CHRISTMAS 2007

Christmas was good to us. Emmi got a boatload of Littlest Pet Shops, which brings her count of total pets to a whopping 61. She also got a new bike. YES, she got one last year too, but geez, she grew so much that last years bike is way too small. So this year I bought her a 20 inch bike, it is a bit big for her, but I’m okay with that.

Emmi bought me a cute turtle necklace and the a joint gift from my parents. My dad took some of the gem rocks he found in N. Carolina and made them into necklaces. Mine was a beautiful green swirl Emerald. Emmi picked it out for me. My dad also gave Emmi one later in the day. I've included pictures of our necklaces and my ring below. The pictures don't do them justice, they are sooo pretty.

At my parents house I got an electric skillet. I know it’s weird but I have wanted one for YEARS and have just never bought myself one. I can’t wait for zucchini season now. I can guarantee it will be used every night from July-Oct. *Smile* My parents also gave me a Magic Bullet blender (yeah, I can throw away the piece of crap blender in my cupboard). Oh and I won’t have to use a wooden spoon to shove ice cubes down while I’m blending drinks anymore. I also got a beautiful ring from my dad. Once again from the gems he and my mom found in N. Carolina. This ring is silver with a dark pink Ruby.

So now Christmas is over, and we are approaching the end of 2007. Around this time of year most people start looking back at what the last year brought. For us the last year has been good. We’ve now spent a year in our new home. We’ve put in a yard, mostly finished the room in the basement, adopted a new pet, and painted some walls. We spend more time together making new memories and best of all we have had one more year together. 365 more days of getting to know the precious spirit the Lord has blessed me with., I really can’t believe she is almost 8. 365 more days of being able to hug the ones I love, build more bonds and start new friendships. After all, isn’t that the best gift of all?

THE DRESS

I got an itch. Ya know, one of those "I need to do _______." My sister tells me that when I get one of those I'm supposed to go lie down until the itch goes away. Once again I didn't listen to my sister.

The itch was that I thought it would be fun to make Emmi's Christmas dress. Every year she has a special holiday dress to wear to church on the Sunday before Christmas. The last two years she has been able to wear the same dress (only because I bought the thing big). *smile*

This year while shopping for fabric I saw a display at JoAnn Fabrics. It was a pretty holiday dress in gold and black. The bottom of the dress was gold with little Scotty dogs in velvet. I decided that it looked easy enough (large snort) to make.

So I took Emmi back to the store with me to let her see it and to pick the fabric. She chose blue instead of the gold, but she too liked the dress. We bought the fabric ($14 a yard) and headed home. Now I just had to make it. *smile*

The day after we bought the fabric I decided to get started. I cut out the bottom of the dress, and then while cutting out the top portion I realized that I had cut the bottom a size too small. (smile fades). I decided to push on and if the dress turned out not to fit my daughter, I was just going to have to pass it on to my niece.

I got the bottom sewn and the top sewn, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to gather six feet of fabric into a 14 inch waist....so I stopped for the day.

A week or so later I picked it up again and managed to gather the waist (just don't look to closely). My smile once again grew. Now it was on to the zipper. *rolls eyes*

I'll start off by saying that I HATE zippers. Hate, with a capital "H". They are soooo not easy to put in, and rarely do my zippers actually look good. But I knew going into this project that I would have to put one in the dress, so I dug the zipper out of the bag and got to work.

And presto.... the zipper went in with no problems. *Cheshire cat grin*

I call Emmi down and have her try the dress on.... and...boom... my smile fades. The fabric around her bust is too big and gapes open at the back by the zipper. So yup, you guessed it, I would have to re-due my perfect zipper.

NOOOOTTTT. So I put the project away for a few more weeks.

Yesterday morning I was feeling chipper enough to tackle the project once again. I had thought the zipper issue over and come up with a plan. I didn't really have to re due the whole zipper, maybe, just maybe I could just re due the top portion and have a little pleat halfway down her back. Then I could do a hook and eye at the top of the zipper. (I tell you, I would have done anything to keep from having to pick out a zipper.

With a smile on my face again, I got to work. I fixed the top of the zipper and put the little pleat in and tried it on my daughter. Wallah (just how do you spell that word), it worked. Yes it looked a little strange, but it worked.

Then I realized I didn't have a hook, or an eye. So I looked for Velcro... and nope, none of that either. I knew I was going to have to be creative. So I racked my brain for about an hour and came up with a plan. (play scary music here)

I went upstairs looking for a blue or black button. We searched all of Emmi's old clothes, my button collection and then went digging through my very old shirts. That is where we struck gold... or better yet, we struck blue...a dark blue button on a shirt that had to be at least 10 years old and was being used as a nightgown

Then I created a bow out of some leftover blue fabric, attached it to one side of the dress above the zipper and used the button to attach the other side. AND IT WORKED.

The only "duh" I did was that instead of attaching the button to the bow and putting a button hole in the dress (the easy way), I attached the button to the dress and then had to create a button hole on the underneath side of a very tiny bow. But either way, it worked.

And my angel wore her "Made by Mommy" dress to church today.

HAPPY DECEMBER

We took our Family Holiday Pictures this weekend. It reminded me of all the funny shows where you set the camera up, push the button and then RUUUUUN to get yourself into the picture before the count down ends. I think we took a total of 20 pictures before we managed to get us both in the frame and smiling. Emmi was getting frustrated and I was laughing. Maybe next year we will just go to a portrait studio.

This past weekend we also got our first snowstorm of the year. Emmi had a blast trying to make a snowman, even if she only got the bottom ball finished before she froze. I'm not sure I am ready for all of the snow. I was really liking the 70 degree weather we were having in November, but we need to snow for our water, so I guess I will have to get used to it.

I'm almost finished shopping for presents. Usually I'm completely finished by Thanksgiving, but not this year. In fact, my little sister finished before me. Brat! She normally is still shopping a few days before Christmas. I think that may be ME this year. LOL

Happy December Everyone!

THE MORNING AFTER

I am not one of those women who drag themselves out of bed on "Black Friday" to scream, push, pull, and basically make a fool out of yourself to buy a gift and save a few dollars. I'm the type of woman who hates shopping.... yes, shopping in general, not just on the day after Thanksgiving.

My mom says I'm not her daughter. Ya see, the women in my family looooove to shop and my mom is the queen. I on the other hand dread shopping trips, mainly because I can't decide what I want. But more than that, I hate that I can't find what I want and that I waste so much time looking for something that I know they don't have.

Every year on "Black Friday" my mom, my sister and my grandma head out at 3 am to buy their Christmas gifts, while I....ummm.... well.... SLEEP Each and every year they get irritated at me for not wanting to drag my butt out of bed and freeze my previously mentioned butt off while I stand in line with a bunch of women that.... I swear... need medication for their shopping issues.

This year was no different. And yet, I still managed to keep myself in bed. Other years my willpower hasn't been so strong and I have given into the pressure and gone shopping.

So what did I do on the day after Thanksgiving. I put up the Holiday decorations. It's a tradition dating back to my childhood. I've kept the tradition with Emmi. So this year we put up the tree, all the garland and the outdoor lights.

It's a mess... but after everything is finished it feels so very good. Plus I love the house all decorated. Here are three pictures from our "putting up the lights...day" Tipsy (the cat) loves to sleep under the tree.

Enjoy!

LEAD POISONING IN YOUR DINNER PLATES

This report was on Utah's KUTV channel 2. The company that manufactures the plates is Gibson. They are also sold under the "Home Trends" name at local stores.

Here are the links
http://www.kutv.com/content/gephardt/story.aspx?content_id=d567af85-e5fc-4343-bc6a-a7c3bc47ba9f

http://www.kutv.com/content/news/topnews/story.aspx?content_id=1FD09736-768D-4539-A830-F5D3F5EB8A40&gsa=true

I have Corelle dishes and according to some sites I found, they contain little or no lead. However, I have some Christmas dishes made by Gibson that went out in the trash today. I'm not willing to risk it.

If you live in Utah, there is a link on the channel 2 website where you can ask Bill Gephardt to get your dishes tested. Even though I have Corelle, I still asked because along with my dishes there are a whole slew of bakeware that matches the dishes. I want to make sure they are safe too. We will see what he is able to get put together and what more he finds out about this.

I wish there were a list available that would tell you what brands or patterns have lead. I've looked online and can't find one yet.

After all, we should be the ones to choose what goes into our bodies, not these manufacturers.

NAUGHTY RABBIT

I swear, having animals is pretty close to having another child in the home. They are picky eaters, they get mad at you, they make you clean up their poop and they make lots and lots of messes.

I remember when Emmi was about a year old she pulled all of the Kleenex out of the box. She had a blast doing it, too. I've also heard of kids pulling all of the toilet paper off of the roll and stringing it all over the house. I guess I was lucky, cause Emmi never did that one.

Weeeeeell, today I came home from work to find that Pokey (our bun) had somehow stuck his mouth through the top of the cage and shredded the roll of toilet paper we keep up there for clean-ups.

Like I said, animals are just like having another kid in the house. She even grunted at me when I tried to clean up the mess. I guess she didn't like the digs and was trying to redecorate, she just wanted a soft fluffy bed.

I took pictures because it was soooo funny.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Halloween was a fun night, filled with pumpkin guts, candy, family and lots and LOTS of walking. It's nice being in a neighborhood. We actually had about 80 kids come to our house. Of course we were gone for a little while, but that is still about 70 more than we had last year in our condo.

Emmi was Annie this year. "Isn't her costume cute!" She has cute pantaloons under the dress too. After sewing her Herbie costume last year (See the picture below), I wasn't willing to test my sewing limits any more, so I ordered it from a lady off Ebay. Awww, the wonders of the world wide web.

So it was a fun Halloween. Emmi enjoyed getting to trick or treat in our own neighborhood and I enjoyed watching her have the time of her life. Even carving pumpkins and digging out the "pumpkin snot", as Emmi calls it, was fun. Plus the best part of carving pumpkins is getting to roast the pumpkin seeds... I can smell them coooking right now.... YUMMY! Sometimes, being a parent is just like being a kid again, and Halloween is definitely one of those times.

Happy Halloween everyone!

UNDER MY CABBAGE

This is for the non-believer out there...aka...my mother. Look mom what grows in my cabbage patch, and unfortunatly it isn't cute little babies.

Emmi picked these little flowering cabbage plants out at the nursery in the spring. They were just itty bitty at the time. Now the bigger one is over a foot across and just beautiful.

I'm now wondering if I can dig it up and bring it in the house for the winter. I hate to see it die.

MORE INFO

I heard back from Sgt. Richard. He posted this on the SCTA board.

• Hi Charity, yes i do get to see this great site often and i do post as much as i can. The Spotlight story was wonderfully written, and i am glad it has inspired you in some way. I truely believe we cannot let this disease drive our lives we have to push back and beat it back with all we have. I gain all my strength from those around me when they say thay can't I want them to see they can. It might not be easy or painless but yes you can. being in the army and fighting in a war really has tried me both physically and mentally, and though most days are not a comfortable easy going day I get through them because i know i can and i refuse to give in and let this thing beat me down. I just arrived back in Iraq from 18 days with my family and it was absolutly great and i am so thankful for their support and it is because of them i still fight the good fight. keep your head up, and remember it ok to feel like this thing is getting you but thats when you have to fight back and be stronger.
• Richard

See, what a great guy! I'm pulling for you and your family Richard.

LOOKING BACK

It's been three years two months and two days since my spinal cord surgery. Last night after our trip to the corn maze my back was killing me and my left leg was mostly numb. On nights like that it makes it soooo hard, not only to sleep, but to ignore that not so long ago I had a spinal cord tumor.

Today I logged onto the Spinal Cord Tumor Association’s website and on the front page was a spotlight story about Sgt. Richard Smith. http://www.spinalcordtumor.homestead.com/Spotlight_story_Richard.html
His symptoms before and after surgery were so similar to mine that it was spooky. I didn’t struggle too much with depression after my surgery like he did, nor did I take much pain medication, but after surgery was much worse than before surgery in many ways.

The biggest frustration was adjusting to a new life. And in so many ways, it WAS a new life. I had to learn to walk with a partially numb leg, I had to deal with constant back pain and muscle pains. For a while there if I stepped to hard, or jumped I would get a sharp "jolt" up my leg. Those were caused by fluid buildup at the surgical site and boy am I so glad those are mostly gone. I couldn't run, which with a four year old was tough, and I had to come to terms with so many more limitations and things that I would never be able to do again.

I remember the struggles so vividly, and in looking back, I don’t know how I managed to go back to work after 3 weeks and with the amount of pain I was in. It’s amazing what one can do if they put their mind and heart into it. Which brings me back to Sgt. Richard Smith. He went back to active duty and is now serving in Iraq. He has to carry military equipment and sleep on a less than comfy bed. Not only is he a survivor, but he is an inspiration to me.

So this morning I started looking up spinal cord tumors just to see if anything had changed in the past 3 years. I didn’t find anything promising, but I did learn something about my tumor that I didn’t know.

This comes from the Mayo Clinic Website: ( I had a schwannoma tumor)

• Intradural-extramedullary tumors. These tumors develop in the spinal cord's arachnoid membrane (meningiomas), in the nerve roots that extend out from the spinal cord (schwannomas and neurofibromas) or at the spinal cord base (filum terminale ependymomas). Meningiomas occur most often in women age 40 and older. Although almost always benign, they can be difficult to remove and may sometimes recur. Nerve root tumors also are generally benign, although neurofibromas can become malignant over time. Ependymomas at the end of the spinal cord are often large, and their treatment may be complicated by the extensive system of nerves in that area.

I didn’t know that my tumor stared in a nerve root that extended out from the spinal cord. I suppose the neurosurgeon probably told me at one time, but if he did, it didn’t stick in my brain. I knew that my tumor had extended out along a nerve that ran along one of my ribs.

So today became a day of reflection, a day to look back at the past three years since surgery, and in reality, the past 8 years since symptoms started appearing, and take a look at where I was and where I am today.

Although I still struggle, almost on a daily basis, life is GOOD! My pain level is bearable and I rarely have to take a prescription med to get through the day. I'm also learning to deal with the muscle issues in my back and the tightness and pain they cause. Last year for Christmas I purchased a massaging chair and boy has it helped.

I can walk, and actually a year ago I realized that I could run in short sprints if I was really careful where I put my feet... after all, I still have loss of sensation in my left leg and right foot. Overall I am doing great and happy with my life. And most of all I'm grateful that I was diagnosed with this condition in a time when medical technology had grown to be able to handle the outcome in a much better manor.

THE BUN

In August after our adventures to the county fair Em kept bugging me about getting a bunny. Now, I have to take you back a few years. I love bunnies, and as a matter of fact, my first year of college I had a bunny. His name was little-foot (named after a character from the Land Before Time). He was a Netherland dwarf rabbit with a light reddish-brown coat. I loved him to death, but when I moved out I had to find him a new home.

So that brings me back to my daughter and her bunny issues. Sometime in the past few years I happened to mention the fact that I once owned a bunny. Em said she wanted one too, and I (being the wonderful parent I am *large snort*, I told her that when we got a house with a yard, maybe we could get a bunny.

Well, we got a house, and this summer I bought a very expensive yard to go with the house, so now we had all of the qualifying factors for having a bunny... at least as far as my daughter was concerned.

So I started the research. I had heard years ago that you could litter train rabbits. Heck, if it can be done I'm all for it. I looked at different types of rabbits and then started looking for places that had them for sale. The end of August I found a farmer who had bought his daughter a bunny and then bought the bunny a friend (thinking they were both female rabbits) and sure enough, he ended up with one of each and a whole bunny family. *poor shmuck*

Em and I headed up to Willard to see the bunnies and decide if one belonged at our home. I should have known that there was no way we were walking away from that farm without a four legged fluffy bunny. I guess I was being a bit naive.

At the farm we found Pokey. Pokey is a mixed bunny. Her mom is a lop ear and her dad is a Netherland dwarf. Pokey's name comes from the fact that she has these cute pokadots everywhere. Even though it was hard to resist the "buy one get one free" tactics of Mr. Farmer from Willard, *hahaha* we managed to come home with only one fluffy bunny.

So meet Pokey. She is now 4 months old, and is ummm partially litter trained (LOL) She lives in our Family Room and hopefully in the next month when the basement toy room in finished she will have a new home.

Tipsy our cat has no idea what to make of the bunny. He hates the fact that the bunny has claws and likes to hop all over him, and he really hates that the bunny sniffs everything, and I do mean everything. (we need to take her to "bunny etiquette" school. So for the most part the cat avoids the bunny, although that is hard, seeing as how my daughter decided it would be fun to teach the bunny how to go up the stairs, so now the bunny can chase the cat no matter where the cat goes. Oh yeah, the cat thinks that was such a great idea *rolls eyes* I'm still holding out hope that one day they will become friends.

ONCE AGAIN

So once again I start a blog. All of my critter friends seem to use this website so I thought I would try. I have been having issues with MSN and their blog stuff, so we will start over.
I'm going to go back in time and post a few of the blogs from my other site, complete with pictures and such, so bear with me.

8-13-2007

THE FAIR AND MORE

Weeeeeell
It has been a while since my last post. We have been busy with summer stuff. The first part of July we held a 90th birthday party for my grandma. The best part of that was getting to see cousins that I hadn't seen in so very long. We had a blast at the water park and the food was great.

Our garden has been a lot of fun. I sure have missed planting and growing my own vegetables. This year, we have eaten so many zucchini that I swear my skin is turning green. Em planted baby pumpkins, and they are plotting to take over the world. She is loving every minute of it. Soon we will have tomatoes and maybe a cantelope or two.

Last weekend was the county fair. Em wanted to enter one of her paintings, so we chose one, framed it and entered. Whe took 2nd place in her category. I was so proud of her.

Summer has been fun. Now school starts in a week and I'm not sure I am ready for it.
I hate homework, even if it is 2nd grade homework.
LOL

6-6-2007

THE JOYS OF GRASS

We’ve been living here for almost 6 months with a yard full of weeds. And not just any weeds, I swear we have mutant-I can survive weed killer- weeds. These guys are just not normal. I have sprayed them, bulldozed them and dug them up and yet.... they still come back.
So when it come time to put in a yard of some kind I decided not to hydroseed but to spend more money and buy sod.
Best decision I ever made.
The "grass man" came yesterday and unloaded a vast amount of green stuff. It was quite overwhelming to look at. Em was jumping up and down when she saw the truck pull up in front of the house, then after it had been unloaded she went from palette to palette "petting’ the soft grass. The owner of the grass company (who drove the grass down from Idaho) laughed at that. He said "That’s a first, I’ve never had anyone pet my grass before."
Speaking of getting the lawn from Idaho. I still don’t get why it is cheaper to have someone drive a simitruck filled with sod from Malad Idaho to my house. The sod farms around here wanted 5 cents more a square foot plus a loading and delivery fee. Geez! I just hope my sod doesn’t start growing potatoes! Hehehe
Anyway, back to the story. At 5 pm all the manpower started showing up. We were able to lay the sod in two hours. WOW those men know how to quickly get something done. I am so very grateful I had so much help. We laid the sod as a storm front was bearing down on us. The temps were plunging from the 90's into the 40's with wind gusts over 40 mph. And still those men worked.
It looks so good. No more dirt, no more stickers, no more weeds....
Well, for a little while anyway. But best of all, we now have a place for the kids to play outside.
Now all I have to do is keep the stuff from dying.
Cause ya know, if I kill a small houseplant I can replace it for $9.99. If I kill my lawn I’m out $1,500 and that’s the most expensive houseplant I have ever purchased.
LOL

5-6-2007

BIRTHDAYS

It has been party central at our house. Em turned 7 this week (you go girl), and for some insane reason I promised her a friend birthday this year. My sister (bless her heart) told me to invite 7-8 kids because then about half of them would show. Well, we had every kid show up and it was a madhouse. FUN but crazy.
Then tonight we had the family party. Everyone had fun and I always love being with my family. A friend of mine from Jr High showed up with her daughter. Seeing Brenda is always a treat and her little girl is such a doll. Brenda lives about an hour away so I don't see her too often.
Anyway, the parties are over. Now I just have to clean up the house again... or NOT! *grin*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY, I LOVE YOU!

4-4-2007

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

Anyone who knows me very well knows that I have this aversion to rotten or missing teeth. There is nothing appealing about a mouth full of holes. To me, I’ve always associated bad teeth with bad hygiene.
When Em lost her first tooth I cried. Yes I know it isn’t a normal healthy reaction, but who said I was normal.
Em lost her top front tooth a few months ago and I thought it couldn’t get much worse. Hahaha. Well, Friday night she lost her other top front tooth. I didn’t cry this time, but I have been praying that by some miracle her teeth grow in overnight.
Today was class picture day and Em told her teacher that her mom thinks she looks like a jack-o-lantern. She said her teacher laughed pretty hard at that. My thought was... well, she does!
Some of my friends have told me that kids with missing teeth are cute and that I should cherish the moment. I guess they are well adjusted parents because.... I can’t cherish, but I can endure.
I can however laugh my way though the months until she has teeth again. *smile*

3-27-2007

FRECKLES

When I was in college I remember reading those books of quotes from kids where they would ask a five year old where chocolate milk came from and he would reply "Chocolate cows of course." Some of the comments were outrageous and some were just too cute for words. I remember thinking that the author just HAD to be making some of the comments up for entertainment value.
Then I had kids!
Over the years I have laughed my head off at some of the explanations my daughter has managed to come up with and some off the wall comments she has made about everyday occurrences that you and I take for granted. I remember her being freaked out by the thought of my sister Celeste having a baby. She actually cried because she thought the baby was going to come out of her belly button.
Every parent has these moments with their child.
So tonight Em is sitting on my lap and we are reading a book together. I happen to glance up and see spots all over her face. At first I thought that it was dirt and I really needed to start supervising her baths better, but as I looked closer I realized that my little six year old has FRECKLES all over her face. When she was first born I remember giving her a head to toe inspection for any birth marks or spots. Then when she turned four she started getting freckles on her body.... BTW she has a cute one on her bum cheek.
So here I sat on the couch staring my child in the face and out of my mouth pops the most intelligent thing I could come up with. "Emmi, you have freckles all over your nose. When did you get freckles on your face."
She looks at me with her ‘DUH’ face and replies.
"I think it happened a few weeks ago when I accidently bumped into Caden on the playground. He has freckles everywhere mom!"
Oh man....
*wipes eyes*