'Tis Done!

The Christmas letter, ha ha.

Which is now the New Year's Letter!

I figure if it gets most places by the end of the first week of January, should be OK. Beats that one year when I sent out the Valentine's Day Letter.
_______________

We've been having a rip roaring old time, here at the Hoytstead. And by that I mean lots of good times with the older kids, lots of movies, and good snacking food, albeit less than usual.

The less than usual was prompted by someone's upset tummy which we feared boded ill for....illness. However, it was a one-time thing. And after Christmas day, we had another "one time thing" from another young lad. So we've been a little careful concerning too much holiday goodies.

Everyone was here for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. And since we had church on Sunday, we opted to open presents on Christmas Eve night. Then it was off to church for a mid-morning concert from the Johnson Strings....good stuff!

Then home for a filling meal of ham and special potatoes and...well, you get the picture.

There have been lots of movies watched, such as:

--all of the LOTR series, which Ethan enjoyed for the first time, ever :-)

And thanks to Jason's netflix supply, we had other options on other days.

Loren and I even got out for two dinner-n-movie nights ourselves, taking advantage of all these wonderful oldsters. That was nice, since we hadn't been out by ourselves for quite some time.

And now we have Jason's birthday to celebrate this evening, so Ma had better get in her nap!
 

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And Now It Can Be Told

I've been gone for a few days because Derek was in the hospital.

Because of repeated bouts of a-fib, the doctor decided a change of medication was in order and that it would also be prudent to take out the pacemaker and replace it with an ICD. Derek's been having increased bits of ventricular activity so the new device can shock him if he goes into a life-threatening rhythm. Yes, it's the same type of device (basically, different model) that Loren had.

Odd rhythms can be produced with this kind of change in medication, so it's usually done in hospital where the patient can be monitored. There were some scheduling problems but Derek was able to get in right before Christmas. He had some heart racing the night before the procedure because he'd been off his old med and the new one hadn't kicked in yet, but the procedure went quite well and he is now home.

On Tuesday morning we were hanging around in the room, waiting for the two procedures before him to be finished, when in walked some players from the Hawkeye football team :-)

Despite being 20, Derek was put on the Pediatric floor because the adult cardiac floor didn't have any bed. And since the players were going around visiting kids....

Hey, it almost looks as if they've had their picture taken before :-) The guys were good sports despite Derek's comments that he didn't care that much about football or the strategy involved. And he made sure to mention his Michigan coat hanging in the closet. If not for my, "But we bought it from Good-will! disclaimer we'd probably be dead.

As I said, the procedure went so well that it took less time than expected. No pneumothorax this time and with no other complications he was discharged the day after, on Wednesday. We got back to our home pharmacy just before closing time at 5:00.

Everybody is pretty swell at the U of I. And Derek has the cream of the crop in Dr. L. You can see some of his handiwork below on the hospital room white board (illustrating a conversation he and Derek were having).
Dr. Law can draw an EKG wave as well as the machine.

Derek has a few restrictions concerning what he can lift and raising his left arm. And that arm is quite sore, since they had to divide a section of muscle so they could place the ICD underneath. Apparently, Derek has no subcutaneous fat and they couldn't put it directly under the skin because it could cause problems in closing the incision.

No subcutaneous fat. It's a concept completely novel to me.

I spent my evenings with Ardith and Justin in Cedar Rapids. Great to get away from the hospital and visit with them and the cats of fame, Schroeder and Lucy. And Jason was there for each supper, which was cooked most expertly by Ardith (wow, good thing that apple fell far from the tree!). I only got lost and drove all over the place one night out of two. AND I eventually got to their house without calling Ardith for directions, so I'm definitely improving.

Now I have to get caught up on things:
--the Christmas letter (which is going to be a New Year's letter)
--treadmill (missed three days in a row!)
--haven't made Christmas cookies yet but I'm thinking we won't, due to time and rich food overload
--buy something for the Christmas dinner

And try and get back to normal.
 

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Ethan Turns 15!

Wow...seems like people are turning older faster, or something.

Saturday was Ethan's birthday and we celebrated with the additions of Melinda, Derek, and Kendra.

Ethan chose homemade pizza which he made himself, and a special triple chocolate mousse cake.

Here he is scoping out the best way to blow out all the candles with one breath.
Which he did.

And I hafta say, that cake, made by Carolyn, was one of the best I've ever eaten.

From Kendra, a reading light that hooks on to your book.
Might just come in handy.

Oh...looks like a couple of Redwall books :-)
Which he smugly guessed before unwrapping.

Ahhh, I fooled him on this one...a book on William Wilberforce.
He was very interested, as he's seen Amazing Grace, and looks forward to reading it (yes fer Ma!).

Easily discerning this was a package of two books...
...biographies of C.S. Lewis and Robert Sheldon.

There were also two more from the Redwall series. It is hoped that will keep him busy for a week, perhaps.

Happy Birthday, Ethan!
 

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Counting Down

Got all the Christmas presents wrapped today.

After I told this to Carolyn I couldn't resist adding, "It didn't take that long."

Never hurts to lower peoples' expectations :-D

Also cleaned out a few things from the guest room so that as the multitudes come rolling in I won't have too much that needs sweeping up into random bags and stashed away, only to be lost for a couple of years.

Serious progress, if only in a small way.

We also had Ethan's birthday this evening...maybe I can get pictures up later, though I've been pretty bad about that, lately.

Kendra came up this afternoon and will stay through 'til tomorrow. We'll be able to add her voice to the Christmas program at church as well as enjoy her company at the house.

Derek has some interesting days ahead next week, down at the University of Iowa Hospital, and I'll tell more about that, later.

Probably ought to be good and go to bed.
 

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The Mark Hoyt Report

Pretty good, it is!

Mark was scheduled to come home from the hospital, today. That's just over one week post transplant.

And when I say home, I mean home.

Apparently it's different then our experience at Mayo. Loren had to stay within 30 minutes of the clinic for 3 months. Though we did get to go home for Christmas Day, which was approximately 8 weeks post transplant.

I think I'm a little jealous of Mark and his family :-)

It's amazing how one can go home after such a huge operation. The doctors said everything has gone 'bout as perfect as possible.

I think the nurses and staff will miss him, though.

Hmmmm, wonder how many families have two heart transplantees among the siblings....

Well, Mark and Lauri Anne will be busy going to lots of appointments for the first weeks. But at least they can be with family again.

Pretty great day for them, I'd say....thanks be to God.
 

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It's Interesting...

....how there have been so many debates on the Republican side, this election cycle. Donald Trump has backed out as the Iowa moderator, however...what a loss (NOT).

....everything seems to crunch down on you at the same time. Can't begin to tell you how many stressful things are hitting, but I am going to try and be an adult and not crack up. And anyway, God is good.

....how some people easily point out supposed bad behavior in others, but remain utterly blind to their own shortcomings. Guess that's human nature.

Enough wisdom from the aged.

Have to get ready for a Christmas Program practice at church. Some progress has been made on the annual Christmas letter. Might even get it mailed by New Year's.
 

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Wow

Behind again :-)

It's getting to be a habit. Guess a little catching up is in order.

Mark Hoyt: Last Friday morning he was wheeled into surgery at midnight and by 3:51am the new heart was beating in his chest! We haven't heard a whole lot since then but as far as we know things are going well. The first few days are a haze of pain, drugs, hurty breathing exercises and lots of overwhelming things for patient and family. But let me say again how much we appreciate your prayers for Loren's brother, Mark and his family. And there's no need to stop now....recovery is a long and excruciating process.

Internet: We have a 30-day trial of Satellite going. It was instigated because our regular provider was out of service for so many days...very frustrating. He is back up now but we'll continue with the 30-day trial. Personally, I don't like it as well for several reasons, but it beats having nothing.

Dentist: It was a long afternoon but no one had cavities. Nolan does have to get sealants on three molars when we go again in six months. That will be in June. And I'd had some soreness on the right side of my mouth, which the hygienist thought due to overly zealous brushing. But when the doc looked at it he said I am grinding my teeth at night and need an appliance to put in my mouth while sleeping. So we're checking whether the insurance will pay for that. I do remember, a long time ago, that my sister told of coming into our bedroom when I was a kid and hearing me grinding my teeth. I'd completely forgotten that until talking with the dentist.

I'm not stressed out, no.

Kids home: Melinda and Derek rolled in on Friday night, after driving all the way up from Texas :-) And speaking of Derek, I'd forgotten what it was like to have no leftovers at the supper table. Wow. I'm still in 4-kid mode and it took me a while to get used to that. By the time I get used to cooking more it will be time for them to head back to school. And speaking of Melinda, she got her grades back today and found out she made one "B" and all the rest are "A's." Pretty good, I'd say! First semesters are tough and she has worked very hard.

Home life: This has not been a stellar day in the life of Ma-and-homeschooling-and-troublesome personalities but at least this day is over! I got out for a bit to get the weekly shopping done but it wasn't the great diversion I thought it would be. Sometimes life is just plain ol' hard work. I can hardly wait to get to Christmas vacation...no more school during the day and no more writing up the school plans the night before. Not that I spend a lot of time at it, but it's just annoying.

Christmas letter: Yeah...I should really start that. I think it might be a bit late this year, but it should go out. The pictures have been ordered, anyway. Hopefully no one's head was cut off. I had a little problem getting the Wal-Mart site to accept my uploaded shot...had to take out some of the cropping and that leaves a messier picture. But as long as Wal-Mart is happy...*glares*...

Feet: Can't tell you how tired I am of my feet always hurting, one way or another. Today it was the joints in both big toes, aching and aching. Guess I should lose weight again, since I gained back some of what was lost earlier in the year. Woke myself up snoring last night, too, so that's another sign that Ma is off the wagon.

Well, I think that brings us up to date. I have a few little assignments to write out and then I plan to crash in front of the TV. It's a little lame, but since I should start eating better I may as well begin tonight by pretending to be a vegetable.
 

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Big, Big News!!

They have found a heart for Loren's brother, Mark!

He's been in hospital down in Texas for 2 months or more.

Surgery to get going around midnight. The doctor could still look at the heart and deem it not adequate but that is not likely.

Would appreciate your prayers.

Mark and Lauri Anne have five children.

It's going to be hard to sleep tonight!
 

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Off to the Dentist!

Later this afternoon, that is.

Presumably I will get some sleep before then, but sometimes you are just so excited you have to tell people first!

Or, those chocolate chips I nibbled are keeping me awake.

Fully expect to hear bad news on the ol' teeth. Something either along the lines of, "You have a cavity," or "We've decided to save time and just pull them all out, now."

I dunno....just have a bad feeling.
___________________

Heard some really sad news, this morning. A lady we met up at Gift of Life House in Rochester called to say her son had passed away a few days ago. Probably Sharon or Ardith's age.

He had a double lung transplant and we met him just a day or so after transplant when he came to a support group meeting at St. Mary's Hospital (this was while Loren was still awaiting transplant).

Jack Keller was a memorable guy because he was young, upbeat, and had a strong Christian testimony which he was not afraid to share.

His mom gave up teaching to be his caregiver, and his dad came by for visits. Very dedicated Christian family. He later married and had two children. Struggled with another lung issue, but then cancer came to his face and neck, eventually moving to the lymph nodes and lungs.

And he died.

Marlys was calling all the folks they'd known at the House. Even though Loren and I kept to ourselves, I did get acquainted with a few people and still exchange Christmas cards with three of them.

Glad he is in heaven, but I feel for the family.
______________

On to more cheerful news. Guess I'll send out a Christmas letter, after all (had seriously contemplated not sending one, this year). Due to the cost of photo cards and postage I was planning to email the yearly letter with a photo attached. However, certain people would be missed, and by the time I sent them a postcard to get their email address...But after checking the price of plain prints, and the recent arrival of an unexpected gift, it should work out.

Of course, this means I will have to start the letter. Don't quite feel in the mood but once I get goin' I can usually think up enough embarrassing anecdotes to fill a page or two.

And now to let my teeth get their beauty sleep....
 

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Greetings

I come to you today from a secure location somewhere in north central Iowa.

The name on the outside of the buiding says "Library" and there are a lot of books in here, but right now I am keeping my eye on a stuffed, life-size female dummy--wearing glasses and a hat--that is sitting diagonally from me at another table.

Frankly, I'm concerned. She looks a lot like me.

Also, my neck is aching due to slouching in my chair so the man across the table, on another computer, doesn't think I am taking peeks at him across my monitor.

This would not be a problem if he were shorter. Someone did some serious misplanning here, I just can't put my finger on the culprit.

At any rate, I am whapping out a few words to let people know we are still alive at the Hoytstead, despite having next to no Internet service. I did manage to send off an email or two, yesterday, but each one took approximately 30 minutes to "send" and I figure my sanity is worth more than that.

Doing the shopping and my weekly oldies-radio-listening at the same time. This is harder than you think since turning down any particular road may cause me to lose contact with the station in question. Missed out on Janis Joplin singing Me and Bobby McGee and it took me most the drive to get over that disappointment.

*sigh*

(Note to Loren: the studded snow tires gave no traction when I came up to the blacktop. Luckily no one was coming. In the words of Sharon, "It was exciting!")

I should go now. Wal*Mart and the grocery await, and I've only stipulated a couple of hours activities for certain people at home.

Besides, that stuffed lady over there is looking my way...
 

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Sorry, Sorry, Sorry

I realized again this morning that I have not been very attentive to posting of late. Truthfully, I have been struggling with some issuess that are weighing on my mind, but let's just forget those for a while and see if we can't look on the bright side :-)

At the moment, it is raining outside. The skies are gray, though it's hard to tell exactly how gray since a hazy fog is approaching.

The GOOD part of this, however, is that the moisture can only help keep my newly planted trees alive. I think! You remember....the trees sent for planting last week, barely making it here before the start of December?

Also, it's supposed to change over to snow during the night. We could get a couple of inches, though nothing like they had out in Indiana, causing slippery roads and power outages.

Looking forward to Derek and Melinda coming back from Texas, next week! When kids go to college in the Lone Star state, there's no seeing them except during the lone, long, break between semesters. But it will be nice to have more people in the house, I think. Not quite used to only 4 children hanging around.

Speaking of children, I promised the kids I'd get the Christmas decorations down from the attic. Usually this also involves some cleaning...and now you know why I put this off, ha ha.

Already I have a few plans about rearranging and getting rid of items. Should be done with decorating by the 24th, I imagine. Nothing like Kendra, who had her little apartment all decorated before she came up at Thanksgiving.

Other than that, we are still plugging away at school (only two more weeks until Christmas break!!!) A few knocked off subjects, here and there, due to coughs and colds. I think all of our minds need a vacation. For instance, on Friday Trevor did lesson #42 in math instead of lesson #52. Math is arduous enough without unknowingly doing lessons twice.

On the media front, Loren brought down an old DVD player and an old VHS machine, from upstairs. Looks like the Christmas videos are back in business! Probably put one of them to use this afternoon while I venture down the gravel road to cut purdy red twigs from the scrub dogwood in the ditch.

Well, I sense the sound of pounding feet on the stairway, meaning I had best get up to that attic...
 

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Ma's View of the Vision Forum Catalog

The Vision Forum Catalog has become very special to me. And by that I mean it holds a unique place on my list of "Whoa! This is Kinda Weird" organizations.

We received their latest Family Catalog, via HSLDA, which we belong to solely in case we would need their legal help regarding homeschooling.

Admittedly, I used to think some of the Vision Forum items cool, despite being unaffordable. But it's possible they've taken the traditional gender roles a tad far.

Years ago Ardith pointed out the disparity in available items for boys and girls. The gap has increased. Not only in amount but also in kind.

So let's take a quick rundown of kids' stuffs from Vision Forum:

Boys--20 pages
Girls--8 pages.

Boys' Items:
--Swords and Shields! "Boys, Defend Your Sisters!" (fellahs....I wouldn't recommend these unless your sister is specifically menaced by Ren Fair bad guys) Along with a scaled-down version of Sir William Wallace's broadsword and LEGO compatible sets, there are also "High-Impact Training Swords" available.

And to be fair, the young ladies are mentioned on this page. They can order Medieval Princess Dresses...."Dress-up is an important part of every little girl's life. It's one way she identifies with Mommy and experiences how unique and wonderful it is to be a girl, a daughter of the Most High King--to be His little princess!"

(some of you may wish to take a break at this point)

Rest assured that despite the red lion pictured on the shields, there are no pesky references to the Crusades.

Well, there is scant time to devote comment to each page as is due, but here follows a list of available boy toys:

*takes deep breath*

American Frontier Heroes: tomahawk, stag knife, fire starter, moccasin kit, coontail cap, powder horn, Kentucky long rifle and flintlock pistol, leather trapper's bag

Second Amendment Boy (yes, that's what it says...clearly we're not following the constitution if the lads aren't armed): four different airsoft guns, Trumark slingshot, bow and arrow set, compound bow and arrow set, 1 book and 2 DVD's on gun safety

How the West Was Won: the usual....rifles and six-shooters that shoot rubber ammo, authentic leather bullwhip. Bonus item: PINK BB Gun! (this is interesting because it is pictured with a little girl in hat, boots, vest and western cowgirl skirt, and while you can buy a genuine cow-boy outfit from this page, nowhere is the girl's western outfit offered for sale (but at least you can get a cool pink BB gun, girls! You'll know which one is for you because....it's pink).

OK, there's just too much to keep listing in detail but don't miss out on the:

--zip line, crossbow, blowdart gun, 3-man slingshot, ultimate survival knife, mess kit, jungle hammock, boys' practice throwing knife (whoa!), grappling hook & climbing claws, rappelling harness, special operations belt (?), collapsible axe and spy pens....then there are two pages of military paraphernalia...

But let's get to the girls:

Dolls. Twenty-one of them! Some complete with accompanying books and CD's! But do despair, oh fair and gentle sex....there's an heirloom tea set AND Elsie Dinsmore books!

But that's not all. Silk ribbon embroidery and hair barrette kits, rounded out with books on crafting and...wait for it..."How to Make Your Own Old-Fashioned Cloth Doll" (!)

Ah well, I'd best stop. Just thought a lot of it was over the top.

But don't take my word for it...Check it out for yourself.
 

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