SHOW AND TELL: Cars and Trucks and GIVEAWAYS...oh my!

I promised to show y'all pics of Joey's finished Pinewood Derby car so I decided to do that for this weeks show and tell.

We went from this...


to this (click on this to see a bigger pic)...


Here are a few of my favorites that some of the other scouts made (you can click on each one to see a bigger pic)...








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Now, its GIVEAWAY time...

My friend Rys is hosting a Name that car contest on her blog. There will be two prizes given...one to each person who suggests the winning names. Rys is supplying one prize...a cross stitched pillow (cute car theme)...and I will be supplying one prize...a custom painted derby car. Whoever wins the car can specify colors and maybe a theme for the car but not the style of the car (the block of wood has already been cut). The car can either be for you or for a child in your life.
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To see what everyone else in class is bringing to SHOW AND TELL, take a trip to visit the Miss Mel, Goddess of the Infertility Blogosphere.

Thank You

Thank you everyone who stopped by the other day and offered your prayers and support when I was ranting about Vic's diabetes issues. We have had so many weird medical issues over the past 5 to 6 yrs that I think I had just reached my breaking point. I also didn't do to well with the label of "brittle diabetic" attached to my husband because the only other person I know who had that label ended up having to have a pancreas transplant. Logically, I know Vic is no where near that point. Logically, I also know that despite having so many things happen to us against the odds, we have ultimately had a good outcome in almost all cases. Unfortunately, my emotions were ruling that day and not my logic or intellect.

So, once again, thank you for your prayers and support. It means the world to me.

Our World According to Gabe

Life is never, ever dull and boring with Gabriel around. Today, we have talked about giant clams, dolphins, twisters, volcanoes, planets, and meteors.

After watching the Backyardigans: The Great Dolphin Race episode, Gabe decided we had a giant clam just like they had in that episode. Gabe decided our new pet resided in our attic and that the dolphin came to visit occasionally. Then, Gabe proceeded to try and convince me we had to go up in the attic and visit the giant clam.

We also have twisters and volcanoes in our living room.

So far, the volcano has been erupting off and on all day but the twister hasn't knocked anything over yet. We also briefly had meteors soaring through the living room but he did understand when I told him meteors couldn't be inside. So, Gabe converted the meteors from foam ball composition to hard rock composition and moved them out back.

Gabe has also been exploring the planet we have in our den.

According to him there is lots of water on this planet.

As you can see, he has quite an imagination. I never know what he's going to say next.

We will miss you!

Today, North Carolina and the world of sports is saying good-bye to a wonderful, inspiring woman. Coach Kay Yow, the woman's basketball coach at NC State and former coach of the US Women's Olympic basketball team, passed away after a 22 yr battle with breast cancer. Yes, you read that right...a 22 yr battle with breast cancer. Coach Yow was amazingly strong and determined to fight this disease with every bit of her strength. In those 22 yrs, she only missed 22 games due to her cancer. Then 3 weeks ago, after missing 4 games in a row due to flagging strength, she announced she was stepping down for the rest of the season to fight the disease and she had planned on returning to the bench next year. Sadly, that wasn't to be. Her willingness to fight the good fight and the strong, upstanding example she set for the young women she coached won her the love and admiration of people all across the state.

I am so thankful we have come as far as we have in fighting this disease. Without the advances we've made, I wouldn't have people like Monnie or Mary around. Hopefully, one day, we will be able to say good bye to this horrible disease (and all other cancers) instead of losing people like Kay Yow to the disease.

Until that day, support groups like Save the TaTas and The Artfull Bra Project who are raising money to help search for a cure.

Well...Fuck a Duck!

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck...

Now that I've gotten that out of my system, I can tell you the latest medical news from our household. About 3 months after Gabe was born, my hubby was diagnosed as a Type 2 (insulin resistant) diabetic. This means at that time his body was producing insulin but it wasn't using it effectively. Many Type 2 diabetics have an easy time getting it under control but some don't. Vic never had an easy time getting his under control despite following doctor's orders scrupulously. This means his body is highly resistant to the insulin.

Vic finally got his diabetes under control...for a while. Then, a couple of months ago, his blood sugar swung out of control again. His diet didn't change. His activities didn't change. The meds simply were doing nothing for it. So, his doc added insulin to the oral meds. Specifically, he added Lantus which is a long acting insulin. This still did very little to control his blood sugar. So his doc referred him to an endocrinologist.

The endocrinologist looked at Vic's bloodwork and realized his pancreas was no longer producing insulin. This changed his diagnosis to Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs when something (sometimes a virus) causes your immune system to attack the cells of the pancreas. This damages the pancreas which means it no longer produces insulin. So, all the oral meds he had been taking were no longer any good because they are designed to work with insulin produced by the body not insulin that is injected. However, Vic is still extremely resistant to insulin. The dosage he has already up to is more than the body wants to deal with at any one time (which makes the body more resistant). So, they are switching him off of humalog to a more concentrated form of insulin and they are dividing his lantus injections into morning and evening doses. At this point, Vic qualifies as a brittle diabetic because his insulin resistance is causing his diabetes to be uncontrolled. They are looking into an insulin pump because they help out greatly in these cases (and they also are great for people who have jobs with irregular schedules...like people who run 911 centers). Once his diabetes is under control, Vic is going to consider weight loss surgery...probably lap band surgery. Hopefully, the weight loss that would result from that might solve the insulin resistance making the diabetes easier to control long term.

Its so frustrating because Vic has fallen into the small percentage of people who has trouble controlling diabetes no matter what he does. For some people, the oral meds for type 2 diabetes can cause weight gain which then makes the diabetes harder to control. Vic had lost about 80 lbs prior to dignosis and the meds caused it all to come back. Now, because he is insulin resistant, he has to take extremely high doses of insulin which also can cause weight gain...ARGH. Its not FUCKING fair. Why do we always seem to fall on the losing end of the medical odds?

Do yourself a favor...

and go get a copy of *"Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro. It is a fascinating book and its worth reading. The Barren Bitches Book Brigade will be reviewing/discussing it in March and I'd love to have you join in the discussion. I can't really tell you what the book is about because that knowledge will change the way you read and view the book. All I can say is READ IT!



*I was able to get a copy through my local library.

Racism, Bigotry, and Hate Crimes

Its so very sad that we still have to worry about things like this. As a country, we've been flying high on the positive energy and hope brought about by the election and inauguration of President Barack Obama. Hell, the world celebrated this event. Yet, in the wake of this phenomenal event, I have heard about disturbing incidents of bigotry, racism, and hate crimes both here and abroad.

Just yesterday, a 22 yr old was arrested was arrested for spray painting anti-Semitic images and messages all over the Tree of Life Synagogue in Mobile, Alabama. When the man's home was searched, they found possible bomb making materials.

Last Friday, the son of a dear friend who lives in England was attacked by some teenagers. Then, over the weekend, the same kids who attacked my friend's son kept calling him and saying they were going to beat him up because his mother is a South African Bitch and his dad is German scum. When my friend saw these kid's in the neighborhood they told her, "Get the fuck out of the country, you South African Bitch."

It breaks my heart that people think its ok to attack others because of their religion, nationality, color, or any other stereotypical reason. Even if you have never had this happen to you, we all need to fight against behavior like this. As my friend Jen reminded us...remember what Pastor Neimoller said in World War II. "First, they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time, there was no one left to speak up for me."

This is a fight we all ust fight. Its so sad that it is still happening today but it is. Be aware, be vigilant, and look out for your fellow man.

Another extremely cool discovery

I was reading blogs for ICLW and I made it to #70, The Imaginative World of Jen. She has moved her blog and it is now called Different but Determined. So you read a blog? Well, as fascinating as her blog is, I really want to tell you about her photography. Jen is selling prints and canvases of her pictures and they are incredible. She is trying to raise money to support their journey to parenthood. Do yourself a favor and go check out her pictures...maybe buy one. I know I will be ordeirng one as soon as I have the money.

The Coolest thing ever...

Well, maybe its just the coolest thing I found this month. I was surfing to look for info about editing blog templates and I found a link to a website that will turn any web page into a graph. It takes the html that creates any website and turns it into a graph like this...

The Fertile Infertile

blue: for links (the A tag)
red: for tables (TABLE, TR and TD tags)
green: for the DIV tag
violet: for images (the IMG tag)
yellow: for forms (FORM, INPUT, TEXTAREA, SELECT and OPTION tags)
orange: for linebreaks and blockquotes (BR, P, and BLOCKQUOTE tags)
black: the HTML tag, the root node
gray: all other tags

Because the picture is created with an applet, you can not right click on the picture to save it. If you want to save your picture, take a screen shot and then open your photo editing program and do any editing you need to do (I reduced the size a bit). My photo editing program has a built in screenshot option that takes the screenshot and imports it directly to the editing program.

Teletubbies, WonderPets, and International spies

I have to warn y'all up front...this is not politically correct.

My husband makes me laugh. His sense of humor is warped, twisted, and definitely not politically correct. If people heard even half of what he said, they would be convinced he was certifiable.

Do y'all remember when the Teletubbies were really popular? Tinky Winky, Dipsy, La La, and Po were all the rage in the toddler set.
For a while, all was saccharine sweetness and innocence and then the big revelation was made...GASP...Tinky Winky was gay. After all, he is purple, sports the upside down triangle, and is a male who carries a purse. Well, my husband can never leave the ridiculousness alone. If Tinky Winky was gay, then Dipsy was really Dipstick and who knows what he dipped it into. Vic renamed LaLa too. She was dubbed Falalalalalalala (think the stereotypical chant of a middle eastern terrorist) and Vic said all she needed was the turban. Up until this point, I was just shaking my head at his insanity but then he started on Po. He insisted that it was obvious that Po was a communist spy. After I picked myself up off the floor and stopped laughing, I made the mistake of asking him why he thought that. Vic said, "Its obvious. Po is little, red, and speaks Cantonese. She must be a communist spy."

Now why, after all these years, am I bringing them up? Well, Vic has decided that since the Teletubbies have fallen out of favor, someone had to take over Po's duties as an International spy. And who do you suppose this woman of intrigue and mystery is? Well, according to him, it is none other than Ming Ming Duckling.
He said it is obvious that English isn't her first language...sewiously...and her name is Chinese. A Chinese name? Well, he claims she is named after the Ming Dynasty.

There you have it. Our country is still under attack by the evil minions of communism and they are infiltrating our society through our children's programming.

SHOW AND TELL: The O'Donnell Girls

I was having such a hard time figuring out what I wanted to share this week. So, I decided to flip through my pictures, hoping inspiration would strike. I kept coming back to family and how damned lucky I am to have the family I have. My parents and my sisters are wonderful, caring, loving, brilliant people and I love them with all my heart. There are also moments when they drive me bat-shit crazy and I am 100% certain that I have the same effect on them. But, when push comes to shove, my family will band together and we can and will take down anyone that tries to hurt one of us. I am blessed. Despite the many trials life can throw at you, my parents have been married almost 42 yrs and each of my sisters and I have found and married a wonderful man. I'm the oldest and Vic and I have been married for almost 14 1/2 yrs.



My sister Keri is the middle sis. She has been married for the shortest period of time. Her husband, John, is a wonderful man and he has been a fantastic dad to her two daughters.



Becky is the youngest. She and her husband Trevor have been married for almost 5 yrs and my kids adore them.



We are all so very different. We have different interests, different musical tastes, and a wide variety of political views. Yet, in the things that are truly important, our love for and trust in each other, we are all the same. I have two of the most incredible women in this world as my sisters and I just wanted to share them with you.

To see what everyone else in class is bringing to SHOW AND TELL, take a trip to visit the Miss Mel, Goddess of the Infertility Blogosphere.

Stitching Post Saturday

Welcome to the next edition of Stitching Post Saturday. I don't have nearly as much to share because my stitching mojo has taken a bit of a break this week. So, in addition to sharing the tiny bit of stitching I've gotten done, I am going to share the two little cross stitch patterns I designed.

I designed these two pieces, a race horse and the Romanian flag for MiPa's All About Me RR. This RR is exactly what it says. You stitch small motifs that represent something about the person it belongs to. You can click on both patterns to see a close up of them.


This is what I have stitched of the racehorse design so far.


Check out what everyone else has been up to... Stitching Post Saturday on MiPa's blog.

4th Photo Tag from Tanyetta

Rules:
1. Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer.
2. Select the 4th picture in the folder.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag 4 people to do the same.



This is my niece Kayla and her dad, John, when we were on a family trip to Connecticut for Easter in '07.

I'm going to tag Mel (please, please, pretty please), Dora, Chris, and Henny.

The Wisdom of the Barren Bitches Book Brigade

I always enjoy reading everyone's takes on the selected book. In fact, I first really found Mel's blog by following back a link from a BBBB book review. This time around, I found some really profound nuggets that explain the lasting effects of loss and infertility.

Melissa from So It Goes says "I can accept that it happened, but it will never be separate from who I am or my life. I will always feel like I'm missing a member of my family." This really resonates for me. I remember a New Year's eve when we were far from home (my grandmother was sick and dying) and I guess I must have looked really sad. My mom asked me what was wrong and I told her I was missing people who should be there. She thought I was referring to my husband (whose job had kept him at home and I was missing) who hadn't been able to make the trip with us when in reality I was missing my lost babies badly.

Annie over at Aurelia Ann offers a quote that describes perfectly how the passage of time affects loss and grief.

Time wears grief smooth like a river stone. The weight will always be there, but it'll stop scraping you raw at the slightest touch. But you have to let the time flow by; you can't rush it.
-Lois McMaster Bujold, Beguilement

This so beautifully explains how and why the trials of infertility mark us forever. This doesn't mean we can't have a wonderful, kick-ass life. It just means it will be different than what it would have been if we hadn't suffered through losses and infertility.

And Luna from Life From Here:Musings From the Edge sums up this same point with her comment “But there is no such thing. Nothing makes sense. Nothing fits together. Your child is still dead. There is no end to that cold, hard, irrefutable fact. As an ending, “closure” refers to a static loop. But human beings are dynamic, ever evolving individuals. And grief is a dynamic process, not a destination. To suggest that grief comes to an end is to misunderstand its very nature.”

Do yourself a favor and check out the blogs of these wonderful ladies. You could learn a lot from them. I know I did.

Barren Bitches Book Brigade: An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination

Welcome to the sixteenth tour of the Barren Bitches Book Brigade--a book club from the comfort of your own living room. Today we are discussing An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken Grab a cup of coffee and, when you are done reading my review, you can hop along to another stop on this blog tour by visiting the main list at Stirrup Queens. You can also sign up for the next book in this online book club: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

My feelings about this book are quite complicate. While I have never gone through a stillbirth/late term loss, I have lost many pregnancies myself and have been through a stillbirth with a dear friend. McCracken is an extremely talented writer and it makes this book about a tough subject quite easy to read. She also explains the complexities of the feelings that surround a loss in a way that anyone can understand. She also manages to inject a fair amount of humor into a generally humorless subject. I actually found myself chuckling quite a number of times. Despite all this, I found the book very difficult to read. When I read and enjoy a book, I generally read it very quickly. However, at one point, I actually set this book aside and avoided it for a few days. The emotions at play in the book hit that close to home for me. I guess that in itself is a tribute to McCracken's talent as a writer. All in all, this is a beautifully written tribute and I would recommend it to anyone.

Now...to the questions...
The author expresses gratitude that she was able to easily conceive and deliver a healthy child after Pudding's death. Even Pudding's story, while distinct in its own right, is told through the lens of a grateful mother holding her happy sleeping baby in her lap. "I am not sure what sort of person I would be if that hadn't happened," she says. While it is impossible to hypothesize what might have been had some other course of events transpired, how has having other living child/ren either before or since your loss affected your grieving process? If you have not lost a child, how has your in/fertility affected how you view other people's losses? And do your views change if the grieving have other living children?
While it is impossible to compare one person's loss with another person's loss, I know without a doubt that having children did affect my grieving process. I know that having children made the loss more poignant. I knew what I was losing. I knew what it was like to cuddle that beautiful baby and to kiss their sleeping cheek and say I love you. It truly hurt my heart to know that I would never get to do that with my babies that I lost. However, having my two older boys forced me to deal with life when all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and hide from the world. Kids have these funny notions that they need to eat ans sleep and bathe on a regular basis. Dealing with their needs forced me to live my life which helped me to get past my losses.

My favourite line of the book comes on page 103: "Closure is bullshit." In your opinion (whether or not you have experienced pregnancy loss yourself), is this true or false?
I think this is absolutely true. When most people think of closure, they think of something being over and done with. You can put it behind you and never look back. With something as life changing as a loss of a love one, you never have closure in that sense. Loss affects you at a fundamental level. There will always be something or someone missing. You can learn to deal with losses or traumatic events. You can learn to move past them. But who you are as a person is forever changed so it will never be behind you. It will never be gone. Closure is BULLSHIT.

McCracken states that her only regret regarding Pudding, was that she didn't hold him. Would you hold your baby in the same situation?
I absolutely would have held my baby in the same situation. If I didn't I know I would forever wonder about how that baby would have felt in my arms. Holding that lost baby would give me a chance to say good bye.

If you had experienced a late term loss, would you have wanted to know
the sex of the baby during any future pregnancy? Why or why not
My friend Chris lost her third son at 36 weeks of pregnancy. She had an abruption in the middle of her placenta and Adam's blood supply was compromised causing his death. Out of all her pregnancies, this was the only pregnancy that she found out the sex of her baby. She told me after they lost Adam that she was so glad she knew it was a boy before hand because she felt more connected to him...more like she got to know him. She said that while it didn't make up for the loss, that she did feel like she had some time with him because she knew his sex and knew his name ahead of time. Because of this, I wll always try to find out the sex of a baby during a pregnancy.

Eek...I almost missed the start of ICLW...

Since I've never done this for a previous ICLW, I thought I would give you a quick overview of me, my family, and my infertility story.

I'm Kristin and I've been married to my hubby for over 14 years. We are the proud parents of three wonderful hellions boys. My husband and I met when we both use to volunteer for a local Rescue Squad. He worked the crash truck and I was a paramedic. I knew after our first date that he was the one for me but he took a little longer to see the light. LOL...he had been burned one too many times to realize what we had together right away. I use to joke that the only thing I could threaten him with was staying with him forever.

I got pregnant the first time a few months before we got married. I didn't carry this pregnancy to term (I think I will share that story later). Knowing what I know now, I was probably on my way to a full blown eclamptic pregnancy. At only 6 weeks along, I was already spiking my blood pressure. I've had so many losses since than that I no longer know all my due date but I do have a record of the dates of losses.

Here is a quick overview of my pregnancies and losses...

1. 9/9/94 pregnancy ended at about 8 weeks, D&C
   
2. 2/20/97 delivered my oldest at 41 weeks 2 days via emergent c-section; I had been diagnosed with mild pre-eclampsia, had been in labor for 16 hours, the mag they gave me for my pre-e stopped my full term labor, and Marty started dropping his heart rate every time I had a contrax once they got labor going again. Marty was 8 lbs 14.5 oz
   
3. 12/8/99 miscarriage confirmed at about 5 weeks. They called it a chemical pregnancy but I fucking hate that term.
4. 11/15/00 delivered my second son, Joey, at 36 weeks 2 days, via emergent c-section; had unexplained bleeding incidents at 27 weeks and 30 weeks; at 36 weeks 2 days, thought my water had broken, went to the bathroom and found blood instead; Joey implanted very low and, when his placenta moved up the uterine wall and crossed my c-section scar, it left a small lobe behind (didn't show up on any u/s) so I was experiencing undiagnosed partial previa. My preemie was 20 inches long and 7 lbs.
5. 11/11/02 loss confirmed at 10+ weeks, D&C
6. 2/12/03 loss between 5 and 6 weeks
7. 4/15/03 loss confirmed at about 11 weeks, D&C
8. 11/24/03 loss between 5 and 6 weeks
9. 6/17/04 had been on progesterone suppositories, saw heartbeat and fetal pole at 6 weeks; our little girl, Eva, dies at 8 weeks; found out at 9 weeks; D&C one day later
10. 1/13/05 loss at about 5 weeks
11. 12/2/05 on progesterone suppositories and lovenox; had a relatively uncomplicated pregnancy although I did develop PIH during the last 4 weeks. Gabe was delivered at 39 weeks 1 day in a scheduled c-section.
    
12. ??????

I was diagnosed with luteal phase defect and given a prescription for progesterone suppositories after pregnancy #7 (loss #5). It allowed my pregnancy with Eva to progress to the heartbeat stage and then we lost her. I had all the standard infertility bloodwork drawn after that loss and the only thing found out of whack was my ptt length. It was shortened and that means I clot faster than normal. The placenta really becomes established around 6 weeks which is why clotting issues can come into play after that point. The lovenox was prescribed for future pregnancies and I had my miracle baby in December '05. I am not pregnant right now although we are trying. We are also dealing with the latest curve from my husbands diabetes.

On the personal front, I am a college educated SAHM. My husband is a brilliant, funny, talented man who runs a local 911 center. Once upon a time, he was a career firefighter but he had a career ending knee injury and turned to dispatching as a career. We both love to read and could probably open our own library. I love all crafts and my hubby is very talented at model building and painting. I currently blog about anything and everything although this blog started out as an infertility focused blog.

Welcome to my world. Do you have any questions?

Snow Day #2

After I don't know how many years of no snow days, we are on snow day number 2. Joey has been wishing for a snow week but he doesn't realize that they might not live through a whole week of snow days. Marty and Joey spent the morning (excluding the time outside) arguing over video games. I finally snapped and told them that it stopped or they would lose video games for a week and, by the way, for a few days, they were no longer allowed to play games together. I am hoping they are in a better mood because it is much *colder this morning and I don't think they will be out in the snow any time soon.

Just in case they don't behave, Evil Mom is ready to come play and she has 1-800-GypsiesRUs on her speed dial. One push of a button and they can come pick up the kids.


*We started the day at 17 degrees.

What a day!

Wow...I am so proud of our country today (*with one teeny tiny exception). The inauguration was everything I hoped it would be. I got chills listening to Aretha sing "My Country 'Tis of Thee". I was awed and amazed by President Obama's speech (and, man, oh man does it feel good to say that). He hit exactly the right note with his speech. Our country is in a tough spot and his speech was inspiring without being too celebratory. I loved Reverend Lowery's benediction. The simple fact that he got all those government officials yelling Amen was an act of God in itself. I was also so very glad to see him get out of his limo during the parade and greet the people (hehehe, the twisted part of me wishes I could have seen the looks on the faces of his secret service agents when they realized he was getting out of the car). I just finished watching President and Mrs. Obama's dance at the Neighborhood Ball. They looked so elegant, so happy, and so in love. The choice to have Beyonce sing Etta James' "At Last" was perfect! That song represents so much...at last, we have hope; at last, our country has shown we can judge a man "not by the color of his skin but by the content of his character"; at last we have shown that the people truly can band togehter and pick who they believe is right for the office.

Congratualtions President and Mrs. Obama.


*The one thing that truly disappointed me was when President Bush was giving his exit speecha nd that group started singing "Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye". Whether you agreed with Bush or not, whether you liked him as a President or not, that kind of action was rude and disrespectful towards the man and the office.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Woohooo...its the first time in 5 years that we've gotten more than one inch of snow on the ground!

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

Well, not quite yet but this is our forecast...

Areas Of Rain This Evening Will Change Over To Snow Later Tonight And Continue Into Tuesday. The Snow Will Taper Off Tuesday Afternoon In The West... And By Early Evening In The East. Snowfall Amounts Between 3 And 5 Inches Are Expected Across Most Of The Piedmont... The Sandhills And The Coastal Plain. There Is The Potential For Few Spots To Receive Up To 6 Inches.

I am really hoping we get the upper amount of 6 inches. Its been so long since we've had a good snowfall.

The Bitch is Back...with a vengeance

It only (haha...nothing only about it) took 5 months for my cycles to fully return to normal after getting my Mirena IUD out. Yay me...NOT! That means I'm back to bleeding like the proverbial stuck pig once a month. Guess its nice though to know my cycles are still like clockwork and I'm ovulating right when I should be.

I wish I had more or better or even different news on the baby making front but it ain't so. Life has conspired against us so far. We've been too busy trying to get Vic's diabetes regulated to worry too much about baby making. Did you know people with *Type 2 diabetes can convert and become Type 1 diabetics? I wasn't really aware of that but that's what happened to Vic. It explains why all of a sudden his meds weren't doing what they should do. Oral meds for Type 2 diabetics are designed to work with the insulin your body produces (but that you are resistant to) and, all of a sudden, he wasn't making insulin anymore. Blood sugar that is yo-yoing all over the place has a tendency to wear you out physically and mentally. I hope it stabilizes soon.

*Endocrinologists don't even use the terms Type 1 or Type 2 anymore. They just refer to insulin dependent and insulin resistant diabetics.

SHOW AND TELL: Come Into My Kitchen

Today's the day for stories, gadgets, and tricks.

Do you have a favorite pot to cook in? I actually have two pots I adore.

You are probably looking at both these pots and wondering what is so special. They both are decent pots and cook things fairly well. Both pots have been around for ages. The pot toward the back is over 30 years old. The pot towards the back is a bit newer but not by a whole lot. Both pots have cooked meals that have nourished peoples bodies and provided meals that gave families time together to nourish their souls. These are the pots that Vic and I affectionately refer to as our ghost pots. See, the one towards the front had belonged to my grandma and the one towards the back belonged to my FIL. We inherited them after our families lost both of these wonderful people and cooking in them is a way to stay connected to our past. I hope I can keep using these pots for a long time to come and I hope my family is as nourished by what comes from these pots.

Now, onto the gadget part of show and tell. This is my all time favorite kitchen gadget.

My kids and I adore fresh pineapple but, frankly, without this gadget, they are a pain in the ass to peel and core. All you have to do is slice off the top of the pineapple, center this gadget over the pineapple, and twist. The pineapple is literally ready in minutes. I got mine as a gift years ago (thank you Lynn) and you can buy this fun toy at William Sonoma.What is your favorite kitchen gadget?

Finally, a kitchen trick I learned about last week.You know how the rolls of cling wrap, wax paper, and aluminum foil fall out or don't stay in place when you are trying to pull out a piece. Well, there is a solution to that. Every one of those rectangular boxes that contain cling wrap, aluminum foil, or wax paper has little tabs on each end of the box. When you push the tabs in, they act to hold the center tube in place. This means you can pull off the amount you need without having to hold the roll in place while you do it.


To see what everyone else in class is bringing to SHOW AND TELL, take a trip to visit the Goddess of the Infertility Blogosphere.

Stitching Post Saturday

Here's what I've finished this week. I stitched the E on this Welcome Round Robin...


I also crocheted this scarf as a present for someone. I hope she likes it when she gets it. You can click on this one and see a bigger picture.

All the other stitching done this week has been mending and wouldn't be any fun to look at.

Check out the home of Stitching Post Saturday over at MiPa's blog.

Today is his birthday

Any other year, we would have been celebrating my FIL's birthday today...and on Sunday. Yeah, he celebrated his birthday on two different days. When he was growing up, he was always told his birthday was on the 16th and that's when it was always celebrated. However, after he and my MIL got married, they were looking at his birth certificate. Much to their surprise, they discovered he was actually born on the 18th of January not on the 16th. He looked at my MIL and said, "Mami, that's when I always celebrated it so that's when I'll keep celebrating it."

I miss him so damned much. We all do. Even little Gabe keeps mentioning him and talking about him. Last time we were over at my MIL's house, Gabe would give the love seat (my FIL's seat of choice) a funny look every time he came through the room. I still can't believe he is really gone.

Happy Birthday Dad! We love you and we miss you.

Editing a template/adding a third column

I want to change my template and I have found one I like. The only problem with the new template is the width of the sidebars. Does anyone know how to change that?

**This site...Three Column Blogger... tells you how to easily add a third column to a few of the readily available blogger templates.

Huge CONGRATS to Mel of Stirrup Queens

Stirrup Queens is officially the Best Medical/Health Issue Blog of 2008. NOw the rest of the world knows what we already did!

ARRRGGGHHHHH

Someone, anyone...can you please explain to me why my 8 yr old plays clueless when it comes to his spelling homework? All he has to do is put 12 words in alphabetical order and then write 5 sentences. But, it never fails that he goes into a whining meltdown..."I can't do it. Can't you please help? wah wah wah" I love him but he is driving me insane!


*The boy that took 45 minutes to alphabetize the first 8 words finished the last 4 in 3 minutes when I finally threatened him with early bed times if he didn't finish asap.

Taking Care of Yourself

At some level, we all realize how important it is to take care of yourself. We know we should eat a healthy diet, exercise, take care of our house, and take care of our vehicle. Our bodies are healthier if we live in a clean environment and we are safer if our vehicle is in good repair. If you hate dusting as much as I do, don't forget to have someone clean your ductwork every other year. It cuts down on that heinous chore:)

One area that frequently gets neglected is our mental health. Women who are battling infertility can get so focused on IF that mental health breaks fall by the wayside. And, women with children who are trying to be SuperMom also forget to take those much needed breaks to take care of their peace of mind. To all my IF sisters...stop and watch a chick flick with a friend, eat something decadent and maybe not so good for you, do anything except count days and talk meds. If you try to do this once a week or once every other week, it makes the battle against IF so much easier to deal with. And all you SuperMoms out there...don't just shut the bathroom door, lock it too; read a book and let that load of laundry wait; leave the kids with your hubby or a friend and escape for a little while. You need your me time too (and CHRISTA...this means you!).

What are your favorite mental health breaks? Do you have any tricks or tips to help take care of the house or the car? Share them with us please!

The Randomness of my family and me...

If you have a brand new pair of unhemmed pants, the easiest way to get the correct length is to neatly fold both the new pants and an old pair that are the correct length. Lay them both out on a flat surface with the old pair on top. Measure the difference in length. If you are hemming pants for an adult, do not leave more than 2 inches of fabric for the hem (cut excess off). For example, the 4 pairs I hemmed for Vic were 10 inches longer than his old pair. I cut off 8 inches and that left me 2 inches to make a rolled hem with.

I have exercised 8 out of the last 9 days. The first day I only did 20 minutes on the Gazelle. Today, I did 35 minutes.

I love making things for people. It makes me happy to make them happy. As a result, I sometimes tend to have too many projects going on at once.

Marty is not even 12 yet and he wears a size 10 1/2 men's shoe and is 5'2" tall (onloy 1 1/2 inches shorter than me.

I love to crochet. I like big chunky yarns or using 2 or 3 skeins at once for a tweedy effect. Projects work up so quickly that way. The funny thing is I never intended to learn to crochet. Many eons ago (about 14 yrs ago), I was spending a lot of time with my friend Chris. Chris had lsot her nearly full term baby that December and I was looking for ways to help her focus on other things. She decided to teach me to crochet and I figured what the hell...even if I don't like it, it will help her focus on something else for a little while. Hey...does this mean I can blame my absurdly large yarn collection on her?

I hate to clean...ugh...but, I feel better about myself and my house when I do clean. Guess I better suck it up and clean more often.

My husband has short legs. He is 6 1/2 inches taller than me and we have the same inseam.

Joey and Marty are built completely differently. They are almost 4 years apart in age but they weigh almost the same and wear the same size pants. I almost ALWAYS have to take up Joey's pants about 6 inches.

My oldest son has always gone by his middle name Marty. He says people always mispronounce hi name when he first meets them (could that be because he talks 100 mph?) so when he started middle school he chose to go by his first name, Victor, at school. Do you know how hard it is to remember to call him that at school?

My husband is a wonderful teddy bear of a man. He is smart, funny as hell, and has a sense of duty and responsibility that most people couldn't even begin to imagine. He is my heart and soul...the love of my life...and I am so lucky to have him.

Gabe is taller at 3 than either of my other two boys were.

Band Saws and Scroll Saws and Sanders...oh my!

It's Pinewood Derby time! So, last night, Joey's Cub Scout den met at a kid's house rather than our normal meeting place. The dad there kindly offered his fully stocked shop to cut and form the boys' pinewood derby cars. I got to play with a scroll saw..woohoo. There were two other mom's there with their boys and neither of them were that into it. I had a great time and have added a fully stocked shop to my dream list if I ever win the lottery.

Before this meeting, all the parents and their kids had decided on a design and had sketched it onto the block of wood that comes in the kit. Some boys design for speed, some are trying for uniqueness, and some want the best looking car...awards are given out in all three categories. Joey decided to pursue the uniqueness award and decided we should make a military truck.



I had some help cutting off the big pieces (didn't mind if I screwed up my cars but I didn't want to mess up Joey's car). I figured out how to cut the scraps to make the cab and cut the pieces all by myself. Yay me! The cab is hollow because we need a place to put the weights so we can hit the 5 oz weight limit.

Once everyone else was done doing their major cutting, I decided to cut my cars. And, I decided to cut them completely by myself. Yeah, even though I can't compete, I'm making some cars. I have so much fun doing this. I have three cars to sand and paint. Two are shown below. The other one is just a simple triangular wedge so I didn't bother taking a picture.



I will definitely show you pics once Joey and I are done sanding and painting our cars.

Come out, come out, wherever you are!

I've come to the very firm conclusion that someplace, somewhere in my house there is a portal to a parallel universe. There simply has to be. There is no other explanation for all the things that disappear around here. For example, right before Christmas, I cleared all my sewing and quilting things off the table. I folded up all the fabric and batting and put it in bags. I packed the sewing machine up in its box. And, I picked up my clear 18 inches long (by 4 inches wide) quilting ruler and my large clear quilting square (16 in x 16 in) and put them away. Today, I decided it was time to haul some of that stuff back out. I have a tote bag to make and 4 pairs of pants to hem. Of course, something was missing. Was it the black, blue, green or tan threads? Nope, all the little spools were in place. Had the needle gotten lost or the pins spilled? Nope, they were all in place too. But, my large quilting ruler and quilting square are gone. I spent over an hour looking through the house...behind thing, under things, in every improbable location I could think of. I can't find the damned things anywhere. So, I came to the obvious conclusion. The other me in the parallel universe suddenly has 2 rulers and 2 squares due to the portal connecting our houses.

Either that or I am going insane.

Nah, it has to be the portal because I'm the very model of sanity.

The Winners

JenJ of Navigating the Waters of Infertility & Beyond won my book giveaway.

And...dum dum dum dum...Beautiful Mess of Life induces thoughts, mostly random won the door prize at yesterday's virtual party.

The book will be ordered this week and I am figuring out what the door prize is today. Jen, I have your address for the book.

Oh Beautiful One...I need your address to send you your prize.

I guess I've arrived as a blogger.

And, I guess I should be glad it took over 4 yrs. I received my first nasty for the sake of being nasty comment on my show and tell post. To paraphrase the comment, the ever so brave anonymous commenter said the turkey tetrazzini "looked disgusting, bland, and what was with all the soup mixes. Think about the additives. Couldn't I cook anything from scratch."

Guess its a good thing a don't give a flying fuck what Mr/Ms anonymous thinks.

To celebrate my arrival as a blogger, I think I'll have a VIRTUAL PARTY. Post here, tell me what you are bringing to my virtual party and, at some point, I'll pick a commenter to win a door prize. That's right...its GIVEAWAY time.

I'll get the party started with a round of mojitos for everyone!

PS...ROFLMAO at myself...I typed out that whole turkey tetrazzini recipe and forgot to put down the turkey on the ingredients list. I fixed it.

What Color is Your Rainbow?

Hehehe, am I the only weirdo out here or does that title remind other people of the hippy era, feel good sensibilities?

When I was reading today's Show and Tell posts, Wiseguy from Woman Anyone? posted her results from taking this cool quiz.

Your rainbow is intensely shaded orange, green, and violet.

What is says about you: You are a strong person. You feel strong ties to nature and your mood changes with its cycles. Those around you admire your fresh outlook and vitality. You are patient and will keep trying to understand something until you've mastered it.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

So, do you think that describes me or not? And, what color is your rainbow?

SHOW AND TELL: The Perfect Turkey Tetrazzini

After Christmas, I was faced with the yearly dilemma..."What do I do with the leftover turkey?" Usually, I make turkey soup but I had made a TON of turkey soup and had 4 one gallon bags of soup frozen. I decided to make turkey tetrazzini and went hunting for a recipe. All the recipes I found were either way too simple or way, way too complex (Sorry, with kids around, I don't have the time or energy to try to scald cream properly). So, I printed out 4 recipes and picked and chose what I wanted from them. I must have done well because I didn't have any leftovers the two times I served it (I froze one pan of it). Here is what I came up with...

Turkey Tetrazzini a la Cruz
(makes two 9 x 13 pans)

Ingredients
8 cups of turkey, cooked (shredded, cut into chunks, whatever)

1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp parsley
1 tsp thyme
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 medium onion diced
1 cup minced celery (usually 5 or 6 stalks)
14 oz mushrooms (1 lg can, 1 small can)

3 10 3/4 oz cans of cream of mushroom soup
3 14 oz cans of chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup shredded parmesan

2 boxes farfalle (bowtie) noodles cooked

for topping - 1 cup bread crumbs, 1 cup shredded parmesan mixed together

Directions
preheat oven to 375
prepare your 2 9 x 13 pans by lightly coating with cooking spray
split cooked noodles between the pans
melt 2 tbsp butter over medium heat in large pot
saute mushrooms, celery, and onions until onions are soft
add salt, pepper, parsley, thyme, and garlic powder; saute another 5 minutes
add cream of mushroom, broth, wine and parmesan
stir regularly and heat until cheese is melted and it is starting to boil
mix in turkey
pour sauce equally into 2 pans and mix with the noodles
sprinkle topping evenly over both pans
place in preheated oven and cook for about 25 minutes or until topping starts to brown

serve one pan and freeze the other for a future meal

To see what everyone else in class is bringing to SHOW AND TELL, take a trip to visit the Goddess of the Infertility Blogosphere.

PS...Do you know anyone who needs help affording their metformin for PCOS treatment? I found out a bout a way to help them. Please email me if you know anyone who could use this info.

Stitching Post Saturday

Its been a while since I posted any of my cross stitching. While I haven't finished any major projects, I have finished a lot of small things. I am participating in a Name/Welcome RR and I've stitched letters on a few of those...

I stitched the S and the musical notes on this one.


I stitched the N on this one.


I have also been crocheting preemie sized baby hats for The Preemie Present project run by Lady Nunn of The Flying Nunns. I have finished 10 for her to use in next years present bags...3 extra large, 3 large, 1 medium, 1 small, and 2 extra small (they fit the micro preemies). To give you an idea as to the size, I took a picture of my fist next to an apple and an orange. Then I took a picture with an xs hat on the apple and a hat on the orange. If you click on these pictures you can see a larger version of them.




If you want to see everyone else's stitching, check out the list on MiPa's blog...Stitching Post Saturday

The Little Kitty is a Ninja

I was dropping Joey off at a friend's house for a sleepover tonight and his mom, Susan, shared this YouTube video with me. I thought it was hysterical and it had Gabe laughing his wonderful, belly laugh. Y'all have to take a look.

Dodging the Close One: a King Street Players Production

Starring
Joey as SWA (Sir Whines Alot)
Kristin as EM (in this case - not so Evil Mom)
with an occasional mention of Vic as PD (Psycho Dad)

Evil Mom and Psycho Dad run a household that believes in using real names for body parts and answering all reasonable questions kids have without giving too much information for their age. However, like all parents we dread having to answer the BIG questions before an age we deem appropriate.

SWA: Hey mom, you said you were going to go through Gabe's old toys and maybe give someof them away, right?
EM: Yes, I did.
SWA: Are you giving away the exersaucer too?
EM wondering where this is going: I probably will. Even if we have another baby, that will give Grandma Karin something to buy.
SWA: Who are you going to give it to?
EM: One of the ladies who works for daddy just became a Grandma. Her daughter is a single mom. So, we thought we would help out by passing on some of the overload of stuff we have.
SWA: How did that happen? How did she become a single mom?
EM: It just did. She mad some bad decisions, got pregnant, and never got married. That makes her a single mom.
SWA: Well how did she get pregnant?
EM thinks Oh fuck...he's only 8. How do I give him a good answer without giving the whole talk?
EM: That's something that happens when a man and a woman think they love each other. The have a relationship and sometimes a baby is made.
SWA: You mean with medicine or something?
EM thinks SWA has heard more of her infertility conversations than she realized.
EM: No, not with medicine. Women make something called aggs and men make something called sperm. When an egg and sperm come together, a baby is made.
EM think Oh please God, don't let him ask how they come together.
SWA: Ok. What happens if the egg splits in two?
EM breathes a sigh of relief: That is when identical twins are created.
SWA: Cool

What away to start the day. After having this wonderful conversation with SWA...educational without being too educational...EM lived up to her name by reducing SWA to tears by insisting he wear a heavy coat because it was only 32 degrees outside. That gave EM two things to celebrate instead of just one.

***Dear SMCs...the bad choice comment isn't a blanket statement. I just think 8 yrs old is a little young to understand the differences in this girls situation and yours. (Thanks princessoftides for pointing out my oversight).

I CAN'T believe she likes THAT!?!?!

I was reading the post over at Weeble's Wobblog today and it got me thinking about what kind of music I like. What do I have on my mp3 player that would surprise you? Lori made the brave admission that she likes the BeeGees (me too Lori) and, with the stipulation that you must reveal your embarrassing musical love, I will reveal mine at the end of this post.

I love music and I listen to all kinds of it. If you were listening to my mp3 player, you could easily end up listening to a Louis Armstrong song followed up by RightSaidFred's "I'm Too Sexy". I have Alan Jackson and Alice Cooper, Will Smith and The Weather Girls, Meatloaf and Meredith Brooks, & Beyonce and Brooks and Dunn on my mp3 player. I have the top 100 songs of the 80s and the top 100 One Hit Wonders on there. I have country, classical, classic rock, jazz, top40, early rap, and other songs that escape classification on there. Yet, none of these are the artist that makes me pause and wonder whether I should admit that I like that music.

The artist I sometimes hesitate to admit I like is the top adult contemporary artist of all time. Rolling Stone crowned him “a giant among entertainers… the showman of our generation,” and Bob Dylan stopped this artist at a party and said, "Don't stop what you're doing, man. We're all inspired by you." He has been putting out albums since 1973 and has sold over 75 million albums worldwide. Yes, I like Barry Manilow. Aaah...that feels better. I've admitted the truth and the world is still on an even keel.



So, who is your embarrassing musical love?

Please pray for my son's math teacher...

her 17 year old son died yesterday. Between this and hearing about John Travolta's son's death, I want to gather my kids close and never, ever let them go.

I've done it...

I finally started a regular exercise program. I have a Gazelle Elliptical machine and have been using it regularly for a short time. I figure if I go ahead and tell y'all about it now, I'll be too embarrassed to let exercise fall by the wayside.

**CONTEST** Come on y'all...don't you want to win a copy of Mel's book. I'm ready to order one for someone (in addition to KT) and I need someone to enter. So, post and tell me why you want or need Mel's book. I will (at my discretion) pick a winner early Saturday. Any posts that are here when I wake up on Saturday are eligible to win.

Really fabulous post...

over at this brand new blog JayTeez. Y'all really NEED to check it out. You definitely won't forget this post or this blogger.

The Contest is on...but with a big Mea Culpa attached

I need to apologize to KT of I Just Want to be a Mom. I had one of those days and got frustrated about not being able to give the book away before I gave her a real chance to answer me. I really am sorry KT. I don't usually get that impatient but I was running on fumes since my little boy woke me up at 2:30 and then was up for good at 5 am with a nightmare. I really thought I had given you longer to respond. I will be sending KT a copy of Mel's book but I want to give one more away since I announced the contest. Its not your fault I was a bonehead.

Sooooo...post to this post and tell me why you want or need Mel's book. I will (at my discretion) pick a winner early Saturday. Any posts that are here when I wake up on Saturday are eligible to win.

Remember, I will need your address to pre-order this book for you!

I'm frustrated...with contest included.

Why am I frustrated you might ask? I was lucky enough to win a runner's up prize in Angrycanrn's contest and I am now the proud owner of an Amazon gift card. I want to use part of it to pay forward a copy of Mel's book, you know the one with the big old link on my sidebar. I've contacted two of the new bloggers from the last LFCA of 2008. I posted to their blog and gave them some general info (since neither had an email link) and my email address. Now, I can understand not feeling comfortable enough to give out mailing addresses. I really can. But, if either of them had even emailed me, I'm sure we could have found a way around it (or I could move on to someone else without worrying that I will leave them hanging).

I've never had such a hard time giving something away before.

If you want a copy of the book and might have a hard time affording it or just can't get it for whatever reason, post here and tell me why you deserve a copy of the book. I will randomly pick someone this Friday.

My New Year's Meditations

I've been thinking a lot about what I want in this upcoming year. Most of what I want is quite simple. Some of what I want are things I can work on, things I can strive for. Some of what I want are things I will have to pray for but they aren't things I can control.

I hope and pray my extended family have good health during the New Year. To that end, we will do our part. We will try to plan, eat, and prepare healthy meals and exercise regularly (at least getting out and walking). There will also be a fair amount of pray involved in this wish. My BIL is struggling against Muscular Dystrophy. He was blessed to have an extremely long time between diagnosis and this level of complications (he has reached the point where he needs to use a scooter although he ignores that fact) but no one wants to see someone they love suffer. And, my husband is struggling against Type 2 diabetes. Before he was diagnosed, Vic had lost bout 80 lbs. He was feeling good and looking good. Then he was diagnosed. UGH. Many of the drugs used to treat Type 2 diabetes have the side effect of causing weight gain (WTF?!?!?!) and, while many people never have the side effects hit them, Vic has experienced all the side effects of the meds and the diabetes. What is frustrating to both him and his doctor is that one week, his blood sugar is under control and the next it has gone all haywire. Nothing, not even diet, will have changed between the two weeks but that doesn't seem to matter. We are hoping there is a solution in sight soon.

I also want to make sure there isn't a single day during the New Year when a friend or family member has to wonder about how I feel about them. Losing my father-in-law this last fall really drove home just how precious our time with each other is and I don't want to waste any of it. To this end, I pray that God will help me be able to overlook or get past any petty differences there may have been in the past and help me see solutions for future problems that satisfy both parties without comprimising individual ethics.

I hope I can strike the right balance between enforcing rules with my kids and being a fun, supportive parent. I want to enjoy my time with my kids...to appreciate the miracle of who they are and the wonder of what they are becoming. I also want my boys to be well-mannered, honorable, self-confident young men. For them to develop into the type of people I want them to be, I know I have to teach them about following rules, enforce household routines and rules, and help/enforce them exploring their spirituality. It is soemtimes very difficult to strike a balance between all the roles a parent must fill and I pray to find the wisdom and strength to do it all.

I am also hoping the New Year will bring us at least a pregnancy if not a new baby. Yeah, we have to do our part (woohooo!!!) but there is still a fair amount of luck and miracle involved. I will certainly survive if we don't achieve this goal. I have a wonderful husband and 3 incredible boys. However, soemthing deep within me craves a 4th baby.

I also hope to find the time and energy to complete all the projects I want to complete this year. I have many charity projects I want to do in tandem with all the personal projects and I frequently wonder where I will find the time to get it all done. Do you think a prayer of "Please God can I have an extra day each week would work?"

May all of you be blessed during the New Year.

SHOW AND TELL: My Stash

As most people who know me can tell you, I love crafts. And, I was raised by a mom who was a Girl Scout leader so she always had craft supplies everywhere. I have inherited that from her. I have fabric, beads, sequins, button, empty jars, and pipe cleaners. I have glue, threads, pins, card board, baskets, and ceramic ornaments. I also have my cross stitch fabrics, all my DMC floss, my specialty flosses, all my yarn, and tons of cross stitch and crochet patterns. I always have at least 3 or 4 projects going on and I'm always on the lookout for a good craft supply sale.

Yesterday, I stopped by Big Lots to pick up cereal while Joey was in his Tae Kwon Do class (they are in the same shopping center). Of course, while I was there I had to wander through and see if I found any cool things. Boy oh boy did I luck out. They had just gotten in a bunch of specialty yarns. These yarns typically sell for almost $5 a skein but Big Lots had them on sale for only $1 a skein. I bought 18 skeins. That's about $90 of yarn for only $18.

I originally thought I would just show you a picture or two of the gorgeous yarn I bought but then I got the brilliant idea of showing you my cross stitch and crochet supplies. I went back to my craft closet (otherwise known as the closet in Gabe's room) and started pulling out all my yarn. I pulled and pulled and pulled. Every time I thought I had found it all, I discovered more. And, HOLY SHIT do I ever have a lot of yarn. Even I have to admit, I probably have no excuse whatsoever for buying any more yarn in my lifetime. You really have to see it to believe it. Each picture is a clickable link to a bigger picture so you can see it in all its glory!

The first two pictures are yesterday's purchase and the pic of all my yarn (my big chair and a half is hiding under that pile of yarn).


The next four pictures are of afghans I have started. The green/white one and the pink one only need edging. The other two are only between 1/4 and 1/3 of the way done.



The next three pics are cross stitch stuff...my fabrics, my specialty flosses, and my patterns.



Do you think I might just have enough?

To see what everyone else in class is bringing to SHOW AND TELL, take a trip to visit the Goddess of the Infertility Blogosphere.