Monday Night Cookout

Tonight John and Cindy strolled down for an easy cookout of hot dogs, potatoes, salad (only Marla ate that) and Oreo Pudding Pie. Maizie stayed busy playing in her pool and begging us to play in the pool with her. After we ate we walked to the park and ran into Janeen and Brian with the girls. They came back with us for Pudding Pie. Yummy! Joe and Cindy are always cooking up good stuff together while John and I sit on our lazy butts.

Everyone in the neighborhood was out and about today. Here are a few of the photos of "Neighborhood Happenings" I took today.

A cute little kitty is escaping from his new puppy friend seen below.


Caught this awesome photo opportunity when we were sitting out back. I love that style of undies hanging out. Don't you?

This is by far my favorite from today. This is the house across the street. This toilet has been sitting there for months. Every day when I see it I want to scream. Is this misplaced aggression? Maybe. I talk to Joe about moving it to their porch or placing it on top of their car...but I don't. The main thing stopping me is I don't want to touch the thing. Today I am looking out front and see the neighbor over there gardening! Are they going to plant something in the toilet? Is it a resting perch? Lovely. It is truly so divine.

Now you may think we yearn to move out to the suburbs with my family and some of our friends. Some days I do want to move...I really do. Usually when the neighbors forget to mow for weeks on end, when there are loud parties or during the Fourth of July. Those days get me down. But, for the most part the unique sights, smells (there were some amazing flowers on the way to the park) and simple pleasures of living in a truly diverse area make me feel alive. We like to think we add to this diversity in our own little weird ways.

Memorial Day Weekend

We all went to my parent's house and enjoyed a fun day taking the kids out on the paddle boat. It was great to see my sister Melissa and Alex. Melissa and Tim will be moving soon into their brand new home. I am so excited for them. Tim has a great new job, Melissa graduated from nursing school and will be starting work soon. I just wished they lived closer!

Rudy was nervous whenever anyone was out in the paddle boat. I think we should try to take him on the boat too. Once inside we played several rounds of Catch Phrase. The kids were getting pretty wild dancing to Maizie's Dolly Parton Concert DVD. By seven Maizie was exhausted and running out of steam so we headed home for bath time.

Once home we put Maizie to bed and watched the movie Fur...An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus. I have always loved Diane's work . When I studied her in college she was by far the most influential photographer to me. She was an amazingly intuitive photographer. The movie was definitely imaginary so I had to keep reminding myself of that. We did notice some of her work being represented in the movie which was interesting to pick out. I think an incredible movie could be made of her real life story. Nothing imaginary would need to be added for a fascinating portrait. Robert Downey Junior as the very hairy love interest did not ooze of believable romance to me. The movie did inspire me a bit, so for that it was worth watching.

Tagged!

Angie tagged me! This is the first time I have been tagged so I am pretty excited! So, I need to write seven random things people might not know about me. Here goes!

1. When I was eight I took piano lessons at my Catholic School from a nun. She would hit my hands hard with a pencil whenever I made a mistake. I was always making mistakes and cried during every lesson.

2. My favorite thing is to eat candy in the bath tub, preferably...Swedish Fish. Then, crawl into bed with fresh clean bedding.
3. When Joe and I lived in Jersey we frequently went skinny dipping in our neighbors pool late at night. It was by far one of the best feelings I have ever had.

4. When I was a little kid I was trying to show off by swimming out to a dock in the lake with my best friend. I felt myself being pulled under while my friend was shouting, "Look at me! I did it!" My dad dove in and saved me. He was my hero forever after that.

5. I have lived in two houses that I am sure are haunted. One was my childhood house in Cedar Rapids, Iowa where a tall old woman was repeatedly seen staring out the windows at us as we played in the yard. The second house was in the Knolls with Joe here in Indiana. Lights turned on after I turned them off. We often heard sounds like fists pounding on the walls and heavy footsteps running across the roof. Neither of us ever felt safe or comfy in that house.

6. I have a fascination with religious icons and saints. I am particularly fond of Saint Rita and Saint Marguerite.

7. I frequently reverse and mix up common sayings. I have difficulty pronouncing certain words. An example is when I say, "hut dog" instead of "hot dog".

Now, I am going to tag some fellow bloggers. Fun! I don't know if I can think of seven but I will try.

Joe (my supportive, funny and hot husband)
Tim (my brother in law who is busy buying a house and moving but hopefully he will have time)
Maizie (my adorable angel child)
Moreah (Maizie's homeschooling friend and neighbor)
Onika (Moreah's sister and Maizie's homeschooling friend and neighbor)

Walk in the Park, Decisions and History Class

Today was a beautiful day. A bit warmer than we are used to...I loved it.

This morning I met Holly for breakfast. Holly helped me feel better about the decision I am facing...Lupron, hysterectomy...or just keep going on as I have been. I love Holly's positive and loving approach. Thanks to Holly I went home feeling positive and scheduled an appointment to ask my doctor a million questions. Joe marked it on his calendar too. Thank you Holly! I love ya.

Maizie and I grabbed Joe and Darwin for a brief visit to the park before homeschooling. Maizie rode her bike and showed us her climbing skills.

Maizie worked hard on her math and classifying objects. Next, we were off to the Learning Garden for story time. Cindy brought a pinata for the kids. Maizie did not want to swing at it but enjoyed watching the fun.

I began my summer session class. I am taking a history class. Not my forte. I forgot how condensed the summer sessions are. Lots of material to cover in a short period of time. I am freaking out a bit. I had a nice break and now I have to get back to fitting in studying. What was I thinking....summer session...argh!

Hunting and Gathering

This weekend I went to Indianapolis with Susie for some good ol' Hunting and Gathering fun.

Things almost got off to a bad start when Susie came to pick me up on Friday. Darwin was sooooo excited to see Susie that he pushed through the front door and did his "crazy ass dog jig" and almost ran out into the street! After our hearts returned to a normal beat I gave Maizie and Joe hugs and we were off!

Before even checking into the hotel we went to Home Goods and T J Max. I love love love Home Goods. When we lived in Jersey I was there all the time! So, it felt like Heaven walking around there. There were some good parts to our Jersey experience and Home Goods was one of them. I bought a weird stone bunny that I just felt had to be mine.

We explored Keystone Crossing and found a few goodies for Maizie and Chloe...a few gifts to stash away. I found a few bargains at Pottery Barn for Kids. Brought home some cooking tools for Joe from Crate and Barrel. Maybe he will feel compelled to blog about them.

We went to Broad Ripple but found out quickly there would not be any purchasing going on there. Everything was too trendy (a.k.a. EXPENSIVE) for our tastes so we stopped into the Starbucks for water and giant rice crispy treats and then headed back to where we felt more comfortable...more successful in terms of making awesome purchases...Marshall's. We were at Marshall's for so long people probably thought we worked there. I found some great clothes for Maizie, a couple of tops for myself and some Christmas gifts.

For lunch on Saturday we had to get Susie's 'fix' at P.F. Chang's. She treated me to chicken wraps which really are worth craving and driving two hours to attain. Why does Fort Wayne not have a P.F. Chang's? I have no idea. All Fort Wayne does is eat. Surely, they would appreciate P.F. Chang's.

Saturday night we we to the Indie Movie Theatre at Keystone. Year of the Dog with Molly Shannon seemed to be our safest option. They had so many unique movies to choose from it was a difficult decision. It was a great movie, unique, touching and funny. We enjoyed it. Once back in the hotel we lounged around and talked and went to bed by about 11 p.m.! Shopping really wore us out.

When I got home I was greeted with sloppy Darwin kisses. I missed Maizie and Joe so much. It was great to get away and feel the joy of returning home. I gave Maizie her new clothes and this adorable music box with dancing lady bugs. She loves it. I knew she would.

Next time Susie and I are thinking Chicago.

Wishes, Cookies and Popcorn

Today Onika and Moreah came over. After an hour of play we all headed over to the mall to ride the carousel and eat Chic Fil A. Mindy met us there and enjoyed lunch with us. The girls loved the carousel ride. Check out Maizie's blog for photos of the girls on the ride.

I think Mindy thought we all disappeared when Onika had to use the bathroom. When one has to go they all have to go. I thought we would never get back to the table. Hand washing was beyond thorough and Maizie even wanted to wash her hands twice. Finally, we went back to the apple tables and Mindy looked lost in thought. Apparently she was mesmerized watching a little child continually drop her food on the floor, pick it up and with a nod and smile from mom....eat it up. Yum!
With time to spare we went upstairs to the fountain. The fountain has always been a great spot for making wishes. Before I knew it all the girls were elbow deep in the water fishing for coins! Mindy told them that if they took the coins out people might not get their wishes. I gave each of the girls a penny for wishing. Maizie said she wished she could do more "tricks". Moreah was wondering how the water breaks up towards the top of the fountain and shoots across it in a line. I explained that one the best I could.

Next, we were off to the Lakeside Learning Garden for a craft led by Beth. They made beautiful tissue paper flowers. After that we were off to St. Anne's to see my Grandma.

First, we went across the street to the Bakery and bought some chocolate chip cookies to share with Grandma. At St. Anne's Grandma was enjoying movie day. They were watching Seabiscuit. Maizie and I sat with Grandma and shared our cookies. She loved the flower art Maizie gave her. (It is well known that when Maizie makes a craft she has to give it away to someone outside of our home...this is why I usually don't have much art work hung up here. I take photos of it instead.)

Maizie is in love with one of the nurses at St. Annes, Andrea. So, after a few minutes she went and sat next to the popcorn machine with Andrea. I asked Grandma if she wanted some popcorn and she said, "No. I have had popcorn three or four times all ready today. That is all they ever feed me here." Hmmmm....I love my Grandma.

Happy Mother's Day!

Today we went to Marie's house to celebrate Mother's Day. Aunt Julie, Grandma and our friends from down the street Beth, Mike and their girls came along. We had hot dogs, salads and yummy brownie cookies. Joe worked hard all morning to make some butterscotch pudding but that did not go too well. I will let him share more about that on his blog. I will say we all had a good laugh listening to Daniel and Joe describe the pudding since they were the only ones willing to eat it. I love you Joe!

Once home Joe and Maizie gave me my Mother's Day gift! I was so excited. Maizie had decorated the paper with beautiful coloring and sitckers. It was a zoom lens for my camera. Joe said he could not take hearing me "hint" that I wanted one any longer. I swear, I did not know I was always mentioning wanting one!

I went outside to try it out and found a squirrel that was giving me a piece of his mind. I am thrilled with the lens.

Buttercup

Friday morning we woke up to this little gal sleeping under our back door step. It was apparent this little kitty, we will call 'Buttercup' was not going anywhere anytime soon. Buttercup was either suffering from distemper, feline leukemia or starvation. She was all but skin and bones and was not keeping herself clean anymore. Heartbreaking to say the least.

Joe called Animal Care and Control and they agreed to pick her up. They must be busy because they did not come till late that night. Darwin was a flurry of activity once he figured out a cat had taken up residence right outside our back door. When Darwin walked by, Buttercup could have cared less. Poor kitty.

I could not leave Buttercup out there starving all day. She loved the milk.

Joe said that when the woman from Animal Control picked the cat up she was petting her real gentle. Hopefully the shelter will find Buttercup a good home.

Maizie kept an eye on the cat throughout the day. She handled it all quite well.

Good luck Buttercup.

Mint Juleps, MRI, and an Artist Paints the Cottage

Last weekend was a good one. We went to a Derby Race party at my parent's house Saturday. Maizie had fun playing with the kids. Sunday night we went to Beth's house for Mint Juleps and Bread Pudding. I really liked the mint juleps served in traditional pewter cups. They were quite yummy! Southern hospitality moves to Indiana!

Christian spent the night last night. Maizie and Christian painted again. They can't get enough of painting. This morning I took him to meet his mom at the eye doctor's. As Maizie and I were leaving I noticed my sister Marie had a flat tire. Bummer! Maizie and I headed back in the office to hang out while we waited to take them home.

Marie came out from the appointment and was pretty upset. The doctor wanted Christian to have an MRI because the nerves in the back of his eyes were swollen. So, before I knew it I was driving them to Lutheran Hospital. Christian was scared and is one strong little guy. He put up an amazing fight for the I.V. Maizie was a great help in keeping him calm, holding the door open and carrying things. I was amazed with how well she handled the situation.

We had to wait for the results. Finally, they came back and were negative. Thank God! Marie was exhausted from crying much of the day. I guess I tend to roll with the punches from all the experiences we have had with Maizie. I tend not to get upset or worry until I see a result. Too much practice in this area. Marie and Christian are at home and doing well. Christian's eyes have been getting worse so we are still wondering why. Hopefully his glasses will be here quickly!

Once home Maizie put on her flower girl dress, ate a large bowl of edamame and then fell asleep on the couch. I took a nice nap too. What a day!

Tomorrow is Maizie's eye appointment. I am sure hers will be less dramatic. After today I don't really feel like going back to the eye doctor's office. But, she is overdo for her exam and I am all about getting these things over with. I am supposed to call her cardiologist tomorrow to set up her chest x-ray. I really really don't feel like doing that or going to her appointment on Monday. Hopefully I will have some more energy tomorrow.

For the last few days our view out back has been less than dreamy. Not that I would ever describe it as dreamy in the first place. The neighbor "boys" have been working on their car in the street. Is that even allowed? I guess so. It sure looks like crap. Yesterday I go outside and see an artist setting up to paint the restored cottage house across the street. I thought it looked hysterical so I had to take a picture to share. Another neighborhood happening. Never a dull moment. I saw the painting when it was almost done. It looked pretty good.

Settler's Herb Sale

Today was the Herb Sale at the Historic Swinney Homestead. The Herb Sale is put on by Settlers, Inc. They are 'dedicated to preserving and teaching Victorian and Early American hand arts and history'.

Maizie and I convinced Joe to leave the house and join us for the short walk to the sale. As we arrived Beth and the girls were just leaving. Onika and Moreah were dressed in their settlers dresses, Moreah complete with bonnet. They both looked very adorable. I think even Azrielle had a peasant dress on. Beth had all ready purchased her goods and Onika had to go potty. Luckily, the stately house has a restroom and they were able to join us for a quick tour of the 1849 Log House. I was quickly reprimanded for trying to take a photo of Maizie in the house. Oooops! I did not know!

Maizie was fascinated with the giant spinning wheel and asked why the people outside were not using the spinning wheel that was inside the log house. I don't think the lady really understood Maizie's question and said something about how they have toys for inside and toys for outside. Okay? Or maybe her response did make sense and I was still thinking about getting in trouble for trying to take pictures.
Maizie asked the couple spinning wool all kinds of questions. He let Moreah and Maizie take a chunk of wool to keep. When Onika returned Moreah promptly gave Onika half of her wool. Very sweet indeed.

We purchased two Peppermint Mentha Piperita, Zinna Profusion Fire, Genovese Basil, Red Rubin Basil and Magical Michael Basil. Once home Maizie and I promptly planted the herbs and watered them. Maizie decided she could not water the plants anymore because she needed to water the sidewalk, which was actually "giving people ice cream cones". I was left to finish the job myself. Pan was no help either.

M.E.L.T.D.O.W.N

Maizie woke up from her three and a half hour nap today and said, "I am sorry I had a m.e.l.t.d.o.w.n. (she spells it out for me)." Now, who knows what tonight will bring after a nap like that. Usually, I will be up with her late and then up with her again at three or so. Bummer.

The morning started out well enough. Maizie went to Beth's house to play with the girls. When I went to pick her up the melt down began in the car. She began repeating,"I can't take it anymore." Suddenly, I was overcome with a wave of anxiety. It had been almost two weeks since her last major meltdown. I was getting used to that...spoiled! I could tell this was the type that keeps us inside for most of the day while she recovers.

We were to be at tutoring in less than an hour. I drove us right to our house and we came inside. I was hoping a few minutes to wind down and she would be all set for tutoring. Before I knew it she was becoming more intense and upset. She turned the stop sign on Joe's office door to 'stop' and insisted on turning off the lights so he could not work. Just another day at the office for Joe. An endless stream of yelling was filling the room and I thought my head was going to explode. All of these emotions in my girl and I just want to make her feel better. Joe is trying to help and I feel bad he is taking time out from work to deal with this, but know that he puts in more than enough work for me to not feel too guilty about it.

I had to run out North for an errand and had to leave Joe to calm Maizie down. Apparently she became more upset when I left but then calmed down and began to rest on the couch. Once I was home she fell asleep.

Maizie's tutor was understanding about it but once we switch to a morning time I will have to pay for these missed sessions. There is a long waiting list to meet with Jeanne and I hate to miss our time. The intense frustration I felt in dealing with this meltdown is beyond explanation. I wanted to scream and scream and throw stuff. My mind knows some days are just like this for Maizie and everything has to come to a halt. For whatever reason her body needs to rest and nothing will get done. Why do I know this and yet get so furious on the inside. I guess because my plans for the day don't turn out? It's beautiful out and all Maizie can handle is sitting inside with the lights low.

Even though I try to be calm Maizie knows I am impatient and says, "Mom you are not patient. Mom you are not kind. Mom you are not understanding me." All of these she is right about. Joe and I both talk too much during her melt downs, try to make her understand why she needs to go to tutoring or work on her attitude. It is so hard for us to just let the meltdown happen, comfort and hug her and just lay low all day with her. It seems her melt downs have to reach a certain intensity before we believe that it is indeed a melt down beyond her control, even though every instinct I have is telling me its going to be a big one, a day will be wasted and I just better deal with it!

We both begin to panic and want her so badly to meet our expectations for the day. I had a doctor tell me once that the key to my happiness and Maizie's was to lower my expectations. Maizie was almost four at the time and was quite non verbal. She pretty much repeated a few sentences or demands. "I like horses." "I want to go to the candy stand." These sentences were used to express many things, most of what we were unable to understand due to her limited vocabulary and ability to express her needs. When she was a baby at least we understood her cries even though we rarely were able to stop them. Now, she has the vocabulary and I still can't understand what it is that is upsetting her and how to stop it, how to make her feel all better. Once again, I know she probably reached her sensory limit for the day and needed to rest. But, going with the flow, allowing Maizie to melt down and accepting that there is no way to stop it from happening seems so hard for us. It does not help that these days are pretty hard for most people to understand since they don't see them. Dates get cancelled, friends are disappointed and I am left to pick up the pieces, reschedule appointments and hope tomorrow will be a good day. Over the years it has gotten better so I suppose it will just keep on getting better.

So now, amazingly enough she has a vibrant vocabulary, can read at a sixth grade level but comprehends at a level between a kindergartner and a second grader. In between she has levels of intense and profound insight that amazes us. On one of our visits to see her Great Grandma at Saint Anne's she said, "Momma, is this where people go and wait to see God?" I about dropped to the floor. Wheelchair after wheelchair with non coherent elderly people lined the walls. I could only respond, "Yes. Yes, unfortunately it is for some people." She then went over and hugged a woman that was holding a large baby doll, pretending to rock it. I wanted to run out of there! Crying like crazy, of course.

I am having a hard time staying focused on this blog. I guess my point is...on days like today I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about Maizie, her schedule, her communication, how we can make things go smoother for her and what we are doing right or wrong. After nine years I am still confused. We are so blessed for the many skills Maizie possesses. I have always said, "Maizie is God's own private mystery." I just need to accept that.