We get our tree at last

 So it was just Mike and me today. The selection was paltry and they were wrapped up, so we picked the heaviest one. I hope it looks okay but with all the ornaments it should look fine.

One day I'm going to break down and get an artificial one, something I always swore I'd never do.

Before we went, we met John and Noreen for lunch at a place where Andrew is manager. It is a chicken/taco place that is part of a 7-11. You'd think the food would be boring but it was actually really good. Andrew made the food fresh for us. I got chicken tenders with mashed potatoes and gravy. The gravy and potatoes were great! It is a new concept and Andrew is getting the place running. He'll only be there a month. I hope we can go back again after Christmas.

Anniversary Dinners

 Mike and I celebrated our 42nd and Michael and Megan their 3rd. Katherine and Andrew joined us at Aki for a nice dinner. 

The plan was to get our tree afterwards, but the garden department at Home Depot was closed!

Better

 I felt much better today. Slight sore throat, and Mike says he has one, too. So maybe I was coming down with something, not just stressed.

I got a lot done today. I made a batch of cut-out cookies and a new recipe for cinnamon sugar pretzels. They are very good! Also made Rolo Pretzel treats. I worked on my various crafts as well as general stuff around the house. I feel I made up for losing a day yesterday.

Dental Sh*t

 So I was supposed to have the next step of my implants done yesterday. But I was having trouble with a bridge right next to it. Now they want to remake a 5-tooth bridge for me. I kind of freaked out over it. Missing six teeth (I have another missing tooth, plus the 2 for the implants and the 3-tooth bridge) right before the holidays? No effing way. I cancelled and told them I'd be back in January.

But it got me so upset I made myself sick. Now I have a headache and stomach ache since yesterday. 

I asked God for some relief and He did send it--in the form of a haircut! Pete, my haircut guy, took us in without an appointment, at the last minute. It made me feel a little better because my hair was looking really awful. I like the way Pete can make me look like I have more than I have. 

I hope that I feel better tomorrow. I hate being like this. I actually just ordered a calming supplement to try since I tend to overthink and overreact to things. It is from the same company that makes a sleeping medicine I really like so hopefully it will help me. 

Thanksgiving

 Thanksgiving Day at John and Noreen's House. 

Andrew, Katherine, Michael and Megan. I was glad to see my daughter-in-law there, and in good spirits.

Noreen

John Joseph. He has fish, turtles and a snake in the basement, but he says the snake is NOT friendly. Plans to give it to the zoo where he works.

Megan and John

Katherine and Andrew

Mike and Noreen

It was...

 ...a girl. I have a granddaughter in Heaven, with her siblings, and my own lost baby. I will meet them one day, I know.

💔💔💔💔

Jamie is 36

 Today is Jamie's 36th birthday. I made him a mug and got some gift cards for him. He's out with friends now but we will have a birthday dinner another night, probably scungilli. 

James John-Patrick missed being a Halloween baby by less than 2 hours!

More Sad News

 I'm so sick of this. Michael just texted to say the pregnancy isn't viable. Apparently, the baby's skull didn't develop. Damn, and I had the cutest picture of him/her with it's little foot sticking up. 

I'm not going to write about a baby again until I hold an actual infant in my arms. I feel so bad for Michael and Megan. I feel they are being tortured. "Look, here' s a baby. Oh, no...NOT. Too Fucking Bad for you."

God, Mother Nature, whoever--stop being an asshole. Stop making jerks who only get abortions pregnant and taking babies away from good people like my son and daughter-in-law. 

Good News, and Michael is 40!

 Michael and Megan went to a doctor's appointment today. The baby's heartbeat is strong, and Megan says it's kicking, too!

I can't believe it's been 40 years since I gave birth to Michael William. We are going to a Brazilian Steakhouse for dinner.

Hearing his baby's heartbeat has to be the best present he could ever get. Megan says they have pictures for us. Can't wait to see!

Baby on the way!

 I found out recently that Megan is almost 3 months pregnant. It's a little scary, but this time around she's been under medical care from day one, via a fertility clinic. She sent a sonogram of the baby to me and I am already in love. We don't know yet if it is a boy or girl but the heart beat is strong and everything looks good. If the timing works out, there will be a new baby to celebrate Easter!

They are keeping this on the hush-hush, and I can't blame them. I'm not telling anyone. Last time, I had to sad chore of saying the baby was lost. I have a strong feeling this baby is going to be fine. Megan wasn't sick at all with her first pregnancy, and now she is experiencing morning sickness and heartburn. Boy, do I sympathize! Still, it's a good sign that things are going the right way.

Here is my future grandson or granddaughter:

I think the baby is just all curled up in a  ball. I told Michael it is a cute little blob. To me, the head looks like a doll head!

Labor Day

 My friend Virginia was supposed to visit from New Jersey but she was exposed to Covid. I hate this damned virus.

Michael and Megan caught it on a cruise, so they won't be here today, either.

Katherine will be here and maybe Andrew. We're having ribs, burgers and Delicious Vegetable Salad. Katherine's friend, Theresa, calls it "Clare's Cabbage Salad." It is a family favorite. 

Mickey is very definitely our dog now but sometimes he's a pain in the *ss. Barks a lot when he wants something and you don't always know what he wants. But mostly, he's sweet. Nuts about his toy ball, too.

Atticus is pretty much okay with him but Raven is still not happy.

New Family Member!

 So, Katherine saw this dog on Facebook and said, "Mom, you have to see this dog. He is the ugliest thing ever! He looks like Steve Buscemi." (Of course, I am paraphrasing, but she really did refer to the actor.)

I saw his picture and found out his owner died recently. He needed a home. I've been wanting a dog, although I never thought I'd get a slightly large dog. Still, he's so funny-looking I fell in love with him. Katherine DM'd the woman fostering him, and we found out she lives nearby.

Liz brought Mickey to visit us and I think we made a really good impression, because now he is ours. We went through a fostering agency--Michelle lives around the block from us! She took him for his vet checkup, and on Saturday our boy came to live with us forever.

The cats are NOT happy, but they are slowly adjusting. Atticus is coming around a lot faster than Raven.

Blood work came back today and we found out Mickey has Lime disease but Michelle is bringing us antibiotics.

Here is our new boy:

Who could resist that face? He is a sweet, gentle boy. A little miffed by the cats but we hope time will help them get along.

Update

 My PT Scan came out clear, which makes me very happy.

I also had a mammogram recently, which was a production as I have dense breast tissue. So there is some calcium in  my right breast that can be pre-cancerous. So...

I had to have a Stereotastic Core Breast Biopsy. Sounds scary but it wasn't bad at all. I had to lay on a table with a hole in it and put  my b**b inside. They did a few things and it was over in less than an hour. The woman who did it was really nice, as was the doctor. They walked me through every step.

The results have not come in yet but Dr. Siddiqui says cancer in these cases is extremely rare. So I'm no worried about it.

Now, for the last two weeks I have had digestive problems and difficulty p**ping, so I've tried laxatives and stool softeners. My stomach isn't too bad but I can't eat much solid food. I am starting to feel better but I really wish this would go away so I could eat like a normal person.

Father's Day and PT Scan

 Michael, Megan, Katherine and Andrew came for Father's Day. (James and Nick were at work.) They had picked up a case of meat from Omaha Steaks. I always wondered if it was any good and worth the high price tag. It certainly was. The most tender filet mignons, juiciest burgers and some nice fat hot dogs. I couldn't have the burgers because I was on a low carb diet (see later in post) but I had one of the hot dogs and it was one of the best I've ever had. We also had shrimp cocktail and dessert--both of which I could not have,  either.

I had my PT Scan this  morning. Yesterday I had to avoid all carbs and sugars, as well as caffeine, which is why I missed out on shrimp (can't eat it without cocktail sauce!) and dessert. No Coffee was the hardest!

So we went in about 8:30 this morning. First, they take your blood to check your glucose level. Mine was 100, which is good.

Then you go into a room where they inject you with something. This is my fourth time around and I recognized the man who did that. Very sweet guy named Victor. Most of the time my injection is by  hand but this time he had a machine that does it. I got to watch him set it up. Pretty amazing.

So after the injection is done I sit there for an hour with a special drink. The last 3 times it was water but this time it was a sort of vanilla milkshake. Not too bad at all. 

After an hour, I go into the room where the PT Scanner is. This is the only part of this I really don't like--holding my arms above my head for 20 minutes. It hurts when you get to move again. 

Now all I can do is wait to see what Dr. Ahmed says next week. Hopefully, I will get a clean bill of health!

Oh, and on top of all this we've had a plumbing leak. Mike was able to get the plumber to come to the house while I was at the PT place. Now there is a big hole in the garage wall where he will fix the leak in a few days. Mike and the boys had to move a big old dresser full of tools (mostly from Mike's Dad) and it was so old it fell apart!

Mammogram Today

 God, what a production. I don't think they could have squeezed me in any more directions. They also did a sonogram.

The doctor says I have calcium in my right breast and she wants me to get a needle biopsy. She expects me to go to Garden City but I'm going to talk to Dr. Ahmed and see what he says. I'm sure I can find someone more local to do it. 

I have a PT Scan on Monday. This is my 3rd one so I know what to expect. It isn't too bad. I have to avoid carbs all day Sunday but I get to have things like Bacon and Eggs so no problem.

Have been sick for a few days, mostly my stomach. And I keep waking up at 4 a.m. and am unable to get back to sleep. I did some research and think it might be the Turmeric I've been taking. So I'm no longer taking it and I hope to feel better, soon.

Mostly, I'm just plain tired.

June 12: Nick is 32!

 I can't believe my youngest is 32 now. I made him two mugs with his name. One also has an Ace of Spades and the other has cameras. He really liked them.

We also gave him a gift card to put towards a new camera. Nick is very good at photography!

Because he didn't let us know what he wanted for his birthday dinner, we just had regular Sunday sauce. But Michael is going to make seafood for him on Thursday. If I remember I will post pictures.

Mother's Day 2022

 

Michael and Megan

Katherine and Mike

Michael brought a tray of really good lasagna he made and Katherine brought a killer salad with lots of ingredients like candied nuts and goat cheese.

I got some nice cards and a gift card. Nicky and Katherine also gave me candy--the really good kind.

Katherine is making a face because I took her picture with a towel.

Easter 2022

 Easter Sunday, 2022, at John and Noreen's

Katherine and Andrew

John Joseph and John

John, Nor's brother Mike, Noreen

Me and Mike

Michael was there, too, but I missed taking his picture. Megan was home with their dog, Jazzy, who was sick. (Jazzy is fine now)

Here is John Joseph's dog, Zach, wishing for some ham. 

Coloring Eggs 2022

 I will never be too old to do this.

Me and Katherine

Michael and Megan

We were joined by Katherine's friend, Michelle. 

Megan

Michael

I am 66

 Michael made me a wonderful turkey dinner--like Thanksgiving in January!

Megan sets the table as Katherine waits.

Busy in the kitchen.

Michael makes a great turkey!

Andrew and Mike.

Jazzie, Michael and Megan's very sweet, very active pup. She gets so excited when company comes!

Setting out the feast.

We celebrated on the previous Saturday so Katherine could join us. James and Nick had to work, but we celebrated on my real birthday, January 25th, with Chinese Food that Nicky paid for.

Mike gave me a Joann gift card and I got a Bed, Bath and Beyond one from Nick and a Michael's gift card from the other kids. All-in-all a great 66th!

Christmas Day, 2021

 We enjoyed a dinner of prime ribs at John and Noreen's house.

Life in the 2000s always includes smartphones.

Jamie is wearing a shirt I gave him as a gift. There are cookies on the table that Noreen makes that we all really love! They are made with powdered sugar on top and a real treat that only shows up on holidays.

Christmas Eve 2021

 Our Christmas Eves aren't as busy as they used to be, when more of Katherine's friends joined us. But we keep up with our traditions. There is always scungilli for dinner and really good shrimp from Catfish Annie's. Mike actually had to buy it a week early because they couldn't get help to fill orders and had to close up the week before Christmas! 

The kids always want Cranberry Meatballs and Bacon-Brown Sugar Crackers. Soooo good! I actually made way too much food and ended putting a lot in the freezer. 

Megan brought this stuff called "Million Dollar Dip" which I specifically requested after she made it last year. I ate the leftovers all week long.

So this year, it was just me and Mike, the four kids, Megan and Katherine's boyfriend, Andrew. And we all really enjoyed ourselves.

Katherine and Andrew

Michael and Megan

Nick and Atticus. We got Atticus 4 years ago!