House Work.....

The painters arrived this morning at 8:30am.  I am glad I started emptying out the china cabinet!  It looks so much better with that awful brown gone!!!!!!

Old

New

Amy says that the ceiling is "Crybaby Blue" but I reminded her that we can accept UNC and Duke here at the dining table.

And I love the color!!!!!

The new chandeliers are here and go up on Wednesday.

The guys also installed the new handle on the door and painted the door:

It is darker and I like it so much better!

Love,
Leslie

Congratulations to Maren!

Today is a big day ~ Maren passed the bar!!!!! She has always wanted to be a prosecutor just like her dad and we couldn't be more proud of her!!!!

We love you Maren!!!!!!
Love, 
Leslie

Work on the House Continues.....

We can finally say "Goodbye" to the ugly paint in the dining room!!!! We are painting the dining room dark blue and the ceiling squares a lighter blue.  Plus the front door is getting a new look.  New paint, the house numbers moved to above the door and a new door lock and handle.

A new chandelier is in my future!!!!

We will have the mirrors hung and it will look like a new place!  

Love, 
Leslie

Signed, Sealed and Delivered to NYU!

Zoe is officially in her dorm at NYU.  Nancy said she and Drew took her and checked her into her dorm with 700 other people and 4 elevators!  

What a great view for a dorm room!

And then, Zoe kicked her parents out before they got to meet her roomie.  Nancy raised a pistol.

I wonder if Zoe will ever leave NY?

Enjoy your day!
Love, Leslie

August 24 ~ Mom Update

Today we went in for her Echocardiogram ~ which is basically an ultrasound of her heart. The tech said that the doctor would contact us if there was anything "interesting".  

She has been fine.  She continues to sleep in the new recliner and gets up and eats in her black leather chair.  She also walked into the kitchen today for her coffee!!!!!!!

I monitor her showers and basically scrub the places she cannot reach ~ I know TMI!!!!!!

I use aloe vesta cream on her, which helps keep her skin that she sits on in good shape. More TMI!!!!!!!!!

I use comfy socks with the treads on the bottom so she can walk around without slipping.  

Tomorrow we go to the hair dresser, which she needs because she cancelled last week.  

All I can tell you is that right now, she appears to be ok.

Zoe goes off to NYU next week ~ all I can think of is all the fun I had watching her grow up ~ when did the 18 years go by?????

I don't really feel old......all the time.

Much love,
Leslie

Mom Update ~ First Big Fall

Mom had her first big fall (Saturday night) since the fall in the parking lot in Annapolis.  She fell in the bathroom because she falled to take her walker with her.  

Amy and I got her up and back in her recliner.  Of course, after she was all tucked in she said "I never got to the bathroom."  Okay.  I got her up and in the bathroom and back in her chair.

The next day she was moaning and groaning saying she had to have broken her ribs.  I disagreed because we got her up off the floor (remember she is dead weight) and there was no screaming or indication of pain.

I believe she is sore and stiff and I got her to call me before she gets up so I can help her and she is.

Today she felt like a shower, so I assisted (and scrubbed her back) - so she is clean and now resting comfortably.  She does have a nice bruise on her side, but appears alright.

Because she felt too sore to get in the car, she had me reschedule the echocardiogram. And I did.  So that is next week.  

I am continuing to remind her to call me is she wants to get up and go to the bathroom and I praise her when she does ~ I would rather help her than pick her up from the floor.  That is a no-brainer.

I have been working in the yard.  Our new steps off the deck are done and I did some planting along side of the stairs.  

RED CLAY is a PAIN IN THE BUTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I dug it up, sweated, got dirt, sweated, got plants, sweated, planted, sweated, mulched, sweated and I am 90% done.  

This is before I did anything.

The design ~ all perennials.

90 percent done.

Yard Work ~ An SOS to HGTV

Well, the new steps are done being installed.  

Supervisory crew

As you can see, the ground is all torn up.  Our lawn guy, Cody, says to put down straw after I figure out where the bed is going to be.  The grass will grow back under the straw.  I am going to put cedar mulch in the bed with some ornamental grasses and perennials.  

Of course we are going back into our sweltering part of the summer, but it will feel good to get it done and hopefully it will look good.

HGTV has really ruined us.  Like CSI has ruined crime solving.  It takes much longer than an hour to make the finished product look beautiful.   Oh well.  Times awasting.

Love, Leslie

Redneck Tuxedo

Yesterday, I got Mom up at 8am, gave her coffee and reminded her that we needed to be out the door by 9:30am to go and get her heart halter.

I took in a bagel with fig jam (her third favorite breakfast, but the fastest) and went to get dressed.

I came down to check on her ~ and there she is all dressed ~ in an outfit that was at least two sizes too small.  I had a flashback to Dad wearing Mom's clothes.

I asked her why didn't she wear one of the new outfits that were a bit loose and easy and comfortable.  Ones that were carefully arranged on the left side of her closet, where it was easy to get.  

Left side 

Right side

Mom actually told me she did that just to get me to get excited.  So, I didn't get excited.  I did ask her if she wanted me to help her fix her shirt and she said "No".  Even when I told her that she had her tank top undershirt on backwards and you could read "Jockey for Her XL" in the V of her top.  

Nope, she did not want my help.

So I took her to the cardiologist at Duke Heart.  I wheeled her into the room and they aides were trying to get the monitor on her, but they could not get under her tight shirt under her tight jacket.  So, I helped her to stand, got the jacket off and pulled up her shirts and saw the white underware at her waist with the tight jeans at her hips - not buttoned or zipped.

When I shared my adventures with Amy, she told me that seeing the backwards "wife beater" with the size on it was a Redneck Tuxedo.  

It was funny.  Except now I wonder if the staff thinks I dressed her like that!!!!  Oh well.

Love, Leslie

First Call to 911 for Mom

This morning, Amy was picked up early by Maren to get a nerve block for her back pain.  I heard them leave.  Then the puppy barked a bit and I was getting up so I could take the dogs out.  Then Mom's alarm goes off.

I rush downstairs and there she is on the floor ~ BUT this time she is on a blanket with a pillow under her head and pillows around her and a blanket over her.  It honestly looked like she was camping out.  And she told me she had to go to the bathroom.

I cannot pick up Mom by myself.  She is dead weight and cannot help pick herself up.  I asked her why she didn't call when she hit the floor ~ and she is so nice, she wanted me to be able to sleep thru the night.   However, I had to call 911.

They crew was great and they got her up.  

This is not a good trend.  I have asked mom to use her call button at night to get me up before she gets up so I can help her.  I will let her doctor know what happened ~ Home Health is going to be scheduled, they are waiting for the swelling to go down in her legs. Mom told me that all she wants is to be able to go to a gym.  Is is wrong that I laughed? 

Carole and Mom suggested that maybe sleeping on the floor is the answer.  Well, how is she supposed to get up to go to the bathroom?  Amy suggested Depends.  I live for solutions like this.

On the bright side, the dogs were ALL fantastic!  It was not pandemonium.

Love,
Leslie  

PS ~ Just to let you know, the rest of the day went fine, until Amy leaves for the barn.  I go into check on Mom and pick up her lunch tray, and there she is.  Sitting on the floor AGAIN!.

Did you know that my head came close to exploding?  Mom said that I should just call 911 AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I called Amy, who was an hour away.  I called Lori.  Lori called Jim, who was at the doctor. Luckily, Jim was done with the doctor and was at the grocery store and came over immediately.  Wearing a boot on his leg.  

He helped pick Mom up off the floor.  :) 

Great Service and Steps Update

Mom's recliner chair was delivered this morning at 8:30am ~ Greatest service ever!!!! Met Alex and Antoine:

They called yesterday and said they would deliver today but they would call first.  They called, delivered, unpacked it, set it up and tried it out.  Best service ever!!!!!! Plus, being Oriole fans didn't hurt.

Here are some pictures of our "in progress" and not best service back steps.  I did see a guy here at 8:30, but they are not here now.  (9:26am)

I will have to re-mulch and then this winter I will move the hydranga bush over to the right. It is being crowded by the fig tree.

And in Mom news, she found a pair of cuticle scissors from I don't know where and used them to cut the bandages she has on her legs.  I am totally surprised she didn't cut herself to pieces.  

Love, 
Leslie

3 Days to New Steps

Don't believe it!!!! 3 days to new steps ~ lie lie lie.

Thursday they remove the steps.
Friday they put up temporary steps ~ no railing, no backs ~ very sketchy.
Of course, off Saturday and Sunday.

Monday, here at 8am.  Gone at 10am.  Back at 1pm.  Gone at 3pm.

The top of the stairs. 

The temporary stairs, again.

A view from the back.

I wonder if I will have good news tomorrow.  Maybe.  

Love, Leslie