October 20, 2007

In their Sunday best.	To church at Mt. Pleasant Sunday morning.  Carolina Sue sat with Grandmother and I kept Landon, so Ina Sue had a restful service for once.  A Pa. brother, Harlan Martin brought the message from Phil 4, "Being a Servant to Others".   We came back home to a bountiful dinner of pork loin, California blend, salad, dilly rolls, custard, fruit slush & bars.  The whole family except for Keiths were there.  We packed up and headed out right after dinner.  Got left by 2:00 and rolled in to Govan at 9:30.  We brought a couple gallons of fresh cider back with us so before we unloaded the van, we distributed a couple gallons around the community.
Our little man...	I'm not sure if it was the cider or what, but I woke up with a somewhat unhappy stomach Monday morning.  I went ahead and went in to work but felt really nauseous all day and actually came home around 5:00 and went to bed.  Ina Sue spent the day doing wash and watching the children.  After I came home sick, she very kindly spent the rest of the evening keeping the children away from me.   I hadn't eaten all day but just kept feeling worse.  Finally around 9:30 I got rid of what was left in my stomach and actually started feeling substantially better.
Holding new niece Erica Noelle Showalter. (Robert & Lori's)	I was feeling better on Tuesday so I headed off to work again.  Ina Sue made a batch of bread and did some sewing & odd jobs.  The fall weather right now is so beautiful!  Melvin & Ina Sue Schrock's son Noah came over after school and stayed with us till after supper.  Melvin was having a hip replacement done today and Ina wanted to be with him.  Noah is around eight years old and is quite a gentleman.  He played so nicely with Carolina Sue and was quite a pleasure to have around.  After I got home and we ate supper I drove him back home to be with his aunt who had just driven in from out of state.
Saying goodbye to the puppy.	Wednesday was another lovely fall day.  We do need rain though!  I had another long day at the office while Ina Sue got to work outside.  She spent a good part of the day cleaning the old plants and trash out of the garden.  She started coming down with a sore throat/tonsillitis today and it is really bothering her.  We went to prayer meeting in the evening and Uncle Howard led the discussion on "How we show God's love to the divorced & remarried, without compromising our beliefs"  After the service and fellowship Ina Sue took the children home while I went back into the office and worked until about 1:00am.
Planting panolas by the front walk.	I woke up to the sound of Carolina Sue crying around 2:00am Thursday.  She had gotten up and actually gone into the bathroom to throw up.  She was quite feverish and feeling bad.  I held her for an hour or two until she went to sleep but she still did not want to go back into her bed,  So, I spent the rest of the night on the couch holding her while we both tried to get some sleep.  She woke up a time or two and had to throw up. Once, we didn't make it to the bathroom so I served as the receptacle... :(   Ina Sue got up and left at 7:30 to drive Ruth Ellen to Columbia for her chemo treatment.  I stayed home with my sweet children.
Landon is ready for winter.	Carolina Sue didn't feel good at all and spent most of the time laying on the couch and looking ill.   Around dinner time I became concerned with how feverish Carolina was feeling so I took her temperature.  I was startled to find it over 104 1/2.  I was a bit concerned so I called the doctor's office and they suggested Tylenol and a tepid bath to get the fever down.  That seemed to work and brought it down to under 103.  Ina Sue said that her day with Ruth Ellen went very well.  She even got in some needed shopping while Ruth Ellen was getting her treatment.  They got home around 3:45 and Ina Sue took care of the children while I drove down to Fairfax and picked up some panola to plant by our front walk.  After supper I worked on getting the bed ready while Ina Sue sprayed Round-Up.
Finished back deck with mum.	Carolina Sue was thankfully feeling much better when she got up Friday morning and Landon doesn't seem to have contracted the sickness.  Ina Sue though is still having quite a time with her throat/tonsils.  I spent the day at work and came home to a delicious supper of Parmesan Catfish, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli, and Chinese Cabbage.  After supper I sent the wife to bed while I did the dishes and took care of the children.  After the children were in bed I made up a double recipe of chocolate-mint cookies like my Grandmother Strite used to make us.  It was pretty late before I had the kitchen all cleaned up again....
Landon wants to help with the computer...	Saturday was a fairly relaxed day.  We had considered going to Monticello, Ga, for conference but I had a man coming into the shop this afternoon to shampoo the carpet and felt like I needed to be there with him.  I planted the panolas out by our front walk in the morning, then worked on plumbing in some new faucets out by our back deck.  For dinner we loaded the children in the van and drove down to Olar for the "Model T's to Olar Festival"  We had hoped to pick up some good BarBQ plates on something from vendors there but the pickings were pretty meager....  After we got back I turned the water back onto my newly cemented pipes without incident.  However, when I went to pack the dirt back into the holes I broke the one joint lose and water started spraying.
	As I was rushing around to get the water turned off and the fitting replaced, I heard Landon start to cry.  He had knocked my can of blue pvc cement off of the bench and spilled the almost full can all over our newly stained decking.  To make it worse, he had not started crying until after he smeared it all over his clothes, hands and face.  What a mess!  I couldn't clean it off the deck and guess I'll have to get out the sander and refinish that section...  I left around 2:30 and drove in to work to help with the carpet shampooing.  Jason stayed in to help me and we had to rush to keep ahead of the shampooer.  We cleaned out any unnecessary items off the floor and stacked everything else up.  It was hard work for about 3 hours but the whole place looks so much better.  I was quite pleased!  Home around 8:30 to help but the children to bed.