Catch Up Fridays

(Cathy) What a beautiful week! I hope everyone had a chance to be outside to enjoy it. I know we are in for cooler temperatures next week, but that is OK. I hope we get some rain. The water tables need to be topped up due to lack of snow. Welcome back Carolin! I hope you all had a great time! (Sunshine) I agree Cathy, what gorgeous weather.


Arm update: I can now, at times, lift my arm almost to my shoulder. However, only once, but once is better than before. Doctor update on Monday.Garden update: my daffodils and crocuses are in bloom. My tomato and parsley seedlings are looking good. I was going to go to Canada Blooms today with my mother, but she is sick with the flu or cold or allergies or sinus infection, (they all seem the same). She is starting to feel better, however, walking around for a couple of hours in a stuffy building will probably not feel great. Next year. I hope that your mom feels better really soon.

I still cannot sleep. I found a meditation podcast which is supposed to help. I am trying it and will let you know. It's a relaxation program where you take nice long easy breaths while picturing yourself sinking deeper into the bed. Then, while continuing to breath you picture the colour red. Continuing to breath and relax deeper into the bed you start to picture the colour orange and so forth down through the colour spectrum; ie: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. I have tried it twice and can honestly say that by the time I reach violet I conk out. Power of suggestion? I don't know, but if it helps me to sleep then alright. Alcohol also works wonders. A couple of my chalice size glass' of wine and you will be a sleep in know time Carolin, only one sentence, are you jet lagged? Cathy, that sounds so weird, but right up your alley but if it works then that's great. I am waiting for the day that you tell us that you are back to your old self. Its been too long and I know that you must be frustrated.

Welcome back Carline.

Update on my old job, apparently one of the girls was fired on Thursday. Allegedly the phone rang and the manager told her to go and pick it up because it was for her. The owner was on the line and told her to pack up her stuff and leave immediately as the meanager no longer wants her there. The girl asked if she could give her side of the story and he said no, just leave now and don't come back, I feel really bad for her as she was the same girl who was transferred to this cafeteria because the manager at her last cafeteria was throwing things at her and swearing at her. I am so happy not to be working for this crazy company any more.

Have a great week everyone.

Catch Up Fridays

(Cathy) Hi all! I hope everyone is having a great March Break! Carolin has been busy! Thanks for the posting of your first mammogram. I have yet to have the pleasure. My doctor said it would happen when I turn 50, (gag!). I think it would be a moot point anyway as I have no breasts to speak of. What little I had disappeared with the five pounds I have lost since my skiing accident. Why could I not loose the weight from around my waist instead? As for my arm, I have a bit more mobility, but more pain? I see the doctor again in a week. He must be sick and tired of seeing me. I know that I am tired of the constant doctor visits but they are necessary so I will just shut up know and concentrate on healing. (Sunshine) Cathy, it must be so frustrating and your patience must be wearing thin but you are doing a great job. Carolin, thanks for the mammogram story, it is something that every woman worries about.
Carolin, how did you find your new love??? I went on the site and what a lot of information! What new things have you done from it this week?


Are you ready for your vacation? Tell your Teenager who is no longer a Teenager that she is welcome to come over for dinner any night. She is to call, no matter what time, if she needs something! We got home from our vacation early Sunday morning. It was an amazing trip to Los Cabos in Mexico. The weather was beautiful but not too hot and the scenery was gorgeous. I miss it already. We drove around and saw anything that was within two hours or so from the resort and I have to say that everyone was wonderful.


My sister and brother in law return from Mexico tomorrow. My sister is brown skinned and she sent an email that she burned herself! Ouch!!! It's been many years since she has had to respect the southern sun! Other than that they sound like they are having a great time! I had my niece and nephew stay over one night to give my folks a break. They had a good time eating junk and playing games, after all, what are aunties for???


Enjoy the week everyone! Welcome Spring!

I am SO in Love

Remember New Love, the anticipation of being together, the constant wonder of discovering something new each time you are together. The first thought when you wake up and the last as you fall asleep. Well that me and it is amazing, its all I can talk about, I go through my daily chores so looking forward to be together, it's like a drug and I am an addict. My family is making fun of me but I don't care they are just jealous. Because I am so happy i spend my time convincing others about how wonderful my new love is.

Who or what is this magical thing that has captured my heart you ask? Only because my new love will get better the more I share, I am will to let you in on my happiness.

Are you sitting down?

Ready?

My new love is Pinterest. http://http://pinterest.com/

Every time I go to the site there is something new, it is amazing. I am not an overly crafty person but this site makes me want to run to Michaels http://www.michaels.com/ and go crazy. String Easter eggs, melted crayon canvas, paper flower wreathes. I tell you it is simply amazing. Don't even get me going on the all the recipes. Peanut butter everything!!!, Then there is fashion , gardening, home design and decorating, and on and on and on. I am totally addicted and in love.

The teenager has been making fun of me as I am constantly calling her to come see this and look at that and wow this is so cool. She laughs at me and says I am OLD. "Mom it's like you just discovered the Internet"

Carolin

My First Mammogram

Well it seems I have crossed another bridge in the life of being a female. This morning I went for my first mammogram and I will admit I was very nervous. Over the years listening to women older then me tell me how much it hurts, that they squish the bejjebbies out of your boobies. I'll admit I was scared.

just a little background. I was having some discomfort on the right breast last December and it would come on and off since. Unfortunately I was not observant enough to say it was linked to my monthly periods. The doctor back in December could not feel anything unusual but felt a mammogram would be a good idea to just make sure.

Because the doctor did not find anything i was not in a huge rush so when my appointment was made for January I called and change it till today when I would be off work. I was scheduled for 8:20 am and arrived at the hospital for 8:00 am. A volunteer at the entrance walked me to the correct department and made small talk the whole way. I then was admitted within a few minutes and then asked to have a seat in the waiting room.

After about 15 minutes I was called and the technician was great, friendly, patient and kind. She even asked my if I could be pregnant (she thought i was young enough to still have babies!!! I love this lady) Yes a mammogram is uncomfortable (especially on my right side which is the side that has bothered me, but also cause I broke my collarbone as a teenager and the pressure on that was a little painful. The left side was not a big deal. After the 6 pictures in all were taken I was asked to put on my top and wait for the radiologist to have alook. About ten minutes later the technician returned and asked me to have a seat in the waiting room as they would like to also take an ultrasound of the right breast.

Yes my anxiety was raised but I tried to stay calm and tell myself it is better to be safe then sorry. Again after about ten minutes I was brought to a ultrasound room. A different technician this time but she as well was very nice and we chatted about vacations. She did the ultrasound and then left. After a few minutes she returned and said I was cleared to go home. I was told to call my doctor in a few weeks for results.

I was back home by 9:30 am. The husband and little one were not even out of bed yet! All in all it was 'no biggie' and my advice to all women who will be crossing the bridge at some point is to relax, don't pay much heed to the women who have been through it and go on about being squished flat like a pancake. Yes you will be squished and yes it is uncomfortable but I would take a mammogram over a pap smear any day!

So what is next. I did have a look at pictures of my breasts on the computer screen but really didn't know what I am looking for. I didn't see any dark masses (hope that's good) but I did see a white spot. One on each breast in approximately the same spot so hopefully that is normal. I will probably do a little Internet searching just to freak myself out. I was told to call the my doctor in a few weeks for the results. I am sure they say that to everyone but it did make feel better thinking it was no rush which meant they didn't see anything worrisome. I will do my best to put the thought of anything serious to the back of my mind and enjoy the next two weeks I am off work.

All and all benchers if you are coming to that time when mammograms will be part of your life my suggestion is to do it and not listen to much to the women who make a big deal about it. Its not the most comfortable thing in the world to do but either is going to the dentist but we know it is better for us in the long run.

Carolin

Catchup Fridays

(Sunshine) Hello everyone, I am sorry that I missed you last week but it was a really crazy week. The wedding was beautiful. Everyone had fun and the bride and groom are so happy. (Carolin) I am happy all went well. When can we see pictures!!

I haven't been to a wedding for a long time and I forgot how touching and emotional the day can be. I hope that my sister and her husband have a happy, healthy, safe and long life together. I wish them all the best. It is hard not to tear up at weddings. I think the older and wiser we get the more emotional we get.

Work has been busy and challenging but I do enjoy it. I am glad you are enjoying your job. Challenging can be a good thing as it means you are learning new things. Work, what's that??

Carolin, I hope that you will enjoy your time off for March Break. Yes, I am loving it so far (hasn't even been a day). I have different doctors appointments and tests scheduled for the first few days. Then the husband, little one and I are off to a sunny island for a week. The teenager (who is not a teenager anymore) did not want to go so will be home minding the fort. Tell her to call us for anything!

Cathy, I hope that you have a wonderful March break and that your arm feels better. Perhaps you should start to look at physio to get your arm moving again. I thought so too, however, the docs all say that if it is a torn tendon, physio will only make it worse. It has to heal and once it has physio will help to make the arm strong again.

I have been meaning to call you girls. The days seem to fly by but lets get together soon.

(this should be in green but I can't get the highlight to work)Work this week was dismal as lots of kids were away. As the school I work at has a two week break many families take advantage of the time off. And we all know no new concepts are being taught the last week of school so in reality the kids are not missing much.

The little one has started speech therapy again. We haven't done this since she was a preschooler but there are still many sounds she struggles with and we are fortunate this time to have the therapist come to the school (paid for by some government organization it think) and work with her. I meet with a psychologist on Thursday to discuss many concerns we (parents, teachers have with the little one) I left feeling a little overwhelmed. I feel like the professionals are all pushing us to medicate her. For what??  At this time we have agreed to have another assessment done with her to determine if she has ADD. The husband and I think she may have a mild/moderate version. Her teacher does not see it but he has admitted to thinking in the terms of a ADHD child. She is defiantly not that! But I feel a little frustrated as the definition of ADD (Attention deficit disorder) is children (also adults) who can concentrate on things they enjoy but struggle to stay focused on things they find boring or do not enjoy. Isn't that all of us? What about mild autism?
The doctor also discussed working with the little one to come up with coping skills to deal with her anxiety as we know the pressure and demands made on her will increase as she continues through junior high school and goes to high school. Also, they tell me they will help us flush out her IEP (individual education plan) and then find a high school that will best meet her skills. And just so you all understand none of this comes cheap, (the latest bill was $250.00 for the hour and half consult) Our insurance will pay $50.00 per visit!! I am going to need to sell a lot of cookies and sandwiches to pay for all this.
Oh well enough of that we have two weeks not to think about it!


It never seems to end does it? What happened to all of us kids in days gone by? How did we survive, or did we? Where are the stats on that?! 


On a different note, we have a pipe leaking somewhere in our home. See, it never ends! Hubby finishes the basement and next we know there is a leak coming from the upstairs bathroom! So, now we are once again going into demo mode! Ugh!!!!!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have a good March Break, everyone!!!

Catch Up Fridays

(Cathy) Hi all, how did the week go? I do not think we will hear from Sunshine this week as her sister's wedding is tomorrow. With all of the planning they have done I am sure all will be perfect, after all, it's all about the love of two people for each other and the promise that they make together. We wish them all our best!


Sunshine, also celebrated her birthday this past week. Happy Birthday Sunshine! Hope you enjoyed your day! (Carolin) Hope you had a happy Bday Sunshine.


Carolin's, Little One also celebrated a birthday. Best wishes to her and I hope all of her wishes will come true!!! Yes, my baby is 12. We had a small family do on Thursday (her actual bd). My brother and sister in law (just back from their 4 month honeymoon backpacking through Thailand, Singapore and surrounding countries) came for the KFC feast. We then hosted 9 girls for a sleepover party Friday night/Saturday morning. It is 11:30 am Sat. and three girls are still here. Everyone is tired but I think it went well.

I am off in a few minutes to cook. I am cooking a buffet dinner for 140 people for tonight. I am just doing the cooking and they are picking up and reheating and serving. Then I am helping out a little for the Dessert/Drama night that Cathy mentioned.

Strange week weather wise. One day it's seven degrees above Celsius and warm and sunny. The next day it's below freezing and snowing and freezing rain! I hope spring happens soon, with lots of rain to fill up the water tables otherwise I can see water bans happening this summer.

Arm update: I am off work for another month. I am now on an anti-inflammatory and let's hope they make a difference. I am sick of reading and the television is boring.

Hubby and I are joining Carolin and family at the Little One's school tomorrow night for a night of "Desserts and Drama". It's a mission fund raiser. One guess as to who is making all of the desserts?? It promises to be a fun night!
One more week of school then off for TWO weeks of March Break. I have booked doctor appointments the first week of break. Yes, I will be going for my first mammogram on the 12th and I am a little nervous. I didn't think they did that until you turned 50? My doctor has yet to mention it to me. But the best part is a week from Thursday we leave for a relaxing week in the Dominican. Enjoy!  The little one and I (and I am sure the husband) are looking forward to laying on the beach. The teenager who is not a teenager anymore does not want to come. So benchers if you could do some random drive bys of my house to make sure the parties are not too crazy and it is still standing that would be grand. My brother and sister in law may stay at the house for the week which would make me feel better. I will check on the Teenager who is not a Teenager for you. Tell her she can call us if there are any weird sounds in the house and Hubby can come by to check it out. Will your phone work in the Dominican? 

Have a great week everyone!