I woke up this morning in such a good mood. Last night all the kids were here so I got to cook for my entire family. Dinner came out amazing, that's coming from everyone else, although I do have to say it was pretty freakin' awesome! I laid in bed for a bit listening to the Today show playing in the background, letting myself slowly wake up. When I got out of bed I still had a smile on my face until I walked out into the living room and saw the gray sky and wind blowing outside my window. AARRGGG it is spring damn it! I am done with the rain and gray skies and cold blustery days!!
Ok, before anyone can point out that I live in Western WA and should therefor be used to it and not complain. NO! No no no no! I refuse to get used to this. I love it here, it is beautiful, but I sure miss CA when the days run together at 50 degrees and rainy. So I will complain until my face falls off.
Anyway, then I thought about the fact that we are going to Vegas next week and jumped on the computer to check the forcast for then. Oh my Gawd!!! 80 degrees and no chance of rain the day we fly in, YES, there IS a God!!! The problem is I still have a week to wait! UGH! The little voice in my head is whining like a 5 year old "but I wanna go nowwwwwww!!" I would even be tempted to stomp my feet and hold my breath if I thought it would help.
So, take a deep breath, I know I must be adult about this. The time will pass and that is that right? Oh heck no! I think I will still throw my temper tantrum, at least it will pass some time right?!!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Happy St Pat's Everyone!!!
It feels like forever since I posted!! But I had to write, even if it was just a few lines. Today is one of my FAVORITE holiday's. Yes I am part Irish, but it is mostly due to the fact that it is a holiday that is designed specifically to party!! There is no awkward family dinner issues, no wondering if you bought the right gift stress, just plain old let's drink, dance, and have a good freakin' time!!
This is not just a feeling that I have. The torch has been passed down to the next generation. My daughter, as we speak, is decked out in green from head to toe. We even get the animals involved at my house!
Of course we have the corned beef and cabbage cooking away..
And last year my darling Jessi thought it would be funny to add green food coloring to everything in the refrigerator, including the egg beaters, so this was my version of green eggs and well salsa....
This is not just a feeling that I have. The torch has been passed down to the next generation. My daughter, as we speak, is decked out in green from head to toe. We even get the animals involved at my house!
It has been the same through the years. Here are a few blasts from the past
And last year my darling Jessi thought it would be funny to add green food coloring to everything in the refrigerator, including the egg beaters, so this was my version of green eggs and well salsa....
So my dear friends....May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire, laughter to cheer you, those you love
near you, and all your heart might desire.
HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY!!!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Gremlins???
My son and his girlfriend just got their own apartment. I am so happy for them because I know how exciting that first place that is "all your own" can be. They are just like anyone else, slowly getting things they need for the apartment, and not realizing how much stuff they DID need. Isn't that always the case? You don't need it unless you don't have it? At least in my world it is like that.
Kevin and I surprised them with groceries. We stocked them up on the stuff for PB&J's, quesadillas, eggs, milk, bacon, stuff we knew they would use and need right off the bat. We wanted to make the first few days there comfy for them and make it so they didn't have to run right out to the store.
Last night Seth stopped by to hang out before he went to work. I am learning that "I was just going to hang out before work" is code for "I am here to get a meal". They never grow up, but that's OK I love cooking for the people I love (side note if you haven't yet, check out my other blog bobbireneeandrachaelray.blogspot.com).
While he was here he asked if I had any extra utensils they could have. So today I picked them up a colander and decided I would take them to pick up a few things this weekend. When I got home from the store I had the brilliant idea to go through my "Tupperware" drawer and pick out some storage stuff for them so they would have a way to save leftovers. Now, this is a drawer I have been avoiding for quite some time. I think a little over a year ago Kevin and I went through it and got rid of all the lids and bowls that had no partners. At that time we both commented on how interesting it was that they came out of the cupboard with a lid and a purpose, they went into the dishwasher together after serving that purpose, and somewhere between the dishwasher and the cupboard they lost their way leaving their mate forever stranded in a sea of plastic with no hope of ever being whole again.
So I venture into the cupboard immediately greeted by the forsaken remnants from a once perfectly paired union. I begin to dig through the rubble hoping to find something to be salvaged. Eventually I ended up with several happily reunited duos. But the useless pieces of the once productive teams laid scattered across the counter. I thought to myself how does this happen? In just over a years time half of the storage containers lost its mate? It makes you want to put a camera in the cupboard just to see what in the heck is happening behind those closed doors! I will bet you if we did that we would find little gremlins wearing all of our lost socks!!
Kevin and I surprised them with groceries. We stocked them up on the stuff for PB&J's, quesadillas, eggs, milk, bacon, stuff we knew they would use and need right off the bat. We wanted to make the first few days there comfy for them and make it so they didn't have to run right out to the store.
Last night Seth stopped by to hang out before he went to work. I am learning that "I was just going to hang out before work" is code for "I am here to get a meal". They never grow up, but that's OK I love cooking for the people I love (side note if you haven't yet, check out my other blog bobbireneeandrachaelray.blogspot.com).
While he was here he asked if I had any extra utensils they could have. So today I picked them up a colander and decided I would take them to pick up a few things this weekend. When I got home from the store I had the brilliant idea to go through my "Tupperware" drawer and pick out some storage stuff for them so they would have a way to save leftovers. Now, this is a drawer I have been avoiding for quite some time. I think a little over a year ago Kevin and I went through it and got rid of all the lids and bowls that had no partners. At that time we both commented on how interesting it was that they came out of the cupboard with a lid and a purpose, they went into the dishwasher together after serving that purpose, and somewhere between the dishwasher and the cupboard they lost their way leaving their mate forever stranded in a sea of plastic with no hope of ever being whole again.
So I venture into the cupboard immediately greeted by the forsaken remnants from a once perfectly paired union. I begin to dig through the rubble hoping to find something to be salvaged. Eventually I ended up with several happily reunited duos. But the useless pieces of the once productive teams laid scattered across the counter. I thought to myself how does this happen? In just over a years time half of the storage containers lost its mate? It makes you want to put a camera in the cupboard just to see what in the heck is happening behind those closed doors! I will bet you if we did that we would find little gremlins wearing all of our lost socks!!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Chest-less in Seattle
Waking up from surgery on January 21st was an experience. I of course don't remember much since they kept me pretty drugged up (thank God), but I do remember thinking I should feel a lot different and I didn't. I attributed it to the drugs and the fact that I had yet to see myself without a shirt on, but was surprised by the feeling, or lack thereof, about my "modified" body.
Once I was home I waited until I was alone and as I stood nervously in front of my bathroom mirror and raised my pajama top. Then it hit me! WOW ummm "Ok" I thought "so I am more aerodynamic" or "Hey think of the money I could save in lingerie!". I tried very hard to find what positive I could in the situation, but it was hard. I felt myself about to cry and then a little voice in my head yelled "SNAP OUT OF IT!!! I mean REALLY suck it up chick you are alive and well with no need for chemo OR radiation. Plenty of women with breast cancer would be HAPPY to be in your situation!". As I stood there reeling a bit from the verbal abuse I was dishing out on myself, I realized it was correct. I was DAMNED LUCKY to be in the place I was! I found out I had cancer by a fluke. I wouldn't have gotten a mammogram until I was 50 thanks to what has been suggested in the media. I went for my annual exam and had a cyst. I knew it was a cyst, but to make my Gyn happy I agreed to a mammogram. That was right around Thanksgiving (appropriate don't you think?) and within 2 months my cancer was found and removed. No lymph nodes had to be removed, no further treatment necessary. At that point I began to feel like a bit of a schmuck. I mean it wasn't like they removed a leg or an arm. I don't need boobs to function. "Get over yourself" I thought.
Then of course there were the people that meant well..."Well think of the perky ones you are going to have"! To be honest that kind of bothered me at first but once I stopped wallowing in self pity and realized that they were right, this was not a permanent situation. I began to relax a bit.
Then we began the "expanding" part of the program. For those that don't know what that means...well when they removed what God gave me they put in what they call tissue expanders. They are little torture devices that feel like you have turtle shells under your skin. Seriously they are kind of a tear drop shaped rubber bottomed thing that resembles a deflated implant attached to a tire. When they began "expanding" that means every week you go in and they insert a needle into the expander and "fill 'er up" with about 50 to 100 cc's of saline. This stretches the muscle and, if you have the same surgery I did, the AlloDerm ( I will explain what AlloDerm is in a bit). The expansion process doesn't really hurt and I laugh when I go in for the procedure because I feel like a flat tire that they keep trying to fill up and just don't get the right amount of pressure. I know, I am weird, no need to remind me. But it gives your body the time to slowly adapt to the eventual implant. It also gives you the opportunity to "shop" for what size you would like your post operative bod to have. There is perky 18 year old, I would like to be a stripper, and OMG THEY ARE MOVING TOWARD US!!
Ah, AlloDerm, this was one of the things they explained to me before the surgery that kinda made me go "uummm eewwwww". On the AlloDerm website they call it "AlloDerm Regenerative Tissue Matrix". OK, that sounds cool. It says "AlloDerm is produced through a unique non-damaging process that allows the body to mount its own tissue regeneration process". Again, sounds Ok right? But then you read a little closer, "donated human skin tissue is supplied......Do what? Ya that is exactly what I asked and was informed that donated human skin tissue is from people who sign their handy dandy little donor card. Yup, it is cadaver skin folks. Now maybe that doesn't give you pause to think but it sure did me! Again my little voice told me to snap out of it. She really is a bossy little bitch! But unfortunantly she is smart too. She reminded me that this is really no different than a donated liver or kidney. The only difference is the word cadaver is never used when speaking of those types of transplants. Ok, ok so again I feel like a huge baby.
So now I am about 5 weeks out from the demolition and hopefully about 6 weeks away from the Grand Re-opening. Wish me luck!!! Oh and I am shooting for perky 18 year old, healthy, but perky.
Once I was home I waited until I was alone and as I stood nervously in front of my bathroom mirror and raised my pajama top. Then it hit me! WOW ummm "Ok" I thought "so I am more aerodynamic" or "Hey think of the money I could save in lingerie!". I tried very hard to find what positive I could in the situation, but it was hard. I felt myself about to cry and then a little voice in my head yelled "SNAP OUT OF IT!!! I mean REALLY suck it up chick you are alive and well with no need for chemo OR radiation. Plenty of women with breast cancer would be HAPPY to be in your situation!". As I stood there reeling a bit from the verbal abuse I was dishing out on myself, I realized it was correct. I was DAMNED LUCKY to be in the place I was! I found out I had cancer by a fluke. I wouldn't have gotten a mammogram until I was 50 thanks to what has been suggested in the media. I went for my annual exam and had a cyst. I knew it was a cyst, but to make my Gyn happy I agreed to a mammogram. That was right around Thanksgiving (appropriate don't you think?) and within 2 months my cancer was found and removed. No lymph nodes had to be removed, no further treatment necessary. At that point I began to feel like a bit of a schmuck. I mean it wasn't like they removed a leg or an arm. I don't need boobs to function. "Get over yourself" I thought.
Then of course there were the people that meant well..."Well think of the perky ones you are going to have"! To be honest that kind of bothered me at first but once I stopped wallowing in self pity and realized that they were right, this was not a permanent situation. I began to relax a bit.
Then we began the "expanding" part of the program. For those that don't know what that means...well when they removed what God gave me they put in what they call tissue expanders. They are little torture devices that feel like you have turtle shells under your skin. Seriously they are kind of a tear drop shaped rubber bottomed thing that resembles a deflated implant attached to a tire. When they began "expanding" that means every week you go in and they insert a needle into the expander and "fill 'er up" with about 50 to 100 cc's of saline. This stretches the muscle and, if you have the same surgery I did, the AlloDerm ( I will explain what AlloDerm is in a bit). The expansion process doesn't really hurt and I laugh when I go in for the procedure because I feel like a flat tire that they keep trying to fill up and just don't get the right amount of pressure. I know, I am weird, no need to remind me. But it gives your body the time to slowly adapt to the eventual implant. It also gives you the opportunity to "shop" for what size you would like your post operative bod to have. There is perky 18 year old, I would like to be a stripper, and OMG THEY ARE MOVING TOWARD US!!
Ah, AlloDerm, this was one of the things they explained to me before the surgery that kinda made me go "uummm eewwwww". On the AlloDerm website they call it "AlloDerm Regenerative Tissue Matrix". OK, that sounds cool. It says "AlloDerm is produced through a unique non-damaging process that allows the body to mount its own tissue regeneration process". Again, sounds Ok right? But then you read a little closer, "donated human skin tissue is supplied......Do what? Ya that is exactly what I asked and was informed that donated human skin tissue is from people who sign their handy dandy little donor card. Yup, it is cadaver skin folks. Now maybe that doesn't give you pause to think but it sure did me! Again my little voice told me to snap out of it. She really is a bossy little bitch! But unfortunantly she is smart too. She reminded me that this is really no different than a donated liver or kidney. The only difference is the word cadaver is never used when speaking of those types of transplants. Ok, ok so again I feel like a huge baby.
So now I am about 5 weeks out from the demolition and hopefully about 6 weeks away from the Grand Re-opening. Wish me luck!!! Oh and I am shooting for perky 18 year old, healthy, but perky.
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