Sunday

Jess and I had a late start to our day - a perfect way to spend a quiet Sunday together. We had breakfast upstairs on my prayer table then came downstairs after her bath. She's spent the day on the floor watching Youtube videos and playing with her cards. I spent the day balancing check books and doing computer work and payroll.

I also had to wash several loads of wet towels. The flashing around the upstairs bathroom fan has a major leak in it and it has damaged the ceiling and wall with a lot of water. At least that is what I think has happened. I'm no roof expert, so I will have to call one tomorrow. It's taken almost all of our towels to keep up with the water flow. It's right over the toilet, too!

Chris came by and after visiting for awhile I made dinner then we watched a Hallmark movie Jon TIVO'd for me quite awhile ago. Jessie even came out and watched it with us and wasn't loud. That was impressive.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Knowing that severe weather was predicted for the afternoon, Jess and I went to the post office, Walgreen's and Sam's Club in the morning. Unfortunately, we didn't make it home before the storm hit - almost, but not quite. It was raining so hard I couldn't see the road and the road was already flooded. I parked as close to the garage as I could but Jess and I were still drenched by just going about 6 feet. I'm glad I put an icee in the cooler for the cold stuff. I wasn't able to get it out of the van for almost an hour.

Karen ... I bet the Rose of Sharon trees will really flourish with all this rain!

Jessie's been pretty good. Coughing sets her off and I've done some of that today. But that's the only time she's screamed at me.

A New Hobby

Jon had an early doctor's appointment this morning and when he returned home, we went to take the lawn mower to Sears for repair. From there we went to Penney's, English Garden's, lunch at Red Robin and Wiegand's. It seems that we have a new hobby. We are visiting all the local greenhouses to see what they have that someone else doesn't.

I've never been to English Garden's before. My mom used to go there all the time. They had the most beautiful melmac dishes that I have ever seen. However, for $8.99 per small plate, they stayed there. I might go back there in a month or so and see if any of them are on sale. And then again, maybe not, as I really don't need anymore dishes!

We had another afternoon of torrential rains. At least Jon doesn't have to water his garden. I took the picture of his garden this evening. Notice the cow planter in the lower left corner. Click on it to make it larger. I hope you can see the eye lashes! I bought it for him for his birthday. He's into cows.

Jess wasn't as good for Debbie as she was for Brenda yesterday. Speaking of Jessie ... she will turn 25 years old on Sunday, June 7 !!! If you are reading this and know Jess, would you mind sending her a birthday card? Buying presents for her is always a challenge, but she does enjoy getting mail. Thanks alot!

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

Rachel came on Tuesday because Brenda was still on vacation. I wasn't able to blog because I couldn't get on the internet.

Wednesday Jessie had an appointment with the NP for her medication changes. There is absolutely no way I will ever have her try any medication for any behavior issues or phobias. Her body does not react well with them and I will not put her through another horrendous couple of months like we just went through. It was awful for her, us and very expensive.

We went to Alex's in Rochester for pancake breakfast after our appointment, post office and home for about an hour before we went to the family doctor to check on the blood work we had done onher last week, in case there was something going on medically.The blood work results were really good. Perfect in fact!

When we got out of the office the sky was very dark and it was windy. Going north put us right in the thick of the torrential rain. It was difficult to see it was raining so hard. At least there was no thunder and lightening. I do NOT like storms, and I do NOT like being out in them.

Sue came and watched Jess while I went to Stephen Ministry.

Today, Thursday, has been a nice day, although my mind and my lips weren't in sync. I couldn't find the right words and if I did, they didn't make sense. Weird. Jon and I had haircuts at 10:00 then we went and visited Chris, went to Plant Center, post office, bank, Home Depot and Subway for lunch. When we got home I began planting annuals that I had bought last week and Jon cut the lawn and weeded his entire garden and planted annuals, too. I think he over did it. He was DONE around 4:30. (We had a large salad for dinner with several kinds of lettuce from his garden, as well as spinach.)

I did really well. I worked for about 10 minutes then sat down for about 10 minutes. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that when I sat down the cushion was wet. I ended up with a very wet butt. That is so uncomfortable!

Brenda told me that "JESSIE HAD A FANTASTIC DAY!" They went to Meijer's, the Dollar Store, Gym Class, lunch then Stony Creek. She's also been VERY GOOD TONIGHT.  No yelling or screaming. Thank you, Jesus!

A Good Day

The kids and I ate breakfast at Benny's then went to Home Depot. When we got back, my friend, Karen, came and took some Rose of Sharon trees from my garden. I have more than I need. Brianna and her friend, Katie, came and borrowed some camping equipment. Doreen came to get some dry clothes and bring wet ones to be dried, as her dryer went kaput. Diane and Randie came for a late afternoon BBQ. However, we ate in the house because just before the food was done on the grill, torrential rains came with no warning. They were both soaked. They stayed for a couple hours and visited. Jessie had another good day. Jon's not happy tonight as he has to go to work in the morning, and they've moved him to another floor. Change is always hard. He's been on his current floor for over a year.

I thanked my sister for her service to our country again today. She served in the US Navy as a radioman. Our brother, Ed, was a Marine, and our Dad enlisted at the tail end of WWII. Along with millions of others who have served and are currently serving our country - THANK YOU !!!

A GREAT DAY FOR JESSIE !!!!!!!!!!

The one thing I want to remember for today is that it was a GREAT day for Jessie. No crying. No whining. No screaming. My "old" Jessie was back! Please, God, let this continue!

Jon and I went to church, then Rachel came and watched Jess while we went to Kylee's high school graduation party. I'm so proud of my Kylee. She's not only a beautiful girl on the outside, but she has a beautiful personality. She's kind and caring and a hard worker. For the past 2 years she has also been going to Macomb College while attending high school. Congratulations, Kylee !!!

I also want to say, "Happy 21st Birthday, Rachel !!!" I hope you had fun this evening partying with your family. 

Miserable

That's the best word I can think of in describing Jessie today. Just plain old miserable. The 3 of us went out to Benny's for breakfast then we stopped at Judy's to pick up items she repaired for us. We went to the cemetery to check on Bill's grave. This might have set her off. I'm not sure. She cried all the way to Walgreen's and the post office before coming home. I sat on the couch with her for over a half hour but she didn't stop crying. I finally got her interested in her iPad and she calmed down for a bit.

Jon worked on planting more vegetables and then put together our new shed. It took almost all afternoon, and I helped where I could. He did a great job. Jess came outside and sat on my swing and went to sleep for a couple hours. She was really out because she never moved. I checked several times to make sure she was still breathing!

I'm going to blog what happened to me early this morning so I won't forget this in years to come. I can't believe it happened:

When we go upstairs at night I sit at my prayer table and ready my daily devotions, the Bible, any non-fiction book, or 2 that I am currently reading, then pray. I enjoy the quiet and peace of the night.

When I pray I take off my glasses, put my hands over my face to block out the light and begin. (If I shut off the light, I'd go to sleep.) Last night I was cold so I warmed up the rice packs Jon gave me for Christmas a couple years ago: one for my waist and one for my neck and upper back. I put both on and began praying. All of a sudden I woke up! I had fallen asleep for almost 2 hours !!!!!  Sitting straight up in the chair, hands holding up my covered face. Good grief! Talk about pain. My hips, butt, back and even shoulders hurt. I think it was the heat that made me so comfortable. I guess I'm going to have to pray with my eyes open or walk up and down the hallway or something.

Freeze Advisory

Jon just sent me a text from upstairs saying: "Please tell me that the heat is on!" I guess since it'll go down past freezing tonight, the house would be very cold in the morning. I did put the heat on. Jon purchased freeze blankets for his plants and two rows are covered and the rest of the vegetables that are not cold weather tolerant are covered with pots.

Jessie had a pretty good day with Debbie at breakfast and grocery shopping, except she continued to scream "NO!" at everything that was asked of her. Jon had a worse day at work than yesterday, but now he's got the next 3 days off so that should help in recovery. I've finally finished washing clothes from when I was gone. Jon wasn't able to do laundry since Jess was so demanding, so the clothes were piled high.

A Better Day For Jessie

Brenda's on vacation so Rachel came and took Jessie to Wolcott Mill to see the animals, then spent time in the educational area. They also went to lunch at McDonald's. Jessie entered the house without screaming, which is a huge improvement.

I did a lot of stuff around the house then I went to the Post Office, Michael's, Salvation Army and Kroger's. My back hasn't been very good today and I've been very tired. Oh, well.

Jon's vacation is over and he returned to work this morning. He works tomorrow then has 3 days off. It will be nice to have him home this weekend again.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

Tonight is the first evening since I've returned that Jess is being quiet watching "Table For 12" on her iPad and playing with her cards. The past 2 nights have been not so good; thus, no posts.

On Monday Diane, Randie and I took Jon to Bahama Breeze for his birthday lunch. We go there once a year on his birthday. He gets the same dish each year and so do I. I guess we are creatures of habit.

Yesterday I had our once-a-month meeting with Jessie's Case Worker, Kelly. Then I worked outside for the rest of the day with Brianna. She cleaned the deck and washed the furniture and put it all back on the porch. I spent time out there yesterday on my iPad, even though I was wrapped up with a quilt, since it was quite cool. It felt good though.

Today I took the van back for service since the sound in the right rear passenger wheel got worse. I was ready to strangle the service fella who made a manager go with me on a test drive since I had already had it in there and no one else heard the sound. They fixed it this time.

I took Jess to our medical doctor today to have blood and urine work done to make sure that there isn't anything wrong that would cause her to act like she's been lately. Trying to rule out medical issues before I return to the psychiatrist's office.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JON !!!

Jon turned 27 years old today. Where, oh where, has the time gone? I can still vividly remember the moment he was born.

The picture below was taken when he was 1 day old. The other one tonight as he opened his presents from Jessie and me.

You make me proud, son! Here's to the next 27 years !!!

Tomorrow night I'll post pictures and comments about my 5 days away.

What A Day

Jess was up at 6:00 a.m. and spent the next 2 1/2 hours happy and in her room. She got dressed, we went downstairs and I was opening the blinds when I accidentally stepped on a pile of Apples 2 Apples cards. Well, you would have thought I had done something awful, which apparently to her I did. She began screaming at me and yelling and crying. So much for a good start of the day. She eventually calmed down and Brenda took her to the pool. They were gone all day and other than being tired, she had a good day.

I spent the day washing clothes, deciding what clothes to take then packing. It took me all day because my back hurt really bad. Around 5:00 I went to the post office, Meijer's for gas and McDonald's for dinner. While we were eating dinner, I mentioned that I was leaving in the morning with the other ladies. I have been talking about this for over a week to prepare her. Well, that set her off in the worst-ever breakdown. She wailed and sobbed for 40 minutes, saying, "Mom home!" over and over and over. It was making me cry, too!

I finally went outside while Jon tried to calm her down. Five minutes later he came outside laughing and said that she was fine and on the floor playing with her cards and beads. Say what??? What did he tell her? "Mom is going on a boat and singing Jesus songs with other ladies. Then she's getting on the boat again and coming home."  Since then she's been saying: "Mom boat. Sing. Boat home." She's been fine since that conversation. Thank You, Jesus !!!!

Please pray for Jon as he assumes the responsibility of Jessie until I return on Sunday. Of course, the aides will be here during the day, which will help him a lot. I won't be posting on the blog, but if you follow me on Face Book, I'll post pictures until I return.

Sunday and Monday

I didn't post last night because I was too busy taking care of Jessie, who had a good morning but a very bad afternoon and evening. I had hoped to read then watch a couple movies since it was Mother's Day, but instead I did a lot of mothering. I was exhausted when I finally got to bed.

Debbie returned today which made Jessie very happy. In the early afternoon Debbie and Jess went with me to Rochester to get the van cleaned since our inside/outside car wash will be closed for the next 3 days due to cement work. We ate lunch at Alex's, but Jess wasn't crazy about her chicken salad croissant. She shared Debbie's cole slaw, too.

Right after we got home Jess became whiny about pain in her stomach and back. At 4:15 she began spitting up/throwing up. It was continuous until 6:00 p.m.! Neither Jon nor I have every seen anyone throw up constantly. About 5:30 I decided to try to get her to eat a plain piece of bread in case it was food poisoning. She ate it. The vomiting slowed down and at 6:00 she got up off the couch (we were using bowls) ... TMI, right? ... and declared that she was better. Incredible. She's been on the floor with her cards and iPad ever since. She's finally acting much better.

I know I've told you that she constantly talks about food. Even during the time she was throwing up, she wanted to know what was for dinner and if she could have a snack! What a crazy kid!

A Difficult Day For Jess

Jessie slept over 12 hours last night and woke this morning stoned! It was pretty scary! She was hallucinating, her eyes wouldn't focus, it took her forever to answer questions and she cried. I called the doctor and he said that I could cut out the medication they had put her on - cold turkey - but it would take awhile for it to get out of her system.

It's been rough for her - and us - today. She's cried, whined, said she was scared, wanted us right next to her. Rachel came to help because I needed to go grocery shopping. (And shopping at Meijer's the day before Mother's Day was anything but non-stressful. It was a mad house!) The last 3 hours she's been whining for either Jon or me to sit next to her and hold her. It's pathetic. It's also getting on my nerves.

Well, she just came downstairs to sit next to me while I'm on the computer holding my hand! She wanted me to check my phone to see if we're having a storm tonight, too. She has a love/hate relationship with storms.

Your continued prayers are appreciated!

Thursday and Friday

Thursday was a "vacation day" for Jessie and me. Brenda wanted to take Jessie to Port Huron to see a butterfly exhibit and I invited myself along. I like going to Port Huron.

Jess and I picked up Brenda and we drove to the Birchwood Mall. We parted and I went shopping and they went to the exhibit. Fifteen minutes later Brenda texts me and said they were done! Unfortunately, there were too many kids there and she refused to go in the exhibit, which really wasn't worth traveling over 50 miles to see. Well, at least I bought a couple shirts at Penney's.

We ate lunch at Cheap Charlies, which is a favorite of mine. Bill and I ate there years ago when it was in a different location. They have really good food. We went to the Family Christian Store then went down under the bridge and watched for big boats. That was a bust. No big boats. BUT, we did manage to get Jess out of the van and on the bench - for about 3 minutes. She refused to sit anywhere except the ground. We drove back home.

Around dinner time Jessie became very aggitated and was crying hard and crying for Brenda. We couldn't figure out what was going on. She ended up in bed and asleep by 9:00 p.m.

Today Jess woke up tired. She was up for an hour or so then went pack to bed. Rachel came and took her out to breakfast and the post office. Later they went to McDonald's for a grilled chicken wrap and to a park in Rochester. When they got home, she began to cry and be very upset again. I finally called the NP who has prescribed her medication and she feels that she is having anxiety attacks and we need to up her medication. I feel so bad for her. She's not a happy girl, that is for sure. Please pray that we can get the right dosage for her.

Brianna came and did gardening and cut the back grass. My neighbor, Mike, helped us get the mower working because it wouldn't start. I helped a bit, too. I did some weed wacking. After dinner the torrential rains came - we needed it.

Jessie wants to go to bed and she won't go upstairs without me. Says she's scared. So, I'll close for now.

Tuesday and Wednesday

Yesterday was a down day for me. I wasn't feeling well. I had heartburn all afternoon and evening. I was tired, listless and run down. (Anyone remember that line? I'll have to get some Veggie Veta Vitamins!) I just didn't feel like blogging. I took Papaya pills and used DigentZen (doTERRA essential oil) and slept in the chair. I was fine when I woke this morning.

Today I had several stops to make in the morning and I took care of Jessie in the afternoon. Debbie was leavin' on a jet plane (I know you remember that line!) to visit her Mom for Mother's Day. Diane and Chris came for dinner at 5:00 p.m. then most of the women going next week to the Win-Some Women Retreat came at 7:00 for a pre-retreat get together and ice cream sundaes. There are 3 vehicles traveling in our group and we needed to coordinate times and places and important information. From the fun we had tonight, I can hardly wait until we leave next Wednesday.

Jon worked all day in his garden and Doreen's daughter, Brianna, came and continued cleaning and putting down new mulch in my garden. I am so pleased with the way it looks.

And Another Week Begins

Memphis finally got his holiday bath. And, we added a defuring to the grooming. They did an excellent job and he looks - and smells - so nice!

I took the van to the dealer because there was a grinding noise from the back passenger wheel sometimes when I applied the brakes. I just had new brakes put on a couple months ago, so I wasn't sure what it was. I was asked if it was making the noise when I dropped it off. My answer: "Of course not!" That would be too easy. They found nothing wrong. Figures.

From Winter To Summer In A Couple Days

I think it reached the lower 80's today. It was warm outside. That's Michigan for you. I just turned off the furnace this afternoon. Thankfully, Bill insulated our addition very well and it stays cool in our "new" part until we have days of 80's or 90's. It is uncomfortably hot upstairs, though. We may have to turn on the window air conditioners soon.

After breakfast I sat down on the couch to listen to a sermon by our new pastor who will start on July 1. I think I heard about 5 minutes of it and woke up to silence. I turned on another one and did the same thing! I was so disappointed. Because I had to sleep in a chair for months due to my knee and shoulder surgeries, my body must think it's supposed to go to sleep when I sit on the couch with my feet up.

Jess and I went to Subway for lunch then we shopped a bit at Kohl's just to get out. Jessie takes after her Grandma Jonas (me, too, I guess) in shopping. There are so many things in stores that she feels she needs to buy. Thankfully, I can change her mind by saying we'll see about that for her birthday, or Christmas, or whatever holiday is next. When she got home she lined up her purchases on the couch to show Jon when he got home from work. They sat on the couch together "talking" about her day and Jon exclaiming over her items. That blessed my heart.

A Beautiful Day

It was almost 80 degrees today with blue skies and fluffy white clouds. A cool breeze added to the perfect day. Doreen came and worked about 3 hours in my flower bed. I worked on the corner of the house where the new shed is going. Doreen also put down new mulch. It's beginning to shape up. I am thrilled that I was able to work and not suffer for it. I'm a bit uncomfortable, but nothing like I have been previously working outside.

Jessie and Shiloh seemed to have a good time together, although they didn't interact much. They were both on different iPads. Jess and I left around 12:30 and went to the post office, bank and McDonald's drive thru to get our picnic lunch. After Doreen left I sat on the swing in the back yard and read a book for about an hour. That was especially nice. Now I just need to get the deck cleaned up so I can sit on the deck!

I'm Getting Ready To Go

Yesterday I had my hair done and today it was a pedicure. I'm getting myself in what little shape I can get it in by May 13. Losing the 30 pounds I had wanted to lose is a dream gone bad. I might be able to lose 2# by then. I guess I'll just have to remember that I'm not over weight - just several inches too short!

Myself and 10 other women are going to Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel for the Win-Some Women Retreat. I went last October and wanted to see what a trip to the Island in May would be like. Jon's taken the week off of work and Jessie's aides are lined up to help during the day and the weekend. I'm very excited that Diane and Randie will be going with us, too. We have not vacationed together in YEARS. I'm looking forward to this. A LOT!

Jessie was whiny and crabby most of the day. When Debbie left I sat down to rest on the couch and Jess began yelling at me. I refused to go to another room. I closed off my ears and she just had to deal with my presence. I hope tomorrow is better. That's what I say every night.