GULP

BTW, the G is suppose to be for Gulp. Blogger ate my title and, so far, has refused all attempts to get a title added.

Today, I went in to see my doc. Now, I don't hold any inherent fear of the doctor (although all the infertility crap hikes my BP every time I go see my OB/GYN) and all I was going in for today was an ear infection. But, while I was sitting there and waiting for my doc, I started thinking.

I thought about my friend Monica who is a breast cancer survivor. Recently, she had a mole that was bothering her and she got it checked (all was fine, Thank God).

And, I thought about my friend JJ who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of skin cancer. She is currently undergoing treatment and I'm praying hard for her.

And, I thought about my Grandpa who was treated for skin cancer.

And, I thought about that mole I have on my back...the one that has been there forever and ever but has recently increased in size and was hurting the other night when I scratched it. I thought about the mole that I keep thinking I should have checked and I keep avoiding having it done cause, frankly, I'm a wuss when it comes to facing potentially tough medical decisions.

And, I screwed up my courage and put my big girl panties on. After my doc checked my ear but before she left the room, I asked her if she could take a quick look at it. Of course, she said she would. The good news...the borders are smooth and even...the color is consistent...both good signs that it is nothing bad. The icky news...it is kind of big ...a little raised like maybe it had gotten irritated and infected...and my doc recommended that I have it excised. Because of the size, they will have to put a few stitches in when I get it done. Since my doc doesn't feel it is the big nasty, she recommended getting it done in the next few months. I have an appointment on May 10th to get my mole removed.

I know this is nothing compared to what others are going through and I mostly feel positive about how it will turn out but, if you can spare a few good thoughts, I would appreciate it.

Friendship

I grew up as an Air Force brat. As you might imagine, I moved a fair amount in my life. I think the hardest part for me was leaving behind the friends I made. I still remember my best friend in Hawaii. Nancy and I went to the same private school for second and third grade. We had so much fun hanging out with each other. Our families all got along with each other too. There were many nights my whole family ended up at her house where we were enveloped by her huge Italian family. I can still see the huge tables filled with plates of lasagna and rigatoni and oh so many other scrumptious dishes. I still wish I was in touch with her but, I sucked at writing letters back then and cheap long distance calling didn't exist.

Since then, I've been blessed with my friendships. I've reconnected with many of the people I left behind when my dad was transferred from Florida to North Carolina. And, my bestie from high school is still my best friend today. In fact, Jennifer is more than a friend.  She is my sister by choice. Jennifer and I have known each other since the days when I was still skinny and she was reserved. We've seen each other through heartbreaks, moves, job changes, and unparalleled happiness. She's been there for my wedding and the birth of my children. Jennifer is truly amazing and I can't think of a better person to have my back or to get into trouble with. I know without fail that Jennifer will be there if I need her and will always help if she can. In less than 6 months, we will have been friends for 27 years. I know without a doubt that we will be friends 27 years from now.

Now, a person could consider herself truly blessed to even one friend like Jennifer. But, thanks to the wonder of the internet, I have a few other friends like that. Back in 2000, when I was pregnant with Joey, I met my friends Pam and Rys. They were both members of the December 2000 pregnancy board on Parentsplace. I honestly can't believe we've been friends for almost 11 years but we have all truly been to hell and back together. I adore these ladies and feel so very lucky to have them in my life. When I was in the depths of infertility hell, Pam and Rys put their lives on hold, packed up their kids, and came to take care of me. For over a week, we had the three of us, our 6 kids, and my husband in one house. Their was no awkwardness, no questions about how to treat each others kids, it felt like we'd been hanging out with our families together forever. It felt like they were members of my family who I'd known forever. I don't know how I was lucky enough to make friends with both of them but it's now transcended friendship and they are sister too.

My friends have enriched my life beyond measure and I love them with all my heart.

Easy Mark?

Do I have a great big E (standing for easy mark, soft touch, pushover) emblazoned across mt forehead?  I really think I must, at least when it comes to my kids and classroom pets. For the second time in 3 years, I have agreed to let Joey bring home an animal they were observing and studying in science class. The first time, Joey brought home a gold fish and two little water snails. Somehow, that goldfish lived for over a year. This year, Joey has been going on and on about the African dwarf frogs they are studying in science class (there is another small aquatic animal they are studying but I can't remember what it is right now). I should have known they would be looking for homes for them when this unit of study was over but, somehow, I was caught by surprise. I was also caught in a weak moment because I said yes to bringing home and African dwarf frog and actually signed the permission slip and sent it in.In self defense, I picked the easier of the two creatures to care for. I mean, these froggies don't even need a filter in their wee little tanks because the vibrations bother them. So, today I sent Joey off to school with a container he could use to bring home the African dwarf frog and, once I dropped him off at school, I went off to find a small aquarium to keep the froggy in. I found a nice little one at Wal-Mart and it didn't even cost $10. I was starting to feel pretty good about this. I mean, how bad can it be when it will rarely need his water changed and the habitat cost me less than $10. When I got home I washed the gravel we have and made a gallon of treated water to put in the froggy's aquarium. Since Marty was busy with the school work he had assigned, I figured  I'd read up a little on the little dude Joey was bringing home. One of the first sites I found was written by a guy who had a pair of these little guys. He said his frogs had lived an average of 6 years.  Honestly, I was expecting them to have a lifespan like a goldfish. I kept reading and got to the point where he mentioned he wasn't sure about their maximum lifespan because his cousin had on dwarf frog that had live 18 years . What the hell have I gotten myself into? At least, unlike cats and dogs, I can ship this froggy off to college with Joey when that day comes.

D is for demented

D is also for demented or deranged. I think my brain has been permanently warped by kids television. This after noon, my oldest was watching the Big Time Beach Party episode of Big Time Rush. Shortly after that, I went to lie down and take a nap (yeah, I got to nap, so sue me). I had the most seriously fucked up and twisted dream. I dreamt I was at some sort of charity function and Big Time Rush was performing. After they were done, there was some sort of meeting between me, a couple of other people and the guys from Big Time Rush. They were asking for some advice about what sort of philanthropic activities they should be involved with. I recommended that they should help make Christmas ornaments for all the geriatric patients at UNC hospital and the band name should be on them.  I also recommended that they put on a Christmas show for the geriatric patients. After the meeting, I went to leave and I got into the back seat of a car. The other car near me was occupied by the Doctor (as played by Matt Smith), some other person, and a big, black Newfoundland dog on a leash. I guess the dog didn't want me to leave because he kept getting out of their car into mine and he was still on the leash so the cars were connected. After about the fourth time that happened, I got out of my car and the Doctor, his friend, and I went back into the charity show. The next act was a kid named Shawn (from Joey's den in scouts) and he was doing some weird dance the length of the floor while dressed like a shiny robot...

Then, my alarm woke me up so I could go pick Joey up from school.

D is for Dragons

Dragons, dragons, dragons...they have had me enthralled and ensorcelled since the day I picked up the first of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonrider's of Pern series. In a proper fantasy world, we'd have the opportunity to bond with a dragon the way the dragonrider's of Pern do. I think I love dragons so thoroughly because they seem to embody freedom and fantasy, power and grace.

I've always found it interesting that the myth and legend of dragons exist in ever culture on earth. If you let your mind free to soar on a flight of fancy, it would be easy to believe that dragons must have existed somewhere at some point in history.

Luckily for me, many other's seem to adore dragons with the fervor I do. There is a dragon museum and gift shop, Dragon Dreams, in Chattanooga, TN. There are thousands of cross stitch patterns of every type and sort of dragon including those by one of my favorite designers, Jennifer Aikman-Smith. And, you can't forget the dragon crochet or dragon quilts that are out there. I have dragon coffee mugs, dragon socks, even stuffed dragons. But, I think two of my favorite dragons are the ones that travel with me everywhere.

Both of these tattoos are extremely important to me because of the meanings they encompass. The first dragon...well, she measures about 4" x 7" and the stars add about an inch in height and 1/2 an inch in width. She reminds me of the dragons from Anne McCaffrey's books and I had her done in gold just like the female dragons in the books. I had the stars added about 6.5 years ago and each star represents one of my losses. Since I only know the sex of one of the babies I lost, I told the tattoo artist I wanted one pink star and to pick whatever colors he liked for the rest of them (I still need to add one star). When I get the final star added, I want to add a dragonlet for each of my kids. The second tattoo is something I designed. It represents the friendships that carried me through some horrible times. However, I realized soon after I had it done that it was missing something. It needs a name and (somehow) a cat's paw print added. I'm thinking the name should be added across the top and there should be a small paw print in between each name.

Is there something fanciful and whimsical that holds a wealth of meaning to you?

Creating, crafting, calm

For me, one of the important Cs in my life is creating. Growing up, there were always crafts around my house. My mom was my Girl Scout leader and there were the requisite bins of glue and paint and craft sticks. We had stashes of yarn and paper and empty cans or jars. It was nothing for us to have the kitchen table covered with whatever project we had going on.  By the time I was 10, I was taking a sewing class and since then I've made everything from casual clothes to prom dresses to Halloween costumes. And, learning new crafts and the creative opportunities they gave me continued into adulthood. I was taught to cross stitch by a guy named Bobby who lived in my form in college. I was taught to crochet when I agreed to let a friend who was grieving the loss of a child teach me. Who knew I would grow to love both crafts so much? I've taught myself to knit, do hardanger, and quilt.

My love and passion for crafting and creating has been a life saver. My love of cross stitching introduced me to one of the most wonderful group of women I have ever know. These women were my rock and my support when my husband and I were battling secondary infertility. Crafting and creating is also the best mental health therapy I could ever find. When I am designing or creating, my mind can't focus on the stresses of everyday life or the occasional major disaster. Watching a design evolve, watching the beauty emerge brings a type of pleasure I can't even explain. And, I feel such joy when I can create something for someone else.

I long ago decided that my kids benefit far more from a mom who is calm and centered than a perfectly organized house. So, housework isn't always my priority. Sometimes, the den/playroom looks like a tornado struck but, my mental health is secure thanks to my creating.

What's it like when volcanoes blow?

As many of y'all know, my youngest, Gabe has this tiny little obsession with volcanoes. Today, my sister-by-choice, Jennifer aka Aunt Jennifer, came over to hang out and eat her birthday cake with us. In between the AuntJenniferAuntJenniferAuntJenniferAuntJennifer's, Gabe turned to her and said "Aunt Jennifer, do you know why volcanoes explode?" In true smart ass fashion, she said "Because they have gas." Then Gabe asked her, "What does it mean when they throw out lava balls?" She looked straight at him and said, "It means someone is standing on the rim and lighting the volcanoes farts."

Jennifer claims she was just trying to think the way little boys think. I personally suspect my boys have permanently warped her mind.

B is for Boys

My post today was going to be B is for Boys Night Out but I haven't felt much like editing the pics and videos from last night. Last night, I felt deaf from the noise levels at the Monster Jam but this morning I woke up to a clogged right ear and a sinus headache.

So, since my lack of hearing and headache distracted me from editing the pictures, I thought I'd talk about my boys. See, I live in a *House of Testosterone and that is not something I ever imagined when I was growing up. I grew up in a house full of females and always imagined myself as the mother of daughters. When I was pregnant with my oldest, the ultrasound tech said three words that changed my life forever..."It's a boy!" My first thought other than "a baby, omg a baby" was "It's a boy...what the hell do I do with a boy." You have to understand, I wasn't disappointed. I just had no clue what to do with boys. Evidently, God thought that cosmic joke was pretty funny because I had two more boys. To make it even funnier, almost all our pets are male too. Once, I thought we were going to balance it out a little bit because my middle son got a kitten that was suppose to be a girl...it wasn't.

But, you know what. It's turned out to be pretty fabulous having boys. My boys are imaginative, creative, rough and tumble, quiet and gentle, and I can truly say there is never a dull moment when they are around. I've also learned things I never expected to learn. I can tell you the difference between front-end loaders and power shovels. I can also expound upon the differences between concrete and cement. More importantly, I've learned there is a critical problem affecting the men in our world known as Male Pattern Blindness or the congenital inability to see what needs to be picked up or put away despite it being right in front of their faces. And, even though it took me almost 2 years, I finally learned to stop saying

On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

and replace it with

I promise to do my best
To do my duty to God and my country,
To help other people, and
To obey the Law of the Pack.

In a house full of boys, I never have to look for an excuse to watch basketball or NASCAR or, even on the rare occasion, watch Monster trucks. I am always assured of having someone to go to a Hockey game with. And, with a house full of boys, especially the bigfoot type I seem to breed, my fabulous shoes are safe from pilferage and unauthorized use.

Surrounded by all this testosterone means there are way to many fart jokes and belching contests being held. We also have enough Hot Wheels/Matchbox firetrucks to staff a department the size of FDNY. And, don't even get me started about the swords, lightsabers, ray guns, bb guns and other assorted toy weapons that populate my house. Some times there are so many boys and weapons running through my house that I think they are planning a hostile take over of the adjoining neighborhood. And, when they aren't planning to take over the world, you can often find them in the backyard with shovel in hand joining the ongoing excavation that will some day provide a direct route from central North Carolina to the coast of Australia.

All in all, they are wild and crazy and frequently loud and mud covered but they are my boys and I wouldn't have it any other way.




*I stole the title House of Testosterone from Sharon O'Donnell who wrote a brilliantly funny book by the same name.

Huh? What?

I think I've gone deaf. Monster trucks are fucking loud. They are especially loud when you are only 6 rows back....and, you get covered with dust. Since Vic had to work tonight, I had to was lucky enough to go to the Advanced Auto Parts Monster Jam with the boys. Hopefully, by tomorrow I will have gotten the dust out of my eyes and my hearing will have recovered and I will be able to edit and share pictures of the boys night out (with mom).

Animal crackers in my soup

Animal crackers in my soup
Monkeys and rabbits loop the loop
Gosh oh gee but I have fun
Swallowing animals one by one...

A is for animals and boy are our animals crackers, crazy, nutso. We have 2 dogs...Jack, half husky and half golden, and Jolie, border collie.  Both our dogs are characters but Jack is the one with the craziest stories. 

We use to live out in the country and we were so far out in the country that the dogs were allowed to run. We had 5 acres and literally no traffic on our road so it was safe. Needless to say, Jack wasn't that happy to have his running curtailed when we moved to town. Jack's solution to that is to escape an run through the neighborhood whenever he can. Luckily, he's a sucker for rides in the van. All I have to do is follow him in the van and eventually he gets tired of running and jumps in to go for a ride.  I can't decide if he's dumb to fall for the "Let's go for a ride" or if he's smart because he gets what he wants and then gets a ride home.

Jack's antics aren't restricted to his waking hours either. Lots of people have kids who talk or walk in their sleep.  I bet not many people have dogs who "talk" and walk in their sleep.  I know lots of dogs twitch or occasionally yip in their sleep but Jack doesn't stop there. Jack barks, growls and yips in his sleep. It's loud. It's distinct. And, somehow he does it all without opening his mouth. Those must be some hellacious dreams he has.

Jack decided it wasn't enough to dream about walking either. I'm sure lots of you have seen the video of the dog that was running in his sleep and he got up and ran into the wall. Well, last year, I saw that video and decided Vic had to see it too. The next night, we were sitting in the living room and the dogs were both sleeping. All of a sudden Jack jumped up and headed for the den.  He tripped over the bag of wooden blocks taking a face plant in the floor. But, that didn't stop him. He got up and kept going. He hit the stairs into the den and hit the floor. Jack just laid there shaking. I was getting a little worried and was thinking seizure or some other problem when, all of a sudden, he shook his head, looked around as if to say "how the hell did I get here", and woke all the way up. Yup, that's right. He crossed the room and tackled the stairs all in his sleep. Never a dull moment around here.

Check out some of the other A to Z bloggers.  The list of participating blogs has grown to almost 1000 blogs. There are sure to be some great posts out there.

Shut Your Whore Mouth

...and other fabulous things to wear on your chest.

One of my favorite bloggers is holding a most excellent contest. Aunt Becky of Mommy Wants Vodka is giving away a t-shirt from her ever expanding line of profanity laden t-shirts.




Head on over to Aunt Becky's and ENTER.

******************************

Also, do any of you shop at Victoria's Secret? I got 3 gift cards in the mail from them (1 for a free pair of lace waist hiphuggers, 1 for $10 off a bra, and 1 for a free VS umbrella with a $60 purchase) and I won't use them since they don't carry my bra size. They are available to the first person who wants them.

The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge

My lovely friend Lynn over at Wistfulgirl's World posted about the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge and luckily, for me, it was just in time for me to still sign up. Arlee Bird, the originator of this fun and exciting blogging challenge says

The premise of the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge is to post something on your blog every day in April except for Sundays. In doing this you will have 26 blog posts--one for each letter of the alphabet. Each day you will theme your post according to a letter of the alphabet.

You will only be limited by your own imagination in this challenge. There is an unlimited universe of possibilities. You can post essays, short pieces of fiction, poetry, recipes, travel sketches, or anything else you would like to write about. You don't have to be a writer to do this. You can post photos, including samples of your own art or craftwork. Everyone who blogs can post from A to Z.

Since I've been in a bit of a bloggy funk and don't feel I've had the normal inspiration to post, I decided to kick start my blogging mojo by participating in this challenge. Whose going to join me? Hurry on over and sign up. Today's the last day to join.

Wordless Wednesday: It Was All Worth It

For this, I would go through it all again.

Back from the computer graveyard

A post brought to you in bullets (which almost got used to kill the recalcitrant computer) ...

*Once again, my wonderful computer geek husband has saved our computer from the junk heap. There are still a few things to be reloaded and a few things to figure out (like why, oh why is WeatherBug insisting on displaying itself in the task bar along with the normal lower right hand corner of the screen display) but, overall, the computer is 100% again..

*It is seriously wrong and unfair that after two days of 85 degree weather less than a week ago, we are now facing two nights worth of freeze warnings. What happened to in like a lion and out like a lamb?

*It's also seriously unfair that those two gorgeous warm, sunny days happened while we were all sick and now that we are well, it is cold and rainy...ugh.

*I am still tweaking the gloves I am making. Have to take the fingers back off and make them a bit shorter.

*Speaking of crafts, I finally got pics from my friend Sheila of the quilt she is making. I've seen it in person and the pics don't really do it justice. She still has to put the layers together, quilt it, and put on the binding. Sheila says it will be done in about a week. First and last picture are clickable for enlarged viewing.
You can see a better close up of the corner blocks in this post.


I apologize for my lack of substantial posts during ICLW but the computer issues could not be avoided.

uPrinting Winner

Yay for brilliant husbands.  Vic got the computer up and running in time for me to announce the winner of the uPrinting Postcard giveaway. I can't post a screen shot from random.org because I don't have any of my photo editing software back up but I can tell you who won.  The lucky winner is Keiko Zoll from Hannah Wept, Sarah Laughed with comment #14.

The Gremlins Are Back...

I should have heeded the warning to not feed them after midnight. My computer is frakked up again.  It may be tied to the multi-day battle against the virus we had not long ago, but it may not.  So, I'm going to be out of touch until sometime tomorrow.  The hard drive on the beast of a desktop is going to be wiped and everything will have to be reinstalled.  But, on the more positive side of things, we have all the parts to get my laptop up and running again. So, for the next 12 to 24 hours, we are going to be stuck with only one computer.  After that, we should be back up to 3 'puters.

Hasta la bye bye and I'll see y'all soon.

More Fluff For You

I promise, I really, really promise to write a post of substance and meaning later today but I just have to share this with you. Jen of EPBOT and Cake Wrecks brought this gem to my attention and it appeals to the girly, geeky, Disney loving side of me. See, there is this guy, Nick Pitera, who entertains himself and others by creating these amazing videos and has had his cover of at least on Disney hit go viral. Nick's latest, and possibly greatest video is titled "One Man Disney Movie". So, sit back, hit play, and, as Jen said, "get ready to have a big ol' pixie-dust sprinkled grin on your face for the next eight and a half minutes:"

BTW, that really and truly is him voicing each and every one of those roles...and can you believe the mad editing skillz he has. SO MUCH FUN!

Is it just me...

or does the man in this picture say deranged lunatic or possibly unabomber instead of responsible psychology graduate student?

Crafty Me - NSFW

Honestly y'all, I had plans to be witty and wonderful this week but I kind of feel like I'm struggling to keep my head above water. I am feeling a lot better but it's taken almost a week and my house is in chaos and I have so very much to catch up on. So, I hope you don't mind but I'm going to show off the crafts I told y'all about yesterday.
Spermity Sperm
Spermity Sperm and Beanis the 18+ inch Penis(BTW, don't you think the sperm looks sort of like a Snork head) Beanis the Penis - side viewPi Necklaceglove in progress
I hope y'all got a good laugh from this.

Monday Miscellany

I know I saw that title somewhere recently but I can't remember where to give credit where credit is due...sorry.

Welcome, welcome to all my old friends and to any new ones I may make during ICLW. I'm going to do my very best to have a great week commenting and visiting a bunch of blogs but my best intentions seem to get derailed lately. So, to kick off ICLW, here's a bunch of random stuff (Sorry, my brain is still too addled by germs and the time of night for much else).

I am still sick...boooo hiiiisssssss. I have a lingering cough that I just can NOT shake.  What makes this all the more frustrating is that next weekend I am suppose to go camping with Joey and his cub scout den. I really need to be well before then.

I stuck with it and finished The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman. This was the book I mentioned on Friday that I was having trouble focusing on because by chapter 5 I figured out who the bad guy was and another major plot twist. I am really glad I stuck with it because there was so much more going on in that book than I had realized.  It was definitely worth reading and I may have to look up some of the author's other books.

I've been being all crafty and stuff lately. For those of you who hang around a lot, I know I promised you pictures of Sheila's quilt but I've been having camera issues (as in it is still MIA) but she's going to email me some pics so I can share the splendor she is creating. Also, I made a Pi necklace...the one with the beads not the numbers. I'm going to have to make at least two more because my mom wants one and Joey wants one too. Also, do y'all remember my post about the adult themed crochet designs? Well, a dear friend requested a Beanis (the first crocheted item in the post) in the most inappropriate colors I could think of. I just finished her Beanis the 18 inch Penis and it has a bright red head, a blue/red shaft, and balls in varying shades of blue. She says she's going to display it in her china cabinet. And, I am crocheting a fabulous pair of gloves. It kind of sucks that I'll have to wait until next winter to wear them but it gives me time to get the design to work correctly.

I'd also like to ask for continued prayers for the family friend with pancreatic cancer...only, now we are back to not knowing if it's cancer or not. The doctor's at Duke couldn't decide if it was but wanted to start her on chemo and radiation just in case (because pancreatic cancer is such a bitch to treat). Well, that logic didn't sit well with her and she went off to Johns Hopkins for a consult with the two top pancreatic cancer specialist. Well, even they couldn't decide if it was cancer from the scans (and they even called in a whole team of specialists) so she is going up to Johns Hopkins this week to have a biopsy done. Evidently, there are a multitude (I think they said 11) of variations on pancreatic cancer and they all require their own specialized approach to treatment. So, hopefully the biopsy will not only tell them if the two masses on her pancreas are cancerous or not but, if they are, which variation needs to be treated.

On a lighter note, I am hosting a uPrinting giveaway of 100 custom printed postcards. Please enter.

Also, if you like to read, check out the info about my 2011 Book Challenge and, if it sounds interesting, click on the sign up page tab under my header. The more, the merrier.