Grand Return (Maybe!)

I've been gone a while. Sorry about that.

Things have been really crazy. Sweet'ums went through her rough phase through September and October and now she's finally settling down. She's had good days at school since she's been back from Thanksgiving break so we'll see how long it lasts. She got a message from Santa (check out PNP if you haven't before) telling her she's been kind of good but she's got to try harder, and that he's got her gift in his bag and ready to go if she behaves enough. We got her a "red Kindle" that we got very lucky on (got it at the Black Friday online-only price in-store on Wednesday before Thanksgiving). I'm looking forward to giving it to her.

As for me, I've been back and forth to the doctor a lot this year. What was originally diagnosed as PCOS about four years ago is now looking like either a prolactinoma or hypothyroidism. I've still got another round of blood work to complete and an MRI of my pituitary to get taken care of, but hopefully sometime in the next six months we'll know which is it. We've talked about maybe trying for Thing 2 so Thing 1 has a sibling, but I really don't know what will happen with that. I'll tell you folks if anything changes.

So what are y'all doing for Christmas? How was your Thanksgiving? Fill me in!

I am without a computer and will return to blogging as soon as we get a new one!

Last Day of School

This is Sweet'ums and her bff, who is moving up to kindergarten. This little girl is her first real friend, which is something I'll be forever thankful for, even though she'll probably never know.

Summertime

Summer break is here and already, Sweet'ums is bored to death. We're trying to find little things to do but so far it's slow going. It has rained at least a little nearly every day that she's been home so it's hard to get out much. Her daddy has worked most of the time so it's hard getting a chance to do family stuff.

At the end of the school year Sweet'ums got an award for being "most creative". The little party was adorable and it was sad seeing her say goodbye to her graduating friends. Hopefully she'll still see them now and then.

Since she's been home she's been kind of fussy but not nearly as bad as she was in school. She seems content to run around the house and amuse herself. I know she's bored, and I know she needs to get out more, but at least she's not being insufferable.

Her daddy and I saw a reproductive endocrinologist last week. He seemed far more optimistic than the ob/gyn and wasn't rude in the slightest. We've got a plan, at least, to identify the problem and correct it the best we can.

So... Things aren't too bad. As soon as I get done uploading I'll add a couple pictures. How are all of you doing?

Really really really long year

I haven't had much energy for writing lately. Sweet'ums has taken everything out of me lately and between her and all the bad luck I've been raking in, I just don't have patience for anything extra.

In the last two weeks I've had my child go Jerry Springer on her classroom, get punched in the stomach, begin hitting, get evaluated by a neuropsychologist, and get a new IEP. We've been rear-ended, my husband nearly had a heat stroke at work, and I basically got told by my ob/gyn that I'm too fat to have another baby but why "as one mom to another" would I want to since I have a stressful autistic child at home. And that doesn't even touch on all the little things that have happened that wouldn't matter, except that big stuff keeps happening too.

Fortunately this weekend was a nice break and hopefully it'll be the end of the several weeks of nonstop crap that has been chasing us.

For Mother's Day my husband and my brother both bought me chocolates and I got very sweet cards from my offspring (my parents pick out great cards!) and her daddy. Best of all was this gift from my precious Nice Guy. I cried when I opened it. Very, very fitting for my fifth Mother's Day. I have the most wonderful family!

I've been in a really bad place lately. I'm trying hard to dig out of it but it's proving harder than I expected. With all of this going on I've also dealt with reduced mobility thanks to the problems I have with my feet (read up on dyshidrotic eczema when you get time) and the return of my stomach problems thanks to the stress.

So that's where I am, what's going on with me. I hope things are going well for all of you out there.

Libbie

Thank you thank you thank you!

I hope you like them. Send me pictures if you do and I'll add you to my happy customers album. :)

New Ventures

A couple days ago I was turned onto a company called Jamberry Nails. They're a really neat form of nail art. They look a lot like some of those really detailed designs you can get at a salon, but at a fraction of the price. Anyway, due to the kindness of the woman I talked to and the rare opportunity to get in on the ground floor of something really novel, I went for it.

Check out my Jamberry Nails Independent Consultant page. If you have me on Facebook, please join my launch party. I'm really excited about this opportunity and I'm hoping it works into something amazing!

Followers

I've noticed I've got a few followers who don't comment.

If you're reading this, please, comment and leave a link to your blog. I'd love to know a little about you! I'm nosy and it drives me nuts to see a name that doesn't have a profile or blog link or anything. So introduce yourself. :) I'd like to meet you.

Seattle

My trip was a blast! I won't go into everything right now, but I wanted to share some of the better pictures from the trip. Those of you who have me on Facebook, feel free to check there too--I posted way more of them there.

So here goes:

Breakfast our first morning there at this little bagel shop in Pike Place Market.

Enjoying dim sum in the International District.

The view from the top of the Space Needle.

Domo was so proud that he conquered such a landmark!

Seattle, as seen from the middle of Puget Sound.

A mountain in the Olympic National Forest.

 A tree that burned out three hundred years ago and survived.

My first steps into the Pacific Ocean.

Our lovely hotel, the morning we left to come home.

Seattle is a magnificent city and it was definitely an experience I won't forget. I got to do so many things I don't expect I'll ever do again, even though I'd love to take Nice Guy out there one day.

If you like you can visit my Twilight Tour album or my Seattle 2012 album and check out the rest of the pictures. I'll try to elaborate more when I get a chance, but for now, thanks for the interest in the trip and thanks for waiting on me!

Soon

I've been meaning to get a post up for everyone about my trip and everything, but it's been a long few weeks. Every time I sit down with the intention of writing, something keeps me from doing it.

I'll get it up soon. I'm not sure when--maybe tomorrow--but soon.

Thanks for waiting around on me.

Going off

Sooo, tomorrow's the big day! Wish me luck! If I can get on a computer I'll update you when I get there but otherwise, I'll see you all next week! Have a great week and weekend!

9 Days

I'm down to nine days until my trip. I'm really excited but at the same time I'm still nervous. I haven't been able to shake it. I know once we get moving I'll be fine--I'm always like this before we actually leave--but for now it's driving me crazy.

Today was a bad stomach day and that was bad enough, but then I was trying to talk to my brother and ended up arguing with him. Sooo not what I had in mind. So in addition to feeling like crap, I feel like emotional crap too.

So now I'm back to worrying about what I still need to get for my trip and when I'll have a chance to go shopping. I'll get my hair cut Friday and then we'll probably get the brakes changed on the car and do some shopping afterwards.


What's going on with you ladies?

Cookies for Two

Because sometimes, a girl just needs cookies.

And her hubby and kids don't. You know, because they're the reason we need cookies in the first place.

This recipe is called Chocolate Chip Cookies for Two but I prefer to think of them as cookies for one, mostly because I can make them at midnight and have the evidence completely cleaned up so no one ever knows. Mine turned out great. I used butter instead of shortening and a little extra cinnamon, which gave them a special little something. Because of the butter mine spread a little more than the ones in the pictures, but they're still soft in the middle and crisp on the edges and honestly, that's all that matters. I think these are my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies so far. Perfect quantity, great flavor, and superior texture.

I won't repeat the recipe here. It's really not necessary. Go visit the sources and check out some of the other recipes too.

Enjoy.