Homebound MAZ

My regular readers know that if you leave me stuck in the house...I usually start to remodel or rearrange...I have been a good girl....

I found something else to occupy my time!

In the 3 months that Max has been sick, I have watched 5 seasons of Ghost Whisperer, started a professional blog Ziegenhorn School For The Gifted (its own Facebook page), and read 5 books (so far) that don't have anything to do with education or behavior or the Bible....

AND.......started sifting through old pictures.....

I am a high strung person and can only see ONE thing in front of me....so I enjoy looking through pictures and seeing what was REALLY going on around me when I thought I was taking a picture of something else.......

 I figured out how to use my scanner....so I could share it on CLASSIC MAZ......enjoy.....

Should be Max opening a birthday gift......but what is Jack up to???

Is Jack tired of hearing the baby squall? tired of hearing grandmother talk? tired of having pictures taken?

My one and only time I dressed my sons up like preppy kids. Look how comfy Jack looks! Good golly this is awful! 

Bathing suits with floats in them to keep them "safe" and let them enjoy the pool "float" free.....Looks like Jack figured out how to annoy his little brother....."oops, excuse me....oh! sorry.....oh, man....didn't see you..."

Next, a series of possible explanations of future anxiety issues for Max:

"hey Max, pick up that stick...hee hee...keep trying!"

oh, that horse is gonna do something to Max...quick get a picture, then help your kid.....

(Jack watching)

Sick baby crying so hard, face is red....big brother tired of it....get a picture instead of taking care of the situation!

This is the funniest picture to me! This is my niece (5 yrs older than Max). She has always gone above and beyond to be nice and play with Max, ALWAYS!! He LOVES her....I have never been able to figure out what in the world she was saying to him!! I THINK she was playing....the camera just snapped this part of it....

Beware!

my one and ONLY attempt at making a creative cake!

Jack wanted an Alien theme birthday.....this looked like an alien autopsy...horrifying!! I even used red velvet cake....ewwww.

If you see me on facebook, then you already saw the next picture!

"where?"

"up there! Delta balcony"

"are you sure?"

"yea! does that sound strange to you?"

This is right before we got married. July 22, 1995 at about 7:30 a.m. in the Memphis airport.

I love this picture because it looks like we trapped the preacher into marrying us there, but we didn't! He might have thought we were crazy but he agreed! It is the best idea and decision Jeff and I have EVER made!!

The next two pictures....I COULD get in trouble for posting.....

I taught my children to do chores from the day they could walk....for some reason, I took a picture of them vacuuming the furniture. It is hilarious....Jack (4 yrs old in his undies and White Station ball cap) and Max (2yrs) waiting his turn....we didn't have central air at this time...just window units...hence the clothing...or lack of...

Found this picture....can any of my churchy readers pick out these 3 guys???

I married the angry,sexy one in the middle!

Well, I have a ton more....but YOU are probably bored by now....

In looking through all my pictures, I learned:

Jack has ALWAYS been a sneaky comedian.

Max has always looked worried, sick, serious or in thought......hmmmmm....

Jeff lost his hair.

I need to sit still and watch....every moment!

Being a great parent for a teen

My oldest will be 14 at the end of August. 

He never gives me "rules" of what to do or not do around him like most teens (because he knows he would get a LOOK or I would DO something to him).

When we are around his friends, I try not to talk to him (unless I need to) and let him approach me......

I am still myself...I am not worried about embarrassing him (it is a given that I probably will)...I just know from being a teen...and teaching teens....stay away from teens...and they will approach you when they need you!!

Today, I was helping my son get his stuff together for his mission trip. I told him I had my camera to take some pictures of the mission team "leaving".

Jack: "um, just take my picture here (at home). not at church."

I ignored him.

In the car....

Jack: "where's your camera?"

Me:...driving...."I'm not taking your picture (at home). I don't want one of you at home. I have plenty of those." 

I did not completely lie. He did not ask a specific question.

I took one picture that is not appropriate for the world to see but I will show him when he gets home. It says...."you don't tell me what to do...I am the mother!"

Then I took the following picture because the 3 rental vans had weird color effects around the wheels and running boards!! Teal and lime green.....

I couldn't help it that a few boys got in the way!

Where are the girls? hugging their mothers.....

A Morning With Classic MAZ

6:45a.m.
my phone rings...it is a "not-so-neighborly" neighbor...
"I was walking in front of your house this morning and a limb fell right in front of me and my friend. It could have killed us.

probably scared her...doubt it would have killed her...

"I am the president of the neighborhood association and I am all about code. I am going to have to call code on you if you don't do something about your tree. It is dead. You need to cut it down. You need to do something about the limbs....." 

She goes on and on. She won't let me talk. She won't listen to me. Somewhere in her rant, she mentions that there is a limb hanging in the street that might be dangerous to the traffic........that is all I care about.

see the tiny black line to the right of the white orb? that is the limb hanging in the traffic....

Yes, it needs to be taken care of. We take care of all the limbs on this oak tree!  It does have some dead limbs. Semi trucks (on the way to Target) knock down and damage limbs, storms damage limbs, etc. We are constantly taking care of the limbs.

I was trying to tell her that we take care of our "stuff" AND that good "presidents" listen to the people...but she wouldn't shut up...so I hung up on her...

I headed outside to take care of the limb....there was no way I could reach it...I called my dad.

He showed up with his truck, a ladder, rope and hand saw......

Why can't I be like normal people and afford to hire someone to cut this and LOOK normal to Memphis......oh well, no use cryin......

I get my mom to take pictures for my blog!!

Ok readers, be prepared....when I look at me in these pics...that song "don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me" runs through my head....and I have an oversized shirt on!

Keep in mind...I live on a busy street! We are in the middle of the street! Once we get the offensive branch cut, my dad uses a rope to pull on the larger branch to cut more away so the trucks don't KEEP hitting the end of that same branch....

A nice man stops in his truck to tell us that this could possibly be dangerous and we should not do it this way. REALLY??? If we could do it any other way.....don't you think we would???? Do you think if we had a LARGE ladder or TREE CUTTING TOOLS that we would be in the back of a truck ON a ladder for everyone in Memphis to drive by and SEE??? 

Five seconds after the man pulled away we heard cracking....cracking...cracking...it wouldn't stop. 

I, being the concerned daughter, jumped away from my father and left him as....

The limb broke away from the tree and fell on my dad, the ladder, and his truck....I almost made it out of the back of the truck.. but I decided to do the splits on the tailgate...MOST UNCOMFORTABLE!

So, still only having hand saws and lopper, clipper thingys...we began cutting away the limb, little at a time....

Then dragging it out of the street......I made my dad leave because this week marks the two year anniversary of him surviving the "widow maker" heart attack....It was so HOT and HUMID...I wasn't about to let him help saw the big thick limb!! If he had a heart attack in my yard, I wouldn't have the strength to roll him to the sidewalk with all the branches!!

Jack and I took turns sawing and we had one cut left....we were dying....he found the ax...and gave it a try...I got the camera in case of human limb removal......

Several things I learned...

1. I can't use a saw. I don't know if it is lack of strength, ability...or I am an idiot...

2. I needed a chainsaw but would have been too scared to use it!!

3. I told my next door neighbor about the "president's" phone call and he is furious...I have something she doesn't...I have crazy neighbors on my side! I have my own association and it is stronger than hers! 

4. If a mosquito and an ant are biting you, don't swat at it with the saw...

My morning ended at 12:30pm

What gave it away? When she flipped you with the tourniquet?

What a wonderful surprise today, when Glenda (the best phlebotomist ever) walked into our room!

 I restrained myself from hugging her...but I pretty much told her about 20 times that she was my favorite!!

 She calmly did her perfect job, got the 4 tubes of blood w/ no problem.

As we walked out of the office, Max looked relieved but pale and shaky from worked up nerves and Glenda looked like she was going to mark "creeper" by my name! I kept turning around...wanting to give her "thumbs up", a hug,...I was grinning...maybe waving...possibly doing the "cabbage patch" dance or "the hammer".

I could not figure out how to make her understand how wonderful she was at her job...and how important it was that she BE wonderful at her job!!

Phlebotomists...I am sure that is one of many overlooked and underpaid, thankless jobs out there!!

I dedicate this post to all of the wonderful and skilled Phlebotomists.....HOORAY and THANK YOU!!

WHY? you ask, are you torturing yourself to read this?

because of my son's experience yesterday.....

He has been sick and giving blood about once a month (taking Glenda "the fabulous" for granted)...

Yesterday...apparently....Glenda was not there...another lady came to draw blood.

She was very lovely, very nice. She too was calm and did her prep work just like Glenda....BUT

I noticed her hands were shaking and she had super, long, fake fingernails that seemed to get in the way of her "job".  She even busted through her latex gloves on a few finger tips....but did not put new gloves on...

She put the "rubber band" (tourniquet) around the first arm... HOWEVER..as she was stretching it out...

SHE SNAPPED MY SON IN THE CHEST...she was apologetic, my son gave a nervous giggle and of course I laughed out loud because that sort of humor is right down my alley....like FUNERAL humor!!
WHO SNAPS A PATIENT WITH THE TOURNIQUET???? HILARIOUS! RIGHT? even if it is my son....

Next...she feels for a vein with her finger that is protruding through the glove. I am thinking "what purpose is the glove?"

She sticks the needle in and fishes around almost making a full circle IN his arm. At this point, my son is squeezing the mess out of my hand and I am sweating....

Oh yea, I hate needles!!

She removes the tourniquet....moves to the other arm...

Oh...it gets worse!!

She makes sure not to snap him this time so she grabs hold of both ends of the "rubber band" with great force and wraps it tight around his tiny arm. His arm IMMEDIATELY turns purple....

She finds a vein, sticks in the needle...fishes around...does the 360 degree thing....tears streaming down my kids face...I am sweating...getting a little weak...THEN

"Oh no, I blew it out..."

I first look at the arm....NO LIE....the needle has come out ABOVE where she had stuck him...it had gone through!!....and yes she had blown out the vein...

I look at Max his eyes are huge, and he is in "distress"....(he later told me he thought she meant she "blew up" his arm)

She pulls out the needle, barely touches his arm with a cotton ball because her nails are in the way and puts a band aid on (me forgetting to tell her he is allergic to band aids because I am trying not to sway and trying to figure out what to do).

She says.
"I can't stick him again."
"You have to come back tomorrow."
"Drink plenty of water."
 Grabs her stuff and leaves the room.....

Needless to say, I made phone calls yesterday....which brings us to my moment at the top of the post..

GLENDA, THE BEST, THE APPRECIATED...and now slightly scared of me...

Slumdog Millionaire

I just recently watched this movie on Netflix.

I did not know anything about the story, so I was pleasantly surprised!

At one point, the main character was "kept" from getting his favorite actor's autograph. He went "BELOW" and BEYOND to get that once in a lifetime opportunity!! (excuse the promo...only video of my favorite clip that I could find)

I enjoyed this movie. It was entertaining and yet heart breaking on how horrible other countries live. 

No matter how poor someone is in America....they are still rich compared to the poor in other countries!!

There are so many countries that live like this....slums....everyday life....not for fun.....not for vacation.....

My heart went out to the REAL people......

Then, within a few days, I was busy around the house and as usual:

my boys: "can I play the computer, xbox?"

me: "um, no...not during the day...go use your brain...go build...play!"

Later that day.....

CUE MUSIC FROM PSYCHO......reee reee reee reee

 above is where they have been sleeping...great for the kid with allergies : / 

Four of my rooms, a hallway, all my blankets and sheets, and the back cushions of one of my couches have been taken over for the tent village. The plan is for it to stay this way for the rest of the summer (our summer lasts until Labor Day). 

If they start throwing garbage on the ground and jumping into the sewage...I might have to put a stop to all the fun!!

A peaceful 4th of July.....OR WAS IT.....

Four adults were having a nice conversation....so as usual...send children AWAY.....

all of a sudden I started having some flashes of patriotic blurs..

red, white, blue,

fighting

was I channeling the war that led to our independence???

no....

just a hyper older brother and a slightly angry younger brother...