10,000 Plus Steps.

 For the 3 rd time this month I got more than 10,000 steps.  With very few exceptions I have done 2 - 30 minute workouts on my Cubiio2 every day.  Plus additional walking. 

I did not post during the first have of the holidays because I was having a hard time.  I found out that I am part of the group that will need a third COVID19 vaccine because of health issues with one of the forms of arthritis that I have.  I am not able to gather in large groups and need to wear my mask in public. That lead to some very down days.  

Knitting is still iffy.  I still have to talk to the doctor, but want to get the 3rd vaccine first.  My hand is doing better with rest but still troublesome.  

And life goes on. Que Serra Serra..What will be will be.  

Family Time

I am really enjoying some much needed family time.  This first holiday season without Eric is a lot rougher than I thought it would be and I knew it was going to be very hard.  To alleviate some of the stress I have been cleaning and purging stuff.  I also have some extra help which is nice.  I see a few Bookman’s and Goodwill runs in our future.

I have also been working on the blanket pattern that got sidelined when Eric went into hospice. I am almost done knitting the “wings”. Then just 4 corner blocks and the crochet edging.  Figuring out the yardage. Pictures and typing up the pattern.

Since I did not sleep well last night, I am going to bed early.

Tradition

It would not be a holiday around here without a certain someone getting sick.  At least he has a day off tomorrow. This means that he can help supervise laundry, knitting and cleaning.  I am not quite sure when it became a family tradition, I personally think that it was so last century.

At any rate, Eric is starting a trial of formula and I will knit.  All this happens while Eric’s tummy is determining weather he will be totally sick or not.

Teri’s Blanket.  In other news, there are only 4 more squares to knit before the next measurement.  Hopefully I will be weaving in ends and adding the broader soon.

Bored, Nothiing to Do

I honestly can not say what I did for all those years before I leaned to knit, spin yarn and weave. My hand is still  too sore to knit. Spinning takes no more than 30 minutes a day. Is it any wonder that I have had tension headaches since Eric got sick. To make matters worse they start any time after 3:30 am. I think that I am in a whiny phase.

An important note to myself is not to schedule and hand surgery 8 weeks before a holiday. Why? You may ask. Have you ever noticed that Eric gets sick around every holiday. The question is how do we break this habit of his and when can I start knitting again?

On the Eric front, he is doing a little better. His eyes are not glassy with fever any more and he is getting more responsive. Don't tell Eric, but he is also making a lot less laundry. I did not have to wash any of his laundry today. Just don't go and tell him. However, the post viral asthma has kicked in. Life with Eric is never boring.

Family Time

The whole family is under one roof. I am having a great time. I may be to busy to post for a week or so. So please take the time to enjoy your families too.

Random Thoughts

It has been quite a while since I painted a frosted cake with cocoa butter and cocoa blended to different shades of brown.  I should do that again soon. 

Getting real tired of parents of special needs kids complaining how hard it is to take care of their children once they have been placed in a group home for someone else to do all the work.  If you really want to complain join the ranks of us who care for our kids all the time.

I am really upset with the person who hit my van that I use to take Eric to his day program. I did not realize how hard or expensive it would be to get Eric around with out the van.  I guess he is not 5 years old or 30 pounds anymore. They really put a huge whole in Eric's life.  

I think I bought too many DVDs for Eric's holiday presents.. I may need to do more shopping. Only 3 gifts were not DVDs.  

It's getting harder to tell the difference between a drunk and distracted drivers on the roads. So please don't drink and drive. For heavens sake please put that cell phone down. If you don't want to pay attention to your driving please be a passenger.  

Hopefully the carpets will be dry enough to put things away tomorrow.  This is getting to be too much for me. Yes I know how unorganized  I normally am, but this is much worse.  Now if I could just remember where I put the?

I love the not on the menu chicken vegetable soup that they make upon request at China Phoenix at Oracle and Ina in Tucson. It can really make my day and is even better than brownies. I love their dim sum too, but don't get there often enough for it.  

Frustrated

I am feeling so overwhelmed lately. It seems to me that Eric has been having a lot of sick days and down days with no program. Before I can even recoup from the last time, it seems that he is sick or off from program yet again. I have fallen asleep 5 days in a row on the couch before Eric. Thank goodness John is there to pick up my slack and getting Eric ready for sleep.

The holidays start tomorrow night. The house is not cleaned nor is a holiday dinner in the planning stages, although I did remember to order the challah. I did manage to do something for the holidays. To tell you the truth and I know this sounds so bad, but I would be happy cooking frozen fish and chips for dinner tomorrow. This has left me feeling angry at myself for being such a wimp. I get angry at myself for not setting the perfect holiday table and spending days cooking just the right things. This is not how to run a proper household. I am just tired and worn out.  I know that today or tomorrow I will find the energy to make my way to the market. I think I can get away with making a small roast, golden carrots and a kugel for 2. This is all the cooking I can muster myself to do.

Did I also mention that the deconstruction on the kitchen starts in 12 days and I have the 3/4's of the kitchen left to pack. Eric does not go back to program until Wednesday. Did I mention that I am not 30 anymore, I seemed to handle things so much better with little or no sleep back then. I know that this is my very tired self talking, but right now I do not see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I am hoping for a happier and healthier New Year, with more sleep. In case I don't blog tomorrow, I am going to wish everyone and Happy and Healthy New Year. La Shana Tova.

Oops

I know I have screwed up when at the end of the holidays I find gifts that I bought over the summer.  So I need to say oops.  I forgot to give them to their intended giftiee's. So now how do I explain that I have been so overwhelmed at life that I did not pay enough attention to some people.  That is a really bad thing. I still care a whole lot about about these people. So if you receive a call or package out of the blue, it's me not you.  

I am also finding time to work on some fun knitting projects for me and a fundraiser in the spring. I need to change things up a bit. I think I am a little burned out on hats. Which is odd because I only knit a little over 11 dozen hats this year. So it's time to knit up a storm.  

A Busy Day

Eric spent half of the night needing attention of one kind or another.  This left me very tired with a full day of chores and holiday planning.  

I finally got to the grocery store today. Between coupons and rebates I did fairly well and saved close to 50%. Then after I got most of the groceries put away, I drove down to World Cate and dropped off Eric's old wheelchair. If you happen to have a wheelchair laying around the house not being used World Care is in need of about 35 to 40 wheelchairs to for people on their wait list. 

 I finished making most of my holiday presents today. Now I just have to tie them up in pairs with ribbion from the never ending roll of ribbion that I bought in the 1990's when the kids were small.  And wrap the rest of the holiday gifts. It looks like it's going to be a very very busy week this week..

My hope is that Eric sleeps tonight.  

The Cleaning Moves On

Today the cleaning moved to the garage. John and I started by deciding which boxes needed to be thrown out. The recycling bin is almost full. Eric's old wheelchair will be leaving the garage to go to the loan chest for medical equipment next week. My plan is 5 minutes a day until the garage is done or it gets too warm to work in there. 

Eric is feeling much better today.  We might even be able to find a Toys for Tots drop off site tomorrow. I will also try to finish the holiday gifts and the cleaning that did not get done this week. I also need to wrap gifts this week and clean the Menorah. 

I am really hoping that Eric sleeps tonight and past 5:30am. I think it is time to call it a night. 

Happy Holidays

I would like to start by wishing everyone a Happy Holiday no matter which holiday you celebrate this week. May you enjoy your families and enjoy the fact that we have all made it to this season.

That being said, I am a little melancholy this year. As you know Eric has had a lot of tough health issues this year, which have left me exhausted. I can report on the good side that Eric has slept 5 yes count em 5 nights in a row. Yes miracles still do happen. With just the 2 of us eating tonight I will not be preparing the huge festival meal. First I don't have the energy and second we can not eat that much. I have instead spent the last few days really cleaning and there is a large visible difference. Today I even let roomba have the run of most of the house, he did a good job but did not have enough juice to make it back to his docking station. I would also like to say that roomba still does not like Eric's hoyer lift. I also gave scooba a work out and plan to do so again tomorrow in another part of the house.

With all that being said I still prefer huge holiday gatherings and the formality of the the order of the holidays. It is my hope that when our daughter finishes grad school we will again be able to have nice family holiday dinners. It really does not matter the location as long as we are together. Well I have to go put the finishing touches on dinner.

Happy Holidays to All and to all a very festive meal.