Will be hit & miss....

Princess Bear has H1N1 flu & is one sick little kid. I will try to keep up with my posting but have to take care of her & hopefully not get this myself!

Sarah

Another catch- up!

Sorry about such a short post on Tuesday & nothing yesterday. The weekend in Chicago, although a lot of fun, was totally exhausting. I also had a test in my ASL class last night. Add to that my mom being on one of her "If you don't get the rooms done to my liking you're going to be kicked out" kicks its been a bit hectic & stressful around here. Then like a dummy I forgot to take my Effexor for 2 1/2 days. Not a good thing. The test last night went relatively well. There were 2 signs that I just could not for the life of me remember what they were. Other than that things were pretty good. I'm getting things done (ie throwing out & stashing) in mine & Princess Bears rooms. I'm so sick of our rooms being such an issue. Then last night I took a nasty fall hitting my left knee not once but twice and twisting my ankle. I'm actually feeling pretty good today considering how bad my knee looks! Stairs aren't my friends right now but that's livable. I'm very relieved that my ankle is ok because I injured that ankle very badly almost 2 years ago. (Its never a good sign when the Dr. tells you that you would have actually been better off breaking it than what you did do). I spent the morning with my nephew & then did a bit of grocery shopping. I'm trying to get on a planned menu in an attempt to help with the grocery bills. I'll let you know how it works. Now I'm off to eat lunch & do some cleaning.

Survived the wedding weekend

Ugh, this post is going to be oh so short & sweet. I'm still exhausted & I have a test tomorrow. The wedding for the most part was big fun & everyone survived. Like the dork I am I forgot my camera so I'm hoping some of my relatives forward pics soon! Princess Bear had a ball dancing & is anxiously waiting for another wedding....whose I'm not quite sure but hey the bottom line is she had fun so life is grand! Off to hit the books!

Sarah

Um....Excuse Me?????

Ok I'm going to start this off with a few disclaimers. The following post has nothing to do with:

a) my political views or association

b) race or racist views

Now that all of that is out of the way can ANYONE (really truly anybody) please tell me how Barak Obama won a Nobel Peace Prize?!!!!!? Seriously, the man won a Nobel Peace Prize for his first 2 weeks in office and because he wants the world to be nuke free. Are you kidding me?!!!!? Apparently I'm not the only person who thinks so either. The following is from an AOL news survey:

Do you agree with the decision to award President Obama the Nobel Peace Prize?
No 69%
Yes 31%

Total Votes: 311,582
Note on Poll Results

When did the Nobel Committee take on political views? Aagot Valle, a lawmaker for the Socialist Left party who joined the committee this year, said she hoped the selection would be viewed as "support and a commitment for Obama." I think its all well & good to want to support Obama if thats what you want to do but do grant a prize of this magnitude on 2 weeks worth of work simply brings the Nobel Peace Prize to a new low. This prize has always had a prestige about it that I think is now lost. Its kind of like little kids sports teams who give every player a trophy for participation. "Mr. President sir we admire what you say you want to do. Here's your Nobel Peace Prize". Yep, you could say that I'm slightly incredulous that Obama received this honor. The only thing that is remotely good about the whole ridiculous event is that Obama is giving the $1.4 million prize money to charity. Not that he really had a choice. Can you imagine the public outcry if he would have kept it?

Ok, I've vented enough for now. I have bathrooms to clean, laundry to wash and a TON of packing and preparing to do before departing for Chicago & my cousins wedding. Have a great weekend!

Ack....where has today gone?!!!?

If anyone can tell me where today went or if I accomplished something today I'd really appreciate it!!! Thanks!

Sarah

Random mutterings.....

We're going out of town for my cousins wedding this weekend & I'm already stressing it big time. Travel with Princess Bear is usually ok since we've done so much of it since she was born because of various Dr's appointments so I'm not too worried about that aspect. Her portable DVD player is broken but she loves coloring so hopefully that will hold her. I'm concerned about her basic behavior at the wedding & reception. PB is very impulsive to say the least. She can definitely rise to the occasion and behavior like a little angel- when she feels like it. I'm just hoping the mood strikes her! The reception should be fun for her since she loves dancing. On that front I'm just worried about her overheating or her asthma kicking in which almost always happens when she dances. I also just remembered that she doesn't know the chicken dance & I've got until Saturday for her to get it down because seriously have you ever gone to a Polish wedding with out the following: Hokey Pokey, various Polkas and the Chicken Dance? Well that is what is on my mind right now....may the force be with us!

How much of a jerk is Jon Gosselin?!!!?

So for awhile I've been nursing this "what a JERK" thing against Jon Gosselin. Before I go too deep into this blog rant let me say that I'm not a Jon & Kate + 8 fan- actually I've never seen an entire episode of the show. A few minutes here & there while flipping channels but by no means am I a fan of the show. I also never bought into the oh poor Jon routine. Ok Kate seems to be the louder and more in control of the two. Now it seems like she had to be. This man seems like such a spineless wonder its almost unbelievable. He got married & had his kids too young? Grow up dude! The fact that you started publicly dating within a month of filing for divorce is a bit classless when your family life has been playing out on TV. Your choice of new partners shows your glaring lack of judgement. If I were Kate I'd have big issues about you bringing someone with a record around my children! Just me though. Then TLC decides that they are taking your name off of the show title and going forward with Kate & the kids. Your response is a world class temper tantrum and halting production. You had no problem with your children's lives being played out on TV for years this sudden "concern" of yours isn't real and shows how desperate you are. The cherry on top though is you allegedly emptying out the shared bank account that is to support the family. Seriously what is wrong with this man? This guy was a nothing bartender that Kate should have probably never gotten mixed up with but it happened. She's got 8 gorgeous kids now and is doing her best to make sure they have a financially secure future. You can't unring the bell as far as having their lives on TV so for goodness sake Jon quit playing games and grow up!

I'm really not sure why I had to blog about this but for awhile now its been bugging me. Perhaps its the glaring immaturity displayed by Jon reminds me of those I have known. I'm also sick of strong women who aren't afraid to take control being portrayed as a bitch. Don't know but that's today's blog!

On a roll....green healthy living tip for moms

OK, I'll really try not to get on my high horse here but the chemicals that have been approved for use in everyday items- even those that can be used on children is absolutely horrifying once you see what some of the hazards are. Please check out skindeep HERE or go to www.ewg.com. Your skin is your biggest organ & it absorbs 60% of what it comes in contact with. When everyday children's soaps and shampoos have endocrine interrupters that's a problem! With a little digging its very possible to find products that are much safer for your kids! Target is a great place to start!

It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Ok not really (thank goodness because I'm so not ready yet!!!) I did want to share this link though. If anyone wants to send me some cookies to sample feel free!!!

Land O Lakes Holiday Brochure

TGIF or Ugh! Its Friday?

Yes its official! Fall is here! My mom turned on the heat last night (over major protests from me & my father) and I made a "fall" dinner & I'm wearing a sweater today. For the most part I LOVE Fall. The leaves changing colors and pulling out my sweaters. Now there are aspects I don't like as well- yesterday was a perfect example. Yesterday was one of those rainy, gray, very dreary fall days. (I'm not a fan of rain at all- actually I'll go to great lengths to avoid rain). Today on the other hand is a perfect fall day. Its sunny & bright but cool. Just makes me want to go for a walk! Unfortunately I need to do some major cleaning today so I don't think I have time for a walk but maybe I'll sneak one in later. I've gotten Princess Bear (PB) into the habit of walking to and from Sunday school each week so if the weather holds out I'll look forward to a walk on Sunday! Well, I'm off to make lunch & get to cleaning! Have a great weekend!

Stuff you don't know about me (maybe)

So I'm suffering from a bit of the blahs today. I'm completely exhausted for some inexplicable reason & had a go round with my mom last night that is still rattling around in my brain more than I'd like. I'm trying to stick with my blogging so I get back into the habit so I swiped with my from friends Heather's blog over at Wanting What You Have. (I hope you don't mind Heather!)



Stuff you don't need to know about me, but I'm going to tell you anyway

The phone rings. Who will it be?
Lately my cell is getting all sorts of calls from numbers I don't recognize and therefore am not answering. Other than that its probably my sister. House phone probably one of my parents

When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart?
Um this is one of those it depends on the situation answers. If I'm alone yes. If Princess Bear is in the car it depends on how close it it. If I can't I try to pawn it off an someone going into the store.

In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener?
Talker

Do you take compliments well?
Not usually as I find it rather embarrassing

Do you play Sudoku?
No, because you see my brain doesn't work like that. Also I have no patience, and I sweat when I think hard. DITTO!!! I tried but honestly numbers are not my friends (I reverse numbers so math has always been a challenge). I'll stick with crossword puzzles and logic puzzlers thank you!

If abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive?
OK- how long do I have to survive? The night? A day or two? A week? Although most people would say that I'm a princess its often forgotten that I was a Recreation major and did enough camping to know what I'm doing. Consequently I would last awhile (with water please!) but thats all I'll commit to!

Did you ever go to camp as a kid?
Yep. My parents sent my sister & I to Space Camp several times when we were growing up. I then went on to work there as a counselor one summer.

What was your favorite game as a kid?
Clue

Could you date someone with different religious beliefs than you?
In the past I would have said yes now I guess it depends. What are their beliefs? Can they respect your beliefs? What about kids....

Do you like to pursue or be pursued?
I like to be pursued

Use three words to describe yourself?
Funny, caring and outspoken

Do any songs make you cry?
no although bagpipes will often reduce me to tears. Its been worse ever since my best friends fathers funeral 3 years ago. Her mom is from Scotland and her brother is a piper and at the end of the funeral they piped the casket out. I completely lost it.

Are you continuing your education?
Yes I'm taking basic ASL (American Sign Language) and hope to become an interpreter

Have you ever taken pictures in a photo booth?
yep

How often do you read books?
daily

Do you think more about the past, present or future?
I tend to ruminate about the past and fret about the future while spending very little time thinking about the here and now.

What is your favorite children’s book?
I was really into the Little House on the Prairie Books. Can't wait to start reading them with PB

What color are your eyes?
Hazel. As in very moss green at times then brown, amber, and even have some dark blue thrown in. My sister & I are totally a battle of the genes when it comes to our eye color.

Where is your dream house located?
I'm not sure where but I'd love a log cabin that I could homestead in. Maybe Oregon or Canada

If your house was on fire, what would be the first thing you grabbed?
Princess Bear and Fluffy (my cat is a BIG wuss who would hide otherwise) then my digital camera because I have so many photos saved.

When was the last time you were at Olive Garden?
Man its been a long time. Probably more than a year.

Where was the furthest place you traveled today?
To my sisters which is about 20 minutes from here

Do you like mustard?
To a small extent. Its most definitely not my favorite condiment but I do love honey mustard pretzels!

Do you prefer to sleep or eat?
Without a doubt sleep

Do you look like your mom or dad?
Ok- everyone says I look just like my mom and my sister is the spitting image of my dad but that my sister & I look alike. My mom has a medium complexion, dark, dark brown eyes and black hair my dad is very fair with ice blue eyes and had reddish brown hair. I think my sister and I are a pretty good mix but my personality is a bit more like my mom's (more of an extrovert and kind of loud. My dad is very quiet for the most part)

How long does it take you in the shower?
Man I can log some serious shower time. Only because its my only down time but I can stay until the water turns cold. Not very environmentally conscience of me but I don't do it often.

Can you do the splits?
So laughing my butt off right now. Not even on a good day!

What movie do you want to see right now?
My friend Chris & I were saying we should do a move soon (I've been to 2 movies since PB was born & she's 6 1/2.) but that we had no idea what was out or coming out. Kinda sad, huh?

What did you do for New Year’s?
I let PB stay up until about 10:30 or 11pm and then I played on the Internet for awhile & saw that the Cubs traded DeRosa to the Cards & had to call Maria to tell her and then told my dad (if you're not a Cubs fan this was a very very bad trade and NO one was happy about it)

Do you think The Grudge was scary?
I didn't see it. See the about movie ? Plus I do not do scary movies well

Do you own a camera phone?
yep

What’s the last letter of your middle name?
e

How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
Usually between 3-5

Do you like Care Bears?
They're ok. I can take them or leave them

What do you buy at the movies?
Soda & chocolate- 2 staples in my diet!

Do you know how to play poker?
No- I pretty much suck at card games

Do you wear your seat belt?
Yep. Growing up my parents refused to move the car until everyone was buckled up. I've had enough close calls including being in the back seat and having my eyelid split open in high school. Bad enough but if I wouldn't have been buckled I'd most likely have lost my eye.

How many meals do you eat a day?
1 or 2 (I know this isn't good I'm trying to get into a healthier lifestyle)

Do you like funny or serious people better?
Have to go with funny

Ever been to L.A.?
Nope and have NO desire

Did you eat a cookie today?
As a matter of fact yes. My sister always has the Newman's Own version of Oreos- yummy!

Do you hate chocolate?
Big old NO on that!

Are you a gullible person?
Unfortunately yes.

Are you easy to get along with?
Most of the time.

Work at home?

So I'm wanting to find a reliable work at home part time job. Anyone out there know of any legit companies? I'm tired of always being SO broke!!!!

Is it bedtime yet?!!!?

Since I've been trying to stay with this I didn't want today to slip away without at least a quick post. The weekend was relatively low key. Princess Bear (PB) lost TV Friday for lying about the wallpaper. This seems to be a problem as she lied again this evening. I'm really not sure what to do about it at this point. I started my B complex supplement today. I was almost hyper for awhile afterwards and didn't nap today. Not sure if that's all because of the B complex though. I'm also doing the happy dance because the November issue of Country Sampler came out. I "read" this magazine for the first time 2 months ago and LOVE it. I love gathering decorating and crafting ideas. My files are FULL of them. This was the big Christmas issue & since I'm a Christmas FREAK I was a totally happy camper to see this. I really do need to subscribe though. Its $5.99 with 10% off at Walmart and $20 for 6 issues if you subscribe. Since the second edition lived up to the first I think that might be my Christmas present to myself. Now I must share this website with you. I saw one of the dishwasher panels in Country Sampler and thought it was an incredibly clever idea. I told my best friend that she & I need to have a few drinks and do some brainstorming like this! Then I caught the price. While I'm addicted to all things Christmas even I can't wrap my head around spending $65 or $70 for a dishwasher panel. Go HERE and let me know..... am I being cheap or not? Like I said- very clever & cute! but I think a bit on the expensive side! Well, I'm off to finish paging through Country Sampler and then study for a bit. Have a lovely evening!

Another day another "crisis"

I have finally come to realize and accept that my mom has no (as in none whatsoever) coping skills to speak off and that everything that happens will result in some major crisis and have her saying that Princess Bear (PB) & I need to find a new place to live. Now I understand that the mess is somewhat a pain but its contained to our rooms mostly. PB has damaged some things in the house and thats not cool. On the flip side of if it my parents house is in need of a major overhaul. Not that it makes PBs streaks of destruction any less horrible. Yesterday PB ripped some paper in the bathroom. It was coming up at the seam and she just couldn't resist evidently. Know I know she shouldn't have done this and then to top it off she lied about it. I meant to tell my parents about it but yesterday was our typically crazy day here. I should have just patched it & things would have been fine (I've done this one other time as well). Instead my mom saw it last night and went completely and totally nuts. Crying ensued and the whole I want you to leave, you're the cause of everything bad in my life thing happened. It wasn't any better this morning. Then PB spilled this morning & it got on some of my dad's papers and glasses. I cleaned his glasses and when I did that the lens popped out. One more thing that is an 8.5 on the Richter scale. Now I'm not going to defend what PB did but I also don't know how much she understands the concept of lying or that it is a really big no no to tear wallpaper. Somethings really click with the child and other things don't at all. I also don't think that this is due cause to want to kick us out. I would like to live for just a little while without that threat constantly being over my head. It would do some much for my mental well being. Now I have to go cancel lunch plans with my 2 best friends who were treating me to lunch because my mom is in such and evil mood and can't understand how I can even consider going out for a few hours when I have so much to do. Ugh....calgon take me away!

Fall- I love it!

Its really beginning to look like fall around here & I'm totally loving it! I love the rich beautiful colors of the leaves changing, the coolness (more would be ok!) the idea its time to start hunkering down. All in all it is most definitely my favorite season. I'm also a big fan of Halloween. Its my second favorite holiday and now that Princess Bear (PB) is getting bigger its becoming even more fun! PB had her heart set on this Good Witch costume It is really cute! No doubt about that but $45 is a bit more than I have to spend right now. A few weeks ago PB found a ghost costume that my mom had made for me or my sister forever ago. PB had a ball running around in it and decided that it might work for Halloween. I've also been going through the Halloween books & magazines I've saved & am looking for craft projects to do with PB for the holiday. Anyone out there have any good Halloween or fall crafts for me to try?

Since I took my "break" from blogging one of the things that has become a huge focus for me is homesteading & learning anything and everything I can about it. I would truly love to have a homestead to settle on with PB. I don't want to be totally of the grid just because I don't think I have the skills needed for that. This years garden was my first step in learning how to become more self sustaining. As I said the other day it was a great learning lesson. I didn't get as much of a crop as I would have liked but I learned a whole lot for next year! How to make my garden space more productive. I didn't compost this year but want to start small this winter so I have a good start for next spring. I was also told that under no circumstances was I allowed to do any canning. As it turns out I didn't have enough of anything to can other than tomatoes anyway. I've also been completely fascinated with the idea of root cellaring. My father has decided if the house stays in "order" for 3 months that we can discuss some of the root cellar options. I also want to try to set up a hoop house in our backyard to start seeds a bit earlier this year.

In this search for a more self sustaining, organic, and hopefully peaceful lifestyle I've been doing a lot of reading. In addition to Mother Earth News magazine (thanks Heather! without Heather posting about it I would have never been turned on to this great magazine!) I've been reading MaryJane's Farm, Countryside & Small Stock Journal, Backwoods Home, . There are a few other magazines I pick up occasional like Herb Companion and Country Woman but those are hit and miss. Mary Jane's Farm is great in that it has some great craft, hobby & recipe ideas. In this months issue there was an article on square inch gardening in your window sill for the winter. I'm so going to try that! I love Countryside & Backwoods home because they are mostly written by the magazines readers. People who have been there, done that and are will to share their advice. Now there does seem to be a trend in most of these magazines that I'm not on board with & that is the idea that you must learn to be self sustaining so that when the government collapses or drastically changes it is the only way you will be able to survive. I just don't see that happening. Perhaps I'm naive but I hope not. I want to be more self sustaining because I do think we're completely to reliant on everyone else for our basic needs. If there was some sort of disaster that made it so trucks weren't able to deliver to grocery stores so many people would have absolutely no back up plan. I'm not comfortable with that. I would like to have enough of my own food (including some grains) put up so that if there is a G-d forbid I'm not completely at someone else's mercy. I also like that when I grow it I know exactly what is or is not in it. I find this comforting. I've been trying to help my dad come up with some alternative heating/power sources. I think this is a direct result of being without heat for more than 24 hours last winter. I truly never want to be that cold again! I can see that having a wood burning stove as their only heat source is not something my parents want to deal with at this point in their lives. Unfortunately my dad won't look at any other options. To each his own I guess. Anyway, this is what I've been up to lately!

Augh!

Sorry this is going to be short & sweet. I've just spent more than 2 hours trying to get Princess Bear to sleep. I HATE nights like this!!! Its a hot night so I know that is playing a part of it but this was ridiculous!!! My nephew fell asleep while I was babysitting him earlier today & my sister got pissed about that & now my kid fought sleep tooth & nail- ever feel like sometimes its just not your day? Well, off to do some homework & then watch the shows I taped tonight.

I love my garden

Princess Bear (PB) & I had so much fun with our first garden. All of the seedlings I planted in the spring had gone to ruin :( It was a great learning lesson though. I really had no idea what I was doing. Since then I've read A LOT on gardening, taken a course at the UofI extension office & am considering taking the classes to become a master gardener. What we wound up with was carrots (still growing), peas- didn't make it for some reason, green beans had some nice sized but the plants didn't thrive as much as I hoped, corn- still coming in!, and more tomatoes than I know what to do with! We are bringing in anywhere from 1-2 dozen grape tomatoes daily as well as a few large (we planted beefsteak, heirloom & roma). Our pumpkins are looking like a bust- oh well better luck next year! I'm not done for the season though! I'm planning on putting in some lettuce in the next few weeks since they say that will grow through October here in Zone 5. I love the idea of fresh lettuce so late in the year! Once we had the garden cleared & tilled it really wasn't too much work. I do know that next year I want to try Square foot gardening so we have more return on our room. My dad says he's also going to give us some more space to plant next year. I figure if I start planning now that I will have a pretty good idea come spring what I want to do & be able to have a good return on all 3 crop times (early, main & late fall). I must confess that the big disappointment was the pumpkins not turning out as I expected. Live & learn right?!!!? Princess Bears main job has been bringing in the tomatoes every day. We learned very early on that once the tomato has some red on it that we needed to get it off the vine & into the house. We let them redden the rest of the way on the windowsill. If we let them get any riper on the vine the critters get them before we can! Not ok with me!!! I also want to try horse trough gardening next year. I used a variety of containers from the dollar store & UFS this year (& got to use a drill for the 1st time!!!) If anyone is looking for a great magazine to add to their reading list consider Mary Jane's Farm I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this magazine & how much I've learned from it in a few issues! I have a few other magazine recommendations to throw your way- another day! Its late & I hear the shower & a book calling my name!!!

Ugh...sickness & whatnot

Soon I'm going to just scream if I can't get back to blogging with some regularity! Over Labor Day weekend Princess Bear (PB) & I house sit for my uncle's dogs. Princess Bear & I are both allergic to dogs but we love them & live with 2 of them so I didn't think house sitting would be a big deal. Yeah, by the time the weekend was over I was the owner of a lovely respiratory infection. My mom has been teasing me that when PB & I move out that we can get a poodle (supposedly wonderful if you have dog allergies). Ok, not to upset anyone that has a poodle but I'm just so not a poodle person! Most of my life we owned sporting dogs. My 2 favorite breeds are English Springer Spaniels & Boston Terriers (yes little but they have a big dog attitude!). I like Mastiffs, Newfies, Great anything (danes, Pyrenees(?)) If you haven't figured it out- I'm not much for small dogs. I think I might consider allergy shots!

Other than that life is still the same here. My mom & dad are threatening to toss PBs room at the end of the weekend if it isn't up to their standards. I'm so tired of this room thing! School is going well. I'm only taking one class, ASL (American Sign Language) 1. I was in a panic the first night of class because the instructor is deaf & there is no interpreter. Its actually worked out well & forced me to learn quickly. So that is the short version. I'll be back on Monday & give a long version of what has been going on! Have a great weekend!!!

Sarah

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok so I mentioned back in April that I wanted to get back to blogging. My other blog is still down as well. I'VE MISSED IT HORRIBLY!!! Some of the lack of blogging is my fault but the majority of it is due to my parents irrational thoughts on computer time. They were convinced that my computer time is what was making it so I wasn't getting things done they way that they wanted so they placed a lock on the computer room door. Yes I am serious- not joking even a little bit. We won't even get into the fact that the computer is mine. Its a secret!!! :) Honestly its as silly as them locking the room. One of the things I've been really upset about is the lack of blogging in my life. This blog especially is such a wonderful outlet for me & I'm glad to be back. I don't know if I can do 30 days in a row with the weekends but all weekdays I'm here by myself count on blog posts! I'll work on getting my other blog up & going again sometime in the near future but that is going to take a lot more work. For now I'm just going to say "hi"! I'll do more on filling you in tomorrow!

Starting our garden

OK...I am going to pick a day to start 30 days of blogging. Probably Monday. I've been doing lots of stuff to start our garden (not that you can tell by looking at the yard). I attended a hour & 1/2 class for beginning gardeners taught by master gardeners. It was such a good use of my time. I really learned a lot. I spent time pricing top soil and deliveries. Apparently by the time I get the pea gravel dug out I will need somewhere between 2-4 tons of topsoil. Our backyard literally has NO grass because my dad hates cutting grass. All well & good until you fast forward 20 years and want a garden! I'm also attending a conference for parents of special needs children that is from 8am to 3:45 tomorrow. I hope I learn a lot there as well! Here is a bit of our seedlings and where the garden will be in the backyard!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

And I thought I was on a roll!

Well, I was doing well. Honestly I think I'm going to try setting a goal of blogging everyday for a month straight just to make it a habit again!!! We're all still recovering here but I think we're close to the end of the sickie road! I went to the Dr on Monday and she declared my lungs clear! Now I just have a nast sinus infection but the antiobiotics are already making me feel better! Princess Bear (PB) has had one heck of a week at school. The last 2 days she's come home with 0 stars. Not a good thing! I've taken away TV both days. She's also getting into a habit of "lying". Saying she hasn't done something or she has. I'm timing her out for those but it doesn't seem to be working. I'm nearing the end of my rope on this one! I think its because I'm still very tired & not feeling 100% but regardless not a good situation.

This week I planted all my greenhouse trays. I have 6 greenhouses with 72 places in each one. Each place received an average of 3 seeds. Next week I have to start clearing out the pea gravel. My friend Maria was going to help me tomorrow but her daughter is sick. I am very excited about the garden though and hope it turns out well. Here is what I can remember of the seeds: lettuce, spinach, peas, green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, beets, radish, corn, carrots, green onions, steak tomatoes, roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, basil, rosemary, lavender, dill, chives, catnip, mini pumpkins and champion pumpkins (they grow to around 100 lbs!)

My parents are going out of town tomorrow & I'm looking very forward to the break. Now if someone would just take my daughter for a few hours I'd be in heaven! Maria & I were going to do yard work in the afternoon and then we were going to have a potluck with my friend Jessi. I'm feeling a bit bummed that now the only thing on the books is PB's swim lesson.

Well that is the story here! If anyone as any gardening advice please share!

Sarah

Still here!

Yep- Still here! Still alive. We're still sick though and I'm trying to get some rest. Yesterday my mom & I both went to the Dr. who says its completely viral and only time will help. He did put me on more prednisone since my breathing is so bad due to the virus. We've had this for over a month! I'm so sick of being sick!!! Today my best friend & I took Princess Bear and Katie (My best friends niece) to a fire station. Jessi (my best friend) is dating a firefighter & everytime PB's school went she's been sick. Andy really went all out & the girls had a blast! They got to ride in the truck, spray the hose & try on the helmet. Big fun was had by all. I'll try to post pics soon! Now I'm off to get some more barrettes ready for the salon and get some sleep!

So I'm going to try gardening!

One of the things I've decided I want to give a lot of focus to in my life is living a more green, healthy lifestyle. I'd been giving some thought to having a garden (I'm not an outdoor person so I'm not a natural gardener per se). I asked my dad if I could clear out some of our garden boxes in the back yard for a veggie garden. He axed that idea...it seems as though he's a bit attached to his flowers! Then I heard about the Burpee Cash Garden seed set. I thought this was so cool in theory! Then I found a blog giving away a Burpee Cash Garden seed set. I signed up for the giveaway and decided if I didn't win I would purchase the seed set and Princess Bear (PB) & I would set up a bag garden on our back patio. Well lo and behold I won the seeds! I'm so excited! I've done some research on bag gardening and we're going to be good to go! Then my sister & I started talking about CSA's and once again I was on the hunt. For those of you who don't know what CSA is it stands for Community Supported Agriculture and basically you buy a share in a local farm and for approximately 20-22 weeks you get a fresh delivery of veggies for approximately $15-$19 per week. The advantages are that most CSAs are organic and the veggies are still much fresher than what you get at the store. The CSA that my mom and I opted to go with also has a free range chicken egg option, and a cruelty free beef, pork and chicken option. If you are interested in learning more about CSAs you can google CSA or go HERE

I've also decided that I'm in a place where I'm ready to dump some of this extra weight I'm dragging around. I've gotten to terms with why I gained the weight and now I'm ready for it to be gone. I was giving a lot of thought to a clean eating diet. I figure it has to be a very healthy option and would only help PB with some of her health issues. Last week I bought the book Skinny Bitch. I LOVED THIS BOOK! I will also let you know that the authors of Skinny Bitch think that everyone should follow a pretty strict vegan diet (something that is mentioned no where on the cover). I was basically a vegetarian in college and reading some of the things in Skinny Bitch reminded me why. I really can't stand the thought of animal cruelty and the majority of domestic animal butchering practices are beyond barbaric. So once again I was giving thought to becoming a veg head (although I don't know if I can give up seafood!) My mom doesn't want to give up meat but is willing to pay extra for humane slaughter practices. I was back on the phone with the CSA we picked and started asking about their animal rearing practices (no growth hormones or antibiotics!) I was invited to come visit the farm...I loved that they are so confident in their practices! I also asked a ton of questions about the slaughter house they use. Not only were all my questions answered but I was also given the name of the meat locker used as well as the owners name and phone number and told that I could visit that as well. So now I've decided that this summer is going to be one of healthy living for PB and myself. The only animal products will we consume will come from our CSA or another cruelty free locker but the biggest majority of our food will hopefully be from our garden or CSA deliveries. I'm also going to try to get PB on soy milk and off of high fructose corn syrup (did you hear that there is now mercury being found in HFCS?!!!?) So those are some of my plans for this summer & I've got to tell you I'm pretty excited!!!

Sharing a prayer request

Wow! I'm one of those people that believe you start thinking about someone for a reason. I've been really horrible about keeping in touch with my friend Debbie and keep on telling myself I have to drop her an email. Debbie and I met through the Parents Support Group at Easter Seals. Actually our kids are birthday twins born exactly one year apart. Debbie fought and courageously won a battle with breast cancer a few years ago. She handled herself and the battle with such grace and dignity- I was so very proud of her. She, her husband and Daniel moved to the Chicago area not long after but Debbie has been great about keeping in touch via email....me not so much. Anyway over the last few weeks I've had that mental "I need to email Debbie" going on. Tonight I received this email and I'm so sad for her and her family but I'm also so hopefully because she is so strong and has incredible faith in G-d. If you know anyone that prays or is part of a prayer list please ask them to say a few prayers for Debbie Kamplain. Here is her email so you have an idea what is happening with Debbie right now. I'm sure she'll appreciate any and all prayers and I appreciate you praying for her.
Hello everybody,

I am writing with a prayer request. In fact, it is a desperate plea for you all to forward my name to any and all prayer chains that you may know of.

I had breast cancer in 2005, and have been deemed cancer free since completion of my treatment, surgery and radiation.

As we all know, chemo can do a lot of damage to a person after treatment is long finished. I have been suffering with a lot of pain, one of those areas of pain being my digestive area.

I had an endoscopy and a colonoscopy in these past three weeks. The endoscopy showed that I have the beginning of what would be an ulcer, and if I hadn't acted any sooner, it would have been.

Easy fix.

The colonoscopy was a different story. This is not an easy fix, as the test result yielded two polyps on my colon. One was removable, while the other was larger, and located precisely in a spot that required surgery to remove it safely.

The mega-polyp is bigger, has a broader base, and was biopsied because it was suspicious-looking.

I was told two days later that the results were benign (not cancer), but not to be assured that it was a good result. I was told,

"The biopsy was done on a tiny area of a larger mass. Although the biopsy is clear, we have no idea if cancer is deep inside."

Today was my follow-up, and I went to my PCP for a simple visit to get some refills beforehand. He looked at my test results and audibly gasped. "You need to get this out ASAP."

He turned around, snatched the phone, and insisted I was seen today by a surgeon.

So, Daniel and I left PCP's office, went to the Gastroenterologist immediately after, and got a glowing report.

"You're fine! You're okay, we are just being safe because these things grow to cancer within a year. Go home, you're good."

I take Daniel in the pouring rain to the next doctor, the surgeon. He was a very calming presence. He took my coat for me, opened Daniel's milk for him, and told me to breath.

"We look at this as though this is cancer. This is a tumor. All polyps, all growths are tumors. We treat this as cancer, and see if there is lymph node involvement, and based on that, the doctors will determine your course of treatment. Your situation is unique because you have had cancer already. It will be difficult to determine what medicine would work best for your situation. You will have to do a colon cleanse and go on another liquid diet beginning immediately."

I gagged. "AGAIN?!?!?!?" The tears burned my eyes. "I hated that more than chemo. I can't drink that medicine again."

He looked me straight in the eye, "You have to."

My emotions are confused. Do I have cancer or don't I?!?! My hair!! My beautiful, almost braid-capable hair! I have eyebrows again.

These are the thoughts that go through your head when you are told you seem to have cancer. Again.

I have surgery on Friday of this week. It is going to be a doozy-I will be in the hospital for at least 5 wretched days.

This is why I am begging for you all to pray for me, and pray for my beautiful family.
I just don't want to see them go through this again.

When I asked Daniel what he would think when he sees Mommy at the hospital this time, he said, "Dear Jesus, please make my Mommy better. Amen."

I just wondered if he would be scared of all of the machines around me.

Please, forward this to every single person who you think might be willing to share a prayer for our family and for my health. Please pray that we accept the Lord's will.

We will keep you posted.
Much love,
Deb, Greg and Daniel


"Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful."
Romans 12:13 NLT

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Honestly I have been meaning to get back to blogging. I know that I feel much better when I take the few minutes to just site down and spend some time reflecting on whatever it is I want to reflect on. Its been a bit insane here and my mom has put her foot done saying that if X, Y, and Z are not done by X date that Princess Bear (PB) and I have to move out. Since we're STILL sick as all getout here I've been spending any free time working on her "list". Actually last night I was laying in bed thinking how much I was looking forward to getting back into blogging and seeing what everyone else is up to as well. There is all sorts of news and things to fill everyone in on as well but I'll save that for another day. What prompted me to get on here right now is a news story here in Central Illinois. You can read the AP version HERE Something like this is truly my worst nightmare as I'm sure it is for every mother. This has been on the news regularly since the boys went missing as their hometown is relatively close to here. My heart is just breaking for the mother of these boys. I honestly cannot imagine how she is surviving this and I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO angry at the State of Illinois. She warned the judge that he was a flight risk, she warned & proved that he has mental health issues as well as control issues. I will never understand why there has to be a G-d forbid worst case scenario before things can be reevaluated. Not that I'm saying this is even similar but Princess Bears father could walk into her school and show the paternity test he demanded after she was born that verifies he's her sperm donor and take her out of the school. It doesn't matter that he's never spent a minute with her EVER. The school wouldn't even be required to notify me. Please explain how that makes sense?!!?!!? I truly wish law makers would stop worrying about stepping on toes and take care of problems that need to be taken care of.

Ok, I'm done with my rant for now. I'm just so sad for this mother and can't understand why it had to come to this. Well, I'm off to take my nightly cough suppressant and vicodin (how sick do you have to be to wind up on this combo as well as prednisone?!!!?) I'm going to work on my meditation & then hopefully watch Paranormal State.

Back to life

Well last week I finished up with the outpatient program where I was working on my depression & anxiety issues. I learned a lot of really great tools including the fact that if given time I could really become a mediation junkie! Things are moving along at their usual life is never boring pace. Princess Bear was sick as all get out over the weekend and beginning of this week. She woke up running 103* on Monday morning- never a good sign. I gave her Tylenol and put her in a tepid bath. After all that she was up to 103.6* It wasn't our best day ever. I took her to the Dr. on Tuesday and she was already perking back up by then but the cough has moved to her chest. We're on one more round of antibiotics and hopefully she'll be ok for awhile after this. I just got done with another round of prednisone and antibiotics as well. It just seems as though there is so much "ick" around right now. School is going a bit better for PB which is making me happy beyond belief! She is actually the star student this week! I'm so proud of her! She's also able to identify most of her letters by sight now!!! WOOHOO! The one and one tutoring she's getting is going so well! She also wrote her name for the first time the other day. Yep, I'm one proud mama!

As for me I've spent a fair amount of time since last week trying to get my other blog back up where it was. Its hard to have put so much effort into something and then watch it dwindle down. I know that I needed to take the time off for me so I just need to keep on reminding myself of that! I've also been on a big magazine & book reading jag. I'm reading Final Justice by Fern Michaels...I'm really hoping it isn't the end of the Sisterhood series. I love the premise of it! I also read I can make you thin by Paul McKenna and am going to start his hypnosis CDs. I feel like I'm really ready to take control of my life and start moving it along. First up... cleaning up PB's room! Ugh! I think it would be easier to just dump everything and start over! Well, I'm going to go take a relaxing shower and curl up with Fern Michaels for awhile!

Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmm....

Have you ever had an encounter with someone in your life and you know that if you were smart you would walk away from it and not give it as much as a second thought? You know that there really can't be anything good to come from it but you still can't walk away? Honestly I would love to know what it would take for me to listen to those signals. Am I just a sucker for misery? The only reason I'm not really beating myself up over this one is because I'm sure of how this is going to wind up and it has me in one piece so I'm ok with it. More than anything else it once again has me questioning my judgement in people.

Ok...enough of that one! I took Princess Bear for new tennis shoes today. I figured 2 nasty notes from her PT about crocs not being "safe" was about has much as I could deal with. Man, can I tell you that Stride Rite shoes are insanely expensive?!!!? PB has wide feet and although I regularly scour the Walmarts & Payless Shoes in our area I seldom have luck. So that said I'm thinking of buying stock in Stride Rite. If you can't beat them, join them right?!!?

So that would be the story in this neck of the woods. Now I'm going to go attempt to find my room within the mess!

Random Musings

Wow! So tomorrow starts my 3rd week in the PHP program. I feel as though I'm learning a lot which is really good. I also feel a bit like I'm realizing things but not knowing how or what to do with that knowledge. I'm feeling a bit like a fish out of water with that one.

Other than dealing with trying to get myself on a good track for healhy living I'm just working with Princess Bear who is having some really behavior issues and problems at school. I don't know if I mentioned this or not (If I did- sorry!) My daughter kissed a boy at school last week! The fact that the teacher didn't have to pick me up off the floor after telling me that is somewhat remarkable! When I asked PB about it she said she liked him and he was her friend. Um ok! Shake his hand, give him a hug! I didn't think I would be addressing this with my 5 year old! Then this past week PB lost a star for taking too long in the bathroom. My poor baby who has been chronically constipated since birth. I could have really done a number on the teachers. The mama bear in me was out and roaring that day.

Other than that life is kind of just the same old same old. PB is sick (a big surprise I know!) so this weekend was very low key. The Pro Bowl left much to be desired and I didn't manage to get any of the Grammy's except the beginning. I must say Jennifer Hudson sounded great and I truly admire her courage!

Well that everything on this side...I'm gradually trying to get back into the swing of things!

Sarah

Another sweet you tube moment

Ok this really is cute (but a bit too long!)

Just a funny!

My parents, Princess Bear and I are sitting around the Top Super Bowl commercials (we needed a break after my daughter painted her face with long wear lipstick!) I LOVE THIS COMMERCIAL!!!!


Watch CBS Videos Online

Hey everybody!

Ok...I've got to say that I'm really sorry for pulling a disappearing act. I knew around the holidays that something was just "off" with me. I didn't pay too much attention to what I was feeling and tried to go on my merry little way. Unfortunately it wasn't as easy as that. I should know from past history that a depressive episode isn't going to just let me go on my merry little way. I finally owned up to how I was feeling and am doing something about it (a daytime outpatient group therapy). I have missed checking in on everyone through there blogs & am trying to get myself back here in short order! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and all is well with you and yours!

Hugs,
Sarah