Pickin' time!

Thanks Larry and Suzanne 

for sharing your bounty!!!

the sound of silence

10:09


Hello darkness my old friend.
I've come to talk with you again.
kids are finally in their beds sleeping.
nothing into my ears creeping....


which led me to the internet.




which led me to this video.

which led me to this video.

Like fine wine and my hubby
this song gets even better with age.


AND their hair stayed exactly the same?!?..


That my friends is how my brain works after ten...




Deep. I know.

Update on Elsa...

It has been a while since I updated you all on Elsa's vision.  

Looking back at where she started,

 this girl has made incredible progress.

Since March of this year Elsa has changed in so many ways,

just like all kids do the first year.  

But the most exciting growth she has had

is with her vision.

In March, when the teacher came from the Anchor Center,

she thought Elsa could see 18 inches.

Now Elsa's vision measures in feet!

I don't know how much detail she can see at a distance 

but I am sure that she recognize things up to 6 feet away.

She got new specs earlier in the year and they helped tremendously.

chowing down on her birthday!

When Elsa was born she never gazed into my eyes 

like a typical newborn.

I would say that of all the stresses of her visual impairment, 

that one hurt me the most.

But this year on the Fourth of July, 

Elsa gazed at the fireworks,

then turned around and deliberately looked into my eyes.

I will never forget that moment.

Watching fireworks could be her favorite new pastime

Since last year, Elsa's eye pressure in her 

left eye continued to increase
putting her at risk for glaucoma.

So earlier in the summer, surgery was done to

 slow the production of fluids

and decrease the pressure.  

She still has to do eye drops

 a few times a day, 

but the surgery was successful.  

We will keep her pressure monitored every 3-4 months

with an exam under anesthesia.

Last month we took Elsa once again to The Children's Hospital

for a surgery to uncross her eyes.  

It is amazing to me the knowledge and 

skill that her doctor has used for the good of Elsa. 

We have to patch Elsa's stronger eye a few hours a day 

to train her weaker eye.  So far the results are pleasing.

So thanks for the continued prayers for Elsa.

She is a strong and curious girl with

not a fear in the world.

getting my act together

I really should be cleaning
or playing with the kids at least
but I'm on my second cup of coffee.
Thinking about what I oughtta be doing.
I have restarted my commitment to the flylady


.


She is really bossy some days,
but if you listen, your life gets fixed right up.


Only it works like this for me:
Monday: wash your sheets, dust, vacuum, mop and gather trash


Tuesday: No "big" assignment so usually I think about doing what I was supposed to do on Monday.


Wednesday: Plan menus.
When I actually do this I sit down with a piece of paper...
maybe at the computer.
Stare at the sale ads.
Stare at a pile of coupons or
better yet search for printable coupons online.
Try to download some mysterious coupon printer.
Take apart the printer to see why it isn't connecting to the computer.
Search for recipes that coincide with both a coupon and what's on sale.
Try to figure out if anyone would even eat all the strange things I come up with.


Thursday: Go to the store for groceries.


Remember that Thursday morning is the worst time for shopping since everybody already bought the good stuff and the new truck isn't unloaded yet.
Ditch coupons.
Ditch menus.
Buy 18 cans of sloppy joes.
Buy economy pack of buns.
Forget to buy hamburger.


Friday: Realize I have forgotten to do all of the other stuff I was supposed to do.
Yell at the kids for leaving their shoes all over.
Pick up 17 pairs of my own shoes laying all over.
Sweep up Monday's cheerios off of the kitchen floor.
Decide to wait until next week to mop since it isn't technically the day for that.


Saturday: Family fun day!
Whoo hoooo. don't have to do nothin.


Sunday: Rest.
I know it has been a busy week!!!!

Tool for creating a computer junky outta your baby

Here is a fun link 

for your little ones, 

especially those with low vision.

     

click here

There is a quirky sound that

 corresponds with pushing a button 

and the images are high contrast.

zoom in for bigger n better

Monday's Daily Doodle

My Rainbow Babe

Medium:

 Giant black sharpie

 (now in recovery cuz i got distracted and left the lid off)

Soggy plastic box of water colors

(original colors barely identifiable due to enthusiastic preschoolers)

losing myself in the WWW.

It is a bad sign when you are visiting a sight titled: TIME-WASTERS

Then you follow a link.

Thinking you have discovered something marvelous you draw a self-portrait.

And when you go to set up an account so you can save the masterpiece,

it tells you that you already have one.

Must have been in a real zone when I discovered it at some mysterious moment in my own history.

Wonder what I looked like then???