Mingling with a song, coupons and apps

Current questions {week of 3/28/11}:

1. What is your favorite song right now?
2. How good are you about using coupons at the grocery store?

3. Do you have a Smartphone? If so what are your top 3 games/apps?

 

Friday News, Busy Saturday, Lazy Sunday

Friday – Angel went in for his Colonoscopy.  They said that the antibodies for Celiac is really high, and while they did rule that out recently, they need to look into it again.  Angel will have to swallow a camera.  Angel talked to them about Anna and the doc said she will most definitely be affected.  We decided to hold off til we know for sure this time.  Maybe going gluten free somehow ruined the test last time.

Friday night, Anna had her performance at a Nursing Home.  I stayed home and Angel took some pics.

When they got home we watched The Secret of Moonacre (I think).  We really enjoyed that one.

Saturday was busy.  We rushed to the first Nursing Home.  We were able to watch the performance from the back but I was not able to take videos or pictures.  Being at the homes was a bit sad for me.  I just kept thinking of my Gram.  She would have loved to see Anna dance.  I really miss her.

After the first nursing home, we rushed to grab a lunch at McD’s, Then headed off to Jazz class.
From there we headed to the next nursing home.  This one had a good size cafeteria and I was able to get some video footage.  whoo hoo.

We headed over to Walmart for some grocery shopping, ended up stopping at their McD’s for ice cream first.  We were supposed to hit the library and post office but I was so tired.  Anna looked exhausted as well.  So we just headed home.  It was almost 5pm when we walked in the door. 

Sunday was lazy day for us.  None of us felt well.  Ethan came around 12:30 and spent the afternoon with us.  We watched Megamind.  Not bad at all.  The kids really enjoyed it.  I recorded them while they were sitting on my lap after the movie.

Something that bugs you.

 

Day 15 - Something that bugs you.

I am behind.  Way behind.  Mainly because of the week with my mom and traveling to and from the Hartford Hospital.  This week isn’t any easier as hubby is at the hospital right now and Anna has alot of dance performances this weekend. 

So I will catch up some how.  It is ok if I am late. 

Let’s see something that bugs me. 

Woman who tickle in public bathrooms and leave a mess for the next person!

Seriously, as women, I figure they would be considerate of others when they are done in public restrooms.  I hate having to use a public bathroom, but even more I hate bringing my daughter or even my grandson in one.  I am sometimes appalled when I see the condition of the toilet seat.  I always always always check the seat before I leave the bathroom.  Which leads to another thing that bugs me. 

Bathrooms that do not have paper towels.  I understand the need to save the enviroment.  But when you have a messy toilet seat and no other seat to use.. it helps to have paper towels to clean such seats with (and sometimes the floor too!)  Toilet paper won’t do in this situation.  When you have a young one that desperately needs to use the potty.. you can’t just leave in search of another bathroom! 

Not to mention the really loud dryers that young children tend to be afraid of.. it is hard enough when I have to hold my hand over the automatic flusher so it won’t send the child screaming and running into the corner of the stall.  Now my child or grandchild has to leave with wet hands because he is terrified of the dryer as well. 

and honestly folks, have you ever actually seen the paper that is supposed to be in the koala care changing tables for your use?  I have never ever seen actual paper.. When traveling with a young child I tend to always bring receiving blankets.. but not with a toddler who needs to be changed. 

So I guess I have issues with public bathrooms.  hmm..

Everything in one place

I have been blogging in two places for awhile now.  My original blog is over at Xanga.  I started this blog way back in 2002.  Anna was just about a year or so.  I even pay for premium there.  The sad thing is you are really limited to what you can do on the website.  A while ago I decided to check out blogger.  I do like it here but don’t want to lose my stuff there. 

One of the down sides of using blogger is my pictures.  You are really limited to how much you can store on the free plan.  I have alot of space over on Xanga, because I pay for it.  The great thing about Xanga is they can send you a backup file of your blogs.  As long as you back it up on your pc, you don’t lose anything.   I have not seen that feature yet here on blogger. 

I know another option is to set up a paid site.  However, I am hesitant when it comes to the work involved and the cost.  Today I plan on looking a bit deeper into my options.  Any suggestions would be great.  I would like to have everything in one area instead of posting in multiple places. 

A terrific Surprise!

As many know, after Angel’s hospitalization we were hit with many bills.  One being the emergency helicopter that was over 22,000.  The first bill came in total saying that they could not get Aetna to pay.  About a month later we received another bill that said Aetna made a payment and we now owed over 9,000.  Still bad but much better than the first.  Unfortunately with the number of bills we received (12!).  I could only make small payments.. So I started with 10.00.  Some bills were smaller so we paid those in full and the rest got 10. 

Yesterday, we grabbed the mail and I found a check for 10.00 and a notice saying we overpaid.  What??  Angel went online to the insurance site and it appears that Aetna paid the entire bill!  Wow!  What a tremendous blessing!  Of course we still have alot more bills but this is a really nice surprise! 

As I mentioned in the last post, I messed up our checking account.  All day I checked the bank and that 15.00 just glared at me.  I am happy to announce we are now ok.  The State Refund came in along with Angel’s pay and we can now breathe.  This is the reason I never like to go under 200.00 in our account.  You just never know what you will need.  Whew. 

Emotional Ramblings..

I have been hiding alot of my feelings lately.  Someone said something this morning because I mentioned that I am hesitant when sharing certain things on my blog.  She said something that is so true.  This is my blog.  The reason I write is to get out my thoughts and feelings.  I can be pretty negative.  It tends to distance me from others, but if I can’t share these thoughts somewhere.. how will it help me? 

So here it goes. 

Tuesday was a long day.  We spent the entire day at the hospital for my husband’s Transplant Evaluation. I handled it pretty well, til yesterday.

See I am an emotional person.  Always have been.  My mom has always told me I over react.  I worry too much. Tuesday night someone told me I complain too much.

I didn’t think much of it.  I brushed it off.. whatever.

Then yesterday morning things just started piling up in my head.

Tuesday, while Angel was eating lunch.  David started to tell me that Anna weirds him out.  She is strange, and unsociable.  I need to let her hang with the other kids.  Angel said he wants her to ride her bike around the neighborhood.  Explore, etc.  David just kept going with how she should be able to go to the park and how she needs to stop being whiny and how it is not good that she still clings to me at times.

They just went on and on.  I remained calm.  I may have allowed David to go to the store alone at her age.. but she is not David.  Anna will go up to anyone and talk to them.  Especially if they have a dog or cat with them.  She will tell me.. oh but mommy.. she was so nice and pretty.  etc.  She seriously doesn’t believe anything bad could happen to her.  This freaks me out and I feel that I need to be extra watchful.  She is also a bit boy crazy!  I let her play outside but I have to be able to see her when I walk to the window.  She is allowed in the cul-de-sac and rides her bike.

So of course my thoughts are .. am I hurting her.  Am I ruining her life.  Is she unsociable.  Should I put her in school so she has other friends.  If I did put her in school, will I lose her like I did David?

I am not putting Anna in school.. I am not giving her that kind of freedom to roam the neighborhood.  There are things I can do.. but my mind still wanders back to being a failure as a parent.

Mom has been sick.  She has been sleeping alot, not up to playing games, says she wants to watch movies but falls asleep, nothing tastes good, etc.  Her printer isn’t working.  She really wants Angel to come fix it.  We are not sure he would even know what is wrong.  The hard thing is the time it takes to go up there and do that.  We brought her home last night however, we could not stay.  So many things happening.  I always end up feeling bad.  I want her to be happy but I can not control things. 

Angel just got word yesterday that he has to have the colonoscopy done this Friday.  He was going to just go alone.  He can’t do that. They are not going to let him leave.  He isn’t supposed to drive.  So David said he will go with him.  Of course that means another day off David doesn’t get.  He has not seen his son all week.. and won’t til next week now.  Not to mention how Anna is going to get to the nursing home Friday night for her dance, if Angel can’t drive.
This makes me think that things would be so much easier if I wasn’t so afraid of driving.  If I was a driver, it would relieve so much pressure.  However, I don’t know how to control the fears and the visions that come over me when I think of even driving.  It literally scares me to death.

It doesn’t help that we are really broke.  Gas is pricey! It is about 80.00 to fill the van.  Taking mom home, driving Anna to her classes and performances and now drive to Hartford again on Friday and next Thursday is taking it’s toll on us.  Last night Angel found out he needed to get 3 different meds to prepare for the colonoscopy.  Then I messed up big time.  David needed minutes on his phone. I completely forgot that they sometimes automatically take it out from my card.  I went ahead and entered the payment knowing that he would pay me tonight.  After the payment went through I noticed they already pulled a payment, (it didn’t show up a second earlier!)  I called immediately and they fixed it.  However the bank will not show it for 3-5 business days.  Ok, no problem right, 30.00 is in the bank.  We have never in our lifetime had just 30 in there.. but ok.  We can do this. 

I woke this morning and immediately checked the bank.  The monthly bank fee went through!  Now we have 15.00!  Am I freaking out?  Totally! Just a bit. 

There are so many things going on in my mind.  There is the worry about Angel even needing a transplant.  I can’t let myself think that far.  It is terrifying to hear what he will go through.  Then there is wondering if he is going to bleed this time like he did after the last endoscopy?

I feel like there is this huge boulder sitting there on my shoulder.  What is worse is I can’t really talk to anyone.  The friends I have are already overwhelmed with the things going on in their lives.  I can’t make things harder for them.  I know that I can be very negative.  I know that I tend to need to vent alot more than the average person.  However, venting does help me move on.  Keeping it all bottled in doesn’t.  Trying to keep my thoughts and emotions contained causes a huge can of worms to open on my end. 

I want to be the listener.  I enjoy being there for others.  I don’t want to be the needy one. Maybe mom is right and I am supposed to just give it to God and go on my merry way.  I try, but it doesn’t work out so well.  

So yesterday I just broke down.  I just went to my room and started bawling.  Usually I feel better.  I did not. 

Wow!  This is long!  Wonder if I scared anyone away. 

Transplant Evaluation

6:10am. We are heading to Hartford Hospital. I have been up since 4am. I hope I remembered everything i needed to. It is odd being out so early in the morning.

7:42  We arrived at 7am. After some confusion about where to t, we are now settled in a room. Three ladies have been here asking the usual questions and now Angel is being set up with an IV. 

8:24  Angel is now having stress tests done. I am in the waiting room. They say it will be about an hour to an hour and a half. Hope they don't forget me. LOL!

10:24 - That was quite a wait. David joined me in the waiting room.  Angel got done with the stress test at 10 and we had to walk quite a distance to get to the GI building. Now he is all prepped for the endoscopy and colonosopy. He mentioned that the stress test was the oddest feeling. He felt like he just ran 2 miles.  Definitely would be odd when you never left the bed.

1:14 - Things got a bit crazy. Angel finally went in for the endoscopy about 11:15.  I met David at the cafeteria. We both grabbed a slice of pizza and shared some wings. We headed back up around 11:50, just in time. He had just woken up. They did not do the colonoscopy because they never gave us the stuff to prepare for it. They did re-band the esophagus.  He will have to have another endoscopy in six weeks along with the colonoscopy.

We made it upstairs for Angel's lunch. I assumed he would be on liquids again bit they gave him a meal. Penned pasta with chicken, carrots, peaches, a slice of bread and apple juice. He ate it all. Although he had to slow down.

He just left around 1 for a chest X-ray and MRI. We are staying in the room this time. This will be awhile.
3:45 - Angel came back from MRI. His pulmonary function test isn't til 3:30 but the managed to get him in earlier he just left about ten min ago. They say this will take 45 min.

We are finally heading home. We stopped to eat before heading out.  The only information we got was he will have to go back for the colonoscopy.  They have to check for polyps.  If he has any, they need to be removed before transplant surgery because the medications he will be on after transplant can make the polyps cancerous.  It appears he is now on the transplant list. 

Updates on Angel

I am thinking of using this site to post update on Angel's testing tomorrow. We will have to see how it works.

The Unedited Mingle

Current questions {week of 3/21/11}:

1. What would you do for fun if you had to give up TV and internet?
2. What is your favorite breed of dog?

3. What is under your bed right now?

Photo & Prompt Challenge: Day 14

 

• 
  Day 14 - One thing you want to do before you die.
  
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I want to see my daughter get married and be there for the birth of her first child. 
  

Preparing for Transplant Evaluation

Yesterday, we had a meeting at the hospital with the Transplant Coordinator, Social Worker, Financial Coordinator and Dietitian.  It was very informative. 

Transplant Coordinator – We talked about getting Angel on the transplant list and what that would mean.  Right now Angel is doing well and looking good.  If he gets on the transplant list right now, and continues to do well, he will not get a liver.  However, if things go bad, he will already be on the list and able to move up.  They will continue to check his bloodwork to see if his results stay around the same or gradually get worse.  The hardest thing is because they do not know the cause, they can not predict what is to come.  They did mention that there are lots of people who die with cirrhosis but not of cirrhosis. 

We talked about live donors.  This is not done within the group mainly because the donor has to have a perfect bill of health.  They have to be roughly the same size and young.  No drinking or smoking.  They would be giving 60% of their liver to the patient.  This has sometimes resulted in the death of the donor.  Very scary stuff. 

After the transplant, Angel would be on 30 pills a day to prevent his body from rejecting the liver.  He would be watched closely for the first month.  Gradually he would be taken off some of the pills however, will have some pills that will need to be taken for life.

Social Worker – We talked about who we have for support.  How would I get to and from the hospital during his stay.  Who would be able to drive him to and from the hospital 2 times a week.  He would need to be under constant care 24/7 for at least a month.  Can I handle that while caring for my daughter and grandson.  Who would be our emotional support.

Dietitian – We went over Angel’s current diet.  She was very impressed.  The only changes she suggests is that Angel have a protein snack in the evenings.  She mentioned that he needs to exceed the protein due to the liver not being able to produce it on it’s own.  The toxins that were in his body in the beginning were due to the ammonia that the liver can not process.  So that is where the lactulose comes in.  It helps the body get rid of the ammonia. 

Exercise was also mentioned and strongly suggested.  Even if it is only 15 min of walking a day.  I was kidding around about purchasing a Wii.  The dietitian said that it was actually a really good idea. 

Financial Coordinator – Of course this meeting was all about the cost.  The prescriptions after surgery will be the huge burden.  It was mentioned that some of the prescriptions he will have to live on, are the most expensive ones. 

We walked away feeling very unsure about this entire procedure.  Right now our prayers are that Angel’s health will be the same.  Of course we will cross the bridge if we come to it. 

Photo & Prompt Challenge: Day 13

Day 13 - How do I relax. 
















There was a time when relaxing meant a really long bubble bath.  (Calgon take me away!)  I would bring in a nice book to read during my long bath.  However, after pulling a ligament, I am not able to actually get down into the bathroom and up again.  So bath are sadly missed for now. 
If I really want to relax, there are a few things I do. 



Pull out a good book to read.

 Watch a good Asian Drama on my laptop

 













or get into a really good jigsaw puzzle with music playing

Photo & Prompt Challenge: Day 12

Day 11 - Something I do every day

This one is easy. 

• Every day I wake around 6am.
• Every day I make smoothies
• Every day I do the dishes, over and over and over again
• Every day I write what hubby eats in a food journal
• Every day I remind Anna to brush her hair and teeth
  
• Every day I kiss Anna and hubby good night

Photo & Prompt Challenge: Day 11

Day 11 - A Photo that makes you laugh.

Need I say more?

Photo & Prompt Challenge: Day 10

Day 10 - Favorite room in the house

Our house has been in 'fixing' mode since we bought the house.  I have not been okay with my house for a long time now.  Basically since my husband decided we didn't need the blue paneling in the living room and hallway.. or the wall to wall carpet in the living/dining/hallway.  Since then, things have constantly been in need of repair.  We finally fixed the messed up walls (thick tacky like glue that was holding the paneling up)in the main rooms.  We still need to work on our bedroom, Kitchen, bathroom shower wall.  The list just keeps going. 

With my son's help, we were able to get the Living Room looking so much better.  However, we did not have a couch or money for a couch.  Our last couch was infested with fleas.  This was the year we got rid of the chickens we had.  I guess the fleas were getting back at us because they were awful.  So we tossed the couch.  We sat in two kitchen type chairs to watch TV at night.  We also had a huge table in the living room.  It was just bad.

As David and his girlfriend were driving.. they saw someone put a couch on the curb.  They immediately called us and we rushed down to look.  It was in great shape.  Not a single tear.  They also had a recliner out.  We could not fit the recliner in the van so sadly we left it.  Well David and Abby grabbed the chair for us.

In the picture above, we had just purchased a rug and still had to cut down the mat underneath.  This may not look awesome to many, but to this lady who spent a year without a Living Room.  It was pefect! 

Now I finally enjoy family nights when I can sit and cozy up to hubby.  Much more relaxing than sitting in kitchen chairs!

Mingle about allergies and snoring

1. Do you sew, crochet or knit?
2. Are you allergic to any foods? Bee stings?

3. Do you snore? Please describe

Photo & Prompt Challenge: Day 9

Day 9 - Your most treasured item.
Each assignment just gets harder.  I have been thinking of this one all day.  There are lots of things in my life that I treasure. 
The Lord's love and protection
Time with my children
Time with my grandchildren
My husband
My friends
My computer
My home
and so much more. 
Which do I choose.  What do I talk about.  Then as I was cleaning today, I came across this piece of paper. 

I have tons of little pieces of papers, just like this.  Some are from young kids I met over 22 years ago.  The above was written by Jade during her last vacation here at my home.  I take these little notes and try to put them in a folder.  I am a total pack rat!  Sometimes I find them in books that I have not opened in years. 

This got me thinking of memories.  I treasure my memories.  These little treasures trigger those memories that are tucked deep within. 

Will I still have those memories later in life?  If I didn't have these little reminders, would I stumble across these memories on my own?  What about the emotions that follow when the memories flood in? 

Sure we can think of memories and emotions as 'bad' things in our life.  I know there are quite a few bad memories and emotions in mine!  I choose to thing of memories and emotions as a wonderful thing!  Where would I be without them. 

That is alot to think about. 

Photo & Prompt Challenge: Day 8

Day 8 - A Birthday Celebration 

This is going to be torture!  Just one birthday celebration?  I love planning birthday parties!  Seriously! 

For my son I did lots of themes.  Sadly I don't remember them all and it would take ages to go through the pictures and home videos. 

So here are a few. 

Cars - he loved all those cars on his cake.
Circus - with a homemade clown pinata too!
Pirates - we had an awesome treasure hunt with this one.
Cowboys - even ate hot dogs and beans on the floor.
Space - had stars and planets hanging from the living room ceiling.

I don't remember the rest.  He is 22 now.  At the age of 10 he decided he wanted a party at a roller skating rink.  I was devastated.  This was the end of planning parties for me. 

Then Annaleah was born!  A Girl! 

1st party was just a huge event inviting everyone to see our new home. 

2nd year we had a Princess Party.  Little girls in dresses and tiaras with huge pixie stix wands (with stars on top) 

3rd year Dragon Tales!  She just loved Dragon Tales.  This party included a plastic egg hunt with little dinosaurs and toys inside.  It helps that her birthday is in April! 

4th year Spiderman. 

Yep, you heard me right.  My little girl loved Spiderman

5th year Tea Party. 

Once again, little girls in pretty dresses all ready for tea.  Fancy style too. 

We even had to tiny sandwiches and fancy teacups. 

6th year Pet party.  This one was a sleepover.  After all the girls were in pj's we secretly put a bag of stuffed animals all over the front yard.  I told the girls that all the animals had escaped!  They all ran out with flashlights to rescue every pet. 

7th year Spy Party. 

All the kids picked out spy names, had pics taken and badges made up.  They had a mystery to solve too.  Someone stole the birthday cake! 

8th year Science Party. 

We ordered all kinds of experiments from Science Bob and Steve Spangler.  This was one of my favorite parties. 

This cake caused me alot of grief as I ended up in tears making it.  LOL.  It was my first time working with Fondant.

9th year Rock Star Party. 

All girls in their best Rock outfits.  All kids put on karaoke performances in front of the crowd.. Including Ethan! 

This year we are looking into a Spa Theme.  My baby girl will be 10 next month.  Thankfully she is not ready to give up on my parties.  She says she will keep having them for as long as she can.

I am so happy! 

Ok, so I shared a bit of all parties.  Just couldn't help it!

How I make Yogurt

There are lots of sites online that will show you how to make crockpot yogurt.  I decided to change it up a bit by putting the crockpot on high for an hour vs having it on low for hours waiting for the right temp.  I decided since I have gotten alot of requests, that I would post a video.  I prefer to use plain greek yogurt as a starter.  You can also save 1/2 cup of your yogurt to use as a starter for the next batch. 

Please excuse the mess in this video.  Of course during editing I noticed someone left Ramen on the counter and the outside of the crock could use a bit of cleaning.  sigh. 

Photo & Prompt Challenge: Day 7

Day 7 - Something you use every day.

1. Magic Bullet
We seriously use this every single morning for our smoothies.  I am a bit worried that we will kill it soon.  It has held up a long time so far. 

2. My laptop
I never, ever go a day without getting on my laptop.  Is that sad or what? 

3. My cell phone. 
This is another way for me to connect with the outside world.  I never go anywhere without it.  With my cell I can connect with my son, my parents and one of my closest friends.  I have also been using the task list on here as well as my calendar.  Really nice to have everything in one place. 

Photo & Prompt Challenge: Day 6

Day 6 - My favorite memory.

I am sick today. As I lay here trying to think of my favorite memory, my brain hurts. I may have to give this a moment.

Thee are really a lot of memories floating around. The day I met my husband. A surprise birthday party. Times spent with family or friends. My children doing funny things. There are just too many.

One memory I have as a child is my dad bringing me to my mom's workplace. I remember his big hand holding my small one.

I remember the steps being so huge and seemed to take forever to climb. When we finally reached the top of the winding stairs, there was a room full of tall ladies and sitting at tables with sewing machines. They were all looking at me with big smiles. Everyone was talking to me and I didn't want to talk back. The were kinda scary to me. I finally saw my mom among those faces.

This memory feels like a dream. However when I shared this with my mom she told me when I was 2 years old, my dad got me all dressed and made my hair pretty. He took me to see my mom at her workplace. She was a seamstress. This is my earliest memory.

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Photo & Prompt Challenge: Day 5

Day 5 - Your Day

Monday is always a tough day since the weekend gets messy.  I generally focus on cleaning and Annaleah does light school work.  Today will be a little different as we are all heading out to see my Granddaughter Meadow this afternoon.  We are very excited. 

As usual I start my day at 6am.

I started my homemade yogurt in the crock pot first.  Then it was time to make smoothies for all. 

After the usual morning routine (dishes and general pick up) I got to work planning our meal for the trip to Meadow's tonight.  We decided on Subway.  Since Angel has to go low sodium, I printed out the nutrition guide and highlighted the sodium section to help him make better choices. 

Between getting Anna to work on her chores, chatting with Angel and such I managed to restock our freezer with bananas for more smoothies during the week. 

Finally, Anna got started on her school work and took a shower.  I got to work on the spreadsheet for our food journal. 

For lunch I made an egg casserole.  This helps keep the sodium low for the day.

I finished up the yogurt and got it in the oven. I was shocked when I realized it was already 12:30 and Ethan was arriving. 
Anna went back to work on her Grammar Lessons and I went to scrub down the bathroom.    Seriously, I have no idea why since it will look exactly the same by tomorrow morning.. sigh.
After rushing around, trying to get everything packed and trying to get everyone out the door, we were finally on the road by 3pm. We stopped to pick up Subway Grinders for the trip.  Angel and I got a veggie grinder.  It was quite good.  I have never had a veggie grinder before.  Of course I still craved the buffalo chicken strips grinder that David ordered. 

Then we headed off to Meadow's!

We hung out and played with Meadow.

We did not realize they were going to order pizza.  whoops.  It was good. 

After about 2 hours, goodbyes were said and we headed off for a one and half hour drive home.  Sadly I did not get a good pic of Annaleah. 

Once we got home, Angel and I made some mung bean Sprout side-dish to refrigerate for tomorrow. 

Then we got Annaleah ready for bed.

I will be up for a bit longer.  I have to wait til 12:45ish to get the yogurt out of the crock and put it in some containers.  I will also put some in mini muffin tins and freeze for tomorrow smoothies. 
For now I guess I will look for an Asian Drama to watch while I am waiting. 

I am exhausted! 
Goodnight All!