Christmas 2009

Well we woke to a wonderful white Christmas this year! How awesome!
Bubby woke up everyone with a sweet "Merry Christmas before running down the hall to see what Santa had brought during the night. T-Bone is a slow riser and just kind of laid in bed until I said that Santa had came. He then stumbled down the hall as fast as his sleepy little legs could carry him. Next thing I knew I could hear paper being torn. He didn't wait for anything or anyone. Just started to open up gifts, never mind who they were for! I had to stop him and promptly give him a present that was for him. He really was still half asleep but knew just what work was laid out before him!
We all opened gifts and then bundled up to set outside in the cold and snow outside. Out of all the years (42 to be exact) of living in Texas I've never seen a white Christmas. I can remember it snowing a few days after and on New Years but not Christmas. What a blessing. Of course it was not like a snow that most get up north, a somewhat light dusting. But snow just the same! I have waited for such an occasion as this with the purchase of some snow suits and sled from the local thrift store. How can I say how much I LOVE snow? It reminds me of my childhood and it's beautiful, quiet and makes just about anything appear lovely.
After freezing we then came in for hot coco and some monkey bread. I then got busy cooking. Ham, stuffing, potatoes, sweet potato casserole, gravy, corn , deviled eggs and rolls. I also baked a pumpkin pie and pecan pie and of course got the wonderful Satin Chocolate pie from Tom Thumbs. Daddy's favorite by far. We ate. Well Daddy and I did. The boys did manage to pig out on rolls smothered with butter and a large serving of Jellied cranberries ")
After eating Grandma came by and it looked like Santa visited us again!
I spent the day picking up toys, gift wrap and boxes while Daddy exercised his skill at patience helping the boys with all their various toys.
The day ended nice with warm baths and an early bedtime for T-Bone since he missed his nap today. He fell asleep with a Chick Hicks car in his hand. Ahhhhhhh.
It was a nice Christmas and as always goes so fast and it's just over like that. But we have the celebration of 2010 just around the corner. Did I just say 2010! Yikes.
Merry Christmas boys, we love you and cherish these wonderful early years with you!

Waiting on Santa 2009

Well this is our first year having Santa visit. Shocked? Well don't be, we have good reason. We really struggled with doing the "Santa" thing since it's basically a lie and use's certain conditions (the naughty or nice list) to bribe your children into good behavior. Also I've wondered how would my boys believe me when I speak of a unseen God that came to die and save us and that he watches over us and cares for us when I would lie to them about a nice old jolly fellow that visits us every year at Christmas time. Well anyway.....
Bubby told me this year that he understood that Santa was pretend but wanted to believe anyway. I'm fine with that. So Santa land here we come.
Complete with iced cookies and milk as a snack for his long hard sleigh ride we joined into a new tradition this year. So far it's been a bit of a challenge. Never before had I considered the great lengths that my parents went to for us so many years ago. Hiding presents, using different unseen wrapping paper and bows. Having a Santa signature.....etc......
Wow it takes some effort and teamwork but so far I think we've pulled it off.
Can't tell you just how excited two little guys went to bed tonight.
Merry Christmas!

Gingerbread houses, Advent and the mall. Oh my.

Well Christmas Eve is fast approaching us and it's starting to get busy, something I don't like around the holidays. Slowing down is much better ")
With Bubby and I being so behind in school and having to double up on school days and with all the "errands" of running around for Christmas I beginning to feel overwhelmed. I'm trying not to get so caught up in it all but.....
Today we went to the mall. Whew. Wasn't to bad till the afternoon hours. Bubby just wanted his favorite pizza and Sean sat strapped safely in his stroller. I went with list in hand and for the most part got it done.
Tonight we decided to make our gingerbread house. Too bad one side wall was warped and the roof kept sliding and ended up taking the whole house down. At first tempers flew from Bubby but soon realized the "house" pieces still tasted yummy whether they were whole or in pieces. ")
Also I good squirt of icing in the mouth never hurt anybody :)
So it now sits broken in a glass container to be picked on for the next day or two.
Can't believe Christmas is coming so soon and it will be gone for another year. Even more 2010 is right around the corner. wow.

Daddy's Santa screw up

Daddy comes busting in through the door after a long day of training to announce to the boys that he has Santa's phone number and asks if the boys would like to call him. I'm thinking "What?".
He tells me that he got the number off a radio station on the way home. Talk to Santa?
Of course the boys are very excited. Bubby is walking circles saying he's shy but you can tell he's about to pop with excitement and T-Bone is ready. So Daddy gets on his cell phone and gathers the boys and puts "Santa" on speaker phone. Sure enough it's Santa's voice that answers the phone with a recording for the caller to please leave him a message. Daddy then encourages for them to state what they want for Christmas. WHAT? Why would he do that?
It's two weeks before Christmas, not a lot of shopping time left Daddy! Bubby then states that he wants a new Superman hot wheel transporter. His broke during the last year and I'm ashamed to say I had to put it out of it's misery and of the house. "(
And a real iron man outfit. Oh that's great Daddy. I've looked over the globe for the Superman hot wheel transporter for the past year with no luck. Now he's asked for it himself to Santa. I start to fight with visions of the movie "Jungle all the way" and ringing Daddy's neck. I then mouth to Daddy that I am going to kill him and he's at a loss. I tell him that I hope he enjoys his dinner because it will be his last. We scamper off to the back bedroom for me to clue him in on the problem. Oh, I didn't even think about that he states. I then quickly and with deadly skill dive into my computer to reach Google for help. Nothing but Target promises me that they can contact me when more are available. Yikes. I have a boy that is going to have a broken heart on Christmas morning. I then pray and get on Amazon. Five left. I make my purchase and Daddy's life is spared once again.

T-Bone's gonna get the best of me yet!

After stating the happy joyful news of producing "poo poo" on the little potty this morning from T-Bone I went in the bathroom for a clean up. After looking in the potty I spotted something "funny" wrapped up with the gift he had made. Oh Gosh, is that a worm? My son has worms? Where did he get them? Does that mean we will all get them? I need to call the doctor. No wait a minute, is that a rubber band? After a few minutes and some soiled latex gloves later, I was correct on my 2nd guess. A rubber band! Honest why in the world would eating that even seem good in any way?
He's going to get the best of me, without a doubt.

Thanksgiving Day 2009

Well today begun with watching the Macy's Thanksgiving parade and the boys eating oatmeal while Daddy slept in.
I had already made the deviled eggs, stuffing (dressing since we didn't have a turkey) pumpkin pie, and a pecan pie made from our pecan tree out front.
After Daddy got up I started making the sweet potato casserole, mash potatoes and heating up the ham. We decided we would eat lunch instead of dinner. Every thing was yummy. Bubby served himself about a half a can of jellied cranberries and three yeast rolls. I did manage to make him eat two bites of ham too. Honest how does he live on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?
T-Bone dug into the ham and rolls. He wasn't too big on the stuffing and any of the potatoes. And of course he loved the eggs.
They all pigged out of the chocolate pie that I defrosted the day before while I went next door to visit with my friend for a bit. It's favorite with the boys around here. I did enjoy the pecan pie with our very own pecans on it. Yum.
We went out later on to try and catch some good light for our traditional Christmas card picture. Didn't do so hot. The boys were tired and couldn't get any good shots. Oh well we'll try again later.
Later after watching the Cowboys play Bubby and Daddy went out front and through the ball around. It was a nice sight too see.
All in all we had a nice day.
Tomorrow we will be putting up the Christmas decorations like we ussally do the day after Thanksgiving.
Being filled with food I think we will all sleep well tonight. ")

Daddy's Birthday!

It was Daddy's Birthday today.
Too bad he had to work "(
He decided on Red,Hot and Blue for dinner. It was great and the boys where trilled to have a grilled cheese and munch on their special sauce with chips. Daddy dug in deep with his favorite sausage plate.
The boys wanted to get Daddy a Hulk mask and T-shirt which we did. Daddy is known as the Hulk around these parts and the little super heros daily have to try and tame him after he gets home from work.
Also we did order him a Hulk cake from Walmart. Here is a funny story about that. We went to pick up the cake this morning. Whew it was there. You never know with Walmart.
I looked at the cake and noticed the script on the cake was "Happy Birthday pick Tim". What? Pick Tim? What's that?
I then told the lady and she apologized and asked for a minute to do repairs. I was puzzled.
We got the cake back and was happy and went home.
After we got back I realized what had happened and laughed until I cried.
When placing the order, the lady informed me that the total script that I wanted (Happy Birthday Tim) would be too long for the 1/4 sheet cake with Hulk on it. So she suggested using a "Happy Birthday" pick instead of writing it and then write Tim under it. I agreed that would be fine. Do you see what happened here? The order started "Happy Birthday pick Tim" on it so that's what they wrote. Sad and funny. So they where able after all to fit all that script on the cake with an added word "pick" in the center. Walmart. Sheesh. Can't say I like that place much and really try not to go there but I'm thankful for a laugh they gave me today.
Happy Birthday Daddy!!

Our pecan harvest

Today was a windy day and we decided to go out and do some pecan picking. This is only our 2nd season of having eatable pecans on our young tree. We got some the year before last. Enough to make a pecan pie! I was SO excited and had waited for this day to happen only to burn them while cooking the pie. "(
Grandma was so kind to forward us a nice zip lock baggie full of hers, cleaned and all. I am going to attempt it again this Thanksgiving making sure to keep a close eye on the cooking process.

Algebra skills aready?

Today math lesson was finding the unknown number. Bubby is now learning the beginnings of Algebra. I'm again amazed by how he grasps new unknown concepts. I admire his ability to learn and accept new things. As we age we gain a sense of "know it all" and close our minds to different ways of looking at things. I know that speaking for my self I buck up against change, always have. No matter if it's easier or harder I ALWAYS feel that it's harder when first starting out and hate it until I get into a routine again.
Enough about me, way to go Bubby! Good work.
We are now studying Language, Reading, Social Studies and Math. He is doing well.
T-Bone and I are working on colors, shapes and following directions. He too is doing well. I'm having a bugger of a time getting him to say the color red when I ask him what color is this but he can pick the correct color everything when I ask him "where is red?" He likes to call it green and it tends to drive me nuts. I'm not sure why he does this but I think I figured out a way around it. I ask him to find the color red, he then points to it and then I ask him what color it is and he then says it's red.
But at least I know that he enjoys it and I do try and keep it short and sweet so he doesn't get too burned out with it. Keep up the good work T-Bone!

2009 Fair Day!

Well this year we did some things different. One was that we used Home school tickets for free admission on Thursdays in hopes of saving some money. I don't think we will be doing that again. In the past we have always gone on coupon day. All rides are a fraction of what they normally cost. Can't say we saved much today. Although we had a great day (as always) we almost spent as much as when we went on our Cruise! OK well, almost.
After 4, 4 dollar corny dogs and three or four rides at 4 bucks a pop we where running low on cash.
Anyway, it's still worth it for us. We have made it a tradition and have for years. I have some super cool memories of going when I was my son's age and they are cherish.
The day was mostly cloudy without rain thank goodness since it's rained for like a month or two now! The weather was a bit on the chilly side and as usual I clothed everyone well but for me. I dressed a bit light but was SO grateful for my windbreaker.
We got there about 11 and stayed till 8 pm after the parade and a major pig out session at " Dollar Dogs"! Grabbed a bag of cotton candy and hit the rode back home.
Another super day at the State Fair of Texas! Thanks Big Tex for the corny dogs!

T-Bone's 3rd Birthday

Oops. I wanted so much to post this on T-Bone actual birthday(yesterday) but wasn't able this year. We had a great day today. Grandma paid us a visit and came bearing gifts. We then opened presents after Daddy came home and then out to eat at Napoli's for some pizza.
You got a new Flash and Fireman costume, a Leapfrog hand held for playing games and your favorite was a new PC computer just your size. Bubby, Daddy and I all have one but for you so you really love this one. You cry every time I put it up, holding really no interest in any of your other gifts. Bubby and I had to make you put on your Flash costume this morning to play Super Hero's! We measured and marked your height on the door frame as we do every birthday. You have grown for sure. I can tell since most of you clothes are now too small. All your shirts are too short and show your tummy now!
This is a big week for you since tomorrow we will be going to the State Fair! We are hoping that the rain will let up for our outing. It's been raining for ever and we are SO tired of it. Mud and mosquito's!
You have become sweet, hardheaded, pouty and funny all rolled up into one wonderful self. God made you special just the way you are!
Well Happy 3rd T-Bone! Hope you have a year blessed with growing, learning and health. We love you.

T-Bone's 3rd Birthday party.

Chuck E Cheese, here we come!
Spent a good part of the morning and early afternoon playing games eating pizza and seeing some of our friends. Seany, you did great with meeting Chuck E Cheese! No tears but a few great big high fives! Your hardheaded, sweet and funny all rolled up into one and we love you just the way you are! We hope you have a great year at being three!
Momma, Daddy and Bubby

Kenny and Sabena's wedding

Daddy was asked to be a groomsmen for one of his oldest friends, Kenny. Daddy begun his day at 10 am and stayed loyal until way past when the cows came home (midnight). Bubby and T-Bone came with me to the evening wedding to meet up with Daddy. We danced, ate dinner had a few drinks and saw some old dear friends that we had not see in a long while.
The boys loved it but was very disappointed when the cake was not handed out ") Pretty sure they just simply forgot to hand out the plates after the official cutting. But for the boys, that was the whole reason for attending the event, well with dancing coming in for a close 2nd.
My men looked sharp last night, all in suits. And they all acted like complete gentlemen all night. My I have a great family!

Did you say "you want to go potty?"

Well over the course of the past few weeks I've been trying to slowing bring our T-Bone more into the "potty" mode. I suppose that after our cruise, it got me thinking about just how nice it would be to have no more diapers. I had to pack a good amount for the cruise not to mention some wipes too. Well T-Bone keeps me guessing in this dept. ") For quite some time he would sit on the potty and do pee pee before his bath. I think the reason for this is apparent. :)
But too my surprise he didn't take to the potty in the beginning. We got candy jars and decorated with names and filled them with candy. Ready for the whole potty training experience. Ready,Set and wait a minute. T-Bone loved the idea of getting some candy but the minute you would mention the potty he would just cry. Then he would sit on the potty and cry. It's a sad sight. Mommy and Bubby are spreading positive words his way only to fall on deaf ears. So he's not ready? Hum?
I'll try a different angle. Training pants, that should work right? He'll wet himself and hate it. Nope. Didn't bother him a bit. Bothered me, he leaked out! Ok I'll back off, he's just not ready yet. No biggie. I don't want to take any steps back in this dept. I'll keep patient and he'll come around.
No wait again. He's doing it really well. No crying now. And tonight he announced in bed that he needed to go potty. Whoooooo Hooooooo! Poo Poo he did! And we are not even using a reward system anymore. That's my boy, keep it up and you little booty will be covered with Batman under ware instead of those nasty paper/plastic diapers!
And on another note the both boys rode in the neighborhood today. Yes T-Bone on his trike, peddling away. We went all the way to the school and they took turns going downhill (alittle faster than I liked) in the parking lot. I was proud that T-Bone peddled all the way and back without one complaint even with a few hard falls. Your growing up little guy! Momma loves you.

Bubby's first day of 1st grade

Today is Bubby's first day of first grade! I can't believe I'm teaching a 1st grader today! Wow.
We are using a different curriculum this year instead of My Fathers World. We are using Christian Light Education. We will be learning: Learning to Read, Language and Social Studies. Also continuing with Math U See, using Alpha. I really struggled with finding him a good match with a science curriculum. Most seemed to be too easy or too advanced for him at his age. So I got nothing for science this year. Also I did get him a bible study with Christian Light but decided to pass after going over the material. I have a hard time finding a perfect match for him to learn about God without all the gore and violence of the stories. Some are about God's judgment and I'm not sure that he can understand why God destroyed all the people he made during the flood when God is suppose to be good (which He is) but some of this is just too big for him to really wrap his brain around right now. I'm not sure that teaching about God's perfect perfection and will are appropriate without the simple understanding of his grace and truth about salvation first. It troubles me that some Christians can understand that an adult that does not have a "personal" relationship with Jesus cannot understand biblical truths but assumes that a child does. Also I feel that "most" curriculum and churches teach children as if they already know Jesus without ever really getting them to a point of conviction. So just like with all other areas of schooling, I choose to teach my son's about Christ myself. I know with God guidance and sensitivity I can do it in his perfect timing.
Anyway, happy 1st grade Bubby! Have an awesome year of learning!!

T-Bone says good bye to a friend

Bye Bye Paci. We will miss you. You comforted little baby boy for those naps and at night time for a while now. We found that using you saved a little boy from sucking his thumb. You served your purpose and now we say good bye.
T-Bone hasn't had his paci since Thursday night on the 3rd and to our surprise he didn't cry once for it. Oh we could tell his wanted it by the look in those big brown eyes looking up at us from his bed but he bit it and was a big boy about it all. I did the count down of days till he had to say bye to it and I suppose he was prepared for the moment it wouldn't be there any more. "(
I had tried to do some potty training with him but he's bucking up against the system in that dept for now. Again I was surprised by his reaction. Every night for MONTHS we have used the potty before bath time without a problem so I assumed it would just be an extension of that but he hated it when he would sit on the potty. We made a really big deal about it too. I told him about him getting a container full of "potty candy" for a treat for using the potty. We happily went to Walmart and bought a container and I colorfully put his name on it and filled it with Skittles. He was so excited about it all. But soon excitement turned into tears. What can I say but he's just not ready. I kept it all positive and even tried using training pants but he would just wet them and say nothing to me. So we will try again in a month or so. No biggie, it will happen. So with that said I decided to tackle another "growing up" step, giving up the paci. He started using it when he was a baby. He had one when we brought him home from Gladney. He sought comfort in it with his infant reflux and when it wasn't available he sought his thumb. I made the conscious decision to get him "hooked" on a paci in hopes of preventing him becoming a thumb sucker. You see, you can take away a paci but not a thumb. ") So as the years passed we got down to only using it for naps and nighttime. It really rarely left his crib. I took Bubby's away when he was 6 months old but he didn't have reflux either. I knew that he would do poorly at giving it up and so I chose a long three day weekend because I was prepared for some long nights. It never happened. He just talked abit more than usual and went to sleep. Good job T-Bone, we are very proud of you! Your on your way to being a big boy!

Back from our 7 day Cruise

Well we just got back from 7 days on the Caribbean Sea. We visited Jamaica, Grand Cayman Island and Cozumel.

Bubby's Birthday party!

I asked Bubby where he would like to go for his 5th Birthday party this year. Since July is really too hot for an outside party we have so far opted for an indoor party. He chose Chuck E. Cheese's to my surprise. Last year we held it at Surf and Swim close to home with all other parties at Chuck E. Cheese's.
We decided to have a party early to beat the crowd and hopefully the heat. Instead of having it around the corner from us we held it at another location that was newer and was closer to our guests.
All guests came. It was a playgroup party. Games, pizza and Chuck E. Cheese himself. They gave Bubby a crown, metal and we feasted on Nascar cake! Daddy even took off the morning to join us. We had fun and I relized just how much bigger my little boy was now!
Love you Bubby!

Bubby's 5 today!!

Happy Birthday Bubby Boy!
Well Bubby's hit the big 5 today! Wow. I know that I say this every year but I can't believe it.
Daddy stayed home from work today to help celebrate. Bubby woke up to find a new bicycle in the den waiting for him. We had it stored at Grandma's for a few weeks. Since a friend of Bubby's was having her Birthday party at Hawaiian Falls in the afternoon and he wanted to go SO bad we decided instead of him picking a place for dinner we did lunch. He wanted Dave and Busters. He's a smart kid realizing that he not only gets to eat but play games. Grandma came by in the morning with birthday wishes and gifts. We then headed off to Dave and Busters. He opened gifts after lunch. Instead of getting two cakes, one for today and another for his upcoming party at Chuck E Cheeses we just got the big ole piece of triple chocolate cake! Mommy did manage to get a few bites in and Daddy tried to finish it off. We then went and played games counted our tickets and got some toys. By then it was time to rush home in hopes of everyone (but me) to get a nice little nap in before going to the water park. After a short nap we then headed off to Hawaiian Falls. We met up with friends and spent the day in the assortment of water rides and pools. Bubby and Daddy seemed to really enjoy the river ride on tubes. I rode once only to decide that it wasn't a good idea for me. It made gave me motion sickness! Get me off this ride! So most of the day Bubby and Daddy ran around the park riding, T-Bone and I preferred hanging close to the cabana on the man made "beach" area at the wave pool. Nice. As the sun went down the movie screen went up and they were getting ready for the evening movie, Kung Fu Panda. We passed and headed home after having some birthday cake.
All in all it was a great day, busy and great!
Hope your year is blessed Scooby! We love you.

4th of July 2009

We spent most of the day indoors since it was SO hot. We are up to the 3 digits this week again. Yuck. We did manage to run up to Lowe's before lunch. We then headed out to some friends of ours for a 4th of July celebration after a nap.
The kids did some swimming and serious playing. They have a HUGE yard and the boys just run wide open while we are over there. They LOVE it. We had a great rib eye steak dinner and watched a fireworks display all around us from their backyard and shot off a few ourselves too.
We had a wonderful time and got home late with two very tired little boys. Daddy and I are hoping to sleep in tomorrow. We'll see if a pair of big brown eyes wake us up at the usual time.
Happy 4th of July!

Our pop up camper trip

Well we took the pop up and headed to Bob Sandlin Park with some our friends and their pop up. It was full of fishing, swimming,biking and moments of desperate need of heat relief. Yes it was hot. In the 100's, not uncommon for Texas weather in this time of year. But in spike of the heat we all had fun hanging under the canopy of the forest pines. I really love the forest, no doubt about that. This was my first time to this place. It was nice. We got two hook ups side by side with our friends and shared time with one another while our kiddo's played together. It was a nice trip. Highlights? Hummmmmm? Can you say bugs? I saw too many different species of new bugs to mention here. Big ones, little ones, some that looked like a cigar stub with wings. Why I was even so kind as to share my sleeping quarters with a couple of daddy longs legs and a what I would call a medium size beetle. I'm very uneasy with any kind of bug but for the lady bug. My great fear them occurred from the neighborhood boys when I was a young girl. They used to chase us girls around with them in their hands. I never really got the chance to get properly socialized to them and the fear set into my adulthood. Sad but true. I suppose with some work I could make a change but...............Yuck.
I did manage to catch a few little Channel catfish from the stocked pond that they had and my friend caught the "cutest" little perch on her huge hook. No pics of that "( Daddy also managed to get a small turtle to come to shore by coaxing him with some bait. The kids enjoyed that one.
T-Bone and I skipped the swimming and decided to stay in the AC and take a much needed nap while the others went for a dip in the lake. The kids played in the sand and rode their bikes back and forth between the campers.
I did spot a small copperhead when I stepped out of the camper this morning but he boogied fairly fast when we spotted each other thank goodness.
All in all it was a nice trip but the heat and lack of sleep made us welcome coming home to our controlled climate and own beds. ")

Happy Fathers Day!

Happy 5th Daddy Day Daddy! We love you! Thank you for being our daddy.
Breakfast in Bed with a back rub by Bubby. Got some new swim trucks and shirt and some money tucked into the shirt pocket to buy yourself something special.
Hope you have a great day today. Your the best daddy ever!

4 Wheel trip cancelled "(

Daddy and Bubby had a day of 4 wheeling planned for today with one of Bubby's and daddy's buddies. He woke up during the night complaining of a sore throat. I knew the trip needed to be canceled. Today he's had fever and just lying around most of the day. I'm hoping we all stay healthy for our pop up camping trip that's coming up. Poor Bubby. Sorry you missed you day with daddy and the Jeep. "(

MNO and a tree pulling party

Last night I had a mom's night out with my friends at Aunt J's house. We ate, drank, talked, laughed and danced. It's always great to be with the girls. ")
Today we took a good and much needed nap. And then we got up and went to a friends house for a tree pulling party. They made a brisket and we all brought different sides. It was a great day hanging out. The kids love it out there, plenty of space to run wide open in. There even was an adult/children game of kickball. The kids won out of the older ones. ")
We got home very late and tomorrow I'm hoping for a low key day. We'll see.
We are in the planning stage of a pop up camper trip in the near future.

Blood work results

I got great news from the dr today.
About a month ago I went in to see the dr because of high blood pressure and some swelling in my lower legs. During the check up she suggested an Echo Stress test on my heart since the EKG came out abnormal. I did I found out that my heart is in good condition (thank you) but my lipid panel was very bad. It seems that I have struggled with my Triglycerides for about the past 5 years or so being very high. They have gotten up to over 560 before! I've tried to cut the fat in my diet but it's never really helped to knock down the number too much. With my blood pressure going up, my weight going up, Cholesterol going up my next stop was my glucose. Welcome to Drug City, it's where I'll be living until my time is up on this side. Nope. I'm not going there without a fight. My doctor suggested pills for all the problems. I suggested a change in diet. After searching the web for my problem I decided to do the "low carb" diet. Two weeks ago my Triglycerides were 750, I had not fasted and ate a chicken salad from Chick Fil A a few hours before going. But that still is mighty high. And the one before it a month ago was 460 and that was fasted! Well the good news is that after just two weeks my Triglycerides are an amazing 134! My HDL (good cholesterol) has risen and I finally got a reading for my LDL (bad cholesterol) which because of the high Triglycerides I've not been able to do for a very long time. And I've lost 4 lbs in 2 weeks as well! A grand total of 12 lbs in a month and a half! Yahoooooooo! The thing that bugs me is that it's been me that has taken the time and effort in seeking an alternative to taking the drugs, not my doctor. Though our conversation she was very excided about my improvement she still suggested a pill for my high LDL! Please lady give me some time here it's only been two weeks since I changed my diet! She told me that if I chose not to take any drugs that I need to come back in two months for a recheck on my levels.
I can't even put into words how much better I feel. I have more energy than I have in years. I have no cravings, no acid ingestion like I did before the diet change, my mind is no longer foggy and my breath even smells better when I wake up! Strange. All from changing the stuff I eat. What I did was totally elminate sugar and starch (pasta, rice, white bread, corn and potatoes) and eat anything else I wanted. It was hard for about 3 days at first but after that I was fine. Being half Japanese letting go of rice is kind of hard for me since I ate it with EVERYTHING. But instead of rice, pasta and bread I now use veggies as a filler and it works. If I do eat bread it's not much and whole grain wheat. I still go to Wendy's. Now I get a burger and chili instead of fries and remove one bun. If I need more I'll get more, no limit just carb limits. A year ago I would have not agree with this diet. It seemed unhealthy to me since grains are pushed so much in our country. But that is what keeps us so fat. Our bodies are never allowed to burn any fat it just keeps storing it by our consumsion of carbs and sugars. Too my surprise I eat better now than I ever have, alot more veggies to fill in the carb void. All in all I'm please and really hope to continue this way of eating for the rest of my life. To be continued.......

Daddy's sick "(

Well over the three day Memorial weekend, Monday Daddy was not feeling too good. He complained of being very weak and having a really bad sore throat. Hummmmm? I was praying it was allergies since he didn't have a fever. But....... He came home Tuesday from work with a fever and runny nose, sore throat and sneezing. I'm pretty sure it's a head cold. Poor Daddy. He is home today, locked away in the master bedroom until he proves healthy again. I'm putting on a mask and throwing drugs and food at him every so often. I sure don't want it to make the rounds over here! We are all on Elderberry for the time being. It sure did help us through the flu season this year. It was the first time none of us got the flu! Get better Daddy. We all miss you.

A question for T-Bone

When I asked T-Bone what he was going to be when he grew up he answered " A boy mommy")

Hummm, wonder what it would be like if I was in there too?

Mothers Day

Well my day begun with breakfast (complete with a flower) in bed then a nap shortly after without ever leaving the bedroom. What can I say but NICE. Being a mom does have it's perks, today is one of them. Yes, it's selfish to love to be bathed in attention and have everything done for you. So what? It is my day right?
I think we will be going to one of my newest favorite Chinese buffets in Irving later. Maybe do at Lunner (between lunch and dinner time) and try and avoid the crowd. Yum, I think I could put a dent into their Japanese chicken. ")

Bubby's last day of Kindergarten!

Well today marks a milestone in our life. We have completed Kindergarten today!
It feels awesome to have walked into my son's education this year. I was SO nervous when I began and thought "how in the world can I do this?" and "I'm not qualified to do this at all". I give a great big THANK YOU to my friend and support Aunt J for helping me to remain calm when I was clueless and scattered brained. It gives me great comfort knowing that someone I can talk to has walked where I am headed.
I've learned to that being a teacher is the same as being a mom. I've taught Bubby since he came home with us (eating, drinking, sleeping,talking,walking, using the potty) and home schooling is just an extention of that role.
Bubby has done great and has learned TONS this year. I am amazed by the things a four year old can comprehend and retain, honest. I can remember skipping towards the end of the curriculum during the school year and think that there was no way he was going to be able to get the skills needed to finish, but he did.
This is what he learned this year:
Reading - Letter names, letter sounds (consonants and short vowels),sound blending and handwriting. He was reading short vowel words towards the end of the year and reading short stories. With each weekly letter a subject was taught from apples to a zebra. We learned with some of God's scripture his promises and his creation of our earth and ourselves in his image.We also got to see our butterfly larvae turn into flying butterflies and sent a few free in the back yard. We kept two of them since one was born without an bulb on the end of his antenna and was not able to fly and of course he needed a friend to keep him company in the butterfly house. ") We also had an ant farm in the classroom with us until Bubby felt bad for them and wanted to set them free in the front yard.
He also completed his primer Math U See program. In it we covered what seemed to be alot for his age but he walked right through it again to my amazement. I suppose I kept comparing it to the things that I knew when he was my age and that's why it freaked me out so much what children his age can really take in! Alot. This is what we covered in Math:
Number Recognition and Counting from 0-9, 9-20
Writing Numerals
Geometric Shapes: Rectangles, Circles, Triangles and Squares
Place Value: Units, Tens and Hundreds
Addition: Introduction and Symbolism
Addition: +1, Addition: 2+2 and 3+3, 4+4, 5+5, by 10's, by 100's, Horizontal and Vertical
Skip Counting by 2,5 and 10's
Solving for the unknown
Tally marks
Skip count to find a area
Telling time by minutes and hour
Subtraction, subtraction by -1

Yes it was so much that I cheated and used cut and paste. ")
Whew. Anyway he was so excited about finishing school tomorrow that he said he wanted to do all of his work today and be done with it. He was squirming on the edge of his seat as we got closer to the last problem. When he as done he told who ever he could that he was done. His brother, Kuba cat, Noki kitty and Marty! Tim and I wasn't sure what we wanted to do special for him for rapping up Kindergarten but we figured out something. We are surprising him with his first guitar and amp. He's been wanting one for quite a while now and has all the moves practiced out with a blow up one that he got from a birthday party a few years back. And of course he plays one of Daddy's when he's got the chance. It a mini Strat to be more fitting for his age with a matching small amp to play through. What better joy can a Daddy have giving his son his first guitar? I'm so happy for them both.
Congrats son for completing this year, you did awesome! ")

Along the same lines I will be attending a home school convection this Saturday in Arlington to gather up next years curriculum. Fitting huh? Finish and start again :)

Yes you are seeing newborn kittens

As you can see my old vet tech skills are in motion again. I have been throwing around the idea of bringing in another kitty in the house to lighten the load of my poor 13 year old Kuba Cat. Kuba is VERY patient cat and lets the boys carry him around the house and cuddle him sometimes with a look that says "Could you help an old Buddy out over here please". I feel for him and thinks he deserves a nice quiet retired time on the huge cat condo that we brought him and placed in the corner without children clamoring to get to him and play "rescue" the cat from the tree fireman hero's. ")
He is the BEST cat ever. He was raised gentle and grew to a be a gentle cat. After working for a feline only practice for serveral years in Dallas I learned ALOT about cat physiology. I did not grow up with cats only dogs so I was pretty clueless about the whole thing. I learned a big lesson. Cats do not like to be rolled on their backs and rubbed into the carpet. The biting and scratching with thier hind legs is not a game it's a defense. I never let anyone handle my cat like that and never will. Treat them like you would like to be treated and you'll have a good companion pet.
I really feel I must tell the story about how I inquired this great cat.
While working at Lakewood Animal Clinic in Dallas someone left a cardboard box on our back porch. Inside was an adult calico cat. So we took her in and planned on spaying her and find her a good home. That WAS the plan but something change. Early one morning while I was getting ready to treat some animals I heard a faint cry from her cage. When I went to see I found three young kittens rolling around in cat litter. She had been pregnant and gave birth during the night in her litter box. She was not that big bellied so we had no idea that she was preggo's. Well one of those kittens was Kuba. He was a male orange tabby, my favorite. The kittens didn't have a good start and was not very healthy and I'm sad to say the others kittens had to be put down. But I could not give up on my Kuba. I did everything I could with his eye infections, upper resp infections and ringworm. My friend Dr Dixion, a temp vet that would relieve the doctors one day a week was my help. We would rip into the medical books to see what we could do for such a young kitty. She now works in her own practice in Highland Park and is the only Dr that Kuba sees. In time he came out of it all and he never forgot my care and returned it with years of gentle companionship. He is named after the country Cuba with is properly pronounced "Kuba". A sweet man that worked in the kennel name Felix was from Cuba and gave Kuba many "ringworm" bathes so the name just kind of stuck.
Also if your wondering just how Kuba will take to them he is very good with ANY other critter be it dog,cat, chicken or any old thing you happen to have. Again I think it comes from the humble and social beginnings he had.
So now we have two tiny kittens that are in a crate in the school room. They can not be in any contact with Kuba yet until they are tested for FIV and Felv. They were found abandoned in a house. They were born on Easter Sunday. I got them when they were 4 days old. They are not for the faint hearted to care for but it's so worth the investment when you come out with such socialized kittens towards humans! They are bottle fed every 2 to 3 hours. Yes that's around the clock. You also have to wipe their privates when a damp cloth every feeding time because that are unable to go potty without the assistance of mommy cat simulation of her cleaning them. And of course don't forget the heating pad on low. Seems like a lot but it will be over in a few weeks. I first had my eye on the orange tabby but it's seems that the white one is male and the tabby is female. I'm very partial to males in the cat department. Also I've grown very fond of him since he is so willing to let me clean, feed and hold him without a fuss. So we will be finding a home for the female, much to Bubby's argument and tears. They have just opened their eyes today. I have noticed that the white kitten is showing orange ears, maybe I have a flame point cat, like the marks of a Siamese. That would be cool. A few years back I bottle fed a Seal point Siamese kitten and it was cool to see her dark points come out as she aged. They are born white or cream and they points appear as they age. The cause is a mutation of an enzyme that is involved with melanin. The enzyme is heat sensitive and causes the colors to appear on the cooler parts of the body, the feet, tail, ears and mouth. Cool huh? Ok the science portion of this blog is over. ") I've alwasy loved medical stuff!
Anyway welcome my new critters to the house.
Oh I threw in the dry erase marker to see just how little they are. ")

Fishing day for Daddy and Bubby

In the very early hours of this morning my son and his daddy snuck out into the darkness in the Jeep. Their destination? Callendar Lake close to Athens, Texas. Their goal? To catch every Crappie and black Bass in that lake!
Daddy has a friend that he used to work with that has a lake lot out there and a boat to fish from. Happy fishing boys! Bring some home ")
Last time I checked Bubby had a Black Bass and Daddy had none. Poor Daddy "( He's too busy helping untangling and unsnagging fishing line to catch any fish I'm sure.
Well at the end of the day they had a great catch of Crappies and put back the Bass catch back for someone else to hook later. They came home about 9 in the evening. Fished all day long even in the rain and had a day to remember. ") Bubby was a trooper, a real fisherman!

Happy Easter 2009

Well the day for us was very low key. We hung out watching the Mavs play, huh I mean loose and gorged on candy and left overs. We did manage to rise up for a breakfast at Chubby's. It seems to be our new weekend breakfast hangout. We had a great day yesterday for an Easter Egg Hunt and picnic with some new friends at Lookout park in Richardson. Had sandwiches, chicken strips, cup cakes and some wonderful jello surprise thing that M had brought. Yum. We took advantage of the nice weather and let the kids play and hid Easter eggs. Today the weather wasn't too bad but the ground was a muck mess of mud so we hid eggs in the house. Hiding them in the house really was pretty cool. There are a lot of hiding places inside!

Sleeping big boy style

While Daddy and Bubby were out 4 wheeling today it came nap time for T-Bone. I ask if maybe he would like to nap on the couch while mommy watches some TV. He said no and wanted to sleep in bed. I couldn't believe it. Not sleep on the couch? He kept saying the word Bubby to me and pointing at the bedroom where they sleep. He was very excited about it.
When we got into the room he bounced into brother Bubby's big bed. Ohhh I figured it now.
So I gave him his woobie (blanket) and paci and tucked him in. I told him that he couldn't get out and he said ok mommy. He fell right to sleep and never got up until I told him that he could. Wow, sleeping in the big boy bed!
I guess it's time to take the top bunk bed off and put it on the ground next to Bubby. ")
Does that mean that I have to take the crib down now? Now wait a minute that thing hasn't been down since Bubby was in it. I'm having 2nd thoughts. ")

A cold 4 wheeling day!

Well that cold front is here. Yikes it's cold. I reminded of a few years ago when another family and us went to Sea World in mid April in San Antonio. The first day was great the second not so great. During the night a bitter cold front came in leaving us in the cold and wet. We all ran to the closest Walmart like every other tourist in the area snagging up anything that looked cheap, warm and waterproof. It didn't help us out much. After unloading and attempting to walk across the parking lot we gave up on Sea World. Freezing and disappointed we headed to the closest Chuck E Cheese's to not make a waste of the whole day.
We ended up driving back home later that afternoon. While headed home we ran into a hairy snow storm. It was so bad that Daddy was having a really hard time seeing the road. I can remember pulling over to a station standing in the heavy snow fall looking at my friend J in amazement. It was mid April and snowing in Texas! Crazy.
Nothing new.
Daddy and Bubby bundled up with a lunch and headed for a 4 wheeling trip about 1 1/2 hours away. Hope they have a good time and keep warm. T-Bone and I are hanging low today. Just the two of us. Right now he's loving the time with mommy and the toys to himself but later he'll be missing Bubba pretty bad I'm sure. If it wasn't so cold out there we would make a day of it and maybe pay a visit to a museum in Fair Park. But having a warm quiet day at home sounds much better. ")

Better day

Today is much better for me. Thank you Lord.
I slept better and my nose is not bothering me now. So far my pressure is about 113/61 without any discomfort. I hoping and praying that I've found the one that will help me. I'm only using a very small amount (2.5mg) once a day and hope I'll stay there without having to increase the dose. I walked this morning and felt good doing it. Lately it's felt like climbing Mt. Everest going for a brisk 30 minute walk so it was very nice. ")
On another note we are getting ready for a cold front to blow in! I've already planted my herbs, green onions and strawberries. Daddy planted some hot peppers too. Thank goodness we decided to plant in pots so I've moved them into the garage for the next few days. The nights are suppose to bring in the mid 30's! Crazy Texas weather. Isn't it Texans that say "If you don't like the weather, stick around and it will change"!
I had already dewinterized the chicken coop last weekend thinking for sure that the cold spells where gone for the year. Wrong. Nothing that I few trash bags and cardboard couldn't fix! Ha.
Turn on the heat lamp honey I'm coming home to roost! Poor girls.
And Daddy and Bubby had some serious 4 wheeling planned for the last few months this weekend with a co worker of his. Maybe I'll just bundle them up and pack a lunch with hot coco and sent them off anyway. We'll see.

Crying over split milk

Well I've tried to keep a good attitude about all this blood pressure medication but to be honest I'm cracking. I'm on my third medication, Lisinopil. I am taking the lowest dose possible 2.5mg once a day. I'm hating it as much as the others. Yes they all do a great job of lowering my blood pressure but with the cost of terrible side effects that hinder my physical being that in turn hinders my attitude.
My first drug Benicar so far seems to be the best but is a non preferred drug with my insurance. The side effects where feeling sleepy, foggy brained and dizziness, tight chested and short winded.
The second one was Diovan, a similar drug in the same class but cheaper. I did well with light headiness, dizziness for the first week. Then my lower back pain and heel pain became unbearable (Doctor said that she didn't think that this was related to the med). Funny that about 24 hours after getting off of Diovan my pain was going away. Also their are literally hundreds of reviews stating the same problem. Hey what does she know anyway.
My third is in a different class and an ACE inhibitor. I took my first 2.5 of Lisinopil yesterday morning hoping for the best. I did well but for some dizziness and a couple of episodes of a creepy cold feeling running from my shoulders to my back. Later in the evening I started to notice that my nose is starting to swell and I feel all stuffed up. My sister tried two different kinds of ACE inhibitors only to have consent sinus infections. I've had all the sinus problems I want in the this life with 3 sinus surgeries, thank you. I'm going to continue to try it out but not too far if I don't get better with the side effects. I'm trying to eat good and exercise so I hopefully can get off the meds but it's really hard to exercise when I feel so bad. This stinks.
I've tried to check into the more natural herbs to see if anything could help me out. The ones that I 've found are for maintaining a normal blood pressure. I've known too many people that suffered with high blood pressure and then suffered a heart attack so I'm taking this seriously.
Yes this in one of those venting posts.
I was getting the boys some milk to drink with their oatmeal this morning. As I was trying to pour, I kind of had a light headed moment and spilt the milk all over the counter creating a good little waterfall down the cabinet door onto the floor. I just wanted to lay in the milk and have a good cry. Then I remembered the saying of " Don't cry over spilt milk" and gathered myself again. The moment may have passed for now but I can feel it building inside of me. I'm praying that God give me the wisdom and and direction that I need to get this under control and the perseverance to get there. ")

Funny story about Daddy and T-Bone

Tonight as I was getting our dinner ready in the kitchen I couldn't quite hear what Daddy was saying but I could hear serious concern in his voice as he was talking to one of the boys. My curiosity got the best of me and I walked around and peeked into the den. I could see Daddy holding his finger in the air asking T-Bone the question "What is this? and Where did you get it from?" I couldn't see anything on his finger so I asked what "it" was. He said he wasn't sure but it was sticky and he needed to know where he got it from. He was even asking the older son about it but he seemed clueless about it. So I moved in closer to see if I could help out. He again asked T-Bone the question of where he got "it" from. T-Bone said no. Hummm this is baffling. I asked if I could see the goo in question. As soon as I did I thought it appeared to be some type of booger. As the words were coming out of my mouth Daddy asked again where it came from. T-Bone this time acting a bit bothered answered again "no" but this time pointing at his nose. Ahhhhh he's not saying no, he's saying nose! I fell to the ground laughing so hard I thought I'd pop. Daddy on the other hand ran off to the bathroom to do some serious hand washing.
That will teach him to keep to himself next time! Hey if there not crying and no bodies getting hurt, leave them alone! ")

My Father's Day Curriculum last day for Bubby

Well today is Bubby's last day in My Fathers World Kindergarten Curriculum. For our math curriculum we are using Math U See and we still have a few weeks till we wrap that up for this year. He has blown my mind with all the things that he has learned this year. It amazing just how much a 4 year old can retain. In the Curriculum he has learned the recognition, phonics, and writing skills of the alphabet. He has also began the skills of early reading. He has also learned about different subjects starting with each letter per week. We watched as his ant farm workers set up trails to make a home for themselves and his Painted Lady larvae went through different stages to become beautiful butterflies that we let go just a few days ago (He couldn't wait to set them free just like the ants, so they would be happy and free). We also learned about God's word and the simple truths and promises that he has given us if we are his children.
It been a fascinating year for us and he's made teaching him an easy task. He's been a great student and I'm looking forward to 1st grade next year. ")

A day at the Japanese Botanical Gardens

As a playgroup day during spring break, my friend Ms. T hosted a day at the Japanese Botanical Gardens in Fort Worth. The weather was a great day to be outside. And most of the traffic appeared to be headed out towards the Zoo. We walked admiring the simple beauty of nature and the wonderful feeling of being in it. The sounds, smells and the sights of spring in the air!
After walking around the garden we found a nice spot under the big trees in the 4 seasons area and had a picnic. Bubby climbed (ok I helped him) his first tree and felt like the King of the trees. It was a proud moment for him and he did want it to end understandably. T-Bone ran like the wind with every step looking like he was going to stumble he was moving so fast but only did a few times. As always he wound brush himself on and continues on his journey not missing a beat. All the kids ran around the trees playing tag and having races after lunchtime. Then soon it was time to pack up and head homeward. Surprising no one took a nap heading home. Even me ")

Test Day

Happy dance!!!! Praise God! My tests results from my Echo stress tests from this morning are normal! Even my EKG was normal and he said that I tolerated the stress well. I'm free to move about now! So my plan is eating a heart healthy diet and continue exercising though I will increase my cardio part. I want to age without drugs if all possible. I'm hoping that I can reach that goal and get off my blood pressure meds and lower my weight and get a better lipid panel in a few months. Please feel free to say a prayer for me. I really need to change the way I eat and take care of my self. I have three boys that need me around here! ")

The war wages on in the health front

Well I got some more news from my doctor today. It seems that my Lipid panel that was run in my blood work came back high. Tygliserades are over 400! Since turning forty I've notice a increase in that number when ever blood work was done. That's when I started taking garlic, fish oil and vitamin e supplements. It helped. But I stopped taking them in the last part of January a few weeks before getting the derma filler injections. It seems that they can increase the chance of bruising and swelling if you are taking them. I had a lipid panel ran last November for my Ob check up and the number was more that half that! So a long story made short my doctor wants to put me on another med called Vytorin to see if we can get it lowered. After reading about it I'm not too sure I'm going to give it a try. It can really cause some liver damage and I would need to be monitered every few months with bloodwork. Plus it can do some serious damage to you muscles. I already feel yucky from taking the Diovan for my blood pressure. I really thinking that a serious change in lifestyle is in order instead of doping up on drugs. I believe that with a good diet(something I don't do) and exercise (something that I already do) I can get this stuff under control, that is if my Echo stress test comes back good tomorrow. If it doesn't I'll have some serious thinking to do about my future health.
They say that if the test comes back with good results it's a safe bet that there is no heart problems yet.
You know I'm kind of upset when the doctors never had suggested eating good and getting some cardio exercise to me. Thier first suggestion is medication and I notice that the drugs that are being chosen are the most current kind in the market with samples to try them out. Beware of the pusherman! The story continues......................................

Hypertension meds

I'm on my third day of hypertension meds. I think I'm doing good compared to some.
The first day so far was the worse. Light headed, dizziness and some tingling in my feet. I just felt sedated. My pressure has gone down with each passing day. In some ways I feel better in another I don't. I'm hoping that the side effects will disappear in time as my body adjusts to the lower pressure and medication. I'm still fighting the fact of taking daily meds. I just don't like it. I feel like I feeding the big pharmaceutical monster.
I'm scheduled for an Echo Stress test next Tuesday morning, St. Patrick's day. (Did you know that that St. Patrick was not Irish?) They told me that I will get the results that day after the tests are completed and speak with the doctor.
I had plans to go out and dance with some of my girl friends this Saturday for my birthday. I asked my doctor about it yesterday and she gave me the clear. Yahoooo. I promised not to get too out of breath.
I was joking with Aunt J, one of my friends that is going that I would give her a list of my medications and some emergency numbers when we go out. ")

On second thought.........

After telling him that he HAD to take a nap today Bubby's reply was "Go away Mommy, just go away" followed by " but not too far ok momma?".
Love that boy!

Bringing in 45 years in style

Well today I'm 45. Ugh. I can't say that I was looking forward to this one. I remember doing poorly on my 35th as well. It's like 5 years to 50! What's that about?
I'm young darn it and I'm staying that away too!
And it's also my 13th Wedding Anniversary too. Yes I got married on my Birthday. I have always said he was the best gift I ever got. We eloped in a way. We didn't tell our families just some close friends came to the Chapel. I was 2 hours late to my wedding! We kept getting lost over and over again. My friend was driving and I was a nut case in the passenger side. It was like that dream you can't get where you need to be. What a nightmare. It was like some evil force was at work. By God's grace we made it and my nerves melted the moment I saw Daddy Dude all dressed up in a tux waiting for me. I had NO second thoughts about what I was doing that day. It was an awesome day that brought us to today and I'm thankful.
So are you wondering what I got for my birthday? Well I got some wonderful flowers delivered from my boys today. And I consider my derma injections a gift too. Great 45th present don't you think. I might be asking for the same thing next year. ")
And my dear sweet doctor Paula thought about me too. She gave me a brand new prescription of hypertension pills. How thoughtful don't you think? Yes, I've been battling to keep my blood pressure down for a few years but it's winning so we have to try and do something. I HATE taking meds! Most seem to solve one symptom and cause many more. But I reached a place of a rock and a very hard place. If I don't get my pressure down I'm going not only increase my chance of a stroke or heart attack I'll damage my organs, and I kind of need those. As I stand now I am at stage one hypertension and that increases my chance of stroke/heart attack by 4 times. Yikes. Before prescribing my meds Dr. Paula decided to do an ECG because of some of the other symptoms I was complaining about. Well it didn't come back looking right compared to the one I did in 2003. So I'm off to do a Eco stress test to see if there is any heart damage from loss of blood flow or as they call it heart disease. Of course I'm hoping for good news. She told me to not exert myself until we get the results of my tests. She doesn't know what she's asking of me does she?
I took my first pill this morning. So far it's made me feel tired and I bit light headed. I hope that all I have to deal with until my body gets used to of the lower pressure. I read over 173 reviews for this med and some of those poor people went through some pretty awful side effects. My sister suffers with hypertension too. She started about the same time and very similar symptoms as me. She told me the same thing as the doctor, sometimes it takes a few different drugs to find the right one for you. Hope not for me. ")
So though I glad for been given another year I'm bumming about the getting old part. It's hard to avoid when it's hitting square in the eyes.
And yes I'm having a pity party theme this year. It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!
Yuck.

God's toothbrush

Tonight after brushing his teeth, Bubby said to me "When God's mommy tells him to brush his teeth he has to use a HUGE scrubbing brush because he's SO big a brush like mine wouldn't work".

Chicken monster

Well we went to the local animal shelter and picked up a trap for whatever is scratching at the chicken coop at night. Whatever it was, it came out two nights in a row and made me nervous so I decided to see if we could trap it. I sent the trap up for 4 nights in a row with a yummy stinky tuna bait. Nothing. I think it was a Possum, we've been seeing alot of those guys lately. The scratch marks didn't belong to a cat and a Raccoon would have just unlocked the door! But don't think I've given up, I'm sleeping with one eye open.

A little tongue and cheek?

So they found a way to "express" themselves using Mr. and Mrs. Potato Heads parts. How inventive don't you think?

Taste like chicken..............

I got up this morning to let the girls out and noticed some serious claw marks on the coop doors. Something was doing some scratching around last night. I'm sure it's not a cat. I'm pretty sure it's Possum or maybe a Raccoon. I've been making sure I put the girls up right at dusk since I noticed our old outdoor cat Doug (he seems to have found a new home else where) crouched by the fence staring hard at them when it starts getting dark. Grown Chickens are quite able to defend themselves well in the daylight but are very night blind and are easy prey. I witnessed them chasing a grown cat one time when I drove up in the drive way after running errands. I never saw that cat again! I'll be locking them up tight from now on. Maybe I'll set a trap out and see what I get?
On another note, my under eyes are looking much better today. All of the redness and peeling seems to be gone and all that's left is some bruising. I put on some make up today and it looks great. I've taken pics and need to download them since there is no space on the camera anymore. I'm thinking about posting all of them on one post from beginning to end.

Restylane injections update

Well it's been two days since the injections. My left eye (the worst one) is holding up ok. But my right eye looks like the hollow on the outside is showing through again. I sure hope not just after two days! I've heard that sometimes when the inital swelling and bruising goes away things appear to be the same until the Restylane starts to adsorb water like it's suppose to. As for the bruising it's doesn't look pretty. It does look like it's yellowing a bit so it getting better. It's really hard not to be checking it out all the time in the mirror. I will be disappointed if it doesn't help that much but I knew all the possibles going into it. I always have my back up of thicker framed glasses that I ordered last weekend. ") Aging yuck.