Pockets in front- ties in the back

I hate those words. That means I have to put one of those stupid hospital gowns on.. and they are always so fashionable and easy to figure out... NOT. We were taken back at about 9:30am, prepped for sugery and I was home by 3pm. Felt pretty good yesterday... lots of good drugs. Today they've worn off and although I can blog (as if it requires SOO much effort) I'd rather die than have my tonsils removed ever again- good thing that's not an option eh? Here's some pics of yesterday's adventue

My Hilton-esque accomodations

Smiling cuz I have no idea what's in store

Pre-Op in my lovely gown. I can't believe I couldn't wear makeup, what a bunch of crap.

My life line to anestethic and demerol yesterday...Could they have used any more tape?

Sharing popsicles from the nurses with Daddy before mom's surgery. They told us Gracie probably couldn't come back because it's RSV season, but once they saw her little face they couldn't resist. She got popsicles and juice and even a pink stuffed snowman! I got my tonsils ripped out.. sheesh

Day 2- Confined to my chair downstairs blogging away

Streptococcus-Tonsilitis-Otorhinolaryngologist

No I'm not studying for my medical assisting vocabulary midterm, though I feel like I am. After 4 bouts with strep throat since the start of November, I am having my tonsils out tomorrow. It took me 2.5 weeks to get an appointment with Dr. Catten (now lovingly referred to as Dr. Twitch 'cuz the man is ADD and can't stand still for 30 seconds. But he's super nice and still thorough) and only 2 days to get surgery. I report to the hospital at 9am tomorrow morning and should be home before Madi gets out of school. Wish me luck and I'll keep you all posted on my progress... providing the recovery isn't as bad as all those horror stories I keep reading.

How to Be a Good Housewife

HOW TO BE A GOOD HOUSEWIFE

From a 1954 Home Economics Text Book

HAVE DINNER READY-

Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.

PREPARE YOURSELF-

Take 15 minutes to rest so that you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be happy and cheerful and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

CLEAR AWAY THE CLUTTER

- Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, papers, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order and it will give you a lift, too.

PREPARE THE CHILDREN-

Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

MINIMIZE ALL NOISE -

At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.

SOME DONT’S -

Don’t greet him with problems or complaints. Don’t complain if he’s late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.

LISTEN TO HIM -

You may have a dozen things to tell him, the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.

MAKE THE EVENING HIS -

Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.

THE GOAL -

Try to make your home a place of peace and order, where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

So how are YOU doing with this list?

Cabinet Creations

Jason and I inherited my mom's old buffet from her kitchen and turned it into our new TV stand.

Mom's old buffet: Free

2 black bookcases from Wal-Mart: $50.00

Knowing my children can't reach to put their dirty little fingers on my $1200.00 plasma TV: Priceless

We had to take the doors off to put the components in, however and in a brief moment of insanity I told Jason to save them cuz I just might turn them into a craft project. He looked at me like he knew they'd end up in the garage with my thousand other unfinished projects but he put them aside last week anyway. Last night I pulled out some things I'd bought at Walmart this week along with the infamous doors

Jason even came and helped me

After about an hour we had turned some throw away doors and a couple cheap picture frames into a decorative wall display

Now, in all fairness I know my girlfriend Rebecca Wisor could have turned some cabinet doors and a stick of chewing gum into a rocket ship that's actually capable of reaching the moon, but under the circumstances (me being craftily challenged) this was the best I could do ;-)

Make sure he isn't sad

My friend James' mother passed away this last week and one of her last requests of her children was in regards to her sweet husband. To them she said "make sure he isn't sad". I could not believe how such simple words touched my heart and what love and compassion she showed in her final moments for her companion. I many times wondered what that kind of love would be like and now I have it. Today I renew my commitment to so live that when my final days.. minutes.. moments come that I will be able to go knowing I didn't make those around me sad and though they may miss me and be sad in that way, it will not be through any actions of my own.

The Tooth Fairy must be Union

Yesterday was a no school day.. yay- for the kids. Not so much for mom. I woke up to a "knock and run" at the bedroom door at 7:00am (at least I got to sleep in 15 minutes) and this laying on the floor in the hall:

So mom throws on her robe and runs upstairs to find that she now has to clean the hallway carpets and the carpet in Madi's bedroom because Jake refuses to be potty trained. I could smack birth mom for putting a 2.5 year old in pull-ups cuz now at 3.5 he thinks they're for everyday "potty collection" and not just for accidents UGH!

Later in the afternoon Madi runs upstairs screaming "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!" thinking there must be a terror attack by the way she's screaming I run to the garage to grab our 72 hour kits only to be confronted by a teeny tiny piece of calcium commonly referred to as a lost tooth. She shoves it in front of me and says "Can we call Grandma Kandi?" Not sure whether to be relieved that we're not under fire or to duct tape her mouth for screaming bloody murder I just hand her the phone and walk away.

At bed last night mom convinces her to slide her tooth to the edge of the pillow so the tooth fairy can reach it instead of all the way under the pillow smothered by her head where it would be hard to get to. This morning I'm greeted at 6:45 by a very disappointed face and the same teeny tiny tooth from yesterday. I realize the tooth fairy didn't come last night. My smart child however, perks up and says "She must not work Martin Luther King Day"... Yeah honey, that's right.. The Tooth Fairy must be Union.

Hi Ho Hi Ho Remodeling we will go...

Our new home has two finished bathrooms upstairs which is great for guests and the kids. However, our bedroom is downstairs. Great news though, we too have a bathroom- kind of.

This is our current downstairs bathroom and I'm chomping at the bit to get it finished. Certainly it's functional for some things.. but the lack of sink & shower leave something to be desired. It's going to be several months but already I'm in the pricing and planning stages. We plan to do most of the work ourselves and by "ourselves" I mean, Jason. If he lets me do it we'd probably end up with a bathroom like this:

Now of course my dream bathroom is on just a little different plane than the one above. It looks more like this:

As if Jason would ever in a million years live with a princess powder room. Plus our last name is Hays not Rockefeller and the room above is the size of my entire downstairs. So coming back from my sleep deprived delusions of grandeur we'll settle for something more like this:

Can't be THAT hard, right? I'll let you know in the coming months!

Sleepless Nights & Smiles

How in the world do those two things go together, you ask? Gracie is teething so mom isn't sleeping 'cuz all she does is scream all night. But when you see that messy face and all those cute little teeth, you can't help but smile yourself. And yes, that's her cheesing for the camera, she's not trying to look mean.

Oh What A Night

Last night was bath night (YAY!) and I was just getting the kids to bed around 9 o'clock when there was knock at the door. It was our neighbor from across the street at the old house to inform me that the water main at the sprinklers had broken and was spewing water all over the front of the house. Fabulous! So leave Madi in charge, give her my cell number and head out the door to the house down the block. On my way out however, I slip on the ice I haven't bothered to pour ice melt on bust up my knee with a good case of cement road rash and sprain my ankle. But life must go on and water must go Off, so I continue on to the other house where the neighbors, the Bartons & I proceed to shovel a foot of snow off of over half the lawn to find the main water shut off. Luckily it was warm last night and we weren't doing it in a snowstorm.

But my poor husband called this morning to say it was indeed storming, blizzarding even in Silt, Colorado and he had to drive two hours to Grand Junction today. So I'm betting he won't be home until Saturday. I know it's been a horrible week for him.. 18-20 hour days, rigging up-rigging down, blizzards, heavy physical work he has been out of for six months and just got thrown back into... so I decided that he needed something fun to come home to and this is what my not-so-creative self came up with:


Cheesy? Yeah. But who doesn't need a little cheese now and then after a long week. I think it'll make him smile.

OilField Deployment Day 2

So, I always thought that being a military wife would be so perfect. I could do what I wanted, when I wanted, raise the kids the way I want, I could be married without actually dealing with the compromise of having a husband.. WHAT WAS I THINKING?? I can't even stand the fact that Jason has been gone for all of 18 hours. An 18 month deployment overseas would kill me. I'm scared to death now that something will happen while he's out on a rig and I'm 4 hours away. What in the world would I do if he was getting shot at everyday?

I also ended up back at the urgent care clinic again yesterday with yet ANOTHER case of strep throat. This is 3 confirmed times in a month, though I'm sure it was also what I was plagued with on our honeymoon. I'm home sick with my 3 babies and a husband out of town. So to the husbands and wives of our service men & women, I salute you. I don't know how you do it and I don't envy your position but I do envy your strength and determination and I'll be sending extra prayers your way for the safe and speedy return of your loved ones tonight.

Oil Field Widow

I knew it was a possibility when we got married that Jason could go back to the field... 16-18-20 hour days.. 2 week training periods out of state... well luckily that hasn't happened, but he did get a call to go out of town last night. So he left at 5 this morning headed for Grand Junction, Colorado til at least the end of the week. We haven't been apart this long since our first date, I'm not sure what to do with myself lol. It's a great opportunity for him though, to go show Schlumberger that he's still the best of the best! I'm so proud of my husband and all he does for our family and for all the ways he shows us he loves us everyday.