Zaccheus update

Little Zacchie is still with us. He is a strong little cuss! I am taking him with the rest of the litter to the vet in the morning. Dr. Tim will let us know if he really stands a chance. If he doesn't, Doc may put him down, but I think that if he has made it this long, we should keep trying. Shawn and I feel pretty strongly that he wants to live, so we should let him.
Plus, I have big plans for him. Plans which will be revealed if he makes it, and not before I know.
I'll let you in on it then. ;)

Still

The unlikely has happened, and wee little man has made it through the night. I can't believe it. I thought he was a goner after my first attempt to feed him. He gurgles and wheezes for a while after eating. But he crawls all over me. He squirms out of his pouch and up my neck, under my hair. Then I can't resist.

"Zaccheus, you come down!"

Cricket is NOT happy at the moment. I thought she might be helpful with the fostering, but she won't come near me when I have him. And she doesn't like the smell of him on me.

Today will be interesting as I have a few errands and church this evening. He will have to come with me. I can't leave him alone for too long because he eats about every two hours. I set my alarm during the night so I wouldn't make him wait, but I needn't have. He woke me up just fine, thank you, with his demands.

FEED ME NOW! I'M STARVING!

I just hope the kids don't get too attached. I'm trying to be cold and factual like the Dread Pirate Roberts. "Good night Wesley. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning."
I wouldn't do THAT, of course. But I'll tell the kids, "Good night children. Sleep well. He'll most likely be dead in the morning." This way they think I've pulled off a miracle if he survives another day.

Zaccheus is a wee little man

Yes, I said IS.
My sister's Yorkie had pups and he is not thriving. All but the runt are double his size, but, unlike the runt-girl, he will not suck. The vet thinks he may have a cleft palate.
He is so tiny she named him Zaccheus. Fitting because although he is so tiny, he is a fighter. She has tried to keep him alive the past five days, but without thriving, the vet says the most humane thing to do is put him down.
But I wanted to try to save him, so I went to pick him up after dinner. If he makes it through the night, it will be a miracle.
I will get up every hour or so and try to feed him. His digestive tract is working. He just cannot wrap his tongue around the bottle. I basically pour formula down his throat and try not to choke him to death.
I am carrying him around in a fleece pouch next to my heart once in a while to keep him warm and stimulated. Other than that, he sleeps in a plastic bin on top of a heating pad and lightly covered with a baby blanket.
If he lives I'll post some pictures.
It's gonna be a long night.

OOO, OOO, Pick Me!

My very talented, crafty friend, Tina, has begun designing blogs for a living. I fully expect her to make lots of money and look back on these days of scarceness with fond memories. You should check out her web design blog.

GO TINA!

Those we don't speak of

I don't see him very often. He is the elusive creature who, like the ones in The Village, we don't speak of. His name is Angry Shawn. Very rarely he comes and visits. He looks like my husband, but I don't know him well.
Thankfully.
Shawn is usually very mild and laid back. He never gets riled and loses his temper. Well, almost never. Which works around here, because I have a flash temper, and who needs two of those in one house?

My husband came into my room yesterday afternoon when the dreams were circling in my brain like a roulette wheel. They hadn't settled on a single topic yet, but consciousness had ebbed.

He came in to tell me he was going to Best Buy. Translation: "I'm going to get the laptop computer I liked last night."

When we were out the night before I reminded him of the tax free status of the weekend that covered computers. Knowing the money would have to come out of savings, and having not already done his research, he said he didn't want to even look. But after dinner, he said it might not hurt to at least see what was on sale. So we stopped at Circuit City.
Found one we liked, but wanted to look at a couple more places before taking the plunge.
Went to Best Buy. Found an even better one. Mentioned looking in a couple more places and possibly coming back "tomorrow."
Checked at Sam's. Nada.
Came home and did some research online. BB was still looking good. But then he decided to pass on the idea entirely. Shawn doesn't like to buy big things without LOTS of research and he was feeling rushed.

So I was surprised when he came and roused me from sleep. Kissed him goodbye, and told him to wake me when he brought it home. I like my Sunday afternoon nap.

But he never brought it home. Angry Shawn texted me that the sale had ended Saturday night and the manager would not honor the sale price from the day before. Hmmm, maybe they could have mentioned the sale was ending that night.
We told the salesman we were probably coming back "tomorrow." Even asked if he worked on commission so we could ask for him when we came back.
The manager stopped us on the way out the door and chatted with Shawn about why we would leave and come back the next day when the gas prices are so high. Wouldn't we like to save ourselves a trip? Never a word about the sale ending.
So Shawn was pretty steamed. He doesn't like to be jerked around. Good thing I wasn't there. I wouldn't have to blog about it. You would be hearing about me on the news.
All this after having to wait in line to even SEE the computers.
BOTH DAYS!
UGH!!!

Math, Magic, and Miracles

I don't even know how it's possible. There are miracles at work in my house every day. Or maybe it's magic. I'm not really sure. How can it be that two children and two adults can generate this much mess? I don't think it's mathematically possible to go from generally tidy to filthy in less than twenty-four hours. I mean somebody-exploded-a-science-project-and-then-a-tornado-blew-through kind of filth.

WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO GET PEOPLE TO PICK UP AFTER THEMSELVES????

Sound Doctrine goes global! You heard it here first, folks!

Okay. Those of you who know me, know I love to sing. It is my passion and my joy. So when Sound Doctrine decided to sing a cappella, I was all for it. And the song we chose was a favorite of mine from way back. You can only imagine, or maybe you can't, how excited I was to get the lead for this song. I asked our wonderful, wonderful sound technician to have the video team record us and put it on a CD ROM for me to download. I posted it on youtube, and here it is for you! I am the one on the left.

Tag, You're it!

Oh, how fun! I've been tagged for the first time by my friend Tina. Somebody likes me! I have never heard of a meme before. Well, that's not entirely true. I have heard the term, and done the action, but didn't know they went together. I am a little behind the times on terminology. Oh well! So here it is.

4 Jobs I've Had:
Taco Maker Supreme ~ Taco Bell
Marian Librarian ~ Crichton College
Dangerous Goods Agent ~ FedEx (not to be confused with Secret Agent. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you!)
Bank teller ~ I quit my day job when four masked men came in shooting up the place and demanding we all get on the floor. The hurtled the counters and robbed the joint, but not before threatening to kill my friends and a little girl who wouldn't stop crying. I went back to FedEx working nights after that.


4 Shows on my TiVo/DVR:
Lost
The Biggest Loser
Survivor
Dr. Phil ~ No more Oprah. She's gone off the deep end.


4 Places I've Been:
New York City (get a rope)
Buckingham Palace (London) The queen was in residence.
Eiffel Tower ~ the view is amazing, even if I am terrified of heights
Disney World ~ it truly IS the happiest place on Earth

4 Favorite Foods:
Mexican
Thanksgiving dinner ~ all of it, from the turkey to the pie
Pot roast with all the trimmin's
Anything chocolate

4 CD's Recently Listened To:
Casting Crowns ~ Altar and the Door
Go Fish ~ Snazzy (fun kids music that doesn't make me bonkers)
Don Francisco ~ The Early Works
Mercy Me ~ Almost There

4 Things You Can Do to Make My Day:
Leave a comment (nice) on my blog
Bring me tea when I don't expect it
Clean my kitchen while I am running errands. Thank you LaDonia!
Send me a baby sitter who comes with an invitation to meet you for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants. Thank you, Shawn! I don't think you can top that one.

4 People I Tag:
LaDonia
Jennifer
Kathryn
Casandra
I'd tag Lorrie, but someone else already got her.

Princess Hailey gets a new wardrobe

I had to do it. I had to list some of Hailey's dresses she received from her grandmother on eBay. The story I wrote to enhance the description is not quite what really happened, but I think it makes for good entertainment. Maybe I'll hit it big like Dawn Meehan. Who knows. You can see the listing here.
Actually it is kind of a true story, but I embellished for the sake of the story. Mostly, I don't like Hailey wearing shoulder baring clothes, and I bought her a lightweight sweater to wear over these beautiful dresses. She was not happy about having to wear it, so rather than struggle with her over it, I decided to sell them. I will take her and the money to Dillards and buy her some more appropriate dresses of the same quality of these. But they will have sleeves. So she's not going to miss out on enjoying pretty new clothes. I am NOT that mean of a Mommy!

Treasures Are Worth Far More Than Money

When I was in Hot Springs I came across a porcelain figurine that looked a lot like one I received as a wedding gift. When I unwrapped it, there was no card with it or name on it, so I have no idea where this mystery item came from. I am not much of a nick knack person, so after a while it was relegated to the attic, carefully wrapped in a discarded old robe for safe keeping. What I was planning next, I have no clue. But when I found the one in Hot Springs, I remembered it was up there somewhere. So I went in search of it with the thought of looking it up on line and seeing if it was worth anything. I am so shallow.

Meanwhile, I have been mourning the loss of a bag of photographs from when my kids were babies. They disappeared during our first move, and even though we have moved once more, they have still eluded me. You will never guess what I found when I was looking for the porcelain figurine! Okay, you probably guessed. I found the pictures. I was so happy that I gave up the search. So I have been busy scanning them into the computer and saving them all on a portable zip drive I will store in a fireproof safe. The picture below is Hailey when she was about two. Wasn't she a happy baby? I wonder what happened since then...

Nate and Tricia

Please pray for Nate and Tricia. Tricia has Cystic Fibrosis, and is currently waiting in the hospital for a double lung transplant. They got the call today that a pair of lungs is possibly a match. They won't know until later today, and if it is, she will be in surgery by this evening. It would be such a blessing for this to be "it" for her, especially since today is Nate's birthday. But also be in prayer for the donor's family. Someone had to die in order for these lungs to be available. They are certainly grieving their loved one, wherever they are.

The First Annual Sisters' Weekend Getaway

Ah, the weekend at Hot Springs...
There was rain, and shopping, rain, eating, rain, bathing, rain, massaging, rain, facials, and yet more rain. But seriously. We got there, checked into the Arlington, and went up to our room. Chris and I shared a room because, well, I'm cheap, and we're sisters. I was a bit surprised by the size of the room. I think it was 10 by 15 total, which made seeing the fifteen inch TV easy. The space between the tub, toilet, and sink was about the size of a couch cushion. I guess you could call it cozy. Yes, cozy is a good word to describe the room. Also, what's the opposite of sound proof? That's another word to describe our cozy little room.

So we went down to the Venetian Dining Room to eat dinner at the Seafood Extravaganza. I knew it would be fabulous, because it was in the articles I read on-line about where to go if you are looking for fine dining. And it was only $25, which was reasonable. I don't know who does the writing for the sites I researched on-line, but clearly they don't get out much. The seafood feast was not so extravagant after all, and it sure wasn't worth $25 per person! But hey, we ate at the Venetian Dining Room, right?

So we went to see a movie we were both looking forward to. Note to self: even a great movie falls flat when the seat you are sitting in reclines to a 45 degree angle to the floor and the back of said seat ends at the middle of your shoulders. So you have to scoot your back side to the edge of the chair to have someplace to lay your head, and when your back protests to that, you have to sit up in the seat and put your hands behind your head to cradle it, and when your arms fall asleep, you have to hold your head up just using your neck for the rest of the movie.

When we got back to the room, and settled in for the night, Chris took something to help her sleep, because she can't sleep in strange places. We got comfy, and turned out the lights. There was lovely ambient light coming in the gaps around the door, and the melodic sounds of the elevator bell each and every time it passed our floor. It would ding once on the way down, and twice on the way up. Or it could have been the other way around, but that's hardly the point, now is it?

In the morning, we zipped across the street to join the throng waiting outside the Pancake House for breakfast. It was worth the wait. I tried a buckwheat pancake with my eggs. It was fantastic. I put some of their famous apple butter on it, and loved it. Then we decided to explore the hotel for the rest of the time before our appointments. It's pretty cool to have stayed in an historic hotel.

We showed up for our facials, and added on paraffin hand and foot treatments to our facials. **HEAVENLY** They finished with us just in time to send us to the bath, where we did the traditional walking around in a sheet, and letting a strange lady scrub our backs, leg, and arms, while we pretended being naked in front of other people is something we do every day. I had booked us for a couples massage, so we could enjoy our time together, so we had to leave the bath house part of the hotel, traipse across the waiting room, and down the hall in our practically transparent sheets, to get there. Chris had Leon for her masseuse, and I had a little oriental lady named Tamen. They told us how to lay on the tables, and left to let us do it in private. I told Chris I was never so glad to see a gay man in my life. I think she fell in love with him. We had the hot stone massage. **FABULOUS** Come to think of it, I was kind of crushing on Tamen by the time she was done with me.

We ate the best pizza at Rocky's on the Corner. It is across the street from the race track. We pulled into the parking lot behind the restaurant, and a scruffy dude with long hair and a Rocky's hat told us we had to give him $20 to park there and they would reimburse us when we ate inside. We looked at each other and said, "Yeah, riiiiiiiight!" You see, it was race day at the tracks, and that's how they keep race goers from parking in their lot and walking through the place on the way to the races. I understand why they would make people pay, but they understood when we were skeptical and checked if it was just a well thought out con. I mean, really. How stupid would we look if we forked it over, went inside, ordered, and asked for our $20 back. "What $20?" They might say. "Why, the $20 your parking attendant took when we parked in your lot." "What parking attendant? We have no parking attendant." While all the time, Joe Bob, the "parking attendant" was laying down twenty bucks on the favored horse of his choice mumbling something about stupid tourists falling for it every time. The manager and I had a good laugh over the situation. At least he had a sense of humor. "Joe Bob" didn't think it was funny that we didn't believe him. But the pizza was everything I remembered, and if Chris hadn't had a gall bladder attack when we were sitting there, she would know it, too.

We shopped around downtown, and found some really great stuff. We spent all our money, and then some, and then we came home on Sunday. It was a very nice time, and we learned a few things which we will incorporate into the second annual sisters' weekend getaway. But that's at least a whole year away. Maybe it won't rain. But I'm packing an umbrella just in case.

Recycle bin, part deux

Tuesdays are good for recycling. This is a post from another blog.
I decided today was the day I would attempt, yet again, to scale the perpetual heights of Mt. Laundry. I am not sure if I am making any headway. The faster I climb, the more times Hailey decides to change clothes. She doesn't even wear all the ones she puts in the hamper. I know that as a stay-at-home mom, it should be my delight to wash the garments of my beloved cherubs and spouse, but I think if I were independently wealthy, I would resort to purchasing new clothes and bestowing all our soiled ones upon the unsuspecting poor. I don't think the kids know how to turn their clothes right-side out. They must think the laundry fairy comes while we are soundly slumbering in sweet repose and waves her magic jean right-sider-outer wand over the loads of neatly sorted laundry. How does this magical wand know which leg of the pair of jeans to right? For each and every pair has only one leg wrong-side out. To be fair, the kids do help out quite a lot these days. Caleb empties the trash, and unloads the dishwasher. Hailey loads the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, and wipes the counters and sinks out. She still hates touching the gooey, gummy substance that gets caught in the drain. I usually get called in for the dirty work. I even tried to let them have a go at their own laundry. Let's just say, I have re-assumed the role of "Mountain Climber Extraordinaire."
Today we have a plumber visiting. I was glad to see that he doesn't fit the stereo-type, for I have yet to see any forbidden body parts. Actually I have not seen much of him at all, because I have banished him to the attic to insulate some pipes. I didn't even bother trying to begin school this morning. I knew he would be in and out, traipsing through the classroom so much, it would be impossible to keep the kids on task. Hailey has already asked if she could get him a drink of water. I just figured if he was thirsty, he could undo a pipe in the attic and help himself. The dogs are on high alert and if anyone is truly alarmed by the frenetic yapping of two Yorkies, I think they would have headed for the hills by now.