Bits and Pieces

I've Moved

2008-08-09T16:46:00.002-05:00

If you'd like to come visit my new home, either click on this link www.leesaslife.wordpress.com or if you are too tired to click, just wait 5 seconds or so and the page will redirect you automatically. See ya there!!!

Stressed Out

2008-08-06T10:54:00.005-05:00

Stress. This seems to be the topic of many a blog post here recently. I am also hearing it from several people that I've run into in stores, at the bank, etc. What is causing so many people to be in maximum overdrive here lately? And, how do you react to it when you hit that point?

When I'm stressed out, I like to just get away from it all. If it is business that is stressing me out (and believe me, being self-employed is a major stress factor in and of itself!), I close my office door, turn off the phone and don't think about it. Family member causing me grief? I go into another room and chill. I know this doesn't "fix" the cause of stress, but it gets me away from it long enough to at least keep from losing my mind or going ballistic on a customer, which I have done before. I'm not proud of it, but at the time it sure felt good. lol

Some other forms of stress relief that I use are:

1) a nice, long, hot bubble bath. There is just something about warm water, bubbles and candlelight that calms me down quick.

2) dancing. If I'm super stressed, I need to get some of that energy out so I find the fastest paced song on the radio and dance it away. Yeah, I look silly and I've had several family members actually walk out of the room, but you know what? I felt better by the time I was finished.

3) alcohol. Ok, you knew that one was going to be on my list. I try not to resort to a drink too often, but there are just some days that require a good stiff drink. I prefer mojitos, but have been known to slam back a few shots of whatever is available at the moment too. I don't get rip roaring drunk, but there is enough alcohol in my bloodstream to calm me waaayyyy dooowwwwnnnn.

4) sex. Yep, that is a wonderful stress reliever. No explanations needed!

5) and finally, blogging. Sometimes I just need to get my feelings out in the open but there isn't anybody around to actually talk to so I blog. There is something really calming about putting those feelings down on paper (or on the computer screen). It is almost as though a weight has been lifted and you can actually feel the stress drifting away. I don't always post what I've written. I might be in jail now if I actually posted some of the things I've thought about doing to a few certain people when they've stressed me out:) Just writing them down helps to relax me.

Ok, those are my top five ways to relieve stress. What do you do when things get to be too much for you to handle?

Shaken...Not Stirred

2008-08-02T10:34:00.005-05:00

When you have a herniated disc, it probably isn't the best idea to ride in a truck without good suspension for 4 hours. I went with hubby last night to take his truck to be serviced. I've never ridden in one of his work trucks before so had no idea what I was in for. Let me tell you, I will not be riding in another one any time soon. Every little bump sent me flying off my seat, a good 4 inches into the air! Who knew that I needed to wear a sports bra to ride in one of his trucks either! Ouch!

The trip back home wasn't as bad. I guess either that side of the highway wasn't as bumpy or I was just getting better at absorbing the shock myself. Regardless, I was very glad to get home. This morning I'm so sore I feel like someone took a ball bat to me. Not fun. I'm hoping a good long time in the pool this afternoon, floating and just relaxing, will help a lot. If not then look out tonight because many, many mojitos will be on my menu.

Where Did All the Time Go?

2008-07-31T12:44:00.002-05:00

Wow, tomorrow is the beginning of August already. Where in the world did this summer go? I have a feeling what remains is really going to fly by. I checked my calendar yesterday and there is one week of August already that is completely filled in. It's not even fun stuff that it is full of, darn it. It's doctor's appointments, school registration, work stuff, etc.

I think I will take a week that has nothing scheduled and make a fun one out of it. How does "Mon-meet girls for margaritas, Tues-spa for massage, Wed-lunch with best friend, Thurs-coffee with mom and Fri-date night with hubby" sound? Yeah. I thought so. Sounds good to me too.

Finding out today

2008-07-24T08:58:00.003-05:00

Today is my doctor's visit to finally find out what is going on with my back. I leave in one hour and will fill everybody in when I return on what Dr. Wilson tells me. I hope it is decent news and not something along the lines of "well, we did all these tests and we really need to do this test now because the first tests didn't tell us what we need to know". I've been that route already. I want answers this time!

Update: Well, I am in shock. So much so that I almost forgot to post this update. I went to see the dr. as I said earlier and didn't get good news. It's nothing life threatening or anything, just frustrating. I do indeed have a herniated disc at either L-4 or L-5, I can't remember which he said. Normally, for this they would go in and do a discectomy, but since I'm lucky to have two rods in my back this won't be happening for me. Actually, NOTHING will be happening for me. Why? Because the herniated disc is underneath the lower rod in my back and there is a ton of bone that has fused that rod to my spine that they'd have to drill through and remove along with a lot of scar tissue. Dr. Wilson said that he wouldn't even want to try to go in and fix the disc because more then likely as soon as he took bone or scar tissue away from my spinal column there would be fluid leakage...a lot of fluid. Not good. He also said that he'd have to reposition the rod and that could cause nerve damage or possibly paralysis. He also told me that the lower rod is no longer attached to my spine, but that has nothing to do with the pain i'm having and really won't cause me any problems because it is encased in the bone so at least that was one kind of good thing to come out of this visit. He did say that 90% of people with herniated discs have them heal on their own within a year. I hope I'm one of those 90%. I do feel better then I did over Memorial Day and the numbness isn't as bad as it was back in April so that's good. Maybe that is a good sign? I hope so. Since the disc is already herniated, he didn't recommend physical therapy. He did say that they could try to go in and give me a steroid shot, if I wanted, but after he told me HOW they would do that I refused to have it done. Nope, I'll live with it. Unless it gets much, much, much worse, I will just live with it.

Attack of the Frogs

2008-07-18T10:39:00.002-05:00

When I was a little girl, I was a true tom boy. I played in the dirt, jumped ramps on my bike, played hoops and just did things that it wasn't common to see a little girl do. I also liked to explore the woods by our house and would almost always come home with a toad or two that I'd found in the creek.

Fast forward to my teen years and adulthood: I really outgrew the tom boy stage. Probably about the time I discovered that boys weren't as icky as I'd thought they were. I started wearing makeup, fixing my hair, stopped playing in the dirt, jumping my bike or shooting hoops and I definitely quit collecting toads, bugs, etc. Actually, I started acting the part of the girl who was afraid of them! Not my true self at all...or so I thought.

A couple of nights ago, my husband and I were in the pool, just enjoying a nice relaxing evening, when all of a sudden I see a tree frog peek out from underneath the pool ledge. I immediately got OUT of the pool. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind frogs. I just don't want to be as close to them as I used to be. The tree frog decided to serenade us with a song, but the weird thing was that when he started singing another frog peeked out from the ledge, then another frog, then another frog. I'd never seen anything like it.

Next day, my daughter and I decide to hop in the pool again. I knew the frogs might still be there, but the heat won out and I got in anyway. My daughter is just like I was when I was younger. She'll pick up a frog, praying mantis, bugs of any sort, no problem. She decided to check under the ledge and see if the frogs were just up under there hiding, staying out of the sunshine. Sure enough she found one and decided to catch it with the net we use to clean the leaves out of the pool. I told her not to, but she didn't listen, saying the frog would just jump into the net and she'd toss him out into the tree row. Let me just say that my daughter was not my favorite person that day. She cornered that frog and he jumped, but not into the net. No, he jumped into the pool! I immediately grabbed the legs of my swim shorts because you know the first thought I had was that the stupid frog would swim up into them and go exploring! Thankfully he didn't, but I must have made a pretty funny sight because my daughter busted out laughing. She was laughing so hard that she couldn't concentrate on finding the darn frog, which only made me more paranoid. After what seemed like hours, she finally calmed down and did find the frog, caught him and tossed him into the tree row. She said she'd look for others, but I forbid her from doing that. Needless to say, I had a hard time relaxing in the pool that day.

Yesterday, we decided to swim again, but this time my daughter got in first and took all the froggies out so I didn't have to deal with them. Like I said, I don't mind them, but I do NOT want to swim with them at all.

Doing My Part to be a Little Greener

2008-07-14T12:51:00.002-05:00

I've been trying lately to do my part and be a bit greener for the environment. I'm sure a lot of you are doing the same. I've not done anything big, like get an electric car or something, but have been doing small things like switching my light bulbs to CFL's (compact flourescent), reusing paper that has only been printed on one side as scrap paper, just stuff like that.

Well, we also drink a lot of bottled water, which I KNOW is a big waste of materials, so I've been looking into buying some reusable drink containers to use instead. I have heard a lot about Klean Kanteens lately. They are stainless steel water bottles.

Stainless steel has fewer known health risks then aluminum containers and these are 100% recyclable and machine washable! They come in several different sizes and are really durable, which is fantastic for me because I'm constantly dropping things. lol

I've checked their website and think this will be my next step in going a little bit greener. How are you trying to go green? Leave some comments and let me know.

Wanna See What I Saw?

2008-07-09T14:06:00.002-05:00

Ok, after much time spent on the computer, I think I've finally gotten the majority of our Chicago pictures downloaded, edited and ready to see. It took forever to do because I had three different cameras to get them from. I had pictures that I took with my digital camera, which isn't the best and has no zoom capabilities, my daughter's digital camera, which is awesome and does have zoom, and my cell phone, which has zoom, but very poor picture quality. So, some of these pictures are awesome and others are pretty poor. Forgive me for the bad ones. I wasn't going to download them, but it was actually easier to just select all my photos then it would have been to go in and pick and choose. Anyway, to see my pics just click on my Flickr badge in the side bar. Enjoy!

We're Back

2008-07-07T11:15:00.003-05:00

Our Chicago weekend is over and, truthfully, I'm glad. It was nice to get away from home/work, but it was also very nice to return to our normal routine. Vacations, to me, are supposed to be relaxing, but this one was anything but. We were on the go the entire time. Hubby woke up early Sat. and Sun., woke me up, woke the kids up and then we were off. The only time I got to actually relax was on Friday evening when we first got there. My back was bugging me so he took the kids out while I stayed in the hotel by myself for a whole hour. Woo Hoo.

We did see a lot of stuff, but hubby was in such a big hurry to see EVERYTHING that we didn't actually look at anything for very long. Like I said, Friday evening he took the kids out to Navy Pier. They stayed one hour. Not nearly long enough to enjoy themselves or see everything they wanted to see. Saturday morning we went to Shedd's Aquarium, again stayed for about an hour and a half, only making it about a quarter of the way through the entire building. It was easily something that if we'd wanted to do so, we could have made an entire day out of it, but hubby got tired of looking at "fish tanks" and wanted to leave. After there, we went to Sears Tower, went up to the observation deck and looked around. Didn't stay there long either. Stopped to eat lunch at Giordano's Pizza. Let me just say YUM! It was the most delicious pizza I've had in ages. After eating, all I really wanted to do was go back to the hotel, but we'd told the kids that we'd take them to the beach so off we went. We got there and the kids took off, hubby and I spread out our towels on the sand and sat down. I could have easily spent the remainder of the afternoon there, but after a couple of hours hubs was all set to go again. Back to the hotel, cleaned up and went back to Navy Pier to take one of the boat tours they offer. We hopped onto the Seadog, which was a speedboat tour. Fun stuff, but not nearly long enough. I thought that might have been something that would kill the rest of the day, but nope, half an hour and it was over. Back to the hotel and I was finally able to sit down and relax. My back and legs told me about all the running we did too. All night long, I had leg cramps and a throbbing back. Not fun.

We got up about 9:00, Sunday morning and got ready to go. Hubby was just itching to get back home. I guess I was ready too. At least I knew once we got here, he could go about doing his own thing and I could actually relax in the pool.

Well, the pool idea didn't come to pass. When we got home, we unpacked and then I went to check the pool to see what temperature it was. Walked out and the pool was filthy. From all the rain we got Thursday and Friday mroning, the bottom was just covered with dirt. The water was clear though so I guess that was good. I swept it out, but after doing so and checking the chlorine levels found out it was reading zero on chlorine. I added all the chemicals needed and came in, figuring it would be good to go swimming today. No such luck. It is raining this morning and the pool is now green, a sign of not enough chlorine still, so putting more in and will maybe get in later if the rain stops and the chemical levels are ok.

I feel like I need a vacation now to recuperate from our weekend vacation!

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-04T10:00:00.003-05:00

As I type this, I'm actually on my way to Chicago. I just wanted to go ahead and wish everyone a wonderful 4th of July. Enjoy the day with friends and family, enjoy the fireworks this evening too.

Getting Ready

2008-07-03T13:18:00.002-05:00

Today has been spent getting things ready for our trip to Chicago tomorrow. I did a small clutter busting mission throughout the house this morning since my mom will be coming back Saturday to feed and visit with our kitty. I have started a list of things I want to pack. Haven't actually started packing yet, but as long as I have my list it shouldn't take long. Did a small load of laundry this morning to wash up some outfits that my daughter wanted to wear this weekend. Checked the batteries in my digital camera (they were dead so bought new). I even made a few small snacks (popcorn, pretzels, crackers, etc) to take in the car for the road trip so we didn't have to keep stopping for munchies or drinks. It's only a 5-6 hour drive, but I'm sure someone along the way will say they are hungry or thirsty.

Later this evening, I will also be attempting to color my hair. At the moment, I have several gray strands peeking through and I really don't want them "peeking" out in any pictures that might be taken of myself this weekend. I don't like having my picture taken anyway, let alone with a skunk stripe of gray running down the middle of my head so will get that done tonight.

I am really hoping that my back doesn't decide to flare up on me and bother me this weekend. I'm worried that the long drive up to Chicago will set it off or that the different bed Friday night will make it to where I can barely stand up straight Saturday morning. I already know that I'm not going to be able to do a lot of walking before it starts hurting. I tried doing some yesterday and it didn't take long at all before pain started shooting down my leg. I even tried walking laps in the pool, but only made it three times around before it hurt there too. So that is going to limit some of my sight-seeing fun. My daughter did let me know that Navy Pier rents out wheelchairs, but I really don't want to do that. I'm not disabled, I just have a pinched nerve and I would hate to take a chair that someone else might need worse then I do.

Anywho, I should probably get off here and finish up some more stuff. I'll be sure to fill you all in when we return on how our trip went. As for now, I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July weekend!

Finally Figured It Out

2008-06-30T15:58:00.002-05:00

After much, much, much debate on where we should go this upcoming 4th of July weekend for a nice, albeit short, vacation, we have finally decided on the Windy City...yep, Chicago here we come.

I was beginning to think that my family was never going to agree on a location. We had places ranging from Tampa to San Diego to Galveston...all of these are plane rides away and would require a bit more planning on my end to accomplish. We also had Lake of the Ozarks, Kentucky Lake, Chicago, and Nashville on the list too, all within driving distance and much more doable, in my opinion, for a 3 day weekend.

All of these places would be nice to visit. I'd love to actually make it to every single one of them eventually. BUT...when you only have 3 days and really don't want to spend a lot of time either driving or a lot of money to fly, well, a 3-4 hour trip is just so much better.

I think we will be able to accomodate every person's vacation desires by going to Chicago. My daughter wants a beach/ocean view...well, there's Lake Michigan for her. My son wants fun stuff, like amusement park rides. Well, hello, Navy Pier!! They have a huge ferris wheel just beckoning him to test it out. My hubby's desire was good food. Hmm, Chicago and food? Yeah, I think he'll be pleasantly surprised with what he can find to tempt his taste buds in good ol' Chicago. Myself, well, I didn't really have any one thing that I wanted in a trip. Mine was more a combination of a water view (again, the lake), fun stuff to do (all types of attractions) and being able to spend a nice weekend with my family and not having to worry about work. I definitely think that one is doable.

Just Some Summer Fun Stuff

2008-06-23T18:08:00.003-05:00

Been busy here so just thought I'd post a few blogthing quizzes for you to try. Have fun!!!

You Should Spend Your Summer at the Beach

You're a free spirit who is always thinking of new ways to have fun.

And you don't just love summer... you live for it.

So, you really should blow off your responsibilities and head to the beach!

Where Should You Spend Your Summer?

You Are Strawberry Ice Cream

A bit shy and sensitive, you are sweet to the core.

You often find yourself on the outside looking in.

Insightful and pensive, you really understand how the world works.

You are most compatible with chocolate chip ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

You are Platform Sandals

Funky and urban

You've got a cutting edge style that everyone envies

A little bit downtown, a little bit euro, and whole lot of sexy!

What Kind of Sandal Are You?

What Your Flip Flops Say About You

You are a very sweet and sensitive person.

You connect with other people easily.

You're the type of person who feels bad about killing bugs.

You hate to see anyone - or anything - in pain.

Your ideal warm weather place: Thailand

The Flip Flop Test

You Are a Classic Bikini!

You are the type of gal who looks good in almost any bikini.

Going for the understated look, you don't need a flashy bikini to turn heads.

What Kind of Bikini Are You?

Thank God It's Over

2008-06-18T20:16:00.002-05:00

I never want to go through another ct scan again! The ct scan itself wasn't that bad, but the preparation, the nervousness and the crap i dealt with afterwards was for the birds. When I woke up yesterday morning, my stomach was already doing flip flops. By the time I got to the hospital, my hands were shaking so much that I couldn't sign my name legibly and I thought I was going to pass out. I made it through registration though and they took me back to radiology to wait. I kept telling my mom that I hoped it took forever to call me back, but unfortunately they called me so fast I didn't even have time to get comfortable. Dang, don't they know people are supposed to WAIT in a hospital? Geez!

They took me into this big room with several different curtained areas, each containing a hospital bed. The told me to go into one where I had to get into a gown and then they started on the blood work. That was NOT fun. Even though I'd drank enough water to replenish an entire lake the day before, it seemed, apparantly I was still dehydrated and every time they'd find a vein to put my IV in, it would collapse. Lucky me now has exactly 11 little holes with 11 not so little bruises in her arms!

When they finally got the IV in, the nurse took my blood pressure. I was so nervous and worked up at the point, my bp read something like 166/85! The nurse kept asking me if I had high blood pressure and I kept telling her that normally I don't. It didn't sink in to her what I was saying though. When the doctor that was going to do the myleogram came in though, he realized that I was pretty nervous and he offered to give me some good drugs to calm me down. NOW, we're talking :)

Once they gave me the feel good drugs, I didn't have a care in the world. I didn't feel them insert the needle into my back for the dye, I didn't feel them flip me over onto a different table to wheel me into the ct lab, I didn't even care when they went to take me to x-ray and my IV tube got caught between the gurney and was just about ripped out when they transferred me from it to another one. Nope, didn't care at all.

After all that fun stuff was finished, I got to lay flat on my back for 2 hours. They were nice enough to feed me lunch, but that was a real pain to do laying flat on my back. Mom helped though so I managed to get some food into my rumbling stomach. All this time, the nurses kept checking on me to see how I was feeling. I told them the only problem I had was a bit of nausea. Not a problem, they said, it would wear off. Okie dokie.

I laid there for 2 hours pretty much staring at the ceiling. They had tvs in the room, but I couldn't see the darn things in the position I was laying. I tried to sleep, but every time I closed my eyes the bed would start spinning so I kept them open. When the two hours were almost up, the doctor who did the myleogram came in and said that to him it looked like i do indeed have a disk problem, but he wouldn't go into detail because that "isn't his area of expertise". But, at least now I know that I don't have some big tumor or a alien being growing in my tailbone.

After the 2 hours were up, mom and I started the drive home. I thank God for my mom every day, but yesterday I thanked him doubly. If it weren't for her, I don't think I'd have made it home. The nausea got the best of me about halfway and I ended up getting sick. Not fun, but mom had came prepared. She knew from past and personal experience that vomit was a huge possibility after any type of stay in the hospital and had stocked her car with a big bucket, wet wipes, breath mints and bottled water. She was never a girl scout when she was younger, but she rocked the "Be Prepared" motto that day.

I finally made it home and was so thankful to get into my own bed. Drs. orders were to stay in bed the remainder of the day and believe me, I was very happy to comply. I think I slept longer yesterday then I have since I was a baby. I didn't even hear my husband come to bed that night. I was dead to the world.

When I woke up this morning, however, I was sore. Not just sore at the injection sight, but sore all over, like I'd been hit by a truck. My arms hurt, my back hurt, my sides and my legs hurt. I just felt like crapola! When the nurse called from the hospital this morning to check in on me, she could tell by the tone of my voice that I wasn't feeling right. I told her what was going on and she said that was probably just from laying around all day yesterday, but to keep an eye on it and if I got worse to call back. Thankfully, I'm feeling much better now. I am still sore and I am still moving slow, but I'm almost back to normal....well, as normal as I can get anyway.

Now the waiting begins. I hope that someone cancels at the neurologist so that I can get in sooner then July 24, BUT I'm also dreading that appointment because I know that the possibility of surgery could come up. But, I will just go with it when it happens. i can't change the results so why worry about them now, right?

Scared Sh**less!

2008-06-17T05:13:00.003-05:00

Ok, today is the day....ct scan with myleogram. My hands are shaking so bad that I can barely type this. I don't know why I'm so scared. People take this test every day with no problem. Why do I think that I'll be that 1% that has complications? I don't know. Fear of the unknown? Yeah, that's probably it. I have to leave in about fifteen minutes, will be there for approximately four hours, then should be home around noon or so. I'll fill everyone in on how it goes. Wish me luck. And while you're at it....anybody out there want to take my place? Please?!??!

More flooding

2008-06-13T19:20:00.003-05:00

My previous post was about the flooding we are dealing with here in my little town, but today's post is about flooding in Cedar Rapids. My best friend in the whole wide world lives in Coggon, IA, just a few miles northeast of Cedar Rapids. Thankfully, her home and her family are all ok. The Wapsi River crested today and never did flood into their property. The Cedar River, however, has overrun the town of Cedar Rapids. Her husband works in Cedar Rapids and according to her email to me this evening, there is only one route left to even get INTO Cedar Rapids at the moment that isn't covered by water. The major highways are all closed and at least 83 of the 99 counties are considered disaster areas. She also told me that a lot of stores like Walmart are out of bread, water, milk, etc. How scary is that? Here are just a few pictures, compliments of Yahoo Images:

this is an OVERPASS! There is actually a road that goes underneath that bridge.
a train track that goes over the Cedar River that the flood waters have almost covered
View of downtown Cedar Rapids. That is I380 running through the middle of the picture. They closed that road at 6pm tonight and say it might be closed for a week.
A view of the one of the downtown streets. It almost looks like Venice with all the water!

Flooding

2008-06-09T17:12:00.006-05:00

Here are a few pictures of the major flooding that is taking place around the area from the record 9-10" of rain we received Friday night/Saturday morning.

The scary thing is that there are no rivers by the houses that are flooded in these pictures. This is all from ditches, heavy rain and SMALL streams in the area! I don't have any pictures of the actual rivers that have flooded and overflowed their banks.

I'm Glad I Don't Live Back in the 30's

2008-06-09T15:27:00.002-05:00

As a 1930s wife, I am
Average

Take the test!

Want to see how you would have done being a wife back in the 1930's? Check out the quiz.

I agree that marriage is a holy union and that husbands and wives should put each other first, but some of the questions in this quiz were just downright stupid. I respect my husband and try to make our marriage a happy one for him and for myself, but has to work both ways.

One of those days

2008-06-06T13:57:00.002-05:00

Ever had one of those days where all you want to do is pull your hair out? Today's been one of those for me. I won't go into details, but I will say this...I despise days like this!!!!

Give me a mojito and a warm bubble bath, leave me alone for a few hours and I should be fine.

Neurologist Visit

2008-06-02T12:07:00.002-05:00

I went to see the neurologist today. After many months of waiting, it was finally the "big day". I picked up my mom (she went along for moral support) and we were on our way. I got there about 20 minutes early and after checking in, the nurse led me right back to the exam room. No waiting at all, which was a very nice surprise. I was only in the exam room for maybe 10 minutes when the doctor came in. First thing he did was introduce himself then sat down and asked me tons of questions about the pain, how long it has been going on, what type (burning, stinging, stabbing), location of pain, etc.

He then went to the physical exam. He did the reflex thing where they hit your knee and I tested fine there. I also did fine on the other reflex tests that he did. I did not do well on the strength tests he had me do. I couldn't move my leg forward when he was pushing against it and I couldn't straighten my leg out in front of me when I tried before it started hurting. I also couldn't walk without a limp or without leaning forward, which he noticed as soon as I got up from the chair to walk to the exam table.

Results from this appointment were inconclusive. Dr. Wilson said he couldn't read the mri from all the hardware that is in my back. He said that the metal showed up wonderfully, but the spine/discs/etc. were so blurry that it looked like the pictures were taken underwater. So, he scheduled me for a ct scan with myleography. I was hoping I wouldn't have to have that done, but I go in June 17th for that. This is where they inject me with iodine and take pics that way. I will have that done then go back to see the neurologist at the end of July. That's the soonest they could get me back in. Argh! This means another 2 f***ing months before I know anything! I was a bit peeved afterwards, but what can I do? I knew I wouldn't get any definitive answers today anyway, but it is still annoying.

Tomorrow's the Day

2008-06-01T09:17:00.003-05:00

I'm getting a little nervous about my doctor's appointment tomorrow. I know that there is the possibility of surgery being discussed, but even though I'm prepared to hear it, I don't want to hear it. I've been trying to keep extremely busy this weekend to keep my mind off of it, but that is hard to do when you can't move around a lot.

It's been a girls only weekend for my daughter and I. Hubby and son went to Delaware to pick up a new truck. Yes, they travelled halfway across the US to pick up a stupid truck, but hey, it was cheap and in excellent condition so, according to hubby, that made it worth the while. Anyway, I've really enjoyed the bonding time I've had with my daughter. I love that we get along so well and she feels comfortable enough to talk to me about certain things. I know I don't have much time left with her living here at home so I'm stockpiling as much "us" time as I can get. Oh, back to the earlier subject. This is what I've accomplished so far:

We worked on the pool for a little bit Friday evening, what we could do anyway without a lot of water. We pulled the winter cover the rest of the way off and got it all cleaned up and stored away. (she did the heavy lifting, I supervised. lol). We put the ladder in, cleaned out the leaves and dirt the best we could, etc. We have all our pool stuff out on the deck now so it looks really summery out there. Now to just get the water in the pool so we can start enjoying it.

Yesterday, daughter and I went shopping and just enjoyed the morning. Her friend came over that afternoon to finish studying for finals and then last night we all went out for pizza. Another nice evening. Today I'm doing laundry and I'm sure daughter will help out as much as I need her. Hubby called earlier and is on his way back. He's almost to Ohio and said he should be here by 6pm. We'll see. So far, he's made pretty good time.

So, tomorrow is the day. Like I said earlier, I'm nervous. Maybe I'll drink my way through today to keep my nerves calm. Hmm, actually that sounds like a wonderful way to spend a Sunday. I'm off to mix me up some pina coladas. Yummy!

Damn It!!!!

2008-05-29T13:49:00.005-05:00

Just went out to check the pool cover to see if all the water had been drained off only to find out that we have no water INSIDE the darn pool now! Seems that we had what the pool supply company is calling "the bathtub effect" take place. In other words, as the water on the cover got heavier, it pushed the water inside the pool up and under the top rail, between the walls and out onto the ground.....all.....winter.....long. Now waiting on the water hauling service we used last year to call me back with a price quote. I know it's going to be way more expensive this year since the cost of fuel has gone up so much. What do you do though? I bought that pool to swim in during the summer, I'm not going to just let it sit there.

EDIT: $35 per load plus $65 per hour, averaging 3 hours per load. That is the quote from the water hauler. I know when he first filled the pool, it took 4 loads. I figure this time will take at least 3 loads. That is going to come to around $690! It only cost us $500 to fill it completely last year!

What does this mean?

2008-05-29T10:25:00.003-05:00

I went to pick up a copy of my MRI today so I can take it to the neurologist on Monday. When I got the copy home, I had to look at it just to see what my spine looks like and found a note in with the films. It was a letter to my regular doctor stating the findings on the MRI. I'm doing some digging online to see what some of these words mean, but here is what was said:

At L4-5, disc desiccation is present Huh? What is desiccation? I looked online and this is what I've found so far.

This means "atrophy" or "drying out" of the intervertebral disc, resulting in loss of height. Spinal discs are normally rubbery round pads that are filled with a jelly-like substance called the nucleus. Normal disks are well hydrated, the nucleus containing 80 to 85% water and the anulus about 80%. Together with the cartilaginous end plates of the adjacent vertebral bodies, the intervertebral disk forms a disk complex that gives structural integrity to the interspace and cushions the mechanical forces applied to the spine. Dessication is often considered the first stage of spinal degenerative changes, and no longer provides the cushioning necessary between vertebrae.

Ok, so that would explain why I'm half an inch shorter now then I was when I was younger.

Metallic artifact at this level creates limitation of evaluation of patency of the canal Ok, I know what metallic artifact is. I have two steel rods in my back along with several pins and screws from my scoliosis surgery. But what is "Patency of the canal"?

Looks like this is talking about the narrowing of the spinal canal. Apparantly, the metal is making it too hard for the doctor to tell if there is any narrowing of the spinal canal here. Patent means the pathways are clear. I hope mine are.

And finally:

The canal and neuroforamina are patent at L5-S-1 Again, this looks to have something to do with the narrowing of the spinal canal. The neuroforamina is the neural opening. Again, patent means open so I guess this mean that the neural opening is clear and there isn't anything bulging into that space? Now I'm more confused then ever. The only thing I figured out for sure was that first paragraph about the disc desiccation. Everything else is still a muddled mess in my head. Guess I'll just wait and see if the neurologist can explain it better to me in simple English.

Happy Hump Day

2008-05-28T14:57:00.004-05:00

I'm so far off on my days this week since Monday was a holiday. All day today I've been trying to say it is Thursday. I guess I'm trying to get my doctor's appointment here faster. I mentioned in yesterday's post that the doctor rescheduled me for this coming Monday, June 2nd, so I'm very happy that I don't have to wait until next Friday now. That's a few less days of suffering that I can look forward too. I know that I'm not going to go in and get instant relief from the doctor, but I am hoping that he can at least come up with a solution for me. I'm even OK with the idea of surgery now. I had said in the beginning that I would not go through another back surgery, but after seeing how much pain I was in over the weekend and the total lack of mobility that I had, well, let's just say that my mind has been changed. Plus, I talked to my brother in law, who had surgery for a ruptured disk a few years ago and he is fine so what do I have to worry about. Right?

I also talked to a relative of my sister in law who's daughter had disk surgery just this past year. She was telling me about microdiskectomy, which is what her daughter had. It's all done through a teeny tiny little incision so no major scars and very little time in the hospital, if any at all. The doctor that I am going to be seeing actually does this as an outpatient procedure! I've done a bit of reading about this option and, if I would have to have surgery, this would be the one that I'd hope to have. Let's hope it doesn't come to the surgery deal, but if so I'm prepared. I have also read up on the lumbar disk surgery so know what to expect from that too. I guess I won't know anything though until my doctor's appointment.

It's Over Already?

2008-05-27T09:49:00.006-05:00

Did I really have a 3 day weekend? It sure doesn't feel like it. Maybe it's because my back was out for 2 of those 3 days and I didn't get to enjoy the time off work like I'd wanted. Yeah, you read that right. My darn back was out. It started bugging me Saturday, but not enough that it stopped me from doing laundry and other chores. No, it waited until I got up Sunday morning, the day of my brother's picnic, to really kick in. I was able to take vicodin and at least get up to my brothers, eat lunch and visit with family a little, but I was so spacey that I didn't really enjoy myself. We ended up leaving early and coming back home. I thought that rest would help me feel better, but by the time Sunday evening got here I was to the point that I just wanted someone to shoot me. I couldn't stand up. I couldn't sit down. I couldn't move without my back sending shooting pain up my back and down my legs. I finally just took another vicodin and a celebrex and went to bed, hoping that I felt better Monday morning. No such luck though.

When I got up Monday, I "thought" I was feeling better, but then I bent over to pick up a pair of pants and my back completely went out and I ended up on the floor. Talk about painful! I don't know how long I laid there before I finally just told myself that I had to get up. I managed to pull myself over to the bed and lug my big ol' butt up off the floor that way. I spent most of yesterday on the couch, sipping banana rum and watching tv. I didn't move a lot at all because every movement sent sharp pains in all directions.

Thinking that a hot bath might help, I had hubby help me into the tub later that evening. It felt good while I was in there, but then I had the fun of trying to get back out. Major mistake on my part. It took several minutes to even haul myself up to a kneeling position, then to standing. I had to have hubby physically lift me over the side of the tub because I couldn't get my leg up high enough without pain. Talk about embarrassing! It's one thing to have your husband sweep you lovingly into his arms, but to have to haul your naked butt out of the tub because you can't move, well, let's just say it isn't the most romantic thing.

Later that evening when I went to bed, I decided to seek a bit of help from the man upstairs. I wasn't looking for a huge miracle cure, just enough help to get me moving again. I have a doctor's appointment next week. I can deal with the type of pain I'd been having in the one leg (numbness, some throbbing, etc), but I just could not deal with the inability to move and do my daily things. I just kept repeating over and over until I fell asleep that I needed help.

When I woke up this morning, I really didn't figure I'd feel any different and when I first rolled over to shut the alarm off I did still feel twinges in my lower back. But, I got up and slowly made my way to the bathroom...no problem. I got dressed...no problem. I walked out to the living room...still no problem. I think it is safe to say that I got my little miracle. I still have pain in the right leg and it is still tingling and sort of numb, but the pain in my left hip/lower back is pretty much gone today! I'm taking it easy and not over doing, for fear that I'll mess it up again, but at least I'm able to walk out to the car, even if it is slowly. I was able to drive into town, get some work done online, etc. I hope beyond hope that it stays this way....at least until my doctor's appointment next Friday.

EDIT: Got a phone call from the neurologist this afternoon to let me know that the doctor wasn't going to be in next Friday. I thought, "great, how much longer am I going to have to wait now", but I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they wanted me to come in this coming Monday, the 2nd, instead. Yay! Less time to wait in pain. I'm very very happy.

I'm back...I think

2008-05-22T13:23:00.002-05:00

Did you miss me? I am finally back. I finished up the billing only to end up sick as a dog for a few days. Started feeling better from that and then my back started acting up. To end it all, I had a killer migraine yesterday that totally threw me for a loop. I accomplished absolutely squat the entire day and so today has been a day of playing catch up. I think I deserve this 3 day weekend coming up although I've already been informed that we'll be doing yardwork and getting the pool ready so I guess I'll still be working. Blah!

I'll be MIA for awhile

2008-05-12T17:44:00.001-05:00

Had a good Mother's Day. I hope all you other mom's out there did too. Weather sucked, but spending time with the family was awesome. I'll be super busy this week getting this months billing finished up so I can get it sent out by Thurday. I hate this time of the month. That is until all the checks start rolling in. Then it isn't so bad. Anyway, just wanted to let you know if you didn't hear from me for a while then that is why. Later All!!!

The Big 4-0

2008-05-08T14:58:00.005-05:00

Today is my birthday...the big 4-0. I must admit that I wasn't looking forward to this day. For the past year, I've been teased about turning 40 and it was starting to get to me. I got up this morning, however, with a good attitude and guess what. It's actually made the day pretty good. Oh, and the gifts helped a lot too. HA!

My daughter gave me two cds:

I had lunch with my mom,

And hubby sent me these beautiful flowers:

Hubby is also saying that there will be dinner out tonight and my son also has a gift for me, but he said I had to wait until he gets home from school today to receive it. All in all, a good 40th. I don't know what I was afraid of.

Cinco De Mayo

2008-05-05T11:18:00.004-05:00

Happy Cinco De Mayo to those of you who celebrate. I have always wondered what the origin of Cinco De Mayo was, being as I'm not of mexican or chicano descent. I did a bit of online digging and found some interesting facts. If you want to read the entire article, click HERE. Otherwise, here are just a few interesting facts that I'd like to share:

1. Cinco De Mayo marks the victory of the Mexicans over the French in the Battle of Puebla, demonstrating to the world that Mexico and Latin America would defend themselves of any foreign intervention.

2. Cinco De Mayo is more commercialized now in the United States then it is in Mexico, and is more of a Chicano holiday then a Mexican one.

3. People of Mexican descent in the United States celebrate this significant day by having parades, mariachi music, folklorico dancing and other types of festive activities.

Socialspark

2008-05-02T15:41:00.003-05:00

Hi all. As some of you know, I am self-employed with my husband. We run our own business out of our house. That is fine and all, but there never seems to be enough money coming in to pay our bills. So, I've been looking at alternative ways to earn money, mainly by utilizing this blog. I am already a member of several pay to write websites, but am always on the lookout for more. I wanted to let you all know that there is a new one out there. It's called SocialSpark and it is awesome.

It is similar to the other websites, but this one is better in so many ways. First of all, they offer the following code of ethics:

-100% Audit-able In-Post Disclosure
-100% Transparency
-100% Real Opinions
-100% Search Engine Friendly

It's a super easy website to use. You know how some websites you just feel lost when you get there? Socialspark is definitely not one of them. This website is easy and to the point.

It's a great place to meet people and make friends. That's the "social" part of the whole thing. I love meeting new people online!

Obviously, another great deal with this website is that you can make money. I like that you can do it in your own time and in your own home.

But, I think, the biggest thing about Socialspark is that it drives traffic to your blog. You can search blogs on the website and others can search yours. You find some fabulous new reads and you get tons of traffic to your blog in return. More traffic equals more opps to write about equals more money in your pocket. So, why not head on over to SocialSpark today. You'll be glad you did.

Woo Hoo!

2008-05-01T17:23:00.005-05:00

I knew that my hubby had talked to someone about getting our deck built around the pool this year, but I had no idea that he'd already made plans for them to do it. This is what I came home to today:

I'm so excited! No climbing out of the pool on a wobbly ladder this year. No chance of slipping and breaking my neck on wet plastic. No grassy feet getting into the clean pool water. Yay! This deck is attached to our other deck by the walkway that you can see in the second picture. The deck by the pool isn't huge, but it is big enough to set a couple of lawn chairs or a chair and side table on. It'll be so nice to be able to climb out of the pool and sunbathe if I want this year. Or, if I don't feel like getting into the pool, I'll still be able to sit out by it and enjoy watching the kids swim. I'm just so ecstatic about this whole surprise. Now it just needs to warm up enough so I can enjoy it.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

2008-04-29T16:19:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday Baby Girl. Hard to believe she is 17 years old today. Boy has the time flown!!!

Randomness

2008-04-29T15:09:00.003-05:00

Stolen from Crazy Lady in Vegas, here is a random bit of silly for your day.

60 questions answered with 1 word

1)What is in the back seat of your car right now? junk

2)When was the last time you threw up? 2007

3)What’s your favorite word or phrase? craptastic!!

4)Who made you smile today? Mom

5)What were you doing at 8 am this morning? driving

6)What were you doing 30 minutes ago? peeing

7)Favorite board game? scrabble

8)Have you ever been to a strip club? nope

9)What is the last thing you said aloud? hello

10)What is the best ice cream flavor? chocolate

11)What was the last thing you had to drink? soda

12)What are you wearing right now?clothes

13)What was the last thing you ate? chinese

14)Have you bought any new clothing items this week?nope

15)When was the last time you ran?pfft!

16)What’s the last sporting event you watched?football

17)If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?Hawaii

18)Who is the last person you sent a comment/message on myspace? nobody

19)Ever go camping?once

20)Do you have a tan? no.

21)Do you use smiley faces on the computer a lot? Depends

22)Do you drink your soda from a straw? Sometimes.

23)What did your last text message say? bye

24)Are you someone’s best friend? yes

25)What are you doing tomorrow? working

26)Where is your mom right now? home

27)Look to your left, what do you see? phone

28)What color is your watch? silver

29)What do you think of when you think of Australia? koala

30)Ever ridden on a roller coaster? No

.
31)Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? drive

32)Do you have any friends on myspace that you actually hate? possibly

33)Do you have a dog? No

34)Last person you talked to on the phone? Josh

35)Have you met anyone famous? Yes

36)Any plans today? dinner

37)Are you happy?Yes

38)Where are you right now?work

39)Biggest annoyance in your life right now? sciatica

40)Last song listened to? Get Stoned (oops, two words)

41)Last movie you saw? bad

42)Are you allergic to anything? lots

43)Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? sketchers

44)Are you jealous of anyone?nope

44)Are you married?yes

45)Is anyone jealous of you? possibly

46)What time is it? 3:29

47)Do any of your friends have children?lots

48)Do you eat healthy?sometimes

49)What do you usually do during the day?work

50)Do you hate anyone right now? no

51)Do you use the word ‘hello’ daily?Yes

52)How many kids do you want? two

53)How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 40(!!!!)

55)How did you get one of your scars? scoliosis

57) When was the last time u got ditched? ???

58) Did you like school?? sometimes

59) Is it natural for someone to be sad all the time??no

60) Do you smoke? no

Prom 2008

2008-04-28T10:51:00.003-05:00

My daughter had her junior prom Saturday evening. She said she had a lot of fun. She went with a bunch of her friends. Hard for me to believe that she is old enough to be going to prom. It seems like I should still be that age. It hit me hard when she was all dressed and ready to go Saturday. She looked so grown up. What happened to my baby girl? When did she become a lovely young woman? Here are a few pictures that I took before she left for the night. I'll have more once we get them downloaded to the computer. For now, though, here is my lovely not-so-little girl. Enjoy!!

This and That Update

2008-04-24T10:47:00.003-05:00

I noticed that I hadn't written for almost a week and figured I'd better post to let everybody know what's going on here.

Thankfully, things have calmed down some. My son is doing much better. No more neck pain and his knee is pretty well healed too. My back is still giving me problems, but I think it will until I get in to see the doctor in June. At least I can function. There for awhile I couldn't do much of anything because it hurt to sit, stand, lay down and everything else. I wasn't sleeping at night and was totally exhausted which really didn't help the pain either. So, although I'm still hurting, it isn't as bad. The part that scares me the most is that my leg is constantly numb on the outside now. It just makes me wonder how much damage I have already done to the nerve and how much more will there be by the time I get in to see the doctor. Will it even be fixable by that time? Scary thought. My daughter had to have another appointment with the doctor for her knee. She wanted to send her to an orthopedist, but after finding out that our insurance wouldn't cover it (benefits of being self-employed strike again!) she said that physical therapy would probably help just as well and we should go that route first. My daughter is now doing knee strengthening exercises twice a day (here at home) to see how that works. If it doesn't then obviously the orthopedist will be called, but if it does work then that's great too.

Hubby is going to a biodiesel seminar this weekend in Nebraska. With the price of diesel going through the roof, he's decided that we have to do something to cut costs or we're going to go out of business. Already, he's paying almost $4.15 a gallon for diesel. Our big trucks (all three of them) easily take $300 each time we fuel them up and that is usually once each day. Plus we also have two smaller ones that top out over $150 each fuel up. We don't run those every day, but still it adds up when we do. He'll be gone all weekend for the seminar so no relaxation for him:(

My daughter has her junior prom this weekend. She's been busy all week, helping to decorate for it. She's getting excited. She is going with a bunch of her friends so it should be really fun. I'll post pictures when we get them back afterwards. I just hope the weather holds out and it is a nice day/evening for the activities. Pictures always look so much prettier when they are taken outdoors. Right now they are saying there might be rain this weekend so we are all keeping our fingers crossed that it doesn't.

Guess that's it. I'm so happy to finally not have a major catastrophe or illness to write about.

Was that an earthquake?!?!?!

2008-04-18T10:28:00.004-05:00

Yes, Yes, it was an earthquake! Here in Illinois, at approximately 4:40am this morning, we had a 5.2 magnitude earthquake. I didn't realize what was going on at first. I was in such a deep sleep (thank you vicodin:) that I thought my husband was getting out of bed when I first felt it shaking. That changed quickly however when the pictures on the walls started to rattle and the cat and the kids came running into the bedroom. It lasted for around 35-45 seconds, but felt like an eternity. Nothing like what happens in California, but still scary to say the least.

It started shaking again about an hour ago (9:30am), but didn't last as long, ten seconds maybe, and didn't produce the same rattling and shaking feeling. I was on the phone at the time though and the person I was talking with said she could feel it too, but it lasted a lot longer for her. Maybe she was closer to the center? I don't know. What I do know is that I don't want to feel the earth moving under my feet anymore today or in the near or even distant future. Too scary for my liking! If interested, you can read more about it here. Just click on the side where it says Magnitude 5.2 Illinois April 18, 2008.

UPDATE: Seems like the majority of people that I talked to today about the earthquake thought the same thing that I did...that someone was shaking their beds to wake them up. My mom thought that was what was happening, so did my dad, my aunt thought it was thunder, my uncle thought it was their furnace acting up. Found out today that this was actually the third earthquake I've experienced. I knew that I'd experienced one back in 1987. I remember that one. Scared me almost as much as this mornings did, but it was afternoon when it happened and I was home with my dad so he made me feel a little safer. Anyway, my mom said that I also experienced one back in 1968 when I was but a wee babe of 6 months of age. Mom said that she had just put me down for a nap when things started shaking. she immediately picked me up and ran outdoors, not knowing what to think. Of course, it stopped after awhile and things were calm after that. Well, almost all was calm. I guess since mom woke me up from my nap that I decided it was play time. She said I didn't go back to sleep that afternoon at all. Hmm, kind of sounds like how I was this morning. No way was I going to go back to sleep after almost being shaken out of my bed.

In Need of LOL

2008-04-17T12:03:00.003-05:00

After the past few weeks that I've had, I really needed some cheering up, some cuteness, some laughter. My daughter had told me about a website called I can has cheezburger awhile back and I thought now was as good a time as any to check it out.

I'd actually seen a few of these pictures on Facebook under lol cats, but I didn't realize that there was an entire website dedicated to the adorable things. Here are just a few that I loved and wanted to share with you all.

Aren't they just adorable? If you want to check out more of them, just visit icanhascheezburger.com.

You've GOT to be Kidding!

2008-04-15T18:24:00.002-05:00

A sore back and sciatic nerve problems I can handle. Falling on my knee and banging it up also I can handle too. My kids both having knee problems, again, doable. But yesterday, when my son said his neck popped and he couldn't move, that wasn't so manageable.

Actually, it scared the shit out of me! Waking up to the words, "Mom, Matt is crying. He said his neck popped and he can't move" isn't the most enjoyable way to start out a Monday morning. We are still befuddled as to how he did it because all he said he did was reach out to turn off his alarm clock. He said he felt something tear in his neck then it popped and he couldn't move from the pain. His first thought was that he'd broken his neck. Thank God that didn't happen! We called the ambulance though for fear of taking him in my car that it might do more harm then good. He was in the ER from 7:30am until almost 1:30pm and was diagnosed with a cervical strain, similar to whiplash. Again, no idea how he did it, but we're all relieved that it wasn't worse.

However, how much more can my poor family take? What's next? Every single person in this house has something physically wrong with them. It's getting to be just a tad bit ridiculous. I just hope this is it. Let us all heal and get back to normal around here.

Trying to Join the Club

2008-04-13T14:31:00.002-05:00

As you know from my last couple of posts, my kids are having problems with their knees. Both kids, one left knee, one right knee. I was joking with my daughter yesterday about how I felt left out of her and my son's exclusive "knee club". She told me that I couldn't join unless I hurt my knee, my back hurting wasn't enough of a qualification. We chuckled about it and then went on about our day. Who would have thought that later that afternoon I'd almost qualify to join the "club" after all.

I had to run to the post office to get stamps for this month's billing to be sent out. On my way out to the garage, I was walking in front of my daughter's car when my foot, for some reason, decided not to lift high enough to step over the bag of grass seed that was laying there. Lo and behold, down I went....on my right knee, full body force into the concrete. Pain shot down my leg, up my back, through my kneecap. I thought I was down for the count. After taking several deep breaths however, and realizing that our walls must be extremely sound proof since nobody was coming to my aid even though I did my fair amount of screaming and yelling, I pulled myself up, wiped the dirt off my pants legs and went ahead and got in my car. I figured as long as I could walk that I wasn't hurt bad enough to go back inside. Besides, I really needed those stamps.

All the way into town, my knee was throbbing. It burned and stung so I knew I'd scraped it up pretty good, but I wasn't going to give in to my curiousity and look at how badly it was hurt. Not until I got home was I going to pull that pants leg up and investigate. I got my stamps and even went to the gas station and fueled up my car then headed home. As soon as I got inside, my daughter asked if I'd yelled for her when I left. All kinds of smart ass remarks came to mind, but I kept them to myself and instead told her that yes, I had indeed yelled for her, but when she didn't answer I just kept on going. She asked what I'd needed and when I told her what I'd done she just smirked and said that I'd do pretty much anything to get into that club, wouldn't I? Smart ass!:)

Anyway, to make a very long story much shorter (sorry), I fell on my knee, didn't do much damage to it, it's scraped up and black and blue, kind of stiff, but not too bad. It'll be fine in a week. I still didn't get into the club either. My daughter said that they already had a rightie (her), and since that's the knee I hurt there just wasn't an opening for me. She said if I hurt both knees then they'd think about letting me join. I think I'll pass.

Two Little Monkeys Jumpin' on the Bed

2008-04-09T17:57:00.002-05:00

Children Medical Update: Took both kid's to the doctor today for their knees. After x-rays, the conclusions are as follows:

Daughter...nothing showed up as being broken or torn on xray, must wear knee brace for stability, rest and keep her leg elevated as much as possible, no gym for two weeks. At the end of two weeks, if knee is still not feeling better, an MRI will be required. She does have some fluid on her knee, but not a lot so no need to drain at the moment.

Son...bruised bone right below his knee. Must wear splint for 7-10 days to keep imobile, rest and keep leg elevated as much as possible, no gym for one week. At the end of the 10 days, if leg is not feeling better, must return for another x-ray to see if bruise is concealing a stress fracture.

Ugh, Ugh, Ugh on both. I really hope that in two weeks time, all is healed and no more doctors visits are needed for either child. Joys of being a parent, I know, but the trips to the doctors office are becoming too close for me. When I walk in and the office staff has me signed in before I even make it to the desk, well, that just screams that I've been in there too darn much!

Humpty Dumpty's Family

2008-04-05T21:55:00.004-05:00

Let me introduce you all to Humpty Dumpty's family. First, myself. I guess I'm the original Humpty. With my back problems, I feel like I'll never be put back together again. Next, is Hubby Dumpty. He is also having back problems, shoulder problems and such. His is from too much heavy lifting and unless he can sell our business or find some other smuck to do all the physical labor, well, guess he won't be getting put back together anytime soon either. Next is my daughter. She fell a couple of months back at school while going up the stairs. Yes, you read that right. She fell UP the stairs. Anyway, she landed on her knee. It swelled up like a balloon and was black and blue for a few days, but nothing major. Except for now. Now it has decided to start giving her problems. By problems I mean locking up on her while she is walking or completely buckling under her weight. Not good. She goes to the doctor on Wednesday and maybe, just maybe, they can put her back together again. Then today, the final member of the Humpty Dumpty family...my son. He's usually a pretty rough and tumble kid, but today he wrecked his go-cart and banged up his knee. He is also icing it, keeping it elevated, and such, but I have a feeling we'll be seeing the good ol' doctor for him too. So there you have it...the entire Humpty Dumpty family. I think I'm just going to wrap everybody in bubble wrap. Maybe then we won't be breaking anymore.

Still Waiting

2008-03-27T11:34:00.002-05:00

Finally heard back from my doctor about the neurologist's appointment for my back. Looks like I can't get in to see him until JUNE 6!!! I'm annoyed, but relieved at the same time. I know I need to get some sort of an answer as to why I'm hurting, but at the same time I'm afraid to find out what is causing the pain and how it would need to be fixed. Everything I've read about sciatica has pointed to surgery if the pain radiates farther down then mid-thigh. Well, my pain radiates all the way down to my ankle so I just have this feeling that I will need surgery OR that there won't be anything they can do for me. Both are scary thoughts.

I had back surgery when I was 13 years old for my scoliosis and I really don't want to have to go through another one. I know there are people out there who are saying to themselves "Why? If it will get rid of your pain, why not go through surgery". And my answer is this: If you have never gone through back surgery then you don't know how frightening it is especially when the doctors put the possibility of paralysis out there. I know that there have been lots of advancements in surgical techniques since I had my surgery all those years ago, but there is still that possibility that surgery wouldn't turn out right. Maybe I'm just a big chicken. Yeah, I know I am.

I guess I will just have to wait and see. Maybe, come June, I won't even be in pain anymore. I HOPE I'm not in pain that long.

MRI's are NOT fun!!!

2008-03-24T11:53:00.004-05:00

As I said in my earlier post, I had to have a MRI Saturday. I was freaking out a bit, partly because I had always been told that I couldn't have one because of the steel rods in my back and also because I'm claustrophobic. I asked a lot of questions regarding my rods and the nurses, doctors, radiologist, etc. assured me that they weren't going to come flying out of my back when they turned the mri machine on. I calmed down a bit on that, but the fact that I am claustrophobic still bothered me.

When I got to the mri place, the nurse gave me a Valium and a shot of Demerol. You'd have thought I'd have been in la la land, but nope. As soon as they led me into the room where the mri was located, I got a knot in the pit of my stomach. Just looking at the opening that I was supposed to fit inside scared the hell out of me. I took a deep breath though and proceeded on. After getting situated on the table and being as comfortable as I could be, the nurse put a washcloth over my eyes, put ear plugs into my ears and told me to relax and breathe. I did as I was told, but even having my eyes shut and the cloth over them didn't stop me from seeing how dark it got as soon as my head was inside the machine. I took a deep breath and kept telling myself that I could do it. that didn't happen though. As soon as I felt the sides rub on my shoulders and arms, I freaked out....big time! In my doped out mind, I was being very calm about asking to be removed, but in reality, the nurse said I was screaming for her to let me out and I was kicking my legs and flailing my arms. I just know that I was in tears by the time they got me out of the dang thing.

The nurse led me to a bathroom so I could splash water on my face and calm down. That seemed to take me forever to do, but I did. She then took me to the OPEN mri and told me that they'd just go that route instead. I don't know why they don't do that in the first place for people who are claustrophobic. It sure would have saved time and embarrassment. The whole procedure took 45 minutes to complete. I actually snoozed a bit while I was in the open mri. I don't think I could have done that in the other one.

I'm supposed to have the results this afternoon so I'm just waiting patiently for the doctor to call. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it is just a pinched nerve, but I have this feeling that it is
going to be more then that.

UPDATE: Just got a call from my doctor and apparently my mri was too blurry to read. I knew from the beginning that might be a possibility, but it still annoys me that I had to go through something that didn't even work. Now, my doctor is wanting to refer me to a neurologist. I don't know if I want to go or not. I don't want to be shuffled from doctor to doctor, racking up humongous medical bills, but never getting relief. I've lived with this type of pain since I was thirteen years old so I am used to it. The only reason I went to the doctor this time was because the pain was lasting longer then it usually does. I guess I'll see what this new doctor has to say, but like I said, I'm not going to go through test after test. We just can't afford that.

Happy Easter!!!

2008-03-22T20:06:00.001-05:00

Back Update

2008-03-21T14:46:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I was in so much pain from my leg/back/hip hurting that I caved and went to see the doctor. I really thought they would just give me pain meds and send me on my way since that's how I've been treated since this stuff first started. I was actually quite surprised though. I saw a different doctor this time and she actually listened to what I had to say. She answered all my questions, did a thorough exam and basically went above and beyond what a doctor should do, in my opinion.

She thinks that I either have a pinched nerve or a bulging disk in my lower back. Either would explain the problem I'm having. Her first thought was that I needed an MRI of my spine to find out exactly what was wrong. I told her that I couldn't have an MRI because of the two steel rods in my back (I had/have scoliosis). I'd always been told that I couldn't have an MRI because of those metal rods. But this doctor didn't think that was right. I also told her that I didn't have insurance that would pay the cost. Again, she didn't think that was right. She filled out a couple of forms and then sent me down to physical therapy to get a few exercises to help my leg/back/hip feel better. I did those and just as I was getting ready to leave, a nurse came up to me and said that my MRI had been set up for Saturday. Huh? I know I had to have looked completely dumbfounded because I didn't think I could have an MRI. The nurse, seeing my total state of confusion, told me that my doctor had called over to the MRI place and asked several questions on whether or not I could have one. Come to find out that the big magnet that the MRI uses WON'T pull the rods out of my body(thank GOD!), but they might make the images too blurry to read. The doctor said that she really needed to find out what was going on in my lower back and that if it was possible for me to have an MRI then she wanted to go ahead and schedule it for me.

Needless to say, I kind of freaked out. Here, I'd been told all my teenage and adult life that an MRI would pull the steel rods right out of my back, any metal fragments that were in my body would be pulled out, any piercings, etc. would be PULLED OUT! And now they are telling me that isn't true? How is a body supposed to react to something like that? Skeptically, that's how. I immediately came home and started researching online to find out every thing I could about MRI's, how they worked, if someone with metal implants or pins could actually have one. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the MRI people and my doctor do know what they're talking about. It doesn't make me any less nervous about having it done, but at least now I can be a little more at peace with my decision to go ahead and let them do it.

I was also worried about the cost. Being self employed, our family only has major medical coverage insurance so unless we're in an accident or have something majorly wrong happen, any medical expenses come right out of our pocket. An MRI was one of those things that they didn't feel was a major enough thing to have done so it wasn't going to be covered. That is until I talked to the nurse at the MRI place today. She said that my doctor, again, was able to get the insurance to cover the cost. Well, all except our deductible. But hey, I can handle $125 deductible just fine. It was the $1735 that I was having problems with.

So, tomorrow morning I'll be heading over to get this done. I was told to get there 45 minutes early because they'll have to put me in "the tube" and since I'm pretty claustrophobic they'll be doping me up big time with valium and demmoral. I'm hoping that I just go to sleep and the time goes fast. I do have hubby going with to drive me home. I thought I would have to go by myself, but once they told me about the lovely drugs I would be getting I knew that I was going to need someone to drive me back home. I'll fill everybody in on what happens after the MRI is done and read. I am figuring physical therapy a couple days a week for a few weeks, but there is the possibility that surgery will be needed. I hope that isn't the case, but if it is then I'll just roll with that when it comes along.

Happy St. Patricks Day

2008-03-17T10:05:00.003-05:00

Did You Know?

2008-03-14T10:01:00.003-05:00

Today is Organize Your Home Office Day. Did you know that? Neither did I. I wonder where they come up with some of these "holidays"? According to this website I found, Holidays for Everyday , today is also Casey Jones birthday, Albert Einsteins birthday, National Preschooler's Day, National Children's Craft Day, Celebrate Scientists, Learn about Butterflies, Save a Spider and National Potato Chip Day. Whichever one you decide to celebrate, have fun and enjoy your day!!!

A Bit of St. Patrick's Day Fun

2008-03-13T14:38:00.001-05:00

With St. Patrick's day coming up on Monday, I thought I'd get a head start on the holiday with a little bit of fun.

Your Leprechaun Name Is:

Plucky O'Fiddles

What's Your Leprechaun Name?

I always knew my daughter was a winner

2008-03-11T15:12:00.003-05:00

My daughter loves to take photos. She got a new digital camera for Christmas and it is with her all. the. time. About a month ago, she entered a photo contest put on by her school and the public library. Well, yesterday she got an email announcing that she had won! She had two entrys and, get this. She won FIRST and SECOND PLACE with both of them. How cool is that? I don't have a copy of the first place photo, but here is the one that came in second place:

Hello from the Walking Dead

2008-03-10T11:11:00.002-05:00

I'm still alive, but just barely. I was so sick all weekend. This dang flu is for the birds! I took my guys to the doctor Friday. She gave my son some antibiotics for his ear infection and told hubby and me that ours was viral and she couldn't give us anything. This is what I figured she would say, it's just how it works. Pay someone to tell us that there is nothing they can do to help you feel better.

I ran by the pharmacy and picked up my son's meds then came home and proceeded to fall into bed. This was at 4:00pm. I didn't move again until 9:30 Saturday morning! And even then it wasn't any farther then the bathroom. I spent the entire day in bed, either snoozing or watching tv. I ate nothing, drank nothing, just moaned and groaned. I was sore and feverish and just felt like crap.

I did feel a bit better yesterday so got up and ventured out into the living room. Hubby followed behind and sprayed Lysol on every thing that I touched or even came close to. I know he doens't want to get sick again, but geez. I didn't do that to him, not in front of him anyway:) It's hard to feel loved when you're treated like you have the plague.

Today I'm, again, just a tad better. I have invoices to make up so am trying to sit here at my desk and get those done. Between coughing, sneezing and just plain old not feeling well, I guess I'm doing an okay job. However, if someone gets a bill that says they owe $30,000 instead of $3000, you might want to let me know.

Edit: Just got a call from my daughter. She's coming home sick. This means that everybody has now had this stupid sickness! If Spring doesn't get here soon, I don't know what I'll do.

Dad's home. Now I'm sick!

2008-03-07T13:17:00.002-06:00

Dad came home from the hospital yesterday afternoon. The heart doctor agreed after observing him over night that it was indeed his migraine medicine causing his heart rate to go to low. They had been monitoring his heart rate all night and saw no drops at all. Dad is now home, ordered to rest for the rest of the week/weekend. He was told that if this happens again when he is no longer taking the migraine medicine though that they'd have to look into that pacemaker option a bit more thoroughly.

I have to take my son to the doctor today because he is complaining of popping/painful/stuffy ears and his cough is not getting any better. Hubby is still feeling the same only his fever is still here. Well, lucky me, woke up this morning feeling pretty rough and the later this day has gotten, the rougher I have felt. Finally took my temp and it is up to 100, my throat is sore and I'm starting to cough. Anyway, when I take my son to the doctor, hubby is going along and we're just going to let our doctor look at all three of us. I'm sure we'll be whacked for three office visits, but that is fine. I'm just so tired of everybody being sick around here. This winter has been tough on all of us.

Thankfully, the snow storm they forecast for us to get today looks to be staying farther to the south of us. Now instead of getting 6+" of snow, we're looking at an inch or less. Yay! The wind is really gusty though and sounds like it could rip the shingles off the roof at any second. Where in the world is Spring? I'm so ready for it to arrive and stay.

Ice Storm and the Emergency Room

2008-03-06T11:27:00.004-06:00

Did you miss me? I really wasn't awol that long, just a couple of days, but those two days were pure madness around here. Fair warning: This is a really, really long post and I tend to ramble when I'm retelling stories so if you are short on time, just skip this.

First off, Tuesday we got a major ice storm. It wasn't too bad until the power went out at 10:50am and didn't come back on the rest of the day! It was actually fun for the first couple of hours because the kids were home, my phone (cordless) didn't work, and we just lazed around, played some board games and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Once the temperature started to really drop however, it took all the fun out of the day and we just kept wishing that the power would come back on. Finally at 6pm, hubby and I decided to just go to a hotel in town. We all climbed into the truck and slipped and slid all the way into town, but were able to get a couple of rooms for the evening. It was nice and warm and quiet. As the kids and I watched the sleet then snow swirl around outside our window, we also kept an eye glued to the tv, waiting with baited breath to see if school would be cancelled for the following day. Well, come 10pm, when there was still no sign of our schools being closed I told the kids that they'd better go to sleep...just in case, really doubting that school would be open the next day. I mean, we'd just gotten 1/4 inch of ice, who in their right mind would send kids to school with all that junk on the roads.

Apparently, our school district would because the next morning when I flipped on the tv, there was no mention of our schools being closed. I even took the liberty of calling the district office and was told that yes, there was indeed school that day. So, even though I'd not slept more then a couple of hours the night before (I never sleep well in a hotel) I begrudgingly woke the kids and hubby up at 6am to get dressed and head back out to the house to get ready for school. At least the power was back on. It had come on at 4am according to the message my mom had left on our answering machine.

Once we got home, my son decided that he still didn't feel well enough to go back to school. He'd been sick since Sunday. I took his temperature and it was up to 100 degrees so, even though I think he could have went, I let him stay home. Once my daughter and hubby had left for the day, I had every intention of laying down in my own bed and taking a nap. I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. My son said he was going back to bed too so it would have been perfect. It didn't happen though. As soon as I walked into my bedroom, the phone rang. It was my brother. He said that my dad had passed out at work again and they were taking him to the ER. Would I go tell mom because he couldn't get through to her to let her know. So, I changed clothes, ran a comb through my hair, told my son I had to leave (he was fine being here alone and slept pretty much all day anyway) and drove to my mom's. She greeted me at the door with an immediate "What's wrong" and when I told her, she immediately went into freaked out phase. She calmed down though when I made her sit down and take a few deep breathes. Dad had been sick all week and we figured he'd just passed out because he tried to do too much, too soon.

Fast forward a few minutes: My brother arrives and we all pile into mom's car (it's front wheel drive and handled awesome on the icy roads) and head to the ER. When we got there, dad was already in an exam room and mom went back to be with him. My brother and I took up residence in the waiting room. When mom comes out, she says that the doctors think it was dad's migraine medicine that caused his heart rate to drop too low and that's why he passed out. They are, however, going to continue to run tests. My brother and I take turns going back to see dad. He's acting fine, like his usual self, joking with everybody who comes in. I went back out to the waiting room and called my son, my hubby, my daughter, etc. My brother came out and did the same by calling his wife. Then mom comes out and we can tell that something is wrong. She comes up and says that now the doctors are wanting to admit dad because they think he needs a pacemaker. What??!?!?! When did that come into the situation? What happened to it just being his medicine? So, now we wait on them to find a room for him. My brother and I are both pretty tense, but keep trying to keep the mood light.

Finally, after 6 hours in the ER, they finally get dad up to his room. When we got up there, he was still laughing, happy, joking around. We sat and visited with him a while longer when the heart doctor came in. He examined dad then talked to all of us. He said that he still thinks it is the migraine medicine causing dad's heart rate to plummet and really doesn't think a pacemaker is needed, but they want to watch him for 24 hours to make sure. If, after that amount of time, his heart rate doesn't rebound on its own (once all the meds are out of his system) then they will consider a pacemaker, but he assured all of us that he really doesn't think that will be the case. The doctor leaves and we all breathed a sigh of relief. We stayed for awhile longer, but then dad said that he could tell we were all exhausted and needed to go home. He wanted to take a nap himself.

So, here it is 8 hours later and we are all dragging ourselves out to the car to head home. When I got here, I had 30 (yes, you read that right...30!) messages on the machine. I was so tired after not sleeping the night before and then spending all day in the ER that I didn't even listen to them. I just went in, took a bath then went to bed. Me, in bed at 6pm, that's odd unless I'm sick. I needed it though. I slept straight through the night until the alarm woke me up this morning. I've gotten everything that I missed yesterday done today and am now just waiting on mom to call me from the hospital to let me know when/if they are going to release dad. I will keep everyone posted as I know more.

Is Spring Ever Going to Arrive?

2008-03-03T12:04:00.004-06:00

After a beautiful day yesterday (sunny and a high temp of 73), today has turned cold.....again. It's raining and the temps are slowly falling. It's supposed to eventually get down to around 30 degrees and then this lovely rain is going to turn into sleet, freezing rain or snow. They haven't decided which we'll get yet. Who knows, we might even get all three. Tomorrow the crappy weather continues and then the remainder of the week is just supposed to be cold. Hello? Spring? When are you going to arrive and stay?

With all the flip flopping temps, my son has also gotten sick...again. He woke up yesterday with a slight sore throat. Didn't think much of it because he helped out in the recycle center Saturday and was yelling back and forth with his sister. We all figured it was just strained from that. Should have known better. He woke up this morning with a 103 degree temp, full blown sore throat, cough and headache. Can someone say flu symptoms? Blech, blech, blech.

I keep telling myself that it is now March and that warmer weather and less illness are just around the corner. But, believe me, that corner can't get here soon enough.

Let's Get Naked!

2008-02-28T10:01:00.004-06:00

Now that I have your attention, I want to tell you about this wonderful new shampoo/conditioner of which I recently received a sample. It's called Naked Naturals and is a fabulous new product.

This is an all natural product and it is clinically proven to make your hair up to 7 times stronger from the shampoo and up to 3 times stronger from the conditioner! It starts working from the very first time you use it too, which is great. I have very fine hair that breaks at the drop of a hat so this was something that I was very anxious to try. With the very first shampoo, I knew it was a keeper. I could actually tell a difference when I was finished because there was less hair in my comb.

What makes this shampoo/conditioner so different is an ingredient called Keravis, a natural plant protein that is exclusive to Naked Naturals. It has been clinically tested and shown to improve hair strength, added flexibility and reduced breakage. It works on two levels by penetrating the hair follicle and also forming a protective outer layer. In other words, it works from the inside out!

I strongly urge you to go try any of the naked naturals natural shampoo products for yourself. You will be glad that you did when you see the results!

Happy Birthday to My Baby Boy

2008-02-23T21:00:00.004-06:00

Wow, where has the time gone? It is 13 years ago today that I brought this little guy home from the hospital.

What happened to my cute little pirate? It surely hasn't been 13 years already. I just can't believe that he is now a teenager. I guess, in my eyes, he will always be my baby boy.

Happy Birthday, Matt!!!!

Sleet, Snow and Freezing Rain.....Oh My!!

2008-02-21T13:59:00.002-06:00

February is just not wanting to let up on the winter weather. Today we're getting hit again with the crap. Right now we are in a winter storm advisory, but I think they'll probably be changing it to a winter storm warning here in a few. It is sleeting at the moment. Or is it freezing rain? I can never remember which one is which. Either way, it sucks. Schools are letting out early so kids can get home safely and several things have been cancelled for this evening. I don't know if school will be cancelled tomorrow or not. We'll just have to wait and see. If they do cancel, I hope they let us know tonight so that we, ok I, can sleep in tomorrow. Lazy, I know, but I try to catch my extra zzz's whenever and wherever I can.

Now, back to this stuff they call winter weather. I swear, if I could find that dang groundhog that said we were going to have six more weeks of winter, I would pop him in the nose. Just once, I would like spring to arrive early. Just once. I'm not asking for 80 degree weather in February, but a regular temp would be good. I think they said that the "normal" temperature here for this time of the year is 40-45 degrees, but today it is only 21! What the heck? That's not even close to normal! Is it global warming that is causing this wacky weather? Some would probably say yes. Some say no. I don't know what it is. I just know that I'm tired of it.

It's Sunday night already?

2008-02-17T20:03:00.002-06:00

This weekend has gone way too fast. They do anymore though so I should be used to it. The kids are off school tomorrow for President's Day so I will still get one more day of sleeping in. I love when the kids have days off because that means I get the day off too. Ahh, the joys of being self-employed.

My back is finally, finally, finally starting to feel better. The sciatic nerve is still annoying, but not so bad that I can't get things done. I've just been taking it easy all weekend in the hopes that will help matters. I hope it gets better soon though because I really don't know how much longer I can keep conning the kids into doing things FOR me:)

OUCH!!!

2008-02-09T09:02:00.000-06:00

I am so tired of being in pain. I was doing well there for awhile, but my back is again giving me grief. I think I set it off this time when I slipped on the stupid ice. Just another reason I despise winter!! Anyway, I've been taking my pain pills and they're not even making a dent in the pain. It hurts to sit, stand, lay down, move in general. I'm TIRED of it!

Last night, we went out for dinner. Sitting on the restaurant chair hurt so bad that I didn't even enjoy myself. And then when I stood up, I hit the back of the chair (it was one of those wrap around types) with my hip and pain just shot down my leg. I had to sit back down and let the pain pass before I could go on. Walking out to the parking lot, my leg actually went numb and I know it was from the pressure on that dang nerve.

I've gone to the doctor for this and there were options as to what to do (physical therapy, surgery) and I'm really leaning towards the physical therapy part at the moment. However, my stupid insurance will not cover the sessions and money is super tight at the moment so don't know if that is even an option.

I just want to get back to normal, whatever that is.

Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore!

2008-02-06T13:56:00.000-06:00

That's what I was beginning to think last night whenever tornado sirens and warnings started going off here. Thankfully, we didn't get any damage, but boy the kids and I were sure scared. It started out just raining and we really didn't think it was going to be that bad. Then we turned on the evening news and there were warnings out for our county and surrounding ones. I think the only color on that weather radar was RED. The line of storms stretched from the north to the south of us and was several counties wide. The weather guy kept saying there was hail and wind gusts up to 65 mph! The kids and I were watching when all of a sudden the power went out and the wind decided at that exact moment to pick up one of our patio chairs and slam it into the side of the house. My daughter screamed, I jumped and my son took off for his closet. Thankfully, the power came back on in just a few seconds and we were able to see what all the hubbub was. And drag my son out of the closet. lol We also got flashlights and a battery powered radio in case the power decided to go off again.

Thankfully, the storms passed through quickly and there was no major damage in our area. There were some trees down or uprooted and the power was out in some areas. My hubby, who'd been in town at a city council meeting, said there was a blown transformer across from Casey's gas station that was shooting sparks all over the place, but other then that he didn't really see much damage in town either.

Today the weather is much calmer....and MUCH COLDER! High yesterday was 62 degrees, today it is 21! Talk about a big difference. Tonight we're supposed to get some snow, but only maybe a dusting, if that. I have been almost constantly saying that I am ready for spring to get here, but after the scary storms last night maybe I'm not as ready as I thought I was.

I Only Watch for the Commercials

2008-02-04T09:37:00.000-06:00

Here is my favorite superbowl commercial this year.......

C'mon! Who wouldn't like to bonk Justin in the head with a tv?:)

Oh yeah, and the Giants won.

No Germs Allowed

2008-02-01T15:52:00.000-06:00

Today, we are sickness free. Both kids are back to 100% and neither myself nor my hubby are ill (keeping the fingers crossed that it stays that way). Now if we can just make it through the rest of the winter months without being sick. That groundhog better not see his shadow tomorrow because I'm ready for spring!

Another One Bites The Dust

2008-01-31T10:37:00.000-06:00

My son is feeling 100% better today and went to school. I'm now dealing with my daughter being sick. I think this flu is going to make its rounds this weekend. I was hoping that nobody else would get it, but looks like it is going to seek us out one by one. I just hope we don't keep passing it around if it does hit all of us. That is never a good thing.

In Sickness and in Health

2008-01-30T09:54:00.000-06:00

Seems to be more sickness going around here lately then health. Sorry it's been a while since my last post. Between a head cold, back problems and now, the stomach flu it's just not been the best time to be online.

Problems started two weeks ago when my son came down with a terrible head cold. It eventually worked it's way down into his chest and took him forever to shake it. We kept hoping that it wouldn't turn into bronchitis or pneumonia and thankfully it didn't, but he sure felt rough there for awhile.

Last weekend, it was my turn to be on the down side. Somehow, someway, I messed up my back. I don't know if it was/is sciatica or the spondylolisthesis acting up again. Whatever it is, I am sick of it! I just want to be able to walk, sit, sleep, etc. pain free for a change.

And now today, my poor son is sick again with the stomach flu. He came home from school yesterday saying that his stomach was bothering him and he was in the bathroom for most of the evening. He then woke up this morning twice and was sick to his stomach. When I called him in sick to school, the secretary said that the flu was going around and that there were over 25 kids absent yesterday. My son made the 10th one today that had called in and she figured it would end up being about the same before all was said and done.

I hope that the sickness ends soon. This has been a pretty crummy winter for my son and illness. Thankfully (knock on wood) nobody else in the family has been too sick. Let's hope it stays that way.

Does This Mean He's Addicted?

2008-01-23T12:41:00.000-06:00

I love my hubby dearly. He's sweet, kind, funny, all the good stuff. However, there is one characteristic that I'm not overly fond of and that is that he is addicted, yes I said addicted, to pizza! I'm not kidding. He could eat pizza 3 meals a day, 7 days a week and never get tired of it. He's been like this forever so it's not a surprise to me. At least once a week since we've been married, he has had pizza for a meal. He also has an all-time favorite restaurant (Chicago's Pizza) that we go to once a month, if not more. The kids and I are constantly joking with him and saying that he is addicted to their pizza. We were JOKING, but apparently we were closer to the truth then we knew.

Two weeks ago, we were going to go to Chicago's Pizza to eat dinner and when we got there, they had a sign on the front doors saying they were out of business. No reason, just that they weren't there anymore. My dear hubby was heart broken. He loved their pizza...it was delicious and cheap...When he saw that the restaurant was no longer open, it was almost like he'd lost his best friend. He moped around the remainder of the weekend, but eventually said that he would find another pizza place to know and love.

We all thought he'd gotten over the loss of his dear friend, but last night proved us wrong. When hubby came home from work, he said that he wanted to go out for dinner. I am not one to pass up a night of not having to cook so I told the kids to get ready and then we were off. I thought we'd just go to one of our favorite places in town since we all had to get up early the next day either for work or school. When hubby drove out of town, I thought that he was wanting to hit one of the restaurants in the next town over instead. They have a few more popular chains over there then we do here in our little town. So, we're driving along on the interstate when the exit comes up. Hubby, however, is not slowing down. He drives right past. Ok, so maybe we're going to the other side of town. There's an exit there too and several restaurants so I say nothing and go along for the ride. Second exit comes up and he's in the wrong lane and isn't slowing down and we bypass that one too. Hmm, now I'm wondering so I ask "Where in the world are we going?".

Hubby gets a wicked gleam in his eye and says "It's a surprise" and keeps on driving. All of a sudden, it hits me. We're going almost to INDIANAPOLIS because there is another Chicago's Pizza there. OMG! Who in their right mind drives for over an hour to get pizza? Apparently, my hubby does. I asked him if he had possibly called ahead to make sure they were open. Since our Chicago's had closed, I thought it might be a big possibility that the entire chain went under. No, he hadn't called. He knew in his heart that they would be open. I made the comment that I really hoped we didn't drive all that way to find them closed. He just smiled. I asked if he knew their hours and he assured me that they were open until 10pm.

So, at 8:01pm, we pull into their parking lot. There are about 7 cars there so hubby parks and we all get out of the car, stretch our weary legs and start to walk up to the front door...only to be greeted with the restaurant personnel SHUTTING OFF THE LIGHTS!!! My hubby was so mad. He went on up to the door. The kids and I got back in the car (Hey, it was cold:) He knocked and one of the waitresses came and opened the door. I guess he asked if they were closed for the night and she said yes, it had been slow so they were closing early. He told her that we'd driven all the way from ILLINOIS to get their pizza, couldn't they please stay open for us? She obviously said no and I truthfully didn't blame her. She'd probably been itching to get out of there and go home all evening. Needless to say, hubby was peeved.

The drive back home was very quiet although I remember hearing a few snickers from the back seat where our kids were trying not to laugh. We ended up eating at Applebee's, which was very good, but you could tell that hubby was not happy. The moral of this long, drawn out post? If you are craving food from a restaurant that is in a town almost 100 miles away, call before you drive all that way. You never know when the restaurant will close early.

I'm a Thief

2008-01-18T10:28:00.000-06:00

I totally stole this meme from Amy today. It was so fun that I thought you guys might like to try it out too. Thanks, Amy!

Let's Make a Band!
Click on each link to get each item.

1. Let's name our band
The first article title is the name of your band

2. What is your album title
The last four words of the very last quote is your album title

3. Let's make your album cover
the third picture, no matter what it is, is your album cover

Now, take your picture, add your band name and album title and voila! There you go!

Want to see what I came up with for my band? It's kind of creepy, in my opinion, but still pretty cool.

So, what did you come up with? Let me know!

Why Do Bad Things Happen?

2008-01-15T12:14:00.000-06:00

I had this whole post ready about how sucky my day has been. My son is home sick for the second day in a row and a part that we've been waiting on to arrive is still sitting on the loading dock at Fed Ex. And then my mom called and, well, my day doesn't seem quite so bad now.

She called to let me know that my cousin's daughter and her family had a fire at their home on Saturday. And that two of her small children (age 4 and almost 2) died because of it. Suddenly, my day seems pretty insignificant in comparison.

Unfortunately, I didn't know my two little cousins (I think they'd be considered my third cousins) very well, but I did get the pleasure of meeting them at my grandma's funeral this past August. They were both really cute and funny and just beautiful girls. I remember telling their mom that the baby had the most striking blue eyes and that just made her so proud and she smiled and said that both girls were her two pride and joy.

So, it is with a very sad and heavy heart that I am writing this post. Please keep my cousin and her family in your prayers. They are all going to have a very long and sad road to recovery.

Rock of Love 2

2008-01-14T10:24:00.000-06:00

Last night was the debut of Rock of Love 2 with Bret Michaels. I hope this season he actually finds someone to spend his life with, but realize that if he would that would be the end of the show. I don't really have a favorite contestant yet. It'll take a few shows for me to form any opinions. So far, all the women seem pretty much the same as on last seasons show....some looking for real love, others looking for exposure and fame. Did anybody else catch this first show? If so, who's your favorite contestant and why?

I wish I'd known

2008-01-12T10:33:00.000-06:00

Why is it that I always find things like this AFTER I've already bought from somewhere else? Today I found this really Great Discovery: www.ZenniOptical.com. This website sells $8 complete prescription glasses with a case!!!

I spent more then ten times that much on my daughters glasses at our local optometrist office. So not fair. I will definitely be visiting ZenniOptical for her next pair.

this is a sponsored post

To Moderate or not to Moderate

2008-01-08T14:44:00.000-06:00

I've had my blog for about 4 years now and this question has always puzzled me. Should I moderate my comments or not? In the beginning, when I first started blogging, I set my comments to only allow registered users to post. This kept spamming and unsavory characters away, but it also made it hard for some of my readers to leave comments because they weren't registered users. So, about a year ago, I changed the setting to allow any and every one out there to leave comments. It worked well for awhile, but now I'm seeing that I'm getting spammers leaving comments again.

It's just frustrating. I don't want to limit those wanting to leave comments, but I'm sick and tired of getting on here and seeing things like "here's that website where I make all this money. check it out". What do you guys think? Is there anyway that you know of to moderate comments without excluding some people from leaving them in the first place? Let me know.

Please Put Me Out of My Misery

2008-01-04T11:28:00.000-06:00

I had a decent New Year's Eve. For a change, I made it up until midnight to welcome in the new year. I didn't drink any alcohol so there was no chance of a hangover to mar the beginnings of what I hoped to be a much better year. When I went to bed, I just knew that 2008 was going to be a good year, a great year, especially since 2007 was ending on such a sour note.

Well, guess what? I woke up sick as a dog on New Year's Day and have been sick ever since. I think it's a bit of the flu and possibly a cold together. Not fun, not fun, and definitely not the way I wanted to start the new year. I haven't done much here at all except lay around on the couch. I answer the phones when they ring, but who knows if I'm making any sense to the customers who are calling me. My head is throbbing all the time. I think there is a little man with a big hammer in there just trying to get out through my eyeball. My stomach is making noises that I've never heard before and let's just say the bathroom has been my room of choice a lot here these past few days. I'm glad that today is Friday. I'm going to take the weekend and just sleep. And hopefully come Monday I'll feel better.

2007 needs to end already!

2007-12-29T15:04:00.000-06:00

Because it is going out on a very sour note. This past week has just been the worst. Thank goodness the entire year hasn't been this way. I think I'd have had to crawl under a rock and never come back out if it had been.

You would think with Christmas being this week that things would be all candy canes and sugar plums, but nope. Not for us. We had to fire one of our employees on Thursday. I think he'd actually been looking to get fired though by the things he'd been doing lately, but it was still hard to let him go. And, of course, now we are short-handed. Not good. Also, Hubby hit one of our customers dogs today so they're upset with us. It was an accident and hubby feels terrible, but when the dog comes out of nowhere and you're driving a truck that is easily over 30 tons, well, it is really hard to avoid it. He immediately got out of the truck after he'd hit the poor dog, but it was too late. That didn't seem to matter to the customer though. She was screaming hysterically and her husband actually took a swing at my hubby because of it. Again, not good. I feel bad for her, but what could hubby do? It's not like he drove by her house looking for the dog to purposely run it over.

My desktop computer also bit the dust earlier today so I'm doomed to use the laptop for awhile. Normally that wouldn't bother me, but all of our business stuff is on the desktop so I can't do anything with that until we get it fixed. I need a new one so will probably go pick one up this evening. At least I saved everything to disk BEFORE it decided to die on me so at least one thing went right.

So, hurry up 2008. Get here soon so I can wipe the slate clean and HOPEFULLY things will start going right again.

Merry Christmas!!!

2007-12-25T22:01:00.000-06:00

Here's hoping that you all have a wonderful Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T08:08:00.000-06:00

Happy Christmas Eve everybody! I hope your day has started out well. I am happy to say that I FINALLY received that darn dvd in the mail so the entire set is now wrapped and under the tree, ready to be opened up by a hopefully very appreciative hubby. After all the stress I went through getting the things, he'd better be VERY appreciative.

We got all of our cookie and fudge gifts passed out Saturday morning. All the neighbors were happy to receive our gift and most said they wished they'd known we were bringing them so they could have had something to give in return. Well, that is NOT why I do this. I don't want gifts in return. I just want to show my friends and neighbors how much I appreciate them and let them know that I'm thinking of them during this holiday season. Isn't that what Christmas is all about anyway?

Speaking of friends and family, I have been thinking a lot these past few days of those that I have lost this past year. Most recently, my grandma. It's going to be so hard this Christmas morning, not having her there at my parents house with us. I know she'll be looking down at us from heaven and will always be with us in spirit, but it still doesn't make the holiday any easier.

We'll be heading out to my hubby's brother's tonight for Christmas Eve with his side of the family. We're hoping that everyone makes it. The weather is decent so there really shouldn't be any problems with everyone being there this year. Tomorrow morning we'll open gifts here and then head up to my parents for lunch and gifts with them and my brother's family.

I know I won't be posting tonight or tomorrow so I just want to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy the day and enjoy the time spent with your family and loved ones.

!!Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Time is Near

2007-12-22T09:15:00.001-06:00

....and the dvd still isn't here. Wow, I rhymed:) Ha! Only TWO more mail days to get the darn thing. I'm biting my fingernails and pulling out my hair. Boy, ain't I going to be pretty come Christmas morning. I am trying not to get too worked up over it because I do have 2 of the 3 that I ordered so hubby will have something to open, but it would be nice to have them all.

On to other Christmas happenings, I did indeed finish up my cookies and fudge yesterday. WooHoo for me! I was beginning to wonder if I would make it because my morning errands took much longer then I expected. Daughter was in the eye doctor for almost 45 minutes (she only had to pick up a new pair, but they were way behind and she had to wait) then the DMV took an hour and a half, but figured that would. The grocery store was also packed to the gills with people out doing their last minute food shopping. By the time I got home, I had the beginning of a migraine. Lovely thing those migraines. They are such a joy to experience. So, took some meds, laid down for half an hour, all the time thinking that there was no way I'd get all my baking done. However, it must have been a Christmas miracle because the meds worked super quick and by the end of that half hour I was feeling like my old self.

So away to my kitchen, I made a mad dash, threw open the pantry and pulled out my stash...of baking supplies and chocolate and nuts and I baked and I baked til I thought I would bust. Ok, so that last part didn't really make sense, but hey, I'm not a poet:)

I will finish up today, wrapping and passing out my treats to the mailman and neighbors. The kids are ready to go so I guess I should post this and get ready myself. Maybe by the time we get back home, the mail will have gone and I'll have a little dvd here to wrap. I can hope anyway:)

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

2007-12-20T10:18:00.000-06:00

Only FIVE more days until Christmas! It is getting down to crunch time here and I'm STILL waiting on a gift to arrive in the mail. I have 4 mail days left and am really hoping that this gift gets here on one of them. That is the only problem I have with doing my shopping online. You can just never know for sure when items will arrive.

Today is the last day of school for my kids too and then they will be here...with me...in the house...for 13 whole days. I don't know if I'm looking forward to that or not. For the most part, they are good kids, but when you get them cooped up together for that long, well, let's just say that their behavior tends to get just a teensy bit worse.

Tomorrow I'm baking my cookies and fudge. I'm hoping to get them all made up in one day, wrapped and passed out to everyone on Saturday. We'll see if it happens. I also have a bunch of other things that I need to do tomorrow (pick up my daughters contacts, get groceries, color my hair, do laundry, etc.) so it might be a big rush to get it all finished up.

We'll be having Christmas Eve at my brother inlaw's so I also need to get things ready for that, but at least that can wait until the weekend. I'm taking some of the cookies and fudge over and also making up a cheese ball with crackers. Truthfully, there will be plenty of food. It's the alcohol that I'm worried will run low. You'd have to know my inlaws to understand, but let me just say that the alcohol makes the evening more bearable.

Some Christmas Funnies

2007-12-14T10:09:00.000-06:00

Bah Humbug!

2007-12-11T18:02:00.000-06:00

I have NEVER had a problem ordering stuff online. That is until now. Found out today that one of the websites that I ordered a gift for hubby from has been known to charge your credit card or whatever and then NEVER send your merchandise. Great. I feel like an idiot, but they really fooled me. They had the little lock in the bottom corner of the order page, it was an https website, etc. After checking my order status though, I'm thinking that it is a scam. And after checking my charge card, well, the order came to $88.18, but the total taken off my card was $97.54. Hmm, doesn't sound right, does it? So, I called their 800#. This is what I heard: "Hi, you've reached our customer service center. Our customer service hours are from 8am-10pm Mon-Fri. Please hold for the next available customer service representative" I hold for a couple of minutes when this chipper little voice comes back on the line and says, "We're sorry, there's nobody here right now. Please leave a message and we'll call you back." Ok, I have never gotten through to any customer service that wants you to leave a message. Stay on hold for hours on end, yes, but leave a message and they'll call you back? No, can't say that I've ever done that before. I didn't leave a message. I hung up. I did call back though. Four more times, to be exact and got the same message each time. Wonderful customer service...NOT! I did call the credit card company and they said that I can get my money back, but I'll have to go through their fraud section and it might take awhile to do, but at least I'll get my cash back. I know it could have been worse, but it is still frustrating. I had to make a mad dash to find the dvd's that I'd ordered from this place and now hope, hope, hope that they get here in time for Christmas. Some people are just real jerks!

I'm finished shopping....I think!

2007-12-10T16:45:00.000-06:00

I think I wrote my last check for Christmas gifts today. I decided to just go shopping this morning and get things finished up instead of waiting for the weekend to get here and hoping that I found what I was looking for then. I had my list ready and was all set to shop until I dropped. Thankfully, it didn't come to that. I found everything that I had left to buy at Super Wal-Mart. I love that store:):) I just hope that hubby or the kids don't suddenly remind me of someone else that I need to buy a gift for. Last year, I was completely finished shopping when hubby came home and "reminded" me that I needed to buy for some of his nephews that I thought HE was buying for so I had to rush out and get whatever I could find that "fit" them on December 23rd! Yikes! I really don't want to do that again this year.

I wrapped everything as soon as I got home so that is off my to do list also. I do still have three items that I waiting to get in the mail. According to the tracking information, all but one is to arrive this week (Wed and Thurs). The other I have no tracking info for yet and don't even know if it's been shipped! If it doesn't get here in time, I'll just be putting a picture in a box and wrapping it up, saying that the present is coming, I guess. I hope it doesn't come to that, but if it does, it does. Not much I can do about it. I've still got two weeks though so keeping the fingers crossed that everything gets here in time for Christmas Day.

Getting Contacts

2007-12-07T14:08:00.000-06:00

I almost forgot, but my daughter is going to the eye doctor tomorrow and hopefully getting contacts. She's wanted them ever since she first found out she had to wear glasses. We're hoping that she's able to wear them. She has an astigmatism so not sure that she can. She'll find out tomorrow.

Update: Daughter came home and is able to wear the contacts. She loves them! She has to start out slowly, wearing them for only a few hours each day, but she's already gotten the hang of putting them in and taking them out. Had to calm her down a notch though. As soon as she got home, she was bound and determined to toss her glasses in the trash. Uh, hello! What happens if you lose one of your contacts? What happens if they irritate your eyes and you have to take them out? Then how will you see? She hadn't thought about that. Silly girl:) So, her glasses are now stashed in her purse (in a hard case) just in case of an emergency. She is hoping they don't ever have to come back out.

Let It Snow...NO, NO, NO!

2007-12-07T13:56:00.000-06:00

We got our first measurable snowfall last night, about 2.5 inches. I was not pleased to see it this morning when I got out of bed either. My son was all excited about it, but not me. Thankfully, it is starting to melt. The roads were pretty crappy this morning on the way into town, but now the road crews have scraped and salted and they are pretty much clear.

I was worried about driving in it today too. You see, for the past 10 years I have had a FRONT wheel drive car. My last car was like a little bulldozer moving through snow. Nothing could stop me. I had no fear of sliding off into ditches or getting stuck in drifts. My little car would power on through no matter what situations I put it in. This winter though, my front wheel car went to my daughter. She just got her driver's license in June and we (her dad and I) wanted her to have a safe, reliable car. SO, that meant giving her mine. Granted, I got a new one in the process (Dodge Charger) and, don't get me wrong, I LOVE it. But, my Charger is a REAR wheel drive car and for those of you who drive rear wheel drive cars, you'll know what I'm talking about when I say it sucks in snow! This morning I was spinning every time I tried to take off and sliding each time I tried to stop. I'd turn a corner and no matter how slowly I'd push on the gas, the rear of my car would slide. Needless to say, I was pretty tense by the time I got back home.

Anyway, I'm glad that the snow is melting off the roads. I can handle snow if the roads are clear. I enjoy looking at it, it's very pretty, and I even like to go out and build snowmen, having snowball fights and ride the 4-wheeler while pulling the tobaggon, but having to drive in it, well, let's just say that if it didn't snow anymore this winter I would be a happy camper.

Sweeny Todd starring Johnny Depp

2007-12-03T12:16:00.000-06:00

I'm so psyched to see that another movie is coming out starring Johnny Depp. He is one of my all-time favorite actors. I've been watching him ever since he was in 21 Jump Street on tv! My favorite movie of his has got to be the Pirates of the Carribbean ones. There is just something about him in those movies, maybe it's that he's supposed to be a dangerous pirate, that drives me crazy.

Anyway, if you haven't heard of the new movie that is coming out, take a look at this trailer. Once you see it, I'm sure you'll be like me, and want to go right out to the theaters and see it. You'll have to be patient though because it doesn't hit theaters until December 21.

In this movie, Johnny Depp plays a man who is sent to prison and vows revenge on the people who sent him there. When he gets out of prison, he becomes a barber and ends up becoming known as the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. To me, the best revenge movie has got to be Carrie though. The scene where she finally gets her revenge after the prom is phenomenal and you cheer for her the entire time.

You can find out more by taking a minute to visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site. You can also visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace.

On The First Day of Christmas

2007-12-01T08:51:00.000-06:00

Hard to believe that today is December 1st! This year has just flown by for me. The older I get, the faster the years go it seems. Anyway, to start off the holiday season, I thought this quiz from blogthings was a good idea.

Your Christmas is Most Like: A Christmas Story

Loving, fun, and totally crazy.
Don't shoot your eye out!

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly

2007-11-30T14:09:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again. Time to pull the decorations out of the attic and embellish your home with red and green. I think our house has finally been finished. The tree is up...check. The wreath is hung...check. Garland is strung...check. Yep, I think we're done. Now to sit back and enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T08:58:00.000-06:00

Here's wishing all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy time spent with your friends and family today and be thankful for all that you have. Happy Thanksgiving.

Snap, Crackle, Pop

2007-11-20T12:53:00.000-06:00

This is my hubby. Doesn't he look serious in this picture? He's really not, actually he is a pretty big goofball, but I love him anyway.

Anyway, I wanted to tell you about dear hubby and the constant pain in the neck that he is...I mean, has! lol You see, he has always been one to lift and pick up things that are way too heavy for him to do so. I have been at him ever since we first got married to get help when it comes to moving heavy pieces of furniture, lifting pieces of machinery, etc. but he doesn't listen. He has always said that if he could lift it then it was fine and he'd continue to do it until he couldn't anymore. Well, that day has finally arrived. He now has constant pain in his neck, shoulders and upper back from all the lifting that he has done in the past. We both think he will eventually need surgery on either his neck or upper back, but for now he uses a lot of muscle rub to get relief. It would be awesome if I won this contest that Freeze It Gel is having because I would win an entire years supply of Freeze It to ease his pain. It would also ease my pain because I wouldn't have to hear him whine about how sore he is.

If you have never heard of it, Freeze It is AWESOME! I think it is the best muscle rub out there. You can use it for muscle soreness, arthritis pain, joint pain and even muscle strains. Take a look at their new television commercial to learn more about Freeze It.

I strongly urge you to go out and buy Freeze It and try it yourself. It really is one of the better products out there. You'll be glad that you gave it a try.

Beginning of a New Week

2007-11-19T09:52:00.000-06:00

Aahh, the beginning of a new week. Usually I don't look forward to Mondays, but after last week and this past weekend I was definitely looking forward to today. I'm hoping this week is better and calmer and people aren't as much of a pain in the a** to me as they have been the past few days/weeks. Not saying that I'm enjoying going back to work today, but I am enjoying the peace and quiet that I'm getting right now.

Found out that there won't be a Thanksgiving meal here in our house this year. My brother and his family are going to his inlaws this year and my parents are staying home to rest and relax. That just left me, hubby, and kids and hubby said he'd rather just go out for a nice dinner instead of having me in the kitchen all day. THANKS! It's going to seem weird not cooking or having anybody here, but I'm looking forward to it.

A Surprise in the Mail

2007-11-17T21:16:00.001-06:00

I got a cool little surprise in the mail today and wanted to share it with you. There was a nice sized package waiting for me and inside were some really cool gift ideas. This package included Smencils Scented Pencils, Color Flame party candles, and Insta Snow.

I love all of the items I received, but I think my favorite one has got to be the Insta Snow. It's the coolest thing I've ever seen. You just take some of this powdery stuff (it looks like sugar), add water and presto! You have snow! It's light and fluffy and looks like what you'd find on a movie set. And the best part is that it doesn't melt, is non-toxic and lasts for weeks. I'm going to use mine in my holiday decorations.

The Smencils Scented Pencil that I received is the Very Berry scent. I love using it because the entire time I'm writing, I can smell it. The only downside is that is makes me hungry, but that's fine. The best thing about this pencil though is that it is made entirely from recycled newspapers!

I've not tried the color flame candles yet, but they look like they'd be fun to use. I think they'd be a great addition to any child's birthday or even an adult's for that matter.

So, that was my nice little surprise for the day. I hope I get another one really soon.

this is a sponsored post.

Changing Servers Soon

2007-11-16T17:00:00.000-06:00

I'm in the process of changing my blog over to wordpress. If you want to keep up with me, change any bookmarks or favorites that this blog is listed in to leesak.wordpress.com. This way you won't miss anything that goes on in my exciting life:)

How Often Does It Change?

2007-11-15T11:45:00.000-06:00

Ok, I'm getting a bit annoyed with Google right now and their everchanging pageranks. I've gone from a PR3, down to a PR1, back up to a PR3, down to a PR2 (two days ago) and now I'm at a PR0! What the heck?!?!? How often do they change the rankings? Every day? It wouldn't bother me so much if I wasn't trying to earn some extra money by writing sponsored ads. But, a lot of these sponsors go by pagerank and when you have a low one, you get less work. I know there are several people out there that say not to write sponsored ads on your blog, it drives readers away. Maybe they're right. Maybe that's what is going on here even though I'm still showing a lot of traffic to my site. I don't know. It's so frustrating.

Edit: After much searching on the web, I've noticed that several blogs that write sponsored ads have been knocked down to a PR0. Several of these blogs have speculated that google is "out to get" those of us who write these ads. Personally, I think it's a crock to have high and mighty google punish you for what is written on your blog. what happened to freedom of speech?

It Was So Embarrassing!

2007-11-12T10:25:00.000-06:00

When I was 16, I was eating lunch with a couple of my friends. When I bit into my hamburger, I was in almost immediate pain. I knew what had happened. My filling had came out. Imagine the pain and embarrassment of having that happen. I made a hasty retreat to the bathroom so I could spit out the bite of hamburger and not gross out my friends. I was in tears because as soon as the air hit my tooth, it started throbbing. I left lunch early to try to get into the dentist to have the filling repaired, but unfortunately they didn't have any openings for me that day. I had to wait until the next day. I was in so much pain that I couldn't sleep or eat. Even drinking liquids hurt because when it hit that tooth, it hit the nerve and sent waves of pain throughout my mouth.

I wish I'd had Dentemp OS for temporary dental repair back then to help me with the pain. You use Dentemp OS to temporarily repair loose caps/crowns and loose fillings. It also helps temporarily relieve dental discomfort and pain. Their website states that each packages has enough for about six uses. Just remove from the plastic vial and it is ready to go. No mixing. No mess. AND you can eat within 30 minutes of application. It would be really handy to keep in your purse or car in case of a dental emergency.

PageRank Changed Again

2007-11-12T10:16:00.000-06:00

I'm so confused on this whole google pagerank thing. When I first started my blog, it was ranked a PR3 then it dropped to a PR1. I know why it dropped then. I pretty much quit writing and lost a lot of readers. Anyway, I started writing again and last month got it back up to a PR3. But, I logged on this morning and it is now showing that it's dropped to a PR2. Argh! I've not done anything different so no idea why it dropped. I guess I'll just go with the flow. It would be nice if it would stay at a consistent number, but I don't know how to do that so will just go along for the ride. I just hope it doesn't drop any lower.

Alzheimer's Awareness Month

2007-11-08T10:36:00.000-06:00

Did you know that November is Alzheimer's Awareness Month? I didn't. I also didn't know that November 13th is National Memory Screening Day. This day is to help promote early detection of Alzheimer's disease and other related illnesses. You will find participating sites offering free confidential memory screenings, as well as follow up resources and educational materials to people who are concerned about memory loss. Why not take a loved one to a screening? The earlier memory loss is detected, the earlier treatment can be started. What better holiday gift to give to a loved one? Check online to find the nearest participating site to you.

Did you know that there are several ways to help you age successfully too? Leading a healthy, sensible lifestyle helps slow down or prevent the loss of brain cells, maintain the brain's ability to make up for any loss, and let remaining brain cells function well. Some tips to help would be to make regular doctor visits, participate in brain stimulating activities (like reading, crosswords, playing cards, anything that challenges you mentally, etc.), manage stress, exercise at least 30 minutes daily, stay socially active, control high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease, follow a healthy diet and limit your alcohol consumption. If you do all of these things this will help maintain your brain health and hopefully keep you from developing Alzheimer's disease yourself.

Seeking a cure for Alzheimer's is very important, but let's not forget that providing care to those that have already been diagnosed with this disease is just as important. A contribution to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America during the holidays or buying a product from their estore is a fantastic way to do so. Help make someone's life with Alzheimer's a little bit easier and stay healthy yourself so you can have the best possible future. Let's make Alzheimer's a distant memory, pun intended!

What Happened to Thanksgiving?

2007-11-08T10:11:00.000-06:00

Today is Thursday and in blog world, it is also Thankful Thursday. I was trying to figure out what to write about today on that subject when it hit me. I'm sitting here, watching tv, and noticing that almost every commercial now is geared towards Christmas. Hello? Remember that other holiday between Halloween and Christmas? You know, THANKSGIVING!?!?!? What is it with everyone skipping right over this holiday? I know that it doesn't have the same glitz and glamour of Christmas, but it's still an important holiday to remember. This is the time that you get together with your loved ones, enjoy a special meal, and give thanks for all the wonderful things that you have in your life. I know that I truly enjoy Thanksgiving. It helps me to stop and realize how much I do have in my life to be thankful for. There are so many times throughout the year that I complain about things going wrong, when in reality I'm very lucky to be where I am and have what I have. I don't remember that a lot of the time, but Thanksgiving helps to remind me.

The Mist

2007-11-08T09:54:00.000-06:00

I love Stephen King! Whenever I want to read a good, scary book, I go straight for a Stephen King novel. I think my favorite book of his has to be Pet Semetary. There was just something about that book that I really enjoyed. Maybe it was the fact that I had always wished there was some way to bring back my pets that had died. Granted, I wouldn't have wanted them to come back like the cat in Pet Semetary did! That was just too scary! I also really liked Carrie. I felt so bad for her even though she did have the telekenetic powers. She just wanted to fit in with her peers and no matter how hard she tried they still wouldn't accept her. She got her revenge in the end though. Even though it would have been a nicer ending if she'd finally been accepted, the way the book/movie did end was more fitting to Stephen King.

Stephen King has a new movie coming out on November 21st. It is called The Mist by Stephen King. I have seen the movie trailer and it looks just as scary as any of his other movies. I will definitely be there when it hits our local theater. If you like Stephen King and scary movies, I would definitely check out the movie trailer for yourself.

I Can't Breathe

2007-11-08T09:50:00.000-06:00

Woke up this morning with the feeling of not being able to catch my breath. I didn't think much of it until after leaving the gym and I was constantly gasping. I think it's allergies. I've taken an allergy pill and am waiting on it to kick in. Hopefully it will work soon. I feel like I've run a marathon.

Printer Cartridges

2007-11-08T09:34:00.000-06:00

How many times have you run out of ink in your printer, gotten to the store and not known which cartridge to get? It's happened to me several times and is so frustrating. Cartridge Finder is a new website that helps you find exactly which cartridge goes with your printer, copier or fax machine. This site also checks PriceGrabber.com to find you the cheapest price out there.

this is a sponsored post

Another Weekend Trip

2007-11-07T10:52:00.000-06:00

In my previous post I told you that one of our trucks was again in the shop. Well, yesterday, I got more news about one of our other trucks. This is the one that we've taken 100 miles away for the past two weekends to have repair work done on it. This is the one that was SUPPOSED to be fixed and ready to get back out on the road. Apparantly this is not the case. Hubby told me yesterday that it is again leaking oil from the rear end soooo that means another trip down to the Sterling dealership to have it worked on this weekend. The only good news about this is the fact that we won't be paying a bill this trip, but we will still have the gas cost to get down there, a hotel room for the evening, and time taken away from other things that we could be doing here. I've told hubby that we really need to find places around here or that are at least a little bit closer to be doing some of these repairs, but unfortunately that's what happens when you live in a little po'dunk town in the middle of nowhere. There just isn't a market for those types of places around here so we have to go elsewhere. I just hope that the next weekend trip I have to take is actually one that is for fun and relaxation and not work related.

I Need An Aspirin!

2007-11-05T11:19:00.000-06:00

AGAIN, our G** D*** truck is in the shop! Hubby called me this morning and said the turbo was going out on it. This is getting ridiculous! We've had transmission work, rearend work, turbo work etc. done on all three of our trucks in the last month and it's really starting to wear me out! I really thought that after getting our truck back this last time that it would be the LAST time, but I guess not. And to top it all off, I've had an ongoing migraine since last weekend. It comes and goes, but it's always there, lingering and just waiting to strike again when I get stressed.

The Garage Ate My Thanksgiving Decorations!

2007-11-05T10:45:00.000-06:00

I went out in the garage this morning to pull out all of our fall decorations. I had planned on taking our Halloween ones down and putting the autumn harvest ones up, but I can't find them! Our garage is such a mess that everything is all jumbled into the corners and shoved on shelves and now I can't find what I'm looking for. I wish I had a bunch of garage cabinets to put all my stuff in. Then whenever I went to look for things I might actually know where to find them.

this is a sponsored post.

Busy as a Bee

2007-11-02T11:20:00.000-05:00

I'm beginning to think that this really isn't Friday, but that it's Monday instead. The way the phone has been ringing and the way my to list has been growing, it just can't be Friday. Friday's are supposed to be quiet and calm, easy going, not too busy. Monday is supposed to be the hectic, everything going on at once, pulling your hair out day. Did I fall into some sort of time warp where my days are opposite? Maybe I'm still asleep and I'm dreaming about everything that is going on. Whatever is going on, I want my usual Friday back! Enough of this crap that's going on today.