Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week

Ellie had open heart surgery to correct her Congenital Heart Defect. She had TGA - Transposition of the Great Arteries. She was 10 days old and had been in the hospital for almost a week before her surgery. The surgery was successful. She is a happy and healthy 14 year old. She continues to see her cardiologist annually. They do an EKG and an echocardiogram every year. Every two to three years they also do an MRI so they can see the arteries and make sure every thing is going well. She has some collaterals and some narrowing which are common with her procedure, but they monitor it and make sure she is still doing well. Currently she has no limitations on what she can do. 

Ellie was the first person I ever met that I knew had a CHD. Since her diagnosis, I've learned a lot. I've also been able to provide encouragement to some friends who have had a grandchild, niece, or nephew born with a CHD. Since I've shared the whole experience, others have reached out to me. 

Since Ellie was born with a CHD, during Sarah's subsequent pregnancies, she had a special sonogram to check on the baby's heart. Thankfully Adeline, Isla, and Ezra were all born with healthy hearts. 

Without the open heart surgery where they preformed the arterial switch, Ellie would not be with us. At the time of her surgery, 14 years ago, the arterial switch had only been in use for about 30 years. We are so grateful for modern medicine and all the equipment and procedures that are available now. We are extremely grateful all the medical professionals who helped save Ellie's life. 

With modern techniques and procedures, many more children are able to receive early treatment and and survive.

TGA is not compatible with life. Without the lifesaving arterial switch, TGA babies do not survive. 

She is our little heart warrior. 

It is just a coincidence that CHD Awareness is during the week where we celebrate Ellie's Heartiversary. We are so grateful for the medical team and the procedures that made it possible for Ellie to survive. She continues to not only survive, but she thrives in life. 

Books I Read In January

Southern Karma by Amy Boyles

This is the 6th book in the Sweet Tea Witches

I enjoy this light series to read in between other books. I have it on my Kindle app so I can read it whenever I have a few moments. 

It’s Pepper Dunn’s first Halloween in magical Magnolia Cove, Alabama. She can’t wait to experience all her home has to offer—haunted houses, real ghosts, great fried food. And for one night, regular folks are invited to enter this town of witches. But when Rufus Mayes appears, Halloween looks to go haywire. But Rufus vows not to bother Pepper. Instead, he needs her. He’s promised a buyer one of Magnolia Cove’s sacred objects, a watch that manipulates time. But the object is too volatile to sell. Rufus needs Pepper’s help to trade a decoy. When the hand-off goes terribly wrong and the buyer winds up dead, it looks like a murderer is loose in Magnolia Cove. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the watch breaks and Pepper and her family find themselves forced to relive Halloween everyday. Even worse, the murderer is still loose and wreaking havoc in a town that’s already in plunged into chaos. Can Pepper find the murderer or will she become the next victim? More importantly, can she free Magnolia Cove from eternal Halloween, or will the town be forced to relive the same day forever?

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling 

I'm listening to the Harry Potter series this time. I've been doing some diamond art crafting while I listen. 

'There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways ... their magical prowess - their daring - their powers of deduction - and, of course, their ability to cope with danger.'

Close your eyes and enter the magical world of Harry Potter. In these editions, Jim Dale's characterful narration is so entertaining, fun, and theatrical you can almost hear the crackle of the fire in the Gryffindor common room.

The Triwizard Tournament is to be held at Hogwarts. Only wizards who are over seventeen are allowed to enter - but that doesn't stop Harry dreaming that he will win the competition. Then at Hallowe'en, when the Goblet of Fire makes its selection, Harry is amazed to find his name is one of those that the magical cup picks out. He will face death-defying tasks, dragons and Dark wizards, but with the help of his best friends, Ron and Hermione, he might just make it through - alive!

The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank

I read this for book club. I read some of the Oz books years ago when I was in elementary/middle school. I hadn't read this one though. It was a quick and easy read. We had a good discussion too in book club. Melissa who picked the book had done some research into the Oz books and shared some fun facts with us too. 

Join Ojo the Unlucky and his newfound friend, Scraps—the exuberant and unpredictable Patchwork Girl—on an epic quest to find the magical ingredients needed to free Ojo's uncle from a wicked spell. Along the way, they encounter an array of oddball characters, face perilous challenges, and uncover the deep mysteries of Oz!

Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop by Jessica Redland

This was a fun book. I checked out the audio book from the library and listened to it while I was crafting.

Nestled amongst the comforting shelves of her beloved Bay Books, Lily Appleton finds the peace and quiet she needs. But with Christmas just around the corner, Lily has to find an extra pair of hands to help her share the bookish magic.

After selling his business, Lars Jóhannsson is feeling lost. A job at Bay Books would give him the space he needs to contemplate his next move, but returning would mean confronting a painful past he's been avoiding. He’s also fairly sure he’s the one person Lily would never want to see again.

Lily is torn. Lars could be the perfect fit for Bay Books, but he once rejected her friendship and the hurt still lingers. But working together, Lily discovers a vulnerability that Lars has kept hidden away, along with a few surprising secrets. And as the Christmas season sprinkles its magic, Lily discovers the warmth of renewed friendship and the joy of heartwarming traditions from Lars’s Icelandic roots.

Akarnae by Lynette Noni

I read this for book club and I enjoyed it so much that I am now on the third book in The Medoran Chronicles. 

With just one step, 16-year-old Alexandra Jennings’s world changes—literally. Dreading her first day at a new school, Alex is stunned when she walks through a doorway and finds herself stranded in Medora, a fantasy world full of impossibilities. Desperate to return home, she learns that only one man can help her—but he’s missing. While waiting for him to reappear, Alex attends Akarnae Academy, Medora’s boarding school for teenagers with extraordinary gifts. She soon starts to enjoy her bizarre new world and the friends who embrace her as one of their own, but strange things are happening at Akarnae, and Alex can’t ignore her fear that something unexpected—something sinister—is looming. An unwilling pawn in a deadly game, Alex’s shoulders bear the crushing weight of an entire race’s survival. Only she can save the Medorans, but what if doing so prevents her from ever returning home? Will Alex risk her entire world—and maybe even her life—to save Medora?

Still Snowy in St. Mary's County

We are trying out a new device. Gary calls it the puck since it looks like a hockey puck. It is a table microphone. He tried it with his Primary class and it helped. We've tried it at the dinner table too. It helps him to hear when there are multiple speakers and hopefully will make it easier for him to understand conversations. It also comes with a lanyard that the puck magnetically attaches too. The audiologist suggested we could use it when we go out to eat. I could wear it like a necklace and it would make it easier for Gary to hear my voice over the other sounds in the restaurant. We will try that. I told him we might try to use it in the grocery store too. We get to try it for a few weeks to see if we like it or not before purchasing it. 

The sunset through the trees. 

Gary finished the St. Nicholas puzzle. We have so many fun memories from St. Nicholas. 

Murphy Road slowly is getting better. 

Turn right to cross over to Christine Way.

You can see our cleared shared driveway down to our drive. These were from the first week of February. We were finally able to drive on Christine Way on Valentines Day.

Ellie is 14!

Happy Birthday Ellie!

I can't believe she is 14 now.

Gary made his yummy gluten free carrot cake at Ellie's request for her birthday. 

We all gathered on Sunday evening after her birthday for her family birthday celebration.

Adeline and Pops 

Ezra likes to use the discarded wrapping paper and make his own presents to unwrap. 

Claire made the cake for Ellie's friend birthday party and they forgot to take a picture together with the cake. So we took a picture with the leftovers. Claire makes the most delicious cakes. 

Ellie with her carrot cake. 

We got her a chair for her desk/vanity. Peyton and Abby put it together. 

Abby and I were taking a selfie and Gary photo bombed us. 

Abby and Izzy 

Cousin fun! 

It is always fun to get together to celebrate family milestones. 

Happy 14th Birthday Ellie!

Adjusting to Life in the Frozen World

Gary used the tractor to clear the Phalen's and the Murphy's driveways. The ice isn't melting since our temperatures are staying below freezing. It's going to be cold for a few weeks. 

I drove to Food Lion in Leonardtown to get some fresh produce. The main roads are clear. Sideroads and private roads are still a mess. School parking lots are starting to be cleared.

People here complain that schools are closed when we get snow. We live in a rural county. There are many unpaved roads. Since we rarely get any substantial amounts of snow, the county doesn't have much in the way of snow removal equipment. Many of the side roads and parking lots are cleared by people who have snow plows attached to the front of their pickup trucks. Main roads have a priority. School parking lots are one of the last things to be cleared. The school system doesn't have any snow removal equipment except snow shovels. So after the contract snow removal folks have cleared major shopping centers and neighborhoods, they then move onto school parking lots. Then the individual school building service workers use those trusty shovels to clear the sidewalks so staff and students can safely enter the school buildings. 

This is Murphy Drive that runs parallel to our street and since it is paved the neighbors use tractors like ours to clear it. There is a huge icy patch that doesn't get much sun 

The driveway and sidewalk are mostly clear. 

This picture was taken five days after the storm. Clay's car won't be going anywhere for awhile. Since I'm catching up, I can tell you that the storm was January 24/25. The ice didn't melt enough to get Clay's car out until February 13. He had his work car and Izzy's blue car so they were ok. Both my car and Gary's truck were able to be driven too. 

I'm ready for spring. 

Time to Clear the Way Out to the World

On Monday, Clay used the tractor to clear the driveway

Izzy started shoveling, but it was rough going with all the ice on top. You could walk and sit on top of the ice covered snow. You didn't leave any impressions in the ice. 

We appreciated Clay clearing the driveway.

It was slow going with all the ice. 

Making progress. Clay was able to clear our driveway and the paved part of our shared driveway/private road.

The trees looked beautiful with all the branches covered in ice. 

Tony and Abby came over to help clear the sidewalks and around the cars. 

Gary cleared off my car and helped with the shoveling. He was very careful not to lift too much. He definitely doesn't want to mess up his umbilical hernia repair. It is frustrating to him that he can't do all the heavy lifting and that we have to depend on others to help with this. It is just how life works. For years, he was always volunteering to help others. It doesn't make it any easier to ask for and accept help though. 

Clay and Tony finished shoveling the sidewalk and spreading Ice Melt. 

Abby and Izzy went sledding down the hill on a cardboard box, but I can't get the video to load. It was hilarious to watch. They went so fast down the hill and it wasn't easy to stop either. 

The sunset was beautiful through the trees

The walkway and the driveway were cleared. Clay's work vehicle and my car were cleared. We could get out if we needed to, but only if we took the cut through to Murphy Road. Christine Way was still a thick icy mess. We can't use the tractor on it because it is a gravel (asphalt millings) road and the tractor would pick up all the millings too. 

It was peaceful and beautiful 

We were grateful that we didn't have to go anywhere for a few days. 

I had to cancel Inklings, that was supposed to be at my house the day after we cleared the drive. There was no way that all the sisters could make it to my house and no where for them to even park. We just stayed home for a few days.