Cross Stitching Christmas Gifts

Here are two cross stitches I did as gifts. The ornament was for my sister, Cathy, and the bookmark of Angels was for "Grandma" Jan.

Where Did Christmas Go?

Somehow, I missed Christmas. It started with a sore throat on Monday evening, turned into an extreme sore throat by Tuesday morning, progressed to a runny nose and constant sneezing by Wednesday afternoon, and by Christmas Eve I had the worst full-blown cold I've ever had. My head felt like it was going to explode and as soon as Nicholas was in bed, I left Donald to finish wrapping presents while I went to bed at 9:30 p.m. Donald finished up the wrapping and came to bed around 1:30 a.m. We both got up with Nicholas on Christmas morning and did our stockings, opened his gifts (and some of ours). Then we had to head off for my one and only pet sitting visit to see a couple of cats. Thank goodness I had insisted on not doing a lot of pet sitting this Christmas. My plan had been to spend the holiday with my family, but apparently God knew that I was going to spend the holiday sleeping! When we got home, I headed off to bed and slept from 2:30 p.m. until around 7:30 p.m. ~ just in time to get Nicholas ready for his bedtime!

I just posted our Christmas Traditions earlier this week. We did nothing from that list: No Christmas Eve ride to look at lights, no watching "It's a Wonderful Life," no cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting, and we didn't even watch "A Christmas Story"! And I feel like a lot of people forgot about me this year. What about the clients that I bend over backward for to accommodate their schedule and last-minute cancellations? Where's the love, people? I am the service provider, and I provide a very nice service, but I'm the one who did the gift giving. I enjoy giving my clients' animals little gifts, and it would have been nice to receive a little appreciation in return ~ even a card would have been nice. Donald and I sent two very nice gift baskets to family members and what did we get? Nada, nothing, zilch.. Not even a card! Do I give in order that I receive? No. But it makes you feel good to know that others think you're special at this time of year, just as we think they're special. Oh well. Maybe I'm taking this badly because I'm still sick.

We did, however, have a very happy little boy who loved his gifts, even though Santa had a hole in his sleigh and seemed to have lost the bucket of Leggos...they're on their way, Granddad down in Florida found them. :-) I'll be posting some photos from Christmas day when I get around to it. I feel like I missed most of Christmas, so hopefully I'll be well enough to enjoy New Year's. Even though I missed most of Christmas, I got to miss it with my family. And that's more than a lot of people get to do. Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas Traditions

Having been "tagged" by Grandma Jan, I now must write a little something on what our Christmas Traditions are. Don't get too excited; you're probably next on the "tagged" list!

• Donald and I watch "It's a Wonderful Life" together on Christmas Eve. It's a Wonderful Life" is a very special movie for us because it was the movie playing on the very first Christmas Eve we ever spent together...when we were in love but couldn't do anything about it.
  
• On Christmas Eve we all take a special "pajama ride" to look at Christmas lights, with some hot chocolate and a few blankets to keep us warm and toasty.
  
• On Christmas Eve we open one gift (to be chosen by someone other than ourselves).
• Christmas morning, we start off by opening our stockings to see what goodies "Santa" brought. I make cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting (not homemade) and we listen to Christmas music while unwrapping gifts.
• We watch "A Christmas Story" on Christmas Day; now that Nicholas is a little older, maybe he gets to watch it with us this year!

This year's tree with the room lights on...

...and now with the room lights off!

Our First Gingerbread House

Well, here she is....our first (and possible our last) Gingerbread House. Nicholas helped the entire time - close to two hours - and neither one of us dropped a piece or got too much frosting on us! I had to prop the snowmen up against the wall because I couldn't get the little buggers to stand up on their frosting platform. After pictures, we ate the snowmen. That'll teach 'em!

I must say it didn't come out too badly, as long as you don't look very closely. :-)

Nicholas the Reindeer at "Grandma Jan's"

Nicholas enjoyed many hours at "Grandma Zan's" house on Saturday. Her name is actually Jan but his "J's" sound like "Z's" so I'm gonna call her Zan. I don't think she'll mind. It was "jammie" day at school on Friday because they watched the still version of "Polar Express" and everyone had to wear p.j.'s to school. Anyway, Jan liked to hear Nicholas say that Friday was "zammie" day. Here are a few photos she shared with me. He is quite entertaining!

Wearing Zan's mittens outside - she didn't realize his were right inside his coat pockets!

Our little Reindeer getting ready to help Zan decorate the tree

What on Earth did Zan do to get Nicholas to react that way?! I may have to investigate!

Radical Acceptance

I don't think of myself as having a borderline personality disorder or being self-destructive in any way; although there are times when I'm sure my husband thinks I've lost my mind! But while at my "happy doctor" (lets call him "A.C." and I don't mean Anderson Cooper!) he read me a blurb from the book "The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook" (try saying that three times fast!) and it really struck a nerve. I let Donald read the blurb and he found it very helpful as well. After all, we have both been wallowing in the "coulda, shoulda, woulda" world lately with the job change, the economic struggles, and health situations. The article describes the self-soothing skill of "Radical Acceptance" and I highly recommend that everyone try it. Below is just a sampling of the article:

Radical Acceptance

Often, when a person is in pain, his or her first reaction is to get angry or upset or to blame someone for causing the pain in the first place. But unfortunately, no matter who you blame for your distress, your pain still exists and you continue to suffer. In fact, in some cases, the angrier you get, the worse your pain will feel (Greenwood, Thurston, Rumble, Waters, & Keefe, 2003; Kerns, Rosenberg, & Jacob, 1994).

Getting angry or upset over a situation also stops you from seeing what is really happening. Have you ever heard the expression "being blinded by rage"? This often happens to people with overwhelming emotions. Criticizing yourself all the time or being overly judgmental of a situation is like wearing dark sunglasses indoors. By doing this, you're missing the details and not seeing everything that is as it really is. By getting angry and thinking that a situations should never have happened, you're missing the point that it did happen and that you have to deal with it.

The article goes on to explain the following:

Keep in mind that radical acceptance does not mean that you condone or agree with bad ehavior in others. But it does mean that you stop trying to change what's happened by getting angry and blaming the situtation. For example, if you're in an abusive relationship and you need to get out, then get out. Don't waste your time and continue to suffer by blaming yourself or the other person. That won't help you. Refocus your attention on what you can do now. This will allow you to think more clearly and figure out a better way to cope with your suffering.

Thank you for allowing me to share my therapy. I hope I've entertained and helped you in some way. Next time, let's have a little talk about tweetle beetles....just joking, that's a line from a Dr. Seuss book. :-)

Staying warm while doing errands

Took Gracie's picture while waiting in the drive-thru at the bank; we were depositing moolah made from pet sitting so far this month! It's great to get paid to visit other people's animals, and today I lucked out because I had no outdoor visits. Just indoor, cozy ones!

Rethinking Minnesota

Well, this is quite the weather we're having in Minnesota. Today it is supposed to be a high of -1 (yes, I am using the terms "high" and "-" in the same sentence) with wind chills of -20 to -30...what the heck?! I have the opportunity to move to Tennessee and now I'm rethinking my decision about staying here in Minnesota. Donald flew down to Tennessee last night in the middle of this mess; his plane left the ground an hour late because they had to get the ice off the sides and put the engines under some sort of hairdryers. I would have gotten off the plane and thanked them for their time. When he got to TN around 10:30 pm it was a balmy 43 degrees and it's supposed to be around 60 degrees there today. At this moment, 60 degrees sounds like Heaven. Maybe I should start packing now.

This is taken from Today's NowCast on Paul Douglas' Page:

....The mercury may not climb above zero on Monday, one of the coldest days of winter. Factor in the wind and it will feel like -20 to -30 tonight and early Monday. Be careful out there... B B B Bitter. A brittle airmass that formed 1-2 weeks ago over the frozen plains of Siberia, the result of long nights and heavy snowcover, is arriving on cruel northwest winds; we’ll be lucky to see a “high” near zero. When it’s this cold outdoor recess should be optional, after-school activities reconsidered. With a wind chill dipping to -30 exposed skin can become frostbitten within 5 minutes. Even though you may consider yourself a hardened, grizzled, veteran weather pioneer, take the cold seriously with a few extra layers, a hat. Consider bringing pets indoors on a day like this....

Funny or Die: "Prop 8 - The Musical"

"Prop 8 - The Musical": You just can't beat Jack Black playing the part of Jesus. Wether you're for or against gay marriage, I have to do my best Larry the Cable Guy impression and say "I don't care who ya are, that's funny right thar!" Have a great day! And, just for the record, I'm not gay...not that there's anything wrong with that. :-)

Southern Dad's Words of Wisdom

My father-in-law, Donald Hamilton White Sr., is 92 years old. He lives in Sun City Center, Florida and when we lived in Ocala, Florida for a short time, we would drive down to see him nearly every weekend. We miss him! I call him "Southern Dad" because he's like a second dad to me and thinks I'm the best thing that's ever happened to his son (aka my husband). :-) He is always telling me that he can see how much happier Donald, Jr. is since his life with me began. Boy, do I have him fooled. Ha ha. Southern Dad has such a positive outlook on life and has been sharing his words of wisdom with us over the last eight years that Donald, Jr. and I have been married. Recently, during these challenging days of another major surgery and job change, Southern Dad's wisdom has hit a new high. I just had to share these with you. (And let me warn Hallmark that I'd better not see these appear on a Hallmark card or such!)

"Trade in Worry and Fear for Faith"
"Positive Thinking, Positive Living"
"Live in the Sunshine of God's Spirit"

Southern Dad & Nicholas in 2006

Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me Christmas Was Coming?!

Well, Christmas is 19 days away and I haven't mailed out my cards yet. In fact, I haven't even created my cards yet! Where is my brain? You know, I got a Christmas card from a friend right after Thanksgiving and I thought "Gee, she's really sending these out early." Now I know that she was the smart one! I am on the computer right now, at nearly midnight, creating my cards. Why bother? I have some cards left over from last year; they have Nicholas' preschool picture from 2007 on them. Would anyone notice? Probably not. I should just go to the store and buy some el-cheapos to send out. It would probably be much easier and I wouldn't be sitting here in the middle of the night! Now that I think about it, that's what I'm going to do. But before I go, here's Nicholas' Kindergarten picture from this year just in case you get a card with last year's picture. (And yes, I bought the optional copyright release so I can do what I want with it). Good night.

Any Perfect Mothers Out There?

Have you ever met anyone who thinks they're a great mother? Most of the time, I feel pretty inadequate. Especially today. Sometimes, Nicholas is "too big for his britches" (what does that mean, exactly??) and I lose it. I lost my temper with Nicholas before he went to school this morning - don't worry, it wasn't corporal punishment or anything - and, although he's gotten over it by now, I am still thinking about what a horrible mother I am. I know my mother thinks she's a failure as a mother sometimes; and I know some of my friends think they are failures sometimes. Is there anyone out there who thinks they are actually a great mother most of the time? If there is, what's your secret and what planet are you from? My "happy doctor" says that all mothers need to realize that their children need a "good enough mother" not a "perfect mother." I guess I can handle that. :-)

My First Complete Cross-Stitch Project

I have completed my first cross-stitch project! I have done other cross-stitch items, but they have not been cut from the large piece of aida or made into anything yet. The completed project is a coaster for my parents who have a cat named Duffer. I took a cross-stitch sample from the "Picture Your Pet In Cross Stitch" book and changed the colors to coordinate with Duffer. I hope my parents like it. They'll just have to fight over who gets to use the coaster!

The finished product

Sample of project from book

Joy Behar's Mouse Problem

I am not alone in my fight against mice! As I was writing on my blog regarding another topic this morning, I was watching The View. One of the co-hosts, Joy Behar, had a mouse in her apartment last night and her "spouse" Steve took care of the problem (with some help from their cat "Benito Mussilini" and the Super). As Joy put it, "You can be a feminist, you can be a strong woman, but it takes a man to kill a mouse." I don't know who actually killed the mouse, but it was her man Steve who took over the situation to get the job done! Joy said she has never been more in love or attracted to Steve; kissing him, sitting on his lap. Let this be a hint to my hubby, Donald: Either start killing the mice or get us a cat!

One More Reason to Stay in Minnesota

In my quest to keep us in Minnesota, I have found another reason NOT to move to Tennessee: it ranks as #47 on the list of healthiest U.S. states according to America's Health Rankings. I saw the report on the Today Show this morning and was not at all surprised that Minnesota ranks in the top five (#4). Granted, I think we'd be even happier living in the #2 state, Hawaii. :-) Click to read more on the results for Minnesota and for Tennessee. Remember, I didn't come up with the results, so don't blame me if you live in one of the bottom-ranked states!

One of the many sights in Savage
(photo from the City of Savage website)

My "Mice"-Mare

Maybe not a great play on words, but I was trying to be witty by combining "nightmare" and "mice" - did I succeed? Anyway, mice are everywhere. I still have them in my car because my husband is so darn nice that he insists on catching them one by one in the "live trap" and then driving them down the road to the local park. I pity the people who live near that park; perhaps they have had a hoard of mice moving into their homes and/or cars. I find little presents in my car every morning when I leave; a mouse poop in the cup holder, a piece of tissue or other trash they got out of the little trash bag in the front of the car; some leaves or bird seed they've brought in to make their nest. I'm preparing to look up the number for an exterminator any minute!

This past week, we took my car to Walser Toyota to have the oil and filter changed. Also had them check out the air cabin filter to see if it needed cleaning. They just did it a couple months ago when they cleaned the bird seed out of the sunroof. This time, the cabin filter needed to be replaced because there was a "good sized nest" in there! When will it end?

Not only are mice in my car, but I found one at a client's house the other day. They have two Ocicats and there was an early Christmas gift waiting for me in the the living room. It was either a very realistic toy or a very dead real mouse. Regardless of what it was, it's in the garbage bin out in the garage now!

Everyone we know tells us to use the old-fashioned traps, the poison, or call an exterminator. I've told Donald that if, by the time he leaves for his first trip to Tennessee in two weeks, the mice are still active, I will be taking over. And it won't be pretty - at least not for the mice.

Cross-stitching: My New Hobby

My new hobby is cross-stitching! I have been doing it for several months (thanks, Anne, for helping me get started with some supplies and a "how to" session). My reasons for starting were twofold: 1) to have something to do while watching T.V. so that I don't eat so much; and 2) to create custom cross-stitch gifts for my clients using their pet's photos.

I am trying to find a reputable, reliable, inexpensive software program that will convert digital photos into cross-stitch patterns. I have found several on the web, but have no idea which one will be worth the money. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is there a software program you have tried - whether free or for a price - that you can give five stars? Any suggestions would be great!

How to Cook a Turkey

by Mrs. E's P.M. Kindergarten Chefs

Isabelle says "Buy the turkey at the store"
Amanda says "Buy a big one"
Allison says "10 pounds"
Emily says "Get all the grease off of it"
Tyler says "Wash it, to get all of the grease off"
Jaelon says "Grill it"
Amber says "Turn on the oven"
Temper says "To 300 degrees"
Heather says "To 10 degrees"
Abbie says "Put it in the oven"
Isaac says "Cook it for 4 minutes"
Nicholas (our little guy) and Evan say "Take it out of the oven"
Caleb says "Slice it"
Jacob says "Cut it"
Abbi says "Get the bones out"
Zack says "Let it cool"
Emma and Porter say "Eat it!"

ENJOY!

My Busy Day

This morning, I took Cocoa (a doggie client) to the doggie park at Cleary Lake, a 28-acre off-leash area. If you have dogs and you haven't been there, it's wonderful! The dogs run around like crazy and play while you can take a leisurely stroll around the many paths. It was a cold walk this morning, but a nice way to wake up and get some fresh air. Plus, I get paid to do it!

Now I'm heading off to see Riley & Kirby, two long-haired Dachshunds. Then it's off to see if I can fit in a make-up session for Gracie's puppy obedience class we missed last weekend. Then Donald and I go pick up Nicholas as Kindergarten and all head up to Edina for Donald's post-surgery check-up with Dr. Saylor. Donald will get his staples out and I'm hoping it will help him feel much, much better! After the doctor appointment, we're off to QCumbers to eat 'til we drop. If you've never been to QCumbers, I highly recommend that as well (but you can't take your dogs). It's very similar to a place we used to frequent in Florida and Georgia called Sweet Tomatoes. Sweet Tomatoes was even nicer, but QCumbers will do...

Tomorrow is not quite as busy, and maybe I'll work on finishing "Ahab's Wife" the longest book I've ever read. Really, I've had to renew my library copy two times because it is long...but good. I just can't wait to get to the end!

I hope everyone takes a moment to enjoy their families, their friends, and their freedom! Next week is Thanksgiving and we have much to be thankful for.

Humbled by Katie's Blog

Just ran across a blog entitled "When Hello Means Goodbye" and I have to say - Wow. If you're feeling down, trampled upon, selfish, or any other "oh poor me" feeling of the day, check out this blog. Katie shows such courage and humor, even after suffering the worst loss a parent could ever imagine. I am humbled by her.

My Turn in the Hospital

I guess I didn't want Donald to have all the fun, so I took a trip to the hospital on Friday, November 14th. I started out the day feeling great. I ate breakfast, then took my pills for the day, and started taking the bed sheets and blankets off the bed. I was putting on the clean sheets when I felt out of breath and sort of ill. Sometimes my pills act like they "get stuck" and don't go down all the way, so I sat down to take a break. I started feeling even worse, so I headed to the bathroom. I knew I was going to be sick, so I made myself get sick just to get it over with. I asked Donald to get Nicholas down to the bus stop. While they were down the street, I called our neighbor, Jeff, who's an EMT and asked him to come up to check me. I didn't know if I was having a heart attack, getting the flu, or what!

Long story short - I ended up being taken by ambulance to the hospital and Donald drove there a while later to see me. Then he went with Nicholas to see a dog that I had to walk that afternoon. While he was there, Sammy's "mommy" showed up and said that I (Melissa) shouldn't be concerned about Sammy; she wanted to make sure I was okay and said Sammy would go spend the night at a friend's house and I didn't need to worry about coming to see him Friday night or Saturday morning like planned. Donald told Sammy's mommy that "Melissa wanted to make sure Sammy was taken care of." Because I'm such a good pet sitter, everybody, I make sure the pets are taken care of even when I'm in the hospital!

For five hours, the doctors checked me out, did EKG, chest X-ray, blood work, and found nothing wrong. Which is good. They want me to follow-up with my regular doctor. So I'm not sure if it was a stress-related incident, indigestion, the beginnings of the flu (I feel fine today), or what. Either way, I'm home now and I'm taking it easy. Laundry can wait for some other day!

Happy Birthday to Donald!

Today is my husband's 66th Birthday. We met on September 30, 1991, about two months before he turned 49 years old and one week from when I turned 22 years ago. Wow! Now, we are much older and (somewhat) wiser. We've known each other for 17 years and have been married for eight. Now that he's home from the hospital and getting healthy again, he's hoping that he will be around for 40 more years....God help me. Ha ha.

Our Honeymoon at Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida

Why Do I Have to Move?

What is it about the woman's role in a marriage that requires her to give up everything in order to go where the husband is working? I understand that a lot of times it has to do with money and who makes more, but why doesn't the wife's job/career carry just as much weight as the man's even if she doesn't make nearly as much? I am asking this because of the possibility that we may have to move to Tennessee. I am thankful that Donald has a job, although it requires that he start working down in Tennessee next month. And, perhaps if he were 40 or 50 instead of 66, I'd feel differently about giving up everything I have started with my pet sitting business to move down there. Donald is 66 and within a few years he should seriously consider retiring. Yes, he loves his job. But so do I. Yes, he makes very good money, but if he retires, we'd be able to get by. After retirement, he won't need to pay that huge alimony amount every month! He's already collecting social security benefits and that is giving us a great boost in our income every month, but we could still make due with his social security, my pet sitting profits, and any 401(k) benefits he'd be bringing in. The man who bought the AirCel division from Donaldson has bought and sold at least 40 companies over his lifetime. Who's to say that Dick won't sell off the AirCel company within two or three years and then Donald is, once again, out of a job or required to move to yet another state where the company is located. Or perhaps he decides to retire if the company is sold and we don't want to live in Tennessee any longer. Then, we have to pack up and move again - north, south, east, or west - and I would need to start up the pet sitting business.

We aren't looking forward to the commuting aspect of Donald's new position at AirCel, but we are thankful that he has a job. Before I started my pet sitting business, we were both hoping that we'd get to move to Tennessee. There were rumors that Donaldson Company was going to transfer Donald down to Tennessee two years ago, and I made plans for the move. I checked into the schools, the prices of homes, and the area. But then I started my business and it took off so quickly, becoming much more successful than I ever would have guessed. Now, I have decided that I don't want to take my business to Tennesee, I don't want to enroll Nicholas in school in Tennessee, and I don't want to sell our house and move again!

I have moved three times since 2000 (the year we were married) and I'm ready to stay put. So many people are saying "well, you wanted to move to Tennessee a couple years ago" and "your business can be run from anywhere" just don't get it. That's not the point, people. The point is that I'm tired of getting settled, getting close to friends, starting to like a place, and then having to give everything up to move. This time it's even more of a problem because I have my own business. If you've never had your own business or worked hard to create something of your own then you don't know what it's like. Sure, I can pick up and take my pet sitting business wherever we move to - but I don't want to. I like running my business here in Savage, Minnesota. And the more people try to convince me that I should move, the more likely that I'm going to dig in my heels and not budge!

Donald is Home

Donald came home this evening. With the raining/sleety weather and the "rush hour" traffic (no one was in a rush!) it took about an hour to get home. He's relaxing on the couch, surfing the t.v. channels and considering having a bowl of cereal for dinner. He is still very confused at times and goes off on these tangents that don't make sense - such as saying that he wanted to eat the lifesavers that were given to Nicholas so that his friends wouldn't take them back, and that Gracie (our puppy) had gotten upset because he sent out an email that wasn't correct. Hopefully, within a few days, he'll be back on track! And hopefully, this is the last surgery we have to deal with!

Missing Mr. White

Went to see Donald this afternoon at the hospital and we spent a few hours watching the Vikings-Packers game (Vikings won by one point). Cheri, Donald's daughter from his previous marriage, is in town and will be flying back to NY state early tomorrow morning. She's a doctor and it's been nice to have someone around to keep an eye on things, know the right questions to ask, and let me know that everything is going well and just as it should be. Donald still hasn't been able to have anything to eat - just a few ice chips - since Wednesday night when he has his last real meal. He had liquids on Thursday, the day before surgery, and then nothing since then. He's still dreaming of chicken wings! The nurse turned down the Epidural so that maybe he won't be so groggy and out of it; the walked him out into the hall and he did pretty well doing that; he should be able to have some liquids tomorrow - whoopie!

I wanted to call Donald last night while I watched t.v. but I knew he'd be asleep or out of it and wouldn't be able to chat. I'm hoping that tomorrow he's much more alert and can converse without drifting off or starting to mumble. I cannot wait until he comes home!

Surgery & Other Shenanigans

Don's AAA surgery went very well and he's in ICU recovering. He was given an epidural before surgery which they will use to give him medicine for the pain and keep his abdomen comfortable. Hopefully, today they will begin giving him some liquids and will gradually work up to giving him solids as his digestive system gets back on track. He's been dreaming about chicken wings since Thursday when his co-workers took him to lunch and then out for a little gathering after work to say "good-bye and good luck" since he'll no longer be working for Donaldson. How cruel is that, I ask? The poor guy was on a liquid diet all day and couldn't eat anything! So he just had to sit there and watch them eat chicken wings, etc. He's been telling the doctors and nurses that he wants chicken wings today. Not gonna happen, but he can dream!

Yesterday morning, "Grandma Jan" Holman was here to help Nicholas get ready for school and she got him on the bus. She came over Thursday night and spent the night here so she wouldn't have to get up and be here by 5:00 a.m. She is a God-send and I'm thankful that she was here to help out. She and Nicholas went out in the first snowfall and threw snowballs, got cold and wet, and tracked in mud....but that's okay! They had fun and that's all that matters. Jan is getting Nicholas into making cards and doing other scrapbooking stuff; he has little pieces of paper and things all over the floor and he made little "Fall" pictures and taped them to the side of the entertainment center. Very cute! Below are some photos of the shenanigans!

Jan said that Nicholas wanted to take his snowball to school
in his backpack, but it didn't last that long!

Bailey was too tired out from all the commotion;
Nicholas and Gracie had fun with scrapbooking

Today I go meet a new client who has Ocicats. I think that if I were to have a cat, it would have to be an Ocicat. It sounds fascinating and I can't wait to meet them! I have to admit, I'm usually more excited about the animals than I am their owners - but that's why I started this business of pet sitting! :-)

Feeling Overwhelmed

I am feeling so overwhelmed. My business is going crazy with three new clients just this week needing daily dog walks or vacation visits for November or December. Donald accepted a job offer with the man who bought Aircel-Ultrafilter and is tentatively scheduled to start working for him on December 13th. Of course, that date depends on how his recovery from surgery goes! Donald has surgery tomorrow morning at 8:00 to repair his AAA. It's supposed to snow/rain and be cold tomorrow; winter is rearing it's ugly head! I have bills to pay, dogs to walk (not including mine), cats to feed (again, not mine), and one of the remotes on our Wii died. The Wii remote is the biggest disappointment for Nicholas; thankfully, he really doesn't have a clue about the other crap that's going on. I need to buy a new Wii remote today so that at least something will seem normal around here. I know I should be happy that my husband has a job, but I'm still NOT MOVING!

Yes We Can!

Barack Obama is our President-elect and I hope everyone who did not vote for him will stand behind their new president when he takes office in January. With his wife, Michelle, and their two young children, Malia and Sasha, we are entering a new era and I am excited. I know President Obama has a long, rough road ahead of him. Let us all pray that he appoints a cabinet that will help him get this country back in order! We all need to have hope and optimism, the things that Barack Obama ran his campaign on for the last two years.

If it ain't one thing, it's another! Update

Well, Donald is flying down to Maryville, Tennessee to meet with this Dick guy about the job he wants to give him. Of course, I am hating this whole thing. Yes, I should be grateful that Don still has a job given the economic condition of the country, etc. etc. but I can still hate it. He is foreseeing himself commuting for six months or so (or I say six years or so....) until we sell our house and move down there. With the real estate market the way it is, we'd take a HUGE loss on our house if we sold it now; Nicholas is doing so well in school, I'd hate to make him start over in a strange place; and I do have a successful business that I can't just drop! Therefore, I have decided that I am NOT moving. I'm sure Donald will take the job offer, since he's not ready to retire for good, and he will commute back and forth. You know what they say: Absense makes the heart grow fonder. Well, if we're only seeing each other two weekends a month or so, he'll be excited to know that he'll be gettin' lucky on those weekends!

If it ain't one thing, it's another!

Okay, get ready for a scream.... Ahhhhhhh!!!
Donald called me from work today and told me he was coming home. "Why?" I asked. "Dick Burkis (or whatever his name is) bought AirCell and he wants to talk to me on Wednesday," Don answers. "Okay...but why are you coming home?" I asked again. After all, I'm getting ready to take Nicholas to the bus stop and then I have three dog walks to do. So, if he was coming home to spend time with me (ha ha) I needed to know this. "I don't have to come home, I can just stay here if you like," he says. "Well, WHY are you coming home?" He is soooo NOT a good communicator! "Well, they don't need me here," he says. I think for a moment. "Are you trying to say you've been fired?" I asked. "Well, you could say that," he answers. Apparently, the division that Donald works for at Donaldson was sold to some guy on Friday. This guy (Dick) wants Donald to work for him and called him at the office today to ask him to fly down to Maryville, Tennessee to meet with him. The AirCell-Ultrafilter division is based in Maryville, I guess. WTF do I know?

Donaldson has Don's official "end date" as December 12th, the date he's supposed to have returned to work after his upcoming surgery for his AAA repair. So, Donaldson is keeping him on, covered by insurance, and he'll get his full pay through disability for being out due to his surgery, just as planned, which is good to know.

This Dick guy told Donald that he was prepared to cover Don's surgery before Don told him that Donaldson was taking care of it. And this Dick guy also told Donald that he should think about "putting your house on the market." I told Donald that I am NOT moving. NOT NOT NOT. Feel free to commute back and forth if you wish, I said, because I am NOT moving. Do you understand me? NOT MOVING!

I'll keep you posted on how things are going.

I voted today!

Went and voted today. Now I don't have to worry about it tomorrow. With my busy pet sitting schedule tomorrow, and the possible long lines, I don't have to think about it. I did an Absentee Ballot at City Hall and so did Donald. He was home this afternoon, so we both went together. Read my next blog entry to find out why he was home. Hope everyone gets out to vote today or tomorrow! Don't listen to the false reports that say that Republicans vote on Tuesday and Democrats vote on Wednesday! Election Day is Tuesday, November 4th!

Happy Halloween

Bailey, Gracie, and Nicholas

Another Halloween gone...now it's on to Christmas! Well, Thanksgiving is in the middle there somewhere. Nicholas made it easy this year - he wanted to be a policeman again so we were able to use the same costume as last year. Gracie had an "Angel" costume (a cape with angel wings on it) and Bailey wore the red cape from Asher's Superman costume of last year. It was bittersweet getting out Asher's costume and finding Asher's white hairs covering it. We had a great time and Nicholas really got into Trick-or-Treating this year; we were out for about an hour and then we came home for a potty break and Donald took Nicholas out for another hour. We have enough candy to open our own candy store!

Another Surgery

Donald needs another surgery. Just when things seemed to be calming down a bit, it's discovered that Donald's abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) has grown from about 4.2 cm to 4.8 cm in less than a year; more than the average AAA grows in that time. The vascular surgeon, Dr. Sayler, doesn't like to see the AAA's get any bigger than 5 cm. before he does corrective surgery. Given the option of going ahead with surgery now or waiting six months or a year, we decided that the sooner the better. So, Friday, November 7th at 8:00 a.m., Donald will go into surgery again. He's expected to be in the hospital for six days "give or take a day" Dr. Sayler says. He also said that recovery will be about four weeks, maybe six, once Donald gets home from the hospital. This surgery is something we wanted to avoid; hoping that Donald was a candidate for the less-invasive procedure where they can put in graphs by going through the groin area. Why can't Donald ever do things the easy way? Anyway, is there a grandma or aunt nearby who would like to babysit that morning? Ours live too far away. :-(

So Many Things to Blog About

With all the exciting (NOT) things going on, I haven't had time to blog about them! Let's see...went to the Melting Pot on October 11th to celebrate my birthday, Don's birthday, our anniversary, and anything else that needed celebrating to justify going to the Melting Pot and spending so much money. I figured with the economy the way it is, this might be our last chance to go there. It was great FUN. I could live there! Here are a few pictures of the outing:

Donald, looking forward to dippin' some steak!


Nicholas loved the ballooons!

Our dessert tray (to be dipped in melted
dark chocolate Cherries Jubilee) Yum!!

On October 18th, we went to Sever's Corn Maze in Shakopee and, once again, had lots of fun winding our way through the maze, finding the letters A-Z, and spotting the picture of Sever on six of the posters. This year's theme was "Vote '08" and each poster had fun facts about the White House. We made it through the maze in about an hour and 15 minutes, Nicholas leading the way!

Donald and Nicholas going down the big slide


An aerial view of this year's corn maze & festival grounds

Asher

Yesterday, my aunt Wendy had to put their beloved dog, Raleigh, to sleep. He was 12 years old, the same age as Asher when he went to Heaven. Yesterday was also the three-month mark from when we had to make that gut-wrenching decision to let Asher go. I know he's in a happy place now, but I miss him so much sometimes that it hurts. I wrote a poem many years ago about Asher, and I thought I'd share it today:

"Asher"
He may not always listen to me
Sometimes, he even talks back
He constantly wants my attention,
Especially when I'm the most busy.

He takes up most of the bed
And he snores sometimes, it's true.
He tracks in mud between his toes
And when I call his name,
He often runs in the other direction;
He thinks that I'm ready for play.
And when he gets a drink of water,
He spills most of it onto the floor.

I know that he's not perfect,
But he has the most beautiful face
And when I come home
At the end of my day,
Or I return from a long, long trip,
He's the one who greets me.
He makes me smile, and when I'm sad
He licks the tears from my cheeks

And I know then right at that moment
That no matter how down I may be
No matter what problems I'm facing today,
Or what loneliness has caused me to frown,
Asher is here and he loves me.
There's nothing else he lives for,
but to show me unconditional love.

Melissa Anne Morse
April 14, 1997

Below is a poem that I shared with my aunt Wendy yesterday. It was shared with me by Patty Keller. She received it from her father when their dog was hit by a car 30 years ago:

Decluttering Results - The Kitchen!

"Before" Photos:

Above are "before" pictures of the cluttered and disorganized kitchen. Below are the "after" pictures: so much neater, organized, and a pleasure to cook in! Not that I cook much, but I'm working on it! I got a new "kitchen center" to replace the two microwave/kitchen carts in the corner. With the over-the-range microwave we got a month ago, we don't need a microwave cart anyway! Granted, this is not the way it looks every day. Once Donald gets home and plops his stuff on the counter, we bring in the mail & newspaper, and I start preparing dinner, it gets a little cluttering-looking. But, for the most part, this is the way it looks most days!

"After" Photos:

Happy Birthday to Me

Well, I'm feeling old and crappy. This has got to be the most disappointing birthday ever. It was raining all day. I spent most of my afternoon in the car, driving from Eagan to Shakopee and back (more on that in a moment). I got no flowers, no gifts, no cake, no ice cream. My husband and our son went out at 10:00 this morning to buy two birthday cards and get my favorite ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery (they don't open until 11:00; so no ice cream for me). The card Nicholas picked out was geared toward a mom of grown children and said "Our wish to mother." He picked it out because it was pink and that's my favorite color. Isn't that sweet? I did however get a lovely hand-made card from my little man, Nicholas. He wrote I love you and put an "x" in the middle, meaning "kiss" and then he wanted to kiss me as I read it. That was the best part of my day.

As for driving up to Eagan and back, Donald had a colonoscopy today. Yes, of all days, he picked my birthday to have that done! He originally had our anniversary date picked out, but I asked him to reschedule and he picked my birthday. So, after putting Nicholas on the school bus at 11:30 a.m. I drove Donald up to Eagan. Then I had to drive about 30 minutes southwest to Shakopee where I was supposed to walk two doggies. My cell phone died yesterday and I haven't been able to get phone calls, check my email, or get notices that my business phone has a message, while I'm out and about. So, I had my old T-Mobile phone with pay-as-you-go with me - but I had no minutes left! So I had to call in and buy some minutes and then I was able to call my home office phone and check messages. Wouldn't you know it? There's a message from my client (whose development I am literally driving into as I listen) saying that she doesn't need me to walk the dogs today because she stayed home to wait for the DirectTV guy to show (he didn't show) and now she's just going to work from home the rest of the day. Annoyed, disgruntled, and ready to scream/cry, I turn the car around and drive all the way back to Eagan. Get there just in time to sit with Donald as he's recovering, and play the waiting game until they say he's ready to go home. We get home just in time to get inside the house before we have to walk down the street in the rain to meet Nicholas' school bus - once again, the best part of my day.

So, as far as birthdays go - this one sucked. I turned 39 today. I think next year I'll start counting backwards and I'll be 38....

Bird Seed & The Critters Who Live in My Car!

The bird food has been moved, the critters are being caught and released into a new location, yet I still have evidence that something is possibly living in my car! Two nights ago, something chewed a hole in the sandwich bag holding some soft training treats for Gracie; then, when I was looking in my trunk to make sure nothing was in there, I find one of those treats in another bag that I forgot to zip closed. Ewww! I think the critters are living in my car!!

Donald put the 'live' trap (with a cracker & some peanut butter in it) in the trunk last night and caught two little critters; one of which had "expired" as he puts it. Poor thing. But I'm at the point where I'm thinking "one less critter to worry about." I asked him why he thought the little guy had expired and Donald's answer was, "I don't know...maybe he has an allergy to peanut butter." I have been parking in the driveway until we get the garage cleared of critters; however, it doesn't seem to matter where I park if the things are living in there!

Hopefully we (meaning Don) have caught the fellas that have been living in my car and maybe things will return to normal. I will make sure I don't have any food in my car from now on, that's for sure, whether it's for me or the dogs!

Our 8th Annivesary

Eight years ago, at this very moment, I was a newly wed woman. I remember standing in the foyer of the church, crying because I was now married to the man I had loved for the last nine years, never imagining that we would be able to spend the rest of our lives together. Donald and I were married on the 9th anniversary of the day we met and today we celebrate 8 years of marriage.

Everyone hopes when they get married that the world will be brighter, the days will be filled with nothing but flowers & sunshine, and life will be perfect. As much as we all wish it, that's just not the way real life is. Every marriage has its ups and downs, its good days and bad, its passion and apathy. Our is no different; although I'm certain that Donald would say he's always had the 'passion' and not the 'apathy' toward me. He is, after all, enamored with me and will readily admit so.

Throughout the years, I have learned that it's okay to love someone even when there are times you might not particularly like them. We all have our stories of things our husbands do to irritate us, drive us mad, and make us feel like wielding a frying pan. But true to the old saying, I try not to go to bed angry.

I hope this entry doesn't come across as a message against marriage or my husband; it truly is not. It's simply a statement that a real marriage is just that: REAL. And I wouldn't want to experience it with anyone other than my wonderful, handsome, romantic, sexy husband - Donald Hamilton White, Jr.

I love you, sweetheart, forever and always. Melissa

A Favorite Photograph (left) & Our First Dance

My Decluttered Library

Finally finished - Our Library! I forgot to take "before" pictures but here are the "after" pictures. It is relaxing, intimate, and inviting; all things it wasn't before I cleared out all the clutter that was useless! Of course, amongst all the books I got rid of, there's one in particular that my husband was looking for...sorry about that, Donald. :-)