Habitat for Humanity 2009

I signed up to help with Habitat for Humanity again this summer. It was pretty neat to do the the first house and help with the rafters. This time I got to help put the siding on a house, which kind of reminds me of putting up wallpaper, because we had to keep measuring and using the level, then a few times we had to tear it down, and redo it because it wasn't level, but, it was still a pretty fun experience!
This is my friend/co-worker Jill who signed up with me.And I learned that the seams need to be at different areas on the siding, or else it will look funny, and also, the overlap for the seams need to face the back of the house so when you look at the sides, you can't see them from the front of the house, and from the porch out to the side of the house, you shouldn't see it there either.
The lines also have to be level from each of the corners.

This is Rachel, the woman who will be living in this house. I don't have all the criteria for Habitat for Humanity, but I do know that the person that is going to live in it, has to help build it too! This specific house was one they wanted only women to work on, as well (besides the supervisors).
Here I am, drenched! Just before lunch it started pouring down rain and I was soaking wet and then it got kinda cold as well, so me and Jill stayed for only 5 hours and then left. But we had a lot of fun and I'm really glad I was able to help out this summer!
I had signed up for the week build in Atlanta this August, but just found out yesterday, that I wasn't chosen, but it's okay. I now have a weeks vacation to figure out what to do with this year, now!

the kids

The other day I took the kids to the pier and got some cute pictures. They are so silly!

Dairy Queen = picture time!

I got the kids to pose for some pictures, after buying them all ice cream at Dairy Queen... A pretty sweet deal, if I do say so myself!

Another purse I made! (And sold!!!)

This is the first purse that I've actually sold! Pretty cool, huh?

Baby Bella and updates

Baby Bella (finally let's me hold her without pitching a fit! Yay!!!)

I lost my camera cord that plugs into the computer, so I haven't been able to post any pictures for some time now... Lucky for me, I found it yesterday in my car! Yay!

I have been working out and I joined Weight Watchers a month ago and have already lost 5% of my starting weight! Another "Yay" for me! I'm counting points and it's been nice since my sisters are very supportive and whenever I go over to their houses, they are more aware of what I can and can't eat. It's been pretty exciting, losing this weight.

Also, Jason and I have been house-hunting. We actually found one that we liked and Jason put an offer on it last Wednesday, just to find out that it went into foreclosure the following Thursday and was auctioned off before we even knew about it! We're both really bummed about it, however, things happen for a reason, so there must've been a pretty good reason that God didn't want us to get that one.

We're still looking.

Tuesday morning update

I just called Grandma Annie and a church member answered and I was able to find out that the doctor wanted to see her before she left for rehab. and that the church members are there, and rotating shifts to visit with her. I told her that we all appreciated them being there, since we are not able to be there for her, and she said they'd be there for her as long as she needed them there. And that they're all praying for her too.
She also gave the phone to grandma to talk to me (but put the phone up to her left ear, not the right), so grandma Annie kept telling me that she couldn't hear me, but that she loved me and asked to call a little later.
(Then I told the church member that she hears out of her right ear, not the left.)

Going home

We are planning on heading home this evening to try and drive through the night and get home sometime tomorrow... Natalie is still at the hospital and will head back to the hotel for me and Kristen when Mom arrives to the hospital, so Grandma Annie has someone with her at all times. The nurses said there is no one there that can sit with Grandma Annie 24/7 and we are all really worried about her being in that room all by herself. I think it might be nice, sometimes, to have a room by yourself, however, no one would be there to know if she has tried, again, to pull the catheter out, or try to get out of bed and fall, until it happens (they have a bed alarm).
Thank you all for your prayers and support, keep praying for God's will for Grandma Annie and a safe trip home or us.

I just don't know

It's still scary. Seeing Grandma Annie laying in bed and hardly opening her eyes up. Natalie has said this before, but she looks just like one of those older folks in the nursing homes, that are laying in a bed, at an angle, sleeping with their mouths open, and you just think that they aren't "there". But being here with Grandma Annie, we know that's not true! Because she IS there and she KNOWS we're here with her. It's just so sad.

Natalie decided to stay with her tonight in the new hospital room, so she's not alone and doesn't get scared. I really worry about her. Because when we left her room tonight, she just seemed out of it, again.

There was a moment there that we thought Don wouldn't sign the DNR just before we left, and we were pretty upset and emotional about that. We don't want to see her suffer anymore than she already is... but just before we left, he had signed it (and also just after mom asked to see the POA papers!).

Just keep praying for God's Will...

Good news!

As most of my family has posted already, Grandma Annie has been moved to the Ortho-Neuro area of the hospital and out of the ICU. This is really good!
It seems as though we've all been on the same roller coaster with her health. At one point she's fine and talking and the other, she's having mini-seizures and we were told she might not make it. Mom, Natalie, Kristen and I have all had many sad moments since we've been here. This morning Grandma was so sweet. She was telling me that she loved us and that she was really glad we are here with her... then she added that we don't even know how much she loves us, "you don't know just how much" she said. Which was so sweet... and brought a fresh set of tears to my eyes.

We are all thankful that the nurses have been so sweet to her. I know that when Aunt Kate was in the hospital, she kept complaining about her nurses. Grandma Annie has sure been blessed with the care here.

This afternoon we were able to leave and have lunch at my cousin Francie's house and visit with them for a little while, then we drove around town and looked at houses from our past. Natalie and I were too young to really want to see anything but our old house, Grandma's old house, and Grandpa Chuck's old house. For all of you that know Oklahoma City... it was a little sad to see that really tall building with the huge pig on top of it today... because apparently, the building was sold to another company, and is not a bank anymore, so they took the pig off of it. It just seemed like such an icon! But it's gone now.

When we came back to the hospital, they moved Grandma Annie to her new room. Natalie was so sweet to freshen up her mouth and brush her tongue or her. I don't think that Grandma realizes how sweet that was of Natalie to do for her, but Natalie has given me strict instructions that if she is in the hospital like this, then to make sure her teeth are brushed and her mouth fresh smelling!

Oh, and Grandma can now have flowers in her room!!!

Please pray!

My Grandma Annie got in an accident yesterday. A truck blind-sided the car on her side and she was rushed to the ER. Right now she's in ICU. She's bleeding in the brain. Today she has surgery at 1:30 p.m. our time, so please pray for her!