The "Getting in the Mood for Christmas...in the Desert!", edition.

Ipad shuffled to Big Daddy Kane, "I Get the Job Done". "I work, baby".  I'm working on getting in the Christmas spirit. It's not really hard. In 2011, I wasn't feeling great, but I was well enough. Shawn put up the tree and decorated the house. I cooked a dinner for the 3 of us. I tried creamed spinach for the first time. It was good. Also it was Dec 24 when Mom fell, went to the hospital and never came home. Dec 2012 I had just been diagnosed with End Stage Kidney Disease. About 7 weeks out of the hospital.  I was still using a walker.  I did all of my shopping online. And even attempted cooking a thing or two for dinner. Shawn was home for Christmas and put up the tree.  Dad spent Christmas with Mom on the nursing home. He picked up a dinner from Blueberry Hill restaurant so he could eat with her. I sent a small live Christmas tree to her.  I hated not being able to get to Las Vegas that year. Mom died that January, 2013. 

Jackson 5,  "Who's Lovin' You". December 2013, my family traveled to Las Vegas to celebrate Christmas with my dad.  We didn't put up a Christmas tree, but we had a little tree to put on top of the pile of gifts. Lol. I purchased some poinsettias and Shawn strung some light on the porch railing.  Shawn, Brian and I fixed dinner.  Dad was happy we were there. I was glad to be with him. I didn't like him being alone. 

The Whispers,  "Don't Be Late For Love".  Now it's December 2014. My home is now in Las Vegas. We've redecorated the condo. Gone are the china cabinet, the 2 (!) curio cabinets. The sofa, love seat, two end tables, coffee table and two impossibly heavy table lamps are gone. The living room now has a 3 piece sectional, 2 floor lamps and a nice size flat screen. And no, I'm not putting up a floor Christmas tree. But I am decorating. I have 2 red poinsettias to go with my 2 orange poinsettias from Thanksgiving.  The door to the apartment has a fancy Merry Christmas sign.  I bought some red and green garland to hang somewhere inside. 5:33 AM and yelling lady is here...yelling. We expect Shawn to hang the outdoor lights again. Lol. Hi Shawn!!  I have Bath and Body Works wallflowers with Christmas-y smells in the living room and in the hallway outside of the apartment near our door.  Oh yeah, the vertical blinds are being replaced. A different color.  And the carpets are getting cleaned this week. 

The Guess Who, "American Woman".  I've been to the dollar store to get the bags. I haven't wrapped a present in over a decade!!  I've finished a lot of my shopping. Hey. I bought some things from Etsy vendors. A great experience.  One venor included a handwritten thank you note. The other sent a sample of his products. And they delivered before the large stores!  I'll be using Etsy again oh yeah. I used it for Small Business Saturday. I wasn't venturing out that weekend for shopping.  Finally, Brian and I were talking about the Christmas Day menu. I pretty much have to duplicate Thanksgiving dinner for the kid. She requested it. Who tells their kid no?  Well within reason. Lol. Apparently your baby is your baby forever. <3.  

Tavares, "Check it Out". A go find Brian to slow dance song. *swoon*. Nothing special on the dialysis front. My nurse draws pictures on the back of her gown. She's had Minions, a portrait of Michael Jackson and too many for me to remember. Today it's a smart phone. Well since I'm talking about the nurse, you must be saying what does the nurse do?  They give the injections, administer medications. Most injections go through the tubing, the tubes that return the blood back to the body. The flu and pneumonia shot goes directly into my arm. I got something when I travelled in addition to the TB test. I forgot what it was. The nurses also monitor our trending stats.  They also are the ones who give the Tylenol, Immodium and whatever else others need. They also feel us up...checking for fluid in our lungs, listening to our heart, checking the fistula, squeezing our ankles (again looking for swelling. It tickles).  And they look at our feet.  Well that's primarily for diabetics. 

Logging out with  Grandmaster Flash and the Furious a Five, "The Message". The other day Dad was telling us about a song he liked, but he didn't understand the lyrics and he couldn't find the song on YouTube. Yes my dad uses YouTube!  He says the lyrics were " You bought the farm for me". It took me and Brian about 5 seconds to figure out he was talking about The Gap Band, "You dropped a bomb on me". Lol lol. Rofl. :-D  He said liked buying a farm better.  Lol. Photo of my nurses smart phone and me on the new sofa. Stay warm and have a great day!!!