Suzanne Calling

Of course, I'm a little biased. It's about 85 degrees right now, so Chef shucked some of the elements of his costume. Other than the mask, everything is reusable. Let's just say I'm happy with both kids allowing me to pull together their costumes. They both are really happy with what we ended up creating this year. Score one for Mom!

Game Teen is happy with my crafting abilities. He wanted a Commander Cody from Clone Wars costume. However, my budget had other plans. I'd suggested Pokemon trainer Ash Ketchum last week. He decided that he liked the idea a lot. I liked it, too, because my total outlay on things that were costume specific was less than ten bucks.

This year, my kids had definite ideas about costumes. Chef wanted to be the Snuggie Reaper and Game Teen wanted to be Captain Rex from Clone Wars. We'd seen a Tie Dye Snuggie on TV and his plan was to wear that, carry a scythe and he'd tell people "I'm here to kill your high". I thought it was inspired. Unfortunately, the only way you could get that Snuggie was online-the stores carry blue and pink. Oh, and it's been in the high 80's around here, much too warm for that costume. Meanwhile, Game Teen also had considered being Ash from Pokemon. I thought that was a better idea, as he is now too big for most kid's costumes. Tonight, we went out to the stores and got the stuff for good, old fashioned home made costumes. The end result is that tomorrow evening, we'll have Ash from Pokemon and a Ninja warrior going through our neighborhood. Pictures to follow. Chef's turned out really good, and Game Teens requires minor surgery to a blue tee s...

Thanks to having Factor V Leiden, I tend to be cautious with surgical procedures. Especially if the decision to have one requires lifetime medication that I cannot take because it would cause my blood to clot more than it already does. Three years ago, I had a surgical intervention to avoid another one. At the time, I asked my doctor what complications she knew of that only happen to a small group of patients. The only one she could come up with was one I could live with. About a year ago, I started experiencing pain and thought it was related to something different. It was intermittent, but the same every time it did occur. A few times, it was so bad that I contemplated going to the ER, even without insurance. However, there are family members with issues I thought were the same, so I called and asked if the pain sounded like it could be that problem. The answers were yes, it did sound similar. Now that I have health insurance, my first order of business was to see a doctor for...

Tonight's dinner was really yummy. I cheated and bought a rotisserie chicken from Sam's club, but I paired it with rosemary roasted potatoes and made a pan gravy from the drippings in the container with the bird. Then I added a salad. Unfortunately, I sent Chef over to Jane's with her dinner and he called to tell me she wasn't answering the door. A few panicked minutes later, a check of the house and a phone call later (wonder how I memorized the hospital's number?) and I found her in the hospital. If I had arrived at the hospital a few minutes sooner, the picture would have been Jane's Mexican Mystery Meal. She says it is good, but she started drooling at the picture of what dinner should have been tonight. I am charged with making it for her when she gets home.

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a new king size bed? The queen size has spent many nights supporting our heads My back, it is aching, and it won't ever mend So Lord, won't you buy me a new king size bed? Hey, at least it's a lot cheaper than a Mercedes Benz! The back doesn't like me very much lately. I've got a call into a physical therapy practice for the doctor prescribed sessions. Once they check with my insurance, get a copy of the MRI and see what the doctor wants them to do, I should get some sessions going. Part of me wonders how much this bed is exacerbating the problems, though, because what had been an issue with the neck and one shoulder is now affecting both arms, between the shoulder blades and my lower back. I know things are bad when I stopped in at Game Teen's school and the nurse asked me what I did to my back-she could see how stiff I was. I broke down and took a Vicodin an hour ago. This is getting old...

Do you have one of those? I'm being pulled in a bunch of different directions, between school, the kids, the nursing home, Jane, the vacuum, trying to find a physical therapist. I made a list today and there's 34 things I need to do this week. Aaaack! I need a 25 hour day so I can get all this stuff done. Is anyone working on that? I will say this-that phone has definitely helped on one front. I can multitask while I'm waiting in line somewhere and check that email or college web site. Someday, this stuff will ease up. It'd better, because half of that list is Mom and Jane tasks and responsibilities. When I get my normal life back, it'll seem so relaxed. Think I can sneak in a soak in the tub?