Not quite what I was expecting

Well, this is a pretty good duplicate of what happened with my knee. A complex tear of the medial meniscus was the diagnosis, but what I THOUGHT was they would do surgery. Uh, no...they said, I'm so sorry. But the tear is in a GOOD place and if we remove it, you will have bone on bone. I was so angry.  I just wanted this to be over with. The doctor is supposedly the very best in our area. Her bedside manner, not so much. I couldn't help that tears were rolling down my face after they told me. All she said was, " I know that's not what you wanted." (You think, Doc?) "And we are going to send you to physical therapy and see where we are after that." Lovely.
So, I have had 5 appointments now. And today the therapist informed me I have a dislocated tibia. He moved it back into place, which really hurt, by the way, and then, taped it. It feels much better right now. They are also using a PT therapy for the inflammation of the MCL/Medical Meniscus area called iontophoresis. They use electricity to drive drugs through the skin. The deal is the drug they use has to be ionizable (electrically charged).  Dexamethasone is the steroidal anti-inflammatory they use, and yeah, it hurts like a bunch of bee stings. Then it chills out, and begins to feel much better.  The therapist finishes with ultrasound therapy. And the jury is still out on what that is supposed to do, but they tell me it promotes healing.
While it is true that wasn't what I wanted to hear, I'm sure it's what needed to happen. My PT guy has told me to get more exercise, so Hunnybunny and I joined a gym. I'm really surprised he wants to work out with me, but I will take what I can get.

Back to the ordinary

  I've been out of sorts lately, trying to figure myself out. The whole student, mother, employee, thing has been something I've struggled with and I always forget that this is where I work most of it out.:) Aren't you so glad you can eaves drop on my brain?
Undoubtedly, the whole school thing has taken up most of my time this year, and I hate that it has. I have friends that I miss, and blogging friends across the country that have been nice enough to not drop me for my inconsistent postings. It's not that I'm trying to do too much, it's that I'm not a very good time manager. That's a terrible admission for someone who is looking to be in a health field, but true nonetheless. Lately I've looked at that quilt on the wall and wish it were done. Maybe it's not done because I don't know if or when I could possibly start the next project. I've done some pretty lame things during spring break from my school like: watch House, Horders, and pretend I'm watching Being Human with Hunnybunny. (I just don't get that show!) I've also been on Facebook more than I'd care to admit and mostly because it's quick and easy. I've never managed to do the quick and easy for very long without consequences.  And I do like Facebook, heck- if it weren't for that I may have no clue what's going on with my family. It's handy when I want to "talk" to Hollywood down in Tennessee as you know that teenagers stay on it. They'll sit for hours instant messaging you, but fall short when it comes to real conversation. I miss him very much so I'll keep on with it.
The Legal Adult has had his share of growing pains this year, and between work, school, and my crew at home, I've been carving out more time to see him. In fact, he and Sweet Thing took me out for a nice dinner last week. Miracles never cease.

And then there's the Dyl Pickle, who's growing faster and faster, and with all that I'm doing, I don't want to miss it. His birthday falls just as school starts, so we bought him an early birthday present..a new bike! He is riding now without training wheels and it's so cute to see. I think I've mentioned before that The Legal Adult doesn't drive? He actually owns 5 bikes and was generous enough to give me one last week so I could "ride with Pickle".

I wonder what I was thinking when I accepted it...sigh. I haven't been on a REAl bike in 25 years! So, it's kind of like we're both learning how to ride.   

I'm having trouble figuring out the gears. And I don't have a helmet. Do you HAVE to wear a helmet these days?

t

Life Compartmentalization at its Best

This year I didn't make resolutions. I knew I couldn't live up to them. But I did look at how I was spending my time,
First and foremost, as a student. In fact, I have so compartmentalized this aspect of my life that I'm boring everyone with it. To remedy this, and to perhaps connect with other older nursing students, I created a new blog, Midlife Nursing Crisis. Yeah, I can guess what you are thinking: "She hasn't made time for this blog, why create another?" Mostly, I wanted to get back to the "normal person" aspect of this blog. I started this to get some stuff out, and keep a record of what's been going on. I have not made time for it, and many things which could have been addressed in this forum went to the attic of my mind. And there's enough stuff there already. To be honest, I've been compartmentalizing my life a lot lately. It's almost as if I can hear the gears switch in my head when I'm doing it. For example, when in "Wife 101" mode, I try to stick with those things that most wives deal with; bills, husband, kids, laundry, dogs,financial stability, "what's- for-supper-honey?, etc.  As a student, it's all about what is on the next test, did I get those transcripts? Am I going to have a GPA that's competitive enough against all these younger students? Labs, reading, red tape....you get the picture.
Basically, I am going to another blog to grouse about school. Don't wonder if I've quit school if you don't read anything about it here. If you're curious, head to Midlife Nursing Crisis. You'll find all the sorted details of that part of my life.
The Jury is Still Out is still my playground for quilting, life experiences, and general catching up, so I'm endeavoring to make this split to retrieve some of that fun while I jump through the nursing school admission hoops. Thanks for listening. Y'all are the absolute best!

I think this world is too much like a drive through

This is just messed up to me. A vending machine for Proactiv? I'm not even going to provide you a link to it because it annoys me so much! I think society as a whole has become "convenient". This one is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee of all places.

We have drive through
chapels, restaurants, pharmacies. What the heck is next? I've even heard of a drive through

divorce court. Although I couldn't find a picture of same, I thought you might get a giggle or two out of this one.

I think I'm too old to go camping......

So, we try again with the camping. This time, no moody teen to tell us how boring it is, and why we shouldn't have come. We went south, way south. Away from the oil spill, cell phone coverage, and problems. We went to St. George Island State Park. However, it was not without problems, as most vacations can attest to.

First, there was the drive. From Kentucky to The Forgotten Coast was approximately 590 miles. This trip, while we did not have the moody teen, we did have a new puppy, "Snips".  We adopted him from a shelter that had a display at Petsmart. Knowing we were going to have to leave, we asked if we could pay his fees and pick him up after. Of course, they were terrified that the little guy wouldn't be picked up, so they said they couldn't do it. After a few pitiful attempts at names that would go along with Fiona, we settled on "Snips" because he was always 'snipping' at our heels.

Because the poor little guy had been locked up in the shelter, I just could shove him in a kennel for vacation. So, that's why we took him with us. He did very well on the trip. We arrived at St. George Island in the late afternoon and set up the tent. At 9:30 P.M. was 88 degrees! With the humidity, it felt like 95.  After we spent some time on the beach the next morning, by noon, it was already 92 degrees but the heat index made it feel like 106. I just couldn't take it. My knee had started to swell and I just wasn't fit to be around. We packed it up and headed for Grandma Hunnybunny's. I did get to visit with Hollywood on our way back through Tennessee. He seems to be doing well. Looks like he grew a foot. I don't think his voice was that deep when he left. Time does march on.

Top Ten Reasons I felt like the Grinch this Christmas

This isn't really like me, but this year, I have really NOT been a Christmassy type person. Here are my top ten reasons I felt like the Grinch:

10. I just wanted to hang out in my cave, (or sewing room!) and not get around people at all.

9. I have tried to get my ducks in a row over the whole school thing. Do I go? Is this what I want, or what God wants? Am I going to be able to keep up with classes, work, home, and church? I have been officially accepted, now I just have to get my classes in January. They are making me wait because I am considered a transfer student. So, it looks like I'm going.

8. Our family has been going through some major changes, basically, the cast of characters. Hollywood is set on moving in with his dad down in Tennessee, (AGAIN!) but he wanted to do it mid-year instead of waiting until the school year ends in later May. I've not received any input from He Who Will Not Be Named, (ex-husband), except to wonder why it isn't easy getting things changed around. He's not offering to make phone calls (gee, he lives down there, how hard could it be?) or getting any information. Ultimately, if it doesn't work out, I will be the one to blame as far as Hollywood is concerned.

7. Hunnybunny was up and down the road for a large bid and it did finally close just before Christmas. As a result, he was pretty exhausted.

6. We did, finally, get brave enough to put up a tree. Fiona only toppled the tree once, and ate several ornaments off of it. They were stuffed ornaments, less you report me to the A.S.P.C.A.

5. We had to drive south to drop off Hollywood for Christmas with He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. I hate it when my whole family isn't together for Christmas, but I can't be selfish either as much as I'd like.

4. I tried to make my mother's Christmas candy recipe and it majorly flopped. It tasted like it was supposed to, but it sure was ugly. She's not with us anymore to ask what I did wrong.

3. The economy. It reeks when you have to watch EVERY penny, even at the most giving time of the year. I'm one of those people who feels guilty if they don't put something in the Salvation Army kettle every time you see one. The Dyl Pickle believes I'm supposed to put something in as well, and reminded me right in front of the guy or girl.

2. I had two quilt projects that I was trying to get done for presents. I did finish the purse, but not the Beatles quilt.

1. I didn't actually start shopping until the 21st.

The Jury is Still Out on Thanksgiving

Good old Martha Stewart....she is a life saver. I thought I'd use her turkey roasting method of cheesecloth draped over the bird. Well, I tried, anyway. The idea is that you put a 17 inch square piece of cheesecloth on the turkey and baste it every so often. The cloth keep the moisture on the skin and thus, giving you the juiciest turkey on the planet. However, Wally World was out of cheesecloth. So, necessity being the mother of invention, I improvised by sending Hunnybunny to the pharmacy for gauze strips. Technically, it's cheesecloth with a bit of elastic... it worked pretty well.
The Legal Adult came with girlfriend, and brought a spiral ham. Now, that's never happened before. I had not asked him to bring anything but himself. Wonders never cease. Hollywood had woofed down his plate before any of us, and began gazing at the four pies to choose from. He had his second piece eaten before we had finished dinner.
Grandma Hunnybunny and Aunt Hunnybunny made the trek from Florida to Kentucky, and as if on cue, we actually got a forecast with a chance of snow. Grandma Hunnybunny was not as amused as I was. Nor was she excited to meet Fiona. "That's not a dog, that's a small pony!"
And since a few inquiring minds want to know: I went to the RN meeting at the college. This is where you make sure your prerequisites and paperwork are all good to go before making application to the nursing program. Over 200 candidates were in session. And that was the THIRD meeting. The competition will be fierce with 800 applicants and only 125 spots.
While I was accepted into the college, they had trouble with my high school transcripts. There was no school seal, not signed by the headmaster, my college transcripts were posted with them, etc. So, long story short, I'm accepted pending my high school stuff having the appropriate signage. In fact, I got a grant to go to school! The glitch is that there are very few classes that I need still open. The school is making me retake psychology because it's been longer than 6 years. And I knew I was going to have take college algebra. I'll keep you posted.

I don't have anything earth-shattering to report to you this week. Just thought you like to see how the pup is doing. She went from a 20 lb 10 week old, to a 75 lb 10 month old.










Here she is doing what she does best: she's quite the kisser. And no, we haven't done the whole obedience dog school yet. I think they'd kick her out, like they did Marley.











We have found some pictures of lab mixes that resemble her. Mostly Lab-Whippet mixes. That's kind of funny to me. She's smart, a little too smart, and that would be Whippet for sure. Labs are lovable, but too friendly for their own good.





I didn't expect to get this attached this quickly, but I love her to death.


Sorry the quality isn't so great, I just wanted to show you how tall she is up against Hollywood.

Pickle turns 6 and everything's a ch-ch-changing

All kinds of changes going on around here. Here's a big one for me: Jo-Jo and Idgy's new little brother. I haven't been around him long enough to come up with an internet-safe, nickname yet, but that is happening in the coming weeks. He's not quite a day old in this picture,what a sweet baby!









And here is the carnage that is another birthday for the Dyl Pickle. I did the whole Spiderman cake thing again this year, determined to use that character cake pan at least one more time. My fingers and nails are still blue.







I guess it didn't turn out too bad. I really don't like Wilton's buttercream frosting recipe. The picture on the directions makes everything look starry...mine was just sort of "fill in the blanks as best you can".








Then, we have this milestone: The Pickle minus two teeth! I guess I realized that it was all coming, but man, it just seemed to happen so fast this year.












Pickle's 6Th birthday falls the day after school starts, so we had the party yesterday. Jo-Jo came for the party and his pal from nursery days spent the night. Very low key this year...I'm getting too old for major productions.

And now a message from our sponsors.....

I am sure you are tired of reading the saga of Hollywood, how betrayed I feel... boo-hoo....I know I'm tired of it. So, I decided to switch gears and focus on positives going on. One such positive is an invention called a DVR. When it first came out, I didn't just hop on the band wagon. One, because of the expense, and two: I just don't go with the trends initially. The cost at the time was $100, shipping cost, and a renewed contract with Dish Network. I'm so cheap, I just couldn't see paying it. But Hunnybunny never gave up his dream. And finally, the price was right: free with a two year contract. We had our old receiver for 5 years upon moving here. So, the contract thing wasn't an issue.

In fact, two years ago, the receiver was struck by lighting, so it was as slow as Christmas. It's nice to push a button and actually GO to the station.
Now, I can download all the sappy, estrogen-laden, girly movies I want to and then play them back while working in my.....sewing room! I took all that pain and ick about Hollywood leaving and totally took his room over with all my quilting stuff. It's grand, I can spread out, watch TV, and sew right next to a window! He may come back, and I can put it all back on my side of the bedroom, but for now, I get to see how the other half lives...having a sewing room. I am currently working on this pattern and yes, I know it's a little much, but I wanted a project that made me learn some new stuff. Know what I mean?

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

That smile you see is a smile of happiness. He's going to his first dance and Mom let him get his 80's tie. I watched the kids file out of the gym after the dance, and they were all wearing similar things.
Cyndi Lauper's 80's style has come back, but I'm not real sure why. That's what I saw all the young ladies wearing.






Here he is in his true element: playing the guitar. And not to brag, he's really good! He does practice allot and on this particular day was quite the front man. Interestingly enough, it wasn't his band. But he had a blast.

Single Parenting at an end

And I for one am very grateful it is. I had forgotten just how much harder it is with one parent.

My Hunnybunny went to NAB,(National Association of Broadcasters show) in Vegas this past week. For anybody NOT in the media world, and that's most of the nice people that read this blog, the NAB is essentially the world's largest electronic media show. And for my Hunnybunny being in the video biz, it's like the Superbowl for him. Every new gadget that has been invented to bring you entertainment, news, etc. is featured at this show. Hunnybunny spent the week on his feet, showing stuff to clients and also, getting shown stuff by vendors. It was not without it's perks as the vendors want him to push their products, so he ate rather well. Sleeping, not so well as the time difference did catch up to him. He stayed at the Flamingo, one of the older hotels. The weird contrast was that you could go to a 'burlesque show' and see Donny and Marie all in the same place! He said that no one looks happy there, and it was interesting watching the night life. Apparently, the "ladies of the night" came in the casinos after work and spent most of their earnings. They call that 'low tide'. And no,he didn't gamble. But his comrades did, and lost. The second picture he took to show that he had a television in his BATHROOM. His very pink bathroom at that.
This week reminded me of seven years ago when I was a single parent with a toddler and a pre-teen. While the age difference is a little better, I promise you the drama was the same. Single parents have my heart for theirs is the toughest job ever.

Surprise, Valentine!

I haven't figured out if I'm a softie, or just plain insane. You be my jury:
Hunnybunny and I had been watching the dog show on the USA network last week when I finally said the words,
"If you were going to have a dog, what breed would you pick?"
"Retriever, like a Labrador or a Golden Retriever. They're really good with kids."

I offhandedly told this to my buddy, Jane, (who has the most wonderful Golden Retriever). The woman has the most incredible memory of anyone I've ever met. She and her son were at the store when she heard that someone had a 10-week-old, black Labrador retriever pup that they wanted to give to a good home. And she, of course, thought of me.

My first thought: "Oh, no. Now I have to back this up. I told him we could get a dog."
So, Jane, and her family went with me to meet this family that had this puppy. It was a small, two room house, and the owners knew this arrangement wasn't going to work out logistically. The dog wouldn't have room, they didn't have a back yard, and a new baby was coming on the scene. With two cats already in the house, I was wondering what exactly they were thinking!
I watched the little 7 year old girl as she held on to that big puppy. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying. This was the last thing she wanted to do. Thankfully, Hollywood, The Pickle and The Diva had come along. So maybe seeing I had kids made it a little better for her. The family had named her "B.B.". That stood for "Butterball". And she definitely had roly-poly tummy.
"I will at least leave her middle name B.B. Is that okay?" And she shook her sad little head.
The ride from their house to mine was somewhat comical as this puppy had obviously never been in a moving car before. She managed to pry away from Hollywood and get herself in the back window.
Hunnybunny was coming in from Indy from his usual monthly business trip and Jane's family waited with us to surprise him. I wasn't sure he'd love her immediately. But he did, as you can see from these photos. That's what made it worthwhile....that sweet look on his face. Here was something, besides his family, that he's always dreamed of having.
Oh, you know what happens next, right? Carpet cleaner, walking her, and apparently I'm her new chew toy. She has been sleeping with Hollywood, and he just loves her to death.
And no, we didn't leave her first name as "B.B.". After exhausting the laundry list of acceptable names, Hunnybunny settled on yet another Irish name: Fiona.
Named after that beautiful brunette on Burn Notice. We call her "Fi" for short. And she seems to like it, and us.

Working on the Stars on Alabama Quilt...Still

With all the snow and ice, I've actually had time to work on Grandma Hunnybunny's quilt. All that's left is quilting the borders and binding it. The tension just wasn't right every time I tried to do a sample. I played around with it yesterday and managed to get it perfect, (after a few mishaps and some ripping was involved) so I may be ready to bind it this weekend. Then there's the label to think about. Last time, I wimped out, and had my friend, Debra,do a beautiful label for the Boyscout quilt. I may try to do one, or just get her to help me out again. She did such a beautiful job! By the way, she's working on a special project, the Homeless Teen Project for Willis Independent School District in TX. She's taken it upon herself to provide a twin sized quilt for each teen. If you would like to contribute to the Project, she will gladly pay postage for the supplies or swap embroidery. Just put a note in your box. Email her at debraspincic@yahoo.com. As quilters, we should get behind this very gracious lady and send her some donations of
* Miscellaneous Blocks or Quilt UFOs
* Thread
* Backings like Sheets, Shower curtains, Curtains, Tshirt Knits, Wool blends
* Batting (or Pieces), Bedspread, Wool Pieces, Fleece
* Any Sturdy Fabrics
Debra has a heart as big as the state she's from, and she organized projects where we got Quilts of Valor into soldiers' hands, and quilts for a children's home.
This picture is for laughs. My crazy boys, Hollywood, Dyl Pickle, and the Legal Adult. The Legal Adult and roommate were guests at our house while awaiting their power to be restored. It's always good to see him, and since he's grown up, even more so.

Winners of my Fall Into Fall Quilters Blog Giveaway

Here are the winners of the Fall Into Fall Quilters Blog Giveaway. I thought you might want to see who the lucky recipients are.
This 1 yard piece of fabric is from Caryl Bryer Fallert's Gradations line is going to none other than Terry from Terry's Treasures! Congrats, Terry!
The fabric that "called" to me was won by Rose of Quilted Hills! I hope I don't freak her out with the wildness of it. I haven't heard back from her, so if you know her, tell her to email me so I can send her fabric.
This book by Jan Krentz, Lone Star Quilts & Beyond is going over to Fiesta at Quilting Fiesta! So there you go. Thanks to those of you who entered. It was a blast having that many comments and seeing so many new blogs! Thanks allot!

My son, the married man

Oh, you might be thinking, "The Legal Adult has gone off and gotten married?" And due to his consenting age, that would normally be a good guess for the eldest son. But alas, it isn't the eldest who has claimed a bride, it's the YOUNGEST!

The beautiful girl by his side is his childhood friend, Easter. Of course, that's not her REAL name, but that will do. Pickle informed her mother, my friend, Ally, that they had gotten married last year on the playground. These pictures were taken at a recent playdate. He informed me today that he needed to go see his "wife".
"Wife?"
"Easter, Mommy, Easter!"

She has a birthday coming up this weekend and we are going. Easter will all of 4. You know, you wonder how much they pay attention to what we do. Pickle has an old keyboard on his dresser, along with an old cell phone and deodorant container. Before he treks off to kindergarten, he is at the keyboard.

"What are you doing, Pickle?"

"Checking my email, Mommy."

Then he picks up the phone, " I have to check my voice mail." And finally, he "puts on deodorant". It's all pretend deodorant lest I get any concerned emails. I know they grow up fast, but this is faster than I wanted. I guess he's going to be a family man, like his dad.

What I've been up to.......

Birthday Bash with Batman

The Pickle's huge birthday bash was this weekend. Friends and family were on hand to wish him a happy birthday while eating lots of cake, brats, hotdogs, potato salad, hamburgers, baked beans, and home-grown greenbeans. We will be eating leftovers hamburgers for awhile. Here's the Pickle with one of his favorite presents.
Grandma Kim sent this very cool Spiderman slip and slide. It was a big hit with the Pickle and his buds.
The cake had to be Batman this year as Spiderman is in the background. He got several of the Dark Knight toys, including the Heath Ledger lookalike Joker, which BOTH of his brothers tried to talk him out of! Maybe I haven't told you about this family's history with Batman. When The Legal Adult came along, the Batman movies with Michael Keaton were the rage, along with all the toys. I saved them and put them in the attic. About '95, Sam was born, and the second slew of Batman came along. His grandmother bought him every Batmobile known to man, and even the ones from the Legal Adult's time. Then Sam raided the attic, retrieving all the toys stashed up there. Then Pickle comes along, and raids Sam's closet. So you see, we've been dealing with Batman and the toys for about 20 years. I just never thought it would last that long!
Here's the Kroger version Batman cake. They did a good job, although I was stuck at the store while they finished making it. Of course, I did a little creative editing.
Here he is hugging the Joker toy that his big brothers tried to get from him. I think he had a blast, and I'm STILL cleaning up! There are more pictures in the flickr.com box to the right of my sidebar if you want to see.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Yes, my kid, who now wants me to refer to him by his name, Sam,is missing in action. Oh, I remember him. A sweet, compliant, honor student who said, "Yes, ma'am" when I called his name is gone from our house. In our version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", we find this wonderful child replaced by this venomous creature, who mopes in a millisecond. It appears that there is not enough space in this house to accommodate our family and all his hair care products. While at the pool last week, he kept asking me, "What's up?" all in an effort to get my MIRRORED glasses facing his direction so he could check his reflection.Never having to deal with this before (mother of all boys), I am ill-equipped with this sudden stage of vanity. Last year, we couldn't get him to take a daily shower. This year, he's showering twice a day. And the diets...well, not a real diet, per se, but he went from eating everything in sight, to one helping of the main course and complaining about his abs. Sheesh....

I have been told by my friend Martha to pray diligently and hang on tight. At 13, it's just the beginning. And experience tells me she's right.

The Dark Knight

Well, you knew I was going, didn't you? I mean, the whole free world went, according to box office totals. We opted for the Saturday night show. Again, we went with Diva's parents, same babysitter, out to eat later...your basic parent's night out.

Here's the scoop I didn't know: he actually appeared in the movie without The Joker makeup. I guess I never noticed the scars under the red paint.
The story of how he got them changed every time he was about to off someone. That's about it on origins, though. I think two of the best lines were, "I'm like a dog chasing a parked car. I wouldn't know what to do with it if I had it!" and talking to Batman, "You complete me."

Heath Ledger did a great job. The story has enough subplots to keep you busy. It's a shame the guy isn't around for his kudos. He certainly deserved them.