Goodbye

Dear Friends,

Steve and I just want to take this opportunity to say thank you for reading Pea Goulash.  The past two years have been an up and down roller coaster ride for us.  We are sorry to say that today will be the last post for a while.  We are going to focus on the future and hope that you will understand.

Thank you again for all your kind thoughts and prayers.

Steve and Janie

Another Chemo

Today was Steve's chemo treatment.  He had a lab appointment at 7 a.m. and a dr. appointment at 7:30.  He chemo followed.  went well.  His labs were good. Everything went well.  In fact, he said he was the only patient in the infusion center at that time.  He got the undivided attention of the nurses.  One of his favorites, Bill, took care of him.  Bill is a great guy.  He and Steve like to joke around during Steve's treatment.  Steve took himself up to Springfield.  When he got home, he work a little while on his new cart.  He added the sides to the cart.  It looks wonderful.  I am not going to post pictures yet.  He wants me to wait until it is totally completed before I show it to you.  After that, he was basically wasted for the rest of the day.  He did sleep.  We know that this is how it usually goes.  He did get up for dinner, but that was it.  He has been sleeping most of the evening.  I would tell you how he feels now, but he is out cold.  He does have the NC basketball game on, but I am sure he has no idea what the score is or what quarter it is in.  As usual, his face was really red today.  It is the steroids doing their magic.  He was chilling earlier so I did the only thing I could do.  I threw a blanket in the dryer and then tucked it around him.  Warm blankets usually do the trick.  I did go back to check on him about five minutes after he got the blanket, and he looked like a little eskimo all snuggie in his furs  :) 

Before and After

I finally am getting around to posting the before and after pictures of my classroom.  My interior design team says it is still a work in progress.
These first pictures are before

This is where the after starts

I really like all the new things.  Black and gold is wonderful.  I love all the MU touches:  stuffed tiger, MU flag, tiger picture, MU poster, and clock.  All this really makes a difference.  My room looks like a professional classroom.  

Brag Day

We had a very good day today.  We went to church and then had breakfast at Grandma and Grandpa's.  She always fixes a good meal.  Steve is feeling ok.  He took it easy this afternoon.  I sewed a little on my Block of the Month block.  I got it done and one of the bonus blocks finished too.

Here is a catch up of several pictures that I need to post that I have not.

The bookcase Steve made for Elizabeth.

Close-up of details

Another view of the shelf (sorry about the trampoline shadow)

A closer look at the details along the top.  

Placemats I made Elizabeth for Christmas.

Placemats I made Amelia for Christmas.

Placemats I made Koleen for Christmas.

Koleen and the Christmas present quilt she made for Shawn's mother.

Quilt with back showing.  

Pickle pillow I made for Kyle.  He and I love to eat pickles and have been accused of hogging them at family dinners.  We can't help it if no one asks us to pass them.

One of the bonus blocks for my new quilt.

January's block of the month

Mercury glass vase I made. 

You are now all caught up on the crafts and things of our family.  

Another week starts tomorrow.  We at Mt. Vernon schools do not get the holiday off.  I don't understand our days off and days on.  I am not sure how they decide.  It is the 16th of January and we have not had a snow day yet.  This might be a winter miracle.  I can't remember the time we have gone this late into January and not had a snow day.   I think this week we are going to have a wide range of temps.  It is supposed to be 60 tomorrow and then on Tuesday a high of 37.  That is a switch.  I do not think there is any white stuff in the forecast.  It would be nice if it waited another week before it hit.  All the area colleges start up again this week.  If we have decent weather, that will be good for them so they don't have to hike in the bad weather the first week back.  I should have a fairly decent week.  I have class on Monday and DARE on Tuesday.  DARE means I am not teaching but babysitting while Detective Lacey teaches the children not to do drugs.  The rest of the week should be the same as every other week.  

I am hoping to get some sewing done this week too.  I am not sure what Steve's next project will be.  He and Elizabeth were discussing a changing table, but who know with those two.  She and I have discussed nursery decorations:  crib sheets, bumpers, blankets, and such.  We can't decide if it is better to make your own or purchase them.  Elizabeth is a sewer so I think she can handle making them.  It should be fairly easy, but it might not be cost effective to make.  It might be better to purchase.  It is something she must thing about.  Steve has chemo this Thursday.  I am not going with him because it is just the routine treatment.  I think Faith will tell him some things he can do or take to help with the headaches.  Fortunately, he had not had any bad ones since Christmas Day.  

Good week to all of you!

"Dying ain't much of a living, boy."

You can't beat Clint Eastwood for world class quotes.  We are watching Outlaw Josie Wales on the History Channel.  I actually just came up from the sewing room.  Steve is the big "Outlaw" fan.  I have been working on my mom's quilt.  I have finished it all except putting on the binding.  I have all the stuff up here to finish the hand sewing when I am done posting.

Steve is doing ok.  We went to Springfield this afternoon to take a new bookshelf to Elizabeth.  Steve made it for her.  I am posting pictures tomorrow.  I must tell you that once again he did a beautiful job.  He is the master wood builder.  I know it is something that Elizabeth will treasure.  In fact, she sent us a message with a picture of the shelf already decorated with her books and pictures.  We took Elizabeth out to, yes, you guessed, Hinode.  Steve just loves that place.  He was once again a dog tick when we left.  He complained the whole time we were eating that he was eating too much.  Same song and dance every time we go.  After we unloaded the shelf, we headed home.  He fell asleep before we were a mile down James River.  I stopped at the Republic Walmart, and he never even woke up.  In fact, we were just on the outskirts of Republic, and he finally woke up. He asked me if I was going to stop at Walmart.  I just laughed at him.  He is a deep sleeper when he naps.  He came home and rested and watched some basketball.  We saw the ending of the North Carolina/Flordia State game.  I was a little disappointed with the NC coach. You see, NC was ranked 3 and they got their butts handed to them by FS.  The last 30 seconds of the game.  The coach and the starters walked off the court and left 5 benchers to finish the game and battle the students storming the court.  I think if you are a team, you all are trampled or no one is trampled.  I think that sends a bad message to the 5 left on the court to combat the crazy students.  Sometimes I wonder what goes through some coaches' minds.   Steve's feet are bothering him again.  It seems to get worse in the evening.  If he forgets to take his medicine, they really cause him a lot of pain.  

I have been working on a couple of projects.  I mentioned the quilt earlier.  My sewing room is all set up now.  Yesterday, Steve bought me a new sewing machine.  I just love it.  It does everything under the sun (no embroidery)  It has features that I never even dreamed they had on machines.  Already I love the tie-off feature.  It also came with a huge work space table to the left of the machine.  I hope I can do the machine justice with my sewing.  I know this machine is way smarter than I am.  It is going to take some time to figure all the gadgets out.  There are classes that I will take at the Quilt Sampler that will teach me the ins and outs of the machine.  

I had to take Samurai to Dr. Dake's this morning.  He has not been feeling well for about a week.  Come to find out, he has allergies.  His eyes are infected and he has a spot above his tail that is a bad spot too.  He has eye drops and two kinds of pills that he must take for 14 days.  If the medicine does not work, he will have to have allergy tests.  He may have to be on a special diet and take special allergy meds.  Steve says it is just like a kid.  Dr. Dake does a good job of helping us take care of Samurai.  Dr. Dake is very informative and Samurai likes him but is a little afraid of him too.  I guess that is a good combination. 

Koleen's 21 birthday was yesterday.  She had a good day.  She stayed up in Columbia but will be home for Aubree's birthday around the first weekend in Feb.  They went out for supper and then headed to the nearby casino.  She is now legal to drink and gamble.  What a combination.  I remember turning 21.  Those were the days!  :) I am sure that I am the reason my mother and father now have gray hair.  

My Lucky Day

This morning I woke feeling a little rough.  Can't seem to shake this bug I have.  I did not go to the gym (I know two days in a row missing.  Not like me)  I am planning on going tomorrow.  I did decide that I felt well enough to go to school.  On the way, I stopped at a local quick stop. I had to get breakfast; you know Ho-Hos and Sprite Zero:  The breakfast of champions.  I didn't eat my breakfast until I got to school where I got my surprise.  Instead of three Ho-Hos, there were four.  Yes, one extra.  After finding this extra Ho-Ho, I knew I was going to have a wonderful day!

Steve was very busy today.  He went to Monett to get some paint for his new flower cart.  He got several colors because he has not committed to one color yet.  I will post a picture of what it looks like before he paints it.   He was in the Man Cave working on a new book shelf for Elizabeth.  He did that for quite a while this afternoon.  It did wear him out, and he took it easy this evening.  He has been feeling ok.  His feet have really been bothering him.  We are expecting a big weather change this evening, so that could be part of the issue with his feet.  He has been in wonderful spirits and has had a great sense of humor.  He has been hooked on several hunting shows.  In fact, he has watched more hunting shows than Pickers, Pawns, Swamps, Choppers, or Rocket City lately.  I know it is hard to believe.  I have not been watching them with him, so I have no idea what they are about.  Hunting shows are not really my thing.  He watches them and plans trips that he will take when he is better.  Once he is better, he will never be at home; he will be on hunting trip after hunting trip.  I will never see him!

I have been sewing the past couple of evenings.  I am trying to get a little quilt done for my mother.  It was supposed to be a Christmas present.  I guess it still can be because we have not seen them to celebrate Christmas.  I am not sure when we are going to get together.  It seems that when we are well and feeling good, they are sick with the sniffles or bad colds.  I know we will get together; it is just going to be a really late Christmas.  This has worked in my favor since I am still working on her quilt.  Tonight I finished the top and now only have to back, tie, and bind it. I should have it finished by this weekend if all goes well.    I am also working on another little project.  It is a surprise so I can't give you anymore details.  My sewing room (Steve calls it the Woman Cave) is working out nicely.  It is so nice to be able to leave my stuff set up and not have to really "clean-up" after each session.  I think Steve likes it because I am downstairs and he doesn't have to hear the sewing noise when he watches television in the front room.

Those of you that have been watching the weather for Mt. Vernon know I have one thing on my mind....SNOW DAY.  We are supposed to get some snow, not much, but some.  The temps are supposed to drop drastically tonight.  Tomorrow will be snowy and really gusty winds of 40 mph.  We will have single digit wind chill.  Today, the National Weather Service has changed its weather predictions a couple of time.  They finally put us under a winter weather advisory because of the low temps, wind chills, and blowing snow.  Brandon Beck of KY3 says the road should be slick in the morning because the snow will hit the warm roads melt and then refreeze to make it slick.  I could sure use a day off to just relax.  If we do have a snow day, Aubree and I have a very special project to complete.  We are going to make a tie blanket together.  She picked out material online and we are just waiting for the perfect snow day to make it.  We are both very excited about it.  I have moved a little table and chair into my sewing room so she can have her own work space.  She was coloring this evening while I sewed.  We watched a Cat in the Hat video together.  She did have her first basketball practice this evening.  She was really excited and got new basketball shoes.  They practiced dribbling and passing.  Can you imagine a group of 4-5 year olds playing basketball?  Can't wait for her first game.  Opa hopes she is a big basketball star like he was.  You know skills that run in the genes and all.   It should be interesting to hear and see how Opa reacts to her on the floor.  He can get pretty intense at games.  I hope the referees call fair games or they will hear about it from Opa.  He can get very vocal if he disagrees with calls.  Don't get me wrong, he is not the obnoxious guy in the stands that is constantly yelling at the players, coaches, or refs.  Time will tell.

Well, I still better hit the hay.  Never stay up late hoping for a snow day.  It will bite you in the butt every time!!!!!!!

We Are Blessed Again

We got a phone call from Vickie, Dr. Hoos' nurse today.  She told me that Steve's brain scan came back normal.  Weeeeee!!! Prayers answered.  I was so excited about the news.  Steve was too.  I spread the word at school and through texts.  Now I am sharing the wonderful news with you.  Next time he goes to chemo, we are hoping that they will give him some meds. for his headaches since now we know it is not a brain issue.  They think it might just be fatigue and medicine.

With that said, Steve had a very busy day.  He had errands to run in Aurora.   He took me to lunch at Subway, and we ran a couple errands in town.  The came home and hung my pegboard in the sewing room.  He also mowed the leaves in the front yard.  (We knew that was coming with the nice weather)  He is feeling a little tired because of his runnin' and gunnin' today.  He is up in the chair in the front room watching the LSU/Alabama game.  We are for LSU, but all the television guys are for Alabama.  Oh well, that is what makes life interesting.  We are hoping that we both can make it through the whole game.  I am not feeling so hot.  My stomach and other end have had issues today.  My stomach is a rockin' and rolling.  Let me tell you, it is a long run from my classroom to the bathroom at the end of the hall.  It has started to feel a little better since I left school.  I have been taking it easy.

Yesterday we went to Columbus, KS, for an estate auction.  It was a great day.  They had ton of carnival glass and Fenton glassware.  I did not purchase any of it.  I did get a lovely crystal cake stand that matches my Americana pattern.  I was so excited.  I did the bidding all by myself.  I also got a bunch of antique and advertising thimbles, an antique needle threader in its original box, a thread carousel, and antique sewing kit, and several piece of antique jewelry.  I was fortunate that most of the buyers there were either interested in the glassware or guns.  I did get several good buys.  Steve is good to me to let me get that kind of stuff.  I am putting the sewing things in my new sewing room.  I am displaying the thimbles in an antique printer's drawer.  Steve was interested in a couple of guns, but they were going at high prices and he didn't want them that bad.  We had a great time.  It was a lovely drive there and a nice break from sitting around the house.  We might have to do it again.  The day was long and it did wear Steve out, so our evening was not very exciting.  Aubree has been helping me go through the thimbles.  She is a good helper.  She is very excited about our craft room and has her own little spot in the closet for her craft things.  We are looking forward to creating wonderful things in our new room.

PS...so far the LSU/Alabama game has not been very exciting for a National Championship game.  Isn't that how it usually is.  I hope they kick it up a notch for the rest of the game.  I know a lot of fans that will be disappointed if it is not as exciting as their first match-up.