Week In The Life: Tuesday

tuesday was a full day and i found it more difficult to narrow down the photos. i've been trying to take photos that tell stories i've been wanting to get down in my scrapbooks or here on the blog, but didn't previously have photographic evidence to correspond.

anywho.

...noticing::
how irritated and annoyed i get about things that i can't control. i think it will be a continual process of daily reminders to myself to just let it go. one such thing that's such an annoyance more often than not is trying to pull open these little capsules of spidergirl's medicine to sprinkle into pudding so she can ingest it every morning. 75% of the time those little boogers don't want to come apart. drives me insane. doug doesn't even bother trying (i handle the morning meds and he's in charge of the evening). he just pinches one end and rips it off, but whenever i try to do that the little beads of medicine go flying all over the counter and floor. grrr.

...watching::
nearly every morning the girls are watching iCarly or Victorious right before we leave. doesn't make any difference if they've seen the episode 287 times before, they still laugh at everything like it was just the first time they've seen it.

...stalling::
her favorite method of stalling is to stretch.

...relaxing::
i've finally realized, after 9 1/2 years, that trying to keep a house clean while kids are running amuck is for the birds. i've become much more relaxed about things being strewn across the floor or piled in the corner. but i could probably loosen up even more. clutter and mess bother me. except when they are my own messes, of course. *ahem*

...forgetting::
i dropped the kids off at daycare this morning and thought to myself "hot dog, i can finally go pick myself out a pair of frames and get my glasses ordered!" i was beyond stoked considering i've been without my glasses since the beginning of july. that excitement quickly turned to disappointment when i pulled up and noticed the sign on the door saying they didn't open until 10am. it was 9:28. this busy mom does not have time in the schedule to sit and wait for 30 minutes. that's when i realized.......crud! i had a 930ish appointment at the dealership for an oil change. ruh-roh. good thing it was only 10 minutes away.

...hating::
that said oil change took 2 hours. what a bummer. not worth using a $23 credit in rewards money for a $35 oil change if you have to waste 2 hours waiting. grrrrrrrr.

...loving::
that the girls arrived to daycare to a surprise. instead of the typical 2 hours they each would have at separate times with their individual group visiting the waterpark, plans were changed for the whole school-age group to go together all day long with pizza for lunch too. oh, and we can't forget how much i love texting. heh. i really do love it especially since i can talk to my husband through text throughout the day. even though he makes fun of me for texting with my index fingers instead of my thumbs.

...attempting::
to learn more about how to make my camera produce the results i want. i was beyond giddy to read this tutorial on how to get sunflare in your photos. a technique that previously eluded me. i had a brief 5 spare minutes with 5 photos left on the memory card to play with the light beaming through spidergirl's bedroom curtains and i'm so glad i took the time to experiment. *happy sigh* it really is all about the little things.

...rediscovering::
bath tints. oh how they love mixing the colors. spidergirl thought it would be hysterical to put on in the tank of the commode so that next time it was flushed the water would be colorful. the simplest things excite her.

...appreciating::
that the mister cooks dinner. how lucky am i? not that i don't love to cook, because i do, but so does he. he cooks, i clean up the mess. trust me, he has the easy part (he's a messy cook).

...loving::
the simple ways that he makes life exciting for the kids. he's good at making things up on the fly. for example: if you find a double oyster cracker than you get to make a wish. but this isn't your typical secret wish. this wish has to be announced and everyone else in the room needs to repeat the wish or it won't have a chance of coming true. both girls found one. ashlyn wished that no one in the house would be sick and have to take medicine ever again. spidergirl wished for a dog. these seem to be the things they wish for over and over and over again.

...giggling::
at the fact that spidergirl still calls oyster crackers "easter crackers". it's so freakin' adorable.

...laughing:: (favorite memory of the day!)
spidergirl was all sorts of confused after learning that today is only tuesday. it was so freakin' hysterical--here's why. we were sitting at the table eating dinner and all the sudden she started getting panic in her voice because they have plans with a friend wednesday night. she thought she missed it. ashlyn calmly explained that it was only tuesday and spidergirl said "no it isn't!" very matter of factly. then after some bickering (so much for the calm) she said "yes, huh. i know because my underwear say so." we all lost it. apparently i should pay more attention to what day of the week it is when i help her get dressed in the morning. LOLOLOL.

...wishing::
that we didn't have so many unexpected expenses come up over the last few years. every time we go to do finish work on our kitchen something else comes up. i mean, i've seriously been living without doors on our cabinets for ummmm, 2 years, i think. that's 23 months toooo long. not just these cabinets, mind you. every single cabinet in my kitchen. can you imagine how visually overwhelming that is? every time i reach up to grab a new pack of paper towels, two or three of these cans start tumbling out of the cabinet and attacking me. not so sure that would change much with doors hung up, but at least it wouldn't be such an eyesore. quite fitting that i have that nice big "keep calm and carry on" poster hanging in the kitchen, eh?

edited to add...
...reading::
the chalkboard in the hallway that we haven't been able to erase by orders of ashlyn, is an acrostic poem of her name that says:
Awesome
Spells supercalifragilisticexpialicodious
Hotness is insane just like mommy
Lookin' hot like mom everyday
Young young young. That's 3 words that explain me
Nice brain like mama! LOL :) (I got straight A's again)

gosh, i love that kid.

Week In The Life 2011: Monday

it wasn't until Monday afternoon during a quick check up status updates on Facebook that i realized *this* was the week for joining Ali Edwards in documenting a Week In The Life.

i kinda panicked because i've played along with this documentation process of hers for the last two rounds (Oct 2008, April 2010) and i was excited about getting to document once again, BUT, with all the extra appointments and assignments i just forgot it was starting. OY.

a quick email session with my sweet friend sherry was all it took to convince me to jump in anyway.

so these photos are a mix of snaps from sunday and monday. i didn't really miss much of anything during our monday routine that couldn't be made up for during every other day of the week.

just roll with it. that's been my motto lately. :)

anywho.

...noticing::
this morning was just me and spidergirl for a while. ashlyn was invited to go to the drive-in movies with her best friend and then sleep over. spidergirl was lost without her ashie. every few minutes she begged "can we go get ashie now?" they bicker like the best of them, but they sure do miss each other when they're apart.

ashlyn fell apart when i picked her up and cried for the next hour. it surprised me because we haven't had to deal with too many of her sensory meltdowns this summer---or headaches. (yay for medicine that works!)

the meltdown shocked me a bit since i felt like we were making huge strides with the sensory progress.

i thought perhaps she was just tired, but really i know it's because she hates going to daycare. she changed the screen saver on the computer to say "i hate (name of daycare witheld)"she's easily bored and needs more focused activities that make her think, rather than just coloring or playing games all day. when i suggest that she take her own activities to do in her bookbag she get's frustrated and overwhelmed. it breaks my heart that she is so unhappy when i drop her off. they say she adjusts within a few minutes though.

...attempting::
to get every single dose of medicine in the kids without missing a dose. we do remarkably well, but we're human and still miss every now and again. in fact, ashlyn missed her evening medicine for the first time ever, so i'm anxious to see much the missed dose affects her.

...creating::
another version of a project i finished last week and loved so much i felt i needed another, like, STAT. :)

...watching::
the Bachelorette in doug's 'mancave' is what we do on monday nights. just the three of us after spidergirl is in bed. occassionally she makes her way down after waking up from a 'nightmare' and falls back asleep on the floor before we carry her back up to bed.

...overhearing::
a conversation between doug and ashlyn after seeing a commercial asking viewers to call or email if they are interested in being or dating the next bachelor/bachelorette.
d: would you date the next bachelor.
a: no. (very straightforward & matter of factly)
d: what if it was (name of classmate withheld)?
a: um, no.
d: what if it was (name withheld)?
a: nooooo. *giggle.giggle.with face turning red*

:) i'm sure it's only cute to me since i know the people and saw the reactions. i love that she's not into boys yet.

...appreciating::
i love being able to step outside my backdoor and pick my own grape and roma tomatos. :) and i love neighbors who love to share their garden's bounty. "just go grab you one." he says. then doug walks back with a 15lb head of cabbage and says it was the small one. this is the same neighbor who will mow our grass with his riding lawnmower if he sees it needs it, but never points out that he did it. but we know it was him.

...experiencing::
the delectable & delicious smell of homemade cinnabons baking in the oven for doug to take to work.

...finding::
perler bead projects in progress on every empty surface lately. ashlyn is quite proud of her custom "i heart 2 fart" creation and thinks it's hysterical. i think we need to work on being lady-like. ha.

...loving::
the fact that i can always find a way to squeeze out four extras from the batch so we can each have one fresh from the over smothered with homemade cream cheese frosting.
over the weekend, i got pictures of my container garden, tomatoes, perler bead
creations, photobooth strips from the family wedding, our neighbor bringing us a
15 pound head of cabbage, my kitchen table filled with Fiskars projects....etc.

...laughing::
with spidergirl as she tried to wig me out with a rattlesake egg prank. she's got the best laugh ever. :)

...procrastinating::
on digging through the piles and piles of paperwork needing my attention. other things have needed my attention more, but this week is the time to start dwindling them down.

and that about wraps up my thoughts on monday.

sooooo, i'm back! :)

(ashlyn standing in the fountains in the downtown Columbus splash park on the Scioto Mile)

...listening to David Cook's This Loud Morning on repeat that was so generously gifted to me by a friend.
...working in a studio that is a total and utter chaos. um, okay, maybe more like a beautiful mess. i think that means i have to show you pictures tomorrow. it's bad.
...thinking how very thankful i am that i have a small lull in deadlines so i can catch my breath. even though that small lull is only a few days.
...enjoying watching spidergirl get excited about faking people out with her newly acquired 'rattlesnake eggs'.
...loving Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear nailpolish in 'Blew Me Away' that's currently on my toes. :) (get it at walgreens for $2.50)
...appreciating having a husband that is completely hands-on when it comes to helping around the house and with the kids.
...remembering that we have an upcoming orthodontics consult for ashlyn next week.
...thinking how very awesome it is to be able to partipate in another round of Week In the Life via the inspiration of Ali Edwards.
...hearing ashlyn crying yesterday morning over having to go to daycare just broke my heart. i hate that she hates it so much, but i don't have the option of keeping her home right now.
...smiling just knowing that soon we'll be away from the daily grind and on our first family vacation since spidergirl was 6 months old.
...wondering just how well ashlyn will do visiting the beach now that she's old enough to verbalize her fears.
...laughing, still, about spidergirl running to the fridge over the weekend to get a cheese stick, then wildly proclaiming "i looooooooove cheese. i live on cheese!" with evil laughter that followed. it was hysterical.
...wishing that our family vacation was starting tomorrow. i'm so ready. we're all so ready.

...holding the time i got to spend surrounded by my mom's family this past weekend close to my heart. it's the first time in a loooong time that we've all been in the same place for a happy occassion instead of a sad one. (my cousin got married friday)
...feeling a wee bit under the weather with the medicine i've been taking for the rheumatoid arthritis. just nauseated all the time.
...wanting to finally purchase a 50mm lens for my camera. i've been wanting one for 4 years, but the budget keeps getting diverted to other things, namely, medical expenses. for my birthday perhaps? i mean, it's only 5 days away. :)

anyone else participating in 'Week In The Life'? i'll start posting my photos for monday tomorrow. :)

all because of him....

...i'm keeping my sanity. i love us. and him. and i'm so ready to go on vacation with just our little family. it can't come soon enough.

i have lots more to share, but not enough time to share it--just yet. but i wanted to pop in and say thank you for all your love and prayers. your comments lift me up and encourage me.

i'll be back to blogging regularly soon.

in the meantime, spidergirl would appreciate prayers that her allergies would stay in check this weekend. she currently looks like she's been sucker punched in both eyes from the swelling. thankfully she's not wheezing.

perfecting grace...

you know by now that i have two daughters......both with chronic issues. the oldest of the two, my beautiful ashlyn, is 9, and my sweet baby, spidergirl (emma), is 6.

a brief background for those who haven't been around here:
ashlyn has: sensory integration dysfunction, pediatric migraine (anxiety/sensory related), enlarged adenoids, and Morphea

emma has: 4 previous surgeries (ear tubes, adenoids, tonsils & adenoid revision, second set of tubes), severe environmental allergies causing allergic reactive asthma, weekly immunotherapy injections for said allergies, and severe acid reflux.

so, now that brings me to why i haven't been around this little space i have here on the net except to share scrapbooking projects. it's because we've literally been at the doctor every weekday for the last two weeks except for one day---my head is still spinning from it all.

silly as it sounds, i regain clarity of thought one keystroke at a time by turning to writing as a means to decompress. so, here we go.....

we've been seeing specialists right at Children's hospital for a better look into why some issues are unresolved even after long-term treatments and to gather a second opinion on others because not everyone we were seeing before were docs who were specifically pediatric doctors.

i had a nagging feeling that we needed a second opinion for ashlyn's Morphea and an unrelated surgery to remove her adenoids that the Ear, Nose, Throat doctor was recommending. surgery just because they are large? i wasn't buying it.

two fridays ago was one such visit for a second opinion--we saw rheumatology for ashlyn. we saw rheumatology for a few reason....one being that she's been complaining about knee/leg stiffness after sitting, and two she's been on oral chemo for 15 months now with no improvements really.

i walked in with the confidence that they'd just confirm the diagnosis, confirm that we were doing the right thing, and we'd be on our way with some peace of mind.

instead, we left there--3 1/2 hours later--with the knowledge that over half of the area we've always been told (by her dermatologist) was Morphea is actually looking/acting more like Linear Scleroderma because it's more than skin deep and affecting her ligaments/muscle.

she has both diseases in the same area.

linear scleroderma is not what i wanted to hear. so now what?

they will also follow the depth that the disease has affected via ultrasound in the coming year as well as take measurements to make sure it isn't shortening the length of her affected leg.

they suggest that she isn't being treated aggressively enough with oral Methotrexate and want her to do a 2-3 hour infusion Methotrexate (chemotherapy) once a week for 8 weeks at the hospital, then go to injectable Methotrexate. :(

but remember....she also needs to have her adenoids removed so we can't start infusions until after surgery/recovery sometime in August. which puts treatment into the school season and the beginning of sick season.......and at this point my mind is reeling with all the 'what ifs'.

i'd be lying to say that i'm not freaking out about hooking my child up to chemo infusions.

i left that appointment feeling numb. that's a lot of information to digest after a weeks worth of other appointments....and after going in with the confidence that i did.

and hello? this wasn't a private conversation behind closed doors....this was all discussed right in front of her. she fell apart.

the monday after we had the second opinion about the adenoids and the response was a resounding 'yes it needs done' and a turbinate reduction. she fell apart all over again.

the week prior to all this we were at the Children's hospital (we pretty much live there lately) to see a GI specialist for emma for persistent severe reflux (diagnosed by barium swallow) even after being on an adult dose of medications. they are suspecting esinophilic esophagitis which will be confirmed by endoscopy and biopsies of her esophagus, stomach and small intestine under general anethesia--as soon as i schedule it.

we were at the ENT this past wednesday for emma too, because she's had a hoarse voice for 2 months solid again--most times she has no voice at all by the end of the day. the doctor attempted to place a camera up her nose to view her vocal cords to see how much inflammation and erosion there is from the reflux but she was too upset.

so this coming friday we get to see a voice/swallow specialist at the Ohio State University Medical Hospital.

and if that wasn't/isn't enough, we landed ourselves with with a 3 hour visit to cardiology last friday--you guessed it, at children's hospital--because she's had a murmur since birth and has had a handful of pounding/racing heartbeats. the pediatrician thought it needed checked. even though her heart audibly sounded fine to the doctor, her EKG is abnormal showing some issues with the right side of her heart. thankfully an echocardiogram of her heart that day didn't match up with the EKG. :)

we left there with a recording device to capture her heart rhythm any time it happens over the next 30 days. we can handle that.

and in the middle of all that chaos, i had a followup bloodwork after starting methotrexate myself for rheumatoid arthritis. at the visit i was bumped up to a higher dose, got more bloodwork, then the next day got a call saying don't bump up because my liver enzymes are elevated.

*sigh*

i'd like to think that i'm learning more and more with each appointment to let go and trust God with the outcome of these situations. the awesome thing about medical care is that we have the ability to say NO--but also at the complete risk of being detrimental to their health.

we're making hard decisions over here as God perfects His image of grace through us.

and i can now say with confidence, that He had a definite purpose for me being enrolled in a Nursing program years ago. without a doubt it's so i could be educated enough in the medical field to be a strong advocate for my children as we deal with these special medical needs.

unexpected detours. i'm convinced they are always blessings in disguise.

and now.......my brain can officially move onto documenting the more fun things we've been up to in july. as soon as i edit the photos. it feels good to be back into the routine of blogging.

i've missed it.

Video & Tutorial: Little Yellow Bicycle Sweet Summertime

hello sweet friends! thank you for checking in here even though i haven't been able to find time in my schedule to blog daily. i'll find my new normal soon and get in the groove again.

here's a little something i put together recently for Little Yellow Bicycle with the Sweet Summertime collection that might tickle your fancy.

it's a super simple layout that looks way more complicated than it really is. the layout was constructed using envelopes from the envelope album kit, along with the yellow '10 things i love about summer' pocket. i added in some chipboard, stickers, and a small amount of ribbon.

i promise you this layout pretty much makes itself. :)

the envelope album kit comes with adorable printed journaling cards that slide right down inside that you can use as is, or embellish them even further. you can also use them as a template to trace around photos to cut them to the appropriate shape & size.

i think this is the perfect "summer memories" or "summer wrap-up" layout that makes it easy to involve the whole family in your memory keeping.

just dole out the journal strips that come with the '10 things i love about summer' pocket, hand them a pen or marker and in no time you'll have memories captured forever. :) i love how easy it is.

i just had to include the fireflies on one of the envelopes. spidergirl is currently obsessed with wanting to catch them, but she's easily sidetracked.

the video shows how to make a sweet little watermelon journaling card that can be tucked into the envelopes, but blogger is being a booger and keeps rotating my image. so you'll just have to watch the video &/or download the instructions to see it. my apologies.

for step by step layout instructions you can click this link: Download 10 Things I Love about Summer Layout.

and watch the video right here. :)

the steps in the video can be followed with basic supplies if you can't find the Sweet Summertime collection. ENJOY!

FISKARS: Crafting with Kids: Paper Garlands

today i have a new article up over at Fiskars showing you a few ideas on how to put your kids to work and your punches to use during those sweltering hot summer days when it's too miserable to be outside.

clicking this link will take you right on over...
Article: Crafting with Kids: Paper Garlands

we have a winner!

plugging the number of comments into random.org, we find that our winner of the Fiskars goodies is.......................

Kelly Massman said...

i love fiskars!
:-)
7/06/2011 03:43:00 PM

CONGRATULATIONS Kelly! please email me using that link under my photo over there to the right and give me your mailing address and i'll get those out to you.

gosh, i love summertime. i have a boatload of photos to share with you in the coming week. it's been a weekend full of celebrating family and fun, swimming and bubbles, and exploring a new attraction in our city. *happy sigh*

now if you'll excuse me, we're heading out to become even more waterlogged than we already are. :)

Create: For the Home & and ETSY update!

i recently had the thrill of having an altered clock published in the current issue of Create: For the Home and have been waiting patiently to share with you. :)
the clock was non-functioning when i found it sitting on the shelf of my local thrift store---already painted that lovely neutral taupe color with gold-leafing on the edges. i scored it for a whopping $1.91 and made it my goal to make the gold-leafing look like it was meant to be rather than sanding it down and giving it a new paint job.
i must say, i'm pretty pleased with how well the Twig products from Little Yellow Bicycle allowed the gold to blend right in. i carefully selected some antique-gold embellishments from Karen Foster Design to pull it all together.

i used a nice coating of mod-podge on all the paper and sticker embellishments to ensure that this would be a decor item that could take the beating of being shipped through the postal service. i was delighted to unwrap it and see that it held up without incident. :)

if you have your own copy, you can find the project and instructions on page 61.

i'm still debating on whether to put it in my etsy shop-----which i'm thrilled to say is no longer empty! YAY!
i just finished loading *almost* all the cards you've seen on the blog here in the last several months. i still have a small handful to list, along with an overflowing pile of handmade yo-yo embellishments.

my goal is to have those in the shop by next weekend. *fingers crossed*

ps......don't forget about the Fiskars giveaway two posts down. entries close Saturday evening at 11:59PM Eastern.

it's the 7th of july and i still haven't recovered...

i'm not sure if it's because the holiday was on a monday, so there were extra days to celebrate, or if i'm just getting old---but i'm draggin' bottom today. i'd like to think it was the former rather than the latter. or maybe i'm just falling victim to the new medicine. but, at least looking through the (hundreds of) holiday photos i took is making me smile.


it was definitely a full weekend with all the festivities we enjoyed between saturday and monday's schedules, but in some strange way it felt so much more relaxed than past holidays.

well, except for the visceral response my body has when sparklers are being handled. i'm SO not a fan of the fiery things after each of my kids getting minor burns from them in the past, but they still find them irresistible. i suppose after 2 years of avoiding them completely, it was time to let my guard down and allow them to enjoy a few of them.


it's amazing how much joy a sparkler & glowstick can bring to the face of a child. oh to be a kid again.


this family photo might well be my favorite photo we've ever taken, the four of us. everyone looking at the camera....and all of us smiling. it's a miracle because that rarely happens.

this is the first year we didn't go to Red, White & Boom downtown. i was sad most of the day because our decision not to go was based mainly on my inability to walk far distances at times & the air quality alert that would have flared spidergirl's asthma up even moreso than it already is--both things beyond my control. but, i'm also glad we stayed home, out of the heat, away from the crowds, in the comfort of our pjs and enjoyed watching them in HD on the television. oh technology, how i love you.


instead we enjoyed spending the entire weekend with family at our local hometown parade and fireworks celebration saturday, swimming and cooking out monday afternoon, and another fireworks show monday evening.


during monday's fireworks seeing our family gathered together all enjoying the same activity, i got an overwhelming feeling of contentedness for the first time in a long time, then looked up to see the smoke coming off the fireworks in the shape of pink hearts. it's like God knew, i needed that little reminder.

ashlyn flashed me a knowing glance and i knew she had seen it too. i'm so glad my finger was fast enough to capture it on film. *happy sigh*

i have gobs more photos i could share, but my eyes need a rest from all the computer work i'm trying to do without my glasses that got stepped on and snapped in half at the parade saturday morning. :( hoping to have some sassy new specs soon. yay.

ps....don't forget about the Fiskars giveaway in the post below. :)

FISKARS: Crafting with Kids: Family Tree Wall Art Tutorial

for kids, summertime is full of sunshine, flipflops, blowing bubbles, riding bikes, catching fireflies, icy popcicles, flying kits, splashing in the pool and the like.

summertime is also the time when many families get together for their annual family reunions.

so, here's little family friendly craft to keep you and your children creating together on those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad (weather) summertime days. :)


Fiskars tools not only make this project super simple, but also very do-able...and you can toss in a little pre-reunion name memorization for the kids along the way. it's also a great activity to help kids learn about how generations are related if you do a tradition family tree.

be sure to check out full project details with more photos on the Fiskars website.

yeppers, it's my very first official Fiskars project! :)

that calls for a celebration, don'tcha think!?

Fiskars has been ever so generous and given me an extra set of the following tools to give away to one person to assist you in making your own family tree project! how awesome, right?

THE DETAILS:
1. leave me a comment here so i know you're interested in winning and tell me: "what do you look most forward to at your family's upcoming reunion (or just say "i love Fiskars" if you don't have a family reunion)."

2. comments will remain open until 11:59PM EST on Saturday, July 9, 2011.

3. winner will be chosen via random.org and announced here on my blog Sunday, July 10, 2011.

4. winner will recieve a package with 4 Fiskars punches (retail value over $60) shown here:

Leafin' Around Squeeze Punch Large (Special Edition) - $14.50

Leaves Border Punch (Special Edition) - $15.00

Seal of Approval Squeeze Punch - Large - $15.95

Tree X-Large Lever Punch - $14.99

ready, set, goooooooo comment! wishing you good luck! :)