Shakes & Thanks

Oooo..back on the braces diet.  I had my monthly orthodontist appointment Tuesday, so I'm super sore now.  It's p-a-i-n-f-u-l!  After making the fam chicken fajitas last night, I had a bowl of black beans.  and some grated cheese.  I just can't chew.  Even the grilled onions were too much. : (  So after Clay's boy scout aquanaut swim session, my SWeeT husband brought me a chocolate milkshake.    I needed more dairy, you know.  ..and tonight?  Refried beans.  Gotta switch it up! ; )

Are you getting ready for your JDRF Walk to Cure?  ME too!  : ) I know I'll need lots of thank you notes (thank the Lord!), so every year I work on a plan for thank you notes.  This year, I have a quick solution! : )  Wanna see?

I found this huge pack of 50 Hallmark note cards and envelopes (it was $9.99)

I used my embosser to imprint my monogram on the envelopes..(you can get one here!)

Can you even see it?

Then I just simply decorated the note cards with little stamped designs or faces/words, and mixed up the envelopes to match! : )

I promise, easy-peasy.  You could even buy a set of stickers or stamps, and put one on the front of the note card and a matching one on the back of each envelope!  Your sweet child with diabetes would *love* to help you! : )  (Mine got a little busy making a card for moi-so sweet!)
Here's a card I made at a Stampin' Up! open house this weekend:

Totally the same idea, only much cuter (but takes a little longer!)

I will need more, but it's a start.  I like to have Mary Claire help, since it's for her and she loves crafts.  She can do the next set!  (She even got a new stamp Saturday, and she's saving for more ink and stamps. She wants a full desk like her mama. ha!)


Speaking of writing to people...I'm also quickly filling up another prayer journal for a secret partner at Bible Study.  I love how we get to know them so well, and mine had a prayer answered this week, so I get to REJOICE with her!! : )  So thrilled to watch God answer prayers.  Especially mine for her!

Can't put the name on yet! : )

See?  Filling it up!  Love that girl. : )

ps-Can I tell you we have absolutely wonderful babysitters?  And yesterday (after my date Tuesday night!), I was thinking how they know my house (and my nooks and crannies) better than anyone.  My kids love to play hide-and-seek, and the best babysitters don't stick in a video, they PLAY!  (Hey, I could stick in a video!) : )  Anyway, they see my dusty corners, my unhemmed drapes, the toys behind the chairs, the crumbs on the pantry floor, but they still come back.  I think how they know more about us (from our house...to my daughter's blood sugar) than anyone.  I don't know if I tell them how much they mean to us.  And we've always had wonderfully sweet, doting babysitters.  (..and they help us maintain our marriage!  What a blessing!) Yipee for Date Night! : )


Hmm..I should send them thank you notes! : )

Moms

FiSH in my braces!  Oh golly, I've started eating "better", but now I can see problems forecast ahead...I am really having to use that little purse toothbrush to keep my teeth clean.  Anything bread- or potato-related really gets lodged.  Then there are the cucumbers (ack-with peels!) that feel like they are going to break a wire!  I can feel the pressure.  I'm easing back into breads, but still having oatmeal for breakfast and yogurts or soup for lunch.  (and yes, I've lost 4 pounds!)  Not bad for a three weeks with braces (ya'll just wait, it'll catch up with me!)

I had a wonderful lunch today with one of my old students and her (*gasp!*) husband and son!  Am I old enough to have a second grade student married and with child??  Yes, apparently I really am.  She is beautiful-and I mean on the outside and inside.  She has a precious spirit which doesn't give up easily, and she is an awesome mom doing her very best.  I'm so proud of her!  (I have to tell you, this is why Mary Claire's middle name is Elizabeth-that girl would make you want to name your child Elizabeth too!)  I was so thankful to get to see her (and her family!), share a meal, and catch up!  Ethan was a little crazy, but it'd already been a long morning, and he'd been so good.  He was wearing thin!

Next we went by Mom's for a visit (an hour to kill-woohoo!), we played dominoes till Ethan got bored, then he played outside and visited my dad in his shop-and got to have a snack down there.  Dad has a refrigerator stocked with drinks (for his friends), and snacks to keep his blood sugar up.  The kids all love stopping in and having a "break" with Papa!  They feel so sneaky having soda (usually with sugar, but not today-but Ethan didn't know!).  It's a "secret"!

Then we came home to recharge, and after Ches got home, we all went to a matinee: Mars Needs Moms!  It was a sweet movie, and I was getting really stressed for the mom at one point!!  I thought it'd be all about moms, but it wasn't!  It was more or less about the son that hitched a ride on the spaceship back to Mars, and him rescuing his mom, who was "asleep" in a seat-belted pod-thing (totally unaware!).  It was still good--the son, Milo, met one other human who'd followed his mom there in the 1980's, was now an adult, and they became friends on the rescue mission.  It was good, and the boy really was touched and loved his mom.  Good movie.

We had dinner (late!) at Red Lobster in honor of Spring Break (that almost started today) (and a Lenten Friday!)!  By this point, Ethan was plum silly and goofy.  He was getting argumentative, he was hungry and sleepy, and almost without reason...But.  I had Play-Doh!  It always pulls him back from orbit.  He was starving (I had five coconut M&M's left that I gave him, and a piece of Extra's new mint chocolate ice cream gum-yum, by the way!), and we made orange play-doh cars and colored (I always buy about 20 packs of Crayola crayons at back-to-school time when they are 19 cents! and then dish them out s-l-o-w-l-y! I love new crayons!).  Totally did the trick!  We made it through a long dinner-from lobster dip (gag!) to salad to crab legs..Can you tell seafood is not my thing?  It's always a long Lent...

Anyway, when we got home (because I was in the mood!), we all got out our beautiful rosaries (Mary Claire's is delicate pink Swarovski crystals) (well..Ethan's is chunky wood beads!), and started a rosary (we got through the second decade).  I was super-impressed that Ethan kept his little fingers on the right beads the entire time, prayed the prayer he knew (the Our Father), and didn't fall asleep or go nuts!  The Holy Spirit was definitely with us!

I'm praying that you decided on something to give up (or something good to add?), and that you are successful, with God's help!  Only five weeks and two days...can't wait for Easter!

Selling Bindis

What a scouting weekend!  Do we ever coordinate between the girls and boys?  Nahh.  But maybe we could consider it?

I have been able to upload only girl scout pictures, so boy scouts and my amazing-melt-in-your-mouth-surprise recipe have to wait till tomorrow. : )  Thanks, Sandra, for taking awesome pictures!! : )  Your camera rocks ; )

Today was World Thinking Day 2011 at the Fayetteville Town Center!

Listening-aren't they growing up?

In front of their "country" of India-they did a great job on the backboard!

Working the India booth, selling bindis > : )

Stamping passports for travelers-I love "traveling" to other countries! : )

Visiting the Netherlands

I can't remember the country..Switzerland, I think?  Her little dolls are upstairs, and I'm feeling lazy...

They look beautiful with their bindis on!

She had a great day, and brought home so many little treasures.  We stopped last night at McDonald's and asked for our change in dimes (I had to convince the girl I wasn't crazy for getting $3 in dimes!).  Each troop learns about and represents a country at Thinking Day (a celebration for Juliette Low's birthday, founder of Girl Scouting).  They make little foods, pins, flags, or dolls, something about the country to sell-all proceeds go back to the Juliette Low fund for the girls.  The past two years with the Fayetteville Thinking Day have been wonderful-the year before was not so good, so we know to be thankful!!  The presentations are awesome, and there are plenty of countries to visit.  Mary Claire even came home with her name in Arabic-so beautiful.

We had some trouble after a sleepover last night (her not wanting to check her blood) and then this morning not wanting to come home for our church-I wasn't happy.  She is definitely growing up (I'm trying to respect that) and it means more responsibility.  If she can't handle checking herself (and checking in with me!), we'll have to slow down the freedom.  I was so worried about her last night!  I didn't want to call and bug her, but she just doesn't realize what can happen.  She's been low several times since Friday-really good insulin, I think (she was 46 at school on Friday, 59 after girl scouts yesterday, 58 at church today..), but scary-roller-coaster isn't fun!

I'm nervous about tomorrow-it's Braces day.  The appointment is for 90 minutes, but it can't take that long, can it?  Now it's even more advanced than when Mary Claire got hers-the braces are set up on my "fake teeth" (positive of my impressions), and then moved to my mouth.  They also don't use bands around back teeth, so I didn't have to endure the week of spacers-hooray!  Still nervous.  I'm going to be in braces with my daughter.  Weird?

Ahhh..Now Smile : )

Ahhh...the sound of me opening wide!  Apparently I have a remarkably small mouth?  I had to have the child-size thingies and tools for my mouth!

I had my first appointment at my new orthodontist's office.  Yes, that's what I said!  I got xrays, pictures (of the outside and inside of my mouth with mirrors and lip-spreaders, I had no idea what my kids had been through!), and a consultation about my mouth (well, teeth).  I learned that my orthodontist is psychic (he told me I sleep on my right side, and sometimes on my tummy hugging my pillow on my right side-he was so right!) (ok, not really psychic:  I have wearing on the inside of my right rear teeth-I totally couldn't figure out how he knew!) and that I have "black triangles" because of my bone shifting that holds my teeth (maybe I can explain that one later, those little areas where you can see between the bottom of your front teeth), and it's a shock that I don't have a worse profile after having four permanent teeth removed, your nose and chin continue to grow (and make you look more and more witchy, and your teeth are what hold out your lips/profile), and I need braces to correct the current situation.

I went ahead and ok'd the plan, and I will get them on February 21st.  I'll maybe get you some pictures, depending.  (Depending on how I feel and how I look.)  I had lots of options: invisalign, clear brackets, regular silver brackets, and the new quick clip brackets.  The invisalign was a "no" since I won't keep them in, the clear brackets stain easily (with red sauce, tomatoes, spaghetti, red wine, etc.), the regular brackets require rubber bands (harder to clean around), so...I picked the quick clip.  Silver, but the wire just clicks into place!  No rubber bands are required, so I think they'll be noticeable, but I won't have the colored rubber bands like Mary Claire! : )

After we worked out the package, they went ahead and did my impressions.  They did two sets of upper and two sets of lower.  Do you remember having those done?  They are gagging!  My mouth was so small (I had no idea! maybe that's why I have to talk double-time to get it all out), they had to use the smallest kids' tray for my impressions.  They said I used the same one as Mary Claire!  I totally almost threw up, I was really gagging.  After they got the berry-flavored gunk in, I did okay while they set up. (four times!)

I also learned that as you age, your teeth move forward, and especially the front ones get crooked.  I think I told you that I have a tiny dent in the bottom of my front right tooth, where it rubs my bottom tooth.  I already had a tiny bit of bonding done to build the bottom up level, but it's wearing away again.  I have to fix the problem before I have it done again.  I'll only be in the braces for 12-18 months (oh yeah-the other bonus-silver is faster than clear!).

Ahh..what else could I do to change my life?  make it better?  Never stop working to make your life work better.  If you don't do it for yourself, who will?

Blinging of the Sling

So.  We live in Arkansas, and weird things happen here.  We just had a tornado, and today it's dead birds falling from the sky.  Yes, up to 5,000 birds to be exact-within a one-mile radius.  I told them not to shoot off fireworks on New Year's Eve-it should be reserved for Independence Day, when the birds expect loud bangs.  You can check here to read more from CNN, or to see the Video.  It's crazy times, people!

Alrighty, back to my reality.  I've been monopoly-busy!

still early in the game-notice the abundance of money, and the lack of hotels to visit?

We played again on New Year's Day-with the kids, till midnight!  We finally quit, but Mom won.  I think it I were to do some research (for fun), I'd probably do some gaming research.  My hypothesis would be that whoever gathers the most property on their first two trips around the board will win the game (providing they are at least 9, and they buy at every opportunity).  If you land on Chance, Just Visiting (jail), and Income Tax, you aren't going to last long, FYI.

We ate dinner at mom's house, and I brought my friend's (Kathy) amazing Sweet Potato Casserole.  It's WoNdErFuL!  I just love it (even for dessert, but shh..don't tell anyone!)  I called her yesterday after I bought lots of sweet potatoes (on sale!  only 38 cents a pound-guess they overestimated Christmas sweet potato sales?), and called Kathy for that elusive recipe!  She said she was on her way home, and told me to boil, cool, and peel them while I waited.  Just when I was ready to call her, she called-I had no idea she was driving home from Nebraska!  I thought she was out running errands.  I felt kinda bad, but I loved her sweet potatoes, so all in the name of food. ; )

Here is the mixture before the baking:

After baking (with that yummy topping!):

And a close-up of that topping (with optional coconut!)  Ahh, a masterpiece, who'da thunk a veggie could be so delicious?

Ok, I think I talk about food too much.  Maybe I should join the ranks of millions with a weight-minded goal for New Year's?  Nahh.

To update you, here's Sissy's current mouth situation, since you've all been missing those braces-pictures.

Yes, I thought it was a pretty clear picture too!  See how nicely her front teeth have lined up?  And she chose turquoise this time (good invention, orthodontists!)

Don't know if you can see it, but she lost a tooth!  See the front four?  Look to the left-there's a socket right in front of the back two. (Remember she got the two around the Front Four pulled this past spring.)

And then we had the excitement of Clay finally finishing his train!  It was the Lego Toy Story 3 Train, with all the cute little characters.  Ches and I argue over the pig.  In the movie, his name is Hamm, and Ches thinks his name is Evil Dr. Porkchop-but that's only when they are playing!  There's such a difference.  ..Yet..he is wearing the hat.

Do you see how short Buzz is?  Ches says (and he's the authority) that he's smaller than Jessie and Woody even in the movie!  Do you remember that?

Ethan just loves all things Toy Story, and wanted to get his sticky fingerprints all over this shiny new toy, but Clay would have none of that.  He did finally show us the train-see the gray car?  It has a trap door on top-you pull the stick, and the floor caves in!  And inside that car, there is a box of red dynamite sticks-adorable! Umm, I mean cool.


And then, there was the blinging of the sling.  We had to get it all spruced up to make it Worthy, heehee.  The mom (Jana) of one of her friends brought over her magic bling-er (GeMagic!) so we could make some shiny, rhinestone magic happen!  We used some of her little 4-pronged rhinestones with the big stapler-like contraption-so cool!-and I didn't do the best job.  I tried to get them evenly spaced, but it was hard!  I couldn't tell where the center would be, so I felt like a bling-failure.

You can't even see the sparkle.

I decided to finish on a good note, and we went to Holly Lobby (she renamed it in my honor), and bought an iron-on sequin monkey (try to contain your laughing!).  I stitched it in place, and ironed a monkey onto her velcro arm-holder.  He is cute.

And she loves him.  Doesn't that count?

Hide and Seek

Such a relaxing morning-I love when we have some T-i-M-E here.  I got to sit and watch tv for a little while with Mary Claire-her blood sugar was high, and she was crying-her teeth hurt!  She went to the orthodontist yesterday, and they put on new connecting rubber bands (turquoise this month!), and new springs to push her front teeth even farther from the back teeth (to make room for the teeth that are coming).  She's also got two upper teeth loose (how to explain..maybe her 7th and 8th teeth?).  She's just at that age-it's hard.  I felt sorry for her, so we sat and I rubbed her back.  She just needed time and attention.  It really is better than medicine (I know-it's what I love too!) : )
Then we played some hide-and-seek, and Ethan was looking in the refrigerator and oven for us (he obviously doesn't have a good sense of spatial depth/size-I'm WAY too huge to fit in there!), plus hahaha-it was so funny!  We did laundry, folded, put away, played Criss-Cross-Crash (they had a car championship, and the winner got a Barbie trophy!), made beds, picked out clothes for today, played Barbies (in her big new house), and took Kelly to adopt a pet at the shelter.  Such a sweet morning.
Then, it got busier!  We had lunch, and got ready to go north to Missouri.  Ches' mom had given us babysitting for his birthday, and we were going out! : )  We drove up, stayed a while to visit, then went to a matinee to see The Fighter.  It was good, but not as good as True Grit.  I'm a sissy, maybe?  Maybe if there'd been less fighting? heehee  I've decided AMy Adams is quite the actress.  If she can go from Enchanted princess (loved that!) to foul-mouthed tough girl in The Fighter, she's a real actress with grit!
I have so much to say, but my computer says otherwise.  It's down to 8% power-I do this every night!-and it says I have to hurry up.
Don't forget our little contest-comment with the color/words you want on your very own monogrammed acrylic tumbler! : )

My Vision

Yesterday, I helped out at the kids’ school doing hearing and vision screenings. Well, I checked for color-blindness and vision with the cute little chart on the wall.  For the kindergartners, we used shapes (house, square, heart/apple, and circle).  They were the funniest-they’d say triangle, but say it consistently, so then we’d show them a big square, and they’d say triangle!  (At least their vision was okay!)

I was super worried about Ethan yesterday.  His preschool teacher quit last Wednesday.  When we got there last Wednesday afternoon, a little girl told us it was her last day!  What a shock.  Long story, but she has to go somewhere that pays more so she can get a loan to go back to school.  But it causes repercussions that she didn’t consider.  Ethan really liked her, and she’s gone.  His first day back, he had an awful day (after three great days!).  Then Monday, still no teacher.  The helper teacher is super stressed, and so it’s kinda tough in there right now.  She was a little snippy with me about centers yesterday morning, and I really didn’t want to leave him, but I had to be at JB Hunt all day!  So Hard, this mommy gig.

I left him, but my sweet friend was subbing for someone else, so she hung out in there and called to let me know he was fine, in the sand box, and would soon have lunch and nap, so I relaxed a little.  I knew I’d be headed to Little Rock on Tuesday by then, and was sad I wasn’t going to get the day with him.  He’s my baby!

It's just tough, all the balancing.  I'll get the hang of it about the time they go to college!  I think that's how it works: you get it all figured out, and they are on to the next phase. : )  

We had our church's big fundraiser: and international dinner and silent auction on Saturday night.  We had so much fun (I think because we sat at the fun table!)!  It was great.  It might have been because I had a couple drinks too-I never drink, but Ches was with me, and the walk was finally put to rest-I had to loosen up!  We laughed about people being silly, sillier things, and I rounded up about 12 people to help feed the priests on Wednesday nights!  So, you could say I did a lot of talking too! : )  (I know, big S-H-O-C-K!) heehee

Anyway, we bought another set of braces.  I do love our orthodontist (in a straight tooth-kind-of way!) and his wife Amy, so I was happy to add one more child to his roster.  Clay has another loose tooth and lost one last week.  He's getting ready to have big boy teeth, and they look just perfect now, but where will they all go?  If he doesn't need them quite yet (doubtful), I'll get them again.  They've crookeded up (ha!), so I can always have them.  Can you imagine having braces with your mom?  That'd be funny! (but don't laugh if I get them again!)

Then we left and went to the late movie.  We have a list that we'd love to see, so we fit them in when we can!  It was The Town, which was good, but a little hard to watch the gun-fighting (well, the bullets!), but pretty good at the end.  I like a good story, and I'm not too picky.  We are going to see You Again this Friday-it looks hilarious!

And today, was our trip to Little Rock to see our specialist again.  It was a great visit, I appreciate prayers for us!  The cyst they've seen on my left ovary for the past two months is GONE!  Yay!  We are moving forward, and we'll see what happens this month.  It's quite a journey, but when we see a baby we'll be able to tell them that we wanted them before we knew them, prayed for them before we saw them, they were in our hearts before our home.  Blessed be God, and His plans for us.

All Fixed Up

Hey there!  Took a ride on the Reading, and took the kids to Sam's this morning...did I mention the right rear tire that kept running low on air?  Mmmm...yep, I had to get it fixed, before it fixed me (in one spot)!  I gotta have my wheels (and clean too!).  We were there almost two hours, and I couldn't even tell Ches (later) where the time disappeared to.  We looked at tons of books, made a bathroom run, ate lunch (pizza), and shopped a tiny bit.  I mean, I think Sam's time runs on a different clock than the rest of the world!  Time just evaporated-and I don't know how.  Hmm.
We came home, and I sat out while the kids played-it was a strange day of decent weather...sunny, hot, but breezy, and the clouds kept coming and going.  I was keeping the kids out of the pool (I thought they'd get cold with the wind) since it was threatening to rain (but didn't till after 5).  Anyway, I read a new Country French (or something like that) magazine (from Sam's!), and positioned my chair right by Ethan's swing, so I could push him, feel the breeze, and read-Perfect.  We stayed out for a couple hours, until Ethan went inside and left us.
So we went in to goof off.  Here's a closer pic of my sweet girl and her braces.  I still don't have a great one, but there's plenty of time for that!

I am in this cooking (baking!) mood lately..yes, I'm gaining weight, and know it, but I'm powerless.  Plus, it's good to occupy my time (while I shove my mouth, too).  Today I found a recipe for Lemon Bars, but my oven had baking potatoes already in at 400, and I didn't want to drop it to 375 for the bars (and I'm not skilled in mediating between temps).  So..since I bought lots of blueberries (and had some frozen ones too), I made Blueberry Crisp!  I put it in the oven as our potatoes came out, so it'd be ready after dinner.
If you've ever been here late (or listened to me rant), Ches gets to eat all he wants at night, and that includes ice cream with chocolate syrup EvErY night!  Anyway, he'd eaten all the ice cream, and I only had frozen Cool Whip (so not the same). So, he said he'd take the kids out to buy more ice cream, and I got all excited.  I know it doesn't sound good, but I really needed a break.  I went to the chapel for an hour last night (still fighting off the Lexapro withdrawal), and it helped.  But! Leave me alone in my house for an hour, and I'm positively giddy!  I had all that stuff from Pottery Barn that I still hadn't put out yet!  I just can't create with an audience I think.
So.  I changed my mantle in the hearth room from this:

to this!

More summery.  I know, not that much different, but I finally put up the chalkboard that I made, and I made a cool wreath (that I told you I'd work on!) with a burlap-y type bow, a starfish, and some jute string.  Fun.  Just lots of fun for me.  So, I got all brave, and put new holes in my wall!  I finally opened up all those picture frames I got, and hung them.  My plan was to put three on each side of the tv, but they were smaller than I planned.  So..I hung two and thought about it for two days..and tonight, I hung all six together.  Much better.  Makes the left side look a little light, but I'll work on that tomorrow.  So here are the six:

So then, I got to vacuum the kitchen/hearth room (which I secretly love to do!) (weird, I know), and it made everything better.  I also picked up a race track, some cars, took pictures down, packed a box of red stuff that I won't use till at least Christmas.

So, here's the now pix of the hearth room.  I have been trying to change it up, and I'm still just dying to get new white slipcovers, but for now-I shall be happy.

 

And then..they came home!  They came bearing not one box of ice cream, but four!  (they were on sale, so I'd have done the same thing!)

So, we had our yummy blueberry crisp, but with mint chocolate chip and cookies-with-cream ice cream!  We had vanilla, but when you have something else, why have plain vanilla?  Don't make fun of my camera-I tried to get a close-up picture:

Here's the professional picture:

Better, huh?

Yeah, mine doesn't look so amazing, but it was scrumptious!  It had oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter-all the good stuff.  I will definitely be making this one again.  I'd have to double it for company though-we ate 2/3's of the recipe!  I didn't use as many blueberries as it said, since I like lots of the crisp, heehee.

Maybe tomorrow I'll actually make the Lemon Bars. and stay home to clean the kids' rooms.  A girl's gotta have goals!

FYI- Blueberry Crisp:

 Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 6  cups  blueberries
• 2  tablespoons  brown sugar
• 1  tablespoon  all-purpose flour
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
• 2/3  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/2  cup  packed brown sugar
• 1/2  cup  regular oats
• 3/4  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 4 1/2  tablespoons  chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
• 2  cups  vanilla low-fat frozen yogurt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl; spoon into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine 2/3 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon, and cut in the butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over the blueberry mixture. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Top each serving with 1/4 cup frozen yogurt.

Note: Topping may also be made in the food processor. Place 2/3 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon in a food processor, and pulse 2 times or until combined. Add butter; pulse 4 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Real Friends

I feel mortal today.  I have several things on my mind as I crawl into bed, ready to go to sleep.  My good friend has breast cancer, and I'm so sad for her.  It's stage one, and I know she'll fight it, overcome, and come out the other side a victor, but I'm still sad for her.  As you get older, you learn that you aren't invincible.  I used to think I was.  It's almost like you have to lose someone or stare death and pain in the eye to believe it.  I felt bad that she had to ask me how I was doing (mentally/emotionally) before she told me.  Am I still on the edge?  Honestly, a little.  I don't really mind being honest with people.  Sometimes when you share the truth, the relationship becomes more real (genuine), and I like that.  Who needs surface-level friends?
I also found out yesterday a friend from years ago (elementary/jr. high) lost her sister 14 years ago-bless her heart.  I didn't even know, and felt bad that I didn't know all this time.  It must have been so hard-all those milestones that you wanted someone to share with you.  I told her that I think her sister IS getting to watch her kids grow up, and is sharing those moments.  I know that how you feel about Heaven is individual, but I believe that we still can talk to the people we've lost, they hear us, and they can pray for us.  After all, they are right at Jesus' feet.  How much closer could you get?
I know I've already told you of my XM Love, but I'm still listening...I heard an old Oprah show today (I think it was a 2002 rebroadcast), and it was about being genuine.  Girls were afraid to say what they think, for Fear.  Fear of losing that friend, Fear of being alone, Fear of being excluded, and what happened is that they never really had close friends, and that risk cost them Real Friends.  They just had fear-isn't that sad?  It started in childhood for most of the girls, but was still affecting them years later.  Oprah asked how many real friends you get in life.  What a thought.  How many do you get?
I hope I can teach Mary Claire to be a good friend, and that sometimes that means saying what you think.  Maybe if we start young, they'll build a solid foundation.  
I don't think I've gotten to tell you that Mary Claire got braces on Tuesday, gosh was that just yesterday?  We got her lots of yogurts, since her teeth were going to be sore.  And, let me tell you-it's harder than I thought!  Today she's been in pain, and whiny-I'm working extra hard on patience.  I've given her Tylenol and ibuprofen, fed her soft foods, dug food out of her palate expander in the roof of her mouth, and brushed her teeth with her new electric tooth brush.  I really don't mind the work, but the crying when food gets caught, and not wanting to eat-those bother me.  I feel sorry for her, don't know how to make it better, and it stresses me.  I need extra doses of patience.  I love her and don't want her to hurt.  It's so hard to be a parent.
My friend has an appointment with her surgeon tomorrow, please pray for her