I should write something deep and thoughtful...

but I really don't have anything to say! I was just looking and figured I should have a new post.(Chinese kites at a neighborhood bbq -- there are about 28 kite all together!)
Kate's doing great in school, has lots of friends, is learning like crazy, and loves having Lizzie come to school at the same time.
Lizzie is having a blast in kindergarten. She's chaos in a little body, but she's absorbing everything. She's starting to write and read and loves working with numbers too. The ride on the bus home from school is very long since she's at the very last bus stop. It's about a 45 minute ride on the bus at lunch time! She has made friends with all the kids on the bus and I can hear her yelling out the window all the way from the other end of the street, lol.
Sabrina and I have enjoyed the quiet time in the morning with just the two of us. We do the shopping and other errands or just snuggle and watch cartoons. When my phone alarm goes off around noon she jumps up wherever she is and heads to the door to go sit on the sidewalk for 20 minutes waiting for Lizzie's bus to come. We have to be there on time just in case, but the bus is usually rather late.
Michael is sick today :( He is upstairs trying to rest and not throw up. At least, historically speaking, while he does get very sick when he is sick, he doesn't get sick often, nor does it last very long. I'm hoping he'll be feeling better soon. He has better hours at work now and we've enjoyed having him on a more regular schedule.
I've been still slowly but steadily getting better. Percocet has become a rarity instead of a frequency. The cellulitis infection a while back still has some lingering pain and discomfort, but after a rough patch (including a full 8 days on IV antibiotics and several horrible scars) it finally turned around just after I pulled myself together enough to sit through the Oquirrh Mountain Temple dedication. It was such a blessing for it to finally start healing.
I'm getting materials ready for the relief society Fabulous Friday this week (like Super Saturday except for the day of the week) where I'll be doing bows -- flowers and butterfly types. It should be a lot of fun :) I'm also making new outfits for Kate and Lizzie for picture day at school also on Friday. Lizzie's jumper is finished, but Kate's dress still needs sleeves, zipper, and hems. All the stuff I like the least :P I think it's going to be stunning, though, so it's worth it.
One last point -- we've been hoping to purchase a home this year. Right now things are kind of stalled waiting on the lender (ugh, lenders!). We have found a home not far away in Springville that we like a lot, but it's a question of it being available when we're able to make an offer. Whenever / wherever we move it's got to be for good. I HATE moving. ;)


Some of our favorite features of the house:
view of the backyard from the back door (the white fountain thingy isn't staying)
view of the back of the house / yard from the center back of the yard (I love how Lizzie has a "twin" in this picture, lol)

one of several great storage areas with built-in shelving

She's just SO cute!

This morning while Lizzie was at kindergarten I went with Sabrina to finally see my new baby niece. Her name is Madison Faith and she is just adorable! She got the chin dimple from my family and dark hair from nobody-knows-where! But she does have a lot of it :) Here are a few of the pictures I took of her.
Oh, and as a side note: he mama's wedding bouquet was pink calla lilies :)

Bye Bye Lizzie

Lizzie's first day of kindergarten. That dang bus driver just took her away!
She was so excited and I know she'll have a great time, I just really miss my Lizzie. I can't believe how fast she has grown up. Way too fast and not nearly fast enough, all at the same time :) I love how Sabrina brought a toy guitar and was rocking out for us all at the bus stop this morning. And see how sweet Big Sister Kate is? When the bus was coming she took Lizzie by the hand and helped her get in line and showed her how to get on the bus and everything. Awwwwww..... Then Sabrina and I came home and even though I was fine (I was traumatized last night and handled it all fine this morning, lol) she kept following me around, climbing into my lap and saying "I love you Mommy" over and over. She's such a sweetheart.

And here's Sabrina as a total nut. She found this "pancake hat" in the road the other day and wore it all afternoon. Yeah, it's a shoe cover from the air duct cleaners who worked next door that day LOL.

Now Sabrina and I are off to see my new baby niece!!!!!! More pictures to come, I'm sure :)

Good news!

Saw the doctor today and between last night and this morning the swelling had gone down a bit more, and the hardness changed in the infected area to a little less hard. I still don't feel great, but he said it looked tons better. Yippee!!! I was changed over to an oral antibiotic and he said I ought to be all (or mostly) better in about a week. In the mean time there's still a fair amount of pain / discomfort. Some infection is still clearing out, there's a lot of inflammed tissue, and the incisions were rather angry of course. I'm SO happy to be rid of the IV. When the guy in the IV Therapy place put in the IV he covered it snuggly with the plastic stuff without putting any padding under it. When they took it out today all the ridged edges of the IV had actually cut into my arm. Fairly deep cuts even. Ouchie. Happy to be done with that part. Also, Doc said during one of the incisions someone probably nicked the ligament right there. It doesn't like to be nicked. So now it's mostly just time to heal. Take it a little bit easy this week and then hopefully be good to go!!!

More random tidbits of me.

I was tagged on Facebook and since this will copy there too, I'll just put it here on my blog.

If you've been tagged or you are reading this, you have the honor of copying all these questions, writing your own response, and tagging 25 other victims. You have to tag me so really you just need 24 more people. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you - but not in a creepy stalker kind of way.

To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your title as "Don't Lie!", tag 25 people including me (tagging is done in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.

1. What was the last thing you put in your mouth?
I don't think I've put anything in my mouth so far today. Slow morning an all that. So I guess it would be some popcorn last night. I really ought to go eat some breakfast, lunch, and take my morning pills -- since it's already afternoon.

2. Have you ever kissed anyone named Matthew?
I have a nephew named Matthew. I bet I've kissed the top of his head before.

3. Where was your profile picture taken?
at the emergency room. yippee

4. Can you play guitar hero?
never tried

5. Name someone that made you laugh today?
Kate and Michael. Kate was trying to push him off the couch and was wildly unsuccessful.

6. How late did you stay up last night and why?
about midnight. Waiting for my IV to finish so I didn't have to set my alarm for a few minutes after falling asleep to flush the line and all that stuff.

7. If you could move somewhere else, would you?
I would never move again if I had the choice. I'd remodel, but I hate moving.

8. Ever been kissed under fireworks?
Not significantly that I can think of. I'm sure the girls have though ;)

9. Which of your friends lives closest to you?
next door neighbors

10. Do you believe ex's can be friends?
not if it's an ex-friend

11. Calling or texting?
Depends. About 90% of the time -- calling. Sometimes it's just a quickie note that isn't urgent so it's easier to text.

12. When was the last time you cried really hard?
Last week I bet. Pain can do that to me.

13. Where are you right now?
At the computer. Duh! (At home in the family room)

14. What bed did you sleep in last night?
Slept on the air mattress in the basement again. AC is being replaced even as I type. Excited for us to all sleep in our own beds in a cool upstairs tonight!

15. What was the last thing someone bought for you?
Michael bought me a new box of gauze pads and the stretchy self-adhesive wrap stuff.
He also got me some goodies and two nice new button-up shirts and a pair of shoes I liked.

16. Who took your profile picture?
I did.

17. Who was the last person you took a picture of?
Kate on her first day of school.

18. Was yesterday better than today?
Well, today I'm afraid my appointment on Monday won't be a good one (abcess still isn't draining even after being incised twice. Dang incision is healing too fast.) but today we'll also have cool air again at home, so how can you really judge? :P

19. Are you mad about anything?
Nope. Too tired to be mad even if there was something to be angry about. Little irritations, sure, but not "mad".

20. Do you think relationships are ever really worth it?
Is anything really worth it without relationships?

21. Are you a bad influence?
for anything significant? doubt it. But I do get addicted to crafts /crafting materials :)

22. Night out or night in?
Depends. Often I just like to stay in, but sometimes it's nice to see a little different scenery.

23. What items could you not go without during the day?
My family. And my meds :)

24. What does the last text message in your inbox say?'
Note from my bro. I was just seeing how they're holding up, expecting baby #1 any time now.

25. How do you feel about your life right now?
Well, it's never fun being sick, and no AC has been obnoxious. But Life is really good. The day to day things may get obnoxious or uncomfortable but the important stuff is all great.

26. Do you hate anyone?
No.

27. If we were to look in your facebook inbox, what would we find?
A bunch of random messages to add new people to various games.

28. Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass?
What are they testing for? All I've got in me is appropriate prescribed meds, but in the last week there have been a lot of them!

29. Has anyone ever called you perfect before?
sure, but don't worry, nobody believed 'em.

30. What song is stuck in your head?
"Let's Get Crazy" from the Hannah Montana Movie

31. Someone knocks on your window at 2am, who do you want it to be?
Dang well better be nobody! It's a second story window so it would require a ladder.

32. Wanna have grandkids before you’re 50?
Well, my kids would be in the 23-27 range, so I'd be fine with that in the right circumstances.

33. Name something you have to do tomorrow?
Get to go to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple dedication

34. Do you think too much or too little?
way too much

35. Do you smile a lot?
Michael says I do, so I'll say yes :)

36. Who was your last missed call on your Mobile phone?
"My Huband"

37. What was the last book you read?
just finished listening to the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. Currently reading "Inkheart" aloud to the girls.

38. Is there something you always wear?
Well, the essentials of course. Took off my necklace and bracelet and ring when I went to the hospital the other day and haven't put them back on yet.

39. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
taking a shower

40. Did you have an exciting last weekend?
A little *too* exciting. Mostly on hefty pain meds and in and out of the ER.

42. Have you ever dyed your hair?
Yup. Need to do something about my roots...

43. Are you wearing a necklace / chain?
not today

44. Are you an emotional person?
in private, VERY. In public, not often.

45. What's something that can always make you feel better?
my hubby, and food -- usually chocolate and/or ice cream.

46. Will this weekend be a good one?
uh, sure. we'll say yes.

47. What do you want right now?
lunch. But can't think of what I want to eat. Still have a poor appetite. If I could eat anything in the world right now..... nope, still stumped. I just want my belly to stop growling.

48. Have you ever worn the opposite sex's clothing?
I wear Michael's shirts all the time.

49. Have you ever worked in a food place?
nope

50. Whats on your schedule for tomorrow?
temple dedication, Southern Family birthday party

51. Does anyone know your facebook password?
Michael does.

A much cuter post

Okay, I don't love having the icky sickness post as my most recent post, so I'm gonna put this up right now :P

Kate started 2nd grade this week. She's been so excited for school to start! One of her first day homework assignments was to bring in a bag with three things about her. She chose a picture of the family, a book since she loves reading, and a little swim toy cause she loves to swim. She's growing up so fast and she's such a wonderful girl. She and Lizzie are both looking forward to Monday -- Lizzie's first day of kindergarten! They can't wait to ride the bus together :)

So here's the long and straight of it...

Yes, I've been sick. And since people keep wonder what's up, I guess I'll tell you.

Last tuesday (the 11th) I was getting ready for bed and noticed a sore spot. It was a lump about the size of a grape and it HURT. I figured it would work its way out in a day or two and no biggie. By Wednesday evening it was much more painful and the size of a walnut. Thursday morning I called to see the doctor and they scheduled me in on Friday morning. By Thursday evening I was in so much pain, though, I had Michael take me in to the ER. The lump was huge, hard, and had a large swollen area around it. I could barely walk. It started just over the tendon where the leg joins the body.
In the ER the doc took one look and said "Oh my! I'm not even going to touch that until we know what's inside" (At this point I figured I was right about some creepy alien baby that was going to claw its way out any minute). So they did an ultrasound. Nothing but swollen lyph nodes and tissue inflamed with cellulitis (not to be confused with my usual cellulite). So there's nothing they can do to relieve the pain, besides the morphine they'd already given me. Doc gave me a prescription for percocet, some hefty oral antibiotics, and hopes that it would start to go away within a couple of days.
By Saturday the swelling was worse, the hard lump was larger, and I wasn't in any way mobile -- percocet or no. So, back to the ER.
New doc had the same reaction, so I went back to the ultrasound room. Same story -- no fluid, just a whole lotta ouch. He gave me dilaudid -- pain killer several times stronger than morphine, another prescription for percocet, and IV antibiotics. Unfotunately I had a rotten nurse that day. I'll admit that she may have been having a bad day or something, but once I knew everything she had messed up, there is no excuse for such a day in the ER. If she messed up and accidentally left pickles on my burger, that's one thing, but messing up with meds... a whole different story.
First of all she butchered my arm with the IV. I've had bad IV's before, but she did a particularly awful job. It has been 5 days and I still have severe bruising from her first attempt. Ask Michael sometime, he was watching with increasing disbelief at her repeated poking and wiggling of the needle and the IV tube. When she finally got the IV in at my elbow she said "hold really still while I go find some gauze to clean this up" so I held VERy still while she wandered out of the room and looked for some gauze while I could feel my blood dripping off my elbow. There was a pool of blood on my arm dripping onto the blanket. Then she didn't tape down the line at all so I had to hold it after it almost fell out while getting the fluids. We couldn't find her to fix it until after the stuff was done so when we found her she just pulled off the tubing and wrapped a bandage over the IV stump thingy. Michael had to re-wrap it after she left cause I almost immediately lost feeling in my fingers. The worst thing she did is that she dripped my antibiotics right into me. It's supposed to be sent though the little metering machine thingy so it takes an full hour to go in, but she dripped it straight in in about 15 minutes. Then she told us to come back in 24 hours for the next dose. We asked if we could come a little earlier and she said "A little earlier is okay, but as close to 24 hours as you can is best". Well, it turns out they basically had to discount that dose of meds. We were back in 24 hours and discovered that it has to be given every 12 hours. So I completely missed a dose of vital antibiotics! Bad nurse!
Anyway, I went back in on Sunday (after 24 hours) to get my next dose of antibiotics, found out how rotten the nurse had been, and was actually feeling a bit better. The swelling was down some, my fever had gone down, etc. They told me to go in to IV therapy first thing in the morning to get my next dose and continue the meds through IV therapy (in Physician's Plaza attached to the hospital). Alas, I woke up in the middle of the night in incredible pain. We couldnt' go in right then cause I was on percocet and Michael was on a sleeping pill so neither of us could drive.
After a few hours Michael took me back in to the ER yet again. After they finally got me back I got changed and sat down on the bed and the doc came in to take a look again. Apparently right then the lump had finally abcessed and ruptured. So they cleaned it up and decided it needed to be lanced. He pointed out, needlessly, that I could not have chosen a worse, more sensitive, more painful place to have an abcess lanced. I completely agree. Ouch. He cut a slit an inch or two to drain it and dug "tunnels" to the points that weren't ready to drain yet so hopefully they would drain through the same hole when they're ready to.
Finally after being cut up, I was pushed in a wheel chair (definitely not mobile at this point!) to IV therapy and given my next dose. The fantastic news is that they set me up with a home health deal. So IV Therapy gave me a new IV and taught me how to dose myself. Now every 12 hours I can just flush the line and hook up my own antibiotics in "space balls" so it automatically doses itself in about 90 minutes. Then I flush with saline and finish with heparin and wrap it all back up. MUCH easier than running in to the clinic every 12 hours.
I'm now taking percocet occasionally. Mostly I'm staying pretty still. If I get too rowdy (like walking my baby to the bus stop for her first day of school, heaven forbid!) it starts to hurt like crazy again and I have to take the percocet to calm things down. Michael has been home this week (happy vacation to him, huh?) to help out which has made all the difference.
On top of all this, the AC quit working last Saturday, so we've been camping out in the basement all this time. I have an air mattress set up in the family room, the girls are sleeping on the floor in the play room, and Michael has the couch (I chose the air mattress). Apparently the repair for the AC may be comparable to replacing the whole unit, so the Landlord and the AC dude should be here any minute now to measure the house and get a quote for a new unit instead. Current temperature is 84 degrees.

Well, there's the whole long story. I'm sure there were a few details I missed ;) but you can always skim-read. I have an appointment with my regular doc in the morning to see if I can be switched to an oral antibiotic or if I need to continue the IV for a few more days. The incision is still draining pus (mmmmm, pus!) but it's not gaping anymore. Looks like it can take up to a month for this to fully heal. Of course I have thrush and various yeast infections thanks to EVERYTHING being killed off. Wouldn't be a party without those!

I'm really starting to feel better I think (hard to say at the moment -- I did a load of dishes so now I'm on percocet) so I'm hoping to be able to at least manage the household again by next week. Thanks for everyone who has helped out. We couldn't have managed all this without so many wonderful family and friends willing to help.

(My arm 5 days after)