Butterfly Moments

Well, Vanessa and I went to the school early today to meet with the education panel which consisted of the counselor, teacher, special education teacher, speech therapist and nurse. Camilla is going to be receiving special one on one teaching at least 90 minutes worth during each day at school. In addition to the speech therapy that has been currently part of her day up until now. This is encouraging to me and to be honest ... a prayer that was answered. It is good for her to be part of the mainstream, but in order for her to get the confidence required to master the ordinary skills she needs, it will require more than what her 1st grade teacher can provide. I am thankful.

Got a response to an email I sent to the therapy center to see what they might be able to do to help with Camilla's tiptoe walking. A specialist at Childrens had stated she has a 5% reduction in the angle of her ankle that won't allow her to put her left foot flat to the ground ... for that reason, it is easier for her to walk on her toes. This is a sign of autism ... but again, up to this point, that is not her diagnosis but rather that she has some type of neurological ailment that has not been identified up to this point. So ... we trudge on. Baby steps, but steps all the same.

The best part of the meeting is that it is quite obvious that the ladies all care for Camilla and I'm grateful that they are all part of the monitoring of Camilla's progress. We will keep our eyes on that little girl ... and as the speech therapist stated during the meeting ... compared to last year, although the scores on the test aren't necessarily indicating it ... Camilla has made great progress since last year. She's gone from one word responses to sentences which are sometimes difficult to distinquish the words, but for the ones that are ... they are sentences! Strides that show that she's trying! I am thankful, once again.

I love that little girl ... she's worth all the visits to the school to seek help. This is a learning experience for all of us. Continue to pray for the guidance the school is providing ... Camilla needs all the help and so do we.  

There once was a time that I during the week leading up to payday, I could feed my family on $20. Bread, eggs, milk, margarine, a meat and possibly cereal. Gone are those days! Today, as I scrounged nickels, dimes and quarters to take to Coinstar ... I knew the small change will add up to something bigger. End result ... $19.47 ... after the convenience fee was taken out, it amounted to $17.65. Better that than nothing. Next, the chain store that I do the bulk of my shopping offers rewards for dollars spent each quarter. There were 2 tickets that would allow Tillamook cheese (my favorite) for $1.99 and $2.00 off any produce purchase. Those two amounted to $7.50 off the bill ... kind of a luxury ... but I know that every now and then, we must purchase an item on sale ... it's the American way, isn't it? It was pretty obvious that I did need to buy dishsoap, too. But, for the most part, I bought nothing but food items. After all was said an done, besides the Coinstar find, the two coupons for financial break, the remainder of the shopping trip came to $10.12. So, I think I did okay ... we will not go hungry ... for a few more days ... payday is in sight! Thank you, Lord!!!

 

When I find myself complaining or making comments like I did just now ... I can't help but think of the homeless that wonder where their next meal will come from and with the cold ... where will I sleep tonight? My concerns are miniscule compared to them. I give $20 to the community fund each payday and most of the time I feel that what I give is better than nothing. But, this is but a bandaid upon what is happening to many of the men, women and children in our country. I pray that someday, all that are suffering today will be rewarded ... no child ever asks to be born to poor parents. When you see the Salvation Army buckets outside the store ... put in your nickels, dimes and quarters ... they will all add up to something more. That might be the difference between someone eating or not.

 

Food for thought,

Colleen

Today ... the enabling of bad behaviors ... came to a head. The girls, Vanessa and Camilla, both put me in the middle. Vanessa knows that whenever she goes to see her dad ... her dad gives her a bad time if she doesn't bring Camilla. However, Vanessa doesn't usually take Camilla enough times on an everyday basis, when she does want to take her, Camilla basically freezes with the thought of going somewhere with her mother. Camilla's autistic background doesn't like to have much change ... she feels comfortable here at home with me or without me ... if she had her way, she'd go no place and opt to stay home instead.

But, today ... I didn't enable either of them to ... keep Camilla home with Grandma. Although I know that Camilla would be throwing a tantrum for a few miles, it is important for Vanessa to be the mom. She is the one that can learn to handle those tantrums and being behind the wheel and with Camilla being behind her ... no physical contact could happen. Also with Andres along for the ride, it shouldn't be too bad for the girls ... she likes her Uncle Andres.

The big deal is that it will take at least 4 hours to get where they need to be, so if all goes well, they will arrive at the wedding just in time. Then after the wedding ceremony will include a meal and beverages ... and then they will head back home so that Andres can go to work tomorrow morning at 5:30. A long, long day ... but I think they'll have fun despite it all. Hopefully, Camilla won't freak out with all those quick changes, but who knows ... she might do just fine with me to enable her bad behavior.

As for what will Grandma do ... well ... I think I'll just relax. Did my laundry yesterday ... got it all washed and put away. There is always something to do and I need not fear that I'll be bored. The Apple Cup is happening today ... thinking about going down to Tim's to watch the game. Should be fun.

Catch you all later ..

Connie

A week ago, my hubby returned for a weekend visit. He's been on the other side of the state helping his sister on the family farm. For many people, they would probably say that he was sloughing his husbandly duties to be over there and not with me. However, I look at it with different eyes ... he's finally doing something that is not of a truly selfish nature. He's actually doing it because it is the "right" thing to do! His sister is at least 5 years older than he is ... and that makes her almost 60! Their mother died in 1992 and their dad died 3 years ago. Although Frankie has 2 sons, she is managing the family farm. Her hubby, is older and is NO farmer ... he's lived this long without being one ... why be one now? Truth be known I doubt if he really gives a hoot what is to happen! Since June of this year, my hubby is over there because he knows how much work it is to run a small family farm. Also ... he deserves a part of the property, too.

 

That small family farm ... is 40 acres of land on the east side of the country road and has 150 heads of cattle and care not to count how many cats! The parents divorced and lived in separate homes and split the property. So when his mom died, instead of Frankie & David splitting the ownership of the mother's home, David was given the 10 acres on the west side of the country road. He's been living there since August ... couldn't live under the same roof as his sister. Only problem is that the home is truly inhabitable for the majority of people, but for David ... it's his and he is proud of the fact that it is his. I call it circa Mexico 1985 ... no better or worse than what I saw when Manuel, Vanessa's dad, and I went to Mexico to visit his family. I won't stay the night there ... it will always be in a motel ... (another story, another day).

 

Things have been going along fairly well ... although David is now encountering being around an drinker (sister and hubby are in the winery business, so can't call them alcoholics if they drink their products). When I went to see David after him being gone for 6 weeks, hed lost almost 15 pounds. We having jokingly stated that the sister should open a bed and breakfast with a working ranch motif and call it ... "Frankie's Fat Farm". The next time I saw him was in September and he had stabilized a bit, October, he had lost another 5 making him 20 pounds lighter. But ... this month alone ... David had lost another 20.5 pounds that was making me quite worried ... he looked so gaunt and I knew he had lost more weight. It was no longer funny. 

 

Luckily, I've insisted upon him keeping his doctor care over here and I had already made an appointment for him for Monday. We went to the appointment and he had lost 20.5 pounds in one month! For a person not dieting ... that was way too much weight to lose in 1 month. So, she ran some blood tests and requested a chest x-ray be done to rule out cancer and/or COPD ... he needed to hop on the bus to go home, so he refused to do the x-ray ... said he'll do it next time. So, hopefully, the blood tests might reveal enough for the time being.

All I know is ... my hubby is doing his best to show his sister that she can depend upon him. That he can be the one to help her to raise their parent's cattle. That he is worthy of her love and more than that ... her respect. He is a good man ... warts and all ... Camilla and I see it ... why can't she?

 

So, on this day after Thanksgiving ... I continue to pray for peace in our World, health restoration for all and I also pray for all people out there that have done poorly for years and their family has given up hope ... that their efforts to make things right don't go by unnoticed ... that the family members open their eyes to see and share in their rebirth! Afterall, Jesus loves us always ... why can't our loved ones do the same?

 

Take care,

Colleen

This past week has been very eventful for the Osmond family. I've been watching Marie dance her heart away on Dancing with the Stars ... as those that watched her along with me, we heard her state that the hairstyle she was wearing and the whole ambiance was in memory of her parents. Little did she know that the next day would be her father's final day here on this earth. Lucky for her, she got to tell her dad that she had dedicated the dance to him and her mother.

Then, on Friday, Oprah gathered them, as was planned for a long time prior to Tuesday's event ... she, not being from a large family such as the Osmonds ... didn't realize that a promise made will be fulfilled, death is but part of the process of life. They knew, as I would have also, that their parents wanted to be together when the family all got together ... death was the only way that could have made it happen.

Viewing that show allowed me to go back in time when my father died. We felt as if we buried a movie star. His funeral was held on a Thursday and the line of cars attending that afternoon funeral was a few miles long. He was a wonderful man and our small town knew our secret. He was loved. Mom ... she was also remembered, but to be honest, that was expected because of how outreaching of a personality she was to everyone and anyone she met. Dad on the other hand, the only way you could have a conversation with him was as a witness to a man that never seemed to "sit down a spell". He was always busy doing something.

On the 3rd and 25th of October, Mom and Dad reached the 96th and 101st anniversary of their births. For whatever the reason, I seemed to have missed making mention of their days ... not that I've been so involved in too many projects, or doing anything super special ... just that I let the days go by like many of the days this past year. I've been busy ... simply living ... one day at a time.

As most know me, family is important to me, yet as the years go by, we get together, less and less. Not because we don't care, but our lives are changing. We don't all agree with each and everything that each of us is doing, but we know that when it comes down to it ... we will be there for each other ... ALWAYS.

Well, I'm off my soapbox for the day ... seems I write less and less ... hopefully when I do take the time to write, that it is something worth reading.

Take care.