it was a nice day :-)

hello,

more about mom :-)
My Mom who turned 87 Dec. 5th 2012 has  moved into the nursing home. she knows it is the safest place for her.. even here I couldn't be awake all night to stop her from falling.. SO it is with a heavy heart I relent & she goes in.
She is making the best of it .. that's all we can ever ask.

I know , she is elderly. I see it in other people's eyes.. I know
her memory is not good enough to see her through a day alone.
I know her days here on earth are short . ( I KNOW heaven awaits).

I KNOW.. in my brain.. but my heart.. ?
 it's still my mom, the mom that taught be drive at 13 down an old dirt road in the 1970's green pick-up :-)
The mom who taught me to crochet, sew ,  do laundry & scrub toilets :-)
the mom who stood by me when my mistake gave me a baby at 17:-)
The same mom that told me to Stand up Straight.. mind my manners & to
respect my elders..
The same mom that taught me to say my prayers,
& when others seem to desert me.. He is always there.

So I KNOW !! but it's hard .
hard to relinquish her to old age & allow others to do her daily care .

As I touched on the other day :
Grace & I are entering her journals into our computer.. what a task ! I think the oldest ones were circa 1940's :-)  I have yet to find them all. SO we are starting with 1962 .
My father, Lavern Smith , worked at the grain elevator in the 50s & 60s  & he also sold Hail Insurance, he didn't use the yearly calendars .. so he gave them to mom.
each day section is small.. so she didn't have space to day dream or write extensively.
just enough each day to give her story.

As Grace read them aloud & I typed on the keyboard.. she would laugh & say.. Know what Grandma said next ? I'd say no (:) she'd reply.. & it was a NICE DAY ! :-)
when , if , we ever get them completed.. I think  I will title them..
"And it was a nice day.. (& a nice life:-) "

well off to do some washing. ( I can still do that for mom :-)

God Bless,
Lisa
 

Mom

Hello,

Well since I posted about my mom's 87th birthday party she has been living here , then in the hospital & now in the nursing home.

poor old soul.. she fell FOUR times at her apartment in just one day.
 the last time the ladies on her floor called my sister , Julie ( RN) & she took her to the hospital. there they found out she had a UTI .. she was put on meds & came here on snowy cold Friday night.. mom weighed a tiny 96 pounds !
She was very ill.. & really didn't improve on the meds.
then after  week she got up about 11 pm & fell/ slumped over the counter  in the bathroom .. so I held her & brought her to the floor.. she let out a loud breath & her eyes were dilated.. really scary for us all.
Gracie & I put a pillow under her head & covered her in blankets.. Hubby called the unit. we patted her face & told her we loved her. I was sure this was it..
long story short.. she spent a week in the hospital , chged her meds.. gave her iron.. & fluids.. & finally got her temp down.  she looked so much better & really could carry on a conversation again..
All of us kids made the hard decision to put her in the Nursing home. I would have rather had her here with family around her. but the simple act of her getting up to use the bathroom in the night was scary.. during the day she couldn't manage it with out help .. SO HOW she did it in the night was beyond me ! :-)

today grace & I went up to take a few more shirts & a pair of shoes.. she has a bright room & a wonderful room mate.. plus she is right by the nurses station :-)
she was talking well.. still wants to go home.. LOL .. but agreed that she couldn't manage alone.. I told her not to worry about it & to take it one day at a time ..
I said we can still do all the things we did before.. go for rides.. shop  & all :)
she agreed..
 Mom has kept a journal since about 1940 something.  they are so interesting..
she had wanted us to type them all out .. LOL why ? I don't know.  But grace & I are starting.. mom had given me 1962 years ago , so we started with that year.
the cute thing is.. on most days she ends with " & it was a nice day ".
I said when we are done.. we will title it , " It was a nice day " & as the subtitle it will read.. " and a Nice Life " .

well take care.. & kiss your loved ones tonight..
lisa


 

Loss

Good Afternoon,

Loss..
a sad word..
a word , that when heard in relationship
 to our friend's family , makes us sigh..

 No one is ready for a parent / mother to die.
No matter our age OR  their's.
Mothers have meant love , learning & tears.
Mothers taught us , prayed for us &
scolded us :-)
they are the ones we call with news ,First !
We spend our lives making them
proud .  We spend our lives , our entire
lives with our mom just a phone call
away.

I am deeply sorry for my friend Mary.
I am sorry she has to go through this time.

We have to then use, the most important
lesson our mother's have taught us. Christ Lives.
There is real hope, Hope & faith in Christ.
yes, we will see them again without pain or fear.

Soon , I pray, the pain of immediate loss will
give way & happier times will be remembered.
Funny times & lessons learned
or Mom always said , "this or that" :)
 .
That is a comfort , for Mary, for me
& I pray for you.

God Bless,
Lisa

do YOU ?

Hello,
What a beautiful day it was in Iowa.. well , this entire week was wonderful..  even the huge  , but short lived blizzard we had on Tuesday. which of course followed a 75 degree day :-) typical for the midwest.

I have some good news.. Mom is doing a lot better.. I think,  know the prayers have worked wonders.
she may not get fat again. :_) but she is going to live .. live the days God has intended, rather then sit & wait for Him to come calling .. LOL.. not that she was totally down every day , but she has certainly got her spunk back. ( & u wondered where I got mine :)

I have completed the hat & mitts for Daisha's dear friend who is going thru cancer treatment.  Sure hate that ..I said a prayer for her as I went along.. so they are 'stuffed' with blessings .

Jena Grace purchased a mini counted cross stitch this past week, her first try at it.
( I gave it up yrs ago.. I hated counting the tiny squares ! UGH !) J-Grace was a bit upset to start with , but after a couple re-starts she cheerfully said ' I think I got it !' :_)

Daisha has been busy crocheting a blanket for Max for Christmas.... which reminds me I need to purchase some sock yarn for his 'football' socks :-)
DO you have your Christmas gifts completed ?
Tonight I bought the Berroco Vintage DK for J-G's cardi ..shh it's a Christmas gift :_)..yea.. like she won't see me knitting it.. She chose the colorway : Chocolate .. I am going to knit it , top down , raglan sleeves. Should go pretty fast & the pattern lends itself to changes. which I love.

I'm also going to try my hand at needle punch embroidery.. have you tried it ? I watched a video on youtube .. seems pretty easy..& looks very pretty when completed.. I purchased a three needle set at Hobby lobby with my 40% off coupon ..:-)

I haven't done a lot of spinning this week. Have you ? I have plenty of roving yet to spin.. but that's ok. I love working with it & so don't want to rush thru it.:-)

off to get mom's dinner I made for her in the freezer....... if a few of us kids would just make an extra meal a couple times a week.. she'd have a freezer full of "real" food in no time :-)

well.. please leave a comment to let me know what u have been working on.
i hate to 'talk' to myself :_)

God Bless..
lisa

still trying to post a picture !