We're Coming!

So, I decided to put a new oven on hold, temporarily and use our tax return to take all of us to Portland. Since my sister just had her baby, I haven't been able to get visiting them out of my mind. They are blessing their baby at church on February 15, down in Medford. So, we are headed to Portland the 10th of February, so we can get plenty of time in with our friends and family there. Then that Friday we will drive down to Medford and hang out with the grandparents and other family there.
I am excited. It's the first time one of my sisters has had a baby and I am bummed I wasn't able to be there to share it with her. The girls are over the moon. My little brother had a baby in May and TD's Uncle had a baby just after my sister, so there is plenty of new family to see.
We want to see you all, so let me know if you guys have time to get together that week.

Priorities

So, TD and I have been discussing going on a cruise for several months now. Galveston is such a close port and they are fairly cheap. But, with the economy going in the toilet, I told him that I wouldn't feel too good about spending money on that. We have a nice cushion and I am leery of touching it.
But, my oven is on the fritz. It is driving me nuts. It won't keep the correct temperature, it's either too hot or too cold. I made the most amazing cookies yesterday and I burnt the first batch. That's right, me...baking queen. It's not the first time either. My sister must have heard me cursing all of the way from Portland. She called and I told her what happened and she gasped. She couldn't believe it either. I don't burn things. But I set the oven to 350 degrees and when I put the first batch in, it was at 382 degrees. So, I turned back to 350 degrees and a batch later it was at 323 degrees. I have been talking to TD about buying a new oven and he said, " I thought you were worried about money." There's a difference! Tell me you see the difference between going on a cruise and buying a new oven for me. Really, for the entire family. I use the oven literally daily.
I was able to salvage the other batches of cookies by babysitting them nearly the entire time. Not my idea of a good time.
It's even worse when I try to bake something that requires a longer baking time than 10 minutes. I have been wanting to make bread for a while, but I don't want to go through all of it and then have it burn or take too long. So, I am posting a poll, tell me what you think. Is an oven a necessary expense, or should I be a better babysitter? I have to warn you, we have a wall oven, which is more expensive than a range. In fact, the oven that we have is a really expensive one. It's also a convection oven and would cost a lot more to replace. I don't want another convection oven. But we have money to replace it, but I do want to travel as well...ugh.

How to Survive Days off

The girls and I had a good time yesterday. Not once did I want to chuck them out the back door and lock it. It helped that I had finally grown entirely sick and tired of the brown swirly wall paper in the the girls' butterfly bathroom. I don't know why anyone would put ugly brown wall paper that was similar to the tile on the floor. I spent plenty of time peeling the wall paper off our master bathroom, which totally sucked. This time I started by peeling the top part of the wall paper and then used the fabric softener solution on the leftovers. The girls absolutely loved demo-ing the bathroom. They helped me for over an hour and actually accomplished something. They also fell asleep soon after they went to bed.
I got all of the wall paper off the walls and today I will be heading off to Home Depot for some tape, texture and paint. The girls wanted a light blue, I wanted a light purple and so we are going to get a mix of the two.
My little sister became a mom Saturday night. I am so excited and sad that I am not there. This is my first sister to give birth. It's fun to be able to talk to her about things.

Filters

TD and I were talking a while ago and he told me how nice I was. Instead of just agreeing and moving on, I told him, " Well, sometimes I don't feel like a nice person. I don't always have the nicest thoughts. I just don't share them." He said, "That's what part of being a nice person is." I always thought you just had to have only nice thoughts all of the time, which I have to admit is pretty boring. Remember that part in Steel Magnolias where Olympia Dukakis said, " If you don't have something nice to say, come and sit by me." Spicy comments seem to spice up the world.
Like yesterday. I was at the Y and lucky for me, the escalator became free just as soon as I walked in. On the other one, was a little blonde girl and next to her on a regular stair stepper was another little blonde girl. I say girl, but they are two women who have some sort of exercise bulimia and workout for hours at a time. I say, to each his own, but they hog the machines for literally hours at a time and they have kids in childwatch, which can't be fun for them. Anyway, for once, both of them weren't on the machines. I got my stuff together and was untangling my earphones when I heard one say to the other that she was planning to get on the escalator in three minutes and now she wasn't going to be able to. Instead of channeling my own Liz Lemon and yelling, "Suck it Blondie", I merely put my headphones in a climbed on the escalator and sweated myself silly.
It's tough as I get older. When I was younger, I let people walk all over me and say whatever they wanted because I was afraid they wouldn't like me or want to be my friend any more. In the last few years, probably because I had to speak up for Fiona, I have taken a lot less crap and been less willing to excuse others' bad behaviors. So far, my filters are still working and I am able to keep my snarky comments to myself, except to TD because he finds it funny and frankly sometimes I do too.
I just hope as I get older, I will keep those filters. I certainly don't want to become one of those old people who figures that since they are going to die soon anyway, they shouldn't have to keep it to themselves. I also want to keep my more assertive self. I want to be able to tell it like it is without being rude. I don't want to say whatever just because I can.

Don't Wanna, Not Gonna, Can't Make Me

We used to say this about Buttercup. Before she was able to verbalize her needs, she would pitch a fit and it would seem this what she was trying to say to us.
This also refers to me with regards to the dentist. I HATE the dentist, with a severe loathing. I think it might have something to do with the fact they always find something wrong. I've mentioned my pregnancy problems before. At one point I calculated all of the times I threw up in the first 9 years of our marriage. There were enough times to have been bulimic after every meal for 2 years! It's no surprise that my teeth aren't their best. We also lived in an area where they didn't fluoridate the water. Say what you will about fluoride, I only had one cavity in the first 24 years of my life. Then we moved to Eugene, and then Portland and tons of cavities and a few crowns. I started going to the dentist every 6 months like a good girl and then we moved down here. I was scheduled for my 6 month visit the weekend we flew out. And I haven't been back since. It's been about a year and a half, not too bad, but still.
The tough thing about being an adult, no one schedules your doctors and dental appointments, you have to make them and then make yourself go. So, today I called and made an appointment for next week. I was on such a roll that I called my doctor and made the appointment she asked for. And now I am going to put them both of my mind. Or try at least. Ugh.

Comments

So, the 12th was National Delurking day. How funny that they have designated a day. I felt like putting up their little button that demands everyone who visits on that day delurk. But then, as I wander through your blogs, I've noticed that not only are people not commenting, they aren't writing on their blogs either. So, I can't feel too put out. If you don't even have the time to write on your own blog, I am sure you aren't browsing through mine.
So far I am having a pretty good week, house-wise. The work is getting done on time or sooner than planned. I usually have a schedule. Monday is Walmart shopping, clothes cleaning and folding and the first vacuum of the week. Tuesday, I iron and dust and head to Costco for the many gallons of milk we drink. Wednesday is usually tile floor cleaning, which is easier, thanks to my handy dandy Floormate. I love this thing. I am not a big fan of mopping. Sweeping I don't mind, but we have something like 900 square feet of tile and I am not mopping all of that. Thursday is bathrooms, not my favorite. When we were moving, I told TD I didn't want more than 2 bathrooms because I wasn't cleaning that much. We did add a powder room to that, but at least there isn't a tub or shower to clean.
On Friday, I vacuum again and take care of anything I might've forgotten or needed to add during the week. This Monday I was so industrious that I managed to do my ironing as well, clearly I was on fire.
I was wondering why I was so on top of things and I realized this has been the first time in a long time that I didn't have another thing going on top of regular life. No chemo schedule to track, including small people needing to stay home due to the effects. No hurricane tearing up my yard and leaving me without electricity, no major health problems of my own, no school vacations. Of course, next week is MLK day and then the first week of February Fiona has another scan, which necessitates an all day visit to the hospital.
Oh, another reason why things are going well, I have found a whole bunch of interesting books and am consuming them like wildfire. Part of my rehab back at the Y has been the bicycle and it's perfect to sit and read my current book.
So, I guess I am not writing as much because life is good. New shows on TV, new books from the library, plenty of time alone. Now if the arctic blast would just go back the way it came. There was ice on my magic school bus this morning and my toes are frozen!

My Bad (?)

So, last night, I am enjoying a nice warm brownie and a new episode of Grey's Anatomy. Enjoying might be too strong a word for the TV, but anyway, I hear the girls in their bathroom allegedly getting ready for bed. I only hear them because TD instituted a routine, when the girls were little, that's come back to bite him in the fanny. He tucks them in. I just say, "Go get yourself into bed". He thinks it's important. Well, now he has to officially tuck them in each night or else they don't consider themselves ready for bed. Last night he was finishing more work at home and watching the bowl game and the girls got a late start. So anyway, I hear a loud thump and then I wait. You know, for either giggling, where I shout, " Stop screwing around." Or crying, where I hop up running. I hopped up running. I get into the girls' bathroom and find both of them soaking wet. In their nightgowns. I can't help myself, I just burst out laughing. They both stop howling (you know mildly hurt, but more scared and embarrassed sort of crying) to stare at me. I hear all sorts of indignant stammers, " It's not funny, I'm so hurt", etc. Then TD shows up and starts taking charge. Gotta love the guy, he's a total nervous Nellie. One of these times I am going to tell you about how he wants me to walk and pick the girls up from school, literally across the street and then I will take my handy dandy new camcorder and film me walking across the street so you can understand why I'm not in any big hurry to do such a thing.
So TD starts checking for neurological and orthopedic injuries and I am still bent over laughing. The girls have stopped crying by now and are just glaring at me and periodically sniffling a giggle themselves. I tell the girls, it's one of those prerogatives of motherhood. If you do something that soaks you completely, in the bathroom no less, and come out looking like a drowned rat, it's one of the benefits of motherhood that I get to laugh my head off.
After a bit of interrogation, it would seem that Buttercup didn't let the water out of the bathtub and then tried to give her sister a piggyback, in the bathroom, and they tipped into the tub. I don't know how they didn't pull down the curtain, but Buttercup got a goose egg on the back of her head. I told her "Maybe next time you will think twice about not letting out the water and then giving your sister a piggy back ride in the bathroom". And next time, I will still laugh.

OH Come ON!

When Buttercup was about 3 months old, we had driven to my parents' for one of our many visits. I was in my sister's room getting ready for something and my mom came into talk to us. I lifted up my chin to apply mascara and my mom said, "What's wrong with your neck?" I had no idea what she was talking about. She said, " It looks like your thyroid is inflamed. You should have your doctor check it out." My thoughts instantly went to those women in Africa who have the grapefruit sized goiters hanging off their necks and I assumed that everyone could see it. My mom was just sensitive to it because it runs in our family and she went through a lot before the doctors and she figured out what was wrong with her.
When I got back to Eugene, I saw my doctor's PA. He said it could be all sorts of things, including thyroid cancer (way to scare a new mom- jerkweed). I had a blood test and a doctor called me that night with the results. She asked how old I was. I told her I had just turned 24. I hear this, "Huh..." and then, " well, I've never seen this before in someone your age, but your thyroid has completely shut down and we need to start you on replacement therapy." I figured that if I could fix it with a pill that had no side effects, it couldn't be the worst thing that had ever happened to me. Apparently, something like pregnancy or birth control pills affects the thyroids of the girls in my family.
So, in keeping with my nickname of the human pincushion, I have seen a doctor at least once a year for an exam and blood draw. One interesting side effect, after everything that has happened it me, the blood draw for my thyroid pushed me over the top into actual indifference to those kind of needles. I still hate (loathe) shots, but a blood draw or an IV no longer has me breaking down.
I had to call in for a refill of my medication and apparently the pharmacy had to call my doctor, which I am pretty sure I had more refills, but I have transferred the prescription several times to take advantage of the gift cards. The doctor's office called today and said the doctor had to see me. She wrote a script for one month but wanted to see me before I needed another refill. Are you freakin' kidding me? Does she not read my blog? (of course not, but you know..) They generally only test once a year, my pill hasn't changed in quite a while. And I know for a fact that it hasn't been a year since she tested me last. I can look on my blog, where less than 6 months ago, Fiona and I got our blood drawn together. I suppose it would've been one thing if she just wanted me to pick up another lab slip and head directly to the lab, but no...she wants me to make an appointment. In the last 3 months, I have had my annual pelvic/ pap smear, my kidney and liver function tested and even my guts looked at. I don't need to see her!! I had a mini- meltdown after I hung up the phone. She is no longer at the same location, so they don't have the same computer and can't easily check the records.
Let's just see how soon I get in to see her. I still have to get my moles removed and that's not happening any time soon. Don't even talk to me about the dentist. (still not okay about needles in my mouth.)

A New Resolution

So, I was composing a post in my head yesterday that was more of a rant about the weather down here and it's not what you would be thinking. I remember when we were telling our friends and family we wanted to move down here and we heard nothing but, it's brown and ugly and hot and humid, etc. That was fine by me. I have a serious body heat regulation issue. My hands and feet used to be constantly cold. There might have been a few weeks in August where I had feeling, except when TD would come home and turn down the A/C because he has the opposite body heat issues.

So, I woke up yesterday morning and I thought we had been magically transported back to Portland. It was 41 degrees and drizzling. It doesn't drizzle here. The rainstorms are usually pretty amazing. But I was back to the frozen fingers and toes and walking through a steady, heavy mist. UGH! So, I was ready to complain and be sad and just be whiny. Then I woke up this morning to my usual good January forecast. It's supposed to be over 65 degrees and sunny today. I told TD this weekend that I was going to resolve to spend more time.....
sitting out by the side of the pool and enjoying the nice weather. I could read a book or surf the internet. We have this nice view I should take more advantage. Sounds like a pretty tough resolution, huh?

A New Year

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted. Taking care of the girls and trying to dig out the house has consumed my time. Not to mention continuing to recuperate.
School didn't start until today, not that I am expecting any sympathy from those of you who had an unexpected extra week of Christmas break. But I managed to accomplish a lot yesterday with the help of the girls. But we are back to regular time, plus leftovers, which means a HUGE pile of ironing. Seriously huge. I have started ironing for Moe too because she has starting paying rent, due to her new and very well paid job courtesy of TD.
I am bummed because the girls didn't go to school on Monday and Fiona is back to her regularly scheduled doctor's appointment on Friday. I told TD that I am so sick and tired of doctors' offices. I have been to a doctor's office at least! once a month for the last two and a half years. Can you believe that? I told him I want to take an entire year and not take anyone, including myself to a doctor's, dentist's, etc office for an entire year. Nothing, nada, zip, zero, zilch. But that's never going to happen.
As for me and my recovery, it's not been as easy, in some ways. I feel fine mostly, but some of the pains I went into surgery to get rid of, haven't gone away. Instead of a warm ball in my abdomen, it feels more like a hot thing poked me in the same place. Plus, I have been having mid cycle cramps, which is not usual. Special...
So that's what we have been up to for the past week or so. On a happier note, I just discovered that the last 1/3 of the ironing basket is just regular clothes waiting to be folded, yeah!!!