Good News / Bad News

"C" had been sick with a cough & runny nose since December 6th. He finally perked up on December 18th but the reprive was short-lived. He woke up in the night on the 19th with a fever that would last through the weekend. I took him to our new pediatrician (LOVE her) on Monday morning. Oh I should tell you that C just cried the entire time we were at her office, and he presented in a manner that led the doctor to believe he had appendicitis (!). So I took her advice and drove immediately to the ER. None of our kids have ever been to an ER. I was feeling like a crappy mom for letting my child suffer through the weekend in need of serious medical attention - guilt guilt.

The ER doctor was skepticle and thought C just needed some fluids to combat the virus he was struggling with. My guilt was dissipating, leading to frustration. At this point I'm thinking "What!? I just paid $150 to walk through your doors 3 days before Christmas to be told it's a virus!" So the nurse started an IV (it was like giving a ferrel cat a bath) and drew some blood for test and gave the little guy fluids. It wasn't long after that when the doctor returned to let me know that C had a white count of 30 - no idea what normal is, but he told me that was high. So he ordered a CT scan to rule out appendicitis. By now C is feeling really good with a hugh dose of motrine and IV fluids. (BTW- I wasn't giving him enough otc meds by following the chart on the package...apparently he could have almost double the suggested dose and feel a lot better without harm.) About 2 hours later I was relieved to hear that the scan ruled out appendicitis, and we would not be spending Christmas recoving from an appendectomy. However, C has pneumonia. That was surprising to all of us since listening to his lungs with the stethoscope never gave any clues to the docs. Anyway, the nurse hung a bag of antibotics for his IV and we were off less than an hour later (I'd left the house at 8:00 that morning and it was now 2:45.) , Later that night you'd never know C ever had pneumonia aside from him being a little tired. I'm thankful for modern medicine even if it comes with a price.

A Few of My Favorite Things...

How did that tune from The Sound Of Music make it onto the continuous Christmas music radio station? Anyway, I digress from the intent of my post.

The other night I was driving somewhere and I saw a Jeep Cherokee traveling down the road with a real Christmas tree bound and tied to the top of the vehicle. It brought a smile to my face. I don't know why exactly, but when I see a tree strapped to the top of a stationwagon or the like, I imagine the whole family making their annual pilgrimage to the tree lot to be flogged for 100 bucks for a little holiday cheer, and I can almost hear Bing Crosby crooning "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" in my ear.

About four or five years ago, we dropped a couple C-notes for a pre-lit artificial tree. It's very tall and bears a stong resemblance to the Douglas Fir variety. I'm content with our tree (it's quite stunning all decorated with homemade ornaments), but I do miss the trip to the tree lot and the fresh smell of pine. Thank goodness for scented candles and Scentsy warmers.

Happy Holidays!

Is it snowing in AZ?

Imagine my surprise when Hailey came in from the backyard sporting "snow" all over her. Turns out she and Collin were playing in a giant box out by the trash can. They had torn apart the styrofoam blocks and the beads were clinging to everything.

We used the vaccuum to get the beads out of their hair and off of their clothes. It's times like these I wonder why we spend so much money on Christmas presents when a discarded box will provide hours of entertainment!

The Company We Keep

I saw this story on the net regarding Madonna and A-rod (I read it like one watches a car wreck on the freeway). The story was all about a new club opening in Miami and all the stars sighted at the grand event. I got a chuckle out of seeing Martha Stewart's name listed with some of the other celebs. Why is she hangin' with P-Diddy and his homies at a night club in Miami? Doesn't she have some tulip bulbs to plant or something. Go M-Stew!

"When Robin Thicke and Mariah Carey took the stage, the room was packed with celebs, including A-Rod, P. Diddy, Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Terrence Howard, Chloë Sevigny and Martha Stewart.
The revelry was still going late night at Blade, where Alex and Ingrid shared a table together and Kate Hudson made an appearance. And the partying is just getting started: The actual Victoria's Secret show is tonight at the Fontainebleau." -- E On-line

I'm thankful for Red Bucket Photo

I absolutely dread family photos. I get frustrated being cooped up in a 6x6 dimly lit room with five children (who aren't that small anymore) trying to keep everyone's hair and clothing in place while waiting for the perfect pose. Makenna always squints in anticipation of the flash - you have no idea how many photos I have of her with her eyes closed. Luke has the whole "glare on the eye glasses" issue. And I usually have "perma-grin" from gritting my teeth through the whole process.

The last family portrait we had taken was in 2005 when Collin was about 15 months old. He's changed greatly since then. This year I abandoned the little studio and went with a professional photographer - Hi Liz - who took fantastic, painless shots of our family. It was actually kind of fun! Here's a sample. (I should curl my hair more often, huh?) You can see more of Liz's awesome photos at www.RedBucketPhoto.blogspot.com.

I'm thankful for painless, fun family photo shoots to preserve our memories!

No Fun

On Monday Collin was sick with the stomach flu. He had vomited three times in the first hour. This aweful state continued for most of the day. After one episode, I was attending to him and said, "I'm sorry you feel bad. It's no fun being sick huh?" He nodded his head in agreement and weakly replied "but it is fun to have the hiccups." And there you have it.

At about 2:00 I got a phone call from the elementary school that Makenna was sick and needed to be taken home. Lucky me - two sick children.

Thank goodness it ended there. By mid-morning on Tuesday all was well and we went to the Zoo for Veterans' Day.

Advice wanted

We've lived in our house for nine years, and it shows. I wanted to give my kitchen a face-lift without breaking the bank. So granite countertops are out. Actually, I like my cheap formica; it's very functional and easy to maintain. I did replace the sink and faucet (okay - Clark did most of the work), and bought knobs and drawer pulls. I plan to paint the walls...goodbye Swiss Coffee.

So my questions for you...see the two faux drawers under the sink? Should they have drawer pulls or not?

If You Feed Them, They Will Come..

I like to post my scrapbook layouts for y'all to see, but it may be a while before these photos make it to a 12x12 format. So the photos will do for now. We fed these ducks/geese at a park in Scotsdale in October 2008. You can tell these animals are used to people and their loaves of bread. The most awesome way to spend a $1 with your kids!

Here they come...they must be able to smell the Safeway bread.

Balboa Island

I grew up in Southern California near the beaches and Disneyland, and I'm thankful I now live only a few hours away so my kids can experience the things I loved as a child. One of which is Frozen Bananas from Balboa Island near Newport Beach. These tasty treats are dipped in chocolate and a variety of toppings.


Here are my cute kids sharing a banana (they cost about $4 each) this past summer.

The Haircut

Hailey has been wanting her hair cut for about 6 months. The last time she asked to have her hair cut, I successfully talked her out of it. I love my little girls with long hair. But since she brought it up again, I figured she must really want it cut so ... chop-chop. And I LOVE her short hair! Here is the scrapbook page I created to immortalize the event.[All products are from Close To My Heart. visit my website at EzScrapbooks.MyCTMH.com for more details.]

New at this

I went to lunch yesterday with a few girlfriends. Always a fun time (even when I have to take my 4 yo with me). The girls were talking about blogs and it reminded me that "hey, I have a blog." I set this up about five months ago and have neglected it ever since. So I'm going to try to post more often, especially now that I know people are actually looking. LOL.

What have I been doing for the past five months? This summer my three youngest children and I were at the public pool four days a week for swim lessons and competitive swim training. Did I see the next Michael Phelps?....dunno. I was also consumed with creating artwork for Close To My Heart. I was chosen as a presenter for their national convention in Orlando, Florida. Imagine 1,100 women drooling over a new catalog loaded with exciting new products. Many of the products I had already seen due to the fact that the company sent me a giant box of the soon-to-be-unveiled products to create with. I had to quaranteen my scrapbook room so no visitors would peek at the new stuff. I couldn't show off my creations (until now) because I had signed a confidentiality agreement. Needless to say, I am the type who feeds on feedback - hopefully the positive kind - and was lost without any.

I managed to take a quick trip to the beach in California and of course attend CTMH convention in Orlando, Florida in late July. Now the kids are in school and I'm getting back into a routine. The mom shuttle is revving up for dance lessons and piano.

Happy scrappin'

Base Page L2

These pages were created with fabulous products from Close To My Heart. Base pages are in Buttercup. The additional papers are from Good Times Level 2 paper kit and Good Times Stickease.