RIP – Maurice Sendak 1929 – 2012
08 May 2012 2 Comments
May your Wild Rumpus continue where ever you may be…
*cough* So Much For Blogging More
19 Apr 2012 1 Comment
So, last I left you, we were having another grandbaby. She’s progressing nicely, and her big sister Braelyn is ready for her impending arrival in August.
In other news, I’m taking two classes this summer. I’ve been released from ortho care regarding my knee (healing awesome!) and am busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest.
Work is work (there is news on that front, but I’m not posting more about it because who knows who can access this bad boy) and life moves on.
Maybe one day I’ll get back to regular blogging. Until then, bare with me.
Nine
10 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/hub.1326407570.htmlWhen my step-daughter Jessie was up at Christmas, she shared with us a secret. A secret that set this step-mom’s heart into over time worry. I wouldn’t let myself get excited. And I couldn’t stop worrying about a woman who I have come to love just as much as if I had birthed her myself.
Jessie told us she was pregnant.
If you have been following me, then you know that Jessie has had problems staying pregnant. Before Brae, before Bob and I were even married, Jessie lost a baby that never progressed passed six weeks. They got preggers with Braelyn on the very first try afterwards, and had a lovely, smooth, and eventless pregnancy, and I was blessed with my tiniest and spunkiest grandbaby of all eight of them. And Jess and TJ wanted so bad to make more little munchkins just like her.
And they tried. And tried. And tried. Five subsequent pregnancies, followed by five miscarriages – all at the same point. The baby never progresses past six or eight weeks. They ran every test imaginable on Jess and TJ both and came up with nothing. And with every subsequent pregnancy and miscarriage, my heart ached for Jess and TJ. And I secretly in my head begged them to stop. This grammie’s heart couldn’t take another loss, and I would have been devistated if through all of this, something had happened to Jess as well.
So, when Christmas came, and Jess told us her news, I felt bad. Bob and I should have gotten up and danced around for her. But we couldn’t. We couldn’t speak. We couldn’t show her we were excited (we weren’t). She told us she was just barely pregnant – six weeks along. So I hugged her (probably a little too hard) and told her that no matter what, we were throwing prayers in the air and hoping for sticky dust for this little one.
And as each week has gone by, and with each doctor appointment (Jess sees her OB every week), and with each report of a strong heartbeat, Bob and I let ourselves relax a little more, and hope a little more.
On Wednesday, I got a text from Jessica to send prayers – she was going in for her first sonogram. They’d get to see what was going on (it was always at this appointment that the bad news hit). This was at 7:30 in the morning. And at 12:30, I got this on my phone:
This, my friends, is grandbaby number 9. Heathly, perfectly progressing, and twelve weeks and 3 days along. We are past the danger zone. My sweet Jessie is finally going to have her two babies. Braelyn is going to be a big sister.
And I am already in love.
At 5:30 Wednesday night, Jessie posted this picture to Facebook:
Resolutions – I Haz Them
01 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in It's All About Me Tags: 2012
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/hub.1324331373.html
I usually DON’T do New Year’s Resolutions – mostly because by January 15th, I’ve forgotten what I resolved to do, but this year, I do have some, and I intend on keeping them.
I resolve to get more organized (Kate – stop laughing, yes I know I’m anal). I need to organize my craft room and my pantry because I can’t find anything. I’ve been knitting a hell of a lot more, and I want to organize my yarn stash by type so I know what I actually have and what I can get rid of. I have a ton of acrylic yarn, but since I’m now knitting more complicated pieces, I’ve started to by real wool, so I want to know what I’ve got on hand when I start a new project. I also have to go through all my needlework stuff, and my scrapbooking stuff so I know what I’ve got. My pantry is a shambles and I can’t find crap, which I hate when I’m trying to cook, so yeah, that’s on task for this week too. Plus, our front entry closet is so messy I can’t find anything. Driving me nuts.
I resolve to get to my goal weight – which has also been revised. I want to get down to 165. I need to get back to the basic rules of my surgery – protein first, measuring food, 80 to 100g of protein per day, no drinking 30 minutes before or after a meal, etc. And I need to start exercising again. I’m hoping it relieves the back pain I’ve had lately. I just have to be careful, as I still have a ton of restrictions on my knee – no kneeling, no jumping, nothing more than low impact.
I resolve to get my debt paid off (well, except the mortgage). I figure I’ll be done paying off my credit cards in April. Then I’m going to double up on car payments. Once the car is paid off, I’ll double up on my 2nd mortgage, etc. It won’t all be paid this year, but I’m hoping by 2015 to be completely debt free.
I resolve to stress less. Of course, the strateline is helping with that (I love my chemical happy pills), but I also intend to keep up with my sleep rules, and be zen about things I have no control over.
I resolve to spend more time with my girlfriends. I’m starting that this Tuesday by having lunch with my long time BFF. MUAH.
Happy New Year my friends. Remember that the most important things are family and friends. And have a big spoonful of blackeyed peas for goodluck today.
I’m a Knitting Fool!
30 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
I’ve been knitting up a storm lately. It’s very relaxing for me. And I’m branching out! I finished my first sweater!
See?
And I just finished this hat….
Holiday Shenangans
27 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: holidays
They let us out of work at 12:30 on Friday and when I got home, I didn’t stop going until yesterday at about 4pm. LOL I’m exhausted and surprisingly happy to be back at work just to take a rest!
So, I got home Friday and baked two batches of candy cane cookies (sugar cookies with crushed candy canes on top), a sweet potato pie (sugar free) and made up my cranberry relish to take to my Mom’s. Kelly and Brian showed up around 4pm on Friday afternoon, and left about 8. Four hours with my grandkids and I was ready for an energy infusion. Holy cow. Madison walked in, snuggled with me for about five blissful minutes and then whispered in my ear, “Gramma, where is my present?” LOL She loved her presents this year – a bag full of art supplies and a Barbie should could take in the bathtub. Barbie played with her new Justin Bieber doll, and then proceeded to draw me picture after picture. My fridge is now appropriately covered in kindergarten art. 
Kelsi, who is now 5’6″ and holy shit with the curves, loved her sock monkey hat but has to wait to use her itunes app store gift card until she gets her ipod back. She’s on restriction because her grades are in the toilet. Love my Kels, but she isn’t interested in school at all. We fed them pizza and they played with Mia (who LOVED the kids) and Kelly and Brian spent a little quiet time before going back to their Mom’s. By the time they left, Bob and I were exhausted…LOL
Saturday we were up bright and early and packed up the car for Delaware. We got to my Mom’s about 10:30 I guess, where Bob had to fix my Mom’s kitchen sink before we could get started on the cooking. I baked the turkey, made another batch of cranberry relish (this one had sugar in it). I also made our Christmas eve dinner – we had a bunch of finger foods – steamed shrimp, pepperonchini, olives, cheese and crackers. We didn’t get around to eating until late – about 7:30 or so. By then I was so tired…LOL But Christmas eve was nice and quiet. I spent the day with those I love.
We got up around 7 on Christmas Day and I made my Mom’s birthday breakfast – eggs, bacon and biscuits. Then we enjoyed coffee before I had to start putting things together. My sister and her husband were coming to eat. I put together plates of quick breads, cheese and crackers, pickles and olives. I made the stuffing, mashed potatos and gravy. We heated up some turnip greens and cooked a pumpkin pie. I’m not sure who I thought I would be feeding since there was only five of us. LOL We opened our gifts, which were modest this year. Bob got me a gift certificate for a mani and pedi, and a pair of gold hoop earrings. My sister and her husband arrived a little later, and we ate an opened more gifts. I swear my sister spends a fortune at Christmas. After they left, we snacked and mom and I watched The Help while Bob went downstairs to watch the football game. I finished up my first knitted sweater and started on a hat.
Yesterday morning we got up and had to fix mom’s toilet. 
Then we had breakfast, and got everything packed up to go home. We got home about 1:00, and then Jessica and TJ and Brae came over about 2:30 or so. Poor Jess – she has a horrible cold (I hope she didn’t pass it on to me). Brae was a wee ball of energy. She opened her gifts – three homemade hats and a cape, and a Barbie. I gave Jess (and Kelly) homemade scarves and gift cards to Kohls.
Back to work today, but off next week, so that makes me happy. I get a lot done at work this week because no one is ever in the office. And I’m looking forward to resting next week. I need it!
Hope everyone had a great holiday!
Happens Every Time
29 Nov 2011 1 Comment
in It's All About Me Tags: things that suck
Every single time my husband goes out of town, I have some kind of injury to myself or a disaster befalls the house. Every. Single. Time. And it’s frustrating. One year, when he went to my step-daughter’s over night to help her do something in the house, my left knee blew and I ended up needing surgery. Another time he went away (again to my step-daughter’s), I sprained my wrist AND the basement backed up with sewage. It never ever fails. I’m doomed to have disaster befall when my husband goes away.
This year, I planned ahead. I took time off from work last week, and arranged to work from home yesterday and today because our dog is so spazzy when she’s left alone that I knew if I left her for 10 hours during the day, she’d either chew herself up, or eat one of the cats. And that’s not something I’d want to come home to. I felt relatively safe this time with Bob on his annual hunting trip. I was going to enjoy my vacation from my husband.
And I made it from Friday to Sunday afternoon with no disaster. None. Went shopping with my girls…saw my mom…got some christmas crafts done…it was all good. Until Sunday afternoon.
DUN DUN DUN
I got back from my mother’s, and put the dog inside. I went back outside to unload the car, got off the front steps, took two more steps, and boom…..
I went down. Right in the front yard. I don’t know what happened, or how it happened. But I went down. On my knee. My freshly repaired knee. The one I’m supposed to be really careful with. The one I’m not supposed to kneel on. So, I didn’t technically kneel. I more like crashed on it.
I’m sure the neighbors are wondering where the crazy shrieking was coming from.
So, my knee is ok…I guess. It’s a wait and see kind of thing. You see, the donor cartildge I had put in takes 18 months to grow in. And at this point, I can still do some very serious damage to it. But as I said, it’s wait and see. It’s too soon to know if I did any real damage.
My pride, on the other hand, is quite wounded. And I have a boo boo.
Mia and the Thundershirt
28 Nov 2011 1 Comment
I have said a few times before that my poor dog has many issues. On top of severe allergies, she suffers from severe anxiety orders. We have tried EVERYTHING. Calming pills. Kenneling. The Cone of Shame. Mia’s anxiety comes in the form of self-mutilation tendancies. She gnaws on herself. And it breaks my heart.
So, we were coming to the court of last resort here lately. Doggie prozac. Now, as much as our pets are totally dependent on us, we can’t claim them on our health insurance. And I’ve looked into pet insurance, and it costs more per year that actually taking my dog to the vet, and the basic cost doesn’t cover extras – emergencies, drugs, etc. Sad. We’ve had Mia on calming pills (made of brewer’s yeast and ginger and some other holistic ingredients for a month) but the problem is, you can’t predict when she is going to have a bought of separation anxiety. And those pills are expensive, so you don’t want to have to give them to her every eight hours.
My girlfriend has a dog who was also abandonned, and he freaks out at thunderstorms. She’s been doing some research and looked into the Thundershirt. She forwarded the link to me and I looked into it as well. The thundershirt is basically an anxiety wrap for dogs. Vets have long stated that constant pressure on the dog’s nervous system tends to calm them. This shirt wraps around their torso and waist and fits them snuggly, like swaddling a baby. But they aren’t cheap – they run around $40. The material is breathable, soft and washable (very important when you have dogs). But still, $40 during Christmas season was just slightly out of my budget, and honestly, was it going to work?
But, my wonderful mother (who worries about her granddog) decided that she was going to go ahead and purchase the Thundershirt for Mia. So yesterday, we tooker Meems and had her fitted. I was still skeptical, but let me tell you, the difference was night and day (after of course we got her home from there store where there were kitties and treats and toys all at eye level). She is a different dog. No pacing. No biting herself. No chasing the kitties (they are thankful). Instead, she spent most of the evening passed out on the sofa. Even when I went downstairs to bring up laundry, which normally would have sent her into a biting episode.
And today, she’s a calm, happy dog. She’s not pacing. She’s not constantly begging me for attention. She’s not biting herself. She’s not searching the house for her daddy (who is off hunting). I’m amazed. I’ll give it a week, but if this is the thing that brings my baby some peace and serenity, then I’m all for it.
Thundershirt HO!
I Supported Small Business Saturday…But I May Not Be Asked To Come Back!!
26 Nov 2011 1 Comment
in Friends Tags: Friends, fun stuff, knitting
So, since my hubby is off shooting at Bambi, the girls and I had a girls day in Havre de Grace to support Small Business Saturday.
Let me tell you, we had the Best. Day. Ever. But we don’t know how to act in public. So we may not be allowed back…LOL
First, we hit up the Cannery in Havre de Grace which is full of antique dealers. OMG, we laughed so hard at some of the things we saw. Aside from some of the most gorgeous antique pieces of furniture, there was some stuff that just made you go, “ummmm…” Of course, we had to model some of them…Like this freaky angel…
Or this wrap – um, I’m sorry, but this is just freaky – it STILL had the paw pads on it…
My girlfriend Karen found this awesome hat…
And seriously, who can resist a little J. Giles Band with Magic Dick…
After the Cannery, we headed over to the Rampant Lion – a place where local artists can display their crafts. We were in search of The Susquehannah Knitting Company – and OMG did we find her. Best. Yarn. EVER. I got some gorgeous chunky yarn that I’m going to use to make some handwarmers, and Karen got the same yarn and some gorgeous sock yarn. We also met a woman that wraps cheerios in silver and fires them in her kiln to make silver cheerio beads. Gorgeous.
From there, we headed over to Chiparellis for lunch. Besto Pesto Penne with chicken. NOM.
After lunch, we headed over to Andy and Bill’s. They have a great antique store, but they are going out of business and everything was 50% off or more. Karen and Heather and I totally couldn’t act like grown ups in there, but honestly, who can when the first thing you see is a skull wearing a sequinned cap?
And then we saw a stained glass image of Jesus. Now, not to be blasphemous or anything, but I didn’t know Jesus was so ripped…he picks things up and puts them down…
We were laughing so hard, people actually came upstairs to see what we were having so much fun with.
And then we saw this….I don’t even know what this is, but honestly? It looks rather phalic, don’t you think?
We ended our day at Jana’s Java laughing hysterically over coffee and wondering why we don’t spend more time together.
I love my girlfriends!
Thanksgiving is Nearly Here And What I Really Want For the Holidays
23 Nov 2011 1 Comment
Thanksgiving is day after tomorrow, and thanks to the craptastic travel day, I’m working from home in order to avoid the 9,438,743,921 people who will be making their way through Penn Station in Baltimore. I’m also taking advantage of the time to get a bit of a head start on the Turkey Day cooking.
This year, I’m making my own cranberry sauce for the first time. In the past, I’ve always doctored up the canned variety, but I can’t use them anymore because of their high sugar content. So this year, I’m making my own with fresh cranberries, oranges, pecans and splenda. I’m going to go ahead and make that tomorrow, as well as a pecan pie for my hubby. I’ll also knock out chopping the veggies for the stuffing, and make myself a sugar free sweet potato pie. Thursday, I’ll make some fresh potato bread, and do the turkey, stuffing and mashed taters.
I’ve been struggling with our Christmas budget this year. Trying to figure out how to buy gifts with limited funds, and trying to think of low budget things for my honey to get me. What I really want for Christmas is to just get a break from all of the stress. Stress blows.
But I am thankful this year. Thankful for so much. Familiy and friends. A job (even though it stresses me) and my health. Being surrounded by the people I love, and having them love me.
So this year, hold you loved ones close, and eat like pigs.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Recent Comments