Farewell, November!

I'm not sure where this day has gone, but we have been pretty busy.  I attempted to start out the morning sewing, but didn't get very far.  Woody chose to do our grocery shopping and run errands with his friend.  He was pretty done in by the time he got back home and has stuck pretty close to his couch and recliner for the rest of the day.  I decided yesterday that I was ready for some chili so I made a pot of chili just for me!  Woody finished up the couple of items of leftovers of "his food."  I guess someone will be cooking tomorrow so he will have something to eat!

Nathan came over and helped me choose a Christmas present for Woody and me to give to Graham.  We've almost got gifts either bought or decided upon...which we need to order or purchase.

Isaac spent a long time over here again today building with K'nex.  He is making all kinds of buildings for a town.  He built a barn to go with his windmill and also a silo.  Then he built heliports for the helicopter and airplane he built yesterday and also one for the helicopter that Elijah built.  I think the last thing that he added to his town was an igloo!  He is having fun.  Joseph tagged along today and has enjoyed playing with the things that Isaac built.  Our living room is turning into a K'nex room...which brings back memories of Graham as he always wanted it to become a K'nex room!  I guess it is good that I'm not decorating for Christmas this year since this new interest in K'nex has popped to the surface for Isaac.  When I decorate the K'nex move from the room and find a corner in the guest room and usually get forgotten about till after I undecorate.

The best part of my day came when I opened up email late this afternoon and found the first "blue" prints for our kitchen.  We (mainly me) will be studying them this weekend and hopefully will get back with the contractor the first of the week.  I'm pretty pleased with what I see and I can see more clearly his vision and mine melding together!

A K'nex Kind of Day!

I had an abbreviated school day.  Joseph had his time with me.  He read and then had an Osmo Day.  Isaac came over and he read and then he had his long time early as his siblings were waiting for friends to come over to spend the day with them.  Also the leaf truck was in the neighborhood and some of them got busy blowing leaves out to the road in our yard and theirs.  Isaac decided that he wanted to build with K'nex and this time he decided that he would do some of the builds in the various K'nex instruction books that we have.  During his long time he made an airplane.  He went home for a little while and then came back and made a helicopter.  At some point he went home and had lunch and then he came back and ended up building a windmill that had a wind-up motor...the first build that he has done with a motor.  Anyway, in the end he spent most of the day over here.  Part of the time I helped him do a little reorganizing of the building pieces.  We started doing that when he couldn't find one part for the airplane.  With perseverance, we did finally find the elusive part.  He really had a lot of fun.

Woody ran two errands today and did them quite quickly.  I decided that he must be walking a bit faster!  He did tell me that he doesn't feel as tired today as he has lately.  So perhaps the shots and infusion he got yesterday added to his transfusion he got last week are starting to build him up again. I did check out his leg today and the infected area was less red...more pink today. Progress...I think!

Thanksgiving Lunch With the Neighbors

We had school this morning per usual for a Wednesday.  I got an invitation for a Thanksgiving lunch next door.  So after Elijah's long time, he and I headed over for lunch.  Woody stayed and ate some of "his food" here at the house.  Everyone was concerned that I hadn't gotten any turkey and fixings on Turkey Day!  I can now say I have had Thanksgiving! Gobble! Gobble!

Woody had quite a long appointment...anyway he left around 2pm and didn't get home till after 5pm.  He did stop and get gas on the way home, but still gone a long time at doctor...I thought that it was supposed to be a quick appointment.  He got the shot for anemia. He will get another next week. He also got a B-12 shot. The doctor told Woody that he had the lowest B-12 of anyone he had ever treated...not a good thing!  He also got an iron infusion.  I guess all should help with what is ailing him!!!  We hope!  The doctor said that he should start to perk up!  We think that his leg is better today.  I feel that we made the right decision about making sure that he get the treatments today rather than heading to Vanderbilt to have his leg looked at.  We will let the antibiotic continue its work!  We never did hear back from the orthopedic clinic after we returned their call.

I had my initial meeting with the contractor for remodeling the kitchen.  My head is still in a bit of spin...not exactly sure what all we talked about or where anything will be!  Will now wait to see his drawn plans for it.  He's supposed to email those to me. I'm happy that it is underway...glad that the planning has begun! After I blog, I am going to try to look online at the appliances that he
recommended.

An Addition to the Roads of TN!

Congratulations to Graham.  He took the driving part of the test today and is now the proud displayer of a temporary TN driver's license.  The man who rode with Graham said that he had only had one driver test in a larger vehicle than Graham drove.  Graham drove their 15-passenger van for his test.  Good going Graham.  I know he will be a big help to his parents.

School, cleaning, and I don't know what all I have done today.  But the day has passed all too quickly and I have more to do...but my back doth protest when I tell it that it needs to do some more work!  So recliner it is for me for a while.

Woody said that he feels like he is some better today.  I haven't looked at his leg yet this evening.  I'll do that just before he heads to bed.  It was still red when I looked this morning...it was filling up the mark that the doctor drew just before Woody came home from the hospital.  The orthopedic clinic never did get back in touch with us. Woody hopefully gets his shot for anemia tomorrow.  After that takes place, we'll decide if we need to get back in touch with the orthopedic and/or infectious disease teams at Vanderbilt.

Tomorrow is the day that the contractor is supposed to come for a consultation about kitchen renovations.  Wonder what I'll know tomorrow night...or if I'll just be confused about details!?!

Boxing Cats!

Literally we are boxing cats!  I was cleaning out a closet the other night and I was going to throw this box away, but decided to see if Georgia would enjoy it before it went into the trash.  After I took off both ends, she loved it and enjoys shooting through it.  I managed to catch her just looking out...most of the time my pictures showed a streak!  Her favorite toys = empty thread spools and now this box.  She doesn't cost much to keep her entertained!

Woody has attempted to be fairly good today and has stayed on the couch most of the day with his leg propped on pillows so it is above his heart.  The way he was told when he was in the hospital.  He says that the part that is hurting has shifted. Not sure if that is good or bad!  We got a call from the orthopedic clinic at Vanderbilt today, but missed the call.  I returned the call, but they never called back...I dislike "Doctor phone tag!" I'm sure that they were just checking on him since I had been in touch with Dr. Holt over the Thanksgiving weekend.  He did go to the Furnace Room Prayer meeting tonight...hopefully it wasn't too much for him.  I think that he overdid by going to both Sunday School and church yesterday.  He was walking on it too much.  We may end up having to go to Vanderbilt to get it checked, but we are hoping for him to get his shot for anemia on Wednesday before we have to go back.  I don't want to get to Vanderbilt, say tomorrow, and have them decide to put him back in the hospital and have him miss the shot that has taken so long to get scheduled!  The oncology clinic where he will get the shot just called with the appointment reminder.

I just got finished putting boxes back in the Christmas closet after pulling things out to find the children's Fisher Price nativity sets and our Precious Moments Nativity set.  I think that those will pretty much be our decorations this year.  I still haven't put away Fall decorations yet in the dining room so haven't put out the Precious Moments set yet.  The above pictured cat had better stay off the buffet if I do put them out!  I haven't seen her get up there...but that doesn't mean that she hasn't!  She is a very curious cat!  I have been planning in my head and on my iPad...about my meeting with the contractor who may be going to remodel our kitchen...that meeting is set up for Wednesday also...another reason I want us to be home on Wednesday...another long awaited meeting!

Back to the cat...I think that she is finally healing from her wounds...but still not completely. She is also settling in more as an inside kitty!  She is starting to be more of a lap cat.  She took a nap on my lap this afternoon and she just jumped up in my lap and started purring and settled right down on my lap while I am typing the blog...and not trying to get my fingers as I type!  She's not quite as claw swiping and biting as she once was.  I am determined to tame her if she is going to be inside.  Today she tapped at me as she walked by...but no claws out!  Good for her...and for me! Of course, I don't get as much done this way because I hate to boost her out of my lap once she settles down!  I like lap kitties and I can get more reading (or napping) this way!

The Lost is Found: A Cat Tale

This is Peaches...Esther's outside cat and Georgia's sister.  Esther left Grammy in charge of both kitties while she went with her family to visit with relatives for a few days to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Peaches usually stays very close to her back yard...once in a while she goes over to Grammy and Goosey's and they let her in for a while.  This morning when Grammy went over to feed Peaches, Peaches was no where to be found.  Grammy left a little food in her bowl and then kept checking to see if she had come back to her back porch.  But no Peaches!  Grammy called and called while she was outside.  She even walked around both houses to see if she was close but just couldn't hear her calling.  Grammy even thought that Peaches might be in her garage since it had rained in the night.  But Peaches didn't ever come.  Grammy went to check about every hour to see if the little food she had left had been eaten or if Peaches had made it back home.  Late afternoon Grammy was really getting worried about where she could be and why she had been gone so long.  Esther and her family would be getting back home and there would be no Peaches to greet Esther.  Grammy went on doing things around the house.  After she baked some pita bread and was cleaning up the kitchen she decided to empty the compost bucket.  She called while she was walking out to the compost pile.  Once again, she stopped at her garage and called...and what should she see but a frantic kitty in the back window of her car!  Last night Goosey (Woody) went out to put the car in the garage since it was going to rain.  Goosey takes his time getting in and out of the car...probably Peaches decided to explore and Goosey didn't see her get in.  Peaches had a dry night and a good part of the day in the car.  She was pretty happy to be let out and even happier to get fed for the first time today.  She went in Grammy's house with her to get the cat food and forgot to hiss at Georgia because she was so hungry!  Grammy is glad she was found before Esther returned so Esther wouldn't have to be sad that Peaches was missing! Peaches got to go in to visit with Grammy and Goosey and Georgia this evening so Grammy could get these pictures for the blog when she told Peaches' cat tale.  And, now Snip, snap, snout...this tale is told out!

It's Baaaaack!!

And, it being back is not a "good thing!"  His cellulitis has reared it's ugly head again.  The dark marks are the remains of the Sharpie marks that the doctor put on his leg in the hospital...so still within those lines.  But his leg had been all calm and here it is again!  After Woody showed me this morning that it was back.  I immediately emailed his Vanderbilt orthopedist.  She answered within 15 minutes.  She wanted me to get in touch with the infectious disease doctors that were listed on our dismissal sheet from the hospital...unfortunately they were not listed on the sheet only the orthopedist and her clinic were listed.  So she emailed someone at the infectious disease clinic and he got back to us very quickly, too.  He immediately phoned in a prescription for the antibiotic to our local pharmacy.  All this in a little over an hour!  Woody left to run errands with his friend who has no transportation.  Not long after he left, I got a call from our pharmacy and they don't have that antibiotic as it is not a common one.  But they had checked around and found that the Kroger pharmacy had it.n they were calling for permission to pass the prescription along to them along with insurance information.  I gave them permission and picked up the medicine when I did our grocery shopping this afternoon.  Hopefully we will get this infection nipped in the bud and have it gone quickly!  All I can say is..."if it isn't one thing it is another!"  It definitely covers a lot smaller area than before so hopefully we can keep it from spreading to as large an area as before.

Since cellulitis is an infection that is a deep skin infection, it can go as deep as the muscle.  And,
there is a chance that the metal plate and "loose" screws could be causing irritation that is causing the infection.  But the infection has to be cleared up before surgery to fix what's broken can be done.  Hope we don't go around in circles for too long!