We had a nice weekend.  Just got back from choir practice.  We ended up not going to the funeral on Friday, but we did drive up to Hope yesterday to see the play.  It was really gripping.  A 4 woman, two act play called Perfect Pie.  Ken was in charge of the sound board.  We took him out to a nice Italian restaurant before the production - had some snow on the way there, so the drive took a bit longer than it usually does.

No school tomorrow due to President's Day.  Michelle just has to hem her dress and it will be done - been too cold to wear a dress anyway.  It'll warm up soon again, I hope!

Just finished an interesting mystery ghost story.  She's writing a series of mystery ghost stories based on folk songs.  It's very British and charming in a supernatural kind of way.

Choir was fun.  Our Easter cantata will actually be preformed on Easter this year, instead of a Sunday service.  That will be nice since then we're sure to have a full house!  Next week Lent begins.  In the Protestant tradition we never give things up for Lent.  How many of you do and do you do it because it's tradition or does it really make a difference in your spiritual life?

We're not going to the funeral.  Dave's aunt called us this morning to tell us that they didn't have power and it was really icy outside.  When I checked the web the weather map showed bad conditions all along Lake Michigan.  High Winds.  Snow.  That stretch can be really bad to drive on, so we're not going to go.  We'll call Ken later today to see if Holland is OK and if we should still try to get to the play.

I forgot a book when I was doing book reviews yesterday.  "Mademoiselle Benoir" by Christine Conrad.  Fiction.  Written as letters.  To and from.  Excellent.  Highly recommended read.

Guess I'll work on taxes and my talk on perennials scheduled for next Wednesday. 

Just had to add this picture of my cats:  can you read the note that Michelle put on the doorframe?

"DO NOT PUT PAWS ON WINDOW"

Guess Wilma can't read English.  Michelle should have written that in cat!

Michelle saw the doctor yesterday.  Turns out her ultrasound did show a problem- her placenta is too low.  There is some risk here, but given that the doctor has not restricted her behaviors yet, it must not be real bad.  Prayers are appreciate to move that placenta up where it belongs. 

I started turbo tax today - for 2006 taxes.  It's looking a lot better than last year!  Good grief.  Last year was bad.

It's been awhile since I did book reviews and I've read a bunch in the past week.

#1.  Yes, the River Knows.  Tracy Dunham.  Mystery.  New author to me.  A little rougher than what I like.  But not bad.  OK.

#2.  The Last Time They Met.  Anita Shreve.  fiction.  I had a difficult time "getting into" this book, then the ending threw me for a total loop.  I'm still trying to process it.  Not recommended.

#3.  A redbird Christmas.  Fannie Flagg. fiction.  Excellent.  I love her anyway and this one was a treasure.

#4.  Curiosity Killed the Cat sitter.  Blaize Clement.  Mystery.  Another new author.  Not a bad storyline, but why do authors have to cram their left-wing agenda down my throat?  Gee, lets make the villain a "right-wing" irrational bigot spewing hate speech and unreasonableness and make all the homosexuals perfectly rational sounding and reasonable.  No thanks.  Nice cat though.

Tomorrow we're heading north for a funeral for the last surviving sibling of Dave's dad.  Strange to think that all seven siblings of that generation are gone now.  Three wives remain, including Dave's mom.  His dad was the first to pass on, dying in a car accident when Dave was only 10.  His mom remarried six years later.  So when I talk about my fil, I'm talking about Dave's step dad.

We'll make a day of it, attending the funeral in the late morning, having lunch with the family, then killing time until we can go to Hope at 5 and meet Ken for an early dinner.  He has to be at the play at 6 and he hopefully got tickets for us to attend tomorrow night.  May as well do it all if we're "in the area".  At least Holland is on the way home from Muskegon, not the other way around.  We can get home in just over an hour after the play so we'll be home before midnight.  Long day for us though.

I am befuddled.  I will post this picture sideways since when I turn it in yahoo photos, then bring it back here, it comes out all squatty.  So turn your head and then you'll see M in her aunts 1970's maternity dress!

Time for pictures.

I have a wonderful Valentine.

And in today's mail - a package for Michelle.  My sil sent one of her maternity dresses from 1970 - it fits Michelle just perfectly and looks cute too.

Go ahead.  Tell me what you think about me!

http://kevan.org/johari?view=valreads

I saw the doctor at 9:10 a.m. and he is sending me to a hand specialist.  The scheduler from my doctor's office has been trying all day to make the appointment, but the speciallists computers are down.  So I should have an appointment scheduled within the next week.  At least I don't have to take the steroids anymore.

Ken came and went.  We went to Red Lobster for lunch.  He worked on his income taxes.  We will see him again this weekend when we drive up to see the play he's doing the sound board for.

I'm tired.  I'll try for a nap now.

It's 12:36 a.m. and I can't sleep AGAIN!  The steroids ARE NOT WORKING to alleviate the pain, but they are keeping me up at night.  GRRRRR.

Now I can clearly see a round hole just under my thumb joint.  I'm thinking this whole thumb thing is the result of a bite, probably spider.  No way is it arthritis.  I'm going to call the doctor in the am and make him really look at the little hole.  The one I've been seeing but he hasn't been believing.  Wonder how they treat paralyzing spider bites?  Gee, it's only been a month!

But the thing is, it doesn't look like the horrible bites that I find when I Google spider bites.  Maybe I got bit by some rare Irish arachnid that's found only in Northern Indiana?

We set up the crib and the changing table in Michelle's room today.

And Ken is supposed to arrive within the hour - he has winter break for the next two days and is coming home to sleep what's left of tonight.  Tomorrow we'll work on his taxes and go out to lunch at Red Lobster.  Crab cracking Monday.  His favorite.

Maybe I'll have some good news to report on this thumb.  I'd take a picture but I don't think it would show up.

Sigh.

Since I have nothing interesting to say, I'll play the game that everyone else has been playing.

Four Jobs I have had in my life:

1.  I worked as a telephone solicitor for 2 entire weeks (seemed like 100 one summer while I was home from college.  Hell on earth.

2.  Waitress at Manners Big Boy Restaurant the summer after I graduated college and before I got married.

3.  Computer programmer/ systems analyst - my pre-mom carreer.

4.  College professor of mathematics.

Four Movies I can watch over and over

1. The Sound of Music
   
2. Oklahoma
   
3. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
   
4. My Fair Lady

Four Places I Have Lived     

1.  Cleveland, OH,  born and bred 

2. Evanston, IL

3. Downers Grove, IL

Granger, IN

Four TV shows I Love to Watch

These are hypothetical since we turned off our TV 5 years ago.  But these are the shows I watch when I'm at my in-laws or in a hotel.

1. Jeopardy

2. Who Wants to be a Millionaire

3. The Apprentice

4. American Idol

 Four places I have been vacationing

1.  Hawaii

2.  The Grand Canyon

3. Williamsburg, VA

4.  Yellowstone

Four Websites I visit daily

1.  Xanga (of course)

2. my e-mail provider

3.  yahoo games

4.  web suduko

   Four of my favorite foods

1.  Steak

2.  Chicken Paprikash with spaetzle

3. german chocolate cake

4. BLT sandwich

Four places I'd rather be right now

1.  Hawaii

2.  Oahu

3. Maui

4. Waikiki

It's a boy!

Face up.  His hand is by his face.

This one is cute.  His feet is right up there by his mouth and his hand is nearby.  He's an acrobat!  How talented!

The tech said it was pretty rare to see the entire leg like this.

That's all folks.  Mom and grandma are both doing well.  I had to blow a gasket in the waiting area so Michelle wouldn't use the potty before the procedure.  I finally had to talk to the receptionist and then they took her right back.  Argghh!