http://www.novartispharmaceuticals.com/en/stories/detail/5-things-every-person-living-with-a-rare-disease-understands
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| Rachel Co Founder of Cushingstories.com and Blogger |
Friday, February 27, 2015
"5 Things Every Person Living with a Rare Disease Understands"
I am really excited to share this article to you all!! It has my good friend, blogger and Co founder of our site Cushingstories.com in it! They feature quotes from the both of us. I am so proud that Novartis is taking the time to really talk about Cushing's and Advocating for it. Rachel and I both have Cushing's and really want ppl to understand it. This is just the beginning! Novartis is making great strides in getting awareness out there for our disease and many other Rare Diseases also. Please check out the article! #RDD2015 #GetLoud #Raredisease #Cushing's
http://www.novartispharmaceuticals.com/en/stories/detail/5-things-every-person-living-with-a-rare-disease-understands
http://www.novartispharmaceuticals.com/en/stories/detail/5-things-every-person-living-with-a-rare-disease-understands
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Rant...As a parent have you ever had to.....
So I have to laugh because my Mother In Law is always telling me that I should write something "not as positive" on my blog so ppl know the realness of parenting four teenagers. I haven't really had anything to write about that wasn't that positive lately until now ha! Let me tell you the trials and tribulations of parenting.
So my son is in 4H. This is something he wanted to join and not only did he decide he wanted to join one of the clubs in 4H but he wanted to join 5! We say okay its going to be a lot of meeting and work. He agreed he wanted to do this all so we went all in. We would be helping him do Shooting Sports, Leadership, Horse, Beginners Beef and Cooking.
So lets skip to Beginners Beef where we asked him if he would like to raise a Steer. This would be really costly to us but then he would have this project, show it at fair and sell it. He would pay us back for the Steer and all the feed and then keep the remaining money for himself. We were excited because this gives him responsibility and also money for himself after all the hard work. We talk to our Ranching friends.....he goes there and hand picks his Steer out. We schedule for drop off and Voila he has his Steer! This is a big thing so we asked four times to see if he was sure this is what he wanted to do.
Fast Forward. Steer is at our ranch. We have all the Hay and are driving to go get the Grain that it will need for the month. As we are driving our son tells us that he is actually not interested in having a Steer. The Steer that is 1500.00 and we already hand picked and the ranchers we got it from already took time to bring it to us. Goodness. I think Ryan and I seriously didn't know what to say. What happened to the excitement that was there two days ago? Mind you we had asked him FOUR times to MAKE sure.
So then its up to Ryan and I to decide what we are going to do. We ask why he doesn't want the Steer and he said he is bored with 4H and doesn't want to do it. We ask why have things changed in just a couple days and why hadn't he spoken up before we decided to go buy a Steer. We think during the first day he has the Steer he saw how much work you have to put into it because his mind hadn't changed till then.
Side note...A Steer doesn't help out our family at all. If it was a Heifer we could breed it or eat it but a Steer is solely for him to raise, grow, show and sell.
The car was just quiet as we are trying to figure out what we are going to do at this point. We are a family that once you start something ....you finish it. You have to try something once and if you don't like it then you don't have to do it again. 4h is only half way done. I think we were quiet because well it kind of makes you perplexed because as parents you are running your child around to make sure they are at every event and doing what they need. We already bought the clothes for 4H, paid all the fees, found how to get the animal he needs to show and sell. Our minds were racing. Now what? We have a 1500.00 dollar animal that will cost 4,000 dollars by the time we are done. Its not something we would get as a family because we aren't going to sell it. We want ones we can breed or eat later.
So as a parent what runs through your mind. Do we make him do it anyways? Do we put money into something he may or may not hate? How do we show him responsibility? How do we talk to him about not being passive and speaking up so this kind of dilemma doesn't happen? Do we talk to the Rancher and see if he will take the Steer back? Does he stay in 4H? How do we have our child be happy and be responsible? What lesson can we all learn from this? How do we teach him how frustrating this can be and how we could of prevented it all together?
So after a lot of Ryan and I talking, we decided he needs to finish 4H. It was his decision to do 4H and once our family starts something they need to finish it. Does he have to show an animal to be in 4H? No. So we called our ranching friends and talked to them about what happened. They graciously said they would take it back. If someone isn't really into their animal they might not take care of it the way it should be. That wouldn't be fair to the animal. Of course, we never would of let the Steer not be taking care of but I understand the point. Thankfully they said they would take it back. Putting 4,000 dollars into an animal that you are having a kid HAVE to take care of to us seems silly. So we are still teaching responsibility but not having it be taken out of our pocket. Our son will still have to help with animals, learn about them and work hard. It just wont be with his own. We also talked to him about being passive and speaking up for yourself. Don't say things you THINK people want to hear. Say what you want and don't want. Especially when asked four times if you wanted a Steer and each time was a yes lol! He had to call the Rancher himself also to tell him why he had changed his mind. We feel he needed to explain himself because it is teaching him something about responsibilities especially when others are helping you out.
Thankfully this is one of the many learning experience we will have with ALL the kids as we go along in life. If you don't have these bumps in the road.....you aren't learning. We had to really think about how to handle the situation. No yelling was done. Some head scratching was but it turned out all right. It is a learning experience for us all. Don't you love parenting? I do.....its new and different each day. Especially with four teenagers. Don't worry tomorrow we will have some trial and tribulation with another one of the kids. Its always one of the kids learning a new lesson in life. :) Who knows which one it will be but it will be someone haha.
Subscribe to my blog. Go to the home page and put your email in. You will receive a blog each time I write. Unsubscribe at anytime. Have a Blessed Day.
So my son is in 4H. This is something he wanted to join and not only did he decide he wanted to join one of the clubs in 4H but he wanted to join 5! We say okay its going to be a lot of meeting and work. He agreed he wanted to do this all so we went all in. We would be helping him do Shooting Sports, Leadership, Horse, Beginners Beef and Cooking.
So lets skip to Beginners Beef where we asked him if he would like to raise a Steer. This would be really costly to us but then he would have this project, show it at fair and sell it. He would pay us back for the Steer and all the feed and then keep the remaining money for himself. We were excited because this gives him responsibility and also money for himself after all the hard work. We talk to our Ranching friends.....he goes there and hand picks his Steer out. We schedule for drop off and Voila he has his Steer! This is a big thing so we asked four times to see if he was sure this is what he wanted to do.
Fast Forward. Steer is at our ranch. We have all the Hay and are driving to go get the Grain that it will need for the month. As we are driving our son tells us that he is actually not interested in having a Steer. The Steer that is 1500.00 and we already hand picked and the ranchers we got it from already took time to bring it to us. Goodness. I think Ryan and I seriously didn't know what to say. What happened to the excitement that was there two days ago? Mind you we had asked him FOUR times to MAKE sure.
So then its up to Ryan and I to decide what we are going to do. We ask why he doesn't want the Steer and he said he is bored with 4H and doesn't want to do it. We ask why have things changed in just a couple days and why hadn't he spoken up before we decided to go buy a Steer. We think during the first day he has the Steer he saw how much work you have to put into it because his mind hadn't changed till then.
Side note...A Steer doesn't help out our family at all. If it was a Heifer we could breed it or eat it but a Steer is solely for him to raise, grow, show and sell.
The car was just quiet as we are trying to figure out what we are going to do at this point. We are a family that once you start something ....you finish it. You have to try something once and if you don't like it then you don't have to do it again. 4h is only half way done. I think we were quiet because well it kind of makes you perplexed because as parents you are running your child around to make sure they are at every event and doing what they need. We already bought the clothes for 4H, paid all the fees, found how to get the animal he needs to show and sell. Our minds were racing. Now what? We have a 1500.00 dollar animal that will cost 4,000 dollars by the time we are done. Its not something we would get as a family because we aren't going to sell it. We want ones we can breed or eat later.
So as a parent what runs through your mind. Do we make him do it anyways? Do we put money into something he may or may not hate? How do we show him responsibility? How do we talk to him about not being passive and speaking up so this kind of dilemma doesn't happen? Do we talk to the Rancher and see if he will take the Steer back? Does he stay in 4H? How do we have our child be happy and be responsible? What lesson can we all learn from this? How do we teach him how frustrating this can be and how we could of prevented it all together?
So after a lot of Ryan and I talking, we decided he needs to finish 4H. It was his decision to do 4H and once our family starts something they need to finish it. Does he have to show an animal to be in 4H? No. So we called our ranching friends and talked to them about what happened. They graciously said they would take it back. If someone isn't really into their animal they might not take care of it the way it should be. That wouldn't be fair to the animal. Of course, we never would of let the Steer not be taking care of but I understand the point. Thankfully they said they would take it back. Putting 4,000 dollars into an animal that you are having a kid HAVE to take care of to us seems silly. So we are still teaching responsibility but not having it be taken out of our pocket. Our son will still have to help with animals, learn about them and work hard. It just wont be with his own. We also talked to him about being passive and speaking up for yourself. Don't say things you THINK people want to hear. Say what you want and don't want. Especially when asked four times if you wanted a Steer and each time was a yes lol! He had to call the Rancher himself also to tell him why he had changed his mind. We feel he needed to explain himself because it is teaching him something about responsibilities especially when others are helping you out.
Thankfully this is one of the many learning experience we will have with ALL the kids as we go along in life. If you don't have these bumps in the road.....you aren't learning. We had to really think about how to handle the situation. No yelling was done. Some head scratching was but it turned out all right. It is a learning experience for us all. Don't you love parenting? I do.....its new and different each day. Especially with four teenagers. Don't worry tomorrow we will have some trial and tribulation with another one of the kids. Its always one of the kids learning a new lesson in life. :) Who knows which one it will be but it will be someone haha.
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Tuesday, February 24, 2015
My Cosplaying Anime Daughter
I guess I should start with a definition. Cosplay is a practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book or video game especially one from a Japanese Genre. Anime is a style of Japanese film and television animation for older kids and adults as well as children.
My daughter is a cosplaying, anime loving, Japanese art loving child. It all started when she watched the movie Spirited Away with her biological father and I when she was young. Since then she has blossomed into a HUGE Anime fan. I watch a little of it but I know her biological father is super into it so it gives them something they can bond with. Her clothes have Anime. She talks Anime. She has been trying to learn Japanese to understand it more. I don't know that many kids who love to watch animation in a different language and read subtitles but my daughter does.
What I think is cool about cosplaying is that you really use your imagination. The person also isn't afraid to just be that person who is walking around as someone else. To me its like when I was a kid and used to dress in underoos to be Superwoman. I would run around the house in my undies and tshirt and put on a towel cape and I WAS Superwoman in my own mind.
There are so many different Anime Characters that you can transform yourself into so many things. Here are just a few of them that Cassie has dressed up like just to see if she could. The last one may seem scary but really its not if you watch the show.
I am just happy that my daughter has a passion. She loves Anime and dressing up (Cosplaying). She is an artist and draws it all the time too. Here are a few samples.....
Its cool to have a child that is so into something and doesn't care if its the "thing" to be into in High School or not. Being in a small community there isn't much of that going on here but in the big cities there is a lot. Lots of Comicons and Cosplay Weekends where famous ppl even go. It can be a total family event if you want it to be. Its something we have looked into taking her too maybe this summer if there is one close by. I am glad she has a passion and is willing to explore that passion.
Wish more people would do that in life. Not be afraid to have fun and be who they want to be. Have imagination and do a little art in their lives!:) Go Cassie! Good Job for being who you are and not afraid to show it!
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My daughter is a cosplaying, anime loving, Japanese art loving child. It all started when she watched the movie Spirited Away with her biological father and I when she was young. Since then she has blossomed into a HUGE Anime fan. I watch a little of it but I know her biological father is super into it so it gives them something they can bond with. Her clothes have Anime. She talks Anime. She has been trying to learn Japanese to understand it more. I don't know that many kids who love to watch animation in a different language and read subtitles but my daughter does.
What I think is cool about cosplaying is that you really use your imagination. The person also isn't afraid to just be that person who is walking around as someone else. To me its like when I was a kid and used to dress in underoos to be Superwoman. I would run around the house in my undies and tshirt and put on a towel cape and I WAS Superwoman in my own mind.
There are so many different Anime Characters that you can transform yourself into so many things. Here are just a few of them that Cassie has dressed up like just to see if she could. The last one may seem scary but really its not if you watch the show.
I am just happy that my daughter has a passion. She loves Anime and dressing up (Cosplaying). She is an artist and draws it all the time too. Here are a few samples.....
Its cool to have a child that is so into something and doesn't care if its the "thing" to be into in High School or not. Being in a small community there isn't much of that going on here but in the big cities there is a lot. Lots of Comicons and Cosplay Weekends where famous ppl even go. It can be a total family event if you want it to be. Its something we have looked into taking her too maybe this summer if there is one close by. I am glad she has a passion and is willing to explore that passion.
Wish more people would do that in life. Not be afraid to have fun and be who they want to be. Have imagination and do a little art in their lives!:) Go Cassie! Good Job for being who you are and not afraid to show it!
Subscribe to my blog by going to the homepage and typing in your email address. Anytime I write a blog you will get an email with its contents. Unsubscribe at anytime. Have a Blessed Day.
Saving Animals and Jasons First Steer
I know we live on a Ranch and my husband takes care of 9,000 Acres of Ranches but we don't own a bunch of Steers or Cows. You see we moved to Adin about 2.5 years ago to take on this opportunity. It all started with the fact my husband was a Contractor and would come to the ranches to fix houses, buildings, roofs, Etc. He did that for a couple years before we finally decided to move to this little community because we all wanted to be together every night instead of seeing each other on weekends because it was 6 hours away.
To be honest....I did not want to move. I thought it would be like moving to the middle of no where (which it is) but be like solitary confinement or something. To my amazement....Its nothing like that at all. I am often TOO busy. I have good friends here now and we talk all the time. My kids are in so many sports its hard not to see everyone all the time. Its an amazing community. One full of life and one full of helping others. We may have a sign on our one little corner store that says "60 miles to the nearest Starbucks...our coffee will get you there" but it adds to all the charm of the town. You cant go anywhere without being stopped and chatted to which is great. Everyone waves at each car that passes.
Anyways back to the cows. When we first moved here I was so into the fact that we could have more animals than just dogs or cats that I wanted to save every animals alive lol.
Within our first year we ended up saving 5 horses, a bottle fed calf and numerous bottle fed lambs. I love bottle feeding them!
Its something that I feel is so cute....and relaxing. I like waking up early and trekking out to the babies to feed them. The lambs we help our friends with and give them back when they are bigger. Then there was Princess.....that's my bottle fed baby cow! She is the prettiest cow in the world and I get laughed at all the time when I talk about her (in a good way). I always tell our friends who are TRUE ranchers how wonderful she is and how she is the best thing ever!
She definitely is not a little calf anymore but rather a cow that we are hoping to breed. Then I will have mini princesses all over the place! A pasture full of beautiful cows ha! I think I am biased of course. I am hoping to have another bottle fed calf sometime this year too. I just feel like they are more of pets than the food we eat.
Side note: I name the animals by what they are to be later in life. Princess will not be eaten as she has a real name. Our pigs pork chop and Bacon were well....just that! Then we had lamb chops and a couple of her friends. So if it has a true name...its safe. lol
Anyways back to the topic. What was the topic again? Oh yah.....our first steer. Jason our youngest is in 4H this year. Our other three did it two years ago but since we came late they learned more about animals than they showed them. We had pigs and rabbits and learned about sheep. This year we are all in so to speak. Jason is doing Leadership, Shooting Sports, Beginners Beef, and cooking. So we decided that for him to show and sell so we had to get a Steer. Again we aren't cattle owners. The land Ryan runs has tons of cattle on it but we lease the land for the REAL cattle ppl like our good friends the Albaughs. I don't even know how many head they have but they raise the BEST beef! If you are ever interested you can look them up at FROSTY ACRES because the Beef and Lamb is USDA inspected of course, Flash frozen and vacuumed sealed for highest quality AND its ALL NATURAL GRASS FED Beef and Lamb. Which is harder and harder to find. Plus if I am being honest they are the nicest most genuine people we have ever met. Seriously if you need the number put it in the comments and we will help you out. They would probably kick me for putting this on my blog but oh well.....Its too good not to share!
So we decided to buy our first young Steer from the Albaughs. Hey why not....He is the Beef Leader and also we know they have great stuff. Jason at the end of this will have to pay us back. Its not cheap getting a small Steer to raise. Couple thousand dollars and then feed and hay etc. Jason's plan is to raise it and show it at the first fair at the end of the school year. Then he will show and sell the steer at the end of summer at our big Intermountain Fair. I love that he has a steer. This will give him something to look after and care for himself. He can put pride into what he is doing and learn all about beef as we go. This is TUB TUB Jason's Steer. I honestly think Ryan might be a little jealous because now he wants to buy a couple for our household lol. Taking care of ranches he has down pat but learning about how to be a cattle owner we are learning everyday. Thankfully we have a lot of good REAL cattle ranchers that are teaching us the ways:) That's another thing I like about living here. Everyone treats their animals with respect and its not like this horrible farming environment. Its a human and kind way of treating their animals. THEY ACTUALLY CARE!
So yesterday was the first time we got TUB TUB. He is a beauty too. I personally think no one will be better than my princess cow but hey I am a little biased. I cant wait for each day as he gets to know his Steer and Tub Tub starts to get attached to him. Its going to be a process but its going to be pretty amazing! We are all rather excited but mostly Jason is. Spring is around the corner. Hopefully I will be back to my bottle feeding lambs and calves. Its truly something really fun. I wish everyone could experience it.
Here is Jason with his steer. I will get better pictures as we go. I am excited for him!
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To be honest....I did not want to move. I thought it would be like moving to the middle of no where (which it is) but be like solitary confinement or something. To my amazement....Its nothing like that at all. I am often TOO busy. I have good friends here now and we talk all the time. My kids are in so many sports its hard not to see everyone all the time. Its an amazing community. One full of life and one full of helping others. We may have a sign on our one little corner store that says "60 miles to the nearest Starbucks...our coffee will get you there" but it adds to all the charm of the town. You cant go anywhere without being stopped and chatted to which is great. Everyone waves at each car that passes.
Anyways back to the cows. When we first moved here I was so into the fact that we could have more animals than just dogs or cats that I wanted to save every animals alive lol.
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| Elvis our horse we saved before and 4 months after |
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| Cassie and our Main Horse Leroy |
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| Patroling the Properties (Ryan, Cassie and Jack) |
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| Josh with Baby Lambs one and two:) |
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| Ryan feeding them grain as they are bigger |
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| My baby Princess. Cutest Cow EVER |
Side note: I name the animals by what they are to be later in life. Princess will not be eaten as she has a real name. Our pigs pork chop and Bacon were well....just that! Then we had lamb chops and a couple of her friends. So if it has a true name...its safe. lol
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| Pork Chop or was this one Bacon |
Anyways back to the topic. What was the topic again? Oh yah.....our first steer. Jason our youngest is in 4H this year. Our other three did it two years ago but since we came late they learned more about animals than they showed them. We had pigs and rabbits and learned about sheep. This year we are all in so to speak. Jason is doing Leadership, Shooting Sports, Beginners Beef, and cooking. So we decided that for him to show and sell so we had to get a Steer. Again we aren't cattle owners. The land Ryan runs has tons of cattle on it but we lease the land for the REAL cattle ppl like our good friends the Albaughs. I don't even know how many head they have but they raise the BEST beef! If you are ever interested you can look them up at FROSTY ACRES because the Beef and Lamb is USDA inspected of course, Flash frozen and vacuumed sealed for highest quality AND its ALL NATURAL GRASS FED Beef and Lamb. Which is harder and harder to find. Plus if I am being honest they are the nicest most genuine people we have ever met. Seriously if you need the number put it in the comments and we will help you out. They would probably kick me for putting this on my blog but oh well.....Its too good not to share!
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| Jackson looking cool in front of herd |
So we decided to buy our first young Steer from the Albaughs. Hey why not....He is the Beef Leader and also we know they have great stuff. Jason at the end of this will have to pay us back. Its not cheap getting a small Steer to raise. Couple thousand dollars and then feed and hay etc. Jason's plan is to raise it and show it at the first fair at the end of the school year. Then he will show and sell the steer at the end of summer at our big Intermountain Fair. I love that he has a steer. This will give him something to look after and care for himself. He can put pride into what he is doing and learn all about beef as we go. This is TUB TUB Jason's Steer. I honestly think Ryan might be a little jealous because now he wants to buy a couple for our household lol. Taking care of ranches he has down pat but learning about how to be a cattle owner we are learning everyday. Thankfully we have a lot of good REAL cattle ranchers that are teaching us the ways:) That's another thing I like about living here. Everyone treats their animals with respect and its not like this horrible farming environment. Its a human and kind way of treating their animals. THEY ACTUALLY CARE!
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| Princess all grown up and our first steer Tub Tub |
So yesterday was the first time we got TUB TUB. He is a beauty too. I personally think no one will be better than my princess cow but hey I am a little biased. I cant wait for each day as he gets to know his Steer and Tub Tub starts to get attached to him. Its going to be a process but its going to be pretty amazing! We are all rather excited but mostly Jason is. Spring is around the corner. Hopefully I will be back to my bottle feeding lambs and calves. Its truly something really fun. I wish everyone could experience it.
Here is Jason with his steer. I will get better pictures as we go. I am excited for him!
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| Jason's Steer Tub Tub |
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Monday, February 23, 2015
How do I have a 17 year old at 24?
First off I would like to know how is my oldest turning 17 if I am only 24 years old? How is that even possible?
I seriously cannot believe Jackson is growing up so fast in front of my eyes. 17 is well...practically 18 and then he is considered an adult by law. Not by me of course because well all my kids will always be my babies. I don't care if they are 38 and think they are adults....they are still my kids :) Hmmm I wonder if that is how my dad or my Mother in law look at Ryan and I still? We will still puff out our chests and stand tall and act like we are adults though even though we are probably still their babies. :)
Being a blended family I haven't had the luck to have Jackson since he was born but I have had him since he was this 10 year old kid who when he hugged me wasn't even close to my shoulders yet. This little kid who was skinny with these big little ears and big blue eyes. Now he is taller than me...still skinny but has muscles (he would kill me if I didn't say that) and he grew into his ears lol:)
In 7 years that he has been in my life I have loved him since day one. He has always been our jokester of the house. The "pusher" of sorts. He sometimes will argue so well that Ryan and I start to wonder if we really are making the right decision. The one thing I do know is that when he puts his mind to something he gets it done. He is my mechanical kid. He can fix things that I never would even know where to start and is a hard worker when he works with his dad on the ranch. He is a good kid.
I seriously cant believe I have a 17 year old though. I guess with him being the oldest and his sister being 9 months behind I am just shocked each time. I am 38 and have a 17 year old. I am 38 and have a 17 year old. I AM 38 and have a 17 year old. NOPE.....still doesn't sound right lol! I am going to have to tell him that he is just 14 like his other two brothers or something just so I feel okay about him growing up.
I feel like I don't have enough time. Ok so I know I have his whole life but he is a Junior already and then next year he will be a Senior and then College or Coast Guard (that's his passion at the moment). He has way too good of grades right now to be a Junior twice so I guess I better just wrap my mind around that yes my oldest is 17 and he will be a Senior next year. AHHH!
Is this something all parents go through? The thinking they don't have enough time to teach them everything they need to know before he is on his own. I mean he will never be on his own as we will always be here for him but it feels like I am in a time crunch for sure.
Anyways Jack has a good birthday. It was kind of spread through the weekend because on his actual bday he had an away game for basketball. So he got home really late. In our family and I am not sure how this happened but it happened years ago when the kids actually had bday parties with ppl over and food served we put a price on the bdays. Each kid so they couldn't complain that one got more than another got 200 dollars. This though was for the party....the cake....and then presents. This was happening before the four of them were even teenagers and we used to have tons of friends over for airsoft games or sleepovers or themed parties. Their 16th bday is much, much bigger as we only have one BIG bday like that for each kid. Jackson last year got a dirt bike for his bday. Cassie then after got a huge Masquerade party with all her friends and family and DJ. THAT only happens once in their lives lol. Its going to be interesting when Josh and Jason turn 16 in two years because they are only two months apart. We might be broke. Lets hope they decide to do something together. Anyways back to the 200 dollar thing. Now that they are teenagers they don't want the parties or get together as much. They want cold hard cash to add to all the other cash they get from family. Then they buy something that is obscenely expensive to us but they JUST HAVE TO HAVE. Jackson got his money from us and then some from his mom, my dad, my sister, his grandma etc.....I swear he has more money than we do lol. Anyways he has decided to buy BEATS which are headphones. 340 dollar ones. To me that is so insane but we have always told them that its their bday money and they can spend it on what they want. I mean Ryan and I aren't going to buy those for them. So now two kids have them (Cassie saved up Christmas money).
Let me tell you though its just not as fun giving cash. I like to shop and buy something that means something and give it to them to open. What's the fun in cash? Not much. They love it though. So this year I had to find away to make it fun to open the money. I got the 200 dollars in ones, fives, tens and twenties. I taped each dollar to the next in a row. Then I put it in a tin that said happy bday with a pull tab. Once Jackson pulled it.....and pulled...and pulled...and pulled to have the money keep going out. If Ryan and I could of we would of done all ones just to make it more fun. We also gave him his favorite soda and snickers since he is always asking for that.
It was pretty fun I guess to do it that way. We ended up having the bday family dinner on Sunday though since everyone was so busy. The kids always get to chose their favorite meal. Jacks is ribs and mashed potatoes.
He also got his mud pie (my kid is so like me sometimes lol) but he wanted two so we all can have a piece and he had one whole pie to himself. Smart kid huh.......
Anyways it was a good weekend. Happy Bdays were sung, food was eaten and BEATS were bought. I still cannot believe I have a 17 year old. It will probably take me a year to get to used to it and by then he will be turning 18. YIKES! Someone slow down the clock!
Happy Bday Jackson. May this year be the best you have had yet. May Blessing be upon you and may you continue to grow and mature into a wonderful young man. I love you with all my heart!
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I seriously cannot believe Jackson is growing up so fast in front of my eyes. 17 is well...practically 18 and then he is considered an adult by law. Not by me of course because well all my kids will always be my babies. I don't care if they are 38 and think they are adults....they are still my kids :) Hmmm I wonder if that is how my dad or my Mother in law look at Ryan and I still? We will still puff out our chests and stand tall and act like we are adults though even though we are probably still their babies. :)
Being a blended family I haven't had the luck to have Jackson since he was born but I have had him since he was this 10 year old kid who when he hugged me wasn't even close to my shoulders yet. This little kid who was skinny with these big little ears and big blue eyes. Now he is taller than me...still skinny but has muscles (he would kill me if I didn't say that) and he grew into his ears lol:)
In 7 years that he has been in my life I have loved him since day one. He has always been our jokester of the house. The "pusher" of sorts. He sometimes will argue so well that Ryan and I start to wonder if we really are making the right decision. The one thing I do know is that when he puts his mind to something he gets it done. He is my mechanical kid. He can fix things that I never would even know where to start and is a hard worker when he works with his dad on the ranch. He is a good kid.
I seriously cant believe I have a 17 year old though. I guess with him being the oldest and his sister being 9 months behind I am just shocked each time. I am 38 and have a 17 year old. I am 38 and have a 17 year old. I AM 38 and have a 17 year old. NOPE.....still doesn't sound right lol! I am going to have to tell him that he is just 14 like his other two brothers or something just so I feel okay about him growing up.
I feel like I don't have enough time. Ok so I know I have his whole life but he is a Junior already and then next year he will be a Senior and then College or Coast Guard (that's his passion at the moment). He has way too good of grades right now to be a Junior twice so I guess I better just wrap my mind around that yes my oldest is 17 and he will be a Senior next year. AHHH!
Is this something all parents go through? The thinking they don't have enough time to teach them everything they need to know before he is on his own. I mean he will never be on his own as we will always be here for him but it feels like I am in a time crunch for sure.
Anyways Jack has a good birthday. It was kind of spread through the weekend because on his actual bday he had an away game for basketball. So he got home really late. In our family and I am not sure how this happened but it happened years ago when the kids actually had bday parties with ppl over and food served we put a price on the bdays. Each kid so they couldn't complain that one got more than another got 200 dollars. This though was for the party....the cake....and then presents. This was happening before the four of them were even teenagers and we used to have tons of friends over for airsoft games or sleepovers or themed parties. Their 16th bday is much, much bigger as we only have one BIG bday like that for each kid. Jackson last year got a dirt bike for his bday. Cassie then after got a huge Masquerade party with all her friends and family and DJ. THAT only happens once in their lives lol. Its going to be interesting when Josh and Jason turn 16 in two years because they are only two months apart. We might be broke. Lets hope they decide to do something together. Anyways back to the 200 dollar thing. Now that they are teenagers they don't want the parties or get together as much. They want cold hard cash to add to all the other cash they get from family. Then they buy something that is obscenely expensive to us but they JUST HAVE TO HAVE. Jackson got his money from us and then some from his mom, my dad, my sister, his grandma etc.....I swear he has more money than we do lol. Anyways he has decided to buy BEATS which are headphones. 340 dollar ones. To me that is so insane but we have always told them that its their bday money and they can spend it on what they want. I mean Ryan and I aren't going to buy those for them. So now two kids have them (Cassie saved up Christmas money).
Let me tell you though its just not as fun giving cash. I like to shop and buy something that means something and give it to them to open. What's the fun in cash? Not much. They love it though. So this year I had to find away to make it fun to open the money. I got the 200 dollars in ones, fives, tens and twenties. I taped each dollar to the next in a row. Then I put it in a tin that said happy bday with a pull tab. Once Jackson pulled it.....and pulled...and pulled...and pulled to have the money keep going out. If Ryan and I could of we would of done all ones just to make it more fun. We also gave him his favorite soda and snickers since he is always asking for that.
Anyways it was a good weekend. Happy Bdays were sung, food was eaten and BEATS were bought. I still cannot believe I have a 17 year old. It will probably take me a year to get to used to it and by then he will be turning 18. YIKES! Someone slow down the clock!
Happy Bday Jackson. May this year be the best you have had yet. May Blessing be upon you and may you continue to grow and mature into a wonderful young man. I love you with all my heart!
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Thursday, February 19, 2015
Back in Action....kinda
I am finally home! After a week in the hospital from Severe Bronchitis I was a released a few days ago. I am down from taking breathing treatments every hour on the hour to every four hours now. I am so happy to be in my own house, in my own bed, with my family.
Thank you everyone who came to visit, called or prayed for me. I am so thankful for the many friends and family that I have. I am feeling much better even though I have to take it easy for awhile still. At least I am home.
Its been two days and my husband and Mother in Law wont let me lift a finger. Its hard because I am someone who wants to do everything. Like today I feel horrible because my son is having his awards ceremony and I am not there. Makes you feel like a bad parent. Although as I was told if I don't get better then I am missing out on more.
I am so thankful for my Mother in Law and my husband. They don't push me to get better faster rather they make it so I am ABLE to get better faster. We are all being pampered with my MIL good cooking and my house is staying clean so I don't fret. She is a God send. My husband is so sweet and make sure I have anything I need. I am getting better which is good. Can almost walk around my house without weezing to death. Craziness I know. Guess this is what happens when you have a low immune system from Cushings. Thank goodness I am on the other side of this all.
Just wanted to thank you all for your prayers. This is short and to the point but wanted everyone to know I am ok:)
Thank you everyone who came to visit, called or prayed for me. I am so thankful for the many friends and family that I have. I am feeling much better even though I have to take it easy for awhile still. At least I am home.
Its been two days and my husband and Mother in Law wont let me lift a finger. Its hard because I am someone who wants to do everything. Like today I feel horrible because my son is having his awards ceremony and I am not there. Makes you feel like a bad parent. Although as I was told if I don't get better then I am missing out on more.
I am so thankful for my Mother in Law and my husband. They don't push me to get better faster rather they make it so I am ABLE to get better faster. We are all being pampered with my MIL good cooking and my house is staying clean so I don't fret. She is a God send. My husband is so sweet and make sure I have anything I need. I am getting better which is good. Can almost walk around my house without weezing to death. Craziness I know. Guess this is what happens when you have a low immune system from Cushings. Thank goodness I am on the other side of this all.
Just wanted to thank you all for your prayers. This is short and to the point but wanted everyone to know I am ok:)
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Hospital Valentines...Best one Ever
The love day! Valentines Day. Its that time once a year that is dreaded by many or such an exciting day for others. I happen to love Valentines Day. Always have. Regardless if I had a boyfriend or not. Just always kind of liked the idea of having a day that others put forth that effort to show their love.
Now for me I don't think you need a day like that. I think if you love someone whether its your spouse, kids, family, friends....you show them in a daily way. Its nice to have a day though that you can really get together with the rest of the USA and have a love day though.
So as many of you know I am still in the hospital from Bronchitis and Asthma. Those two just do not mix lol. Been here now for 6 days and really am ready to go home. No girl wants to be in the hospital an hour away from their family anyways but especially not on a holiday. Hospitals don't spell out romance to me....does it to you? ha!
The day was full anyways with my son having a couple games which thankfully where close to the hospital. I didn't get to go of course but my friends were there and helping cheer on with the rest of our family. Taking pictures and sending me videos so I felt like I was there. I got a lot of visitors too which was great to see their smiling faces.
Best part was I got to see all four of my kids at once. I really miss them and its hard when they are all so active in sports and activities to get them here all at once. I really do love my teens and have been struggling with the fact that I am not at home with them. Ryan has had to really do so much to keep work and all the stuff I do going for the family. He is amazing but he has the help of my Mother In Law who really has helped to keep things going and help to keep him insane while they are doing it all too. Our lives are crazy busy. Its not an easy task and I appreciate so much what they are doing to keep things in line and keep it going! I love them.
The kids had a good Valentines also. They gave stuff to their friends and/0r Girlfriend/Boyfriends. Its cute to see young love. I am always amazed at all the stuff they try and get each other. I know they learned that from Ryan though because he is a romantic at heart.
He is that type of guy that shows me love everyday. Usually in small ways that win my heart everyday. I try to do the same. We are always trying to water each others gardens, take out the weeds and fertilize our love. I think you have too. Its about the little things in life. You can have a great spouse but if the only day they are doing something romantic is the one day of the year Valentines day....I think I would pass. I would rather fun sweet little moments everyday than one big one once a year.
I am blessed though because I got both. So lets go back .....I am in the hospital. Not really breathing the best, not wanting to even be here and kind of bummed because its a holiday. Ryan brought all the kids to see me but they were all really tired after their days. So I sent them all home. Ryan said he would come back later and bring me dinner at least. He already gave me this huge card that was like the size of my pillow lol and chocolates. We had agreed to celebrate later even though made him a card and a couple of "romantic" coupons for him to use later like going to the movies and sushi or a back massage. Hey its hard to get resources when you cant leave lol.
Ok, fast forward. I get text saying he is on his way. I get excited just to see his face and to know I will be eating dinner with them. What happened next though blew my mind. He walked in hands full. Put Sparkling Cider and two wine glasses on my hospital tray. He was dressed up and gave me a bad with some comfy but not pj clothes in it to change into. Pulled out a picnic blanket tablecloth and brought Christmas lights. He brought the whole romantic dinner to me. I was blown away. He said to get dressed and he would be back. When he came back he was carrying food from the Niles Hotel that is close by and started setting everything up. Man he looked handsome. I was so taken a back by this gesture. I put on "Sweet Jane" this song we like on my IPhone and he shut off the lights and we sat there by dim light eating filet mignon, amazing green beans, salad, crusted bread, baked potato. It was all so delicious. So romantic. Yep ladies and gentleman I cried. Then I had a breathing issue moment where I was like great....I am ruining all of this. He just rubbed my back and helped me and told me how much he loves me. I just looked at him with tears in my eyes and said he knows how he "takes my breathe away". I love this man. Its hard to surprise me because I am like a secret detective by heart. This definitely surprised me. You should of seen how many nurses snuck in to see the set up lol. It was really cute. I love to brag about my husband because he is the genuine thing. He loves me and I love him. It might of taken me to 30 years old to find him but it was so worth it! Do we have our normal ups and downs. Yes of course....we aren't romantic robots but 99 percent of the time its grand. When he was packing up to get back to the kids I was thinking I didn't want him to leave of course. I wasn't unhappy though because I knew that I would be thinking of this all night long. He did good! He did great! He made me feel like there was no hospital. That there was just the two of us being catered. I am one lucky lady! I am glad I have a strong future ahead of me of showing him everyday how much I love him! Cant wait till he sees the present I had shipped to the house for him. He is going to love it.
So yes....being in the hospital was my best Valentines day. No wonder all my kids are such romantics at heart. They have a great role model to look up too.....
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Now for me I don't think you need a day like that. I think if you love someone whether its your spouse, kids, family, friends....you show them in a daily way. Its nice to have a day though that you can really get together with the rest of the USA and have a love day though.
So as many of you know I am still in the hospital from Bronchitis and Asthma. Those two just do not mix lol. Been here now for 6 days and really am ready to go home. No girl wants to be in the hospital an hour away from their family anyways but especially not on a holiday. Hospitals don't spell out romance to me....does it to you? ha!
The day was full anyways with my son having a couple games which thankfully where close to the hospital. I didn't get to go of course but my friends were there and helping cheer on with the rest of our family. Taking pictures and sending me videos so I felt like I was there. I got a lot of visitors too which was great to see their smiling faces.
The kids had a good Valentines also. They gave stuff to their friends and/0r Girlfriend/Boyfriends. Its cute to see young love. I am always amazed at all the stuff they try and get each other. I know they learned that from Ryan though because he is a romantic at heart.
I am blessed though because I got both. So lets go back .....I am in the hospital. Not really breathing the best, not wanting to even be here and kind of bummed because its a holiday. Ryan brought all the kids to see me but they were all really tired after their days. So I sent them all home. Ryan said he would come back later and bring me dinner at least. He already gave me this huge card that was like the size of my pillow lol and chocolates. We had agreed to celebrate later even though made him a card and a couple of "romantic" coupons for him to use later like going to the movies and sushi or a back massage. Hey its hard to get resources when you cant leave lol.
Ok, fast forward. I get text saying he is on his way. I get excited just to see his face and to know I will be eating dinner with them. What happened next though blew my mind. He walked in hands full. Put Sparkling Cider and two wine glasses on my hospital tray. He was dressed up and gave me a bad with some comfy but not pj clothes in it to change into. Pulled out a picnic blanket tablecloth and brought Christmas lights. He brought the whole romantic dinner to me. I was blown away. He said to get dressed and he would be back. When he came back he was carrying food from the Niles Hotel that is close by and started setting everything up. Man he looked handsome. I was so taken a back by this gesture. I put on "Sweet Jane" this song we like on my IPhone and he shut off the lights and we sat there by dim light eating filet mignon, amazing green beans, salad, crusted bread, baked potato. It was all so delicious. So romantic. Yep ladies and gentleman I cried. Then I had a breathing issue moment where I was like great....I am ruining all of this. He just rubbed my back and helped me and told me how much he loves me. I just looked at him with tears in my eyes and said he knows how he "takes my breathe away". I love this man. Its hard to surprise me because I am like a secret detective by heart. This definitely surprised me. You should of seen how many nurses snuck in to see the set up lol. It was really cute. I love to brag about my husband because he is the genuine thing. He loves me and I love him. It might of taken me to 30 years old to find him but it was so worth it! Do we have our normal ups and downs. Yes of course....we aren't romantic robots but 99 percent of the time its grand. When he was packing up to get back to the kids I was thinking I didn't want him to leave of course. I wasn't unhappy though because I knew that I would be thinking of this all night long. He did good! He did great! He made me feel like there was no hospital. That there was just the two of us being catered. I am one lucky lady! I am glad I have a strong future ahead of me of showing him everyday how much I love him! Cant wait till he sees the present I had shipped to the house for him. He is going to love it.
So yes....being in the hospital was my best Valentines day. No wonder all my kids are such romantics at heart. They have a great role model to look up too.....
Subscribe anytime...its free. Go to the home page and put in your email. Everytime a blog comes out you will receive one email. Unsubscribe at anytime. Now go do something cool for your Valentine.....
Thursday, February 12, 2015
MIA....missing in non action?
Ahhhh the glories of a low immune system;) Been in the hospital now for three days going on four. Remember how I said I got sick Super Bowl Sunday? It hasn't gone away. Yeah! Lucky me .....not. :)
By day 9 Ryan took me to ER and they said I had bronchitis and asthma on top of it. Three breathing treatments later and medicines, inhalers etc we were sent home. Next day even though I had been on antibodies for days I felt worse. Being in remission from Cushings Disease I still have low immune system being only 6 months post op from brain surgery. Everything else is a thousand times better though. For that I am so terribly grateful! The sickness part though seems to go on and on for me. End up having to stress dose cortisol (since now it's my friend not my enemy) because sickness eats it up.
I thought I would get better but I just couldn't breathe. Coughing so much and so hard I would vomit. Had to breathe really shallow and talk low to not cough. Felt extremely dizzy and not hungry at all. We ended up going back to the ER mid day since my MD was out of town this week. They admitted me into the hospital within 40 minutes. I have been here since.....laying in my hospital bed under that ugly pink blanket ha!
Good news is I am getting better. I am so pumped full of steroids right now. 160 mg cortisol daily. Breathing treatments every hour on the hour and some even in between, antibodies and fluids. Now on day three here I am feeling better even more so and have breathing treatments every two hours. I look a wreck but the only time I am up is to go to the bathroom or shower or I am short of breathe.
Something I learned is when you have Cushings that cortisol masks some things like auto immune problems or asthma etc bec the cortisol is naturally so high from the tumor that you just don't know it. So in remission I am finding out I have asthma.....maybe always have had it but it was masked. Well guys......bronchitis and asthma don't mix.....at all. Just trust me on this one haha.
We are on day 12 of being sick I really am feeling bad. Not health wise but bad that my family is having to keep on keeping on without me. I am very lucky to have the husband I have. He is so generous and kind in all ways and knows that this of course is out of my control. He always asks me "well if it were me in your place what would you do?". I would do anything I could of course but I definitely think I would be way more cranky than he is ha! We really lucked out too bec the day I got admitted Grandma Sally (Ryan's mom and my awesome MIL) was coming up to stay with us. It never ceases to amaze me how she just jumps right in and helps and doesn't gripe about it. With my mom in heaven it really makes me think that she somehow has a touch in her that helps Sally to be there for us when we really need it.....along with the fact she would just do it anyways. My mom would always come to the rescue like that. Anything for me or her grand kids....she would make sure that they were being taken care of so Ryan could help take care of me. Ryan and I are both blessed to have those type of ppl in our lives. I may not have my mom but I do have my second mom Sally. Fiesty and Fun.....just like my mom was. Okay seriously now I am crying lol. I will just say that's from only having 3.5 hours of sleep in 3 days ( gotta love that cortisol....not).
I am really hoping to be home tomorrow but if not tomorrow I pray I am not here on valentines day. Even though no matter where I am I will feel loved by family and friends. I am typing on my I Pad so I don't think I can add pictures to my blog or you would see the beautiful flowers and cards and books I have received. Yesterday I was so taken back because someone I know through Facebook who is a friend of a friend but retired teacher at our kids school came by and gave me flowers, candy, a beautiful chicken soup for soul book ( she doesn't know this but it had special meaning to me because my mom was published in one) and a book to keep me busy. It was beyond sweet. I wanted her to be able to sit and chat but I would start coughing as soon as I talked so that will have to wait for another day.
Then.....in walks in my husband and daughter couple hours later. Man I have to figure out how to add pictures. I seriously almost cried. They looked like they were moving in lol. They brought me a late lunch and flowers, my coveted grapes and orange juice, coffee and then MY P UPPY MOLLY!!!!!!! Ryan had called ahead and asked and begged and they said yes for a little bit. Mind you Molly is only 2 pound Shih Tzu that doesn't shed. She was so happy to see me and I her. To me that was one of the most romantic gestures because it was so thoughtful.....a surprise ....and effort was put into it. Seriously I will always remember that....! I had a great visit with them but I knew they would have to go and pick up and drop off the boys for basketball soon. I am really blessed to have such a good family.
Right as they were leaving I got a delivery. I was really feeling loved. It helped too because the fact that I can't sleep on all this cortisol they are pumping into me I am here a lot by myself. My husband wants to be here more but it's 1 hour drive just to get here and then one back. Plus I really want our household to keep going because our kids are so busy. He constantly is telling me he feels bad bec I tell him to not come back. It makes me feel better that Sally and him can get everything done at home. He just ends up texting me right when he wakes up till he goes to sleep anyways. Lol. Anyways back to my delivery......omg they were the most beautiful flowers!!! As soon as I saw the card I knew who they were from when the front of it said "Farmer Rae" lol. That's a nickname a couple of my friends call me because when I first moved to the ranch I kept collecting all these bottle fed animals......calves.....lambs.....puppies lol.....it's a big joke that they think I need a skunk now or a giraffe. These two friends are always giving me such strength I don't even think they know how much strength they give me. I am very thankful for our families friendship.
So I may be in the hospital.....I may not be sleeping.... But I know I am loved. Not because I am here but because that's how I feel daily. I am hoping tomorrow I will be outta here because I am pretty bored. Ok extremely bored but I will stay till I am well.
By day 9 Ryan took me to ER and they said I had bronchitis and asthma on top of it. Three breathing treatments later and medicines, inhalers etc we were sent home. Next day even though I had been on antibodies for days I felt worse. Being in remission from Cushings Disease I still have low immune system being only 6 months post op from brain surgery. Everything else is a thousand times better though. For that I am so terribly grateful! The sickness part though seems to go on and on for me. End up having to stress dose cortisol (since now it's my friend not my enemy) because sickness eats it up.
I thought I would get better but I just couldn't breathe. Coughing so much and so hard I would vomit. Had to breathe really shallow and talk low to not cough. Felt extremely dizzy and not hungry at all. We ended up going back to the ER mid day since my MD was out of town this week. They admitted me into the hospital within 40 minutes. I have been here since.....laying in my hospital bed under that ugly pink blanket ha!
Good news is I am getting better. I am so pumped full of steroids right now. 160 mg cortisol daily. Breathing treatments every hour on the hour and some even in between, antibodies and fluids. Now on day three here I am feeling better even more so and have breathing treatments every two hours. I look a wreck but the only time I am up is to go to the bathroom or shower or I am short of breathe.
Something I learned is when you have Cushings that cortisol masks some things like auto immune problems or asthma etc bec the cortisol is naturally so high from the tumor that you just don't know it. So in remission I am finding out I have asthma.....maybe always have had it but it was masked. Well guys......bronchitis and asthma don't mix.....at all. Just trust me on this one haha.
We are on day 12 of being sick I really am feeling bad. Not health wise but bad that my family is having to keep on keeping on without me. I am very lucky to have the husband I have. He is so generous and kind in all ways and knows that this of course is out of my control. He always asks me "well if it were me in your place what would you do?". I would do anything I could of course but I definitely think I would be way more cranky than he is ha! We really lucked out too bec the day I got admitted Grandma Sally (Ryan's mom and my awesome MIL) was coming up to stay with us. It never ceases to amaze me how she just jumps right in and helps and doesn't gripe about it. With my mom in heaven it really makes me think that she somehow has a touch in her that helps Sally to be there for us when we really need it.....along with the fact she would just do it anyways. My mom would always come to the rescue like that. Anything for me or her grand kids....she would make sure that they were being taken care of so Ryan could help take care of me. Ryan and I are both blessed to have those type of ppl in our lives. I may not have my mom but I do have my second mom Sally. Fiesty and Fun.....just like my mom was. Okay seriously now I am crying lol. I will just say that's from only having 3.5 hours of sleep in 3 days ( gotta love that cortisol....not).
I am really hoping to be home tomorrow but if not tomorrow I pray I am not here on valentines day. Even though no matter where I am I will feel loved by family and friends. I am typing on my I Pad so I don't think I can add pictures to my blog or you would see the beautiful flowers and cards and books I have received. Yesterday I was so taken back because someone I know through Facebook who is a friend of a friend but retired teacher at our kids school came by and gave me flowers, candy, a beautiful chicken soup for soul book ( she doesn't know this but it had special meaning to me because my mom was published in one) and a book to keep me busy. It was beyond sweet. I wanted her to be able to sit and chat but I would start coughing as soon as I talked so that will have to wait for another day.
Then.....in walks in my husband and daughter couple hours later. Man I have to figure out how to add pictures. I seriously almost cried. They looked like they were moving in lol. They brought me a late lunch and flowers, my coveted grapes and orange juice, coffee and then MY P UPPY MOLLY!!!!!!! Ryan had called ahead and asked and begged and they said yes for a little bit. Mind you Molly is only 2 pound Shih Tzu that doesn't shed. She was so happy to see me and I her. To me that was one of the most romantic gestures because it was so thoughtful.....a surprise ....and effort was put into it. Seriously I will always remember that....! I had a great visit with them but I knew they would have to go and pick up and drop off the boys for basketball soon. I am really blessed to have such a good family.
Right as they were leaving I got a delivery. I was really feeling loved. It helped too because the fact that I can't sleep on all this cortisol they are pumping into me I am here a lot by myself. My husband wants to be here more but it's 1 hour drive just to get here and then one back. Plus I really want our household to keep going because our kids are so busy. He constantly is telling me he feels bad bec I tell him to not come back. It makes me feel better that Sally and him can get everything done at home. He just ends up texting me right when he wakes up till he goes to sleep anyways. Lol. Anyways back to my delivery......omg they were the most beautiful flowers!!! As soon as I saw the card I knew who they were from when the front of it said "Farmer Rae" lol. That's a nickname a couple of my friends call me because when I first moved to the ranch I kept collecting all these bottle fed animals......calves.....lambs.....puppies lol.....it's a big joke that they think I need a skunk now or a giraffe. These two friends are always giving me such strength I don't even think they know how much strength they give me. I am very thankful for our families friendship.
So I may be in the hospital.....I may not be sleeping.... But I know I am loved. Not because I am here but because that's how I feel daily. I am hoping tomorrow I will be outta here because I am pretty bored. Ok extremely bored but I will stay till I am well.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
My Crazy Boys for the Big Heart Day
I find it really cute because they all have been looking up stuff that they want to get their girlfriends and showing me it. They have all been complaining too on how much stuff is lol. It makes me wonder if girls really appreciate at this age what they get or even know how much it really costs. To me the biggest gift they are giving them is the fact they are working for the money....not the actual gift.
I was pretty impressed with Joshua who I have always thought was the romantic one of the boys. He was looking up dozen roses and Shari's Berries. I just shake my head at the fact that HE knew what Shari's berries were because I don't even think my own husband does. HA!
Jackson and Jason are both kind of on the same wave length of what they want to get. Cant really write it down because then their girlfriends might see the blog. Don't want to ruin the surprise. They are super thoughtful boys too and I am sure the girls they like will love their gifts also.
I like that my boys think of others. I also like that they don't expect us to buy something for their girlfriends but rather they are willing to put the work in. Hey we definitely aren't complaining either because we have some stuff that we keep putting off on the ranch that they are working on now which is helpful. Like getting all the recycling together. I am not talking about cans and bottles but rather all the metal and stuff we need to get rid of that is taking up space in the shop. If they load and haul that they can split that money which will help them out.
I truly think the boys romantic side comes from watching Ryan. He has always been a gentleman and opened my door. I thought after awhile it would stop but 7 years later he is still doing it. I don't get flowers every day or anything which I definitely don't want. He does things that matter to me. Takes care of me when I am sick. When out of town always brings back Starbucks for me. Loves to make a great meal with me while listening to music. He is always bringing me home special little something's and always tells me how much he loves me. Watches horrible chick flicks with me. I even got him to watch Magic Mike with me once because I wanted to see it lol. Now that's a guy who loves a girl lol. Most importantly he loves to spend time with me and we do a lot of things together even though we have a busy life. I even get those random texts midday that say "I love you" or how he appreciates me. Ryan is one of those old fashioned true romantics. I think my dad was definitely that way with my mom. So I am lucky to have married someone as cool as my dad.
Hope everyone is thinking of something cool for the big heart day! Remember though its not all about the girls......I have to get my thinking cap on to make it special for my husband too. Have a great Valentines Day....
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Friday, February 6, 2015
FRAUD and sickness
Side note...my husband really loves me. You know just one of the ways I can tell? When I am sick (which with a low immune system from recovering from brain tumor is a lot) he takes care of what I usually take care of. He doesn't complain even though that means starting his day early with taking Joshua to practice at 515am and picking up Jackson at 8pm from his practice. When I am really sick like now I have to take it way easy or I will end up in Adrenal Insuffiency which takes me to the ER. I don't want to go to the ER. No one does. First off we don't have time ha! Secondly I personally don't want to be there getting another shot in the leg. So when I am sick I have to take it slow and easy. He always makes sure that I am not doing tons of things even though I complain because I don't want to be laying down. I couldn't ask for a better husband. He is giving and understanding. I really got the good end of the deal. Love you Ryan! *I don't even know if he reads these ha*.
Anyways amidst all of this sickness we have a friend of a friend who just had surgery. She is a single mom and we all know that is not easy when you are suppose to not move around. I had said I would make a meal for them but with us all being sick that didn't happen. I decided it was nice to bring each person an individual taco salad with all the toppings from our local Frosty. Its the only restaurant we have in town but it is GOOD! Ryan preordered the salads to pick up as he was going to get them on the way to pick up our son Jason from his practice, drop Jack off and take Jason to 4H leadership meeting.
AND THEN THATS WHEN IT HAPPENED....DECLINED!
Declined he said? Do it again please. Declined again. We put the salads on our tab and he look at our bank app and there were still thousands in there. Why cant we get a Salad? So he called the bank. They had stopped our Debit card thankfully because someone was making big purchases that were out of state. There was a 1400 dollar laptop, 875 dollars in paypal stuff, and then to top it off they got Fandango tickets which at this point made me laugh because the nearest movie theater to us is like almost an hour away. Someone got our card number somehow and was taking a little joy ride with our hard earned money. What the heck. First off I was so angry because who would even think to do something like that? Secondly how did they get our number? Thirdly (is that even a word) now we have to change all of our auto bill pay stuff and get a new card. This also makes us have to go an hour to the nearest bank to get cash out until the new card is sent to us. What a mess.
I am thankful we have a good bank that is going to put our money back in. Thankful they caught it before the ppl decided to start to clean out our whole bank acct. As it was they had over 2000 worth of it and were getting to the rest. Makes me ill to think someone would do that. What a mess to have to fix but I was glad it got caught in time. All is well. Just some paperwork to do and phone calls to make for our Auto Pay and all will be well again.
I hope everyone who is reading this is having a good safe three day weekend. We are going to be drinking lots of tea, eating chicken noodle soup and getting better. With two of the four kids coming home today sick from school its going to be a sit under a comforter and watch movies and nap kind of weekend.
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Wednesday, February 4, 2015
No Cell Phone Sunday and RANT!
I am a mom of four teenagers of which all of them have Cell phones. Being a blended family this helps with the other parents being able to get ahold of the kids. Helps when they are away or at sporting events etc. I personally think my whole family probably uses their cell phones more than they should....this includes me.
A little rant....Now a day teens really don't have to wait for anything when it comes to communication. They don't even have to pick up the phone to see what time their game is the next day if they forgot. All they have to do is text. I am a texter too, don't get me wrong but so much is lost in the translation when you cant HEAR the tone. You can constantly put ":)" or " lol's" to make sure others know you aren't upset. Realistically though tone is really lost. How often in this society do we pick up the phone anymore and actually call someone. Its so much easier now to text because you are busy and don't really have time for a long conversation. Seriously....how many of you have text while you are on the toilet? HA! Ryan and I have noticed for awhile now that our kids seem to even be in better moods if they aren't on their phone that much. They are paying attention and don't get restless because you seem to be interrupting what they are doing. And man....watch out if they get a girlfriend/boyfriend because then they swear their significant other will think they are mad if they don't respond. We seriously have had to set a lot of ground rules in our household just to make sure that the world is going on around them and they aren't paying attention.
Its interesting to me this generation. Maybe I am old at 38 but I remember when we had to run home after school to see if that person we liked called. Who remembers picking up the phone just to see if it had a dial tone because you hadn't gotten that call yet :) I remember thinking I was just going to die if I didn't have a pager. A PAGER PEOPLE! And this was just to get the number to actually call that person ha! We had long drives where we played games in the car or talked to our parents or actually looked at the surroundings. Now I am not saying that we still don't do that but I really think that it has gone to the point where kids are really looking down at a screen most days. IPad....Cell phones...computers....Ds....handheld gamers....etc. I am one of those ppl. Heck I even read books on a Kindle now. Now a days kids think if they haven't gotten a text back to a question that the person must be mad at them. Everything now has become instant and less and less we are having to learn patience. My son once called a house phone and it gave the busy signal. He thought that phone was disconnected because he had never heard a busy signal before. He is 16.
Are cell phones bad? No...I happen to really like mine. I love to post things on Facebook and see what my extended family is up too. I love editing my pictures on Instagram to make my yearbook I do for my kids each year. I love to see Pinterest Ideas that make parties, cooking, decorating more fun. Uhm...I love to Blog! I am always writing emails answering questions from Cushing's Patients and I love to work on my website. I live in a small town of 250 people and advocating for Cushing's just wouldn't work. The internet reaches far more ppl in a day than people in my own town. I text, I Twitter......and all these faucets I love. I usually do these things when the kids are at school but I do get on my phone.
We have a few rules in our household for our teens which helps us.
I challenge you to take a day with no phone....or see how long you can go without your phone. You might think its longer than it actually is.
Please Subscribe to my blog. Go to the home page and type in your email. You will receive a email everything I blog. You can unsubscribe at any time.
A little rant....Now a day teens really don't have to wait for anything when it comes to communication. They don't even have to pick up the phone to see what time their game is the next day if they forgot. All they have to do is text. I am a texter too, don't get me wrong but so much is lost in the translation when you cant HEAR the tone. You can constantly put ":)" or " lol's" to make sure others know you aren't upset. Realistically though tone is really lost. How often in this society do we pick up the phone anymore and actually call someone. Its so much easier now to text because you are busy and don't really have time for a long conversation. Seriously....how many of you have text while you are on the toilet? HA! Ryan and I have noticed for awhile now that our kids seem to even be in better moods if they aren't on their phone that much. They are paying attention and don't get restless because you seem to be interrupting what they are doing. And man....watch out if they get a girlfriend/boyfriend because then they swear their significant other will think they are mad if they don't respond. We seriously have had to set a lot of ground rules in our household just to make sure that the world is going on around them and they aren't paying attention.
Its interesting to me this generation. Maybe I am old at 38 but I remember when we had to run home after school to see if that person we liked called. Who remembers picking up the phone just to see if it had a dial tone because you hadn't gotten that call yet :) I remember thinking I was just going to die if I didn't have a pager. A PAGER PEOPLE! And this was just to get the number to actually call that person ha! We had long drives where we played games in the car or talked to our parents or actually looked at the surroundings. Now I am not saying that we still don't do that but I really think that it has gone to the point where kids are really looking down at a screen most days. IPad....Cell phones...computers....Ds....handheld gamers....etc. I am one of those ppl. Heck I even read books on a Kindle now. Now a days kids think if they haven't gotten a text back to a question that the person must be mad at them. Everything now has become instant and less and less we are having to learn patience. My son once called a house phone and it gave the busy signal. He thought that phone was disconnected because he had never heard a busy signal before. He is 16.
Are cell phones bad? No...I happen to really like mine. I love to post things on Facebook and see what my extended family is up too. I love editing my pictures on Instagram to make my yearbook I do for my kids each year. I love to see Pinterest Ideas that make parties, cooking, decorating more fun. Uhm...I love to Blog! I am always writing emails answering questions from Cushing's Patients and I love to work on my website. I live in a small town of 250 people and advocating for Cushing's just wouldn't work. The internet reaches far more ppl in a day than people in my own town. I text, I Twitter......and all these faucets I love. I usually do these things when the kids are at school but I do get on my phone.
We have a few rules in our household for our teens which helps us.
- At bedtime phones are charged in living room so they can have restful sleep
- IF disrespectful we take phone for 24 hours
- If homework not done we take phone for 24 hours
- No phone use at school unless on break
- Meal times are spent as a family at our table with phones off
- Family time is just that....family time. If we watch a movie no phones
- Long trips you get your phone one way so you can see scenery the other way
- No talking to us with your headphones on
- If we have to shout your name for you to hear us then your music is on too loud
I challenge you to take a day with no phone....or see how long you can go without your phone. You might think its longer than it actually is.
Please Subscribe to my blog. Go to the home page and type in your email. You will receive a email everything I blog. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Monday, February 2, 2015
My Anime Daughter...whats that??
What is Anime? And why is my daughter Cassie obsessed with it?
Anime is animated productions featuring hand-drawn or computer animation. The word is the abbreviated pronunciation of "animation" in Japanese, where this term references all animation. In other languages, the term is defined as animation from Japan or as a Japanese-disseminated animation style often characterized by colorful graphics, vibrant characters and fantastic themes. Arguably, the stylization approach to the meaning may open up the possibility of anime produced in countries other than Japan. For simplicity, many Westerners strictly view anime as an animation product from Japan.
(taken from Wikipedia.com)
Cassie has been obsessed with Anime since her dad and I showed her the movie Spirited Away when she was younger. Now she is always watching Anime, wearing Anime stuff and Drawing Anime. I love that she is so passionate about something. Her favorites right now are Black Butler, Death Note, Naruto, and Love Stage!
Today she went to Art Class for the first time this year. I am excited because she will learn a lot more. I think she has her own talent though already. Ok ok I know that I am her mom so I am automatically going to think that. I do think though that she is good. I couldn't do what she is doing. Cassie is always listening to music and drawing. That's what she does in her pastime. As a parent its nice that she likes to draw and listen to music instead of doing things that some teens like to do. Cassie is active in sports and school, science club and leadership also.
Anyways Anime is not a child's cartoon like Mickey Mouse or Sponge Bob but rather a story that has love, drama, mystery, action etc. in it. One day you should check them out. Its worth a watch. I know because I didn't want to see it but she made us all sit down one day. Ryan and I said we would watch one episode and ended up watching the whole series. :)
Here is some of her art work that she has done recently. Every day she gets better....she is only 16 cant wait to see what she is doing in the next couple years....
If you would like to subscribe to my blog please go to the homepage and put in your email. You will get an email every time a new blog comes out. I cant see if you subscribed but you can unsubscribe at anytime.
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| Drawing by Cassie |
Anime is animated productions featuring hand-drawn or computer animation. The word is the abbreviated pronunciation of "animation" in Japanese, where this term references all animation. In other languages, the term is defined as animation from Japan or as a Japanese-disseminated animation style often characterized by colorful graphics, vibrant characters and fantastic themes. Arguably, the stylization approach to the meaning may open up the possibility of anime produced in countries other than Japan. For simplicity, many Westerners strictly view anime as an animation product from Japan.
(taken from Wikipedia.com)
Cassie has been obsessed with Anime since her dad and I showed her the movie Spirited Away when she was younger. Now she is always watching Anime, wearing Anime stuff and Drawing Anime. I love that she is so passionate about something. Her favorites right now are Black Butler, Death Note, Naruto, and Love Stage!
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| Anime Drawing by Cassie |
Today she went to Art Class for the first time this year. I am excited because she will learn a lot more. I think she has her own talent though already. Ok ok I know that I am her mom so I am automatically going to think that. I do think though that she is good. I couldn't do what she is doing. Cassie is always listening to music and drawing. That's what she does in her pastime. As a parent its nice that she likes to draw and listen to music instead of doing things that some teens like to do. Cassie is active in sports and school, science club and leadership also.
 |
| Drawing By Cassie |
Anyways Anime is not a child's cartoon like Mickey Mouse or Sponge Bob but rather a story that has love, drama, mystery, action etc. in it. One day you should check them out. Its worth a watch. I know because I didn't want to see it but she made us all sit down one day. Ryan and I said we would watch one episode and ended up watching the whole series. :)
Here is some of her art work that she has done recently. Every day she gets better....she is only 16 cant wait to see what she is doing in the next couple years....
If you would like to subscribe to my blog please go to the homepage and put in your email. You will get an email every time a new blog comes out. I cant see if you subscribed but you can unsubscribe at anytime.
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