Look what I got

This was my parcel from LisaD. I love the wee sock and the watermelon tape measure. The fat quarters will probably become a knitting bag.

All reasonably quiet on the home front

Well Sunday my friend Tracey stopped by for a bit of quilting. I phoned Jill and she came by with the girls so Tracey could see them.

Monday I spent at Jill's to help her with the house .............. she hadn't had any sleep and had a headache, cranky Shelby hadn't had enough sleep and the baby had a tummy ache. .................. The closest thing I can think of to describe the day was being caged with Grizzle bears. I of course am never cranky , tired or miserable and never ever in my whole life do I ever yell. (Any one in the market for a bridge?) Luckily we all survived. Jill made dinner and sent some home with me so I didn't have to cook.

Yesterday I went to Jackie's and got most of the blocks cut out for a quilt and the pieces ready to finish my applique project............ hurray progress at last.

Today I am off to DD #1 for lunch and shower planning ( not the rain kind ................ I not only don't have that power but don't want that power).

Oh a rather neat thing........... I have been internet chatting with a woman in Ontario. She and I share the same GGG Grandfather or maybe he is only my GG Grandfather and her GGG Grandfather. I will have to checkout the number of "Greats" involved, but later. Maybe I should say I am his GGG Grand daughter. That way I get to be really 'great'.

On the knitting front I have turned the heels on my Hidden Lace socks and knit a wee sock for LisaD. I need to do a few wee socks so I am ahead of the game.........I do know the themes for the upcoming months ........ now to get it all together.

Did you ever get everything together and then forget where you put it......... Happens to me on a regular basis. Well I need to go package blue berries for DD and then drive to her house for lunch.

My fingers are getting sore

This is the result of keeping them crossed in the hopes that life will be calm and uneventful for a little while at least. Our Children are fine and their Children are fine. It is a good thing as I think I have had all the stress I can deal with at this time.

I went to visit Jackie on Saturday - she has a broken toe with a missing toe nail and a very funny story about a trip to the Dr. They were at the "Do it yourself walk- in Clinic" , the day after her trip to emergency. The Dr. looked at her bandaged toe and said " We will have to deal with this" and left the room."

A nurse came in with a basin of hot water, put it in front of Jackie and leaves. You can't put Jackie's still bleeding toe in a basin of hot water and expect to go away unscathed................... Fortunately the nurse didn't try. A few minutes later the Dr. put his head in the door and said "Oh not ready " and left.

John and Jackie looked at each other and discussed if this was a do-it - yourself situation. John went out into the hall ---------- NO ONE ------------ not even at the reception desk. Jackie puts her foot in the now cool water to start soaking off the bandage ...................... again the Dr. puts his head in and says......" Oh not ready yet"

By this time John and Jackie decide they are supposed to take her dressing off. Now Jackie can't bend over and take the dressing off as she will get dizzy and fall on her head.............. John finds some scissors , knocking over all the stuff on the top of the counter in the process............. The noise did not bring anyone into the room............... so again John goes out in the hall to see if there is anyone to help them.................. no luck the place is as silent as a tomb and no one answers his call. John starts to cut the dressing off with the DULL SCISSORS, while Jackie is holding her breath, worried that he is going to bump the injuried area. He gets most of the dressing off but doesn't want to take the last little bit off................

AHA..... A NURSE who comes in and says "OH you have been taking this off yourself". She then proceeds to try and get the rest of the dressing off with the DULL scissors. .................... this doesn't work so she leaves to get some sharper ones.......... the Dr's head appears in the doorway "OH Still not ready".

The nurse comes back with sharp scissors and removes the rest of the dressing and puts it in the plastic bag that has all the bloody bandages. This is the plastic bag that Jackie had over her foot to keep the rain off .

TADA................... the Dr. is back. This time he comes in and looks at Jackie's toe and says " That is a mess"..................... Clever man.................. He re-dresses her toe which is bleeding through the bandage as he is putting it on. Then he picks up the bag with the old, bloody dressing and asks if they want to take it home???????? Now why would he ask this? ........... Who wants to take bloody bandages home ................ it's not like it is a souvenir of an event you want to remember.

Needless to say they are not going back to this walk-in clinic. They went home and Jackie put more gauze on her toe to soak up the blood that was still seeping out of the bandage.

For those of you who know Jackie imagine her and John telling this story. They had me in stitches for half and hour. Only Jackie.

Okay, okay I know

It's been a month since I wrote anything here but it has been a very busy month. After Jill had the c-section she needed a lot of help at home so I was going over every day doing her house work and looking after her and the children while she tried to get some sleep. She was having a lot of swelling in her feet and difficultly breathing which wasn't improving. She saw the Dr. a week after the birth but he thought the shortness of breath was due to her stopping smoking and she forgot to tell him about her swollen feet and legs. I think he should have noticed it as she couldn't even get her right shoe on properly but obviously I was wrong. I know that is hard to believe as I , of course am hardly ever wrong .............. any one out there looking to buy a bridge...........

Anyway........... to make a long story shorter............ I made her go into the clinic and fortunately the obstetrician was on vacation so we saw a different Dr.. He sent her for an X-ray and Lab tests. While we were at the lab the Dr. phoned and told Jill to go to emergency. He asked which hospital she would go to so he could phone to say she was coming. We went to Eagle Ridge Hospital .......... they examined her, hooked her up to a heart monitor and an IV and sent her by ambulance to the Critical Care Unit at Royal Columbian Hospital. She had Congestive Heart Failure and they discovered she had a narrowed valve in her heart. After 5 days in the hospital they sent her home.......... she and the kids stayed with us for a couple of days.

While she was in the hospital Bill and I looked after the children........... it has been a long time since I did diapers, bottles, formula and night time feedings............Now I never thought I would say these words as I don't do OLDE but I AM TOO OLDE FOR THIS........ along with this I was spending 2-3 hours at the hospital talking to Jill and watching the numbers on the heart monitor ......... all of which were way above normal. Fortunately Cory had taken Shelby with her to a wedding so they were gone almost the entire time Jill was in the hospital. Tomorrow I go with her to see the Cardiologist and we should know more after talking to him.

It took me a week to recover from looking after the baby. Jill is breast feeding so that is good for her as it is so much easier than formula and bottles. Jill and the girls have been over here every day since except Sunday when I went there to help Shelby clean her room.

You know how we all have food we turn to in times of stress....... well I usually choose from the following list:

Potato chips

Hawkins Cheezies (they are the only cheezies worth buying)

Cinnamon buns

Pie

Cheese and crackers

Well I went to the grocery store and bought the entire list ............. yes you read that right ............... I bought every comfort food I could lay my hands on then went home and ate it........ well not all of it in one day but it was all gone in three days. This means any weight I may have lost looking after the baby I immediately found again. The main thing is that Jill is doing well and Shelby is a big help for her and loves her baby sister.

As far as knitting, quilting or spinning there is not much of that going on. I have managed to clear off the dining room table but then covered it with a jigsaw puzzle that is three feet across and 1,000 pieces.

Well tonight is Knit Night at the Pool Hall but if it is nice out we bring our spinning wheels. I should take my camera and get a photo of us to post here.