Poor Mistreated Little Blog

I know, I know...I always say I'm going to post more often but never do. I truly mean it, and I really want to. I actually miss it. But for some reason, other things just keep popping up. Like life. And school. And doctor's appointments. And just plain sleepiness. And the biggest obstacle of all...finding the camera and/or the USB cord to upload the pictures I have taken of things I have done.

Well little blog, my New Year's Resolution (and I don't usually make them) is too keep better track of my projects and post them here.

Since I last posted here, Thanksgiving has come and gone, as well as Christmas. (Christmas was wonderful, by the way...nice and quiet. I made sure it was much less stressful than in years past.) Our big family gift from Santa was a trampoline!

*Photo by Allison

This December I also knitted two scarves...and I use that term loosely! One is made with a very bulky yarn and even though I used 2 balls of it, it is still a little short. The other is made from a thinner cotton yarn, and is very long and skinny. I only cast on 10 stitches, and it reminds me of those skinny knit ties from the 80's. But Claire loves it, and it's perfect to her.

On December 12, I participated in a project that took place all over the World-a project called 'Help-Portrait'. It involved photographers from, literally, all areas of the World, getting together and doing photo shoots/family portraits for people who would not otherwise be able to afford them. This was one of the best and most fun things I have ever done, and I truly hope it is being planned again for next year!

This is a picture of the group here in San Antonio.

I've also been doing a lot of embroidery. Not sure why, but it just seems to be the thing I do right now. I think I turn to that a lot when I need to just "veg-out" and not have to really think.

We tried something new this year...we went to Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels. In the Summer it is a huge waterpark. The last couple of Winters, they have turned it into a Winter Park, full of winter activities such as bobsledding, individual little parks with snow machines (that was so much fun!) and an outdoor ice skating rink! Now, I'm not new to ice skating but it has been awhile, and I am also used to ice skating on figure skates...not hockey skates like this place was renting out. The blades on hockey skates are MUCH longer than on figure skates and your center of gravity is completely different. Therefore, I didn't make it very far before I ended up in the air completely parrellel to the ice and landed smack on the crown of my head! Everything was blurry and double and moving in and out of focus just like you would see on TV, and when the paramedic asked me who the President is, I replied, "Richard Nixon". Hmmmm...this seemed to present a problem and it was decided I needed to take a little trip to the ER. So off we went, and many hours later it was determined that I did not have a skull fracture nor did I have any brain bleeds; just a really nice concussion! Which was a good thing, because it was a couple of hours before we got that news. However, the hospital did do a great job getting me in and doing the CT scan right away...it was just waiting for the doctor to come back with the results that took so long. I think it took so long because I was ok, and 3 ambulances came in with people who probably needed to be dealt with immediately. After about 20 minutes of waiting for the doctor to come in after the scan, I figured that everything was good or else they would have been back immediately. There was a 'Law & Order' marathon on TV, so I just decided to relax and enjoy my quiet time. Allison had texted her friend Laura about what was going on, and her mother immediately came up to the hospital, picked up the kids and took them home! I will never be able to express my appreciation to her for doing this...we have never had the luxury of being able to just drop the kids with a neighbor or have someone come over in an emergency (except for my parents) because of Ethan's issues/Autism. For some reason it worked out in this case: 1) because Ethan was so tired and falling asleep in the waiting room and he just wanted to get home to bed; and 2) because this was Laura's mom, who is a nurse and probably just instinctively knows how to deal with people. And who knows...maybe Ethan is maturing a little bit. That sure would be nice!

Before I go I do want to share a couple of pictures. These were taken in Gruene, TX at the town lighting that we go to every December.

This is one of my most favorite pictures ever...Allison and Claire.


This one is also from Gruene, and includes Laura (Allison's friend), Claire, Allison and Ethan.


I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and has a very safe New Year's Eve! Goodbye 2009! Here's for a better 2010!