Brainy Explody

My brain is exploding today. I can’t calm it down. I am well and beyond over stimulated.

This morning we went to Chabad for “graduation” ceremonies. Today was the last day of the year. We signed the boys up for next year. I chatted with Rabbi Denburg. We saw a slide show and took some photos and visited the year end fair.

Then weleft and went to Toys R Us and then visited Gram & Zaide. We were there for an hour or two, and as we were leaving, Malachai picked up a piece of cactus. Michael took him in and spent a good half hour removing tiny red cactus thorns. Microscopic. We’ve been taking them out all afternoon.

Went home, dropped the kids off and went to the food store. I did about half my shopping as I couldn’t even think while we were there. I had a list, but not a complete one. I need to finish tomorrow.

Long Day Today

Let’s start with last night. Michael phoned me around 9 or 10 to see if it was ok if he worked tomorrow (Sunday). Someone said if he couldn’t do this piece on Sunday, he’d go to another shop. I said fine.

So, this morning we dropped the boys off at Chabad for school and went to Target. I picked up a large (38 quart) Igloo cooler, bread, turkey, doughnuts (impulse buy), drink boxes and some misc. stuff. We came home and he went to work. I packed a picnic lunch and went to pick up the boys with Michael & Sara in tow.

We went to Lions Park (photos on my camera) and had a nice picnic lunch and the kids played a while. Then we left and came home. Dorian walked the dogs with me, and on our way back to the house my Zaide called. Gram had fallen in the tub and couldn’t get up and my aunt & uncle were out for the day, and he asked if I could come up. No problem, but I asked why didn’t he call 911? Apparently Gram wasn’t hurt, she was just stuck and he couldn’t pick her up. I told him I’d be at least a half hour but I was on my way and if she is hurt please call 911, don’t wait for me. I phoned my Dad, we put the dogs back in the house and the kids back in the car and hightailed it up to Delrey Beach.

We got there almost exactly a half hour after I hung up with Zaide (yah, I was flying low) and Gram was dressed, but still on the floor in her bedroom. She had managed to get out of the tub, but not into bed. Michael (my brother) and I picked her and got her situated in the bed. I was really stricken at how much she looked like mom – or how much mom looked like Gram. I can’t say I’ve noticed it before, but the shape of the head, the features, even the look… I must have asked half a dozen times if she was really OK. I sat and chatted with Zaide until 4 (we got there around 2:30?) to make sure she was OK and then we left.

I am exhausted. My shoulders hurt a bit. I am mostly just tired. I’ve not dealt with people getting old and dying, at least not when I was conscious that getting old and dying was what was going on. I can’t say I care for it at all. I was really taken back when I looked at my Gram and I saw my Mom in her last few months. It worries me. Dorian came in to her bedroom right after me to make sure she was OK. He was with me when I took the call and while I had assured him she was OK, he was quite worried. Even Malachai came in to check on her.

So that was my exciting day. We’re headed to the movies tonight. At the very least I can relax then.

I’ve been wanting to post, but I haven’t had anything to say

Last night in the car, Malachai kept telling us not this song, not this song, not this song, and at one point he changed it up and said “not this. definitely not this.” <3

We had dinner with my Aunt, Uncle, Gram, Zaide, and the eight of us. My Aunt & Uncle got the kids gifts. Mal got visibly upset because he got a smaller bag than the other two. He is quiet enough and was talking into my neck enough that we passed it off as him being tired. Poor guy. He got over it quick enough (he got a very cool card game, as did Eshiva, but hers was packaged in a bigger box, and Dor got a ball that was not inflated, but it was packaged bigger too) but we felt bad for him. I remember how I felt getting a gift that I thought sucked when everyone else got cool stuff.

We bought boxes today. I am packing up our breakfront full of crap so I can get rid of the breakfront and sub out something much smaller. All the “crap” in there were my folks wedding fits, my moms owl collection, our “Jew” stuff and some misc. tchotchkes. Dad is asking why I am keeping it. I can’t bear to tell him it’s because I’m a girl and I am emotionally attached to anything that I feel still reminds me of mom. It’s getting better, I’m not saving *everything* some of it really is crap.

I told Michael to box up the tattoo stuff and take what he can to work – I haven’t drawn in over six months, and I haven’t set up the machines in almost as long. I went as far as looking through the stencils today and I just wasn’t feeling it.

My uncle is trying to find a cheap way to send me his studio lights, and we’re going to build a backdrop stand from PVC sometime soon after they arrive. I’m pretty excited about that. I also hinted that I’d be happy to take any other old equipment he isn’t using off his hands and give it a good home (he said he’d like to see his lights get some use in a good home) so maybe I’ll get some other surprise goodies too :-)

I think I might branch out into printing some general greeting cards and stuff. Nothing in big batches, little micro batches I can list at my leisure to sell.

Cliff Bar brand put out organic twisted fruit leather things – I picked up a box on impulse today. They worked out to about fifty cents a package and the kids love them. One full fruit serving in there! Score!

I am back on my “mostly raw” raw diet. I put on a pair of size 10s this morning. I got them on, and had disgusting muffin top BUT I got them on and buttoned. I could not do that even last week. I took them off and put on a comfy pair of size 16s that fall off unless I belt them down. A few more weeks, I think, and I can dig out at least six pair of pants that I haven’t been able to wear for longer than I care to admit.

I’ve been food shopping at the WalMart food store. This should go in confess I guess, but I spent 200$ where I’d normally have spent over 300$ so I don’t care that bad. It’s not like they are putting Publix out of business or anything.

I <3 my dreads. I feel bad putting wax and crap in them, but I need them to look good and not like I am wearing a rabid mop on my head. All in all, it’s working and I am pleased with them and have not threatened to brush them out or cut them off. Yay!

I think that’s it. I am feeling restless and I want to be doing all these things and I just can’t pick one to focus on, so I am kind of doing like, 5 – 10 minutes of a lot of things. It sucks.

Bah Humbug

No, it’s not that bad. Give me some credit. We’re a week away from Channukah. All but one main gift is wrapped (one isn’t even here yet), I’ve got some extra goodies that will be here on Wednesday on their way as well. I think I might pick some of their stuff out and set it aside for… later. I don’t know when later will arrive, but it’s tempting. While we did not over buy, we did wind up with some extras. I am all about setting them aside as special gifts for special things.

The 21st is the first night. We’ll be at shul for a bit for their festival, and my Gram & Aunt are coming over for dinner that night. The next night my Gram & Zaide are coming over. Busy week ahead! I need to make sure we have candles, and the menorah is clean, not to mention the house. We need to make latkes. Fresh or from a mix? I don’t know yet.

The kids are out of school the 2oth – 4th. We’ll go up to LCS I think, and the park, and some other stuff. Michael has some bowling coupons, so that’ll be fun.

I had this huge, actual post planned out, but it left. Maybe it iwll come back later.

Family

Memorial Day weekend my entire matriarchal clan got together (and then some) to celebrate my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. It’s the first time I’ve seen everyone since 2005, and will probably be the last for quite some time.

I snagged this photo from my cousin Rachel – there were a dozen taken, but this is the only one I’ve seen. This is only the grandchildren/great grandchildren.

From left to right, front row: Dorian, me, Eshiva, Sandy, Zaide, Gram,

From left to right, middle row: Malachai (he’s hidden, you can see his head growing out of mine), Sam, Sara, Emily, Michael, Debra, Rachel, Courtney, Lauren, Sheri

From left to right, back row: Alex, Willian, Daniel, Mark, and Dan

My husband is missing :( He had to work as the shop owner was out of town that weekend. My sister is not there either, obviously.

Just thought I would share.