Cady Is Home!

Wahoo! Cadence Grace has come home sweet home. Honestly though, there were moments when we all thought she'd never be released. Dismissal was a VERY long, drawn-out process. Talk about over-stimulation! It seemed that all at one time Abby and Matt were trying to listen to the Birth Certificate lady, the two photographers taking Cady's hospital picture, her lactation consultant, the transportation coordinator, the transport guy, and last but certainly not least her long-winded nurse. Talk about detail!!! At first, when the nurse began her dissertation, I thought, "Good, she's giving great information". Later, I thought, "She's certainly detailed-oriented". Abby looked at me one time as if to say, "Please get a gun and put me out of my misery!" After twenty-five minutes, I thought, "Anyone got an extra sock to stuff in her mouth?" Then the inevitable happened. I got tickled. Have you ever in church when you found yourself about to laugh and as hard as you tried, you could not stop? Well, that was me today. At first, I tried to stifle my giggles. Then, when I snorted, I excused myself to the bathroom down the hall. While I was in the bathroom, I texted Matt a picture of me silently screaming. Just as I walked back into the room, he was looking at the text picture. He almost had to leave the room! I thought, being a mature(?) adult, I should be able to compose myself. Well, that nurse just kept yacking and yacking endlessly with lots of useless information. She practically read every line of all 20 pages of who knows what. I sat down on the bed with my back to the nurse and my face to Matt's mom Brenda. Well, my giggling got worse and it was contagious - Brenda caught it. She had to leave the room and I followed. We tried not to disturb the entire sixth floor but we burst out laughing uncontrollably. Whew, it was good to get it all out. Luckily, the nurse knew nothing about our outburst.

Here some pictures of today as Cadence, Abby & Matt are getting ready to go home.

This reminds me of a pose of Brie!

Would you look at all the stuff they brought to the hospital? It looks like they're returning from a two-week vacation !

Sweet Ivester family buckled and ready to go!!!!

Let's Squelch This Rumor!

This is a copy of an email I sent to the office ladies at church referring to a church staff member.

(Disclaimer: This is completely a tongue-in-cheek email!)
Rumor has it that Abby had a C-section when delivering Cadence Grace. Untrue, untrue! Let me explain how this vicious rumor started:
It began with a staff member who shall remain anonymous (except for the fact that she's single and ever-so-slightly older than 39. Sounds like this could be a movie??! But let's not go there). Without calling her name, I am imploring you church gals to assist her so that she doesn't cause more trouble in the future. We certainly don't need to be out firing and hiring church ministers unnecessarily.
Said Anonymous Dudette (heretofore referred to as S.A.D. person) texted me numerous times yesterday when she heard the news of Abby's new baby girl. I say numerous . . . I'm talking one right after the other, right after the other, etc. ad nauseum. One text simply asked, "Did she deliver naturally?" I texted back quickly, "NO WAY!!!" And, of course, you three church gals know I meant that Abby had an epidural, not that she had a C-section. Apparently, I need to give some definitions that I hope you will share with S.A.D. person.
"Deliver naturally" refers to experiencing excruciating pain that God only intended Eve to experience. "Naturally" means NO MEDS whatsoever . . . a.k.a. insanity. Only the insanely ignorant can endure such woe. Delivering naturally compares to pushing a large watermelon through a drinking straw.
S.A.D. person meant to say "Did she deliver vaginally?" Now, admittedly that's not a visual you want to form in the brain. That might cause even the iron-stomached to become queasy. So, for further clarification, S.A.D. person should never, ever ask that question to a new mom or a new grandmom.
S.A.D. person (if she continues to be so nosey) needs to ask "Did she have a C-section" or "Did she enjoy that epidural?" Another definition is coming: Epidural means a wonderfully beautiful shot in the spine that immediately relieves pregnant moms of all pain (exclusion being her husband). Before epidural: Mom-to-be is screaming, spitting, possibly cussing, and swearing never to do "it" again so she's never in this pain again. After epidural: Mom-to-be is lying in bed resting, humming, smiling and laughing at all the moms who chose the all-natural approach (refer to the earlier paragraph about watermelons and straws).
I hope this email clarifies the fact that Abby Rucker Ivester is one intelligent young lady who enjoyed delivery of Cadence Grace. (Too bad there's not a semi-permanent epidural for episiotomy pain, and NO I"m not giving a definition for that! And take that mental picture away!!!)

Before Epidural

After Epidural!!!!

Cadence Grace Ivester ! !

(F.Y.I.: I am, by nature, a journaler. If you are wondering how I'm so certain of the hours mentioned below, it's because (a) I have a wristwatch and (b) I wrote it down in my journal. I shall hand over the journal to Abby tomorrow for a keepsake.)


Wow, what a difference a day makes! Dr. Gower sure knew his stuff when he decided to halt the Pitocin and to begin anew this morning. Early today the Pitocin drip began and at 6:30am he broke Abby's water. Almost immediately, the pains began. When Tom & I arrived at 7:10 she was in "some more ahurtin' "! And she thought she had contractions yesterday. HA Those were mere baby pangs compared to what she experienced today. She was having hard contractions one right after the other. She looked up at me when I arrived and, if she could have spoken, she'd have said "Get her out and get her out NOW!" At 7:30 Abby got her epidural and she was in a very happy place. All was well in the world. At 7:45 she was already 100% effaced and 4 centimeters dilated. They got a picture with Dr. Gower who delivered Abby 25 years ago. But he was going off so he did not get to deliver Cadence. But Dr. Price was a great replacement. Around 8:30 Abby and Matt were sound asleep and snoozed for about 30 minutes while Cadence was preparing to make her entrance. At 10:10am Matt came to the waiting room and told us that Abby wanted to see us before she took another nap. Matt LIED. When we got in the room, Abby said, "I've got something to tell ya'll." I thought, "Gee, does she have two babies in there?" She quietly said, "I'm 9 centimeters and I'll be pushing in just a little while." You could have heard a pin drop . . . that was just prior to our screaming "NO WAY!" We skipped back to the waiting room elated and on fire. She began to push around 11am. (She later told us she only pushed during 6 contractions, waited a bit for the doctor, then with one big push, Cadence was OUT). At 12:15pm the fire alarms went off. Hmmmmmmmmm . . . what to do if we're asked to leave. Our lives or seeing our new granddaughter. Fortunately, the alarms shortly ceased. Matt texted his mom Brenda and I at the same time and said Cadence was born at 12:25pm and was 8# 7oz. Big baby. We were surprised. But we didn't get to see the precious one until 1:35!!! The wait was about to kill us. FINALLY, he texted us and said she had finished nursing the baby and we could come in. The birth of our second granddaughter was just as thrilling as our first granddaughter. No words can express our joy. This was the Ivester's first grandchild. I was already teary-eyed when I began to hand the baby to Brenda. It took a few minutes b/c Brenda was bawling her eye out and couldn't take Cadence. She said, with tears flowing, "That's my grandbaby!" Well, that was all it took. Even the grown men in the room had tears streaming down their faces. It was a precious moment.

Cadence is absolutely beautiful! She looks nothing like my three children did. I can't say she really looks like either Abby or Matt at this point. She is just precious Cadence. She has black wavy/curly hair. The cutest ears in the world. And she didn't cry today except when the nurse was giving her the first bath, which was at the viewing room for newborns. The entire world got to see Cadence in all her new skin getting scrubbed and coiffured, complete with the little Pebble's curlicue on top. I can't wait til tomorrow morning and I get to see how much she's already changed. I remember that from little Brie. I also can't wait to get Brie and Cadence, the two little cousins, together for the first time. I will document that, for sure.

My baby's baby!

The Ivester family, complete with Papa Ed.

The Rucker family minus Chad who had meetings and couldn't leave work. He came later.

Sweet Brie was at home with a great babysitter.

Bright-eyed!

Dad Matt with sweet Cady Grace who is now clean as a whistle!

A doll!

Let The Pushing Begin!

It's 11:15a.m. and Abby will begin to push her precious baby out any minute now. I'll keep you informed! Thanks, Jimmy (a.k.a. PaPa Ivester), for letting me use your laptop!

Cadence Grace Ivester's UNbirthday

Well, this was the birthday that was not to be. To make a very long day short, Abby was induced early today. By 3:30 she had only dilated 2 c. and her contractions were not regular. The doctor made the decision to stop the Potocin (sp.?) - or as my friend Nancy said, "they put a stop to the pot". Dr. Gower say Abby would have probably gone another 16 hours before delivery and he didn't want to put her through that. So she's spending the night in the hospital, eating a good meal tonight and, hopefully, getting a good night's sleep. Early tomorrow, they start the inducing medication once again. Supposedly, since she had that med for a long time today, tomorrow will see faster results. Still, it may be a long day. But at least Abby will be semi-rested. She had a great attitude tonight when we left. But she's so ready to see her daughter.

Her friend and labor & delivery room nurse is Ashley. Love that girl!

One of Ab's many potty breaks during the day!

Matt's former neighbor and Ab & Matt's friend, Shannon came with her son Will. Her shirt said, "Proud Neighbor" and Will's shirt said "Future Husband"!! Will even brought Cady flowers!

Brie was a welcome relief for Abby. Brie wore pink and brown in honor of her cousin Cady.

The three Rucker girls. Michelle is in her nurse anesthetist scrubs plus her festive Halloween scrub "cap"

Sweet Brie spending time with her Papa while we visit Abby.

Pray for Abby and Cadence on Tuesday. The doctor said Abby WILL have a baby on 10-28-08!

Lazy Sunday before Wild and Wonderful Monday

I went to a wedding last night and over did it a bit standing up. Swelling was bad last night. So today I'm taking it easy. I listened to church via radio and then Tom & I ate lunch out then went to our respective resting places (sounds like a burial ground, huh?) and blobbed the afternoon away. Tom went to the swing out back and I got in the bed with tons of cover over me. I, in honor of sister Jane, watched "The Birds". Jane hates birds of any kind and I always call her while I'm watching the movie just to bug her. While I was watching the movie, Tom brought me (not breakfast in bed, but...) popcorn in bed. So sweet. That just completed a great Sunday afternoon.

Before the wedding yesterday I tried to polish my toenails. Good grief. I didn't realize what an ordeal it was to bend my knee in order to get to my toes. Honestly, it looked like a blind person did the job. My toes looked more like they were bleeding than having been freshly polished. However, when I took a bath, I scrubbed the excess polish and my toes looked pretty good for the wedding - not that anyone even noticed.

Well, hopefully, tomorrow will be the BIRTHday of Cady Grace. I hope for Abby's sake that she doesn't go into Tuesday. That would be a terribly long labor. But Cadence will be worth however many hours of labor. That's so easy for me to say HA

Here's to "The Birds", Jane!!!!

More News On Baby Ivester

Abby will be induced early Monday morning, if she doesn't go naturally before then. The doctor that will deliver Cadence is the same doctor that delivered Abby over 25 years ago. How about that?!

Roller Coaster Ride Gets Faster!!!!!

Wow, this is crazy fun. Abby called last night on her way home from the HOSPITAL! Yep, she and Matt went last night b/c she was concerned that she had not felt the baby move most of the day, even after I gave her a caffeine iced tea which usually sends Cadence into full breakdance mode. She called her good friend who is a labor & delivery room nurse (who happened to be working at the hospital). Ashley said to come on in that Ab's favorite doctor was there also. Isn't God good? That immediately eased Abby's mind. Dr. Stamm checked Cadence out and said he had not heard such a strong heartbeat in a long time. But Abby's amniotic fluid is 4.5 and ideally it's between 8 and 18. The doctor said Cadence is a big baby (I wonder how big?) and that she doesn't have much room to move with low fluid so that's why Abby doesn't feel her moving. Also, Abby was having contractions. She is 90% effaced (up from 80% on Wed) and still 1 c. dilated. She was monitored then sent home. Dr. Stamm thinks sweet Cadence may be arriving on her own in the next few days. Regardless, this morning Abby is having a biophysical exam to determine if her fluid has decreased more. If so, she will be admitted to hospital and induced. If not, she'll go home and return on Monday to check the fluid again. I'm wondering if Cady Grace will be this unpredictable during her life. Could be a pattern developing here! I'll keep updating when I can.
LATEST UPDATE
Ab just called (8:45). Her fluid is up so no inducement today. She is having random contractions. The baby weighs about 8 pounds right now! Doctor thinks she'll deliver in the next few days, but they won't let her go beyond Wed. of next week. I gotta run..............

Roller Coaster Ride!

Wow, what a crazy few days with Abby's pregnancy! This afternoon the o.b. doctor called Ab and said her amniotic fluid is low. Tomorrow at 8:15 she will have a test to check the fluid level. If too low, she will be admitted for inducement. If not, she'll have the same test on Monday morning and if low, she will be induced. At the very latest, she will be induced on Wed. So, I could have a new granddaughter on Friday, Monday, or Wednesday. HA HA Crazy, huh? Abby is fine. It's actually kinda humorous and she's taking it great. She's very thankful the doctor is so on top of this and taking care of her. She has a very good friend who works in the office of high risk pregnancies (where her amniocentesis was) and she has a very good friend who works in labor and delivery at the hospital. The o.b. doctor became aware of this and calls Abby the V.I.P. patient. It sure helps to have some nurse-friend connections. Please pray for Abby and Matt over the next few days of uncertainty.

This afternoon Andrea, Brie and I went to Abby's to hang out for a while. Here are some pictures of today.

Mother and daughter

Mother-in-waiting and her niece

Mimi and sweet, sleeping Brie

She's a very happy baby!

All In God's Timing

Ab heard from the test results about Cadence's lung development. It confirms the previous test results. As it stands right now, inducement will probably be next week, perhaps Wednesday. Her ob doctor is conferring with the doctor who performed the amniocentesis. There is a real blessing here: The doctor who did the amnio has written articles about Cholestasis of Pregnancy, which Abby may have. So he is well aware of the risks and the importance of not allowing Abby to go full term. How great is that? The two doctors are conferring on the date of inducement for Abby. We'll know more later on today. How can Abby be sad with the waiting game when it's been confirmed that Cadence does not need to enter the world just yet? Actually, sweet Abby is doing great today. She knows full well that God is in complete control and Cadence will come in God's perfect timing.
Now, I'm about to go visit my pregnant daughter along with my pretty daughter-in-law and my granddaughter, Brie. Tootles.................

My Two Granddaughters - One In Womb & One Out

Brie 10-21-08

Ok, can we just collectively pour chocolate over Brie and eat her with a spoon? So precious.

The latest with Abby is that the amniocentesis was inclusive about the lung development of Cadence. The amniotic fluid was sent to Virginia for much more extensive testing which will determine the level of lung development. We'll should know by tomorrow the test results. If her lungs are developed, Ab will be induced either Thursday or Friday. If not, the doctor will be able to give her a good idea of how many more days it will take to develop her lungs - probably 5-7 days. I can't wait to see precious little Cadence Grace. Brie will love her, too. The days, weeks, months, and years ahead will be so wonderful watching my first two grandchildren play and love each other.

Indeed . . . The Circle of Life

It's the wee hours of Wed. morning. I'm not sleepy; I'm excited. I may be a new grandmother as early as Thursday. Abby is having a test today to determine if Cadence Grace has fully developed lungs. If so, Ab will be admitted tonight and deliver her precious one on Thursday! I'm praying all goes just as God designs. He knows what's best and I have complete faith that He will guide the next few days as He sees fit. Just thinking about another precious little girl coming into this world that's part Abby, part Matt, and part ME! That just amazes me. That's the reason I named my blog The Circle of Life. God truly is in the center. All of my children and all my relatives present and past touch each other in a remarkable way. It just boggles my mind to think of a baby from conception to delivery and how God just planned this out so well. I'm looking forward to viewing Cadence Grace and snuggling her close to my face and rubbing cheeks. I've so enjoyed doing that with Brie. What a miracle child birth is! Isn't God good??

Honey, I Shrunk The Sink!!!!

Again, look what my life has come down to. Don't get me wrong I'm thankful for (1) a husband willing and able to do home remodeling, (2) my knee feeling better today so that I cooked a meal, (3) the fact that I don't solely rely on my kitchen sink to wash dishes. Let's explore that last #3. I do have a sink in the laundry room which is located just beside my kitchen. However, as you can see from the picture below, the sink is mighty small! It won't even hold a regular-sized saucepan.
My laundry room is not very large. I cleared out some junk to create a place to drain dishes. If you have been unlucky enough to see my laundry room, you'll be amazed that I completed this fete. However, tonight when I washed what few dishes we had, I felt like King Kong washing dishes in Fay Wray's apartment sink! And to make matters worse, I had a crockpot dinner and I forgot to put in the liner which means I must soak that sucker and wash it later. But where? It simply will NOT fit in the sink. Yes, I could use the tub in the bathroom, but something about washing dishes in my tub just totally creeps me out! We do, indeed, have an antique tin wash tub. Hmmmmm, maybe ole Tommy Boy will have to get that tub for future dish washing.

My Winter Home, Prison, and Kitchen Update

Have I told ya lately how much I love cool weather? Cold weather is even better. My poor husband . . . he does not hold these same sentiments. He's got less blubber than me hence he gets cold much, much faster than I do. Talk to me in 40 pounds and maybe I'll get cold. When cool weather arrives, my house (which has pitiful insulation) gets cool. . . very cool. Tom looked at our thermostat over the weekend:

It was way too cold for Tommy. I was a good girl and I turned it up to 64 . . . and I'm not kidding!

Last we chatted, Tom was stressed b/c the black grout turned out gray. Not what we wanted. I searched the internet and am awaiting a kit that will give us black grout. It'll be similar to an art project, but thankfully I love to do stuff like this so I'm happy with it. Tom would go crazy painting that grout. I'll take this burden from him . . . if he releases me from strict couch rest. Time will tell. And to think that the Home Depot nut gave me such crap about his "knowledge" of grout colorant products. When I was stuck with that man, I was in verbal prison! I could not escape him. Please avoid a short, pudgy, balding man who pretends to be a knowledgeable Home Depot employee. He's an impostor!

Speaking of prison, I have been in virtual prison since my "strict couch rest" orders from Dr. Rucker. Here's how I've felt minus the hairy arms:

I called Tom this morning and told me I'd broken out of prison and was getting my nails done and making a trip to BiLo! The freedom felt great!!!!!

The freedom is short-lived. Tom probably has a "nanny-cam" watching every move I make - tracking how much I'm elevating my leg and how much time I'm on the computer. Oops! I better get off this computer...........

"Help Me, Rhonda"

"Help Me, Rhonda; Help, Help Me, Rhonda!!" I'm singing the Beach Boys' song today. Tom's working in the kitchen again. Tom's surveying the situation before cutting a hole for the sink

Now I have no cooktop in the kitchen and I have no sink! Guess I'll be doing little to NO cooking for a while, huh?

Poor Tom. As stated earlier, when Tom does any project (big or small) he always has problems to surface. This time the grout on the cooktop side of the kitchen is gray instead of black. Don't know why. We're still trying to assess the situation and decide how to fix the problem. Hey, I'm not opposed to hitting it with a sharp-point black magic marker. What do you think? We're delaying the decision for now. I'm doing internet searches to help us out. Any ideas?

I went to Home Depot today to get something for the kitchen. (Tom temporarily took me off strict couch rest to do this errand). Unfortunately, I asked the wrong employee to help me with a product. Seems, according to the lunatic employee, that this guy was a retired chemist who had researched, tested and come up with the chemical compounds for practically all the products on aisle 18. Jeepers. What an egotistical maniac! He told me way too many details and information that I cared diddly about. He talked and yacked for about 25 minutes - all the while my knee was hurting and I was trying to get in a comfortable position. I should have (1) asked him to take me to the nearest recliner (2) asked him for some ear plugs (3) stuffed nearby insulation down his throat. But, no, I just stood there til my knee couldn't take it any longer. I told him I'd just had knee surgery and I needed to get off my knee. Low and behold, he starts following me down the aisle saying, "Oh, I've had that, too. Let me tell you about it." For the first time in 4 weeks, I walked rapidly and as far away from this nut as possible.

Doctor's Orders

Doctor Rucker (I sleep with my doctor) ordered me on strict couch rest for two weeks. He's such a pushy ole man. When we found out my newest granddaughter will arrive in about two weeks, Dr. Rucker told me I needed to do the best I could to get my knee better so that I can actually walk to her hospital room (as opposed to using a wheelchair). And so that I can help Abby when she comes home (without my hiking pole!). So I shall abide by my "doctor's" request and blob on the sofa except for doing my knee exercises. Don't get me wrong - I can mold into a sofa and become one with it better than most people. But when you are "ordered" to lay around, the fun is just sucked out of it. That's when I think of millions of things I want to do - all of which require me standing on my legs. Actually, I should not be sitting at this computer because my leg is hanging down and my knee is slightly swelling. So I guess I'll just run to the nearest bed and get off my feet. I'll try to slip away daily to update my blog on how I love to do nothing.

The Knee and The Old Lady

Yesterday's visit to the doctor was not fun. He drained fluid from my knee and it was not a pleasant experience. I was lying down (so I wouldn't faint!). He asked me if I'd like to see what he extracted from my knee. I said, "Sure". It looked just like urine. Honestly. The doctor gave it some name I'd never heard of. He extracted about 90cc which relates to between 1/3 and 1/2 cup of junk. Plus he gave me a shot of cortisone. When I first looked at my knee, I realized that it looked much more normal in size (a relative term b/c I have tree-trunk legs). So I fully expected to be able to walk out of the office much better than I walked into the office. Nope. It just didn't work that way. Apparently, according to doc, the muscles behind my knee are extremely weak and this makes my knee buckle up under me and I almost fall when I take steps. Bummer. I had trouble with this before the fluid drainage, but it's much worse now. So, I - a 50-something-year-old-woman have resorted to . . . . . drum roll, please . . . .
That's right, a hiking pole! I'll be dern if I'm gonna use a walker or a walking cane. At least this hiking pole looks athletic and not pathetic. And let me tell you it is very helpful. It keeps me stable when walking, it helps me get up from chairs (and toilets) more gracefully and it just makes me feel safer. Last night I could not have walked without it. I must say that today is better. The back of my knee feels so much better today. The cortisone shot has begun to work, thankfully. I'm still keeping my hiking pole close at hand and hopefully tomorrow I can return the pole to its resting place until my next real hiking experience.

Catching Up On The Last Week

MY KNEE Well, last week and this week have not been good for me and my knee. It's so swollen. I'd take a picture of it but I don't have wide-angle lens! Most often I sit with my leg hiked up and an ice bag on my knee. No fun. It's getting more difficult to get up from a chair and especially the toilet (please try to not get a mental image of this). But today I'm going back to the orthopaedic doctor to have my knee drained. Yes, I said drained. Doesn't that sound painful? I'll let you know later today if I'm able. On to more news from the past week:

TOM AND THE KITCHEN PROJECT He's still working on the kitchen (well, one side of the kitchen). It's looking great! I'm so proud of how hard Tom has been working and how wonderful the countertops look. Here's a picture of him in action.....

Tom used standard 1/16 spacers between the granite tiles. He put a 4" backsplash of granite and realized that the standard spacers would not work. Bright Tom (nudged by bright Matt) thought about using coins (quarters) for spacers b/c they are approximately 1/16 inch thick. Brilliant. When our neighbor dropped by to see the progress of the kitchen, he commented that you can tell when people have lots of money . . . . they use quarters as spacers. HA Couldn't be farther from the truth. But the quarters did work beautifully.

It's difficult to tell with the reflection, but the quarters worked!

Meanwhile, it's still a challenge to cook in my kitchen. I was cooking a crockpot meal for a friend, and the only place to plug the crockpot was in front of the windows with the crockpot sitting in a chair.

ANOTHER PROJECT - UNPLANNED Sunday night we were sitting in the den and I heard something strange from the front yard. I told Tom to go check it out. Well, another mailbox kicked the bucket! We're gone through so many mailboxes. Some by car accidents, some maliciously knocked down, some are still a mystery. This was a hit and run. Look at the damage.
The thick wooden post was split in half and part of my azalea was broken. Our neighbor happened to be in her yard and said it was a white SUV that sped by and apparently lost control. The next morning I walked to survey the damage. I found a hubcap. Now, we're looking for a FORD white SUV. I thought about putting a sign in the yard saying "I'll trade your hubcap for a new mailbox/post". I still may put a sign out. Some parent may be wondering how their child mysteriously lost a hubcap. Plus there must be some damage on the car. Oh well......

PICTURE OF BRIE AND HER PARENTS

She's a living doll, huh?

No wonder she's so pretty - look at her parents!

Weekend Happenings

Tom The Toolman He worked very hard this weekend in my kitchen. He loves his new wet saw. Works wonderfully. He has all the pieces cut for one side of my galley-style kitchen. I find this difficult to believe but he says there are 42 different pieces of granite tile for just the stove-top side of my kitchen. Good grief, we're using 12 x 12" granite tiles. How can that be? Tom, my meticulously anal-about-detail toolman husband has all the tiles neatly numbered. They are sitting on the floor of another room ready to be put in place asap. Unfortunately, the asap is not asap as I want. We have special prayer-emphasis services Sun. - Wed. nights this week. Tom will not be able to tackle the kitchen until the weekend. Then it's on to the other side of the kitchen. Here's is my Tommy using his new toy.


Brie
A welcome relief from his hard work, Tom was glad to hold Aubrie this weekend. She stayed with us one afternoon while her parents were away. She is an angel.

Looks like Brie is hugging Papa!

Is she cute, or what? So precious.

Achy, Breaky Legs I don't know why, but both my legs ache like a toothache. I realize that I've had knee surgery and I know I'm working out with my Physical Therapist (more like a physical trainer), but why do both my legs ache? I'm just a wee bit tired of this. My knee feels great where the procedure was done. The problem is some swelling above my knee and to the right. What gives? I'll address this issue with my doctor tomorrow at the appointment. I have another granddaughter due in 5 weeks! Yippee! But I must feel better to enjoy the moment and to be able to help out.
The Weekend Ahead Tom and I get the privilege of keeping Brie overnight this coming weekend. Boy, will I have some pictures to put over the web!

Martha Stewart Fau Pas

You've heard, of course, how my kitchen is in a mess during remodeling. And, since I had outpatient surgery, it has been a while since I've cooked a complete meal. I have always loved to cook - even as a teenager. I have missed cooking. Several months ago I found a new recipe that I've been saving to cook one night for Tom. It is Baked Chicken with a twist. Well, actually with a can of Ginger Ale stuck up the hen's rear.

Lovely image, huh? I absolutely LOVE baked chicken (clear your gutter mind, Rucker children). I like good, tender, moist (this is for Andrea) chicken that just falls off the bone. Unfortunately, I have never perfected this technique . . . short of buying a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. I am determined to find a recipe that works for me. This Ginger-Ale-can-in-the-rear recipe would be my saving grace, I was sure. It marinaded for 8 hours in lots of spices and sauce. Yummy, I could almost taste it.

Also, on the menu last night was collards. While running errands yesterday, I realized that I did not have a cooktop, hence no collards. I called Tom and asked him how much trouble it would be for me to (1) find his camping stove, (2) find the stand for the stove to sit on, and (3) light the stove w/o blowing up my property. Tom quickly said I'd do better using the "eye" on our outdoor gas grill. Again, what were my chances of blowing up my neighborhood. Honestly, as much as I love to cook, I have NEVER lit a gas grill. That's Tom baby. He assured me it was no big deal. He walked me through the steps and presto . . . it worked!

I did put a lid on this pot to keep out leaves and critters.

Also on the menu was cornbread muffins. I have that down to a science, thanks to sweet Betty Boop who used to help out with Mom and Dad. She makes the best cornbread. The crucial ingredients are cornmeal (of course), Crisco, buttermilk and cold water. I knew I was in trouble with I realized I did not have Crisco or buttermilk. Two out of four ingredients should have been a red flag.

The chicken was coming out of the oven and my mouth was salivating! When Tom began to cut into the chicken, he looked up at me with this look of disdain. When he began to saw the chicken like it was a log, I said, "Forget it, we're only having collards and cornbread." I've included a pic of the pathetic chicken. I didn't even take one bite of it. Tom only tasted one piece and said, "Well, at least it has a good flavor." Thanks.

Many times before, Tom and I have enjoyed a supper of only collards and cornbread. So this was not such a big deal. Well, yeah, it really was, but I'm trying to look on the bright side. Would you believe that the cornbread was horrible? Just look for yourself.

This was the crumbliest, ugliest cornbread ever seen by the human eye. You could not even begin to butter a piece because it just crumbled into nothingness.

To say that this supper was underwhelming is the understatement of the century. I ate my cornbread with a spoon, ok? The best was the collards, cooked outside. I think my messy kitchen has messed with my mind.

Helping Others Helped Me

When Tom works overtime or we get extra money from somewhere, we put the 10% tithe away and give it to someone or some organization. We've had some $ set aside for a while and just haven't done anything with it. In yesterday's paper, there was an article about how bare the food banks are in this area. The food banks gladly accept food donations but prefer cash donations so they can purchase what they need and they have the ability to buy things very cheaply b/c they are non-profit. Anyway, Tom & I discussed it and today's job was for me to go to two food banks and give a check. I called one and found I could mail them a check which I will do. The other one was located not far from the house. The phone number was only a recording, so I decided to drive there. When I walked in, two sweet ladies were stocking the shelves with food items. I asked them if I could make a cash donation and one precious older lady led me to the office. When I laid eyes on her, I thought "she looks so familiar". Tom says everyone looks familiar to me so I didn't think that much of it. I figured she lived in a nearby town or I'd seen her at BiLo. After I gave my check to the office lady, she led me back through the food storage area. She commented how bare the shelves had been but that Rachel (one of the ladies stocking) had brought a large food donation from her church in Mauldin. I whipped around very fast and said to whom I knew was Rachel, "You were my Momma's friend. I'm Martha Moore's daughter, Joy." It was Rachel Wyman. What a reunion we had. We hugged and talked. She knew I had a granddaughter and knew that Abby was pregnant. She's also a great friend of Grace, Mom's best friend. What a small world. And what a wonderful moment. But as I drove home, I got teary eyed. I still miss my Mom. I miss my Dad, too, of course, but there's just something about a mother/daughter bond that cannot be described. I do miss her terribly. She is and always will be the Original Mimi. I'm just a mere substitute for that title. But I'll carry that title proudly and pray that Joy Mimi will be half the sweet, caring, loving and praying grandmother/mother that Martha Mimi was. Love ya, Sweet Mimi

Precious Pictures of Baby Brie

One night this week, Tom and I went to Mark and Andrea's to finish cleaning their carpet (remember the carpet-cleaner-breaking-down-in-the-middle-of-the-job fiasco?) Isn't that a grand excuse to go and hold my granddaughter? I thought so. I'm still milking the knee surgery as long as I can so I could not help in this work project. I gladly held sweet Brie while Tom cleaned and while Mark went to get some takeout for supper.
Apparently, other family members were having Brie withdrawal. After just a while, Great Aunt Jane and Aunt Abby dropped by. They had been out to eat for a girls' night out. We had a blast just staring at Brie. Here are some pictures:

Mimi and her little Brie

Brie seems to have a sweet bond with Aunt Abby

Aunt Jane held Brie for this picture. Sorry I cut you off, Jane, but you know who's important.

Not much else happening this week. I have continued therapy. He made me sweat yesterday. On Friday I'll begin the treadmill. Yuck. Not because I'll be walking on a treadmill but that I prefer to sweat in private! I'm still having issues with my knee swelling. He's remedy for that is to sit, elevate and ice. Hmmmmmmmmm. I'm sorta tired of sitting on my rump. I admit to being out and about too much. I've just needed to go to Walmart, Lowe's, etc. to get small things for my kitchen. Is that too much to ask? Oh, well. The therapist said this would last for another 4-6 weeks. Double yuck. I have another granddaughter due in less than 6 weeks. This does not suit me. But I'll be a good little girl and try to be obedient. Sit, Elevate, Ice. My mantra for the next few weeks.