Friday, December 19, 2008

Hayley's Cool Bedroom

My plan was to get all my painting in the house done this November & December being I would have absolutely no time during tax season to do it. Well, that plan has changed for two reasons. Reason #1: Dean lost his job and there is a possibility we may have to move so it does not make sense to paint. Possible buyers will prefer neutral colors over my crazy colors! (To possible buyers - Sorry in advance for the purple kitchen and pink bedroom!) Reason #2: I quit my job earlier this week (more about that some other time) and now there is no urgency to get it done!

Dean lost his job on a Wednesday and I had started painting Hayley's room the prior Saturday so I was committed to finishing it. Although there were days when quitting seemed like the right solution...... It took me three weekends and two weeks of evenings to get her room completed. It turned out better than we could ever imagine! Prior to painting, Hayley & I had sat down and sketched out 11 possible painting techniques! Believe it or not, we actually agreed when picking the actual technique to do! So without further ado, here is her room - which involves chocolate brown, tan, three shades of pink - pastel pink, bubble gum pink & red raspberry, and white. Obviously her comforter was our inspiration!


Hayley's dance photos are all displayed here. They do them up like a scrapbook page so all you gotta do is put it in a frame or in your scrapbook. So we've decided to put them in white frames and hang them behind the door. They tend to wear a lot of red so it kinda clashes with the pink so that's why they are behind the door.

This is the wall where the sticker will go - if we stay! It states: "It's a girl thing".

I haven't decided yet if I should get tie-backs for the curtains or just leave them as they are.
Her room is not quite finished as I need to buy some white shelves to hang on her walls and I have one of those up*per ca*se liv*ing stickers in chocolate brown that is to be put on the pink wall at the end of the closet as you walk into the room. Being the sticker is not reuseable and we may have to move, I don't want to put it up until we know. And it makes me very sad to think we might have to move for two reasons. Reason #1: It was A LOT of hardwork to get this room done! Reason #2: I will have to do it all over again at the new house! :(

Sunday, November 16, 2008

I Can Finally Share......

...... the details of our difficult situation.

On Wednesday, Dean lost his job. His company let 10% of its employees go and Dean was one of them.

How many times can this happen to one family??? This is the FOURTH time this has happened to us!!!

When we lived in W the first time, Dean was let go from his job along with many other employees. Then we moved to F and he was let go from that job because the company closed. Then we moved to M and he was let go from that job because THAT company closed. He then found another job in M but hated it so we moved W and he has now been let go from that job!! This all in a matter of SEVEN years!!! Even if he would have stayed at the job he hated in M, he'd still be out of a job because that company let many of its employees go and the ones that remained are only working six days a MONTH!!! So either way, we'd be in the same situation.

I only make a small salary and there is NO WAY that we can live off of my income!!! And on top of that, I just started a new job that has no health insurance. And no paid vacation or sick time. And, in addition to dealing with learning a new job, I have this stressful situation at home. I wish I had my old job back......... The only good thing about my new job right now is that tax season is soon approaching in which I will be working 60 hours a week and earning overtime pay!

I only hope that Dean can find a decent job and soon! And this means we may have to move........AGAIN!!!

There's a saying: "I know God won't give me more than I can handle, I just wish He didn't trust me so much!" Boy, do I agree!!!

So I ask that you please keep us in your prayers!!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

I'm Sad & Mad at the World!

Well, to be honest with you, I'm PISSED at the world!!!

I can't say anything at this time but when the time is right, I will fill you in.

In the meantime, we'd appreciate it if you could please pray for us during this difficult time.

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Halloween 2008

Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!


Monday, October 27, 2008

Happy Birthday Honey!

To my true love, my best friend!
You know the rest! :)


I saw this meme on Ginger's blog and thought it'd be fitting as it's all about my hubby!

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? Either sports (golf, football or wrestling) or CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (the original show).

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ranch.

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Tomatoes.

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? Either a rum & coke or a beer (sometimes Miller Lite and sometimes those "different" ones.)

5. Where did he go to high school? At the local high school.

6. What size shoe does he wear? 10 1/2

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Golf memorabilia.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Italian BMT, Chicken Breast, Wraps... He really likes all types of sandwiches.

9. What would he eat every day if he could? Ice cream or shrimp.

10. What is his favorite cereal? Lucky Charms.

11. What would he never wear? Low rider pants.

12. What is his favorite sports team? Minnesota Vikings.

13. Who will be vote for? Most likely McCain.

14. Who is his best friend? Me, of course!

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Swearing.

16. How many states has he lived in? Three.

17. What is his heritage? Swedish.

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? 7 layer chocolate cake.

19. What could he spend hours doing? Golfing.

20. Does he belong to any men's organizations? Nope!

Love you, Honey!

Hope your birthday was a GREAT one!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Happy 12th Birthday Hayley!

It's hard to believe my baby is 12 years old already! When I asked her this morning if she felt any different now that she was 12 she said to ask her again tonight at 6:18 pm (the time she was actually born)! Too funny!

We will be celebrating tonight by going out to a Mexican restaurant so she can have her favorite meal - a beef enchilada and frijoles (refried beans)!

Tomorrow she will be celebrating with five friends. Hayley is having a sleepover!! And friends are actually coming! (Last year she was supposed to have a sleepover, but then another classmate had a birthday sleepover and all Hayley's friends went to that sleepover being she was still kinda new in town. I felt so bad for her. But this year we actually have people coming!) It should be a fun time!

Happy Birthday Hayley!
You are turning into such a nice, young lady!
Stay sweet!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

It's My Birthday!

It's my birthday,

And I'll cry if I want to,

Cry if I want to,

Cry if I want to,

You would cry too if it happened to you!

Boy do I hate getting older!
I don't know why, but I do.
According to my daughter, however, I'm not old!
She says I can be 28 forever
If you were to ask her how old I am, she'd tell you 28 (and smile)
Gotta love her!

Monday, October 13, 2008

I Am The Mother Of A Teenager!

That literally shocks me every time I say it!!! Where did the time go??? Seriously!!!

My little boy turned 13 yesterday!!! We celebrated with family yesterday. After cake and ice cream, we were going to go bowling but no one (except for us four) wanted to go and we all ended up chatting too long. The bowling alley had very short open bowling hours yesterday due to a tournament and it being Sunday. So the four of us will go bowling this week or weekend.

For the invitation, I created a teenage announcement - a play on a birth announcement - to announce the arrival my teenager. Hey, I thought it was pretty creative! :) (I put the white line across his middle and last name - don't want to give out too much info online!)

It's kinda hard to read. It says:

IT'S A TEENAGE BOY!
TANNER
October 12, 2008 - 12:42 a.m.
105.4 Pounds - 5 Feet 2 1/2 Inches
Proud Parents: Dean and Andrea
and Little Sister Hayley
We are celebrating with cake and ice cream on Sunday at 2 pm at our house.
Hope you can join us!

Happy Birthday Son!

It's been an awesome 13 years!!

You've grown into a fine, young man!

Thursday, October 02, 2008

4th of July 2008

OK, so I know I'm REALLY behind in my posts but I still want to share them with you so here I go!

To celebrate the 4th, Dean's brother and his family invited us to their cabin in Wisconsin. We left on the 3rd and came home on the 6th. The day we got there it was extremely windy but the rest of the weekend was awesome!! We got many boat rides in, some swimming, and LOTS of relaxing.

Most of the Cousins

A Daytime Pontoon Ride

Dean & I Chillin' on the Pontoon

S'Mores Time

Nighttime Pontoon Ride

Swimming

Sparkler Time


A Relaxin' Pontoon Ride

Another Nighttime Pontoon Ride


Blueberry Pancakes on the Deck the Last Morning at the Cabin

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Color Career Test

So have you been wondering if you're in the right career? Well, I have a solution for you! Take this cool Color Career Test http://www.careerpath.com/career-tests/colorcareercounselor.aspx and you'll find out. Mine was PERFECT!! Here's my results:

Best Occupational Category
You're an ORGANIZER.

Key Words: Self-Control, Practical, Self-Contained, Orderly, Systematic, Precise, and Accurate.

These conservative appearing, plotting-types enjoy organizing, data systems, accounting, detail, and accuracy. They often enjoy mathematics and data management activities such as accounting and investment management. Persistence and patience allows them to do detailed paperwork, operate office machines, write business reports, and make charts and graphs.

ORGANIZER CAREERS: Suggested careers are Administrator, Secretary, Printer, Paralegal, Building Inspector, Bank Cashier, Private Secretary, Statistician, Operations Manager, Financial Analyst, Bookkeeper, Medical Records Technician, Developer of Business or Computer Systems, Clerical Worker, Proofreader, Accountant, Administrative Assistant, Banker, Certified Public Accountant, Credit Manager, Store Salesperson, Actuary, Dental Assistant, Business Education Teacher, Food Service Manager, IRS Agent, Budget Analyst, and Underwriter.

ORGANIZER WORKPLACES: Your very careful, conscientious, conservative nature gives others the confidence to trust you with handling money and material possessions. Structured organizations that have well-ordered chains of command work best for you. Suggested Organizer workplaces are large corporations, business offices, financial lending institutions, banks, insurance companies, accounting firms, and quality control and inspection departments.

2nd Best Occupational Category

You're a RESEARCHER.

Key Words: Independent, Self-Motivated, Reserved, Introspective, Analytical, and Curious.

These investigative types gather information, analyze and interpret data, and inquire to uncover new facts. They have a strong scientific orientation, enjoy academic or research environments and prefer self-reliant jobs. Dislikes are group projects, selling, and repetitive activities.

This is all me to a "T"! I graduated with degrees in Accounting and Finance. Currently, I am working in finance and hope to eventually be working in accounting. Evidently I have chosen the correct careers!

However, it was WAY off for my hubby!

Monday, August 25, 2008

Kitchen Makeover

I apologize for keeping you all in suspense! I am finally going to show you my kitchen transformation!!! Drum roll please.........

BEFORE

The inspiration - my purple sofas


It's alright, you can say it - BORING!

There's those cool purple sofas again.

Depending upon the light, they "change" colors throughout the day - just as the paint does.

AFTER



The decor above the cabinets is a work in progress - I'm still shopping!

I LOVE IT!!!

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

TICK WARNING!!!

I hate it when people forward bogus warnings, and I have even done it myself a couple times unintentionally......but this one is real, and it's important. So please send this warning to everyone on your e- mail list.

If someone comes to your front door saying they are checking for ticks due to the warm weather and asks you to take your clothes off and dance around with your arms up, DO NOT DO IT!! THIS IS A SCAM!!

They only want to see you naked.

I wish I'd gotten this yesterday. I feel so stupid.

Monday, June 09, 2008

That's A Lot Of......

75 degrees - hot & sunny on Saturday (perfect)

62 degrees - cold, gloomy & windy on Sunday (freezing)

60 degrees - cool, sunny & windy on Monday (miserable)

18 dollars for admission

13 hours at the softball diamonds

12 dollar souvenir t-shirt for the player

12 girls on the softball team

7 games

5 beverages

4 losses

4 hot dogs

3 wins

3 days of softball

3 family members coated in sunscreen

3 candy bars

2 bags of sunflower seeds

2 hot chocolates (Monday)

2 days wrapped in blankets

2 days on bleachers (bleacher butt)

1 day on comfy lawn chairs

1 freezie

1 super nacho

1 slice of pizza

1 family member not coated in sunscreen (sunburn)

......Softball!

Monday, June 02, 2008

Things I Learned This Weekend - Updated!

- Just because eight people RSVP on Thursday for your Friday Pampered Ch*f Party does not mean that eight will attend on Friday - something will inevitably come up that requires half of them to cancel on Friday morning.

- If for some reason I were to lose my day job, I could get a job as a bartender. I make EXCELLENT chocolate martinis!

- Even though guests are aware that the Pampered Ch*f Party is a Chocolate Bliss theme party, guests will still expect something more substantial (supper-like) being the party begins at 5:25. (Evidently Nutty Caramel Brownies, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake, Oreos, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Sticks, M&Ms, Chocolate Milk, Strawberry Chocolate Shooters, and Chocolate Martinis are not considered a "good" supper.)

- No matter how well you coat your daughter in sunscreen does not mean she will return the favor. (But hopefully she will learn her lesson as she will now be coating her mom's back in lotion twice a day for the foreseeable future.)

- If you head to the pool to take advantage of the sunny, cloudless skies, that does not mean the skies will remain that way. (In only 45 short minutes, the skies will turn a deep, dark grey with the threat of rain - oh, and the wind will pick up tremendously!)

- If you run out of white milk for breakfast, chocolate milk will work great with chocolate flavored cereals and chocolate malt-o-meal.

- If you are knowingly going on a 3 mile walk, flip flops should not be the shoe of choice.

- Two parents walking cannot keep up with two kids on scooters.

- If you go golfing and are wishing for a partly cloudly sky along with a gentle breeze, it will not come. (It will be completely sunny with very little breeze - a great day for the pool.)

- Even after three coatings of bug spray, if the mosquitos are determined enough, they will still bite you.

- When you get excited and finally decide to add a line for the kids to your cell phone plan and instead of allowing the kids to pick their new phone, you pick a new "cool" one and give them your old one, you will quickly become disappointed when you find out the new phone is crap! (Supposedly batteries on phones these days only last 8 to 12 hours?!?!?! And I can't make or receive calls because the signal keeps disappearing!!! Are you kidding me??????? I want my old phone back!!!)

- When I play (and I use this term loosely) tennis, I look like a ballerina - according to my daughter. I take this as a compliment - I'm a very graceful tennis player! So if you're looking to combine tennis and ballet into one - I'm your girl!

- Backhand swings in tennis are very tricky! (This is usually when I look most like a ballerina.)

Monday, May 12, 2008

So How Did You Spend Mother's Day?

Saturday we decided to head to SF for Mother's Day Eve. We spent the day shopping, of course. However, I was not shopping for myself nor did I buy a single thing for myself. I know, poor me! My hubby said I made up for it the past few months, though! :) Instead we were on a mission for Hayley. She has a rather difficult body shape. It's VERY had to find bottoms to fit her!! Poor girl. Old N*vy jeans are/were the only jeans that would fit her right. But we're in kind of a predicament. She's at that stage where she's basically outgrown kids' sizes but she's just a bit too small for juniors' sizes!! AARRGGHH!!

She outgrew all her jeans that I bought at the beginning of the school year so I recently bought two more pairs but that's all I'm buying because spring/summer is supposed to be here! It's been hectic trying to make sure she has clean jeans to wear every day!

She actually jumped two sizes since September - lately she's been wearing jeans that are two sizes too small!! We can't believe she didn't say anything. At this age, we expect her to tell us if things don't fit and also we never noticed because with the flowy, loose shirts over the jeans you just don't see it!! Poor girl must have felt like a sardine!

(On a side note, since last April, Hayley has grown 2 inches and Tanner has grown 4 inches!!)

Anyways, we were in SF trying to buy her shorts because I am determined that summer will eventually be coming. Store after store after store after store.........disappointment after disappointment after disappointment after disappointment............when all of a sudden, we finally we hit the jackpot! At Yo*nkers we found a skort and pair of shorts that FIT!!! I actually started singing "Hallelujah, Hallelujah" in the dressing room!! Seriously!! :) I was so excited I never even checked the prices of them. Just took them straight to the register and just about died when the total for those TWO items came to over $63!!!!! For an 11 year old. They're shorts for cyring out loud - hardly any material!!! (Yes, I still bought them.) Hayley later says, wow, they were overpriced!

Our last stop was JC P*nney and we found two more pairs of shorts there - B*ngo brand!! And they even came with free flip flops! WOOHOO!!!

Brands we've tried that just do not fit her right are: T*rget's Circo, JC P*nney's Arizona.

Brands we've loved over the years: Old N*vy, Ch*ldren's Place, and some L*vis.

OK - enough about that!

We had lunch at R*by Tu*sdays. Yum-o!! And supper at J*ohnny C*rinos! YUM-O!!!

Sunday, Mother's Day, I didn't do anything fun or relaxing really. Dean & the kids cooked me breakfast. Had to go through rummage sale stuff as my sale is Friday, had laundry to do, went to my mother-in-laws for a bit, and then Dean & the kids took me out for a hot fudge sundae at D*Q.

So how did you spend your Mother's Day Eve & Mother's Day?

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Snow Day On APRIL 25th

And mind I remind you, we had a SNOW DAY only two weeks earlier on APRIL 11th!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

I think we got about 10 inches on the 11th - which was bad enough.

WE RECEIVED 19 INCHES THIS PAST FRIDAY!!!!!! IN APRIL!!!!!!!! THE END OF APRIL!!!!!!!!!

I am NOT laughing at these jokes that Mother Nature has been playing on me!!!

For my sanity, I hope Spring is right around the corner.........

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

What Color Lip Gloss Should You Wear?


You Should Wear Cherry Red Lip Gloss



Wild, fresh, and totally alluring.

Who knew? ME?! Wild, fresh & totally alluring?!?!?!

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Dance Competition

A few weeks ago, Hayley had a Dance Competition. She participates in Jazz Dance and Pom Dance. Here are the hair pics!

The Night Before - Frontal View


The Night Before - Back View


The Night Before - Side View

(Please Note: She is smiling at this point.)

The Next Morning: Frontal View

The Next Morning: Back View

The Next Morning: Side View

AKA Grandma Hayley & Little Orphan Annie!

(Please Note: She is NOT happy!)
(FYI: Her hair is well past her shoulders when straight!)

(Note to Self: Next time - Do NOT roll hair all the way to the scalp.)

(Better yet, NEVER try this again!)

I was laughing SO HARD that I was crying. Hayley was NOT impressed! I told her not to worry. I would never let her leave the house with a bad hairdo! Which, if you truly know me, I should have been freaking out!

Being Hayley was in two competitions, she need two hair styles! And to top that off, Hayley's hair does not curl well at all! (Unless you wet her hair, use tiny granny rollers, and sleep in them.) One required low piggy tails and the other required a high, curled pony tail. (A co-worker suggested I use the rollers because she uses them for her daughter so I thought I'd give them a shot. Something she forgot to tell me and something I vaguely thought about when I was DONE rolling her hair - maybe I shouldn't have gone all the way to her scalp?!)

We had to be to the dance competition by 10 am. My plan was to leave the house at 8:45 am even though it was only a 45 minute drive so we had time to get through town and find the location.

At 8:20 I was FINALLY done unrolling her hair and determined there was NO way I could work with this. (I actually tried but it was a lost cause!) There's only one thing to do - WASH IT OUT!!! I grabbed her, bent her over the tub and said, "Hayley, we don't have time to be nice - it's going to hurt!" (FYI - Hayley has a sensitive head.) We washed it, blow-dried it, put it in two low piggy tails, and started curling away. I figured it probably wouldn't look very good once we had to put her in a high pony tail but we had no choice. We were out the door at 9:05 and still made it on time! (It actually looked cuter when we changed it to a high pony but neither of the styles had much curl!) Oh, well!

Does anyone want me to do their hair??!! :)

Here are some pics from her dance competition!

(Hayley is in back row, second from right)


(Hayley is in back row, second from right)


(Hayley is fourth from left)

(Hayley is on the right, standing)


In the jazz dance (baseball), we were the only ones in that category so we took 1st place. In the pom dance, there were two entries and we won 1st place!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

What Did You Eat for St Paddy's Day?

Our family ate green mashed potatoes topped with mock beef stroganoff. And for dessert, a green jello poke cake topped with cool whip and green sprinkles!


Tanner & I prepared the meal while Hayley was at dance. When she came home and sat down at the table, I told her we were having green pistachio salad with beef gravy. In addition, I had already dished up two plates so she was looking at the plates and seeing green pistachio salad topped with a hamburger gravy. She looked very confused and did not look pleased that this is what we were having for supper. Then Tanner and I let her in on the joke, it wasn't pistachio salad it was green mashed potatoes! :) She looked SO relieved! Then we all happily gobbled up the yummy supper!

As we were eating, it was hard to believe it was mashed potatoes because it did NOT look like mashed potatoes! They were SO green! Gotta have fun when you can!

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Monday Was A Big Day!

I did it!!! I actually did it!!! I got my lower braces on and received my bite plate on Monday! In 3 to 4 months, I will get rid of the bite plate and get my uppers braced. My teeth have been slightly tender but nothing too major. Mainly my teeth are tender only when I'm chewing. Only one bracket has been bothering me so I've been keeping wax on that one. My big discomfort is coming from the bare wire that goes across my extraction sites. The wire has put two nice grooves in my cheeks!! YIKES!!! It is actually quite painful and you can't put wax on a big bare wire; it just doesn't stay! Trust me - I've tried!!! Here's to my cheeks toughening up so I am pain free!

After my extractions, I lost 8 pounds within two weeks. Prior to being braced, I decided to do some celebrating so I ate out at my favorite restaurants for 9 days in a row!!! Yes, you heard me correctly, 9 days of eating out!! Some of the foods were difficult and even painful or uncomfortable to eat but I dug my heels in and ate, ate, ate! For heaven's sake, I had been on boring soft foods for almost 3 weeks!!! But there was a consequence! I gained 3 pounds in those 9 days!! But since I've been braced, I've lost those 3 pounds in just 4 days! YIPPEE!!! Here's hoping to shedding more!

Being it's such a pain to clean my braces and you really have to brush every time you eat, unless you like carrying around a convenience store in your mouth, I've cut out all snacks. It's just not worth it! That's mainly why I'm losing weight. Plus, it takes longer to eat now (since my extractions & being braced) so I get full faster, thereby reducing my portion sizes! Most times I'm eating only half the portion sizes I used to eat! CRAZY!!!

Being you don't hardly see my bottom braces when I talk or smile, I decided to choose a colored lig (rubber band) - light pink. HOW COOL! I'm thinking purple next time! Might as well have fun with it and enjoy it; however, I won't be picking too wild of colors. They had told me I could pick up to three colors to create a pattern if I wanted! No, thanks! One color is plenty for me! However, on my top front teeth I will have clear (ceramic) braces and will not put colored ligs on them as that defeats the purpose of getting clear braces!

This is what my bite plate looks like. Very similar to a retainer except it's thicker behind my front teeth to stop me from biting off my bottom brackets. (If you look closely, you can barely see the bite plate between my top front teeth.) I have to wear this 24/7 - even eat with it!! My back molars do not touch! It definitely makes for a creative eating experience! Hence, the reason why I visited all my favorite restaurants the nine days prior to being braced! :)


Oh, boy! I lisp something fierce!! As soon as the ortho put in the bite plate, I tried to talk! I was shocked! It was NOT GOOD! I looked at my ortho and asked if I would ever talk normal again! He lauged and said yes, but it is going to take some time! :( I have to retrain myself! The first day was absolutely TERRIBLE!!! Not only was I lisping like crazy, but I was spraying spit EVERYWHERE! I went straight back to work after being braced so I had no time to practice! It's getting better but as my boss so graciously pointed out, "It sounds like you have a wad of gum in my mouth!" (It's a good thing I like my boss!) :)

Monday, February 18, 2008

Recovering

Well, it's been two weeks since I had my teeth extracted. I'm recovering - SLOWLY but surely! On surgery day, I was told no sucking on straws, no spitting, and no carbonated beverages for 48 hours to prevent dry socket. Just to be on the safe side, I waited at least a week or longer. For the past week, when I brush my teeth, I spit VERY lightly. I had my first carbonated beverage this past Saturday. I still haven't sucked on a straw. However, I believe I've developed a partial dry socket!! If I spit too forcefully, I get an "electric shock" in my top right extraction site. If I talk to excitedly, I get "electric shocks" in that same site. (Which means no yelling at the kids & the hubby; they're happy!) If I say the "p", "b", and "f" sounds to forcefully I receive that very nice "electric shock." Otherwise, I have no pain in that site.

Because my oral surgeon is in SF, my Ortho said he'd see me if I developed any problems or had questions about my surgery. A week ago I stopped into my Ortho's office to confirm that I'm healing properly because I was still in quite a bit of discomfort. He assured me I was healing fine and said it's normal to still be in discomfort as I had a pretty major surgery done. He volunteered to remove my sutures which were all still in (I only lost one, that I know of, on my own). My oral surgeon had said they'd dissolve in 2 to 5 days. Well, they didn't. I asked the Ortho if there was anything wrong with leaving them in. He said, no, but that if they weren't out by last Thursday I should stop back to have them removed. Well, guess what?! Last Thursday they were still there! So I stopped back and my Ortho removed them. It was a rather painless but uncomfortable process! He kept commenting about how many I had. Yeah, I know tell me about it. I've had to feel them for the past 10 days! YUCK!! Also, my Ortho thought I was still healing fine. He didn't think I had a dry socket but that if it really bothered me or got worse that I should contact my oral surgeon. When I got back to my office, I realized the Ortho had missed a suture - a LONG one!

So when I got home at the end of the day, I decided Dean & I had to play dentist. I sterilized small scissors and tweezers. I didn't want to just pull on the suture in case it hadn't been cut by the Ortho so I had Dean try to cut the suture but he just couldn't do it. (I would call this, failure to perform!) So I finally grabbed the tweezers and gave it a pull and out it came! I gave a HUGE sigh of relief and Dean laughed at me!

I am still eating only soft foods which is getting rather boring and frusturating! For two weeks I've lived off of: applesauce, pudding, yogurt, soup, mashed potatoes, peaches, mandarin oranges, malt-o-meal, cottage cheese, and scrambled eggs. I added fluffy pancakes yesterday. I tried some pasta last night and that just gets stuck to my teeth and gums. It's a pain to eat right now. So far I've lost at least 7 pounds. I'm pretty happy about that and hope to lose a bit more! I've cut out all snacks because it's just a pain in the butt to have to clean out my extraction sites everytime I eat. Therefore, I'm eating only 3 meals a day - which feels weird!

On Saturday I had my first can of diet coke in almost two weeks! Prior to my surgery I was a diet coke-aholic! I always had one in the morning to start my day and then if decided to have another, I made sure it was a caffeine-free diet coke. So generally I had two cans a day! So Saturday when I opened my pop and took a whiff I was in heaven! Oh, I just couldn't hardly contain myself. I couldn't wait to take a drink! However, when I actually had a taste, it just didn't taste right. I kept drinking it but I just didn't enjoy it like I used to. THEY BROKE ME!!! I want my love for diet coke back!

Thursday, February 14, 2008

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!


HAPPY

VALENTINE'S

DAY

May you get kisses from everyone you love

And chocolate from everyone else!

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

I'm Taking the Plunge!

No, I'm getting married (I already am)! I've finally decided to get braces to fix my gaps and overbite.

To understand how huge of a deal this is for me, you need to understand what happened during my childhood. When I was approximately 12 years old, I started the process of getting braces. This involved extracting three or four teeth. Then I was to have braces and the last step would be a couple bridges to replace teeth I am missing. (They say missing teeth is usually genetic but my parents and grandparents do not have missing teeth so maybe it goes farther back??)

The first step involved extracting teeth. My childhood dentist, who I wasn't too fond of then and definitely hate now, got the honors. Well, to say the least, it was NOT a pleasant experience. I don't know if I didn't have enough local or what but I was crying and moaning and he was yelling at me to, "grow up!" From that point on, I NEVER looked forward to going to the dentist, even for a cleaning. So after the extractions, I went to the ortho my parents had chosen (because he made trips to my small town) and had my records appointment, which involves xrays and molds. He was a very large man with very large hands and was not gentle about anything. Shortly after that, I called it quits. There was no way I was getting braces!!! My dad tried to talk me into getting braces by saying, "you'll never get married if you don't get your teeth fixed." Now please understand, I was daddy's little girl and my dad & I are still close. As you may know, I did get married and my teeth did not deter him!

So fast forward approximately 20 years and here I am - making the decision to finally get braces! The number one reason - because I want that perfect smile! The second reason - because both of my kids will need braces and I will NOT allow them to refuse treatment!

Last December I had my first consult. I originally went to see if I could do the Invis*align but was told that it wouldn't work for me. So then I contemplated whether I was truly going to do this and in January, I had a second consult. Even though the second ortho is almost $1000 more, I felt better with the doctor, the staff, the office, and all the technology!

Both orthos told me I had to have teeth extracted which seems counterproductive considering I am missing teeth! The problem is that I still had four baby teeth, two of which were fused to the bone and the other two possibly were. Plus I had a partially erupted wisdom tooth that needed to come out, which my dentist had warned me about, because it was coming in at an angle. He had decided being it wasn't bothering me that we'd wait until it was fully erupted or it bothered me. But now that I was having four teeth removed, we decided to take the wisdom tooth now.

Because of my past experience with extractions, my ortho suggested I see an oral surgeon and because I had a complex case involving teeth that were fused to the bone. That appointment was yesterday! I had 5 teeth extracted!!! And I survived!!! However, it hasn't been easy road to recovery. Sure, they totally put me out so the last thing I remember was being given general anesthesia and then I awoke in the recovery room. But recovery has been slow and uncomfortable. The most pain was yesterday two to four hours after the surgery when I had let the local wear off but didn't yet have my prescriptions to take being we had the surgery in SF and had to drive back to W to get them filled. Then when I finally got everything in me - Sudafed, Ibuprofen, Vicodin, and Amoxicillin - they didn't stay in me for long. My medication schedule is crazy - take this one every 4-6 hours, take this one every 6-8 hours, take this one every 6 hours, and take this one twice day. Plus today I had to add a prescription mouth rinse, Peridex, to the schedule twice a day! The only way to keep track of this is to carry around a notepad with me and jot down each time I take a pill and when I can take it again! And let me tell you, it's not easy swallowing these HUGE pills with a sore mouth and pokey stitches!!!

I have been on a liquid / soft food diet the past two days and I'm sure it will continue tomorrow. My jaw / mouth is VERY stiff - probably from not chewing and talking. Yesterday I was icing it quite often and today it's a heating pad. I really HATE feeling all the stitches! I can't wait until I'm fully recovered. Braces are sounding like a piece of cake compared to these extractions!

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Four Things

4 Jobs I've Had
Assistant Loan Officer
Cheerleading Coach
Deposit Verification Specialist
Teller

4 Movies Watched Over and Over
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
10 Things I Hate About You
Armageddeon
Pacifier

4 Places I've Lived
W*t*rt*wn
M*d*s*n
F*rg*
Br*tt*n

4 Shows I Watch
Friends
Big Brother
Survivor
ER

4 Places I've Been
Orlando, FL (four times)
Las Vegas, NV (twice)
Olympia, WA (twice)
Nashville, TN

4 People Who Email Me Regularly
Jenn
Kari
Jessica
Laura

4 Favorite Things To Eat
Cheesecake
Pizza
French dip sandwiches
Cheese sticks with marinara sauce

4 Places I'd Rather Be
Hot, sunny beach
Hot, sunny beach
Hot, sunny beach
Hot, sunny beach

4 Things I Look Forward To This Year
Our annual 4th of July trip to Wisconsin
My sister's wedding in July
A weekend getaway with Kari to my first Supercross Race
A hot, sunny summer

4 People To Tag
Anyone
Who
Enjoys
Memes

Monday, January 21, 2008

We Were On the Go!

Last Thursday, the kids and I went to SF to stay overnight at the Ramada. (I ended up seeing approximately eight deer running in a field not too far from the road! YIKES!) We made one quick stop at Kohls, grabbed some pizza, checked into our hotel, ate pizza, and then the kids played at the water park for about 2 1/2 hours!!! I was busy snapping pics and catching up on reading my magazines - I didn't get very far - still have many more to go!


We got up EARLY Friday morning because the kids had dentist appointments at 7:30. They go to a pediatric dentist who they love! My hubby would prefer they go to a dentist in W but I enjoy the pediatric dentist too much to change. (Also, I had a bad experience with my childhood dentist - more on that another time.) Plus it gives me an excuse to go to SF. And the kids and I have looked forward to these mini vacations twice year for the last four years! NO CAVITIES!!! Then we grabbed breakfast and we were on our way home. Although the kids didn't have school, I had to work. :(

Saturday was another big day of traveling.

9:15 The kids and I were on the road to the good ole town of M - where we previously lived.

10:15 First Stop - I dropped the kids off at The Swensons, our old neighbors. Kelly so graciously offered to take the kids for the day. My original plans were to visit them as our last stop of the day. Our kids often played together in the neighborhood.

10:30 - 12:45 Second Stop - My good friend, Julie, was hosting a l*ia so*phia party! I walked away with too much jewelry! Just ask my hubby! :) I can't wait until it arrives!! Also, I finally got to see baby, Treyton and big girl, Alonna! They were so precious! Alonna quickly became my friend. And let me tell you, she is one fashionable girl. She was into all the jewelry. She kept playing with it and calling it her "pretties".

12:45 - 3:15 Third Stop - Lunch with my good friend, Maria, and her son, Jordan, at the best Chinese place - Ch*na Moon! YUMMY!! Then we headed back to Maria's house to chat for a bit more. Jordan sure is growing up into one handsome man!

3:15 - 5:30 Fourth Stop - I chatted with The Swensons while the kids continued to play. They put on an awesome costume parade for us with many costume changes.

5:30 Fifth (and Final) Stop - The gas station and then on our way home! However, while filling up with gas, I proceeded to read my fortune from my fortune cookie that I had received at lunch. I wish I wouldn't have! It read, "Today you should be a passenger. Stay close to a driver for a day." I was freaked out! Normally I'm not superstitious but come on. Here I was doing all this driving and now I get this fortune!! Nice! Needless to say, the drive home was a tense one! Even more so - I hate driving in the dark! I only saw one deer on the side of the road but luckily it wasn't a stupid one - it ran AWAY from me rather than TOWARDS me!

It was such a COLD weekend that I would have rather spent it indoors but at least it was just cold (REALLY COLD) - there were no ice or snow storms!! All in all, it was a really fun weekend!