Long Time, No Post...

...Not because there wasn't anything TO post, just because there wasn't any TIME too!

So, instead of a big blurb, I'll just have 'note-posts', and try to remember what I can about the events of the past month!

* Our initial G.S. Cookie orders were taken and Ella made her 'pre-booth' sale goal...Yay! Starting next Thursday she'll be delivering those orders, and the following weekends she completes her sales goal of 500 by participating in booth sales through February. She has graduated up to the Senior Choir in our homeschool group, which means she is eligible for tour in the Spring. Provided she knows all her music, (which she already does), she will be travelling all over Texas singing her little (big) heart out. So excited!

*Claire Bear has had more days out of diapers, now that we are able to control her wheat exposure on a regular basis. She has been really understanding as to why she has to have a different dessert from everyone else, or a batch of muddy buddies instead of the weekly church donut. She is now in the habit of asking EVERYBODY, including us, if what she is being fed is "gluten and dairy free", which makes me glad and want to burst into hysterics all at the same time. Our biggest obstacle thus far has been informing other people who feed her (church nursery, neighbors, etc) that she can't have wheat, and then explaining to them what has wheat in it when poor CB in is agony (and diapers) for 2 days following exposure to wheat. (Ex: The church nursery worker, after having been told CB couldn't have wheat due to allergy, gave her animal crackers for snack, because she didn't think it had wheat in it as it was a cracker. So then I get to be the 'bad guy' and go over the ingredient list for animal crackers with the worker-after the fact-and point out the wheat. You'd be amazed how many people think that because something is 'white' it has no wheat in it!) We've been blessed to find so many gluten & dairy free alternatives for her that she really, really enjoys, so food is still a 'pleasure' for her. She is happiest when her diet is what it needs to be, and we hope to be past the 'diapers-as-a-need' stage soon.

* A family friend, who also happens to be Ella's sewing teacher, who just so happens to work at Hancock Fabrics as a sewing instructor, was able to get us the DEAL OF A LIFETIME(echo, echo, echo) on a new Bernina sewing machine. We are having a blast learning to use it, and Ella can be a patient teacher,when she isn't an impatient one:-). She promptly went to work sewing a camo blanket for David's birthday on the 15th, and now we are all enjoying attempting to sew clothes for Ken, with most of our success being clothes for Barbie.

*Thanks to Ms. Rachel, and the purchase of an "okay Barbie" for Grace ('okay' because it was the Barbie from ToyStory3, and not like the new Barbie's, which were, at the time, not-okay {to them, not me}), the girls then decided that a 'Tangled' Barbie was okay, (GREAT movie, BTW), and suddenly, the new 'retro' Barbie & Ken packs came out (2 for $5!) and now all 4 Meissler girls have a Barbie, and the 1 Meissler boy has a Ken. That's all I have to say about that.

*David turned '6' on the 15th, and I cried myself to sleep just about every night leading up to his 'big day', and cried the night of his bday, and cried again the next day when he walked up to me and said (out of the blue), "Mommy, when you die and go to Heaven, I'm going to give you my Superman cape so you can keep it safe for me." Enough said. (or blubbered)

*David is the most easy-going kid you'll ever have the pleasure to meet. For example, he wanted a Superman theme, but since I couldn't find Superman ANYTHING, he decided to have a Toy Story 3 theme. The 'plan' for his bday was to go golfing and enjoy a nice lunch on the green, with presents and cake to follow at home. Instead, the weather was super-crummy, Dad had to work late, and Mom had to prepare as many ingredients as possible for the breakfast taco sales to take place on behalf of the music ministry the next day. We ended up catching a movie and dining out at his 2nd choice restaurant, since his 1st choice was closed by the time the movie let out. Cake and presents followed at home, and when all was said and done, he was so thankful and pleased with how his day turned out. LOVE!

*Grace learned that her Art courses are to resume in February, and she has been bouncing off the walls in anticipation. She creams the competition in our new 'Word Links' game as she has learned how to use her dyslexia to her advantage, and can whip up 6-8 words for our measly 3. She is reading like crazy, with some crazy words thrown in for us to ALL enjoy!

*Natalie came down with and recovered from strep throat this week, just in time to 'cram' for her violin competition that took place today. I am proud to say she earned an 'Outstanding' for her performance, and a GOLD medal. That makes 5 GOLD, and 2 'Outstanding Performer' violin medals in her collection! The OP medal is given the week following the competition, to the musician who excelled above and beyond the competition in a 3 or 4 year age range. We'll see if she earns one this year, and will try to keep you updated. Natalie personally thinks it should go to a fellow student who performed a very complicated (aka LONG) piece from memory. I absolutely love that Natalie still seeks to improve her musical ability, and can see how much better she can become. She is very professional, and always generous...sometimes I just have to brag!

*David was registered for T-Ball today, and will start playing mid-March. He's excited to learn a new 'boy' sport, and I'm glad I have more time to find him cleats, as I THOUGHT I had purchased an awesome bargain pair from Target, only to be told by a kind and generous parent that he was wearing GIRL shoes! My poor, poor, boy! (I thought it was weird that the box was pink and had pink and other pastel color logo inserts, but the box said 'Baseball' and I 'over thought' and figured the company making the shoes was trying to abolish our preconceived notions of color as it relates to gender and....nevermind.)

*Craig continues to juggle work, school and fam, and no one knows how he does it. Sometimes he doesn't do it, and we love and forgive him anyway. Sometimes we encourage him not to do it, which (we admit) is really, really bad and selfish, but we always try to make it up to him. He is a very loved, very busy, and very stressed man!

*Cookies the guinea pig is now in the comfort of a new home, as the guest bedroom has been converted into the school room, and the loft is now an area for play, computer and whatever else. Unfortunately, Cookies was more guinea pig than we could handle, especially the part where Cookies would spread the contents of the bottom of her cage all over the school totes, making grabbing said totes a disgusting and unsettling task. Starting school with a feeling of revolt was NOT a good thing, and she really only loved Grace and Mom, so she slowly (and sadly) became a non-pet. She is now happily living in a 1 person home, a person whom I've dubbed the 'g.p. whisperer', as he was able to hold her 10 minutes after meeting her, without her squeaking uncontrollably, (something David and Craig hadn't been able to do after almost a year!). She is happy now, and we are too!

*Now that I've said I'll keep ya'll updated, I have to confess that I won't. At least, not unless I can before February 4th. Remember my weird 'always-low-and-now-high' blood pressure deal? Well, as a woman, your bp can wig out and go high if you have ANEMIA, which I do, from super heavy monthly flow. I'm on medication now for the anemia and the bp, but it hasn't helped as well as it should, especially right before and after that magical time...so I am having surgery on the 4th to eliminate that time of month altogether. Not a hysterectomy, but the equivalent, with the goal being either NO flow at all (please, please, please!) or very, very light (so no anemia issues). Either way, the bp should stabilize back into the 'normal' range, and I should have a LOT more energy with no more anemia. I'm a little scared, but more excited :-), with the first 2 weeks of recovery being the hardest, and then 2 more weeks before a follow up check. I/We have prepped the family as much as is possible, and next month, I'll update ya'll on the fam and our adventures.

Whew! What a month...have a fabulous February!

Love Much,
The Meissler 7