redoing our kitchen she doesnt know if we are gonna have a christmas. im like ya right mom. if i dont get it for christmas ill buy it for my self. i'll have to hear her complain about how i spend my money but hey ill ignore her.

 

[tinknme]

At the moment my flight does not leave till after one in the afternoon. If I change then I will need to nap on the plane

Janet-try for a nap on the plane and ME bus ride to your resort. Doesn't sound like you'll be napping once you get to Pop.

 

[tinknme]

Believe it or not Garrett & Riley do not want a Wii. A friend of theirs has one & they have played it, they just said it is not for them But no complaining from me!

They both want skate boards, from what they have shown me so far, it will cost close to $150 for each

Thanks I'll have to check that out. The kids want a Wii for Christmas. No big gift for each one..just the Wii & some games for them to share.

 

[Glynis]

Hi, everyone! I'm back among the living (almost!!!) Thanks for all your prayers this afternoon. You guys must have great relationships with a Higher Power, because from 8:00 this morning to now is an amazing change!!!

Looks like I missed some birthdays: I hope they were happy Deb and Stephanie!!!

Lindsay - I'm sorry your trip was sub-par. I'll expect a better report after the October trip.

Tia - Prayers for your friend! What a tragedy! I also want to say that if you're in California, there's a good chance that you and I could meet at DL!!!

Tom - Your costumes are incredible! I can't believe how much Leighanna looks like Alice! Good call!!!!

Robyn - Never stop posting pictures of those darling girls! We might have to kick you out of the DDA!!! We live for darling pictures!

Debbie - Fabulous trip report! You really made some special memories for Brandon. Don't worry too much about his aversion to face characters. Katie was the same way, but she grew out of it quickly!

Deb - sorry about the UTI! Those are quite common after a kidney stone (along with yeast infections). Hopefully, your medication will kick in quickly. Sorry about the excess energy boost. I went into labor with the twins 8 weeks early, and my doctor put me on something to stop the contractions. It got my heart racing so fast, it was like drinking 5 Jolt colas in a row! Icky!!!

Tammi - I second what everyone else has said: you are an amazing mom! One day, your kids are going to see all the sacrifices you made to turn them into the amazing people that they are becoming! Just keep plugging along, and know that we are here for you!

Elizabeth - I'm glad that things seem to be looking up for your son's schooling. I hope it continues! Now, I just have to say this: "Step Away From the Evil Bay!!!"

Jen - I'm so sorry to hear about your grandfather. I'll keep him in my prayers for peace, and no pain. Let me know if you need to talk!

Karen - Pixie dust for your grandmother. I know how hard it is as they get older. My grandmother is 97 now, and it's so tough to see this woman who was so vibrant be reduced to a helpless individual.

I know I've forgotten some, so here's a generous dusting of for all of you!

I'm uploading the wedding pictures now, so I'll start typing up a report of it. It was quite the experience!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

PD needed for Glynis and the kids... they have had a NASTY bug since they got back from the wedding. Cryptosporidium has hit them and they have all been down. She is hoping to take the kids to see Alan this weekend, so they need a LOT of PD!!!

Glynis, I was comiong to wish you a speedy recovery, but I see you are already recovering! I hope your family is back up to speed soon! Can't wait to hear about the wedding.

I found a seller who will waive the shipping fee if you buy more than 25 items from him. So far I have won 33 pins, but I have 14 days before I have to pay so I might win a few more. I got some for about $2.30 per pin today which is what I would have paid if Darlene and Nena had pins for sale. I might just put low bids in on a bunch of pins over the next few days and see if I can win some.

Deb - I hope your infection clears up soon and you get adjusted to the new meds!

 

[Glynis]

Well, the wedding drama all began Monday morning. Yes, I know, the ceremony wasn't until Saturday, but things really got going on Monday. First of all, it was the first bout with Crypto that hit my family. You might remember me telling you about Katie! Well, that was the beginning. That would have been bad enough, but also that morning, my mother tripped on a rock pathway dividing my parents 2 driveways and fell flat on her face! Her left eye took the brunt of the fall, and it was nasty!!! She is 75 and has had both of her knees replaced. Consequently, she was reluctant to kneel up to get off the ground. She said that she was trying to decide what to do when she heard someone call. Our neighbors across the street were driving in to their house, and had seen her fall. The wife called 911 and then my dad, while her husband (a trained EMT) came running to help mom. He checked her out for broken bones, and then helped her into the house and got ice on her face. Because of her heart surgery, she is on major blood thinners, so any injury is where all that lovely, runny blood just floods to, so you can imagine what was happening to her face! My dad got home, just as the ambulance came. As a precaution, they took her to the hospital where she was checked out and pronounced ok. She had no broken bones in her face, and she hadn't even dislodged her new lenses (she had cataract surgery on Sept. 1). However, her left eye had swollen shut, and she looked like she had gone 10 rounds with Muhammed Ali!

Fast forward to Thursday. I checked Katie and Jacob out of school early so that I could drive to Cedar City in daylight. Everything was fine until we got to mom's house. Leslie began complaining that she was not feeling well. I got her set up with a barf bowl, and left with Dad to decorate for the reception. We had to string a lot of Christmas lights around a gazebo, and many bushes and pathways. By the time we got home, Leslie was feeling better, she said. I didn't want to take any chances, but, against my better judgement, I let her sleep on the sofa in the basement where all the other kids were. Bad Move! Within a couple of hours, she was throwing up all over the place! I got her cleaned up and moved into my room with a bowl, and then I spent the next hour washing the sofa and floor. It's amazing how OxyClean can work!!!

By Friday morning, Leslie was just fine, but I was a sleepless wreck! I spent all the previous night, just waiting for her to throw up again. Mom agreed to take care of the kids while Dad and I finished the decorating, and went to the theater to "block" the wedding. Josh and Jamie had asked us to "direct" the ceremony, so we wanted to get a feel of things. I think it was a good thing we did, because we both had different ideas, but were able to come up with something that we hoped would look pretty. The ceremony was going to be held on the stage of the Shakespearean theater. It is a replica of Shakespeare's Globe theater, and is considered to be one of the most authentic in the world. Dad's building manager met us there, and suggested that she have her crew string some chiffon from the upper balcony to the stage to kind of shade the "audience" from the direct sunlight. We got the details worked out, and then I went to the university office to pick up a transcript that I can use to get my teacher's certificate re-instated for my library certification!

By this time, it was early afternoon, and I was anxious to get home and see how the kids were doing. Mom hadn't called my cell phone, so I knew that things were ok, but you know us mother's, we worry! We got to the house, and Alan had arrived! It was so good to see him!!! He's been in St. George covering a polygamy trial that is big news here (in fact he's still there, and will be until next Wednesday). The kids were over the moon to see him, and he was happy to be seen!

We relaxed for a while, and then it was time to go to the rehearsal. We met everyone at the theater, and found out that one of the groomsmen wouldn't be able to be at the wedding, since his mother was not expected to live another day. That put a bit of a damper on things, but we managed to muddle through the rehearsal. Jamie was pleased with the way we had things, and Alan volunteered to act as "music coordinator" (nice way of saying he was going to push the buttons on the boom boxes).

After the rehearsal, Dad and I took the centerpieces we had made to the reception area, and then went home to dress for the rehearsal dinner. This was held at a really nice restaurant, the Garden House. They had created a menu for us where we could choose prime rib, a pasta dish, a Mahi dish, or a chicken dish. It was really nice, and it was a fun way for us to get to know Jamie's family. They all live in Rome, New York, so it's been tough for us all to meet before now. We had a great couple of hours, and then dad and I left to set up tables and chairs for the reception. The reception was going to be held in the backyard of my dad's business partner. It's a gorgeous place and HUGE. It took us a good 3 hours to get the tables and chairs set up, but we did it! It looked so beautiful!!!

By the time we got home, my sister had finished filling the wedding cake layers, and covering them with a thin layer of buttercream before putting the fondant on top. She would do that in the morning, so she was taking some time to apply some edible gold dust to the flowers and leaves she had made earlier in the week. (I promise I'll post pictures)

Next up: the day of the wedding:

 

[mommykds]

Believe it or not Garrett & Riley do not want a Wii. A friend of theirs has one & they have played it, they just said it is not for them But no complaining from me!

They both want skate boards, from what they have shown me so far, it will cost close to $150 for each

Ouch!

 

[Glynis]

Ok, first batch of pictures: the cake.

The cake itself was a square 3 layer cake. My sister put it on a stand that created a "floating" effect. It was a spice/nut cake with separate fillings in each layer. The bottom layer was filled with a chocolate ganache, the middle filling was a pecan praline, and the top was white chocolate ganache. The night before the wedding, she had filled all the layers, and still had tons of filling left over. So, while she was applying gold dust, we made graham cracker sandwiches with the leftover fillings. So yummy with a glass of cold milk!!!

Jamie's colors were cinnamon and chocolate and my sister created fondant lilies in a cinnamon color with chocolate leaves. Each was handpainted, and then brushed with "lustre dust" in gold. So beautiful!

On Saturday morning, the cakes were covered in fondant, and then patterns of edible pearls were put on top. The flowers were put in place, and small votive candle holders with battery powered candles were put on the cakes. The cake topper was a porcelain bride dragging a reluctant groom by the ankle. Very cute, and so like Josh and Jamie's humor! At the reception, the cake was placed in a wrought iron gazebo. My dad was looking at renting one, but the closest place he could rent one from was Las Vegas and it would cost him 350 dollars plus shipping and assembly costs. However, he was able to buy one for 400 dollars. He did that, and after the reception, gave it to Scott (the man who's backyard we invaded for this).

 

[bear74]

Glynis loving the wedding report so far.

 

[tinknme]

Glynis glad to hear you are feeling better. Sorry to hear about your mother's fall The cake is beautiful, I am ready to see & read more!

 

[Glynis]

Saturday morning began very early; 5:30 to be precise. Dad and I had to get Mom to dialysis and then get to the theater to make sure the arches and chiffon. Mom's face was looking much better, thanks to her dialysis nurses. On the Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday sessions, they applied warm compresses to her face. This was to help draw the blood away, and it really did! The swelling was mostly gone, and the blackness had faded to a light purple/red.

Dad and I stopped at a local bakery and picked up donuts for all the college kids that were helping get the theater ready for the ceremony. By the time we got there, they had the arches set up, and were hosing down the seating area to get rid of the dust, and leaves. They were going to wipe down the seats and then hang the chiffon. They had things well in control, so we stopped back by Scott's house to finish setting out autumn colored flowers around the garden area. That done, we headed home to check out the status of everyone else.

Bad news on that front! Jacob had been throwing up while I was gone. Thank heaven Alan was there to take care of him. He was feeling better, so I sent him back to bed with instructions not to eat or drink anything (with Jacob, that will just trigger a prolonged barfing episode). Thinking that all was well, I gathered up Katie, Leslie, Mary and my niece Olivia and took them to meet their other cousin, Emilee, at the beauty parlor to get their hair done for the wedding. Now, remember that Mary is a tomboy, and so is Olivia, so I was preparing myself for the worst!

Before:

I knew that Katie, Leslie and Emilee would love this as they are total princesses, and I was right! They had a ball! I was surprised that Mary handled it as well as she did! She kept up a running chatter with her stylist, and we had no tears.

Olivia, on the other hand, was not enjoying this AT ALL! She never spoke a word, and just get a load of the look on her face:

She was doing ok, until the stylist told her that she looked beautiful. One single tear rolled down her cheek and I could tell we were in for a major meltdown. Quickly I said, "Olivia, you look just like Captain Jack Sparrow! He has "ringlets" just like you!" She has never seen the Pirates movies, but knows all about Capt. Jack from her brothers, so that made the whole hair thing ok. For the rest of the day, she talked about having Captain Jack hair. Whew! Crisis averted!!!

After:

Emilee is the little girl next to my Leslie. If you look closely, you'll notice that she has a black eye. Her next door neighbor clobbered her with a plastic baseball bat. Nice, huh?

After the beauty parlor I took the little girls out for donuts to celebrate getting through that without any tears. A stop at Walmart to pick up some makeup for Mom and we made our way home. Remember me telling Jacob not to eat or drink anything? Well, Alan let him pig out on cheese crackers and milk. Let's all say it together, DUH!!! I guess the barfing pyrotechnics were unbelievable!!! Luckily, Alan was there to clean it up! Think he'll listen to me now? Stay tuned!

 

[Pooh67_68]

I can't sleep on a plane. Tried plenty of times, just can't.

At the moment my flight does not leave till after one in the afternoon. If I change then I will need to nap on the plane

 

[tinknme]

Chanon & Anne Marie I found my small fan to bring! I went to Walmart & they had all their fans on sale. It is small enough to fit in my suitcase, but enough air to help keep me cool, & it won't blow you both away The best part, it was marked down to $2.50