Tricks are coming early

I watched the news and then flipped around nothing very good on. I slept ok - it was a bit warm in the house and then all the wind noise outside and I think it might be time for a new mattress. It looked horrible outside this morning and I told Ellie I was going to drive her to school because I didn't want her waiting outside for the bus. Ellie got her lunch together and I was able to jump in the shower quickly and the rain thankfully slowed down enough for us to run to the car and drive to school. I tried something new with Nick this morning - I didn't mention school at all and then I told him we were taking a ride to see what fell down in the storm. Some of our decorations had fallen over in the wind so I thought it was a viable idea. Sure enough I got him not only out the door and to the car but about half way to school before he realized where we were going. He broke down for about a minute then I found a news report on the storm on the radio and had him listen. I pointed out that they had closed down the airport and there were no airplanes in the sky and then we listened to a pilot talk about the storm and flying.
We pulled into school and we were actually early. I unbuckled Nick and let him come sit with me up front and he was fine until they opened the door to let them in. I carried him in and he was fine as soon as Mrs. Dunham asked what he was going to be for Halloween. Now, for weeks the answer has been a robot - not a costume we could buy but a box that he wants arm and head holes cut out of but today he looks at his teacher and says a pilot. I came home and took advantage of my time alone to call Margaret to schedule my port appointment - left a message. To call at&t to ask them to reset our voicemail because we have no message but the phone is telling us we do - was told it was reset but problem still exists. To call the hospital concierge to say I never received my patient survey - the person at Evanston was away from his desk so I instead wrote a lengthy rant email. I did take the first couple paragraphs to talk about the successful parts of my hospitalization and subsequent visits and services. I ordered my laptop - so excited to have a computer that will have a left mouse button.
I put a package of smarties in my pocket because I was having a bit of Mom guilt over my trickery to get Nick to school but in the long run I didn't need to come home and re-coup because it was easy. Nick told me about school and all the happenings - we stopped at the bakery because I was craving something chocolate covered - a chocolate sweet roll did the trick - Nick picked out cookies for him and Ellie. I drove through Wendy's to pick up lunch before we went over to Mom's and then stopped to get gas and Nick must have been starving because he asked to start his burger in the car.
We ate lunch out on Mom's porch and the weather was so bizarre today going from blinding sunlight to dark storm clouds and the wind was absolutely incredible. Nick ate his lunch and then ate the eyes and mouth off his monster cookie. Mom went to work on the Woody vests she is making for Tony and Nick. I read through Mom's most recent magazines and Nick played with play-doh. I set up Mom and Dad's new printer and Nick came into the room wondering about all the new stuff - he cracks me up. Nick and I left to come home to get Ellie - she got off the bus with the news that Girls on the Run was not happening today. The phone was ringing as we walked in the door - it was Ms. Doolas letting up know GOTR was not being held today. We had a quick conversation and she said she would see me Friday and asked if I was dressing up - she had a pink wig she was going to wear. I told her just today I had a purple wig come in the mail. I told her about my new wig theory and how Ellie is mortified that I would consider pink, purple or blue hair and Ms. Doolas said if needed (in the future)- I could call her ahead of time and she would wear her pink wig to school and I could wear mine to make Ellie feel more comfortable.
Ellie I worked on her math homework - she didn't tell me ahead of time she only needed to work on it for 20 minutes - so almost 45 minutes later I was thinking this was kind of intense homework. Ellie and Nick went downstairs to play until Rob got home and showed Nick the box he had got for his robot costume. Suddenly Nick was going to be a Jack-in-the-box and then a lego robot and then a Nick-in-the-box. It entertained him for a good 45 minutes - I would hum the music and pretend to wind the outside of the box and then he would jump out. Mom came over and we started making dinner - the house was warm to begin with but during dinner prep it got hot. Ellie helped out in the kitchen and Rob and Nick went up to play trains. Dad came just as dinner was finishing up - our trickery continued when we tried to tell the kids the baked polenta was corn pudding - Nick took one bite and said it tasted yucky and not like it should. I made cinnamon rolls for dessert both the kids have asked for them recently. I took Nick up for a bath and Ellie preformed her finger puppet show she was working on.
Mom and Dad left - the wind practically blew them out the door and Rob took Nick up to bed. Ellie and I watched the start of Dancing with the Stars and then she went up to bed too. I am feeling pretty good today and I am looking forward to the next few weeks off. I forgot to share my chemo brain moment yesterday - I preheated the oven to 425 degrees for dinner but it wasn't until about 20 minutes later when I smelled chocolate that I remembered that I had put the pan of brownies with the last of the oreo cookies and all the candy from the Spooktacular in the oven earlier to keep Nick out of it. The oreo cookies (and plastic tray) completely shriveled up, the tootsie rolls were firmly melted to the pan and the lollipops didn't look so good either - it was Rob's suggestion to jump dump the pan instead of trying to clean it - I dumped the pan.
Now I am going to ask a favor - since I am not in huge need of healing thoughts, prayers and wishes right now I would be very appreciative if you'd offer them up instead to a very dear friend of ours who will have surgery on Friday. I know first hand the power of collective positive thought and I know our friend would benefit from all the extra healing potential. Visualising my healthy body and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree