Whites OK But I Prefer Green

We've been getting more than our share of snow lately. More than usual I think or maybe it's just me being sick of it! I don't know, but we are supposed to get 3-4 more inches overnight ..and then a whopping 10-15 inches on Tuesday night into Wednesday. One good thing will be that I won't be going into work until the roads are clear or maybe not at all!

Truth is in this Michigan economy, they aren't doing such a great job clearing the roads these days! That's alright because I've been dying for a snow day!!

Sunday was cold but sunny out so we decided to take a little jaunt out to Island Lake Recreation Area to take some winter pictures.

















Sunshine and snow go well together, don't you think? It was nice to to get out of the house and enjoy that sun!
However, in conclusion...the snow is pretty but give me this



any day!!

The Brenda Photo Challenge-Frozen

It seems like forever since we did a Brenda Photo Challenge! Now that the holidays are long past, it's time to start challenging out photo abilities once again! The theme this time is "Frozen". Not too hard for this time of year!


Frozen icicles hanging from the roof.

Frozen ice cubes in the icemaker.


Frozen water from the downspout.



Frozen tuna noodle casserole!

That was fun! Click the above link to see more frozen stuff!

Goodies From Goodwill

I didn't only buy sheets on Saturday when I went browsing at the thrift stores. I also picked up these jewelry pieces at the Goodwill. I love that I have two great thrift stores within 5 minutes of me..and they both opened just this past fall!

This necklace has some great grey colored beads. I haven't taken it apart yet; I'm sort of on the fence about whether I should or just leave it like it is and wear it.


This one I definitely took apart. I'm not exactly sure what it was for..it was way to small to fit over any one's head and there was no clasp. It has some very pretty metal and glass fish beads.

This one I bought specifically for wearing.


I love the peace sign and the pretty turquoise colored bead exactly matches a shirt of mine.

All for $5. Can't beat that!!

End Of A Long Week

Rich came home on Thursday. He's doing really, really good. He only takes Advil when he needs it, which has usually been only at night before bed. He can't lift anything heavier than an $100 bill (his surgeons words), can only eat small meals and he can't drive. He has a appointment on Tuesday to see the surgeon for a follow up and hopefully he'll be able to drive after that. No heavy lifting for several weeks so that means he can't work!

I have to say we were very happy with the hospital and the treatment from the nurses and everyone. He never waited more than a minute after he pressed the button for the nurse and they went out of their way to make sure he was comfortable all of the time! Way to go Providence Park Hospital!

It's freezing cold right now. Today's high is supposed to be around 14 degrees! Later in the week it's going into the 20's. That should feel like a heat wave. Right about now I wish I lived in Florida with my buddy Sally! Well not exactly with you, Sally but you know what I mean!!

Yesterday I went to the Salvation Army store and Goodwill to wander around for a few hours. I bought two queen sheets at the Salvation Army store to put on our couch in the family room. We keep it covered unless we have company due to the fact that we have so many freakin' cats and they lay all over the furniture! If we didn't keep it covered I would never be able to clean off all of the cat hair! Anyway, I bought matching beige sheets for the couch! There used to be one white sheet and one blue flowered sheet (classy, I know!) See?



Isn't it beautiful? Keeping it covered all of the time has kept it pretty new looking, too. And when we take it off for company, we feel like we got new furniture! Now I need to find one more beige sheet for the recliner!

Back to work tomorrow. Can't say I really mind because I am beginning to go a little stir crazy being home all of the time. Being at work will be a nice break!

I can't believe I just wrote that!!

Day 3 Almost Home

Rich had a much better day yesterday. His pain level is rapidly declining and he can move around much easier. He started eating a little more too. I had him walking up and down the hallway several times. The air in his belly was making breathing somewhat difficult and walking helps to get it moving on out!

It's really cold out right now so it's cold by the window. I kept my lunch on the windowsill because it was like being in a refrigerator!



These are the utensil dispensers in the cafeteria. You just push the lever on the bottom and the utinsil drops down.



This beautiful picture is on the third floor.



And this one is on the 5th floor. The elevator would not let me go to the 6th or top floor. Must the the psych floor and I probably don't want to be there anyway!



They put Rich on a soft food diet this morning and if he tolerates it good, he'll get to come home later today. I sure hope so.



"When's Dad coming home?"

Hospital Day 2

Well, his pain was a little more yesterday due to the fact that he was moving around some and he's not under the influence of anesthesia anymore. The doctor said by today the pain should start greatly improving. Yesterday later in the day he was going 3 to 3-1/2 hours between shots. We even had him walking the halls a few times.

At first, he was not allowed to eat or drink anything. This was the door to his room. NPO means "nil per os" or nothing by mouth.



Brakfast, lunch and dinner. Yum!!



Later in the afternoon they changed it to "clear and sips" which means clear liquids and only little sips. They gave him a tray with broth, apple juice, jello and a lemon ice. He hardly touched any of it. No appetite yet. He just wants ice chips!

We also got a visit from Parker the therapy dog. In this picture his owner told him to sit and pose and he was looking for a reward treat!!



He even has his own business card!





What a sweet dog!

Another GORGEOUS picture in the hallway.



This one has a cup embedded in it.



And the word "Swirl" So beautiful!



I'm going to have to visit all of the floors to see what pictures they have on them! You know I'll be taking pictures to show you!

Rich Surgery Day

Thanks for all your good wishes for Rich. The surgery went very well.

We arrived at Providence Park Hospital at about 7:00 am. This is the view from the waiting area.



First they had him in the short-stay unit where they proceeded to poke him full of holes! Two IVs with multiple tries on each due to the fact that he was so dehydrated! Poor guy! I left the room while they did it but when I came back he looked pretty pissed off! Can you blame him?



From there he went to pre-op where they put a epidural in his back and drew some blood. Jeez!! We didn't know he would be a human pin cushion!

Finally at about 12:00 they took him into surgery and the kids and I proceeded to the waiting room. They had the most awesome picture that me and Shauna wanted to take home so bad!!



It was all made of little tiles and mirrors. Very cool!!



They had a screen that told you where your family member was in the process. Rich was number 10445 and was in the OR when I snapped this picture. The surgery took about 3 hours. When the doctor came out to talk to us the board still said he was in the OR. So much for updating!!



He was in recovery for about two hours and then they finally put him in his room. When I left last night he was just about to get some Dilauded for the pain! When I got home and called him he sounded pretty mellow! Love those legal drugs!!

I was exhausted when I got home. It's amazing how tired you can get just sitting around!!

Got some errands to run this morning and then back to the hospital I go! It's raining right now and supposed to be 36 degrees today; then plummet to the the teens later in the week. Crazy Michigan weather!!