Its a good day...

My grandma got to come home yesterday late afternoon, and the doctors can't find a single thing wrong! Praise God! Thanks for the prayers and support and I am praying for you guys as well.

Have a blessed Friday and weekend. I'm working a few part time hours from home today and working on fun book stuff with my Little Miss. It's a good day. :)

In a blink...

Funny how fast things can change, and then how fast they don't!

I was leaving dinner with my parents last night and my mom called ten minutes before I got home, and said my Pappaw said my grandmother had some stroke like symptoms and they had gone to the hospital. Apparently she was sitting in her chair reading or relaxing before they went to dinner and her arm went numb and speech slurred slightly. Happened twice, close together, each episode very short, about 15-30 seconds Pappaw guessed. He drove her to the hospital and they wanted to keep her overnight to do tests.

Turns out she had series of TIA's, which the doctors call mini-strokes and are good in that they don't leave brain damage or lingering effects like full blown strokes do. So far all the bloodwork and scans and tests have come back fine. They will do more tests this morning to rule out any blockage, etc. and she can hopefully come home tonight.

Prayers are greatly appreciated. My grandparents are so healthy and active and I hope this doesn't have to change their lifestyle yet. They're still young! Though in my eyes they froze in time a good 15 years ago :)

I had gotten myself all worked up thinking this was going to drastically alter the life/freedom of one of my best friends - my grandma - but now it seems things are working out really really well. I hope that continues. But God has a plan regardless! I must trust that.

Have you had a priority shifter or life changer event in your life recently? What changed for you because of it?

Ch-Ch-Changes

I think people typically carry the conotation that change is bad, or scary, or unwanted.

But change can be good. Think about it. Changing jobs often can mean new situations but also can mean better hours or higher pay. Moving houses can mean a lot of work and financial risk, but can also mean more space and comfort for your family.

And in the case of my 2 year old, NOT watching Wow Wow Wubbzy one morning can mean exposing yourself to new shows such as Chuggington on Disney Playhouse and finding a new favorite ;) (and sparing Mama's sanity!)

What are you afraid of today regarding change? A change in your writing life? A change in your personal life? What about spiritual life? Is God nudging you to the next level? Are you intimidated, or embracing this season of change?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Party time!

These are just some of the zillion pics we took of Little Miss' 2nd Birthday Party! As you can tell she requested a Wow Wow Wubbzy theme (cartoon on Nick Jr.) It was really fun =) She had a blast and loved her toys. 2 is a hard age for a party - lots of overstimulation and strangers and overwhelming feelings but I think she hung in there pretty well, especially considering she had been sick a few days before!

Fabulous cake courtesy of my aunt!

Coloring table of Wow Wow pages

Daddy hugs, a few days before on her actual bday (party was a few days later on a Saturday)

A little shy during the singing of the birthday song and candle blowing. lol But she blew out all the candles like a pro!! :)

More pics on FB for my FB friends!

Normal!

I miss normal!!

This week has been pretty bad. Work, being sick, fighting being sick, being in denial over being sick, and finally caving this morning to go to a quick care type hospital to get fixed up. I didn't want to spend the money (we won't have insurance for another 30+ days) just for them to say "oh its a virus, gotta wait it out". I would have gone INSANE if that was the case.

Turns out I had the end of strep throat and a sinus infection. They gave me a zpack of antiobiotics, a steroid shot, and some sinus meds to clear the area and break up all that pressure. For the first time in 48 hours I don't feel like my head is going to explode. I'm so relieved. Next time I need to take care of myself and not worry about the $! Turns out it wasn't nearly as bad as I feared. I was thinking several hundred dollars, after everything was said and done for a cash visit, it was $175. I find it worth it!

So I'm recouping today and snuggling my Little Miss and napping. I will hopefully get her party pics up first thing next week or this weekend. =)

Visit me at Scribble Chicks today and answer a question...

Whew again

Still recovering from crazy weekend and working a half day today to make up for missing Thursay when my Little Miss was sick...short post.

Headlines:

Party was a hit despite a few 2-yr-old moments. Since she was still running a low grade, I'd say it went smashingly well. She still runs around asking for "wow wow cake". haha.

Fever completely gone, Little Miss back to her usual healthy, sweet self.

I now have a sore throat, achy muscles, and extremely exhausted. But hey that's what Mommies are/do.

Pics to come! =)

Whew

So yesterday was completely exhausting. My poor bunny felt better during the day - then had a bad relapse after her nap. I don't think she slept long enough, and I believe that fact, combined with her not feeling well, still running a low grade fever, and a buildup of two days of around the clock meds gave her quite the temper tantrum/attitude yesterday evening. There was one point I was so exhausted and emotionally spent from being unable to make her happy that I just laid on the floor and cried too. Some days motherhood is just hard! Feeling helpless, to be honest, just sucks.

Then, like a lightswitch was flipped, she was fine. After an hour of solid screaming/crying/tantrum/unhappy (which I think was partly 2-yr-old attitude and partly feeling badly) she was FINE. Perfect angel. Played great. Ate well. Had a blast playing.

All I could do was sit on the floor and stare in relief.

I went to bed nervous, afraid the switch might flip back to the negative, but I think the worst is over. No fever or meds all night long, and she woke up happy, hungry, and sweet with only a 99 fever. I gave her motrin and she's been absolutely fine all morning. I think we are past the worst. She even has been randomly crawling in my lap and saying "i love you too mama" (she says "too" even if she's the first the say it!! hehe) Sooooo sweet. Makes yesterday evening more than worth it.

Thankfully, it looks like all is a "go" for tomorrow's birthday party!! :)

Speaking of, I'm off to vacuum and dust. My house is about to become Wuzzleberg! (from Wow Wow Wubbzy, her new favorite cartoon and party theme!)

Sick Miss

My poor birthday girl is sick! She's been running a low grade fever since Tuesday afternoon but had zero other symptoms. The fever went to 102 last night, Motrin and Tylenol (generics) were keeping it gone or down to 99 but she threw up last night in her bed =(

At least she felt good enough on her birthday yesterday to enjoy the day. She had a fun time but things went downhill last night.

Looks like a doctor day for us. Pray she feels better soon...she has a birthday party Saturday!

The big day!!

My Little Miss turns two years old today!! I'm taking the day off work to celebrate with her. We're getting her a fun balloon, lunch at a fav diner with a cupcake and candles, then a special gift tomorrow night at my parents house. Her party is Saturday with all the family and friends, and I think I'm more excited than she is... hehehe

So, happy birthday, my big girl! I don't care how old you are, I will always "boop" your nose, snuggle you before bed, and call you "baby". If your friends tease you about that when you're 13, well, I'm sorry. You will have to deal. It's called 17-hours-0f labor-rights =P

More drama drama drama

So just because yesterday's drama wasn't quite enough, I added "got-head-in-the-head-with-a-soft-ball" to the end of the list. And it wasn't really all that soft!

I have a pretty little knot, complete with abrasions from the seams/stitching. It was an accident, of course, just one of those random things - I was sitting under a covered patio during my husband's church softball game! I'm just still soooo glad it was me and not Little Miss, since she'd been standing in front of me literally seconds before. Praise God for that!

Everyone said they'd NEVER seen my husband run so fast. He almost vaulted the fence but realized just in time that it was netted across the top. haha! That would have been a picture! He literally slid up beside me under the patio, through all the people gathering around. Very heroic. I guess I needed some extra romance writing material... =P

No concussion, and no need for the hospital thankfully since we still don't have insurance at the moment. Just a gooseegg and bruising. We put ice on it from the concession stand and stayed for the rest of the game after Hubby checked everything out and made sure my eyes/pupils were normal, etc. I never got dizzy or anything, and I was busy trying to calm Little Miss down, who got scared in all the chaos, so it didn't really hurt until later.

So, I guess I just proved what my husband has known all along - I'm somewhat hard headed.... =P

Drama drama drama

Drama drama drama! So it's been one of those waking-with-a-headache, going-to-Walmart-alone-with-a-toddler, realizing-your-house-note-just-went-hundreds-of-dollars, phone-call-disputing-county-taxes, too-much-to-do-on-to-do-list kind of days.

And it's only 2:30.

I will blog tomorrow. :)

Raising those funds...

Anyone ever had success with fundraisers in the past?

I'm not talking bake sales and car washes for camp money, but a larger scale experience? My husband is trying to figure up some ways that would involve little if any upfront money on our part to raise some cash for his mother, who is still in the nursing home here in town. She's on Medicaid but still has some expenses and in our own dire financial situation, we're not able to do much, nor is his sister.

So we're trying to get creative. He's already got help with a softball fundraiser in Alexandria - a family who has already had success with a fundraiser once is putting together for us - and has started talking to folks about a fishing and a golf tournament.

I've heard sometimes too that restaurants will often, for a good cause, disaster, charity, or foundation, host a night where a percentage of ticket sales go to the cause. We're exploring options and hope to get some things going this year and next for my mother in law.

Any other ideas? :)

Better late than never...

Ha! Bet ya thought I wasn't going to post. Well it's 9:55 p.m. and I've had a headache for about 3 hours now so this isn't going to be an exciting post, trust me. I'm heading to bed but the OCD in me hated the idea of skipping a blogging day. That's pretty pathetic, huh?

So stay tuned for tomorrow's blog and hopefully it will be more entertaining. =)

PS - anyone studied much about reflexology? I've heard the "feet are maps to the body" and that massaging certain areas of the foot can actually relieve tension and increase circulation all over your body in designated areas. The tips of your toes are connected to your head and brain so I might see if hubby is interested in a tippy toe massage for this headache of mine...

W is for Wednesday

Visit me today at SCRIBBLE CHICKS and at CRAFTIE LADIES OF ROMANCE and see what's up!! :)

Is anyone there?

Is anyone there?

It's funny how summertime affects me even when there's no real reason for it to. For instance, my part time job carries on regardless of the season. My child isn't in school yet so there's no change in her schedule or routine. The only real difference for us is its...HOT outside!!

But we're affected because others are affected. Some of my friends are school teachers, so they're out for the summer. More potential for playdates that we don't get during the year. Also, its swim season, so we have chances to play in the pool at various friends' houses.

The downside, though, seems more prominent. Everyone is SO BUSY that nothing is the same online. Blog counts are down, bloggers aren't blogging as regularly during this busy summer season. The ACFW writers email loop I'm a member of doesn't have nearly as many emails cycling through because of the busy-ness and from people traveling, taking vacations, spending more time with family, etc. All worthy causes. Just makes me lonely! :)

I miss my online friends! Are you there? (helloo...helloo...helloooo...)

Happy 4th!

Happy fourth of July (long!) weekend!

And many thanks to our brave soliders and their equally brave families.

Happy birthday!

Happy 25th birthday, Hubby!!!!

'Fess up...

Okay, 'fess up. Who went to the midnight showing of Eclipse?

Here's an even bigger confession. Who wanted to but couldn't? =P

I'll probably wait for the DVD or for it to reach my DirectTv Payperview. I like the movies fair enough, it's an interesting series. I'm not obsessed with it like some fans, and I am fully capable of living my life if I never see the rest of the movies. lol

As an author, though, I like to check these things out and see what all the fuss is about. The acting was pretty bad in New Moon, but I hear they have yet another director for this new saga, so we'll see if anything changes!

What are you thoughts on Twilight? Harmless? Bad influence? Good romantic story? Too violent? etc.