Update

I love this picture of the girls on a cold winter night, playing together in their heated tree house!

A perk of not blogging in a long time is that a dear friend from Montana, who was used to my blogging, called me to see how I was. No more stalking! But for my dear relatives who love the images that come with cyberspace journaling...an update. I skipped the Christmas month...so sorry.
Where to start? I'll add subtitles so you can read what you want.
Snow Day
Do you remember being a kid and having the perfect snow day? We had perfection this winter.  The snow hadn't really started falling Tuesday night, but school for Wednesday was already canceled. Even Tom's college canceled Wednesday on Tuesday night. That meant we could shut off the alarm clocks. We woke up to drifts of white, in the end it was 18 inches thick, if you count what was already on the ground.  I wish I could have sent some to my kiddos in Honduras. The snow fell until about noon and it was a nasty, windy day. But we live in the city, with tiny city lots and houses close together. Our neighborhood is over 70 years old, the trees are large and sturdy. We have to look up to see if it is windy as the buildings and trees deceive us (during soccer season we just know the soccer field is 10 degrees cooler than our backyard because of how protected our yard is). Tom, who doesn't like spending the day indoors without a plan, spend 75% of the day outside, shoveling, snowblowing (we inherited a small Honda when our dear neighbor passed away in November), chatting with neighbors, and digging motorists out who thought they could go somewhere. The girls spent at least 2.5 hours outside that day playing, getting buried by their daddy's shovels of snow, picking icicles, and helping Tom with the first stages of the quinzhee (indian word for what I call an igloo).  We had Thursday off too. After two days off, I was sure Friday was really Monday.

 

Art Honor
In other news, Hadley's art teacher entered some of her art in a district-wide art fair. She won an award within her school for best design. I was glad the art teacher (who is fabulous) met us at the award ceremony. She pointed out the details in the layering of Hadley's art. Good thing she educated me, because secretly, looking at the other students' work, I kept wondering why Hadley won. Hers wasn't nearly as neat as the others. But it was a confidence-boosting event.
Welding

Metal man: Tom the welder

Tom is taking welding classes through his college this semester. He's always wanted to work with his hands and welding is something he didn't know much about (he can already do basic carpentry, electrical, etc. ). I think he dreams of not teaching spring or summer sessions and working with his hands at a totally different kind of job. He loves welding and is apparently quite talented at it. He bought himself the required self-darkening helmet which makes us all laugh.
Gardening
I'll be back in the classroom again soon...not as a teacher (though if I were single I would fly back to Honduras and teach those kiddos again as they need a teacher). I'm in the review process to be part of the Master Gardeners program through the University extension. It requires 8 hours of classes a week for 7 weeks, tests, and volunteer hours. I love learning. I hope it works out. It might help me as I dream about spring.
Light Bulbs

Tom and Hadley do circuit work!

Hadley's been learning about energy at school. Part of the science labs associated with the unit included making a circuit board. She came home and mentioned the project at the dinner time. Mr. Idea Man, aka Tom, got his wheels spinning. He and Hadley spent that weekend making their own circuit board light bulb puzzle. Each light bulb has a certain sequence of switches it needs to be turned on.  Hadley took it to school and all the kids had fun with it.
North and South
On a funny note, I was teasing Hadley the other day because she still struggles with her right and left. She said, "I know my north and south better."
"Really? How do you know?"
"North is up and south is down, it's much easier."
Somewhere I think she misunderstood part of learning to read a map.
 The Little Cook

Kassy loves to cook and with my supervision, she's been making us all fried eggs on weekend mornings. It's delightful. Hadley is terrified of the new gas stove Tom bought me for Christmas ("Mom, it has real fire!"). Cooking is the one thing Kassy loves to do that Hadley doesn't do. I think she relishes having something of her own.

Diabetic News
I just finished a great book called Cheating Destiny. It's a history of diabetes. It's been years since I have read a book that took me to such emotional extremes. I went from gratefulness for insulin (I might be dead if I was born 100 years earlier) to flowing tears as I faced fears of my children developing the disease to anger over the way medical research happens. The best part was reading an author who understands the emotions and who doesn't blame me. No doctor or nutritionist has ever addressed the emotional struggles. All chronic diseases create complicated emotional landscapes within. Diabetes is wonderfully and horribly unique in that sometimes, a patient can have so much control. If you eat right, exercise right, sleep enough, monitor enough, you can avoid complications. Maybe. Depends on your body. With that good news can come guilt and frustration. I love the book and highly recommend it.

After reading this and a book called The Little Diabetes Handbook For You. I finally settled some issues in my mind. I've read in multiple places that some doctors think the best diet for a diabetic is a super low or no carbohydrate diet. One doctor even claims that in cases of type 2 diabetes such a diet will restore some insulin receptor cells and insulin production. I toyed with the idea of this diet. For the second time, I've decided it doesn't matter if this diet low-carb diet works, I can't do it. Not at this stage of my life and that's okay.

We used food coloring to paint in the snow!

I saw my doctor this past week. My lowest a1c ever...6.7. I'd like to bring it down to 6.5 or lower, but I am well withing the recommended guidelines. All my numbers were awesome...cholesterol, blood pressure, kidney function. She called me Ms. Perfect. It was a good feeling, though I know as I age, it will become more difficult.

Love to all of you. Drop me a note so I know how you are. And as gift to my dear friends who sometimes want to see the photographer...Hadley took this picture of me and the coats and shoes for you!