Forget "Happy Holidays," It's "Merry Christmas"

I understand, to a certain extent, political correctness, but it drives me insane when people say you can't wish someone a Merry Christmas--it might make them uncomfortable! Is that the biggest bunch of BS, or what? Just give me a frickin' break! Why is it so intolerable to mention, or display, anything that might be looked on as coming from a Christian perspective? The more politically correct we get in this country, when it comes to minorities of ANY kind, the less tolerance is shown to Christians--I don't get it. It is okay to dress as a Nazi and scream "Heil Hitler," to have parades while wearing white sheets, to give speeches about "death to the infidels," and on and on, but a Nativity scene can't be set up in a town square--I JUST DON'T GET IT!!! Maybe this world IS going to hell in a handbasket.

And Life Goes On

It is surprising how quite busy life has been for the past few days. At least compared to how my life usually is. Nothing very important, just a lot of busy-ness.

Had a couple of doctor appointments this week. Again, nothing very important. I had my yearly with my GYN and if it wasn't for the fact that my boobs get mauled and things get put in awkward places, that visit would be my favorite of the year. See, my GYN has been my doctor for about 22 years--he delivered my last kid. He has seen me through surgeries and many awful things going on with my life and has made me leave his office in a better mood than I got there with. We ALWAYS begin my appointment with a technology talk--we discuss our latest tech gadgets and what we hope to have by next year. I don't have many people to "talk tech" with, so I'm always happy when I can find another geek to converse with. He is someone who "gets me"--I always judge my doctors by that criteria. I actually have not gone back to someone who hasn't understood my warped, dry sense of humor, so when a doc "gets me," I am his patient for life. It always is good to visit and laugh with someone--even if he is doing medical things to you. (That sounds terrible, doesn't it!)

I am actually, almost, kind of, not having a bad time thinking about the Christmas holidays this year. Can't for the life of me understand what is going on--nothing in my life has changed so much that this Christmas should be any different than any other year. But, I have been doing my annual before Christmas cleaning--something I really haven't done in the last four or so years--and can't wait to get started on the decorating. C told me I really need to have a very thorough medical exam because this just isn't like me--I must be REALLY sick! Or the end is at hand. :) But, anyway, here I am, NOT feeling like a total Scrinch. (A cross between "Scrooge" and the "Grinch.") And I think I like feeling like this! :)

C called the other day to tell of her latest trip to the emergency room. This time it was with Marcus, the one-year-old. His older sister had been doing homework and got up for a second--leaving her paper and pencil on the couch. Sure enough, before anyone could get to him, off he went running with the pencil in his mouth--lead-side in. Just as C was getting up to run after him, he fell and the pencil got lodged in his cheek. At least it didn't come straight through, but it bled like crazy. When they realized the tip of the pencil couldn't be found, they had to take him to be x-rayed to make sure it wasn't still in his cheek. She said the doctor showed her the hole the pencil made and it was unbelievable how big it was. Thankfully the x-rays showed there was nothing in his cheek, so they were sent home with some antibiotics and told he will be fine. She told the x-ray techs to remember Marcus' name, because they will be seeing him A LOT in the next 18 years--the kid is fearless and can get into trouble in a matter of seconds. He will definitely cause C to get a few grey hairs. :)

Last night I finally did something I have been putting off for almost a year--I cleaned up our old computer and got it out of this room. My desk is, barely, big enough for the two computers to be on and I have been living with the old one digging in my side for all this time and I decided enough was enough. It took me about eight hours to re-format, reinstall XP, download all of the updates, reinstall the software I wanted on it, and do all the necessary stuff. I really wasn't all that happy with the time spent--after all, I don't know if the damn thing will ever be used by either K or myself. He claims he wants it for himself, that he doesn't need anything too good for what he does on the computer, but we'll see if he actually uses it. I really have my doubts. Compared to this computer, the old one is as slow as a 90-year-old-man driving down the highway--nothing that is too fun to be near. I hope it doesn't become a very heavy doorstop.

I wish all of my readers a good weekend. I am planning on getting all of my decorating done before next week, so I'll let you know if I succeeded. Have a good one.

Back To Cooking

This year I will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the first time in four years--and I'm kind of looking forward to it. After our youngest left home, I just didn't feel the need or desire to put on a big production for just the two of us, so we bought our dinner from a local grocery store. The food was very good and I only had to heat everything up, so we did this for three years. I suppose we could have gone to a restaurant to eat, but then we wouldn't have had any leftovers--and isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about? :)

Anyway, for around $50 this is what we got for our dinner: a 10-13 pound turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, a broccoli salad, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, rolls, pumpkin pie, and Cool Whip. (I think that was it.) I only had to make mashed rutabaga and the meal was complete. Everything was 'homemade'--real potatoes and gravy, etc. We always thought this was an excellent value and soooooo much easier than doing everything myself!

I never found Thanksgiving dinner to be a very difficult meal to prepare--it just is a lot of work. And, actually, it isn't so much the amount of work but the fact that so much has to be done last-minute that got to me. The 30 minutes to an hour before mealtime is so hectic. Oh, well, I will try it again and see how it goes!

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you will be surrounded by people you love and will have a pleasant day.

Something I Want

I keep thinking about getting myself a laptop. While our desktop isn't quite a year old, I have wanted to, also, have a laptop for a long time. The trouble with this whole thing is this: I can't afford the kind I would want. Because this would be MINE (and not OURS like the desktop is), I would want to have a Voodoo, Alienware, or Falcon Northwest brand. I'm talking a fully tricked out gaming machine. Now, I don't NEED a gaming computer because I don't play games. BUT, if I got a gaming computer, it would take several years for it to become obsolete for the things I would do with it. The only way this would possibly happen is if someone decided to, nicely, give me $3000, $4000, or $5000+. Ain't gonna happen. I am sad. :(

Feeling Dumb

While I ALWAYS have fun taking the Quiz of the Day over at mental_floss, there just are some days I feel soooooo dumb. Today is one of those days: I only got one question right and THAT one I guessed at! Oh, well, they always have an interesting Fact of the Day to read.

Retouched Photos

Here is another site that shows how a PhotoShop professional can make a picture better. Amazing work.

Little Bit of Nothingness

Our typical weather: a couple of days ago the temp was 14 degrees with a wind-chill temp of 7. Today, it is in the upper 30s! I just hope this doesn't continue all winter--it is so hard to try and adjust to such widely varying temps.

Grace was weighed again yesterday and she gained around 4 ounces--the doctor was so very pleased. She was expected to only gain 1-2 ounces--I guess she is eating okay now. :)

I was talking to C last night when Noelle--the 2 year old--announced that her diaper was "gross." AND she wanted her mother to change it. Now, describing the dirty diaper as "gross" is A LOT better than what she could say--and a lot funnier! C isn't quite sure why she started saying "gross," but we figured the babe heard "That is so gross" too many times when someone changed her. It always amazes me to hear little kids say the exact things they have heard adults say--and adults never quite realize how closely kids are actually listening! A lesson to be learned. :)

Yesterday Lawn Mowers, Today Snowblowers

Yep, we, once again, got winter in less than 24 hours. Everything turned to crap outside around 10:00 last night and the entire world turned white. K is out snowblowing right now--when he got home this morning, he couldn't even make it into the driveway. He managed to get the truck off of the road and had to leave it. But, then, this isn't all that unusual for those of us living by the big lake.

Now, the snow that came is that wet, heavy stuff. The temp didn't go down all that much--actually, it still is about 33 degrees out there. This, of course, caused all kinds of nasty problems.

First, a little background. K works at a power plant in our city--for a company that doesn't supply the power for this city. (It's complicated and not that interesting.) Suffice it to say, MOST of the time if something happens where he works, it doesn't affect us, and if something happens at the city power plant, it doesn't affect anyone but this city. (Not very clear, but it'll do.) Well, last night was one of those rare occasions when we WERE affected. Anyway, around 12:45 AM, the heavy snow broke a static line at K's plant. This in turn touched one of the power lines. Then all hell broke loose. I guess it looked like a lightning storm with all the flashing, etc. And I guess it was pretty loud at the same time. (Thankfully, no one was hurt during this.) When all this happened, the power went out all over the city. And I was left in the dark, by myself, for (what I thought was going to be) the entire night. Now, being without power in the summer brings a whole set of problems, but not having power during the winter is another story. My first concern was heat--obviously, without power there was none. Just KNOWING the furnace wasn't working made me cold--and the temp didn't really go down more than a degree or two the whole while the power was off! Talk about mind over matter! Then, because I wasn't tired, I couldn't figure out what I could do. I found a radio that works on batteries so that I could have some noise going on. Then I found my little book light so that I could read till I got tired. Before I got a chance to go to bed, the power came back on and all was well. The lights were out for less than two hours.

All in all, things could have been a lot worse. If the temp doesn't go down a lot today, we could lose a lot of the snow that is on the ground. I just hope this isn't a (bad) sign as to how things will go this winter. Yuck!

Winter?

We are under a winter snow warning for tonight and tomorrow. They are calling for up to 16" of snow by the time it is all said and done. Fortunately, for this type of storm, we are too close to the lake for most of it to bother us, but 5 miles away it will be pretty darn nasty.

Yesterday, K put up the new stormdoor on the front of the house and I covered the windows with plastic. We are trying to do all we can this year to save on fuel costs. (Of course, we didn't want to do this in a timely manner, so we waited until the first storm was almost here! :) ) Living in an old house like this, there just is only so much one can do, though. At least we are doing something. I don't even want to think about how much we will be spending to heat this place this year.

Today I went to the grocery store to stock up--as I do every time they call for a winter storm. I act as if we live way out in the sticks and won't be able to get out for weeks at a time! Just another one of my quirks! Today was a bit quieter in the stores than has been the case for the past several days. Today is the first day of the firearm deer season, so the stores have been packed with hunters getting their supplies for deer camp. I stay far away if I possibly can. Most of these men--yes, there are women hunters, too, but I am only talking about the men, now--go to the grocery store only once a year: in time for hunting camp. You will find groups of men--sometimes wearing their camouflage outfits--wandering around the store like lost little puppies. To say they have no idea what they are doing is an understatement. I truly believe some of them get to their destination and find out they have only purchased beer, steaks, and toilet paper. But then, to some people, those things are all you need to have a party!

A Bunch Of Stuff

Some things going on in my life:

Grace had a doctor's appointment last week and she only gained one ounce. C has to give her supplemental formula so that she can gain a bit faster. Other than that, she is doing well.

C had to see the doctor again last week because she had a bad reaction to one of the blood thinners she was taking. Because of this and the fact that all of the tests they did for a blood-clotting disorder came back negative (just as they did a few years ago when they ran them the last time), she is going to have to see the hematologist sooner than she thought. Maybe this doctor will be able to come up with some answers as to what is going on with her. At least, thankfully, she is feeling fine and whatever might be wrong probably won't affect her life other than during/after pregnancies--hopefully.

I have officially declared myself a pretty cool grandma! I received our oldest granddaughter's Christmas gift the other day and it is quite neat. I ordered her an mp3 player and I think it is going to be a big hit with her. I love being able to actually know what is going on with modern technology and to be able to buy gifts that the kids might actually want.

We took one of our road trips last week and managed to get some shopping done. I think we did rather well, but we still have more to go. I only have to get one more of the 'bigger' gifts for one of the grandkids--I have all of the rest of the kids taken care of. Other than the kids, we really don't do a whole lot of gift-giving. I stopped doing that when my family started to treat me like something they wanted to scrape off the bottom of their shoes!

We were going to go shopping again this week, but the weather doesn't look as if it will co-operate, so it might not happen. I really like to get my Christmas shopping done in the stores before Thanksgiving--it just is way too crazy afterwards. And I don't particularly care for the season, so it is doubly bad for me to be in the stores during the month of December.

While we haven't really gotten snow--just a few flurries--we have had several days of high wind warnings this past week (and today.) I found this to be a bit spooky--after all, last week was the 30th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. (Here is a website dedicated to the tragedy.) True, the winds haven't been quite as strong as they were then, they still are whipping around pretty good. I even had to call our neighbors and let them know that their house was 'falling apart'--I think they lost a soffit or part of the eave.

And, finally, I'm still trying to reprogram my sleep habits. I have had limited success, but I still am doing a bit better than I was. I actually manage to get to bed at night, so that is good! I just have to work at it some more.

My Visitors

Most of the people who visit my blog happen to just stumble onto it. I figure they click on the button that says 'next blog' and then move on. I do have several people that come back again, and there are some who are regular readers. To those who keep coming back, THANKS.

One thing I am amazed at in regards to the people who visit my blog is the fact that so many of them are at work while they are surfing the net. The last time I worked outside the home, we didn't have computers, so I can't imagine how that would have worked. I find it very interesting.

I also am amazed at how many people from different countries happen to stop by--again I know it is that 'next blog' button, but it still is neat to see the many countries of the world represented. I also have people from all across the US, but my repeat visitors seem to be from the Midwest. Hmmm, we must have SOME sort of connection--maybe the fact I'm here in the Midwest? :)

To all my readers, have a wonderful day and an even better week! Stop by anytime--hopefully I will have something here to make you want to come back.

To Save A Life

(There STILL are good reasons we use the internet--not just for gossip and trivia! Read on.)

REMEMBING THREE SIMPLE TESTS COULD BE A LIFE SAVER !!

Is It a Stroke?

This was published in a monthly newsletter where a friend of mine lives and he sent it on. I had never heard this advice before and hadn't a clue. Perhaps you hadn't either and would like to file it away in the back of your head.

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say any bystander can recognize a stroke asking three simple questions:

* ask the individual to smile.
* ask him or her to raise both arms.
* ask the person to speak a simple sentence.

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

After discovering that a group of nonmedical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions.

They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage."

PASS IT ON...............

Just Waiting

I was going to wait till there was some definitive answer before posting about what is going on with C, but heaven only knows when THAT will happen. I guess I just kind of left things up in the air, so I will tell the latest.

I posted how C had to go to the ER because of blood clots in her arms. Well, she went to see her own doc later last week and he doesn't feel as if she should have gotten so many blood clots from having the IVs in the hospital--this just isn't "normal." He feels as if she may have some sort of congenital blood clotting disorder and is having tests done--then she will have to see a hemotologist to decide where to go with the info. The thing is, she went through all of this testing after Noelle was born--they wanted to know why she had lousy pregnancies--and they didn't find out anything. I don't know how they think this time will show anything different, but we will wait and see. Right now the doc is trying to regulate her meds--blood thinners--so she has to have blood drawn every day till her "numbers" are where they should be. (I have no idea WHAT the numbers indicate, but this is what is going on.) So, we wait, again! Story of my life. :) Of course, I am not the one who needs comforting or anything---after all, it is C who has the problems--but I am a mother and I do worry. And, to a lesser degree, they might find a genetic disorder and it might indicate the need for testing, etc. for me, K, and our other daughter, A. I'm not that concerned about myself as I haven't had any indication of anything serious, but I do worry about A and what will happen when she starts having kids. Time will tell, I guess.

Rock My World

Well, there are changes going on in my life and I'm not too sure how I feel about it. First, my posting might be a bit sporatic, at best, as my time is being used very differently these days. My doctor is trying to reprogram my sleep habits and I am having a hell of a time trying to get in the groove. For some reason or other, the time seems to go by so much faster during the day than it does at night. I don't know if I find so much more to do during daylight hours, but it seems as if I just don't have the time I'm used to having. I have been so busy trying to get things done before I have to go to bed, that I don't have time for the things I WANT to do. I have to, grudgingly, admit that I MIGHT be feeling a bit better by keeping "normal" hours, but it might be a struggle for me to keep this up long-term. The hardest part is living a "normal" schedule while K is doing shift work--very hard to get anything done around the house while he is sleeping all day. Oh, well, I guess if I feel really good living like this, I will keep it up--we'll see.

Good News

Just a short post: Baby Grace went home today! Yeah! She is doing well and is healthy. Thank God.

New York, New York

This blog is quite fascinating. While I don't live in and have never been to NYC, there is enough to it that is universally understood. However, I don't know if this same blog could be written about any place other than NYC. Check it out--you might find yourself wasting too much time there. :)

Of Dentists and Vaccinations

I was 4 years old when I started school. I am a dental phobic. Needles scare the hell out of me. And all of these statements go together.

Before I began school, I had to go to the dentist to have some work done. I had been seeing the dentist for several years and never had any problem going there, but unfortunately, the town where I lived didn't have fluoride in the water, so I needed to have a cavity filled. This wouldn't have been a big problem except for the fact that the dentist decided to fill the tooth without giving a shot of Novocain. As he drilled into the tooth, he hit a nerve. My 4-year-old little body didn't like the feeling, so I began to cry. The dentist got very angry and came close to hitting me before my mother had a chance to step in. "Don't you DARE hit my child," she said. And he answered, "Don't bring a baby to the dentist!" I don't really know what happened after that, except he finished the filling and I was left with a terrible fear of the dentist.

That same day I had an appointment with the doctor to get my shots brought up to date in order to start school. I don't remember how many I was to have or which ones they were, just that I needed some shots. This, too, wasn't a problem for me--until that day. First of all, they tried to inject me with a bent needle. (This is from the days of non-disposable needles. I know, I'm old.) After they attempted to inject me several times, they realized the problem. Fine, but then they came at me again with a new needle. Well, by this time, I wasn't having any of it, so I pulled away as the needle went into my arm. You guessed it, the needle broke off in my arm. So now, the doctor had to do a minor surgery in order to remove the broken needle. AND I STILL HADN'T HAD THE INJECTION! Somehow or another, they managed to give me the shot(s) and we left the office.

Believe it or not, I managed to raise my girls without a fear of the dentist or needles. I still don't know how I did it. I am doing much better these days when it comes to needles and dentists. I have had to learn to accept having frequent blood work done because of my hypothyroidism and I have been very lucky that it is very infrequently that I need dental work done. So, I am able to do what has to be done, but I am never very happy about it.

Just A Post

Hi all--just a short post to update. Not all that much has been going on. I have been feeling all week as if I am coming down with a cold and it just isn't happening. This has kept me from being able to go see the baby--I would feel so bad if I came down with a full blown cold the day after seeing her! Oh, well, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Talked to C today and she was back in the ER earlier this week. Before that story, I have to say that she DIDN'T have a staph infection like the ER doc said--turns out it was possibly the world's worse yeast infection! That seems to be better now. Anyway, she had to go to the ER because she had so much pain in her arms--the diagnosis: she has blood clots in both. One arm has 4 and the other has 6. They said it isn't enough to keep her in the hospital as they are not in the deep veins, so they aren't as dangerous. They did put her on blood thinners and she has to see her doc on Friday. I don't know how much more that poor girl can take!

Found out that Grace is now almost 5 pounds! She is eating from a bottle and tolerating the breast milk very well. Don't know yet when she can go home, but I would imagine it can't be too long now.

Wires, Wires, And More Wires

Last night definitely was different, to say the least: I spent the night in a sleep lab. This all came to be because I told my doctor I think my thyroid is off again and asked for another med. He didn't like the idea of what I asked for, so he said my symptoms could also be caused by sleep-deprivation. (My get-up-and-go has got-up-and-went.) So, off to the sleep-lab. Well, this experience isn't as bad as a colonoscopy (goooooood drugs are given for a colonoscopy!) and not nearly as good as having a massage, but it was not a whole lot of fun.

First, I had to be at the hospital at 8:45 PM. The tech came and got us--there was another woman, too--and brought us to the lab. (And I could be given a million dollars and NOT be able to find my way there again!) Anyway, I was shown to my room and told to leave my things so that we could watch a film in the next room. So much fun that film was: lots of snoring and watching people sleep. Then the tech answered questions and my main one was: "How am I supposed to sleep? I sleep on my stomach!" Of course he answered, "No problem--you can still move around while hooked up." Yeah right!

Another tech brought me back to my room and I was told to "do what I do before going to bed" and then open the door to let him know when I am ready to go on. (I'm still wondering what he was referring to other than putting on my nightgown and brushing my teeth!?) When I was done, he came back and then the fun began.

I was put in a chair and the tech began taking measurements of my head. When he got the measurement he wanted, he used a pencil or something to mark the position--it wasn't just a felt-tip marker because it felt as if he was trying to CARVE the markings into my skull. When he was done with the measuring, he began to GLUE the patches to my skull. And he glued patches to my temples, my chin, and under my nose. There were 17 patches in all. Then he attached all of the electrode wires--it was like an electronic ponytail!

When that part of the prep was done, I had to lie down on the bed. There he strapped two different belts on me--one high on the chest and one low on the abdomen. EKG patches were then placed, a patch was placed on my throat, the oxygen monitor was put on my finger, and two straps were put on my heels. All of these had wires attached. In total, there were 29 different wires running from my body. Then he explained about the intercom--which was voice activated--and the camera and microphone which would be on all night. And he told me that if I needed anything just to talk in a normal voice and the tech who would be observing me the entire time would get what I needed. Then he said good night and have a pleasant sleep. RIIIIGHT!

All of the prep took about an hour, so the lights went off in the room a little after 11:00 PM. First of all, there was NO WAY I was going to be able to get completely comfortable in order to get to sleep. I laid on my side and drifted in and out for about an hour and realized I had to make a trip to the potty. Well, that was no walk in the park! The tech had to come and take off my foot straps, unplug the oxygen monitor, unplug the panel the electrodes were plugged into, and hang the panel around my neck so I could get out of bed and move around. Fun. If the bladder wouldn't have been screaming, I would have said , "Screw this." and tried to go back to sleep. Of course, when I was done he had to come back and hook me up again.

For the next 5 hours I actually slept a bit. I kept drifting in and out, but I guess I actually managed to get some deep sleep. Then a little after 5:00 AM the bladder needed attending to, so I had to be unattached, etc. again. When I got back into bed, I was sure I wouldn't sleep and was going to ask if I could go home, but I actually did drift off for about an hour when the tech came and woke me up to leave.

Taking all of the patches off took another 30 minutes--the ones that were glued on had to be removed with nail polish remover (okay, technically acetone, but it's the same difference) so it was a bit of a process. Now, I have sensitive skin, so everywhere there was glue or another adhesive there is a red mark--in some cases there is actual welts from the damn things! It is going to take several days for all of this to go away. And it will also take days for all of the glue to wash out of my hair--I don't care if it is "water soluble" as he said. So, then I put my clothes on and came home at 7:00 AM.

Next week I see my internist and he will have the results of this sleep-study, but the tech did tell my a few things. First, I don't have sleep apnea like you always hear about. I did snore very quietly and I had a few instances of my oxygen dropping, but nothing in the life-threatening area. I also exhibited a little bit of restless leg syndrome, but I think that was because of the position I had to sleep in. Anything he observed could probably be taken care of with a lose of excess weight--exactly what I thought before I went. So, this was a complete waste of time, in my opinion, but I guess I will wait to see what the doc has to say next week.

NOT Just Baby News

Things just keep happening to C! She had to go to the ER because of a 101 fever and she now has a staph infection! She is already on antibiotics--and has been for over 3 weeks--so what more can they do for her? Also, several of the veins in her arms have calcification--I suppose the next time she needs an IV they will have to go into the neck. I sure hope not.

Went to see the baby and she is doing well. They fed her from a bottle and she took it fine. They think she is done under the ultraviolet light and her antibiotics should be done in the next couple of days. She sure is a cutie--I held her for awhile and just stared at her while she made faces. I swear she actually smiled! OK, I know that it wasn't a true smile, but it was cute nonetheless.

Now, on to other things. This is just so creepy I can't stand it! Yuck. I really don't like snakes and I would just have a heart attack!

Doesn't this just seem wrong? I know companies are in business to make money, but to make money because of fears just doesn't seem right.

And finally, WHY isn't this a reality show? Please save us from this crap!