Little Bit, Kiddo, and Hand-Me-Down Clothes...

So my Little Bit still has a temp. Well, not right at the moment, but when she woke us up at 3AM it was 101.4. She's exhibiting no other signs of any kind of illness except for the initial upchucking (and even then, it was just a tiny bit). She doesn't have a runny nose, she isn't having difficulty breathing, her lungs sound clear to me (and I'm an expert...honest. If 30+ years with asthma and bronchial issues doesn't make you an expert, I don't know what will!) and she's not tugging at her ears. Can she possibly be teething at 2 1/2? That was suggested to me, but I can't see how teething can bring a 101.4 degree fever along with it.

Maybe that's just me.

Anyway - she's really doing OK. She's not floppy and lethargic anymore like she was the first day and seems to be her usual self otherwise.

Kiddo has been doing GREAT at school! He didn't get any checks at all last week (did I mention this already?) and he didn't get any checks yesterday, either. His behavior at home, however, definitely leaves something to be desired.

I think he and I are going to spend some quality time together tonight going through all of his clothes making sure what he has still fits him and if not, we'll give it to our friend little boy (who is just a few months younger than Little Bit right now. I'm sure they'd love to have them. Plus, they were the ones that gave us bins and bins full of girl clothes when Little Bit came along - so now maybe we can return the favor!

Anyway - Kiddo was just given 3 bags of boy clothes from another friend, so after we figure out where we are with what he has, we'll start weeding through the new stuff.

I love how kids clothes get passed around through families and friends. It's such a nice thing to be able to fill a need and/or have a need filled - especially for your children.

And one final note before I leave off for the day: I just added something new to My Etsy Shop! I really like it because it's simple, yet useful and quite pretty, too - IMHO.

TTFN
JMS

Follow up to "I'm Flabbergasted" (a.k.a. the last post...ya know, the one just below this one.)

I spent the entire day taking care of my sick little girl. She really did OK for most of the late morning and early afternoon, but come late afternoon early evening, her fever came back. Low-grade, but still elevated. She either gets really super grouchy or super lethargic when she's sick even a little bit, so she was quite floppy today and needed a large amount of hugs and kisses - which, of course, I was happy to give.

She'll be OK...it's nothing major, I don't think - but we'll keep watching and if I think a doctor visit is in order, we'll go - insurance or no insurance!

Kiddo spent most of the day with Hubby. Church this morning (he sat through the entire service and was extremely well-behaved, so I'm told) and then later this afternoon Hubby and the Chancel Choir from our church went to another church for the annual choir concert. I went last year (or maybe it was the year before), and it was an awesome experience. Hubby said, though, that if I had gone this year, I would have most likely needed an entire box of tissues. (I tend to cry if music of any kind is involved - it is a very emotional thing for me.)

Then Kiddo and I went to the grocery store and to get something for all of us to eat - and then we had our Sunday night ritual (such as it is) which includes America's Funniest Videos and Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Little Bit goes to bed after the videos and Kiddo hits pillow after the makeover show.

I just logged into my email about 30 minutes ago to see if anything interesting was happening that I needed to know about and wouldn't you know it, I'd had ANOTHER sale on Etsy! Again from someone I do not know. I'm floored by this because I've been basically inactive on Etsy for 4 months and then I go and reactivate some listings and BAM! It's like I'm suddenly the popular kid in high school.

Anyway - quite happy about the sale, but will be even more happy when my Little Bit gets better.

TTFN
JMS

I'm Flabbergasted! (Wait...did I spell that right?)

I recently became re-acquainted with an online friend. We'd both been going through some life changes (you know, me with my job and she...well...I'm really not comfortable divulging her issues, but she was definitely in deep) and were just now able to reconnect.

Ah...the wonders of FaceBook! (HA HA!)

Anyway - We briefly discussed our Etsy shops and I mentioned that I'd been thinking about closing mine, but then decided not to. Last night, I spent about 15 minutes renewing several expired listings at My Shop and much to my surprise, I had a sale! I'm guessing the sale had to have happened minutes after I renewed the item, but needless to say, it flabbergasted me!

How cool, eh?

I think Kiddo and I will spend some quality time together (with help from Little Bit, too, of course) getting the item packaged and ready to send to my newest (and completely unknown) customer!

What a boost! I feel great!

Almost enough to start crafting again... My only hesitation is the fact that I really don't have anywhere to craft if I don't do it at the dining room table - and I think after the mess that was just cleaned up by my sweet and helpful hubby, he would be none-to-pleased with that. We'll see.

TTFN
JMS

It's All Good!

Ah...life is good.

1) I'm employed. I'm supporting my family in the best way I know how.

2) My son is the sweetest little guy every in the world. No real reason prompting that statement...he just is. He is also getting VERY good at BEING good. At school, that is. (LOL!) He's gone 3 whole days with no "check" marks! He's very happy about it and I think the good feeling will carry him through Thursday and Friday, too.

My sweet little man woke up early today and said, "Mom, before you leave for work, will you please help me pick out my clothes for school today? We forgot to do it last night." So now he's comfortably dressed in jeans, a long-sleeve collared shirt with a white stripe across the chest and his favorite Transformer light-up sneakers. He even let me cuddle with him for a few minutes without squirming to be let down.

3) Little Bit woke up this morning with a completely dry diaper! YAY! The potty training is finally taking shape! Phew! But those who have never potty trained a child don't realize just how difficulty it can be.

Also, my sweet baby girl is just the sweetest, too. Again...she just is.

4) Our Baby Nalla (the dog, for those who don't know) is recovering nicely from her illness - which was a combination of several things that combined to make her lose almost 20lbs, lose most of her fur, and basically look like she was an abused and neglected urchin. She is not abused nor was she neglected - and she's FINALLY over the hump and on the road to recovery. Even her attitude is happier, which is great to see! She actually wagged her tail and smiled at me yesterday! (Yes, she smiles...goofy thing.)

5) I'm feeling the urge to craft again, but I don't want to pull everything out and make a huge mess of the living room all over again. Especially after Hubby pulled out all the stops to get it picked up! I'm feeling glad I haven't closed my Etsy shop, because maybe...just maybe...some new stuff will wind up there in the near future! I have some really great broken, natural shells that we found in St. Augustine, FL, that are just BEGGING to be made into something!

Anyway - I guess I'm done for now. There's plenty more where that came from, though - so I guess you can expect to hear from me again in the very near future!

Wow! Two posts, two days in a row!

TTFN
JMS

Playing Catch Up

OMG!!! It's been over a month since I posted anything! No wonder I'm feeling so desperate to write something!

But, since I'm severely pressed for time right now, I'll do the ol' bullet-point list...just to cover the basics. If you see anything you want me to elaborate on, shoot me an email or leave a comment and I'll do my best!

• October was my birthday month. The 16th. It was a very nice day, even though I worked all day! I got a new cell phone! YAY! Good-bye TracFone!
• My friend SW visited from New York and I got to spend some time with her. Granted, it wasn't quality time - but I am so glad she decided, on a whim (very un SW-like) to buy a plane ticket and come for a visit. It was really, really good to see her!
• I'm still employed. My job is amazingly busy, which seems to account for my lack of posting to my blog, but I do really like it. Except for the whole having-to-process-payroll-and-be-responsible-for-other-people's-money thing. That, I could do without. Otherwise, it's a great job and I'm very blessed.
• We went on vacation during the last week of Oct. We visited St. Augustine, FL and had a fabulous time. I actually even got to spend a couple of days with my little sister, HB, who lives about an hour south of St. Augustine in Daytona Beach. It was SUCH an amazing thing to get to talk to her, face-to-face, and actually learn more about her as an adult! The last time I saw her, she was 19 and in my wedding! That was over 9 years ago! It was almost 12 before that. Thanks to my Aunt and Uncle in Maryland (no AC/UB, the other ones...sorry) for providing the beautiful condo we stayed in!
• Kiddo got his very first soccer trophy on Monday. He was SO excited he could hardly stand himself! He wanted to carry it around with him, but I had to convince him of just how upset he'd be if he accidentally dropped and broke it. He conceded, and allowed me to put it up on a shelf where he could admire it from afar. Way to go, my little guy. I'm VERY proud of you!
• Little Bit is becoming the little fashionista. She really likes to pick her own clothes and has definite opinions of what she will and will not wear. It's really pretty funny.
• Oh, and we missed Halloween this year because we were traveling back from Florida. Kiddo and Little Bit seem only slightly upset by this...and are already thinking about costumes for next year. Frankly, though, I'm glad I didn't have to worry about it this year!

Anyway - that's about it for now. I'm sure there's plenty more where that came from, but again...time is a-wastin'!

TTFN
JMS

A dream... It was only a dream.

I had a strange, disturbing and almost scary dream last night that I am having trouble letting go of.

It started that I was at my best friend's wedding (not someone I know or recognize from the waking world). It was in an auditorium, kind of like a high-school auditorium, with a stage, curtains and seating, only the walls were a bright yellow and the hardwood was a light, and beautiful, shiny wood.

I was out in the very back seat, waiting for instructions because my friend had asked me to be part of her wedding. I was not there in a bride's maid or maid-of-honor capacity, but I just had this feeling that whatever it was she wanted me to do would be super special. (I should have had my clue there, right? I mean, I thought if this person as my best friend, yet I was not a bride's maid or maid of honor? A little thought provoking in and of itself, eh?)

Anyway - all of the sudden, the lights went low and everyone got silent and then out onto the stage came the entire wedding party. No procession, no preamble, nothing...just "Oh lookie. There they all are."

I remember being very hurt and turning to my seat neighbor (again, don't know who that was) and saying, "I just knew something like this would happen. She doesn't care about me. She could care less that I'm here to help her or that she asked me to be here!" And with that, I grabbed my backpack (yes...backpack) and stormed out of the auditorium, making sure to make enough noise so as to disturb the happy little group of folks on stage.

Ok.

So now I'm outside and, with the magic of dreams, am wearing jeans and a sweatshirt - but I still have the backpack. I'm making my way across a darkening parking lot (sun going down) and as I come upon my little burgundy Toyota Corolla (yes, the car I drive in the waking world) I notice the front driver's side door is open. I'm curious rather than scared at this point, but I cautiously open the door all the way and peek inside the car. I look behind the seats to make sure no one is hiding there and then I see a graying head on the far side of the car by the gas cover.

I holler, "HEY! What the **** do you think you're doing?"

The dude pops his head up and looks shocked to have been caught. Hmmm...had he really not heard me stomping, ticked off, across the parking lot in my heels? (The heels had vanished by this point, too.)

Brave, I stormed around to the other side of the car, thinking I'd use the steam from the anger at having been humiliated at the high school auditorium wedding. I got right in this guy's face and demanded he tell me what he was doing. Not a young guy, but not old, either - he was probably in his mid to late fifties with graying hair. Otherwise, he had a somewhat forgettable face...so his features didn't stand out enough to remember.

He said some lame thing about testing the gas in my tank, and waved his hand in the direction of a bunch of little bottles and test trips that I'd missed seeing during my angry trip around the back of the car to confront the guy.

I wasn't buying it and then, suddenly, I got scared. REALLY and truly scared. I guess my self-protection instinct started kicking in, and I began backing away but by then it was too late. He grabbed me by the upper arm, and dragged me off.

The next thing I remember is that I'm in this big, but old-feeling house, with lots of white-washed walls and paneled rooms. There is a phone in my hand and I'm desperately trying to call Hubby (yes, Hubby from my real life) but for some reason I cannot get the numbers to punch in right and I keep making wrong number calls. Finally, though - I get the number punched in right and he answers. He's abrupt and asks if he can call me right back, but I SOB at him, "NO! Don't hang up. Pleeeeaaaassseeeee don't hang up, I neeeeeeeeed you. I'm stuck. I'm in trouble. I don't know where I am but I think I've been kidnapped!"

I remember at this point I looked outside and I could see the guy and two kids (older kids, like teenagers) loading stuff into the back of a truck with a camper cover, using one of those sliding things that sets up at loading docks with all the wheels on it. You know, the things that make sliding heavy or big packages really easy? I don't know what they're called.

I knew at that point that I was getting ready to be loaded into a big box and then loaded into the back of that truck....

...But then Hubby's alarm went off (in real life) and he rolled over and said, "If you're going to take a shower don't you think you should be getting up now?"

I'm still shaken up.

TTFN
JMS

Kiddo, Little Bit & Baby Nalla

Kiddo has had a pretty good week...so far. I have yet to hear what his day was like today, but according to him, he's gotten "none checks" for his behavior this week. This is a very, very good thing. Looks like we might just have figured out the trick to convincing him that good behavior, especially at school and when out in public, is vital. Especially if he wants to stay alive! (JOKE! That was a JOKE!)

Little Bit is doing well, too. She LOVES he school and talks constantly about this friend or that friend. She's such a sweet and loving little thing. On Sunday, NM came by with a bag of clothes for Little Bit that had been NM's daughter's. You know, the whole "don't-fit-my-child-anymore-so-pass-them-to-someone-who-needs-them" thing... I LOVE hand-me-downs for my kids. I mean that. And when we're done with them, unless the person who gave them to us needs them back, we pass them along to someone else who needs them. Pay it forward!

Anyway - she and I were going through the cute and colorful girl clothes from NM and Little Bit kept hugging everything and proclaiming, "I love it so much! It's so pretty!" or "Oooohhh! Thank you! It's my favorite shirt ever!" And so on. She was so enthusiastic, it was almost funny...in a sweet and endearing way.

My kids are the greatest! They make me laugh daily. And there's nothing better than coming home to "MOMMY'S HOME!" and great big hugs and kisses.

Baby Nalla - the dog - had surgery on Monday. Sunday Hubby noticed that her right ear looked kind of strange. For a dog who's ears normally stick straight up, to have one flopping over was strange. He touched it and then made me touch it, too! It was all puffy and felt like someone had pumped the ear flap full of air; like a balloon. It was awful! I squeeled and jumped away, knowing I'd have nightmares. But poor Baby Nalla! It turns out, after a visit to the vet on Monday, that it was an Aural Hematoma, which required surgery to relieve the swelling and prevent infection. For a dog who is already dealing with a hyper-allergic reaction to flea bites (an ongoing, and might-I-say, supremely irritating battle) and doesn't have any hair from the waist down and is already suffering, to have to send her back to the "hospital" for surgery was just more than I could bear. I worried and worried about her all day Monday, hoping that she'd come through the surgery OK. She's an old dog, and and I was worried she might have issues with the anesthesia.

Anyway - she's home now, and she's pathetic. The enormous E-Collar, to prevent her from scratching at her ear, is ridiculously funny, but necessary. We're supposed to keep it on her for 14 days post-surgery, until we go back to have the stitches removed. She's going to have a quilted looking, puckered ear from now on, from all the stitching they had to do. She's on 2 antibiotics, a pain killer (how, pray tell, do you tell if a dog is in pain?), and a bazillion other things. She HATES the collar. She shakes and shakes - but how do you tell a dog that 1) shaking isn't going to help either get the collar off OR help her hear and 2) that the more she shakes, the more irritating it's going to be? She's funny, though - trying to get around the house without bumping into stuff and getting stuck. We'd take it off of her while she was trying to eat, except for the fact that we'd NEVER get it back on her. Do you know how complicated those things are?

Anyway - say a few prayers for our puppy dog. She's in seriously bad shape and in need of some lovin'.

TTFN
JMS