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My One Thousandeth Post

My 1000th post was not this one. I just realized I missed it!
The winner is Don't Eat That!.
What a great post that was to receive such an honor! One of my personal favorites and starring Miss Lilly!
Today we hit 40 degrees and then some! Lots of snow melted! Nobody was wearing coats! There is actually rain in our forecast. People are smiling!
Spring must be coming. I hope this isn't a trick. If Mother Nature turns on us now people are going to start snapping.
And Happy Leap Day!

I'm cooking turkey and noodles!

Rand is on his way to pick Lilly and her mom up for a week long stay. We are having Lilly's most requested meal.
Sandra is on Spring Break and the real celebrating will start Monday when she has all of her wisdom teeth extracted.

Lilly had to go back to the emergency room yesterday. She does have MRSI. She had another boil breakout. This time they didn't extract, it is on her face. They were worried about scarring. She is now allergic to Bactrim as well. She broke out in a rash the covered ever millimeter of her body. Lilly has been started on a third antibiotic. I'm going to feel a lot better after seeing her!

a feeding frenzy

One of my fondest memories while getting to to know the new in-laws (28 yrs ago) was accompanying my FIL Bill to feed the fish. I was a farm kid, but quite honestly, I thought he was pulling my leg when he invited me to help him feed the fish.
Bill had a fairly new pond he had stocked with a variety of fish. He had just added a few hundred cat fish which he fed to provide extra support.
Rand, Bill, and I drove to the "big" pond as it was called.
We got into a small row boat with a five gallon buckets of dry fish food pellets. When we got to the middle of the pond, Bill said, "Watch this!" He threw out just a few handfuls of pellets.
The water all around the boat begin to churn and we could feel all kinds of knocks and bumps on the bottom of the boat. So far, this was good enough to be the start of a horror movie!
The small fish began to break the water's surface.
A catfish is an ugly creature no matter what size.
These ugly little fish were about the size of my hand. They held their whiskered mouths open above the water line in hopes of catching the smelly brown pellets.
This whole thing was quite a learning process for me and just good plain redneck fun!

If you are a land owner and would like to find online items like fish food - pond style, a good place to look would be the H&R Business Mall.
The Hunting & Recreation Business Mall is a wonderful resource for your quality outdoor needs.
From feed to animals and the big toys, you'll find it here.
By the way, forget a handicap scooter. I want one of these!

paid for by Game Feeder

Good news and bad news

The good news is my brain MRI shows everything is normal. I have not had a stroke.
The bad news - All the problems I am having are either still related to the withdrawal I suffered from or Lupus.
*my brothers now regroup to come up with new evidence to support their case*
The bad news is my foot Bone Scan show hot spots in both feet. A stress fracture in my left foot. And more bad news - that is just the way it is going to be.
It seems this is the Lupus effect for my feet. The doctor built a support to help my left foot heal (hopefully). He had to build a support because I am unable to wear a structured shoe due to arthritis, RSD, and the steel plate in my right foot.
I sorta win (good news) with a no go on being stuck in expensive orthopedic shoes. Of course, it is a lose that I can't wear cheap cute shoes either.
My feet like Birkenstocks and Crocs. Mostly they like being barefoot. In the sun. While floating in the pool. And extremely gentle foot massages.

I'm really wiped out from yesterday. I was out in the weather (we were having a snowstorm with ice) for all of the appointments. The cold really did me in.
So far today:
I have gotten dressed.
Did laundry.
Ate something.
Got the garbage ready to go out.
Cleaned up a couple of drawers.
Did a load in the dishwasher (cleaned the kitchen)
My masterpiece:
Screwed up my computer so bad that I no longer have email. You might want to text me. I'm almost ready to put in a panic call to Rob. I am really dead in the water. I tried to download all new and my computer won't even open the file. Help! This is really bad news! I don't even know if this is the only problem. There may be more.
I should of took a nap instead.

Battle!

I love that line from the movie Michael - "Battle!" Just the very thought of it gives me an adrenaline rush. I have always loved a challenge. "Battle!" makes you want to grab your weapons and go after your brothers or um....other people. There's a bit of hunter in all of us. It's genetic. We all fight our battles, whatever they are.
We even will jump in and help others with their battles.
You. Know. You. Want. To.
Battle!

Dear hubby Rand has been putting money aside for a new toy ( weapon) for a long time. I have secretly added to his till to help him reach his goal, though I'm not thrilled with his choice of weapon....so far... It's a wife's prerogative to help him change his mind! (But I'm such a good wife to help him reach his dream!)
I feel his choice has a bit of "limited use" - given the various limited hunting seasons.

I have often thought that Paintball would be a great new sport for him. He'd love it. You get to carry a big weapon and shoot things....like targets and people! He could even shoot his siblings, who just happen to be brothers, in a safe controlled setting! (You know - Mom's timber!)
I have even found the ultimate place to buy accessories...... Ultimate Paintball.
Ultimate Paintball is the ultimate online paintball store for all the top name brands for paintball fun: Tippmann, Spyder, Smart Parts, Dye, Empire just to start the list! Any gear you need for the fine sport of paintball can be found here.
The Tippmann 98 Custom looks like paintball gun Rand would enjoy. Maybe someone can tickle Santa's ear for that one.
Pay Attention my female friends! This isn't about men buying for themselves....They are the hardest ones to buy for! Ultimate Paintball offers everything for their paintball needs. The best brands of guns, gear, ammo, and parts; everything for paintballing can be found in an easy one stop. No need to drive all over town and pay these gas prices. No dealing with salespeople who's knowledge of the sport is that the paintball supplies are in the aisle next to basketballs. Ultimate Paintball is a top online paintball store of paintball supplies and they also offer the best prices!
Oh yeah, the shipping is free. Free shipping available? - That sounds as good as "Battle!" to my heart!

I've already bookmarked the page into his folder. (Accidentally of course!)
Father's Day is right around the corner as is Rand's birthday.
And for those Santas who like to get a jump things? Christmas is only 308 days away!
This year Santa will deliver paintball supplies, what HE really wants, right to your door for free!

paintball supplies

I'm watching you!

Camper watching me in the kitchen.

And in other news......I hate Yahoo. I'm not even going to link to it. I have been a Yahoo user for years. I love Yahoo messenger. Yesterday I upgraded my messenger and totally got locked out. I asked for a new password, changed my password, more times than I can remember.
This afternoon, I reached the end of my rope. I deleted everything Yahoo from my computer.
I then went to download messenger all new. Not only am I on - I'm on with my original password. Makes no sense.

I had to get some meds refilled. While at my favorite Target I filled out my final paperwork and cleaned out my desk. I said a lot of goodbyes. But not really goodbye. I'll still be in to shop. I will get to see my friends there. I'm not quitting. I'm not a quitter. This is okay. It will be fine. I'm okay. Breathe. Don't cry. Breathe.

I bought a video cam. Now everyone (and Lilly) can see me - if they are on Yahoo! Come talk to me! Lilly has already got to see and talk to Gramma.

Camper has gotten way too curious to what I buy. I was exhausted and sore when I got home. I set my packages down and went to sit on the couch. It wasn't too long before I had to get up. Camper was going through all the sacks and getting stuff out and knocking it to the floor.

Lilly will be here all next week. Sandra will be on spring break. Sandra will start off the fun by having oral surgery. All her wisdom teeth are coming out. I will get to care for both of them.

Breaking news:
Lilly has fought sinus trouble, ear infections and sever eczema flares since last October. She was constantly just getting off Augmentin and having to go back on again.
Her ear has been infected and draining for a few weeks now with nothing helping to improve it.
Sandra took Lilly to the doctor on Friday. It did turn out not to be chicken pox - or her eczema flaring last week. We found out she has an allergy.....to Augmentin.
Sandra took Lilly to the emergency room tonight.
Lilly had scratched one of her mysterious spots.
It became infected. Today the, now large, abscess started growing and swelling. Pretty soon her whole thigh was getting involved.
Sandra braved the icy drive to the ER. (Yes, we are in the middle of another winter storm)
Lilly got her thigh sore drained. Sandra said a lot of goop was in there. Lilly had to be held down while this was going on. She put up an appropriate amount of fight and screaming.
When it was all done, Lilly sat up, quit crying and said, "That hurt!"
There are concerns it is MRSA. We will know for sure when the cultures are back in a couple of days. Lilly was put on Bactrim.
My poor baby!

Lilly and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

It started with a chilly wet wake up for Lilly. I can't tell you how much she hates that. She came crying to my room early this morning absolutely horrified.
I stripped her down, washed her off and tried my best to get her to crawl into Gramma's warm bed for a quick cuddle and to warm up. No go.
She was also pretty mad about being pushed out of bed. When I asked who pushed her, Lilly replied that Mommy did it. Mind you Mommy is about an hour and a half of interstate away.
So much for stealing a few extra minutes in bed for Gramma.
Her mood was set for the day. No movie was the right one, no activity or game. She requested a grilled cheese for dinner and burst into tears saying, "That's not what I wanted!". She then told me she had asked for noodles.
I thought this was getting to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day myself.
Then came nap time.
We slipped of the edge of horrible and landed on the brink of hell.
Nap time was a bitter failure. I admit it - there were tears - but I really needed that nap! And every time I fell asleep, Lilly woke me up!
Evening was a an obvious train wreck in the making. With a new added detail. Lilly was breaking out like mad - her eczema started covering large portions of her body and some suspicious raised blisters formed. Rand and I both agreed - this resembled chicken pox.
We treated of all Lilly's symptoms as best we could.
In spite of not having a nap, Lilly managed to stay up well past her bedtime.
By this time she had my full sympathies. I forgave her mood for the day. It's hell when every inch of your body hurts. We spent the evening cuddling on very soft blankets and eating oranges, a mutual favorite of both.
Rob and Amanda gave Lilly a bunch of books for her birthday. One of the books was Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. It is among one of Lilly's favorites and she began to identify with it this week. I lost track of how many times it was read. Lilly is doing her best to say - horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day.

Our week together ended with Sandra's arrival on Friday afternoon. Lilly had said all week she didn't want to leave me. But I knew, and she did, a few hours ago. I cried again.

Kara reads Lilly a story.

Welcome to my dot-com!

With Rob's major assistance I transformed into a dot-com. You need to do nothing new, you are sent automatically.
It has been awhile since I have posted. My last post was about my very good day. It turned out to be only one day. That took some dealing with. Losing hope is a hard hole to climb out of. All these crappy weather patterns don't help. I have had some very tough days.

I have come to a difficult decision. I am going to apply for permanent disability. I knew this day was coming but I had hoped to put it off until I was 52. Why 52? I don't know. That was just a number that I was comfortable with. I feel like I am quitting, giving up on myself.
But I cannot not keep up with the household duties, or on the bad days my own basic hygiene.
I have tried to lie to myself and call it an early retirement, but that label doesn't fit.
I can't keep up. Naps are mandatory.

This week I am proving what I'm made of.
Lilly's sitter had a family emergency. Because of the snowstorm Rand did a late Saturday evening pick up. We have Lilly for the week! Lilly shows no sign of homesickness and every sign of being three years old. Gramma is not three, but luckily (so far) I'm still smarter!
Next up: How to avoid bedtime.Cook them snacks in my play kitchen!

I find it amazing how much kids personalities grow with each turn of the year. Lilly now not only gets humor, she expresses it as well. Her motor skills increase, her memory, and her own sense of style. Which is why she wore bright pink rain boots to the Dr.'s office today.
Here we had just finished making our cookies and were starting on lunch. This was her "dress like Gramma" day. A pair of ffuzzy old pants and her well worn thermal shirt has a hole in it.
Below is her birthday present from Anna and Ashley. This incredible blue "Cinderella tutu". From trucks to tutus - she is always uniquely Lilly!
The tutu works just as well while worn over a blanket sleeper. "Here Camper Kitty!"

I'm walking on sunshine!

My mood music - Play it!

I had a great day yesterday!
Woke up, got out of bed - with no real problem. Everything was feeling pretty good. Walking seemed easy. I did some much needed housecleaning. Other than tiring out pretty quickly, it didn't go to bad. I was able to finish what I started.
Have I turned a corner in my health for the good? Or did spending last week sitting with my feet up as per doctors orders do it? Add in a small warm up in the weather. I set multiple alarms to insure I would take my meds correctly. Something went right!

Today, I'm in more pain, I will keep today as a healing day from my antics of yesterday. I pondered yesterday quite a bit. I haven't felt that good since the summer of 2006. And you couldn't wipe the smile off my face yesterday!

Camper lost String a few weeks back. She replaced it with Ribbon, but she just lost a bit of her enthusiasm. I found String cleaning yesterday! Camper was like a cat on catnip she was so overjoyed! We played quite a bit with String yesterday.
Camper even brought it to bed with us last night.
This cat has her own small toy box full of catnip toys. Nothing beats String. It is the elastic string that is used to tie new shoes together. It was love at first sight. Camper snatched it as soon as I cut it off the shoes. String is pushing a couple of years old. This year we did add Wrapper to it. She kept stealing my starlight mints just for the crinkly wrapper. I tied one to string and made the perfect toy even better.

Rand and I bit the bullet and upgraded our cell phones yesterday. Not the best timing budget wise, but too good of sale to pass up. We upgraded to MOTORAZR² V9m. We are "keepers". We find something we like and stick to it. We can't outgrow this phone, the steel design means it is tough enough to withstand us, and the insurance means no matter what - we will have our phones. We checked - even if we drop it in the toilet - we get a new phone. A deal Sandra could've used a few months back.
They talk about not driving and talking on your phone. We advise not potty training and talking on your phone.
Sandra can talk on her phone, but that's about it. My old phone is the better of Rand and I's old phones, so Sandra will get my hand-me-down and gain more functions once again.
Time for our Sunday morning ritual. Fresh brewed coffee, cinnamon rolls straight from the oven, and the Sunday paper.

We won't be participating in the ritual called "Super Bowl", the mind washing of millions.

Instead, we will continue our Starsky and Hutch original series marathon. Maybe switch over to the Firefly Rob and Amanda got us for Christmas.

Welcome February -- Hurry up March!

Tough pain morning here.
Haven't managed getting dressed yet. I did take off my foot dressings. As soon as I can manage I'll go tackle the sticky remainders with a bit of baby oil.
My foot still hurts.

Sandra and I fight Lilly's hair almost continually. It is so hard to manage.
I think I have found the problem.
I have been bathing with the Dr. Suess method of "One Foot Out and One Foot In" method using the tub in "Lilly's bathroom". Keeping my foot wrappings dry. I used Lilly's baby shampoo to wash my hair last night. I had a EUREKA moment this morning. My hair was, and still is, standing on end. It's dry, poker straight, and everywhere. It looks like - *gasp* - Lilly's hair!
I'm going to switch out Lilly's hair care products here.

I am so freakin' sick of winter.
Even my houseplants are suffering from SAD. I need warm sunshine for my body to heal. And a swimming pool, and another nap.