Quotes of the Week

"You're never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child." 
-- Dr. Seuss 

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." 
-- Leonardo da Vinci 

"The most effective way to do it, is to do it." 
-- Amelia Earhart

"Surround yourself with people who make you a better person." 
-- Author Unknown 

A Dreadful Christmas Present I Gave Myself

For many years I have been having troubles with my feet.

It started with plantar fasciitis and bone spurs on my heels. I have had to wear arch supports in all my shoes. Neuromas were screaming pain at me from between my toes making it feel like I was walking on marbles. I was growing bony lumps on the sides of my feet. And to top it off, I was getting bunions. SHEESH!!! How much can two feet on one woman handle?!?

With the expense of my pacemaker surgery earlier in the year, combined with our more recent mission call heaped upon my sore aching feet, I came to the conclusion I would never be able to endure 3 years of wearing dress shoes 24/7 without taking drastic measures.

So, taking a deep breath, carefully calculating my best time to do something about it, I scheduled double foot surgery four days before Christmas. Our deductible had been met with the pacemaker, so this was going to be a free surgery.

Glen had planned to stay home from Minnesota the last two weeks of December which made it the absolute only time I could have surgery with him home to be my nursemaid the first two weeks when I could only get up 4-5 times a day to use the bathroom.

Hence the Christmas gift I gave myself... Couldn't resist putting the festively wrapped post-op boots under the tree in anticipation of the big day.

Glen proved to be the most attentive nursemaid. He carefully loosened the bandaged wrap as instructed by the doctor to try and ease the pain due to swelling.

 YIKES!! That wasn't a pretty sight!

I spent the majority of my time on the couch with my feet up on pillows with some compression pumps going on my legs and ice packs on my feet--30 minutes on, 30 minutes off, etc. Glen was so determined to keep my feet properly iced the first 3 days--AND NIGHTS--that he set his alarm every 30 minutes all through the day AND NIGHT. He slept (or attempted to sleep in 30 minute segments) in the chair next to the couch.

Glen brought breakfast, lunch and dinner to me in bed. Well on couch. Which was my bed. For several weeks.

Here I am demonstrating my walking ability in my new boots. This was taken before all the pain medicine given to me during surgery had worn off. After that--my expression wasn't this happy.

Glen was not only willing to be my nursemaid, but he also was willing to host my side of the family's annual Christmas Eve dinner party. It had been scheduled for our house well before I had any thought of surgery enter my mind. Glen felt like having it at our house would be the only way I would be able to attend. Bring on the guests!!

Sarah named this the rest and recovery station when we learned Maggie had just had foot surgery the same day I had surgery.

Time for prayer to begin dinner.

After the food, we moved into the living room to have our traditional family program where anyone who wants to can share a talent or something with the group.

Rachel played a piano solo and so did Maggie--cast on her piano-pedal foot and all.

Maggie put me to shame. Not only did she out-perform me, but she was getting around the house without a problem on her crutches. And she didn't act like she was in pain at all. She was my hero!!

Ben and Haley's clay animation movie about Nephi and his brothers going to get the plates from Laban was a big hit on our Disney family vacation and was a big hit once again with the little people in the audience.

It was a lovely evening and I was so glad Glen had insisted we go ahead with the original plan. The food that was leftover for us to eat was very much appreciated!

Quotes of the Week

"You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf." 

-- Jon Kabat-Zinn 

"Change is the end result of all true learning." 

-- Leo Buscaglia 

"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." 
-- Winston Churchill 

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love." 
-- Marcus Aurelius 

Ben and Haley Enjoyed Snowy December

We certainly had a lot of snow this December!

Ben and Haley got home from their warm, Florida honeymoon right before the big snowstorms hit. Which was good for me as they were awesome snow removers. And who says you need to wear pants to do so?!?

Ben and Haley put the snow to good use. They spent four days in the backyard working on making an igloo. They mixed water with the snow packed in rectangular plastic containers as their building blocks.

I was so happy they chose the spot right below the kitchen window to build their igloo. They provided such entertainment for me each of those days as I could hear them planning and laughing and I could watch them building their igloo from the ground up.

 

They even worked into the night a couple of the days.

Their snow skills didn't stop at igloo. When they saw Sarah's efforts at snowman building, they decided to make two of their own.

They welcomed another snow storm. It meant fresh material for making ice blocks, which they worked on after they had cleaned off our driveway and sidewalks, of course. (Great kids!!)   

  

This night they were determined they were going to stay out there until the last ice brick was in place. They were so eager to see if the dome of the igloo would stay strong.

Ta-da!! Project completed successfully!!

And now here comes one of my favorite jokes... How do you keep an eskimo family together???

With IGLOO!!!!!!