Wednesday, November 25, 2009

What I am thankful for

Before the busy-ness of today and tomorrow hit (Thanksgiving dinner is at my house), I want to share what I am thankful for. I wrote a gratitude list a couple of posts ago and they still stand. Except for Halloween candy which I am now weaned off of. All candy for that matter.

I'm grateful for life. To get up every morning and breathe. To look out our big sunroom windows at the trees and mountains. I'm grateful for my cats that bookend me on my bed and keep me warm - usually Guida and Heiva. Stella stands on my chest to wake me up. Lupita is just a fruffy gray puddle. Cats are a nice invention.

I'm thankful for the gift of organization. Sometimes it's bothersome but most times, like now as we get my mom's house ready for her, it's a blessing. I've spent 16 hours at her house the past few days and many areas are now organized and ready for her. I'm thankful for Jan, Jason, Brandy, Amy and Paul who helped with the whole process to ready her house. And Comcast and Jay the plumber. I'm thankful for them too.

I'm thankful for food. There's a turkey in the fridge (thanks Jan and NuSkin), potatoes, yams, and other foods ready to prepare. I'm thankful Riley has a good job that sustains our family and for my own job that adds to our income. And that we both love our jobs. Love. our. jobs. I'm thankful for pecans and that we learned how to make and eat pecan pie while we were in Texas. It's the best. But we will still have a pumpkin pie too. And a keylime because that's Andrea's request.

I'm thankful for each family member in the Wheeler and Nelson families. From the tiniest new twin boys born yesterday to Ryan and Wendy Wheeler to the newest baby girl in the Nelson family (the first girl in 23 years) to my 80-year-old mother, I have the best family ever. Riley and my kids are my life - I think they know my life revolves around them. My sissy is one of my best friends. I couldn't ask for a better sister. My brothers are all caring, giving men who lend their love and support in a trying time. My mom is my hero and I love her dearly and suffer along with her as she ages, sometimes with extreme difficulty. And for my "other" family - the Parkers. I get to be grandma Kaye to Logan, Abby, Parker and Jane and a new baby boy next spring. While they aren't my own they give me good practice and I adore each of them. And their parents. And their grandparents who need to come to Utah for a visit.

I am thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is through his Atonement I have all of these blessings. He gives me new chances every time I make a mistake and all I have to do is remember him. He is my anchor and what drives my thoughts and actions. I love him.

Happy Thanksgiving to anyone who read this!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

No rest for the weary

It seems odd to be posting a blog in the middle of the night but I can't sleep. I keep waking up with all the things that need to be done at my mom's house on my mind. She is well enough to go home, or will be in a couple of weeks, we hope. And we are thoroughly grateful for that. But that entails hiring someone to live with her. If that isn't daunting enough (the interviewing, checking references, going over details about her needs, etc.) there is the work to be done to get her house ready. She needs a better sleeping arrangement (not a couch like she used to sleep on) so we need to clear out the TV room and move a bed in. The bed we are going to use in currently holding about 100 sweatshirts (I'm not kidding). So it has to be moved downstairs. Another bedroom needs to be cleared out for the live-in help. So does a bathroom. If anyone knows my mom's house, they know it is piled high with not only sweatshirts but floral arrangements, books, shoes, CDs, blankets, books, puzzles, dishes, more clothes, knickknacks and more books. These all have to go somewhere to make room for the new help.

The kitchen needs to be cleaned and stocked with food. Safety bars need to be installed; so do towel bars. Clutter needs to go, pathways need to be cleared and drawers need to be cleaned out. Curtains need to be washed, a TV cable installed for upstairs, new items need to be bought that will help my mom see better: a big number phone, a magnifier, an easy to turn on lamp, etc.

It's no wonder I can't sleep. And yes, I can ask for help and I will. But somebody's got to get the ball rolling.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

A fine balance

I like cleaning. I know, it's weird, but I like a clean house. I like organizing too. I'm not so anal as to alphabetize my spices but I do like things to be organized. "A place for everything and everything in its place." Yet I can't seem to stick with it these days. And I'm OK with that. Most areas in the house are clean and organized but behind closed doors lurks some untidy spots. And I DON'T CARE! I'm sure my obituary (some day) is not going to read "She was tremendously organized and kept a clean house." There are more important things on my plate right now than making sure all the sheets lay flat in a tidy pile in the linen closet or all the dishes in the dish drainer are put away every 15 minutes. I will, when I have time, straighten things -- I'm not giving up altogether. I just want less stress and if trying to get my storeroom organized stresses me out, I'm going to just avoid it. Until Riley notices. Even then, I might still ignore it.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Gratitude list

I came home depressed from my mom's rehab center because of an incident today. It's making me grumpy so I need to do something positive to get my happy self back. So here are things I am grateful for:

1) Our cats Lupita, Heiva, Guida and Stella
2) Special K cereal with yogurt chunks
3) Watching our fish and turtles
4) Our new room and the big windows
5) My flannel pajamas
6) Sleep
7) Cats sleeping near my feet (Riley gets annoyed but I love it)
8) My job and Riley's job
9) My calling in stake young women
10) Being able to wash my car at the car wash
11) Target
12) Half price Halloween candy
13) Memories of vacations with Riley and my kids
14) Reading the newspaper
15) The quilt Kathy made me
16) Band-aids and Neosporin
17) Ibuprofen
18) Talking to my kids in person or on the phone
19) Water
20) New carpet

There. I feel better already.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

My bloody stump of a foot

OK, so this isn't a great title for a blog post but geez - I have one! I split my foot open about 10 days ago. The big metal gate at the cabin caught me wrong and opened a big gash near my heel. I've been told I should have gotten stitches but we had just arrived at the cabin for a night and a day of R and R and I wasn't about to turn around and go back to town for a stupid cut. Riley (Dr. Nelson) bandaged it and I stayed off it Saturday. Later that day my nurse friend Callie steri-stripped it together, telling me I should get a tetanus shot.

I've hobbled around for 10 days now, wearing slippers or my backless shoes to work. I even had a doctor look at it Monday and yes, I got a tetanus shot. It was healing until I bumped it tonight and tore it open again. Arrrrggghhhhh! I'm just going to wear a pillow around my foot until the cut is healed. I'll show it.