Hosted by Jen.

AND

Hosted by Like Mother, Like Daughter

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A Mean and Cruel Trick – It’s just after 12:30 am and I am reluctant to sleep in an emty bed again so I am distracting myself by working on my Quick Takes & the {pretty, happy, funny, real} that I never had a chance to post yesterday. Brian has officially been in the hospital for a week now. He went in the ER last Friday and if all goes well, he will be released tomorrow (Fri.) Actually, we thought Brian was going to be released tonight. We were running around the house getting everything nice and pretty and the welcome home decorations up when Brian called and said he wasn’t coming home tonight after all. They wanted to keep him one more night to monitor a concern that popped up at the last minute. I completely understood the why but we were none the less bitterly disappointed.

I returned to the hospital to have dinner with Brian and watch a movie but when I had to say goodbye another night instead of bringing him home with me…well, I had to bite my tongue so hard that I nearly drew blood in order to not completely lose it in the hospital parking lot. I think that is why I am still typing so late, I want to be so tired that I knock out when my head hits the pillow and I don’t notice the empty space beside me.

I know, I know, I should be looking at the bright side of things, that he is alive and well and will be coming home soon…that is another reason why I am typing. It always perks me up so let the uplifting begin.

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{pretty}

In the evenings, when we visit the hospital we love to look at the Fountain/ Fish Pond they have in the lobby. A portion of the ceiling is a dome with a huge sky light. You can see the moon and the stars on a clear night.

When I took Brian’s hospital bag home to wash his clothes I found his miraculous medal he always wears. I have been wearing it since then, waiting for the day I can return it to him.

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Downton Abbey Spoiler Alert – (If you have not seen last Sunday’s episode, skip to the next Take.) After the kids are asleep I return to the hospital to watch TV or a DVD with Brian. We were able to see Downton Abbey together and what an episode! I haven’t even had a chance to write my comments but here they are in a nutshell. I’m glad Matthew stopped whining and just used the money to save DA, although I had to laugh at the size of their possible “downsized” home. Thomas may be a snake but I would not want to get on O’Brien’s bad side. Cora was making such strides. Why did she get whiney again and not give O’Brien a chance to explain herself? Edith, oh, Edith. She started out as a nuisance but after her better side came out when she was working with the wounded soldiers, I was really hoping she’d find love and happiness. Although it wasn’t a complete shock, I was truly upset to see her hurt. I just hope #TeamEdith does not become #TeamHavisham. And what is going on with the whole Bates situation? I sure hope there will be some kind of resolution by the end of the season and it better not be that Bates actually is guilty. It is bad enough that I accidentally saw the mother of all spoilers with another storyline and you know how much I HATE spoilers! As much as I try to put it out of my mind it sits there taunting me as I watch. Oh, well. I am too addicted to stop now.

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Movie Night – Instead of TV, Brian wanted to watch one of his religious movies so we viewed God’s Mighty Servant: Sister Pascalina Lehnert, Secretary of Pius XII . It is the story of Sister Pascalina Lehnert (1894-1983) who was the personal confidant and secretary to Pope Pius XII for 40 years, when he was the Papal Nuncio in Germany, and then after for his whole Pontificate. The Pope had great confidence in her wisdom, energy and loyalty, and she became known as “the most powerful woman in the history of the Vatican.” The movie was in German with English subtitles, so it was good that no kids were with me, but I really enjoyed the movie and found it both interesting and moving.

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Too Many Tears – This week has been difficult on the kids not having Brian here. Bella hasn’t been sleeping well. The other night Andrew woke up twice crying. Tonight John-Paul woke up crying calling for Brian. And whenever someone comes through the door Matthew runs over calling, Daddy, only to find it isn’t him. I can’t help but wonder what a child must go through when a parent dies and they’ll never walk through the door again. How do they cope… okay, now is not the time to ponder that one. (Remember, Bobbi, uplifting.) We’ll move on and since it is nearly 1:00 AM,  I better wrap this up. I leave you with photos taken this week. Thankfully we did have a few happy moments too. 🙂

{happy}

When the kids were unable to kiss Brian goodnight at the hospital they would send him a photo saying goodnight. That made him happy.

The kids were excited that their daddy would be home soon but it made it difficult to change the sheets with three little monkeys jumping on the bed!

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{funny}

I made the mistake of leaving my food on the table unguarded and Matthew discovered the joys of chips and guacamole and took over. (It was so tasty because I used BC’s recipe.)

Later, he washed down his meal (and himself) with a glass of milk.

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{real}

Today Andrew’s class made a Get-Well Booklet for Brian. Each child drew him a picture. It was incredibly sweet!

Here is the picture Andrew drew. It has two cats (that he wished he had but his mother is allergic!) and our two fish Rocky & Spike.

Lastly, Bella, my cartoonist,  made a Welcome Home sign for Brian featuring all the kids. I love it. 🙂

Okay, I think I can go to bed now. I can barely keep my eyes open. Have a good night! (or day!)