Since my partying days are over, New Year's is just another day. I do get a little nostalgic each year on New Year's Eve because it reminds me of all the ski trips to Colorado. We always had a great time on New Year's Eve. I'm still trying to get well, but I did go get the car washed. It's essential that my car be clean on the first day of the new year. I got all the yard ornaments at least in the garage...though not in the attic where they will eventually live. I have a few daffodils starting to peak out of the ground, so I planted a few more bulbs that I already had plus about 30 Dutch irises as well. Bulbs are so much fun because to me they are always a surprise. Tomorrow I will have black eyed peas and cabbage at a friend's house and hope the old adage about good health and wealth are true this year.

I am in sticker shock. Today I looked around at TV's. Dayum....I had no idea they were so expensive. Guess I haven't bought one in a while. I really need two now. The store where I looked hardest and where I bought a lot of stuff from when I moved here gave me a calendar. I started putting some stuff on it and discovered it is a 2007 calendar. WTH! I don't need that! Hope that's not how the new year will be!

12th Night

Tonight was the first event of the Mardi Gras season. It signifies the end of Christmas and the beginning of Mardi Gras. All the Krewes in the area get together and introduce the season's royalty. It was also the first time to wear our decorated tuxedo jackets. I wasn't there for long because I am just not well yet. I had one beer, watched the royalty call outs and I was out of there. I couldn't stop coughing and that is just annoying for EVERYONE, so I left and went home where I belonged.

Recovering

After two days of not leaving the house and staying mostly in bed, I think this will be the day I venture out for a little while. I'm not well, but I am much better. My mom is still sick and my sister-in-law is still sick. They both had prescribed meds and my brother and I did not. He and I are almost well, while the two of them are not! A friend brought me some lunch yesterday and I started feeling better after I ate. She didn't come in because I told her how contagious this stuff is.

Last night I had an email from someone wanting to put something in our bal' program....hello........it's at the printer. They had 3 months to put stuff in there. I swear...I will never do that job again!! In fact, I was even thinking last night about not rejoining the Krewe when the time comes.

My doctor's office called this morning and told me the pathology report said they got it all this time, so we are through digging in my hand with a scalpel!

Life is good...

Santa came and was very generous. Looks like I will be getting a couple of new tv's soon....maybe tomorrow! But....my whole family with the exception of my dad is sick. Mom had it first, then my brother, my sister-in-law and I got it. In fact, my sister-in-law is so sick that she had to call off her Christmas at her Lake House tomorrow night with her family. She has been doing that for many years, but she just can't do it now. She didn't even come to Mom's for Christmas dinner today. She made creamed corn and sent it by my brother and he took a plate to her, but she was too sick to eat. She had planned to fry catfish filets and cover them with crawfish e'touffe for her family. Wow! That would have been tasty!! We have told Mom that this would be her last year to have Christmas dinner at her house. She is simply not able to do it. She cooked chicken and dressing because that is what everyone expects, but when I saw how tired she was last night when I went to get them to take them to candlelight service, I told her this was going to be her last year. We would figure out something else to do. My house is too small and my sister-in-law does Christmas Eve at her house. There is another family that is always with us on those two occasions. We used to do Christmas breakfast at their house, but since the kids got big, we don't any more. We'll figure something out. We have a YEAR! Who knows? The world may end first!

Yucky

I am coming down with something that plans to make me miserable for the Christmas festivities. The sore throat started last night, but sort of disappeared today. I noticed last night when we went to eat that Mom had her dishes all piled in the sink, so I went down early today to clean her kitchen for her. She had already put the dishes in the dishwasher. I know she does that every night, but I also know she didn't feel well last night, so I was going to do it for her. I went to the garden and picked me some broccoli and I cleaned her kitchen for her. I came home and steamed the broccoli with some onions, potatoes and carrots, ate it and went to bed. I still don't feel so good, but I am trying to stop this in its tracks. Even if I can't stop it, I have a doctor appointment Monday morning to get my stitches out. He can fix me then with drugs and shots.

Merry Christmas

I just delivered this bird to my aunt at her assisted living facility. He is a big hit. They have one lady convinced the bird is real and I taught him to say everything that he says.

Social Butterfly

I actually thought this was going to be a slower week than last week, but that has turned out to not be true. Lunch with ladies today took a long time and at 5:30 tonight my brother, sister-in-law and I were guests of my 91 year old aunt at her assisted living facility for their annual candelight dinner. It was nice. but the food sucked. I was also her guest last year. Tomorrow night I am going with the family to our favorite restaurant for catfish. I guess Mom is feeling much better since she is willing to go out to dinner. She had another couple of shots today.

I was in Wally World at 7 A.M. getting stuff for my mom. By the time I got to her house, my sister-in-law was on her way over to take Mom to the doctor. She is really sick with a cold. I put up all her groceries, washed her sheets and changed her bed so that she will not re-infect herself over and over. By the time I got that done and cleaned her kitchen and bathrooms, they were back. She got a shot of celestone, which is some magic stuff, another shot and some meds. Tomorrow she has to go back for another shot.

Tonight I had to go to Diamond Jack's, the casino where our Bal' will be held, for a tasting of some new finger foods ( I can't spell hor's de oerves). Some of them were excellent, while others sucked big time. The chef is German and he had a sour kraut ball. Ummmm NOOOOO! I'll be glad when all this Bal' stuff is over. I'm ready for the parades and the fun!

Life is Good!

The last few days have been incredibly busy, but not very interesting. I had a function every night last week, but this week is less filled up. The Bal' program is nearing completion and I will be happy to get rid of that albatross. We are still working on our float and it is awesome. It has lights all over it, music will be blaring, it includes a bathroom and it holds about 40 riders all throwing multitudes of beads. The children's float is nearing completion as well. Life is good!

YEE HAW!

Last night we had our church party for our class. It was in a barn that was way nicer than my new house. I'm estimating $400,000 barn. Sweet for the horses. The horses had not been in it yet. It had a ladies and gents separate huge bathrooms, a kitchen, an office and stables. It had a 20 foot Christmas tree in the middle with hay bales all around it. We went to it on the church bus, which was also very plush. We all took an unwrapped toy and had a couple of Marines as honored guests. Then they took all the toys for Toys for Tots.

My hand has been giving me fits this time. It really hurts and the pain meds he gave me didn't help. Finally, this morning I took the compression wrap off and it started feeling better. The wrap was too tight and my hand was swelling and pulling on the stitches. It's better now. I have another function to go to tonight, but I have been hanging around in my bed all day. It's been raining and cold all day...perfect for doing nothing.

I'm a DEADBEAT!

Last night about 10 my hand started seriously hurting. This was a big surprise because last time I didn't have any pain. I took pain meds and elevated my hand, but it still hurt. Since I couldn't sleep, I went to my mom's early and ate breakfast. She gave me some darvocet because the tramadol I was taking did not work. The darvocet worked and I have been mostly sleeping today. I have a church party to go to tonight, so I will drug myself up and go.

Sliced and Diced again!

The deed is done. My hand is once again all wrapped and stitched up. He says it should be over now. No more cutting. He did, however, send it once again for a pathology report.

I'm almost done with the Grand Bal' Program. I found out today that the woman who was supposed to get the cover art done for me had ELECTIVE surgery (face lift, tummy tuck...whatever), but she didn't bother to let me know. The person who did the program last year told me to use the invitation art for the cover page of the program. Great idea. It shall be done!!

Mission accomplished!!

Yay. I didn't get my nap in today, but I went to visit my aunt in the hospital, then made fudge and pralines. I have lots of little decorative tins that I am going to fill with the fudge and pralines for my friends that I am having lunch with tomorrow and that I have had lunch with most Thursday's for nearly two years. On February 9th, I will have been here two years. They didn't start including me right away, but it didn't take long. I needed to get that done because tomorrow my hand gets cut on again and it takes two hands to make fudge and pralines.

Whew!

It's been a busy day, but I think I am through for the day with errands. I had lots of them today, most of which were pertaining to that damn Grand Bal' Program that I am doing. It is kicking my butt, but only because the stupid people won't get the stuff in to me. We were supposed to be through selling ads and last night I got an email that someone had sold 2 more with 2 more possibilities by Friday. WTF.....why can't they understand that the publisher can't do this stuff overnight!!!

I had to take a flying trip to Bossier to the UPS store. I guess the cold front is between here and there...a mere 20 miles. I had to use the AC going over and the heater coming back!! When I got home, my mom had called and left a message that her sister is in the hospital here. She has bronchitis, so Mom cannot go see her. If Dad got that with his COPD, he would die. I'm all relaxed in my flannels now, but I guess I will get dressed again and go see her.

I also just got an invitation to attend a candlelight dinner at the Arbor, where my other aunt lives. She only gets to invite 3 people, so I guess I'm the lucky one once again this year. That is on the 20th.

Freaky Weather

It's freakin' December and my AC is going strong. Yesterday was 80 degrees. It's strange that we are only a short distance from the major ice storm just north of here. We live rather close to the Oklahoma border, yet it is shorts weather here. It makes me lethargic. I like cold weather especially when I am Christmas shopping.

This is a full week, so I'm hoping it gets cooler soon. Tonight I am working on the Mardi Gras float. Tomorrow night I am going to taste samples of food for the Grand Bal'. I think I get Wednesday off, but Thursday I have a lunch to go to and I get my hand cut on again. Friday I have a church party and Saturday I have a surprise 50th birthday party to attend. Dang...I'm tired already!

Finished!

In spite of the fact that I slipped in a little nap today, I got a lot done. The Christmas cards are finished and ready to mail. My Christmas cards are always labor and time intensive, but I enjoy doing them because I personalize each one. This gives me pause to think about the family/person that I am sending it to. I also enjoy receiving all the cards from so many people that I haven't heard from since last year. I particularly enjoy the Christmas letters and the cards that include photos. Of course, my printer ran out of ink just three cards short of the finish line, so I had to get out in the madness that is today to find a cartridge. I had one of those refilled ones. It sucked big time. I will never have any refilled again. The colors were horrible.

Holy CRAP!

I was at the mall tonight and as I was sitting in the food court having my orange chicken I saw so many repulsive looking girls. I wish I had pictures of the disgusting way these people looked. First of all, they were all overweight with really tight jeans and tops. Butts were hanging out everywhere. Can they possibly think this looks good? I just don't get it!

Woo Hoo!

My brother is back! Now I won't have to go every day to see about Mom and Dad. It's only 17 miles to their house, but it takes a chunk out of every day. My brother eats breakfast there every day and lives a minute away so it's much easier for him.

I am trying to wrap up getting everything to the publisher for our Grand Bal' Program. I have already let it be known that I will never take that job again. It's not a hard job, but people just won't get the stuff in to me. It's a royal pain in the ASS and I am not even Royalty!!!

I'm also trying to get Christmas cards done and shopping done before I have to get my hand cut on again.

A day in my life!

Since my brother is gone, I went to check on Mom and Dad this morning. Dad spent 30 minutes trying to get his hearing aids in his ears. He was getting madder by the minute. Even Mom tried to get them in for him. I was just watching all this nonsense wondering, but not dare asking, if he had the right hearing aid for the correct ear. He would have gotten mad if I had even suggested he was doing the wrong ears. Mom got out the book and read about it before I loaded them up to take them to the hearing aid place. Turns out they are COLOR CODED and he was putting them in the wrong ears!! I'm glad they figured that out before we were all embarrassed at the hearing aid place! Holy Moley! It's not going to get any better and he doesn't have Alzheimer's!

The verdict is in!

Pathology report on my hand is squamous cell carcinoma. That means it is localized and will not spread anywhere else. The reason that he is going back in and cutting more out is because if there are any cells left, it will grow back. He will be doing that the 13th so I have a few days of reprieve before I go back to being a one armed bandit. It's like I'll be getting a facelift of the hand because he cuts stuff out, then stretches the skin back over it and stitches it up. The skin on the back of my hand is plenty loose, so it will stretch easily. I just dread being cut on again.

Zoom Zoom

I have been in turbo mode today trying to get all the things done that require use of both my hands. Tomorrow I get the stitches out, but I don't think he will do the additional cutting on me then. Just in case he does, I got all the yard decorations out today, the scrapbook finished, and a lot of computer work done on the Mardi Gras Bal' Program. I made a few trips to the attic storage area for Christmas stuff, but decided against bringing much of it down.

My brother is in Branson this week, so I am checking on Mom and Dad every day. Yesterday I cooked bean soup and took it for their lunch today. I also changed the sheets on their beds and washed the clothes. I'll go back tomorrow and pick some collards for her to cook. My fall garden looks great. I have collards, broccoli, turnip greens, onions, and cauliflower growing. Yummo! I love me some broccoli!!

WooHoooo!

Just when we thought LSU was dunzo, due to some losses yesterday by other teams LSU now will play Ohio State for the National Championship! There will be a sea of purple in Louisiana. I guess I need to get a purple shirt. I didn't go to LSU, but I support them fully!

Wow! Just WOW!

Today was our Lottie Moon Christmas offering at church which goes for missions. Our church only asks once a year and the funds collected on this day go for all the mission funds that we contribute to. Last year our goal was $85,000 and we collected $107,000 that day. Today our goal was 87,000 and we collected an astounding $130,000 today.

Tonight was our Christmas musical and it was just unbelievable. There is no church anywhere that could have done any better and that includes the Morman Tabernacle Choir. Absolute perfection and totally professional. I was very impressed. My neighbor who broke his back in September was there. What a homecoming for him!! It was awesome!