Well here I sit, in Knoxville, on New Years Eve. It isn't midnight yet, but it doesn't matter. I am not celebrating. Jim and Allison ate something that REALLY made them sick. So sick that they called in the Cavalry (that would be me) because they were not able to leave the bathroom long enough to take care of the Quads. So. Here I sit with everyone else in the house asleep and I can't even turn on the TV because I am not going to risk waking anyone. Bummer. But I am enjoying the babies. Reagan has two teeth and is sitting up on her own. For hours yet! They are all incredibly big and have individual personalities peeking out here and there. I love it when they turn their heads to watch me and laugh when I look back. I have been off for two weeks and have been with them three times. It's a record for me. The Wed. after Christmas Jim and Ali brought them to our house. The first long trip away from home. It was splendid to have them there and they were very good for being away from home. I know Allison gets stir-crazy and would do anything to get out more. Jim gets to leave the house to go to work so it doesn't bother him as much. She went 41 days without even going to get the mail!
It's officially New Year now. I guess I will go to bed.

I sometimes feel llike a failure as a blogger. Life gets in my way and I forget all about the keyboard. Or I'm just too lazy, or nothings happening on this end or fill in the blanks and use an excuse that sounds plausible. Thanksgiving was low-key at our house this year. Jim and Allison stayed at home. Who wouldn't with the quads? Mother and I went to Knoxville a week before and stayed all day. The quads are 5 months old now and starting to teethe. I just cannot describe the joy I feel when I am with them, think about them, or talk about them. They could easily become my whole life. Maybe it's a blessing I am 2 and a half hours away from them. Clay and Carey were also there. Carey is rounding out nicely in her pregnancy. Little Tyler Jacob is growing well and doing fine as far as we know. He is still a prime candidate for Cystic Fibrosis but that doesn't alter in any way my longing to hold him in my arms. A woman my sister knows has three CF children. One of her sons when he was young called ut 65 roses. I love that.

For Angi about Horton

Angi wants to know why I named my spinning wheel Horton. She promised to tell if I did. She asked a long time ago and I am just now getting around to it.
I attended Shakerag in Sewannee TN and learned to spin. Kinda. I just HAD to have a wheel and my wonderful Pauly bought me one. I ordered it ( a Lendrum DT) with all the bells and whistles from a store somewhere out of state. It was supposed to be here in three days. It wasn't. I waited and waited and called UPS and the store and they each blamed the other. Naturally. Finally my wheel arrived. Horror!!! I didn't know one single thing about a spinning wheel, I trusted my expert friends to turn me on to the right wheel for me. They did good. I digress, as usual. With trembling fingers and shaking hands I gingerely put my wheel together. In the privacy of my living room I treddled and treddled getting the feel of things. A good friend (Blaine) told me to do that and it was good advice. But there was a clicking noise. Not good. I didn't know where it was coming from so I called Lynne and arranged to meet her with my wheel. She agreeed that the noise wasn't good. so she just got on the phone and called Gorden Lendrum (and impressed the hell out of me) and he said " they let the elephant sit on it." He told her the adjustment to make and sure enough the noise stopped. (it has come and gone again since then). Letting the elephant sit on it made me think of Dr. Suess and Horton. You know, the elephant that sat on the egg for a year or more? Horton heard a Who too, but that is another story. I HAD to name my wheel Horton after that and I don't even like the name. It fits nevertheless. So now you know the rest of the story and Angi, you have to tell me yours now.

I'm still here

Just because I don't post often doesn't mean that I don't care. I am usually too tired to care if I post or not. Then I feel guilty so here I am. Went to visit the babies last weekend. They are all doing fine and Thomas is adorable. I had never held him before. They are all growing so fast and changing daily. I don't have any recent pics on the computer, but I'll try to get some soon.
I am back to my day to day boring stuff. I go to work, come home, spin or knit if I am not too tired, go to bed and do it all again tomorrow. I am, however, going to SAFF again this year. I would love to see some of my Twisted Friends there. Still working on SHAWL. I have started thinking of it as an entity destined to show me that I do NOT KNOW HOW TO KNIT! I am going to start a pair of socks out of sheer self preservation. And Horton (my wheel) is feeling pretty lonely so I am going to spin some right now.

Major pet peeve

As most of you know already, I downloaded an AOL thingie. they said (aol) that it was a security issue and that they would not be honoring the old one anymore. so ok, I did the dirty deed and lo and behold my computer is now a total stranger! Is anyone surprised? Much to my chagrin, I was. My address book is still somewhere out there in cyber-space. I still have all of my addresses on paper, but I cannot access them on my pc. They are still ON my pc, I just can't get to them. I have even been to the places that warn," if you open these files your computer will grow teeth, bite off your nose, and refuse to talk to you." Well it's not talking anyway so what? I am not computer-literate enough to fix this so I am going to have to bite the bullet and get live technical support. Oh my God, it is the dreaded telephone again!! I just want to dye, spin, knit, and talk to my wonderful fiber family. I have NOT been that bad a person even tho I still smoke. NOt much now and when Allison gets her eyesight back, the cigarettes go. I promised myself that and God was my witness. Not even I will mess with a promise before the Almighty. I digress. I don't know if my major pet peeve is that my pc won't do what I want it to , or that I am so ignorant that I can't MAKE it do my bidding. I am all GRRRRR!!!! and stress and venting like a pre-erupting vocano. That pyroclastic stuff don't have nuthin on me!!!! Uh, can y'all tell that I am not meek and mild about this? I am in the process of getting a new computer and not one thing on it will belong to anyone but me. (My computer was a gift from my son, and was someones elses before.) Now if I screw up I will KNOW it's me. OK, enough venting for now. Back to y'all later.

I took a day off today and I am resting. Got a Johnny Depp movie that I hadn't seen. The Libertine. Ole Johnny is great as usual but this period movie is distressing. Based on real history of King Charles and the Earl of Rochester. the Earl (Johnny) was a debaucher of the finest kind and eventually died of syphillis. The make-up job that Johnny wore at the end was awsome in its gruesomeness. Is that a real word? Or did I just screw up the spelling again? I am so tired I don't even care. Anyway the movie was interesting and the history was mostly real. I have two more days off and I am not moving unless I have to. Later....

Whew!!!

At long last beginning weekend at school is finished. There are so many activities crammed into every day that it's hard to keep up. F'rinstance, we had two cookouts at the same time in two different places. My feet hurt. Imagine fixing a picnic for 100 people. And don't you dare forget even a fork or napkin. Yeah, I'm tired tonight and I will finally get a day off on Friday. Are we having fun yet?

On the bright side, it finally rained a little and cooled things off and that was nice. Too bad it stopped before the cookouts. (giggle)

I notice my avatar didn't change this time. It's supposed to have a pet pig in it. Maybe it will now, we'll see.

Finally getting around to it.

It's easy to keep up a blog when all you do is sit on your donkey all day. Not so easy when you have too many things on your plate.

Thomas is home and the Quad Squad is complete. God Bless them. I am back at work and feeding all the people that eat like pigs even when it is 90 plus outside. Notice the avatar pet.

I got some really interesting tomatoes from one of our maintainence men today. They are pear-shaped and black at the top. They are supposed to look like that! They taste good but the color is a little off-putting. We are roasting and freezing green chili from our garden. I grew up in Belen, New Mexico and my family just cannot survive without that luscious green good stuff. Or at least we don't think we can, so we go to the trouble of making sure we have it around at all times. I am famous in the fam for making the best salsa to cross a set of teeth. Probably undeserved, but I take praise wherever I can get it.

I have been so busy with the Quad Squad this summer that I haven't been knitting or spinning. Needless to say I am Jonesing badly. I will spin when things settle down at work and I can get some time off. Actually, I have been TRYING to knit a shawl. I have been in the frog pond so long I am getting wrinkly fingers. Lace is so TOTALLY unforgiving. It isn't that hard to knit and yos are easy for me, but counting must be a foreign thing for me. I will finish this blasted shawl even if I have to put my wheel in storage. I am getting really mad now and that makes me a very determined gal.

I am posting a pic of the babiers and then I am doing meds and bed. See y'all later.

Babies on the quilt are from left to right, Jonathan, Zachary, Reagan, and Thomas. In the other pic, from top left Jonathan, Thomas, Zachary, and Reagan.

I tried t post this yesterday. I don't know what is wrong with this site or my pc. Thomas is back in the hospital. His oxygen saturation was very low at his check-up, and they took him to emergency in an ambulance. They don't know why he isn't breathing right but they are doing their best to find out. I am losing my mind. There are already so many people helping Jim out that I can't even go up to Knoxville now. I am going on Friday, tho. I will post when I can.

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. My cable service was down and so was my pc. Well,Thomas didn't get to stay home for even a week. He was rushed back to NICU today, not breathing very well. His oxygen saturation is very bad and no one seems to know why. Maybe he needs another Dr.? I don't know. I am very worried and upset about all of this. I will be going to Knoxville on Friday. Maybe I can get a few answers. Until then, please keep him in your prayers. I don't have enought sense to be rational right now so I will update when I can.

It's time to get up and get moving again. I go back to work on Sunday and next weekend I go to Jim's to help with the babies. And there will be four of them! Thomas gets to come home today. I am so happy to be able to say that. The other three are giving the parental units fits. It seems that they have their days and nights mixed up. How much more fun can one family have? It was 106 here yesterday. Wanna guess how much I love thinking about going back into that hot kitchen? I've been sitting around getting lazy so long that I don't even have any interesting gossip to pass along. I guess I'll close til next time.

There's no place like home, there's no place like home

I got home yesterday, slept well last night and still feel like I've been "rode hard and put up wet". Nothing like babies to let you know how much you've aged. I told Paul last night that if I was offered $500 to spin one ounce of fiber I would have to pass it up. That should tell everyone how exhausted I was. Alllison was so insistent that she and Jim could take care of the three babies that are home. I think that last night proved how hard that could be. I hope anyway. I know that she wanted her house to herself and her family, but reality is that it is impossible for the two of them to manage without help. She even sent her own mother home. I feel so sorry for Jim. He is trying to run the household, take care of babies, and still go to work at the same time. Any bets on how long that can last? My vote is that it is already over. Yes I am angry and cranky. I will get over it.
The babies are delightful. Zachary has colic and is only pain-free if he is being held against a warm, calm tummy. Or in my Mom's case a very generous bosom. Reagan has some tummy issues too, but not as bad as Zachary. Jonathan is a laid back little dude. He sleeps while he is taking his bottle. Very little perturbs him. Thomas is improving and is taking half of his meals from a bottle now. He weighs over 6 lbs. As soon as he takes all his meals from the bottle he can come home. The pictures were taken on their 1 month birthday. Gotta go take a nap now. I wish Jim could.

country roads take me home

Well my journy through diapers and formula and colic ends tomorrow. Of course I will be coming back but for the moment I am longing for my own bed. My babies are wonderful and I love them dearly, but I am not cut out for rocking a crying baby for 4 solid hours while he has a tummy ache. Allison is getting better each day and her eyesight is improving but not yet good enough to drive. The church they attend has arranged for different ladies to come in on shifts during the day to help with laundry, feeding, and general chores and baby stuff. Different ladies every day through the week and three shifts a day. It is a wonderfully generous thing but I have some serious reservations. More when I get home.
Thomas is still in NICU but he is also improving. He is taking a bottle 4 out of 8 feedings a day. When he takes them all by bottle he can come home.
No new pics to post this time. Hopefully I can get some good ones today. Talk to ya later.

I have been in Knoxville for a week now. I am so used to looking after three babies that it feels "normal". That's scary. It's amazing how much you can accomplish on so little rest. Zachary has colic just like his Dad did. Jim needed to know that you cannot spoil 1 month old babies. Poor little thing NEEDS to have his tummy against someone warm and relaxed. He asked me and Mom how we did it. been there, done that, bought the T-shirt! We knew what it was and what to expect and we didn't have a work schedule to meet or cooking etc., so we could be relaxed and patient. Something first-time moms and dads have to learn. And boy is the lesson painful! For Jim it is twice as painful. He thought he could handle all of this on no rest or knowlege. He is learning.
Thomas is still in NICU. He is not in any danger, he just needs to catch up in the eating and breathing categories. He is improving slowly, like his mom. Allison is doing much better, but her eyesight is still not up to par.

It's time to pack up for my trip to Knoxville tommorrow. Ah sleep deprivation, how I have missed you! (giggle). Of course I am taking knitting projects and yarn. And in case of emergency, I am taking my drop spindle.
I will try to keep everyone updated. I am sure that Jim will fix it so that I can. He is one of my two computer gurus. Later, Pam

Bu-bye now.

My poor babies, (Jim and Allison) finally reeached the end of their ropes this week. I have been looking for it for some time now. Jim has realized that he literally cannot do and be all things to all people no matter how much he wants to and Allison lost it when she thought that she and Jim were going to be left alone with the babies and she still can't see. Her mother and sis are gong home this weekend and my mother and I will be goin up to Knoxville. I don't know why the heck Jim didn't hear me when I said I'd be there when he needed me. Maybe he heard and just didn't think I could be there. I don't know but they were very relieved to hear that I was coming to help. I will be there for 2 weeks. I will try to keep y'all posted. I know Jim hs a computer.
thomas is still in the hospital. His little jaw muscles still aren't strong enough to suck enough formula to keep him thriving. He has gained weight and weighs 5lbs 3ozs now. When he can take all his food from a bottle (instead of a tube) for 3 days in a row he can come home. Zachary has a touch of colic. I KNEW their was a reason he kept drawing his little knees up to his tummy and kicking. Jim had 6 month colic so I knew what I was seeing. (See, I knew Zachary was going to make Jim pay for his raising)
The congregation at mothers' church is collectiong diapers (or maybe gift certificates) for the babies. These nice people have been very supporting for the long haul and we cnnot thank them enough.

little time out

I went to see the babies on Saturday. Already they are developing distinct personalities. Zachary is fussy and spits out the pacifier and kicks off his blanket. Reagan will not sleep in the crib with the boys, preferring the vibrating bouncy seat. Jonathan is oblivious. He just eats and sleeps and is content to do so . Thomas is still lagging behind. Until lhe takes a bottle every four hours like the others he cannot come home.
I have been so busy with this blog and the other one that I just had to take yesterday off. A little computer time out if you will. But I am back with new pictures. The little blond cutey is Kinley, the quads' first cousin. She belongs to Allisons' sister Jody. she is a year old and absolutely delightful to be around. I got to feed and change Reagan while I was there. They are still so little that they aren't held for very long. They have still got some catching up to do.The pictures are of Reagan and Zachary. I don't know how I ended up with two pics of Reagan and none of Zachary. I will make up for it later.
The

All blogged down

Blog blog who's got the blog? I tried, I really did, to make the TF blog open to all the twisted friends. Not good the way I did it. Long story short: Lynne is helping me set up a blog (or setting one up herself) that we can all post on. Yipee!
I was such a bad girl at the retreat (diet-wise) that I am now paying for it. My feet hurt so bad I can't walk. Great excuse for sittin&knittin. Paul says I just (just?) have gout. Dunno. Never had it. Whatever the cause, I'm not going anywhere .
Three of the babies are coming home tomorrow morning. Jim says Thomas will soon follow. He is still in formula and sucking training. He is now in the crib with the rest of them. Aren't they adorable? Allison is still lacking about half of her eyesight. In perspective, she can't see well enough to put a key in a keyhole. Don't know if it will ever get better. But she is still with us and that was iffy for a while.
I am going to sit back in my recliner and pick up my needles now. Later. It's later now, like the next day, and this silly thing still isn't where I want it. Republishing.....

Happy Fourth

Hi everyone,
Happy Fourth of July. I got some pics of the babies today and thought I would share some of them.

I'm back

Well, I am home from Crane Hill and the Red Rooster Retreat. It was one of the best things to happen to me except the Quads. We all had a great time and added three new Twisted Friends to the ranks. We would have had four, but poor Terri wasn't able to come. Next time Terri? How about SAFF? How many of us can meet there? I am planning to be there.
If any of you want to keep up with the Twisted Friends, I have created a new blog for us. The addy is twistedfriends.blogspot.com. Please post comments and give me your feedback.
On a personal note: Little Thomas is off the respirator and is taking small amounts of milk with a bottle. He is still getting most of his nourishment through a tube but is improving daily. Allison still does not have her eyesight back totally. It may never come back but I am praying hard for her complete recovery. Please keep her in your prayers also. Here are some pics of our trip. Wish I could get the text under the pics but oh well.
If I left anyone out of the pictures I will get you next time somewhere. I need to knit now. Love.... Hmph! I have been trying since 9:00 this morning to get this post to show up. I am getting frustrated now.