The name of the game ...

is recovery. I took a few days off work last week to take care of some business that I've been putting off. Not always so much fun, but that's life.

The good thing was that I had a lot of good downtime hanging out with Mom and have seen her take great strides on her recovery. We colored in coloring books (Mom's physical therapist recommended it to work on her eye-hand coordination and motor skills), worked on quilting projects and got hooked on our newest guilty pleasure TV show, "Baby Borrowers." It's completely silly: Teen couples who want to be parents must watch babies, toddlers, preteens, etc. to see whether they -- and their relationship -- have what it takes. It's one of those shows that's fun to watch and add your commentary on what you're seeing all the way through. Here's a preview that ran on TV earlier this month in case you've been out of the loop on this one:

Mom continues to improve. This week alone she walked outside, wore mascara (two firsts since May!), is using her cane (that she's nicknamed Abel) only as needed and had a chicken fried steak dinner at home with her good friend and long-time neighbor Faith. She's also been busy searching online for the perfect mother-of-the-bride dress for her to wear to Amanda's wedding next month. We're all excited for Amanda to come home tomorrow. The last time she saw Mom was when she was in the hospital, so it'll be good for them both to visit at home. (My Mom also reminded me today that tomorrow is the 18th anniversary of my family's move to Wichita. Have I really been a Kansan that long?!)