I REALLY LOVE HALLOWEEN this year!!!

First, we get to take the kids to Grandma's Care Center to trick or treat (that should be fun with rooms full of Alzheimer's people), then all the other trick or treating that night in the neighborhood, tons of candy, and more candy, (I promise to be good).........

thennnnnnnnnnnnn the Taukinukufili's are coming!!! They are on their way and we are having a huge sumber party at our house... Bryce is graciously taking out our tub and putting in a shower so that we can accommodate Grandma Schroeder when she moves in..in 2 weeks!! We laugh, we only have the one bathroom, yes, we raised 4 children in a one bathroom house....I know, unheard of these days, but we managed. So, yes, we will be showerless for a few days in the Schroeder house with 12 people living here during the weekend!!! It will be the 'stinky' house!!! But, hey, what can you do!! We may knock on neighbors doors and ask for shower privileges if it gets too bad ... ha ha ...all I can say is 'find joy in the journey!!'

Max has his first Emergancy Room visit...Happy Birthday Staci

Well.........today is Staci's birthday. Kristi, kati, and I celebrated it with her a couple weekends ago by getting pedicure's and dinner...it was a ton of fun and we had a good time. Today is her actual birthday and she decided she wanted us all to go to the Bountiful Temple to celebrate this day. Such a beautiful Temple...one of my favorites. Afterwards we went to Marie Calenders...of course...good food, good company and late night. As soon as we got home, Trevor called and asked if I could meet them at McKay-Dee Hospital in Bountiful...Max was having trouble breathing...that was all I knew...I figured it was croup but didn't really know any more details...I took off! I took the new Legacy Highway knowing full well I would need to follow the 55 mile speed limit...there are always lots of police out there...and, just like I expected, there were two different people pulled over for speeding. You know, I noticed something tonight...police lights are very festive with there bright red, blue and white flashing colors in the black of night!! Anyway, I heard from the kids while driving up and they said the doctors did think it was croup. What a scary thing for a parent to go through!!! I remember those days!! When a child can't breath, you really don't know why, especially when they were just fine when the went to bed...then wa la...all of a sudden struggling to breath...what a scary and horrible feeling for the parents. I always say, wrap them up and take them outside into the cold air...then give them cold apple juice or Popsicle to reduce the swelling...humidifiers are good too ... anyway, after chest xrays, medicine and breathing treatment ... he's good to go!!

It was about 12:15 am when he was discharged and he asked me if I was coming to his house to play..he felt better and was wide awake!! He was such a good boy for the doctors and nurses. I'm glad he is better and everything turned out good...luv ya little man...get some rest and get better so you can come to Grandma Lu's this weekend....again Happy Birthday Staci...

New Recipes for this week..........these are really good

A little disclaimer for the Mrs F's Chocolate Chip Cookies...you have to try these...they are the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies I have EVER had!! I usually cut the recipe in half unless you need a bazillion cookies!!! This recipe makes a lot. Enjoy

THRILLER!!!!

Kati, Kristi, Kelsey, Aimie and I went to THRILLER...the Odyssey Dance Theater at Kinsbury Hall last night...........What a great night!!! I really enjoyed it tons...it was money well spent for sure!! Kati has taken me to other Odyssey Dance productions and I liked them, but this was exceptional for sure...if anyone has the opportunity to go I really recommend it. Thanks Kati for the fun experiences you drag me too...we have gone to other dance company productions, including Ballet West over the years and I have learned to really enjoy them. I love hanging out with the kids...(they actually act like they want me to hang out with them!! Go Figure!!) they make me feel like a younster again..ha ha ha...Thanks kids!! Staci and Max are here right now and we are hanging out at COSTCO...another favorite place of mine...ha ha ha...then tonight we are going to Ogden to their Trunk or Treat at their ward....again, thanks kids for the fun times!!!

Weight Watcher Weigh in today.............
Well, to start with, this wasn't as good a week as we would like...no gains, but Staci stayed the same, Kristi lost .2, I lost 1 pound, and da da da daaaaaaaaaaa again, Gary was the biggest looser at 1.6 pounds!!! You have these weeks and just have to move on.....we will do better next week for sure!!! Who Whoooo...motivation please!!!!! WE need it!!!!

tagggggg....I'm it.....Where were you....

Ok, this should be good, I don't remember yesterday let along 20 years ago....hahaha

20 years ago....
Well...I do remember I had 3 of the most fun, beautiful little girls at that time...Staci would have been almost 6, Kristi 2 1/2, and Kati Jo would have been 6 months...what a fun time. We really had fun. I was lucky to be a "stay at home" mom (for some reason, I don't like that description of being home with my children, but you know what I mean) We had a lot of fun. The Girls shared one of our 3 bedrooms, and we used the other for a play room. Gary brought home a huge box that we made a play house out of for the girls..that was pretty fun. I was doing a lot of canning at that time (until I got smart and found the cannery) We had a little dog, Sandy who was a Scott Terrier. The girls had lots of friends in our circle and we felt safe and secure here.

10 years ago...
Lets see...we added our little boy Robbie...he actually would have been 7 at that time...I was working at the school, Lakeridge Elementary, doing recess duty...that was fun..I had been doing that since Rob was 4yrs old. There were some cold days!! Lets see, Staci would have been 16...oh yeah, that is also when we brought Grandma Schroeder here to live in Utah...shortly, Grandma Bahr came to West Valley to live also. Staci got her driving liscence and got to drive Grandma Schroeder BIG car around...to school etc...

5 years ago....
Lets see, that would have been 2003...Staci would have been married already, Kristi graduated and was working a t USANA, Kati in high school starting with Spinnakers, Rob in Jr High...lots of action at our house for sure with everybody growing up. I also was doing some Student Teaching at Lakeridge Elementary School...

3 years ago...
Gary was diagnosed and went through surgery for melanoma, Grandma Schroeder had her heart attack, and Max, the joy of that year, was born!! He made it all worth while in a time of trials....

1 year ago....
About 1 1/2 years ago I started working part time for Zions Bankcorp in the customer files. I enjoyed this. I really made me stretch and learn a lot about banking and what is involved. Broaden my horizon so to speak. Staci and her little family moved to Ogden (breaking my heart...actually it hasn't been too bad..I just make several visits and they come down here)..Kati moved away to Ephraim Utah for school in Snow College..Kristi was going to school at LDS Business college part time and working full time...and Rob, he is going to High School and volunteering about 20-25hrs a week for the Empress Theatre on Magna main...I also have been supplying the homemade carmels and helping with costuming since the theatre opened.

This year...
Well, alot of you know the big things that are on our minds this year...one being, Grandma Schroeder is at a point where she cannot live and take care of herself so will be coming to live with us in a couple weeks, little Lucas Hinkley Fullmer has had a hard life of 5months being in the hospital most of that time, Uncle Leon and Aunt Eva Jane being in an accident and injuring Eva Jane severely to a point that she is struggling to recover.. but lots of good things too...time with the family on activities, spending time with Max introducing him to 4 wheelers and how he totally loved them...visiting with friends in Vegas a couple times this year...camping..West Yellowstone....mostly a great year...

Yesterday..
Lets see...work, cleaning out my area getting ready to have my last day next tuesday...coming home doing laundry, hanging pictures in Grandma Schroeders room, cleaning out closets, rearranging TV's...working on getting ready for Grandma to come live with us.

Today...
Work..I am going to continue organizing Grandma's room...fold a couple more loads of laundry...meeting with the Stake Relief Society planning our Womens Conference in February

Tomorrow...
Work again...finish cleaning my area...Kati Jo coming home and we are going to Thriller...dance company....Staci and Max coming and I am making his Monkey costume to have a Superman emblem, cape and belt.....I guess he wants to be Super Monkey!!
Rob has a band/percussion concert.

Next year...
See my family healthy and happy...all of us to a weight we are comfortable with...exercising better. Lots of goals for the kids...hopefully we will see what will happen with them...keep my strength with having Grandma Schroeder living with us. Be a more patient, compassionate person with ability to serve others as needed.

Ok...whew!!! That was a job...lets see.. I think I will Tag Luana Taukinukufili, Anna Reimers, Allison Fullmer, and Amelia Torgersen..........good luck ladies....

What would you do?

Ok, so we have Grandma Schroeder in a really nice care center for the next 14 days so that we can get ready for her etc (I gave notice at work and have a little over a week left)...........it is on 4700 south and about 12th east, we have been up there every day since she arrived and she has been pretty good, confused, but pretty good. I have been a little concerned a couple times because she doesn't seem to be doing anything at all...just existing there. We have an apt with the committee at the center to talk about her and our concerns this afternoon....and I do have some. When Gary went there after work yesterday, she was curled up in a ball on her bed, really out of it due to the fact that a male aid gave her a bath earlier in the day......it threw her into a tizzy and I don't blame her. She does have some dignity left right now and this was really hard for her. Gary got her up and they went for a walk and he talked with her about his dad and the good old times etc. He said by the time he left she was doing better. I will request that they don't have male aids bath her anymore...I know they should be professional, but it just too hard for her and she still gets embarrassed ...that just isn't fair. I think they think that these people are too confused to care, and she is really confused...but not that confused!! She needs to be there for a couple more weeks, but she needs to be respected. What a sad life!!

Fundraiser for Lucas................................

I have been asked by some about a fundraiser for Lucas...to help with his mounting medical bills....here is what has been established in his name....

Love Avon? Want to get Christmas shopping done? I know we may not be fond of fundraising, but this has a great cause! Avon wants to help with funding Lucas's next Surgery and piling medical bills. This was an idea set up by Avon Reps themselves. A percentage of everything you buy will go directly to Lucas himself.

I thought the bear idea is so cool....you can get the details off the link I provided, but essentially you buy a cute bear for $20, $10 goes directly towards Lucas and then you can either keep the bear, or donate it, in your name, to Primary Children's Hospital for another child in need....how great is that...a double contribution. I was thinking how great it would be for the children of your families to work together doing projects to earn the money to buy the bear in Lucas's name, then they could donate the bear to the hospital in their name...what a great lesson in service.

Here is a link to a blog with information about the fundraiser http://lucasfundraiser.blogspot.com/

If you want to donate to the family other than the fundraiser, please contact me at schrodkids@yahoo.com and I will get you in touch with the family....thanks for all your thoughts and prayers...He is home and the family is together for the next 3 wks, then back to Primarys for more testing and surgary...but HE"S HOME!!!



NEW RECIPES>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Haven't tried, but they look good, and yes, they are Weight Watcher....I will add other recipes later that are, you know, full of yummy calories!!

Corn Maze with Max................

We had so much fun at the Corn Maze. I have never been to a corn maze before. This one was really fun with the little animals and the FUN slides they provided. It has a HUGE blow up, jump in pumpkin as well. They have hay rides that you go on and end up with a pumpkin for $5...the regular corn maze children $8 and adults $10...and the spooky corn maze for $20. Kind of expensive until you find out that the proceeds or a portion go to the Ronald McDonald House...then it's worth it. The Maze was pretty fun...they have 2, one a little bigger and longer. Max just had the time of his life last night...more to do than we had time!!! Here are some pictures...


Some of the animals....




This is the HUGE slide...Max decided to go by himself....



He came out and curled up at the end...it was really funny....then he said "again"


climbing the back of the slide....


there he goes..........


Corn maze....


HUGE pumpkin to jump in...he didn't want to get out!!!


I just LOVE these holidays and all they bring.....this was a FUN night!!

WEIGHT WATCHER UPDATE..............

Good week!! I lost 2.4lbs.....Staci lost 2.2lbs.....Kristi 1.8lbs and da da da daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Gary, the biggest looser.......lost 3.2lbs!! Congratulations us!!! Now to keep it up!!!

A visit with Grandma Schroeder...........................

We took some personal items to the care center for Grandma Schroeder last night. When we got to her room she wasn't there...we thought she was in the lunch room. I put her cloths away and we went to find her. She wasn't in the lunchroom, so we thought she might be in a TV room. We walked down the hall and just happened to see her in another room laying on an empty bed. The aid saw her at the same time and went in to get her. As soon as Grandma saw us...she had such a look on her face, and started tearing up...first thing she said was "I thought I would never see you guys again" she was so happy to see us. She told us she thought someone kidnapped us and that she wouldn't see us again...she said she spent the entire day looking for us and kept getting lost....(she is very limited as to where she can go due to the security) We assured her we weren't lost and that her stay at the center would be short, that she would be coming home with us when it was over. She seemed much better. I took her to her door and taped a family picture I had in my wallet just outside her door so that she can look for that and know that this is her room. The aids were real good too...as soon as we left, they came in to get her ready for bed...can I just tell you, I think this is the first time in months that she has actually been ready for bed.....isn't that sad. She is so confused and forgetfull, BUT she remembers us pretty much...when we asked her if she remembered Max, of course she did and was excited to talk about him...I need to take a picture of him to have at her bedside. 18 more days and she comes home. It will be good for her. Lot of adjustments for us, but when you serve others it's usually not something that is easy...it is something you know you just have to do....find joy in the journey for sure. Apparently the night she was admitted she introduced Gary as her husband and Rob as her son....when we tell her this, she just laughs...she is good humored about these things, just a little frustrated about all the confusion....she will be ok and so will we.

Are you ready for this update?????????????

Ok, never a dull moment with Grandma Schroeder!!! You know how she seemed ok Tuesday night, well, Wednesday the car from Garden Terrace Care Center picked her up, Gary and Rob met them at the Center and she was freaking out...didn't want to stay there, accused them of kidnapping her, calling everybody a SOB, tried to escape through the window or the closet.......we haven't heard today how she is doing....she hasn't taken her medication that controls her schizophrenia, yes, an Alzheimer's patient that is also schizophrenic!!! I forgot to tell you that one...probably because it has been in control by a medication her doctors put her on. We'll get that under control again. We have some wonderful news last night. A good friend of ours, the Taukinukufili's are coming to help us take out our bathtub and put in a shower!!! Hurray!! This will be good...we only have one bathroom and I think with a shower we will be able to bath Grandma better..............19 days and she will be here...pray for us!!

Going to a care center today...

Well, this is the new news....Grandma Schroeder is back to the person she was before the infection pretty much...her confusion might be a little worse, but she knows us and can communicate now. She is being discharged today to go to this really nice care center for Alzheimer's patients for the next 21 days. We moved all her stuff from the Golden Living Center yesterday, so she is all moved out and stored in our garage. We are still working on her room...it is painted but we need to put up baseboards and molding today, curtains and put in her furniture. I turned in my 2 wk notice yesterday...will be a stay at home mom again, for an 83yr old this time...what a challenge. We are going to get cable for the first time at the Schroeder home (I know, get with the times Schroeders, I really fought having this for years now I think it is worth it)...this will be my babysitter for Grandma. We need to rebuild our bathroom....we need to take out the bathtub and put in a shower...that is overwhelming right now. Biggest concerns are the stairs at night....at the hospital, she has been getting up and wondering (sometimes naked!! oh brother...Sorry Rob, just close your eyes!!)...any ideas welcome for any of our journey!! Wish us luck...I feel good about our decision, I hope we are doing the right thing. (sneak preview...I am in the Stake Relief Society and we are planning our Women's Conference for February...we got Carol Makita for our speaker...I have heard she is wonderful and I am excited!!!)

quick update on Grandma Schroeder

When we got to the hospital yesterday, Grandma perked up and was excited to see us...what a nice surprise for us to know she at least remembers us right now. She knew everybody, which after the night before was a miracle. She is extremely confused though...probably the Alzheimer's. We are heading up early this morning in hopes to talk with doctors as they do rounds. We have been still rearranging our home to make room for Grandma....so many decisions to be made...we need to get her out of the Golden Living Center asap so she will get some refund of the month. Hopefully medicare will pay for a short stay at a nursing home so we can continue to get ready. We realized that we are going to have to totally re due our bathroom ... probably taking out the bathtub and putting in a shower...she would never be able to get into the tub. What a project!!! Any ideas welcome...

New recipes..........

These are some quick recipes that we use and love.....they are weight watcher approved. The cookies are 1 pt a cookie (keeping in mind how big you make the cookie of course) and the Taco soup is 3 pts a cup...if you add the cheese you need to add another point. These are both yummy and great for this time of year...family favorites!

Grandma Schroeder update....

Where do I start.............wow, what a day. We got another phone call around 5pm yesterday from one of Grandma's nurses Brooke. She wanted us to know that they found grandma on the floor two other times after we left her at the Golden Living Center...her bruise that was half way across her forehead was now all the way across her forehead. She wanted to know why the St Marks hospital didn't admit her earlier for evaluation etc...I guess if you are hospitalized for 3 days, medicare will pay for a 60 day stay at a nursing home facility, giving us the time we need to make hard decisions and get ready. Because grandma fell again 2 other times, and also, she had been throwing up and was extremly dehydrated we decided to take her to the University Hospital....what a night!!! Let's just say, we go home and were in bed at 5am this morning.....I know, why am I up now? I just can't sleep right now so of course, I am on the computer....Anyway, grandma was so confused and agitated. She didn't know Gary or I....they did tons of testing on her but between each test ordered, we were interview by a number of different nurses and doctors....I am sure Mike and Allison can tell you a lot about this...you tell your story, then another doctor comes in, their first comment after introducing themselves to you is "what brings you to the hospital, tell me what happened" Can I just tell you....I couldn't count the many times we had to go through the incidents of the day with grandma, and her life history!! The story got a little old to tell after a while....gosh, you see so many different doctors and nurses....I have to say though, they were all exceptional last night though.

Around 1am the tests were slowing down, you could see grandma was getting more tired and an IV was started to give her potassium and antibiotic. One of the doctors came in and told us all the tests were pretty good, that there was one blood test which they use to follow the heart was just a little elevated and would be followed in the morning etc...they did their thing and left the room....grandma started getting agitated...playing with her many gadgets on both arms (IV's, vital's equipment etc..she had a lot on that irritated her) I stood up to hold her hand and it felt cold and clammy....I told Gary and felt her head..it was ok. I told the nurse. He at first didn't feel what I did. I told him to feel her arms...he felt it and immediatly got concerned. He placed her on the heart monitor....her heart dropped to around 30 beats a minute (bradycardia), her blood pressure dropped to something like 55/30...everybody scrambled to come in....she is "Do not resuscitate" which means no extreme means to keep her alive such as compressions, breathing tube..it was explained to us that people who go through this in her condition have a 5% chance of a semi normal life, but that her mental status would just deteriorate more, and probably she would have fractured ribs after the compressions etc. They did of course add fluid, medication in her IV different things like that to get her built up...I just kept holding her hand and stroking her hair during this time...she was almost gone and looked it. After much scrambling and different medications..IV bag of fluids, she started getting better as far as her blood pressure and pulse. Gary just about lost his mom last night...it was hard to watch this happen...the future is so unclear right now. We finally got her to her room last night (or should I say this morning) at about 4am....I am so worried about her though...she was more agitated when we left and looked frightened...we will be going up today...thank you Mike and Allison for your kind thoughts...you two are an example to me more than you know...your trials are so much more than ours and you are the ones giving us the support and encouragement, thank you We love you guys!!

When it rains, it pours!!!

Do you ever fill like when things are going smoothly it is scary because you just know that there is something on the horizon ..... well our horizon has hit!! Things are really going fast with Grandma Schroeder!!! We got a call from St Marks Hospital around 11am...she was there....in the hospital because she fell in her bathroom this morning...they found her around 7am...and tried to call us several times...we have missed calls and we didn't even hear our phones ring once!!! We feel like we neglected her because they couldn't reach us and we were right here all the time!!! Anyway, we went to the hospital and got her....she is really confused and agitated. I see a bruise on her forehead I think she got from the fall....things are happening so fast. Apparently she has a bladder infection, which in people with Alzheimers just throws them into a bad stage of confusion...after a few days on her antibiotic she will be a little better....anyway, we are looking at bringing her home next weekend!!! Oh my goodness! I am just not ready for this! I am actually scared....she will be full time care and I have to work! I am hoping to get some help Monday when Medicare and other places are open....I have been crying all day!!! This is so hard for me...We are moving Kati into storage, Rob to Kati's room, redoing Robs room.....so much to be done in such a short time...I am feeling so ungrateful right now and I know I am....this is just hard....where do I find "Joy in this Journey?" I just have to stop feeling sorry for myself and move forward...we all have our crosses to bear....I know we need to serve each other, I just want to serve because I want too not because I have too...isn't that an awful way to feel? You guys are seeing the real side of me now, the ungrateful side...sorry....If any of you have any suggestions, I will listen to anything...I will buck up and move forward, I have too....wish us luck!!!

WEIGH IN RESULTS......are you ready?

Well .... here we go...............I lost 1.6lbs, (a little disappointed because I felt like I did really good...but at least it's a loss) Staci lost 2.2lbs (great job!), Kristi lost 3.2lbs (great job), and da da da daaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Gary, the man, lost 5.6lbs!!!! Explain to me WHY do these men do so well all the time??? Anyway, can I say how proud I am of everybody!!! On we GO!!!

Kids say the darndest things.........'..............

Ok, this is a grandma moment....we are watching our little Max tonight so Staci and Trevor can have a well deserved date night. We have more fun with this 3yr old. I have to say, it's a lot easier when it's your grandson...anyway, we went to Walmart to get some "goodies" actually dinner supplies, strawberry milk (yuck) and a bag of m m's...(m & m's)...while I cooked dinner, Pa (Max call's Gary Pa and me grandma U...for grandma Lu)anyway, they were drawing with chalk on the sidewalk out front, just the two boys. Now, to preface this, Trevor and Staci really spend a lot of time with Max teaching him letters, sounds and numbers. He is funny, he will see a billboard and start reading off the letters of the words on the board...he is pretty amazing (of course I am grandma)...Anyway, when they were out front with the chalk, Gary wrote his name on the sidewalk....Max walked over and started reading
G A R Y......that spells PA!! He was so happy with himself and Pa got a good chuckle. Got the letters down anyway.....................well, it's Max time! He just found a wistle...yes you can just imagine!!! (where's the m & m's!!) I think we are going to take him to the Halloween decorated house tonight that the Hardings talked about.....what fun!!

The BIG Weigh in tomorrow!!!

Oh goodness!!! How I hate the big weigh in!!! It is tomorrow. This was our first week on weight watchers. I really felt like I have done good, and I know I have probably lost something, but I just hate the weigh in!! You really don't feel the first few pounds that you loose, it is when they get more and more, and the cloths get larger and larger, then it's fun.....right now, it's just a loss. And, of course, hormones play such a big part of a women's weight loss...you know when you are retaining fluid.....that is a bummer for sure because it shows up on the scales. I will for sure blog what the results are after the BIG WEIGH IN tomorrow!!!

I think Lucas has a crush...........on Kristi!!

Kristi and I went up to the hospital again last night. What a cutie, AGAIN. He is such a flirt...oh my gosh, with Kristi. He just loves her. No matter where she is he has to keep his eye on her....she loves him too and plays with him. Kristi actually got him to giggle a couple times....it was so cute!! He had a hard time later in the night. He actually, out of the clear blue, just threw up...alot...all over me (just a watery substance). He was so sweet though, after he was done he looked at me like he had done something wrong. Poor little guy. He didn't tolerate his 9pm feeding at all. One thing, he gets antibiotics by mouth, sweet, yummy, he really seemed to like that....Can I just tell you what respect and love and compassion I have for his family. They have to come from Orem and go home every day, not to mention making plans for the older three boys.............what a draining drive! It isn't easy to get to the hospital no matter where you come from...so much traffic, train, people and commotion! I will have gone up 3 days in a row and it's not easy to get there.....once you are there it is a privilege to be with this little guy...they have to arrange their whole lives to get to the hospital, everyday.....Please keep this family in your prayers, they need it so much. Find Joy in the Journey.

On a happier note...what a nice night with Lucas

Lucas was asleep when we got to the hospital...he was so peaceful. After a while, the nurses needed to do vitals and change his re-feeds....he was smiling at the nurses while they were working on him...he was so cute. Finally, we got to hold him and spend time with him...we got TONS of smiles and cues!! He was in such a good mood and very animated with his toys...the elmo tv that plays music...he loved it!! Kristi also got to bottle feed him, which he wasn't much interested in, but he ate. It was so nice to have this day end on such a happy note!! Luv ya Lucas!!

Update with Grandma Schroeder

We got some news today that we weren't quite ready for....the Golden Living Center that Grandma Schroeder lives in has decided to raise her bill about $300!!! Yep, can you believe it!! She doesn't even make enough to pay this, her Rx's and another bill. We are going to have to move her in sooner than we were planning...by the end of December. She is really getting forgetfull too....we will need to find a home health company that will stay with her in the mornings while I go to work. If any of you have ideas, I am more than willing to listen. She is getting really grouchy too...we just have to approach this as something that the Lord wants us to do...I have been praying about when this should happen, I got my answer I guess....we just have to make sure things work out. "Find Joy in the Journey!!"

Trials with Grandma Schroeder

I have been struggling with some feelings about Grandma Schroeder, Gary's mom, lately. She is getting deep into the complicated world of Alzheimers, and it is coming fast. For those with experience with this complicated and devistating disorder, it is not a fun reality to look forward too. She has always been a cantankerous little lady anyway, to have this come into her live, and ours, is not something I look forward too. Gary being the only child, causes me, as the only daughter in law, to feel obligated to make sure things go well for her and for my own family. Lots of decisions and choices when it comes to this. Right now she is still living at the Golden Living Center, an assisted living home, which is working out ok. Last week I had to leave work on two different days to take her to the doctor. We have a home health nurse visit her 3 times a day to do her sugars and give her insulin. Last tuesday the nurse was concerned that Ilene might be getting a cellulitis in her left ankle...with a doctors visit and ultrasound of that ankle, the doctor just thinks it is "old warn out veins". I went over and cleaned and reorganized her room and drawers. While I was out doing some shopping for her, she took a shower (with help). I came back and found her combing her hair with her toothbrush...never fear, I had just bought her 2 new toothbrushes!! I found some unmentionable things in her drawers (unmentionable because you wouldn't want to know), crazy things like she can't have extra garbage bags in her room because she ties them around her waist or neck, she doesn't remember to wear certain pieces of clothing..you can imagine..doesn't eat well anymore, just very confused all the time. My worry is, we aren't in a position to bring her home, no room in the Inn so to speak...I can't afford to give up my job as well. We are looking into home health nurses to watch her while I work,(I work from 8am to 1pm daily), hospice care at home, anything that will be with her while I am away. She would be dangerous to leave by herself. I just have such sick feelings about all of this...she hasn't always been very nice to our kids, like I said very cantankerous all their lives, but we are willing to be of whatever service we can for her. I am feeling so much pressure with all of this. I really didn't want to blog about it, but it feels good to let it out somewhat. My other alternative is to have these horrible headaches..and I am tired of those. Sorry for this downer of a blog...I'll do better


This is a picture at the duck pond with my mom...we went walking around the pond while the ladies sat and enjoyed the beauty....only, my mom had a very interesting experience with Ilene while we were away...(some things are funny, you know, you just gotta laugh) Ilene decided to stand up and take off her blouse...for whatever reason...my mom freaked out and told her she needed to put her cloths back on etc...I wish I were a bug on the wall at that time...when she was telling me the story I was just cracking up and mom was so intense and frustrated...it really was funny....anyway, life goes on!!

New Recipes for this week

Check these out.....Yummy Mock Chicken Cordon bleu recipe and since it is cold, here is the Weight Watcher approved Split Pea Soup that is super easy and yummy!! Enjoy

Well, what we heard of Conference, it was really good....

I can't wait for the Sunday sessions of Conference....I can just sit and listen, no distractions. We watched a couple talks this morning, then we listened to others on the radio. We had a lot of things to do today, I really hate that, but we taped the sessions so that we wouldn't miss anything....also, I love reading the talks in the ensign later. Can you believe the announcement of the newest temples...I loved the reaction of the congregation when the Rome Italy temple was announced....isn't it great, I really love to hear the new temples announced every conference. The church is really growing and so is temple work. What a blessing it is to be able to "Temple Hop"...We have several temples at a few minutes drive north or south. Take advantage of every opportunity to attend....

What a wet weekend!!! I really love the rain though...feels like fall for sure. I actually had to turn on the heater in the car at one point...I actually wanted to decorate, with Max, the yard and house with Halloween stuff...maybe tomorrow..we'll see.

OH, yes, we started Weight Watchers today!!! Hurray!!! Will keep everyone posted on our progress....wish us luck!!

Kati's in LOVE......with baby Lucas!!

Grandma Bahr, Kati Jo and I went up to primary's to visit with Lucas....we stayed for about 3 hours. He was adorable as usual. He got a little fussy while Grandma was holding him, he had some gas....but when Kati Jo held him, they bonded for sure. She rocked him, rubbed his face and arms and he fell asleep...it was really cute. Kati told us tonight that this is the first time she has ever seen Lucas...being in school, she didn't make the family party. She was there the first time they were going to bless him...the second time she wasn't around. The cutest thing ever was when we layed him down on his bed...he has a toy hanging above his head that he cued, talked and smiled at...it was adorable. He is such a beautiful baby. Their doctor, I think the one that did the surgery, came in and talked with us a little..he showed us a diagram he drew on the white board about his innards...and what the plan is for Lucas. He seemed pretty nice....he wants to start to feed Lucas by mouth...the funniest thing happened while Kati was holding him....the nurse came in to do his vitals, she looked at Kati Jo and said, "So, do you want to bottle feed him now?" Kati just looked at her in surprise....the look was priceless...the nurse looked at her in surprise because of her reaction....then I said, actually, this is his cousin not his mom....the nurse was surprised and laughed...what a fun night!

Good chance to Serve little Lucas....

I know you all have BUSY lives, we all do, but if you need and want some great blessings from service....I know where you can get them!!! This little Fullmer Family of Lucas is in need....not sure what is happening fully, but they live in Orem Utah, they have 3 other little boys who need dad and mom and they just got some hard to hear news...apparently Lucas will be in the hospital until his stoma is reconnected...DECEMBER...you can just imagine the heartach they are going through...they are struggling to be in two places at once....they need people to stay with little Lucas at night while they go home to the other boys....If any of you find it in your hearts and time in your lives, I know they would appreciate the service...you will be BLESSED just to know this family and Lukie...he is one of God's choistest spirits and just to spend one minute with him is a blessing....check out their blog...it is connected to mine Fullmer boyz ...they have a great supportive ward....just live so far away ..... out here, we are closer and might be able to help more.....you are all great people in my eyes....things are tight for everyone we know...you will fall in love with this little guy!!

Just heard from Mike, the dad, that any amount of time you can spare would help...just let us know what you can do. They like to go home in the evenings to spend some time with the other 3 boys and it is just hard to leave little Lucas alone without anyone there.