September 5,2015

Mom is still in the hospital. She was supposed to have a feeding tube put in yesterday but she wasn't cooperative so the dr wants to wait until Tuesday and use an anesthetic just to be on the safe side.

Leslie Darby came by for a while yesterday. Phil stopped in for a minute. He works in the ER downstairs. Kim stayed with Mom last night. I spent the two nights before with her. Kim went to Seattle this afternoon and will go to Sole and Tyler's wedding tomorrow so I'll be here for the next two nights again. Not sure yet about next week.

Uncle Wayne was here when I got here this afternoon (around 12:30). He was here until 2 or so. Here are the other visitors Mom had today (the ones I know about anyway):
Annetta Moody - she brought "survival" gifts for me and Kim.

 
Patty Stoddard
Alicia Gibson - Mom opened her eyes for a few seconds for her.
Tim and Carol Harp - brought Mom a card.

I think that's everyone.

September 18, 2015

Paige Wright came by to see you, and a little while after she got here, Bro. Orffer came by. He and Sis. Orffer are getting ready to go to general conference.
The picture is of your flowers from the church. Thought I'd better get a picture while they still looked good. 😊

 

 

September 12, 2015

The doctors and hospital staff aren't holding out much hope for Mom's recovery (except one of the nurses, Shantil, she says you never know what the human body is truly capable of). I have to keep hoping and praying. I don't know what God's plan is but I don't believe it's about losing her now too. 

September 4, 2015

I found Mom Saturday morning on the floor in her bedroom. She'd had a stroke. She's been in the hospital since the 29th of August. 

Saturday morning Paula texted me and said she was running a little late for the garage sale but Mom and Shelly should be there already. I got up a little after 8 and walked to the other end of the house to make sure Mom really was up. She's usually up by that time so I figured she would already be in the garage. I walked towards her room calling her. Just as I got to her room, I saw her left hand come up and grab the bedpost on the foot of her bed. She was laying on the floor. She looked like she was starting to get up and around. She wasn't completely ready for the day yet and her hair was still down. I pray she was getting up and this didn't happen the night before! I called 911. I thought maybe her blood sugar was low again. I gave her a glucose tablet but she couldn't really chew it. I tried checking her blood. Took me about 4 times to get it to work. Her sugars were about 182 I think. I called Paula and told her to get over here. Glenda knocked on the back door before the paramedics got there. Charly came in to see what was going on. Mom was trying to pet him. She couldn't move her right arm. But she was awake and looking at me part of the time. Ambulance rushed her to St Peter's and we've been here since.

She had a hemorrhagic stroke and the bleeding was pretty extensive. The neurosurgeon said he didn't want to do surgery, it looked like she shouldn't need it and it's better not to do it if you don't have to. It's been a very long week! 

I took a leave of absence from work. I can't bring myself to leave Mom alone at night. I don't think Dad would have.

Patty Stoddard from CCI texted Paula and Mom on Saturday saying they needed to get together soon. Paula called her and told her what happened. She came by on Sunday. She said she had been thinking about Mom all day Saturday and had no idea what was going on. Mom responded a lot to her! She even seemed to try to talk to her as she was leaving. Since the stroke occurred on the left, it affected her right side and her speech. That was the first time she'd tried to talk.

She mostly has been sleeping this week. She doesn't always want to cooperate with the nurses. But they keep trying to wake her up. She will need physical, occupational and speech therapy.

Happy November 1st!

Hello! This is Heather, Elaine's daughter. I'm going to attempt to take over her blog for a while. We'll see how it goes. 

I thought I'd start with some of my journal entries from last year when Mom had her stroke and work up to the present. 

Here goes...

Kimberly text me this morning about my blog spot. So since I was here I decided to add a note or two. I have not worked in over a year now, April 18, 2013, very hard to believe, at CCI. Haven't worked at CCI for over a year, hard to believe!

Today is a beautiful, sunny day! It is suppose to be nice out for several days. I'm looking forward to that. I haven't felt very good for most of the past week so I am ready for some sunshine and warm weather. I'm eating a container of Key Lime Yogurt for breakfast, nothing has sounded good for the past couple of days! That does help on the weight loss but I want to lose it gradually and not because I don't feel good.

Pam & Jerry Donnelly were suppose to come for dinner last night but since I didn't fell well and didn't want to give them what I have we cancelled and will get together next week.

Heather and Paula & family came for dinner on Sunday. Heather was going to come then Paula called to see if they could come too. OF COURSE, they can. They help with the cooking and cleaning up so it went great! Everything went together fine!

Well, Burton's gone to do a carpet job and I need to get signed up for Arise.com so I can go to work and help with the bills. It is nice to not work but not so nice to have no money to do anything so I have to get crackin'! Bummer! I should have married a millionaire! Hehe!

Well, I wrote a whole blog and then lost it! How does that happen??? Kim text a little while ago asking about my blog spot. I haven't written on here for over a year. Guess I should do that, huh! I haven't been feeling great for a few days so I haven't been doing much either, such as signing up for Arize.com. It is an online company that does customer service for companies online. If i am going to do this I need to get cracking! One of the ladies at Paula's church has done it for around 3 years. Now that her kids are in school she has taken an 'actual job' not an online one. Online seems good for me right now. We will see!

Jerry & Pam Donnelly are coming for dinner next Monday night, Cinco de Mio! They were suppose to come last Monday night but I have not been feeling very good. I have been feeling better today but still not eating a whole lot. They have been going to the Satsop church for a while now so we have not seen much of them. They have a cute dog that they will bring to play with Charly. Maybe we will have to fix Mexican food although I had thawed out steaks for dinner last week. God bless my body with health and healing!

I need to finalize signing up to work through Arize.com. It is an online company where I can work through other companies by going online through them. I hope I can find somewhere fast and really good.

Well, I've got to get cracking so more later!

1-16: Addy came over this morning while Paula went to exercise. Her surgery spot is bothering her again.  Addy wanted hot cakes after she decided the bowl of cereal she had already eaten didn't fill her up so we mixed up a batch.  She ate 3.  Tomorrow they are going swimming in Aberdeen, with Addy's CC school buddies.

Arlota and I went to Olympia to get Lil Smokies to take to Bethene's memorial service.  I am also going to make Pumpkin bread.  There is a Fellowship meeting at our church tomorrow night so I need to make enough p bread for that too.  Got home before three, ate lunch and now we're ready for a nap.

1-15: Snowflakes I crocheted after church last night. I haven't crocheted for 15+ yrs at least.  I want to make a snowflake garland for Christmas tree 2014! I'm not satisfied with the ones I did last night. Hopefully I will get better with practice.  I also want to learn to tat some. Colleen say she has an instruction book I can borrow.  

Oops! Don't know what I did to indent that paragraph.  Have to figure that out!  Something else to learn.

Burton's sister, Arlota, came up from Redding, CA for their sister Bethene's funeral. Bethene passed away Friday, Jan 10th at 6 PM.  She had heart complications and gallbladder problems. Bethene was 86 years old. The family is planning to have a service on Fri for the immediate family, a service on Sat for everyone & a memorial service the next Sat in Shelton. Things are still in the planning stages.

Arlota is here, Wayne may come down tomorrow so the week is starting out with a bang! I'm going to try to get the rest of the Christmas stuff fettered out and put away.  Just when I think I've got everything together I find something else.  Aaaaargh!

I got my kitchen somewhat cleaned out and the laundry room partially done. I've laid down the law and threatened everyone that makes a mess. Plan to finish my computer desk tomorrow.  Lots of things to do this year.  Time to get cracking!

Wow, a whole year and I didn't add anything! How crazy is that! Actually I did post a little in 2013 but it was under a different date and I just put it all together. I was a 'reduction in staff' April 18th, 2013.

I plan on doing like David McLain and using this for my journal.  2014 Journal entries coming soon! It's too late to start tonight, it's already after 12PM.

Aunt Bethene passed away today at 6PM so there's no telling what tomorrow holds. . .thank God I know he holds tomorrow!  Good night!

April 22-2012

A lot has happened since the last post!  Really, a LOT has happened!

On April 11th Arlota came up for a visit from Redding, CA.  She is spending a couple of weeks with us. She called Burton around the 5th and said that she was thinking about coming up for a few days, then a few days later he gets a call from her that she will be arriving about 6:30 on Thurs the 11th. I was thinking she would be coming in a month or so, boy, was I wrong!

April 10th:  Kimberly called Heather and they decided for Kimberly to come down and her & Heather took my out to Happy T for dinner for my birthday (April 1st). We were trying to wait for Burton & Arlota to get there but we were done eating by the time they arrived.  For some silly reason we decided to order the 'family' style dinner that serves 3-4, we won't do that again.  We had enough for 4-5 and we made a pretty good dent in it but we were really stuffed. They ordered dinner and we sat and talked while they ate.  Burton & Arlota came on home and the girls and I went to The Rock Pizza place for dessert, who was hungry and how could we have eaten anything else?  Well, we gave it the good old Kearney try and managed to put away a lot of it.  We had a chocolate chip cookie baked in a 8" cast iron skillet, topped with 2 big scoops of vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup drizzled over the top and they also ordered the cheesy bread they make (I'm not sure why we ordered any of it because we were already stuffed from Happy T but it was really good.) We sat and talked and had a GREAT time then it was time for Kim to start the long trip back to Bothell so she could go to work the next day.  Thanks girls!

April 17th:  Burton has been taking Arlota to visit the rest of the family while she is up here.They (Burton, Arlota & Bethene) drove up to Darlene & Dicks in Stanwood , they seem to be doing better that the last time we saw them.  Andy comes out in the morning and helps Darlene get Dick up and ready for the day and comes again in the evening and gets him ready for bed. They stopped by Mark & Colleen's on the way back and visited with them for a short time. Mark tires easily and had to go lay down a little after dinner but got up again right before they left so they visited a little longer.  Since then hospice has started coming out and giving him his shots and meds and making sure he is doing ok.  They got home around 8 or so.

April 18th: Kimmer's birthday!  Thirty eight wonderful years. 

I had been thinking about Kimberly's birthday all week.  Ever since the week before when Kimberly said she needed a little bigger purse because she only brought her wallet and keys into the restaurant and then wished she hadn't left her phone in the car I started thinking that I could probably make her one but the time keep getting closer and closer and if I was going to embroider on it I needed to have started a week ago because I have to figure out how to use the embroidery machine again.  And I have to decide on a pattern and fabric, etc, etc, etc. . .needless to say I did not get it made.  So on the 18th I was going to take a card from home and get $50.00 to go in it and sent off to her, I planed to do that a couple of days earlier but didn't so I found a decent card in the cards at work and went to the bank at lunch and got the money then realized that I had left the card on my desk at work. I drove back to work, ran in and got the card, ran to the post office and finally got the card mailed. Whew! What a job that was!  Hope you got it Kimmers! ( She didn't!  I received it back today. . .none deliverable address. Arrrrrrrrgh!) 

About 4:15 my boss, Jerry, came into my office and asked if I would meet him down in Yvonne's office, HR.  So I went to her office and I had a hunch but when I got sat down and we exchanged a few pleasantries with Yvonne he got down to the business at hand. I was laid off due to "reduction in staff".  This is the way people are let go, laid off. at CCI.  I was given a months pay & insurance, I can draw unemployment after the month is up. Jerry was a little surprised that I was joking and did not have a problem with being laid off.  I told him that he could have waited a week because I had in-laws visiting!  I offered to go on a cruise with Yvonne and Bruce since they were leaving on Sunday and I wouldn't have to be at work!

I am glad it was me and not anyone else at work that could not afford to lose their job.  God brought me to that job and he will take care of me now on my next venture.  Arlota was a little shocked too that I was not upset or worried, I've heard her on the phone telling everyone that I seemed happy about it and I am happy.  I've been kinda looking for something new for some time.  I had just put my application in at Simpson's Credit Union but they had just filled the position.  I've had people asking me when I am going to retire and like I told Jerry when he asked me the same question a while back, "They would probably have to kick me out the door when they close".  Not that I want them to close because the workers need their jobs.

When the JCPenny's catalog store closed on Dec 31, 1999, Jerry's wife was a customer and when she found out that it was closing she tole me to go talk to her husband at CCI Solutions.  I had never heard of CCI Solutions and did not want to stay in sales.  After a month or two of being on unemployment I finally decided to go check it out and was hired. I started working there on March 6th, 2000. I worked there for just over 13 years. I was a sales assistant. At the time all of the sales guys had an assistant.  Then it changed and no one had an assistant anymore. I and another person were the two assistants for all of the sales guys.  When we started the online business I was the one that processed all of the orders. A few years ago I started being the front office supervisor and back in Oct of 2012 I moved to the front office area and was the backup for answering the phones and backup for the new person that was the web orders.  I also ran reports for Jerry and did a few extra things for him.  I had prayed that God give me a different job because things had changed there over the years and I was ready to move on. God did not move me on for quite a while after I started praying. But when he did move me on it was with a big flourish and now I am waiting for the next door to open for the next step in my life.  

I am not sure what I am going to do yet. Paula told me about a job that a lady at her church does for Arise.com and I am going to check them out.  I would like to bring in some money and this job is working from home, setting your own hours and in my jammies if I desire! Definitely something I'll check out.

Sis Rosalee Nicholson passed away this morning.  She is in 70's. she has always been a wonderful, kind, dependable person.  Her husband is one of Burton's cousins.  She was the Ladies Aux Leader when I first got married and started attending the UPC church in McCleary back in 1968.  She was the piano player then and up until a couple of years ago. She taught Sunday School and was very involved with the young people. She was the church receptionist and the church cleaner and floral arranger.  She struggled with cancer for several years and at the end was in a lot of pain but now she is resting in the arms of Jesus, pain free. Her funeral is Friday, April 26th at the Olympic Christian Center in McCleary.  We will miss her so much.

Well, I think I have made up for not getting on here sooner all at one time.  I still need to go back and enter some other days that I have not blogged about but want to.  See you all sooner rather than later I hope!