Day 410 and my dad

Just a quick note to thank everyone for their good thoughts and prayers today. My dad came through his surgery fine. They were able to put in 3 stents and he should be able to go home tomorrow. Hopefully this will help him regain his energy and feel better. I've been working almost non-stop on homework since we got home at 6:00 p.m. and I am wiped out now so I'm heading off to bed.

Day 409 and all this stuff!

Oh my goodness! All this stuff I need to get done is beginning to take a toll on me. I've got homework to finish, my dad's surgery to go to tomorrow, taxes to finish, a class to put together for the child care association, and more. Eh...anyway. Moving on...

It is almost March and I need to get the March budget ready. I will try to have that done by the end of the weekend. I am not doing that great on my organization goal. The desk is looking a little cluttered and I haven't been keeping up with my daily to-do list. Gotta get myself back on there and get back to it. I have been writing in my Joy Journal to keep myself focused on the good things.

Speaking of good things...my grandpa is continuing to improve. He is getting around by himself better all the time. The doctor wants to put the continuous feeding tube back in because he thinks it will control his blood sugar better. Pray that this does not discourage him after he has come so far.

Just a note, with all the stuff going on this weekend, I do not know if I'll have time to post or not. I will do my best to at least check in.

Day 408 and Good News/Bad News

Well, the good news is that Tom's car cost less than $100 to fix this time. The bad news is that it will be needing another repair that will cost about $400 (depending on what all needs to be replaced). The good news with that is that we have a little time to save up for it, we just have to keep an eye on it to make sure it does not get worse. These car repairs sure can get frustrating though.

I finished one assignment so far today, it needs to be proofread and tweaked before turning in. Then I have another 4 page paper and a 10 page rough draft to write. Yikes!

Day 407 and fighting off another cold!

I am fighting off another cold! Can you believe this? I have lost count of how much I have been sick or not felt well since last October, but it's been at least 1/2 dozen times. And anytime I get a cold, I generally get a cough that lasts forever! I guess all the things I have on my plate plus all the other stress is just taking it's toll on me. I don't know.

This week is going to be kind of crazy. I want to get all of my homework done by Thursday since I am going to OKC for my dad's surgery on Friday. Then on Saturday, I promised Tasha several months ago that I would take her and a friend to Wichita to the Winter Jam (Christian music concert) on Saturday. My homework is due on Sunday so it would be best if I could get it done before all that starts!

Days 404, 405, and 406 and more updates

We went to see my grandpa on Saturday. He is continuing to improve, but it is so hard to see him like this. He had a doctor's appointment today and I haven't heard an update on how that went.

My dad has his surgery on Friday. I spoke to all my daycare parents yesterday and told them I wanted to be there. They were all very understanding and willing to make other arrangements. I really did not feel like I could afford to take a day off but I also feel like there are things much more important than money. Being there for my dad is one of them.

We made it almost two whole months without a car repair. But Tom's car has been kind of acting up and so it is in the shop now. Keep your fingers crossed that it is nothing major and won't cost more than we have in the EF right now.

Day 403 and various updates

Well, I have to give a lotion update. Right now, absolutely NOTHING is working to keep my hands from cracking. I am so bummed out! They look and feel terrible!

Tom has heard from work that the Friday furlough could continue through March. We are so grateful that he has not been laid off completely, but this is still pretty scary! With the loss of overtime and the reduced hours, his pay has been cut by about 40%! So keep us in prayer, please. Right now with the increase in my enrollment, we are doing well. I am so thankful to God for that.

On my grandpa, he's at home and doing okay. At the first of the week, his blood sugar was so high that it wasn't registering on the meter. The last day or two, it's been down to around 200-300. Still way too high, but at least not off the charts. He has an infection at the incision site which isn't helping, I"m sure. Please pray for my grandma and my mom and the rest of the family.

We are going to see my grandpa tomorrow. I am also working on homework to try and get done before next Saturday because I promised Tasha I'd take her somewhere that day. If possible, I will post this weekend, but it may be Monday before you "see" me again. Have a great weekend everyone!

Day 402 and Using What You Already Have

When you need something to do a project, is your first inclination to see if there is something you already have that you can use? Or is your first inclination to go buy it? I have to admit that often my first inclination is to go buy it. Yesterday, I was wanting to put together a "treasure" box for an activity with the children. It will be part of a new routine I am establishing with them and I wanted it to be pretty and fairly sturdy. I was thinking about those hard cardboard type treasure or gift boxes that you can buy. I was wondering if I could still find a heart shaped one on clearance since Valentine's Day had just ended. Then it hit me. I already had the perfect thing in my Valentine box. Last year, one of my parents gave me some candy at Valentine's. It came in this cool heart shaped clear plastic container. I kept it because it was neat but was not sure what I was going to do with it. So I made a sign that said "Tracy's Treasures" on red paper and then traced around it (I had also kept the paper inserts so I was able to use it to trace the right shape) and cut it out and made my treasure box. How often do we do that? Immediately think of buying something instead of using something we already have? Something to think about...

Oh, and on the treasure box, in case you're wondering. I have mentioned my admiration for Dr. Becky Bailey. In her ideas, she suggests using a treasure box with pictures of the children in it as part of your daily routine. You say a special poem or sing a special song about being kind to each other and everyone puts their picture in the treasure box. The children are my treasures and it is my job to keep them safe and their job to help me keep everyone safe. Keeping safe does not include just their bodies, it includes their hearts and their feelings.