10 years

2013 marks the 10 year anniversary of my service in AmeriCorps. What an amazing 10 months it was! So every so often I'll post a tid bit from the past. If you don't like it too bad. I want to do it :)

This first one is actually a poem I wrote in a English 101. Looking back on a seemingly small but important event.

Red Wings
I opened the box and my eyes lit up
Boots of my very own, Red Winds were their name.
Brand new rubber soled,
With seven inches of leather.
I slipped them on with glee,
They fit just perfectly.

I laced them up good and tight.
They were still a little stiff,
But the day had just begun.
The hike wasn't too long
Only a mile or so, but I could tell
There boots might not do too well.

When we stopped to get ready to work
I took some time to re-lace my boot.
Not so tight this time
I hoped it would help.
There was still a long day ahead
And I was far from a bed.

We worked all morning and afternoon,
I tried to put up a fight.
To forget about the seams
That had rubber their nasty little faces into my foot.
The burning and aching almost made me cry.
Sometimes during the day I thought I would die.

After work we all came home.
I took off my boots with a sigh.
Next off go the socks
Followed by a terrible stench.
I pulled my left foot into my lap
And I saw something and gave it a tap.

That was it, the trial of my day,
A big fat blister on my toe.
I put some ice on it
To ease the pain.
I thought about cutting off the toe.
That would end my woe.

Six weeks went by in a flash.
The blister was a fadded memory.
It was time to leave,
This place we called home.
Now my boots were broken in,
And they were like second skin.


---By the way I still own these boots and love how they feel. 

The Best

So Fred and I are dorks. We have little code sayings and phrases that help us communicate. Some or them are obvious or silly and some are covert. A very common one "I'm the best wife/husband in the world". We use this phrase to communicate that we have gotten a lot done or we thought to do something without being asked. Some nights I tell Fred "I am not the best wife in the world" and this is my way of telling Fred my day has been a little rough and expect the house to be a wreck when he gets home. There are several reasons why I can have a tough night. A big one tonight Rayne...

We had a day full of things. So when we got home she was very tired and so was mommy. 45 minutes into Rayne's nap she started fussing. Needing to be held. I picked her up and we rocked. Next thing I knew Rayne was awake fussing again and it was 8pm. My foot was swollen from sleeping sitting up, Rayne was having a reflux attack and my contacts had dried out. We were in pretty sad shape.

The next three hours were filled with bottles, diapers, tears, medicine, cuddles, and Veggie Tales. The laundry is not done, dishes aren't put away, dirty dishes in the kitchen, and toys all over the living room. Most importantly Rayne was comfortably asleep. I am very still very sore and very tired, so the house work won't be getting done.

So tonight I am not "The best wife in the world." but I am "The best Mom in the world." I was there when my daughter needed me, and I'm going to go to bed so when she needs me tonight I'll be there for her then too. All in all life is really great :)

Blessing in the Banana Bread

I was making Banana Bread Muffins tonight. They are a donation for a bake sale at our local cloth diaper store- A Nurturing Moment. They are trying to raise money for and organization that helps support low income breastfeeding mothers. They are having a rummage sale as well. It should be a great event. And a chance to bless families with what they need. Anyway that is not the blessing that I am talking about.

What I am talking about is from dropping my Banana Bread Muffins. Yes dropping my muffins was a blessing. So here I was making these wonderful soy, nut, egg free banana bread. The color was perfect, texture to die for. These were the best banana bread I had ever made. I was so proud. It looked like I was going to get 36 muffins and 3 loafs of bread. The first 24 muffins came out just fine. I put in the next 12 and let them bake. As I was pulling them out of it oven it happened. My hand gave out. It does this from time to time. It's part of my chronic condition. I'll be holding something and then all of a sudden I won't be. So here were my wonderful muffins falling out of the pan and right back in to the oven. Most landed on the rack but a few made it to the coil down below and set fire. I turned off the oven grabbed the grill tongs and fished them all out. Almost in tears as I did this. It was so rare that my bread came out perfect, and here they were on fire.

I called Fred. I need someone to tell me that yes it stinks but it will be okay. I know that sounds kind of childish but it is really hard for me when this happens. Fred commented how lucky we were that my hands never gave out when I am holding Rayne. Before I could think I said, "It's not luck it's a blessing." Which it truly is. And after I hung up and regained a little more composure I realized that every time I drop something is a time I won't be dropping Rayne. I really am watched over and that if this frail body is going to give way Heavenly Father blesses me to have it happen with very minor things.

So there you have it the blessing in the Banana Bread.

Cleaning House

Recently Fred and I have decided to get back to our scheduled chore routine. It's not that we don't keep the house clean. But this schedule helps us make sure things are with the frequency we want. Making it so that we only have to do a little cleaning each day so the big cleaning days don't take as long.

Today was the upstairs bathroom which is the one with our shower tub in it. And we decided to scrub it down hard to get all the gunk out of it and start with a clean slate. So I get in there with this awesome cleaner I found called Doktor Clean. I found it at Kroger and it is an awesome paste that takes a lot of muscle out of cleaning. Anyway I get in there and start cleaning our tub floor. Before we had scrubbed this with everything else we had and could only get off the basic layer of grime. So we threw a mat down and just didn't deal with it. Today I paint a very annoy discovery. Paint. That is right someone painted our tub floor. Well the whole tub but most of the rest of it had come off. And we aren't talking nice enamel paint to cover up the scratches, no we are talking about wall pant. The didn't even have the decency to use a satin, semi gloss or glossy finish. They used a FLAT finish!!! Oh I was fit to be tied. But there was nothing to do but scrub.

I got out a plastic spatula to help scrap up the paint. I was preparing to find a tub floor just covered in scratches that would make me want to put the right paint on it. Do you know what I found?? An almost perfect tub. Sure there were some scratches but nothing terrible, no need to paint at all. After getting up most of the stuff off the bottom I moved on to the walls. The soap scum came off pretty easy sadly it brought along more paint. Instead of re-caulking they painted. I this point I was just praying to slip in the water and crack my head open and bleed out right there. Thankfully that wasn't the case for all the caulking around the tiles but the wall joint and fixtures. They also painted the soap holder. Oh what sad sad people.

Lastly I found paint in the sink as I was cleaning up. What were the previous renters thinking?? I'm pretty sure it wasn't the complex because as nuts as they are to put flat paint up, in any wall in an apartment, they were smart enough to use a semi-gloss finish in the bathrooms and kitchen. So I wonder if the last renters felt they wouldn't get their deposit back or when they were painting (I know they had to because management had to paint over their work before we could move in) they thought it would be a good idea. Either way it stinks to be the one to clean it up!

Crys' Cloth

Several people have asked me about how we cloth diaper. Because of this I have decided to just write it all down and make it available to all.

We use a two piece system for our diapers that consist of a cover and an insert. The covers we either bought or people bought for us. The inserts I made, but we will get there.

"Cover"ing the basics-
The covers are part of the Flip system, made by the same people who made BumGenius Diapers. You can pick up the covers here. The covers come in a variety of colors so your baby's bum always looks adorable :) Also the covers are adjustable size from 8lbs to 35lbs which means you only need to buy covers once and adjust the size as needed. Covers are available in Velcro (hook and loop) closure or snap closures. We use the snap, they may take a few seconds longer put on but they do not fall off accidentally. Nor do the snaps wear out in the washer and dryer.

In total we have 8 covers. 1 cover lives in the diaper bag as a back up, 4 various color covers, and 3 covers all the same color (green). A single cover can last all day if it doesn't get messy or soaked wet. All the green covers are for night time, when we "double stuff" the diaper. Which means that we put two inserts into one cover. This allows us to not have to change a diaper during the night... most nights. But using two inserts stretches out the elastic differently, that's why we dedicated a specific color so we would know exactly which ones to use at night.

Hint- I put a notch of thread in the middle of the snaps so don't have to count to find the middle each time I change a diaper.

"Insert" Here

You can buy inserts for your diapers. They are available online but at $5 a piece that is $225 for 45 inserts. Which may sound like a lot but if you figure $50 a month for diapers that's only 4.5 months of cost. Or you can make them like I did. Granted it takes a little time but it saves a lot of money. Home much you may ask?? Using the exact same materials I used it will cost 0.85 an insert. Using similar materials ordered from the internet you can expect to pay $1- $1.5o per insert. And as it almost always true if you do the work you can save some serious money.

The How To:

Materials Needed
70 Microfiber Car Wash Towels 16x16
--I used the towels available at Costco. Yes they are vibrant yellow but it's for diapers, really does it matter??
3 Yards Alova Suede Fabric
--Yes it has to be that brand, found at Joann Fabric in store and online
Roller Cutter, Mat, and Ruler
Sewing Machine
Thread

This will make 70 inserts. I made 30 smalls, 20 medium, 20 large. You can do more or less in each size. For instance you can make all larges and fold over the excess in the diaper but that will add bulk. We have greatly enjoyed not dealing with the bulk or having to fold a diaper while putting it on.

1) Pre-wash suede and towels.
2) Get out cutting instruments and prepare to do a bunch of cutting.
3) Cut
--30 pieces 5 inches x 12 inches (small)
--20 pieces 5 inches x 14 inches (medium)
--20 pieces 5 inches x 16 inches (large)
How exactly you get them cut is up to you. Stack them neatly off to the side.
4) Fold the towels. Place the towel flat on a surface and fold the sides into the middle in thirds. It won't match up perfectly but that's okay. Just make sure they are about 5 inches wide.
5) Grab a folded towel and place a cut piece of suede. On the Small or Medium sizes the towel will be longer than the suede. Just line up on one end. We will cut off the extra later.
6) Sew the suede to the towels using a simple straight stitch. Go all the way around the suede and ounce down the middle. The stitch down the middle will help hold the miss aligned towels in place.
7) Trim the extra towel off the small and medium sizes. Make sure not to cut your stitching. The large size should fit just about perfectly. This size will not need trimming.
8) Wash in Hot water with light soap NO fabric softener. Do this twice. Then Dry either by laying out in the sun of in the Dryer on High heat with NO dryer sheet. This is how you will wash the inserts from now on.

Now your inserts are ready to be used on you baby.

Changing The Diaper
Open The Cover
Put the insert in the cover,
Put on Baby
Notice that the snaps don't have to be equal on each side. Do what works for your baby.

Other Notes
Our diaper pail is a trash can with a trash bag in it. When it's time to do laundry we just carry the pail upstairs and dump it out into the washer. We use the same bag until it gets really yucky or stinky. About every 6 weeks.

Once you get the solid food stage and poo starts to stink pick up some of these paper liners. Line the diaper with this and just flush the poo and liner away. No stink, so no need to have a special diaper pail. The ones that are just wet can either be flushed or trashed. Yes some mess may still get in the cover or insert, but most will be flushed away.

If you use a High Efficiency washer you may need to soak your inserts either in the diaper pail or the washer. But they will need more water run through them than the regular wash cycle will do.

Occasionally you may get soap build up on the inserts. You can tell you have build up if the insert smell after you wash them. Your baby has an extra red bottom or you can feel grit or grim on the inserts. Simply wash the inserts over and over with no soap until they no longer sud in the washer.

If for some reason your baby gets a diaper rash I would suggest using a paper insert, such as gDiaper or flip disposable inserts. That was the diaper rash cream does not get into the fabric. A small amount will not mater but lots will cause build up. I prefer the gDiapers because they are thinner and can easily be added on top of cloth insert if needed. Works great for night time rashes, because you can still double stuff a diaper and use rash cream.

In the diaper bag you can use a small or medium 'wet bag' to put wet/messy diapers in while out of the house. You can buy one or make one. They are simple. Last resort you can use a gallon sized ziploc bag, you can even use that over and over too.

If you have any questions let me know :)

Random Thoughts of the Day

Number Ten
Pharmacy Consultations should not be allowed at the drive thru window.
~~Two people in front of me at the drive thru had these~~

Number Nine
Apparently five shirts wasn't enough.
~~How many of my shirts I had to put into the laundry for one reason or another~~

Number Eight
If it wasn't for bad luck Sprocket would have no luck at all.
~~Fraggle Rock, watch it and you'll know~~

Number Seven
Are the only options giant and preemie?
~~Two nurse and three people at the store asked how early Rayne was born~~

Number Six
I think I know people who smoke it for less.
~~When I saw the price of Hemp Milk~~

Number Five
Sugar covered candy canes no matter what consistency is delicious.
~~After finding out that my peppermint brittle came out more like peppermint taffy~~

Number Four
Holding a sleeping baby solves so many problems.
~~Realizing that I haven't slept without Rayne in my arms for 3 days~~

Number Three
Timing is everything. And I only have it half the time.
~~Half the calls I made today were at bad times~~

Number Two
Driving school must not teach that you signal and
slow down when getting into the left hand turn lane.
~~I did this and someone honked at me for 30 seconds~~

And the Number One Random Thought of the Day
My Name is Rayne and I'm going to pump- you up!
~~While dropping off Rayne's steroid prescription~~

The Silver Lining

Recently some tough stuff has been happening around here but thankfully there has been large silver linings to almost all of it.

First one is my shoulder. Remember that wonderful injury I had that took a bunch of therapy before we had surgery then a couple months more of surgery. Well something good came out of that injury. I can carry Rayne in the sling comfortably. If I wear the sling on my left shoulder my arm, neck and eventually head really start to hurt. This doesn't happen on my right shoulder. On day I noticed that where the pain starts on the left side is in the bicep tendon where it attaches up by the neck. On my right side that isn't there, hence the lack of pain. So I can carry Rayne on that side for a lot longer before I start to get tired and sore. Who knew that the oddest acquired injury would help me take care of my baby over a year later :)
Second comes from Rayne being sick. This last Monday we had to take Rayne to the ER. The night before she had some very odd breathing and I had her checked by the doctor. They didn't find anything wrong and said if any new symptoms showed up to call back in. Well by 8pm that night Rayne had not kept anything down in 12 hours. She didn't have a fever but she was vomiting everything she ate, and hadn't had a wet diaper since 9am. The ER wasn't fun, but that's another post. But one of the things the doctor recommend was propping her up to sleep. Because of this we bought a bouncy chair for Rayne to sleep in. Which she loves. And now that we are having to travel out west for a while it will be so much easier to take the bouncy chair than our bassinet or constantly figuring out where she's going to sleep.
Third and probably most ironic was Gigi's passing. This is one of the roughest things we've been through simply because of the emotional roller coaster of not knowing when it was going to happen. So we couldn't make plans of when to travel and trying to support people emotionally that are hundreds if not thousands of miles away. But Gigi has released her burden and we are headed out to Utah. The positive side is just as major... well at least to me. Our ceiling is finally going to get fixed. That hole in our kitchen ceiling due to the bathroom leaking has finally been looked at by the repair guy. But because of the risk that there is mold up there he has to come back to do the work once he gets that right chemicals and materials. The repair guy should be back after we are gone so we don't have to deal with, chemicals, dust, hammering, all the thing that go with it. Fred may be back in time for some of it but Rayne and I will probably still be gone. We've been waiting for months for this to be fixed and really worried about where Rayne and I would go while the repairs were being done but now it's not a problem.

So there you go. Some of those major negatives in life can have truly great positives. Some take a year or more to show up and others it can be a matter of hours. So always try to look for the silver lining :)

35!!!!

I have eaten at least two meals everyday for the last 35 days!!!!!

The meals have varied in size but there has been minimum of two each day. I'm also reporting that I have a bit of a snack bug. I love having crackers to snack on during the day something I can just grab and munch or chew on. I still have to make a conscious effort to get the crackers out but once out I'll eat them :)
There are days, a lot of them, that eating is not something I really don't want to do but I'm getting better about making sure it gets done. And I'm still drinking my fluids too!
35 days down and ohh at least another 21,604 to go.

The Appearance

My bump finally showed up. Just in time for me to go into labor.... lol. But random people actually notice I'm pregnant, no one wants to believe that I'm 9 months pregnant but oh well. It was really funny one night we went down to Labor and Delivery and the nurses there were completely caught of guard how far along I was. The average guess was I was only 6 months along. So I'm starting to really laugh about people's wrong guesses and funny faces.
You'll also notice that our LaRayne has decided to drop. Which actually has made my life easier because now when she kicks she isn't hitting the middle of my rib cage, LaRayne doesn't really even hit my rib cage at all. I've been lucky enough that her dropping hasn't effected my hips or back, I'm very blessed.
That's about all for now. I'm off to eat dinner. Yes dinner for the 21st day in a row. You read right 21 days!! I've had at least two meals a day for the last 21 days. And yes it's still hard to eat but I'm doing it :)

It's Been Madness!

The last couple of weeks have been an emotional roller coaster ride for us and not the good kind. It started about a week and a half ago with a my normal 33 check up with my OB. It was a simple blood pressure, weight, heartbeat and size check appointment. My blood pressure was fine, I'd lost some weight (over two pounds), baby's heart rate was great but she was still measuring small in fundal height. This was all done by the nurse and then my doc comes in. He comes in sits down and asks hows the baby? I told him she's moving normal, no contractions but I did have a few concerns. Just as a worried mom. I was worried about the fact that her fundal measurements keep coming back two-three weeks small. And that the only movement I feel is above where my belly button is. That just seemed really high and with my mom have placenta previa before, it made me a little more concerned. With out even moving my doctor responded, "Well high movement in fairly common, and as for the size I guess we'll see what size she is when she is born." I start thinking, "um okay while that is all true I know that, I still don't feel very good about it." My doctor rushes on, "Any other questions?" I had been feeling pretty crummy the last week or so. My ears have been clogged, and my sinuses just aren't comfortable. I told him this and before I could even really get to my question he cuts me off saying, "I take half a Zertec a night to help with my allergies. Anything else???" I started getting a little ticked off. Then I pulled out my birth plan. I could see his face sort of drop and he said, "Oh I usually don't start birth plans until 37 weeks. But I suppose we can look at this." Then he proceeds to tear it apart. "No, you can't have anything to drink during labor. You have to have a saline IV so you will be hydrated. And I require that you be on a monitor at all times. You can move as much as you want just as long as you are on the monitor go to the bathroom and walk around, but that means you can't shower." What he doesn't mention but I know because I toured our hospital already is that they don't have portable monitors. So once I'm hooked up to a monitor I have a giant machine that will 3 feet away from me at all times that has to be plugged into a wall. Oh yeah I can really go for a walk on that type of leash. So at this point I'm almost in tears realizing that if I stay with this doctor I'm not getting a birth anything close to what I want. And this was the guy recommended to me for natural birth by several people. ACK!! At least my doc was smart enough to notice that I wasn't very happy and said, "These are my rules and if you don't like them I won't be offended if you go to another doctor. Just call the office and let them know. Any more questions?" I just looked at him blankly. He responded "Okay good, see you in two weeks." I made my appointment for two weeks and went home. Thank goodness it was a Friday and Fred's day off I was able to just home and be a mess. I cried, I whined, I worried, I stressed, so yeah I pretty much just broke down for an hour or two. Then Fred and I worked on the project of the day which helped get my mind off things.
Over the weekend I thought, prayed and tried to decide what to do. I knew I wanted a different doctor but would it be possible to find anyone better who would take me this late in the game. I also researched and e-mailed a bunch of OBs in the area. Then someone gave me the great idea of contacting a local Doula (birthing coach) to see who they recommended. So I did that and anxiously await to hear back from everyone hopefully on Monday.
Monday morning came and so did the responses. The doula's came first and she was very excited to help me. She recommended her favorite doctor to work with Dr. Cimino. As I was doing research about this doctor I got responses from all the OBs I e-mailed and none of them would take me because of how far along I was. Dr. Cimino takes patients up to 38 weeks. So I gave their office a call. And yup they were willing to take me as a patient my appointment was for the following week.
Yesterday I went to my new doctor. The staff was nice, kind and caring. Then the doctor came in and it got even better!!!! He answered all of my questions thoroughly, calmed my fears and took me seriously. I went over my birth plan and he's fully on board. I can even have my Gatorade during labor as long as there are no complications. And I only have to be on a monitor for one contraction every hour just to make sure that the baby is responding positively to the contractions. Other than that I can do what I want. We did have one disagreement though. That was when I'm actually due. According to some of my numbers I'm due on August 22nd. But my doctors have been telling me off the ultrasounds that I'm due September 8th-11th. Depending on which tech or doc you talk to. During my exam Dr. Cimino couldn't find the baby's head and I am starting to dilate. Not enough for a number yet but he can tell my body is getting ready for birth. But with all this an ultrasound was warranted. The ultrasound showed a due date of September 4th. Which isn't a huge difference but because of all the other date confusion and what my body is doing they are officially changing my date to that. Dr. Cimino so far is not convinced I'll make it that long. But Rayne is perfectly healthy with her head down. She is positioned a little different than most and that's why her fundal heights are always off and the placenta is in the front so it makes it hard to find the head on a regular exam.
So that's the story here. With baby arrival looming even closer than I thought my mind is starting to race about things I need to get done. While at the same time making sure I don't over do it and go into labor anytime soon. It will be an interesting balance and I'm sure everything will work out for the best. Just goes to show that when it comes to medical things I never do things the easiest way. I have to be just a little off beat.

It's Just Not There

Now I know all of you want to see baby bump pictures. Especially with the move and being away from everyone these are important things that people want to see. Well I am just writing to inform you there is no bump. No I'm not in hiding, I'm not avoiding the camera, if I had a bump it would be posted everywhere. I cannot wait to have one. And please no comments on oh you'll get one or you'll be happy you don't have one or that you don't get to big. I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR IT!!! I know those things but it still doesn't change that I want my bump.

Back to the no bump things, I have witnesses. A whole Relief Society of them. Today was my second week in our new ward and I was featured in this week's news letter. In said letter it mentioned that I was expecting our baby girl in September. There were about 6 ladies that asked me my due date again, thinking the date must have been a typo because I had no bump. And another 4 or 5 ladies that I talked to never would have guessed I was even pregnant non the less past half way.

No I'm not holding out on you. When I have a bump everyone will know it. Otherwise LaRayne is a completely healthy little one who has figured out how to make purposeful kicks and or punches. It no longer just feels like squirming we are talking timed hits. Maybe it's time to start music lessons and get her on a beat so she's prepped for dance classes :)

Just thought you'd all like to be in the loop!

Bright Colors

I'm ready for spring (if you can't tell by the new lay out) bright colors, warm weather, swimming, and sun bathing.

Other than that life is pretty good. The house is on the market with lots of showings happening so more exposure means a better chance for an offer. So keep those fingers crossed!!!

The baby hand-me-downs are starting to come in. Oh it's sooo much fun, all those little things. And less for me to have to find later ;) Yes technically it's more things to pack and move but oh so worth it.

Fred is just hanging out in Alabama. Making friends working and chilling with the cat.

That's pretty much our life right now, how have the rest of you been?

The Long Road

Fred left. I mean not 2 minutes ago he pulled out of the driveway on his way to Alabama.

Knowing that this is going to be the worst part of moving help a little. Understanding that this is extremely temporary helps with perspective but it still really SUCKS!

One thing that makes it really stink is we have no idea how long this is going to last. I know I will see him in about three weeks to go to Florida for a wedding. But after that weekend who knows how long it will be.

LOL! Fred will be home in about 30 minutes.... he forgot his Sunday clothes. Just answered the phone and yeah Fred forgot his ties, suit, shirts, and hangers. Thank goodness he noticed while he was still nearby. Oh my.....

Okay well I suppose time to start moving on. The greatest blessings in life often come after some of our greatest challenges.

Yes Alabama, That's Where We Are Going

There is nothing you can do to stop us! We are going to Alabama. And yup we are excited!!!! Well we are excited to be in Alabama not so much about the process of getting there. Anyway...
The Details
Fred accepted a new job with Comcast in Hunstville, Alabama. He will be doing the same type of job with the same title. But it's a great career move. Comcast is a national company so there is a lot more room for growth and promotions, but they like to treat their people as if it was still a small company. With good benefits, small team sizes, hands on training, and personal attention. Also if you are wonder yes Comcast is the company buying the majority of NBC from GE... which is exciting.
Fred heads down on the 22nd of January and starts work on the following Monday. He is going to be staying with some friends while we figure out exactly what is going to happen with the house and we locate an apartment for us to live in.
My parents and I have been working on getting the house ready for the market. Mom, Christina ( a good friend of mine) and I have been doing a ton of painting. A bedroom, a bathroom, and a kitchen so far. The missionaries were here yesterday and moved a TON of furniture around for staging and even put up a couple of our lights. The electrician will be here Thursday to put in the rest of the lights and mom and I will be doing more painting as the week goes on. We also seriously need to start packing. Going through my "deal with later boxes" and figure out exactly what is going and what is trash.
So our lives are crazy and the house is a mess but we are very excited about what the future holds.
Later Days!

Ramblings of a Sane Mind

This is a new blog that a friend of mine, good ole Davey, started and was gracious enough to let me be a part of. We already have some great posts so I encourage everyone to start reading it. So entice you more here is the first post I wrote :)

Pretty Good is a Qualified Answer

For anyone who doesn't know me I'm sick a lot. And if you do know me I'm still sick a lot. Needless to say people are always checking up on me, not just normal "hey how ya doin" but "how are you feeling today" or "how are you dealing". Many years ago I decided on an honesty policy when people ask me questions like that. Mostly I answer "Pretty Good". That is my honest answer, sure maybe I could elaborate but I don't want to overload people with my problems unless they really want them. But that's a point for another ramble. Anyway..... back to pretty good..... So I give this practically all the time, and it really is an honest answer. If I'm out and about, or had enough to let you in my front door I'm pretty good. What gets me is the audacity of some people to say "just pretty good?" Oh come on folks!!!! Accept the fact that my life has more challenges than yours and the fact that when I get out I'm only 'pretty good'. Be thankful that I'm not miserable, horrible, bad, or even awful. Also remember that pretty good is better than just plain good. So no I'm not to your level of everyday is described as terrific or awesome those words I reserve for extremely special days so I, and those close to me, know that I really was a stand out day.

So if someone says they are pretty good take that at face value. Let them enjoy whatever level of good their day is. And if you have to ask a secondary question ask, "what makes it pretty good?" but only if you really want to listen and care about what will come out of that person's mouth next. And if you are a person describing your day, never lie. If your day really is awesome, bad, rockin, or even pretty good then say so, people want the truth.

Until next ramble :)

http://sanemindramblings.blogspot.com

Two Months

So I've been a total slacker and haven't posted in about two months. What a couple of months we've had.

Fred- Is working like a mad man. Papa Johns had 5 drive quit all in one week and as they started to hire more drivers they started getting busy on a daily basis. Which means lots of shifts for Fred. So the guy wakes up around 6am goes to Insight works there until about 5 then goes straight to Papa Johns and delievers pizza until 11-11:30 at night. Comes home spends a little time with me and heads off to bed around 1am. He is such a trooper :) I try to meet up with him in between the two jobs, take him dinner if he wants it. But a chance to see him and break up my day is nice. At home he still does anything he can to help out. He vacuums, does dishes, and will even help with laundry :)

Me- Like I said I've been a slacker. I wanted to have the house is much better shape than it is. I'm not going to make my January 1st listing date. I really want to get the house listed, well of course it's kind of essential to selling a house but also spring is right around the corner and I don't want to miss it. I have gotten some things done. The basement is really close to being done. We need to put the new tiles in and finish laying the baseboards and door trims. Then we can move all the furniture around and have that room ready to show.
I've also gotten back to my photography. I actually had TWO shoots yesterday. It was nice to have the work, but I need to be doing curls with my camera or something because my shoulder is a little stiff this morning.
Oh the shoulder, it's doing great. I have 90% range of motion. I still have a really hard time getting behind my back but it does go there. That will take time as long as I keep working it. And strength will come back slowly. But honesty for 11 weeks out of surgery I'm doing great. Sadly I'm done with PT. I really liked my physical therapy office, not to mention those appointments helped me remember what day it was. But it is nice to know that I'm functioning well enough that I don't have to be there.

Well I'm sure I'm forgetting something but oh well I'm sure it will come up later if it's important enough. Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving and are preparing for a fantastic Christmas.

It's Pretty

Doesn't the blog look great for winter? I would sit here and write a blog about the last couple months but sadly I don't not have the time nor energy. Hopefully tonight after I steal Fred's laptop. But don't worry we are alive and kicking :)

Hoppy Birthday To Me!

Thursday was my birthday and it was a blast. Since I know I lead such an interesting life that you all are just dying to have, so here is the play by play.
After only about 3 hours sleep (no I wasn't sleeping due to excitement) I went upstairs to hang out with Fred. Who had generously taken Thursday and Friday off to help me with everything. Fred was so very excited about my gift that he made me open it first thing. I slowly opened the small box that had been sitting on our piano for almost the last month. Upon opening I fully understood his excitement. Fred managed to find my dream music box. I have loved music boxes since I was a very small child but I am extremely picky about the quality of the music and how the box is made. Hence why I never owned any. Until my birthday :) And what was the song that my box plays? My favorite lullaby "Hushabye Mountain". That song comes from the movie "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" which if you've never seen it you need to. The box its self is maple with a daisy like flower on top. Officially the flower is Edelweiss but it's part of the same family. And one thing that made it really cool was the fact that Fred thought of it all on his own based on a comment I made months ago. He knew I loved music boxes but that I was really picky about them too. Then back in May when we saw Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on stage (wonderful play by the way) I leaned over at one point and said "The would perfect. A real music box that played Hushabye Mountain." That was it. Never mentioned or brought up again. It took Fred a lot of work to find it, eventually he found it at Music Box World, UK. What a sweet husband!

Next was a bunch of errands. There were a couple of last minute things to pick up for the party. Can you believe that I almost forgot the

chips for the dip? Fred also took me out to lunch at Subway :) Ahh birthdays on a budget. But I really do like Subway and very rarely get it especially with no complaint from Fred about going there. Once home we had to start setting up for the party! And if you haven't figured it

out it was a Frog Themed Party. Mom asked if people thought I was sickly obsessed with frogs. First off what do I care? Secondly, I've liked frogs since I was 9 years old why stop now? Mom laughed and went back to whatever she was doing. But yes there were frogs all over the place. Earlier in the week I had scoured some coloring books for frogs. Colored the pictures I found and mounted them on poster board. I think they came out pretty good looking, especially since they were coloring books from the dollar store. Honestly I can't take credit for thinking of doing that. One of my nieces sent me a coloring page of frogs that she did, and I wanted to put it up for my party. Then I got to thinking why not do a whole bunch of them. 6 year olds can be so inspirational. One of the pieces I was particularly proud of was the sign we put on the door. I used coloring pages for the bugs and frog. Then I printed the message I wanted off the computer so I knew the size was right. Then I traced the letters and filled the poster letters in with marker. Yup it was stinking awesome! Sad that I had that much time to put into it but awesome out come.

Next was a bunch of errands. There were a couple of last minute things to pick up for the party. Can you believe that I almost forgot the

chips for the dip? Fred also took me out to lunch at Subway :) Ahh birthdays on a budget. But I really do like Subway and very rarely g

et it especially with no complaint from Fred about going there. Once home we had to start setting up for the party! And if you haven't figured it out it was a Frog Themed Party. Mom asked if people thought I was sickly obsessed with frogs. First off what do I care? Secondly, I've liked frogs since I was 9 years old why stop now? Mom laughed and went back to whatever she was doing. But yes there were frogs all over the place. Earlier in the week I had scoured some coloring books for frogs. Colored the pictures I found and mounted them on poster board. I think they came out pretty good looking, especially since they were coloring books from the dollar store. Honestly I can't take credit for thinking of doing that. One of my nieces sent me a coloring page of frogs that she did, and I wanted to put it up for my party. Then I got to thinking why not do a whole bunch of them. 6 year olds can be so inspirational. One of the pieces I was particularly proud of was the sign we put on the door. I used coloring pages for the bugs and frog. Then I printed the message I wanted off the computer so I knew the size was right. Then I traced the letters and filled the poster letters in with marker. Yup it was stinking awesome! Sad that I had that much time to put into it but awesome out come.

We of course played games too. The first one was a matching game. I had typed out about 16 things having to do with frogs ie "This is the only place frogs don't live" then on the walls were little frog cut outs with the answers. Once you found the answer you wrote it down on the piece of paper. In this case the answer was "Antarctica". It was fun to learn some off the wall facts about frogs. I think my favorite thing that I learned was frogs can only see moving things. The second game was what Fred and I called 25 Questions. Fred and I had come up with 25 statements about us. We read the statements to everyone and our guests had to decide whether it was Fred, Me or both of us. Some were obvious and other were very difficult. It was a lot of fun.

The rest of the night we spent talking, laughing and eating our hearts out. Our last guest left around 10:30pm. I was passed out by 12am. Which if you know me is early. Not only did I fall asleep quickly I stayed asleep too. 12 hours baby! I woke up in time for PT. Which they told me unless I'm going to be in super crowded areas or at risk of people grabbing my shoulder I don't have to wear my sling. Wahoo! After PT Fred and I went out to get my free birthday ice cream at Bruster's Real Ice Cream. I received the coupon in my e-mail from 102.3 The Max (I'm signed up as one of their loyal). It was for up to four 5oz ice creams. Since it was just Fred and I we figured they would only give us two but nope we got all four. They make their ice cream so there were some fun flavors. I had Pumpkin Cheese Cake and Peanut Butter Cookie Dough; Fred had Stick in the Mud and Carmel Apple. Yummy in the tummy all the way around.

364 Days until the next one!

Complications

First off let me show you the surgical photos. The first one is of my bone spur. Each of those little bumps is a spur, which had to be ground off. The second picture is the fluid that was in my shoulder. That nasty stuff they suctioned out so clean fluid could move in. That's what the third picture is.

As for the complications:
Of course I can't do anything the easy way. That's what got me into this predicament in the first place. I had to have complications with the surgery. Nothing too major. But not exactly fun. The first one wasn't really what you would call a complication more of an annoyance. When I went in for surgery they put a nerve block in my shoulder so I wouldn't feel my arm after the surgery. This cuts down on the pain, but sadly since I'm thin and healthy it only last about 12 hours instead of the anticipate 18-24 hours. I felt very jipped. On top of that the prescription that they gave me wasn't strong enough without using my Cryocuff 24hours a day. At least the pain kept me from moving around too much. Saturday Fred and I went over to my parents to see Janelle and Julie while they were visiting. We also had the opportunity watch General Conference as a family. Okay I slept through most of it but I did try to stay awake. Here is where the first complication showed up. In the form of a rash. I was starting to itch around my bandages and then the rash complete with lesions and bumps showed up all up and down my arm. So we took off the surgical bandage, only to see that indeed I was reacting to the adhesive. And the betadine they used to clean my skin for surgery had soaked into my skin and my body did not like that. Janelle and Mom scrubbed down my arm best that we could with alcohol. Fred had to work that night so I stayed over with my parents just so everyone else felt I was secure. Around 1am the itching was unbearable so Mom spent the next hour scrubbing my arm with alcohol and dove soap. We also lined my sling with some cotton fabric so my natural movements weren't rubbing against the rough fabric of the sling.
Sunday during the day was rather uneventful. Fred came back over after second session, originally the plan was to take me home. But I still had a very bad rash and needed lots of help doing things. Since Fred had to return to work Monday morning it was decided that it would be best for me to stay with mom and dad a few days more. Which turned out to be a great idea considering we ended up in the Emergency Room that night. My chest had started hurting in the late afternoon, I didn't think much of it because I have a history with this type of pain. As the evening progressed I got worse and worse. Eventually it interfered with my breathing. At about 10pm I couldn't take it anymore and the ER was my only choice that that time. After a full battery of tests it was concluded that I had a Chest Wall inflammation and the rash was a mild reaction to the betadine. I was sent home with a much stronger pain medication, an anti-histamine, and a cream for the rash. Boy oh boy did I sleep well that night.
Monday Mom took me to my PT appointment and to the house so I would have clean clothes while I was at their house. My physical therapist said that I can come out of the sling while I'm at home for a few hours a day when a I'm not really doing anything. To help build my muscles back up. But in public I have to be in the sling to just make sure I don't try to use it just yet and so everyone else knows that they can't touch it. Over the next 6 weeks I'll work my way out of it. But I was given the okay to shower. Showering is difficult and painful but nice to scrub clean.
Today was sleep day. Monday I did way too much and I spent today sleeping it off. I've been up for about for almost 5 hours and I'm ready to go back to bed. It's kind of sad. My rash is looking much better. It's stopped getting worse and it's no longer red. There is still some itching but not nearly as bad.
All in all I'm still rather wosy and wobbly. I will probably remain under the watchful care of my parents for a couple more days. I told mom that she didn't have to do all this and her response was "Just take care of me when I no longer can." I love my parents :) And of course my husband. It's hard on him to have me away, but he is keeping it together like a trooper. Well that is the end of any coherent thoughts for now. Until next time...

Its Been A Baby Week

Last week something happened that I will probably never happen again. Every other day someone I knew had a baby. No JOKE!! And get this two were girls and two were boys.

Monday 21st: Bradley came in at 6lbs 12oz and 20 inches.














Wednesday 23rd: Little Miss (I forgot the details)

Friday 25th: Olivia weighed in at 3lbs 15oz and 17 inches.













Sunday 27th: Tristan he was 8lbs and 20 inches (I may be a little off I forgot to write it down.)



















Also we attended our nephew's baby bless on Sunday morning. Oh and don't forget that I have three more friends due in the next three weeks. What wonderful blessings all around! :)