End of the year....already???

First off- my youngest nephew does not have melanoma which was without a doubt the best Christmas gift I've ever received!  There are some questions about why his body is reacting to things the way that it is but bottom line is he's ok! 

Christmas here was rather low key with the usual dash of family drama.  The Monday before Christmas Princess Bear (PB) was diagnosed with walking pneumonia.  Not exactly fun but not the worst that she's encountered.  She's still on antibiotics and breathing treatments every 4 hours but doing a lot better.  What it did do is put a serious monkey wrench in her plans for Christmas vacation.  She had been planning a trip to Bass Pro Shop to see Santa.  That didn't happen.  She also missed the white elephant gift exchange with her youth group.  It also means that I don't have to be the mean mom and say there is no way in hell she is attending the lock in on New Years Eve with her youth group.  An unintentional benefit to this illness.  I'm not even a fan of sleep overs let alone lock ins.  I think that even when the kids are good kids (and as far as I can tell from the youth group kids I've met they are good kids) it just is an invitation for trouble.  Christmas Eve was at our house for about 18 people.  Not too many but enough to be completely tired when it was over.  My mom got sick in the middle of the evening.  Since she wasn't feeling well she wasn't on her best behavior.  Things got interesting.  My uncle at one point was being his usual asshole self and my mom called him on the carpet.  Something she never does.  It was kind of interesting.  PB got most of the big ticket items she had been asking for.  Her 2 favorite gifts are StarLily and the entire series of the Brady Bunch on DVD.  She completely adores the unicorn and I will say it is pretty interactive.  She also received several board games and an easy bake oven.  Consequently we've been playing a lot of board games.  I figure it's better bonding time and it's technology free time.  I'll try to post some Christmas pics in a couple of days.

We had a pretty bad winter storm go through the area on Tuesday.  HERE is a photo gallery of some of the damage here in town.  There are still a lot of people including our neighbors out of power.  2.5 days of no power in winter kind of sucks.  As I am sitting here typing this our power went out.  Not sure why since there is no bad weather.  So I'm going to wrap this up for now and sit on hold with Ameren since it's an estimated 23 minute wait to report a power outage. 

I hope you and yours had a very Merry Christmas!

Finished?

I think I'm finished with my Christmas shopping.  I still have to buy some cards so that Princess Bear (PB) can put the gift cards she selected for her grandparents and aunt/uncle in them.  Other than that I'm done.  I went to Michaels tonight and grabbed a ton of the activity kits that were on sale.  Actually, I did so well that some of them are going to be stored away until PBs birthday.  I also got some clearanced Christmas crafts that PB and her cousins can work on when sitting at the dinner table just gets too boring for them.  I had wondered over to the Freedom Farms website thinking I could do some damage over there.  For the 2nd time in roughly a month I went to that website with the intention of dropping some money and walking away having spent nothing.  Nada. Zero. Zip. Zilch.  Actually some of the shirts that I looked at last time are still sold out (never replenished?) and then I went to check out the 2016 calendar.  They've been doing a great job on social media trying to say if they sell enough calendars it might help them get back on TV.  PB would be ecstatic.  So there I go to take a look at the calendar.  It's $20.  A bit pricey for any calendar.  Ok... it's autographed.  Still a bit pricey.  Let's top it off with the fact that there are no sample calendar pages.  Nothing.  For all you know you could be getting pictures of Freedom Farms piglets and John Deere.  Now I'm guessing that some of the pictures are the guys but I'm sure as hell not going to drop $20 without knowing.  Whoever is in charge of both marketing and ordering needs to be fired. 

So here I am waiting for PB to fall asleep enough that I can start wrapping her gifts. She's still sick and not sleeping very well so I'm wondering if this is a lost cause for tonight.   In a rare bout of efficiency I have my nephews gifts already wrapped and ready to go.  That's usually what my parents and I are rushing around to do 45 minutes before they get here on Christmas Eve.  Not sure if I'll get back here before, in case I don't, Merry Christmas to you & yours!  May you have a beautiful Christmas with those you love.

20 Questions

1)    Do you like blue cheese?

Love it.  Just have to be careful since it can trigger migraines.
     
2)  Have you ever smoked?

Yes unfortunately.  In high school one of my best friends & I could time it perfectly to be out door at last bell, have a cigarette and be back inside in time for detention. Pretty much quit after that except when I was very drunk or stressed.  I will admit that if I smell someone smoking a clove cigarette I want one!!!
     
3)  Do you own a gun?  

No.  Need to get my FOID and then let’s talk. 
    
4)  What flavor of Kool Aid is your favorite?

Blastin’ Berry Cherry the way it used to be. 
    
5)  Do you get nervous before dental appointments?

Nope.
     
6)  What do you think of hot dogs?

As long as it’s kosher I’m cool with it.  Love a traditional Chicago dog!
    
7)  What's your favorite Christmas movie?

Don’t really have one.  My Dad makes us gather around and watch It’s a Wonderful Life when it’s on cable every year.  It doesn’t matter that he owns it.  He says it’s not the same without commercial breaks. Now ask me about Christmas music and we can talk!

     
8)  What do you prefer to drink in the morning?

1 can of Pepsi made with real sugar.
     
9)  Can you do push-ups?

Nope.

    
10)  What's your favorite piece of jewelry?

Toss up between the sapphire ring my parents got me as a college graduation gift and a ring of my grandmothers that has our name in Hebrew on it.
       
11)  What's your favorite hobby?

Reading
       
12)  Do you have A.D.D.?

Yep.
      
13)  Do you wear glasses or contacts?

Both
       
14)  What's your middle name?

Rose
       
15)  What are your thoughts at this moment?

That I’m too bloody tired to do my nails before Church in the morning. 
       

16)  Name 3 drinks you regularly consume.

Pepsi with real sugar, hot tea, water

17)  What is a current worry of yours?

How much Christmas stuff I still need to get down and wondering how it’s going to happen since I’m still sick and now PB is down for the count.
       
18)  What do you currently hate?

The sorry state of affairs in our Country.  I hate that people are trying to change a nation that is already incredible.
       
19)  Where is your favorite place to be?

With my daughter and/or my nephews.  Curled up with a good book and a cup of tea is a close second if we’re talking in general.  If we’re discussing places to go I’ll always be a Disney fan. 

20)  What do you plan on doing on New Year's Eve this year?

Once I got out of my 20’s a hatred of New Year’s Eve that my parents had suddenly manifested itself in me.  It’s amateurs night and its dangerous.  I’d rather be at home knowing I’m safe with a couple of good movies.  Ever since PB has been little we make it a girls night in and do a hodge podge dinner of appetizers and she loves to get dressed up. 

They came!

They came! They came!  They came!

 

Our Luke Bryan tickets arrived today.  61 days.  Not that anyone in this house is counting or anything!  

They came! They came!  They came!

Dad's Retirement Party

My Dad's retirement party was today.  It was such a bittersweet moment for him.  He truly had no intentions of retiring yet.  Unfortunately with the atmosphere at Caterpillar these days when he was offered the buyout that had been extended to everyone 55 and older (Dad is 69) it just seemed like the best of the available crappy options.  He is considering doing some part time work and as my Mom says she has a honey do list that could choke a horse.  The party went remarkably well.  There was approximately 75 people in attendance.  The most important thing is that Dad was pleased with it. 

Another slideshow by Smilebox

Run and wait. Go and sit.

Today my youngest nephew had the growth on his leg removed.  What a little trooper.  The Dr said the pathology report will take about a week.  Keeping our fingers crossed and saying lots of prayers.

I finally took my temperature running, hacking up a lung butt to the Doctor.  I'm not on a 12 day taper of predinsone, a new antibiotic and increased nebs.  This thing is kicking my butt.  Unfortunately I'm coughing so hard that I can't catch any real sleep.  Very soon a very shots of Jack Daniels are going to be in order!

Our Disney vacation was a year ago this week as Facebook has been reminding me.  It's so much fun to show Princess Bear (PB) what we were doing a year ago.  Today was a reminder pic I took from the balcony of our room at Animal Kingdom Lodge. That place really is magnificent.  I'd most definitely put the night safari in the top 3 experiences of my life.  This is a pic I took on my phone from the balcony.

I went to Walmart to pick up PBs Christmas gifts that had been on layaway.  Going first thing in the morning is SOOOOOOOO much smoother and faster than in the afternoon!  So I had the gifts on the landing to our basement.  PB and my mom came home early so I told her not to go into that side of the house until I'd given her the go ahead.  I went to the bathroom and then into the kitchen to take the stuff and hide it in my Dad's workroom.  There in the kitchen is my mom and PB with the gifts in plain view.  I about lost it.  I asked PB why she was in there and she said "because Boaby said I had to come right now".  UGH!  So not a happy camper.

My Dads retirement party at work is this Wednesday.  My Dad is super excited that the grand kids will be there and he plans on showing them around.  (My dad is an accountant  at Caterpillar which has its world headquarters here).  Cat does some very cool Christmas displays so I'm looking forward to getting some cool pics of the kids!

I'm off to watch last weeks Criminal Minds episode and hopefully the cough medicine I took will knock my butt out for awhile!  As I mentioned in my last post any prayers for my youngest nephew would be greatly appreciated it. 

The good, the bad and the sick.

Let's start with the good.  Remember awhile ago I was discussing Luke Bryan coming to Peoria?  Now Peoria is actually where Luke Bryan came to practice before starting this most recent tour and perhaps he decided it really did play in Peoria.  We get tons of concerts here but if you wanted to see a concert like this you were most likely hauling butt to Chicago or St. Louis.  Now I love Chicago and the Lou isn't bad either.
There were just serious down sides to taking Princess Bear (PB) to her very first concert in either location.  I'd also been stressing the cost of the tickets.  My sister who is a big fan of giving experiences rather than gifts decided she was going to gift them to PB and myself as our Christmas and birthday gifts.  Today was the day that tickets went on sale.  There was online presale yesterday but the tickets I could have grabbed weren't the best and Ticketmaster assured me better seats were going to be released this morning.  I was all set to stand in line and get me my Luke Bryan tickets.  Btw....why is it that if mom's are standing in line for something it's either darn cold or darn hot?  It reminded me of when PB wanted, no needed, a Zhum zhum for Christmas several years ago.  My butt sat outside Toys R Us in the freezing cold and she got her zhum zhum. I digress.  The game plan was for me to head downtown and wait in line as soon as I took PB to school.  PB wasn't feeling great last night and about midnight I had oh my gosh body aches.  I just figured I was going to dose myself with Dayquil and stuff some hand warmers in my pockets.  Yeah under the category of the best laid plans and all that I woke up this morning to a very sick PB.  She didn't have a bad temp but she did have a horrible headache and bad body aches.  I gave her some Advil and sent her back to bed.  The child actually slept until 9:30am!  That never happens.  Well I was obviously not schlepping a sick kid downtown to stand in line for tickets so then it was a question of was it better to go online or try
the phone.  Or just try both which is what I did.  $454 later this little beauty was on my screen:

Woot woot! PB is over the top excited to be going to her first concert and I must admit I'm pretty stoked too.  This also blows U2 out of the water as my most expensive concert.  All things considered it worked out better that PB was sick because I wouldn't have had that much cash on me.  So we
wound up with great seats and I'm sure it's going to be a great event!
  

The bad.   I had a Dr's appointment last week.  My PA thought that perhaps my Hashimoto's isn't the only thing making it so I'm in pretty constant pain and chronically fatigued so she sent me to the Rheumatologist.  All the test results are not back yet, still waiting on Celiac and Wegener's granulomatosis, but I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and joint hypermobility.  As dumb as it sounds I almost broke down in the Doctors office.  I certainly didn't want another diagnosis to be sure.  On the other hand knowledge is power and there are things I can do to start alleviating my symptoms.  It would be so nice to not feel so dang sick and tired all the freaking time!  I've started the medication they recommend starting with and it has helped some of the widespread pain.  That in and of itself is awesome.  

The really bad.  My youngest nephew, Luke, has a growth on his leg.   My sister had been treating it with essential oils for awhile.  It got to the point that he was getting upset every time she would try to apply
oils and she kept on saying if he wouldn't let her apply the oils shewas going to have to take him to Dr. Tom (the pediatrician for PB and my nephews) so Dr. Tom could cut it off.  There are times I really could shoot my sister.  This is one of them.  For a few reasons.  While I completely believe that essential oils can be very useful when there are no results or it causes pain it's time to try a different route.  I got a text message from my sister today that Dr. Tom thinks the growth is suspicious and wants it removed immediately.  There is a chance that it could be melanoma.  WHAT???????????????????????????????????????  They are trying to get him an appointment with a surgeon for Monday but still haven't heard anything.  To say that there is a serious amount of praying going on would not even be an understatement.  If prayer is something you believe in I'd surely appreciate it if you could say a few for Luke.  

Now I don't want to wrap up my post on a downer note so the last note worthy event this week was PBs school Winter Concert.  She's in chorus as an elective this year and loves it.  I mean like LOOOOOOVES it.  She was inviting everyone to come see her perform.  She and Julie the floral manager at our local HyVee have an awesome relationship.  We shop predominately at HyVee just so PB can visit with Julie.  Remember when Julie sent PB flowers and balloons for her birthday?  Julie as also promised that as soon as PB is 16 she has a job with her in the floral department.  So Julie and her daughter Amy had to be invited as well as my sister.  PB is also very close to one of the leaders in her youth group and she invited Jessie.  Jessie's mom, Sue also came.  She used to be PBs art therapist.   All in all PB had an 8 person entourage at her concert.  Below is a link to one of the songs they performed.  PB is wearing the red t shirt and black skirt in the first row.