Digital ramblings of a scraptastic blogger

Books, Trips & Electronics, oh my!

2010-03-09T21:00:00.014-05:00

I was on quite the reading kick while my computer was out of commission. I started with this one:

then read this one:

and am currently reading this one:

How odd that I chose 2 books that were recently made into motion pictures without even realizing it! Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed Dear John (although it wasnt at all what I expected). I would definitely recommend it, even to those not into "romance" novels.

The past 2 weekends have been absolutely fantastic! The last weekend on February (which also happened to be the weekend we celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary), Scott & I took the kids to Sunday River for the weekend. We stayed at The Bethel Inn. We had a fabulous time... the boys loved skiing their first "real" mountain and Megan and I took snowboarding lessons for the first (and maybe last!) time.

While we were gone, an enormous wind event came through New Hampshire knocking out power for 4 days (and cable/internet/phone even longer) to more than half the state. We sustained some damage to our roof and lost the contents of our fridge and freezer, but otherwise came through safe & sound. Our road still looks like a logging road but we once again have power, heat and water so all is right in the world.

Thursday, Sharmaine and I held a Mary Kay party here, then her, Krista and I headed out to a club in Manchester. I truly can't remember the last time I was at a "club" rather than a bar.... I am guessing maybe 1993? LOL I definitely felt out of place but think I did a pretty good job dancing the night away as a "30-something"!

[Pic coming soon]
Saturday night, Jen Pettengill and I headed into Boston for the night. We stayed at the Seaport and took a cab over to Faneuil Hall. We bar hopped and window shopped our way around and then headed back to the hotel for a very late night of "girl talk".... definitely a fun time! :)

In the world of technology, my MacBook Pro is now safely back in my hands. HOWEVER, my Blackberry is now dead. I am waiting on a replacement as I type. It's always something, right? LOL

I am working 5 days this week between my 2 part-time contract jobs...looking forward to the St Patty's bash this weekend! Watch for some fun pics soon! :)

Have a great week!

Sad Mac

2010-02-24T18:29:00.008-05:00

Monday was a very sad day for my MacBook Pro. When I woke up, I noticed it had shut down during the night, which I thought was odd. When I got to work, I tried to start it up. Nothing. Black screen. I could hear the CD rom make the start up noise but nothing else. I think I did a pretty good job remaining calm. I promptly went to Apple.com and booked myself an appointment at the genius bar. At 7pm that night, I brought my baby into the Apple store. Some diagnostic tests revealed I need a new logic board (and who knows what else? We can't get anywhere till that is replaced). You would have thought I won the lottery when the Mac Genius announced "You purchased the Apple Care Plan- congratulations, you just saved yourself $1000!" LOL So, the soonest I will have my Mac back is Thursday, but it could even be longer.Thank goodness I can use Scott's while he is working!

This past weekend Scott and I went with the Champagne's to Bartlett NH for a little snowmobiling adventure on Sherri's birthday weekend! I had never driven my own snowmobile before (only been on the back of one for about 10 minutes) so this was quite an adventure. I was nervous as we got started but quickly caught on and kept up with the gang! Definitely a lot of laughs and a nice getaway as adults!

Oh, and be sure to check it out- Megan is now being featured at The Fresh Reflection! Everyone needs a little confidence boost now and then, right? :)

In Web news.....

2010-02-06T12:32:00.004-05:00

Have you been to The Fresh Reflection?
From their blog:

"What do you see when you look in the mirror?

Do you see your gorgeous blue eyes or your wrinkles? Do you see your cute freckles or your under-eye circles? Do you see your beautiful smile or your crooked nose?

What YOU see is different from what WE see and this blog is here to prove it!

We have decided to make changing the perception of ourselves official. The goal of this blog is to tell each other what WE see. The beauty WE see in YOU. Every day we will post a photo of a woman. Someone we know or don’t know. And then we ask you to leave a comment to tell that woman what YOU see in them. What do YOU think is beautiful about them that they may have missed?"

Featured on February 4th.... my own daughter, Victoria! Check it out! I have always known how beautiful she was, but hopefully she will see a bit more of it herself when she reads it from people that AREN'T her mom! :)

In other web news, the new Momenta catalog has been released. I was surprised that almost ALL of the scrapbook layouts included were ones that I created! :) You can check it out here and be sure to check out the Summer Fun collection for a layout featuring Dane!

2010-01-31T18:56:00.005-05:00

What a weekend! We started the weekend off with Drops of Jupiter Girls Night! Definitely a fabulous time with some lovely ladies!

Saturday was a day of rest! We generally laid around recovering from Friday night's festivities. Last night Sherri & Jeff called and asked if we wanted to meet them at Coco Key. They were able to get 5 free passes! Who could resist that? We packed up the car this morning with towels and swimsuits and headed down to Danvers. We had a great time on the water slides and in the lazy river! :)

And lookey here- I got my very own "Signature" for The Daily Digi as a result of my very first blog post here! I am excited to see the series getting such a great response so far!

And now for an update...

2010-01-05T19:41:00.004-05:00

I apologize for not updating sooner, but I had so many things to say, it was easier to say nothing at all.

The mortgage fiasco has been resolved. We qualified for a HUD loan and were able to refinance at a lower interest rate! Citimortgage was reluctant to help, but did finally come through for us in the end. I learned a lot from the experience and hope it will be information that will protect us from future problems. Not only in the area of budgeting, but also about the people who will always will be there for us unconditionally, those who will be there with reservations and those who turn a blind eye when it's not their needs on the table.

The seasonal job I was working wrapped up on December 23rd. I am blessed to have a contract job come up that will keep me busy on and off through March. I am diligently looking for full time work as well. I am confident that I will find something and that 2010 will be a stable year for us.

I have yet to make a list of things to do for 2010, but it's on my list of things to do on my next day off, LOL I am quite pleased with how many things I accomplished in 2009!

We hosted our annual New Year's Eve party, sporting the bar that Scott worked on this fall. It was a huge success, despite the snow that once again rolled in!

Help us save our home!

2009-11-27T20:27:00.004-05:00

For some of you who have followed my blog, much of this will be a repeat of things I have shared over the past two years. I am sharing these details here now because this is a last ditch effort to save our home. I hope you will take the time to read this.

Our fist real financial troubles began in 2007. Scott had a difficult year and spent several weeks unemployed and changing jobs. I lost my job in October 2007 and decided to go back to school to earn an Associates degree in Graphic Design, believing this would make me more marketable in tough economic times. In January 2008, my father passed away unexpectedly, putting us in greater debt as we attempted to manage the household, including his in-law apartment, without the assistance he had previously provided.
We first contacted CitiMortgage just a few months after his death and asked for some assistance. We were told to fill out “Workable Solutions” paperwork (which we did, providing all necessary documentation). When we didn’t hear anything, we called to ask the situation and were told that our case was “in review” and we would hear within a week. Weeks later, we still had heard nothing. When we once again fell behind on the mortgage and the calls began, we asked what happened with our case in review and were told they “weren’t sure” and somehow we slipped through the cracks. We were told to resubmit paperwork and documentation. We did this. Again, we got no response- no assistance offered, no denial- NOTHING!
In May 2009, I graduated from college with my degree. I had two surgeries over the summer and then began looking for full time work in August. I was hired at a local print shop, but 5 weeks into the job, I was let go and told it “wasn’t working out”. I have diligently spent hours each day job searching and interviewing. I recently accepted a 5 week job with a temp agency for Christmas help. The job is about 50 minutes away and I am currently driving Scott’s gas monger of a truck since my Jimmy (with 209K miles) just had a complete failure of the fuel system.
Scott was let go by his employer in August 2009, as they simply could not afford to pay him. He did qualify for unemployment, but in NH the max wage is about $400 per week, which clearly is not enough for a family of 6 to survive on for any length of time. He took the first job he could find which was about 25% less than what he was making, and also doesn’t include health care.
In July 2009, we were completely caught up on our mortgage payments. We missed our August and September payments, but had the full amount in our account for October 1st. Our payments through CitiMortgage have ALWAYS been automatically deducted. As a matter of fact, in July when we caught up, we asked to be taken OFF auto-deduction so we could avoid returned payment fees if we would happen to be late again in the future. Citimortgage told us that they had nothing to do with the auto-payment, that it was set up through our bank and we would have to take care of it with them. That was absolutely not true, so we continued with the automatic payment. The October payment was never removed from our savings account, but I was not aware of this until the statement arrived in early November. This then put us the dreaded 90 days behind and in default. By that time, I had already mailed money orders totaling $900 towards the November mortgage payment.
The Current Situation:
On November 18, 2009, we received a letter from CitiMortgage telling us that we were in foreclosure. They listed an attorney’s name and told us to contact them with questions. We promptly called the attorney and were told that an auction is set for January 22nd and that things “typically move quickly in NH”. I was stunned. My stomach was in knots and I couldn’t help but cry tears of frustration. We asked if there was anything we could do to stop this. They told us to contact our lender. We called CitiMortgage immediately. We explained that the money for the October payment had never been deducted and still remained in our savings account and that we had mailed $900 towards the November payment in good faith. They could not explain why the October payment was never taken out of our account and they acknowledged receipt of the $900 in money orders, but said they would returning them because they “don’t accept partial payments”. We asked what the total needed would be to stay in the house. We were told that they were waiting for a total from the attorney they hired (that we now also have to pay for) and that we could call back in a week or less. We called Monday and were told they still did not have the figure. We called again Wednesday and were told they were still waiting for the figure.At this point, they will not accept any money from us and the clock ticks closer to auction day!
Since this entire situation has unfolded, we have spoken with many people who have been in or close to our situation. We were told to check out the “Obama plan” to help people like us. We talked to the lender about this and after taking our information, we were told that we do not qualify by just a FEW DOLLARS! The kicker is that they are looking at my “current income” as if it’s a yearlong permanent job. It’s a 5-week temporary job through a temp agency, but they will not take this into consideration! I took any job I could to try to EARN money to keep our house and keep us afloat! I feel like we are being punished for being hard working Americans rather than willing to sit at home and collect government benefits!
I am beyond frustrated at the series of events that have led us to this point with our lender:
• The random lack of auto-payment deduction in October
•The refusal to accept the money we sent in November
• The acknowledgment of workable solutions paperwork but lack of response
•The lack of information on what is needed right now to stay in our home
I feel helpless at the hands of this monster-bank who holds all the cards and sets all the rules. PLEASE HELP US SAVE OUR HOME! We are willing to do whatever it takes. We are selling things on Craigslist, renting a room to a friend for a few months, both working full time at whatever is available to us, borrowing money from friends and family. We are showing OUR commitment to stay here.
We fully accept our responsibility in the situation, but also feel like the system and CitiMortgage have failed us.
We are hopeful that this letter will find it’s way into the hands of someone who can help us. We are aware of the power of our congressman and senators and the news media. We are pleading with you to help us fight this battle against CitiMortgage. We believe that with the power of other Americans on our side, we may be able to get CitiMortgage to correct their missteps and work with us to save our home.
Please feel free to email me at inlovewithdots@aol.com or call me at 603-264-1068 at any time.

Additionally, my brother Shon is creating a benefit CD to help us raise the money needed to keep our house. I am so grateful for his kindness and help! He currently has 9 bands on board! To pre-order the CD, you can go to : https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=10066394Send your email to shonbrowning@aol.com if preordering and you will be linked to the digi download as soon as it is available!

Hey Digi Scrappers...

2009-11-11T13:01:00.002-05:00

Hey Digi-scrappers: Be sure to enter Kate's super fun contest on her blog!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T21:37:00.009-04:00

Happy Halloween! Hope everyone had a great day of hauntings and candy! Honestly, Halloween isn't my favorite holiday. I dont know if it's the spirit behind it (no pun intended) or all that sickeningly sweet candy, but I could skip it and be just fine. I did, however, go to my first "adult" costume party in years last night. Cheryl was a wonderful hostess and we had a fabulous time.

The kids stayed very busy trick or treating today and had several parties to attend tonight. It's so weird to be able to give Victoria my keys to get herself to and from places as well as tote her siblings.

Sadly, I am still not working. The stress of being rock-bottom broke is starting to take it's toll. I am sleeping like absolute crap and worry daily about how things will get paid. I am trying very hard to remain positive but it's so hard when there is no light at the end of the tunnel. I would surely appreciate prayers that I am able to find something soon before we slip deeper into darkness.

Speaking of darkness, I watched Awake a few nights ago. Dane was always terrified he was going to be awake during surgery when he had his tonsils out. As fearful and anxiety ridden as I am, that is never a thought that crossed my mind during my surgeries this summer. I think that's probably because I am more freaked out by the concept of "missing time"... waking up like no time passed. Anyway, the movie was great with lots of twists and turns I didn't see coming! I would recommend it.

Speaking of movies (yep, this is how my train of thought chugs along all day), I went to see Michael Jackson's "This Is It" with Kathy Z on Wednesday! I was a MJ fan in my younger days but really hadnt enjoyed the whacko he had become as he aged. I found myself captivated by this movie... both the content and the technology. It was like seeing MJ in concert, but even better. Honestly, it took away a lot of the creepiness for me and I was able to sit back and enjoy the music. Another, thumbs up for this movie!

Daylight Savings end (or begins??) tonight.... I am excited for the extra hour of sleep, but am NOT looking forward to how early it will get each night. :( Thats really the only thing I hate about winter... the lack of daylight hours. What will you do with YOUR extra hour?

Birthdays, chocolate and other things...

2009-10-22T15:57:00.005-04:00

Happy birthday, to my sweet little Megan! She is turning 15 years old today! Wow, how the time flies. I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday!

I decided to sign up for Dove Chocolate Discoveries! You can check out my new website here! I am anxiously waiting for my kit to arrive since I have scheduled an open house for THIS Saturday (email me for details)!

I have an interview scheduled for Tuesday! I am nervous about getting too excited, but eager to get back to work!

If you havent been by The Daily Digi lately, you must check it out.... so many great posts about photography, scrapbooking and general life!

All kinds of things

2009-10-08T18:28:00.006-04:00

It's breakfast for dinner tonight... I've got Megan on the bacon and the boys cooking pancakes! Maybe I will add some contribution by cutting some fruit, LOL

So, LOTS has happened since my last post.
1. I am no longer employed. This worked out for the best. When one door closes, another one opens!
2. Sharmaine came for a visit and then left us again :(
3. Duke had his 16 week check up and now weighs 42.7 pounds!
4. I have contacted 2 lawyers regarding my Dad's estate and received a call from neither. I am not impressed.
5. We attended Joy's surprise 40th birthday party.
6. We attended Kaylee's 4th birthday party.
7. The kids are all doing really well in school.
8. I am considering signing up as a Chocolatier with Dove Chocolate Discoveries. Thoughts?
9. I am now available for freelance work... business cards, letterhead, newsletters, brochures, flyers, forms.... you name it and I can design (or edit) it! If your company is tired of paying overp[riced commercial printers for design work, contact me and we can work something out! :)
10. Scott is just about done his manager training at The Meat House!

The days are flying by.....

2009-09-22T18:45:00.003-04:00

It seems like one day is seamless into the next.... time is paying by SO quickly now that I am working!

I always look forward to Friday at 5pm! I know that I will have some quality time with friends and family.

Friday night we headed over to Joy's house for a few drinks and a few laughs. The only person missing was Nicole! :( We all miss her terribly!

Saturday the boys had a baseball game (which they lost, sadly) and then the girls headed out to Derry Fest and the boys over to the Auburn Duck Race. Sunday was a day of cleaning and chillin!

This week I am super excited that Sharmaine is coming for a visit and that Scott has the weekend off! :)

Duke's first bath :)

2009-09-13T19:52:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we attended Sherri and Jeff's 2nd Annual Margarita party! Again, we had a fabulous time! Sherri and Jeff both spent some time behind the bar creating all sorts of Margaritas... I loved the Pomegranate and Banana ones the best... probably because those are the ones I remember, LOL :)

Tonight we gave Duke his very first bath and blow dry! He was a little squeamish but did well overall. I do have some very large paw prints on my bed now, though! LOL Oh well! Hopefully we are training him early to be good for a groomer because I know he wont always fit in the tub!

I found out today that I will be getting a diamond from my grandmother's wedding band. I am looking for ideas on how to have it set that might be a special way to honor and remember her. A couple gals on Facebook suggested either having it set in a locket (so I can include a photo) or having it set with her birthstone next to it on either side. Both are awesome ideas! Anyone else got any suggestions?

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-07T20:08:00.007-04:00

I survived my first full time work week at Printer's Square! I absolutely LOVE the work and the people are great, too! I am looking forward to our breakfast meeting tomorrow! :)

The kids and I took Duke and headed up to Jen and Scott's in Maine for Labor Day weekend! On Sunday, we did some antiquing! We went into a unique shop with vintage clothing. As we held things up and laughed, we got the grand idea to buy housecoats to wear on Jen's front porch to embarrass the kids. We decided to put rollers in our hair to really add an extra touch of "Maxine class". With this group, growing up is never going to be an issue! :)

I did it!

2009-08-30T18:19:00.002-04:00

I did it! I GOT THE JOB! I am so excited! I start full time tomorrow morning! Wahoooo!

Megan started high school on Friday and despite having to walk great distances between classes, I think she will probably survive! :)

In closing, I want to wish my brother, Jamie, a very happy birthday! Love you! XO

It's been a while.....

2009-08-27T14:50:00.009-04:00

It's been a while since my last blog post..... I guess that's a good thing because it means we have been quite busy!

I am very happy to report that Scott is already back to work! (Recession? Huh?) He is now a Manager in Training at The Meat House! It's something different than what he has done before, but I think he is really going to like the change of pace.

I have been interviewing like crazy. I had 4 interviews last week (1 was a second interview) and 1 this week, plus I have a working interview tomorrow at the place I *most* want to work at! They received 200+ resumes, interviewed 25+ applicants and it's now down to just 2 of us! I feel like I am on Last Comic Standing or something and down to the finals, LOL :)

I am 99% recovered from surgery and feeling great! I am so glad to have that behind me now and not have to worry about that intense gall bladder pain anymore!

We picked up our new puppy, Duke, the day I had surgery! He weighed 14 pounds on that day! He is now 20+ pounds! He has gained about 1/2 pound per day! Is that crazy or what? LOL We took him over to Lake Massabesic today and he drew lots of attention! He is soooo cute!

Megan officially starts high school tomorrow. Victoria and the boys head back on Monday! They are all pretty much ready to get back to the routine of "normal" life and say goodbye to the hot days of summer.

So many happenings...

2009-08-12T21:11:00.004-04:00

We are officially back from our Orlando Adventure! I have lots to do to get the blog caught up with all the details of our amazing trip!

I am sad to report that the day Scott returned to work, he was "let go." The irony of the situation is that he was reassured several times before we left that his job was not in jeopardy. Had we known that it was, we might have taken a shorter trip, so obviously I am beyond angry with his slimy former employer.

I had my gall bladder removed today. The surgery went fine and I am recovering as well as can be expected. I *hate* anesthesia because it makes me feel sick to my stomach as it comes out of my system. My stomach feels like I was kicked repeatedly. Other than that, though, I am doing okay!

Surgery is scheduled!

2009-07-24T14:40:00.002-04:00

I met with the surgeon yesterday and now have gall bladder surgery scheduled for August 12th! I had another ultrasound this morning (just to satisfy any question the insurance company might have) and confirmed the fact my gall bladder is "chalk full" of stones! Lovely, huh? I am gonna try to do my very best not to upset this useless little organ while we are away! The LAST thing I need is surgery in Orlando! That doesnt seem magical, LOL

Victoria is celebrating her birthday tonight with her friends. She is having a "Peanut Butter Party"- should be interesting! I hope the rain holds out because I know she would really like to swim!

Duke, baseball and a baptism!

2009-07-20T21:17:00.003-04:00

The decision on which puppy would officially become our "Duke" was very difficult. We examined their faces, checked their cuddle factor and their cuteness..... finally we settled on this one.... he has the tiniest bit of white on his chest! We will be picking him up August 12th, just as he turns 8 weeks old! If you have any potty training advice for dogs, please pass it along! I told the kids not to get used to picking him up as he could be near 200 lbs when he is done growing!

Dylan finished up the last game of the season with a win over Manchester West! Doesn't it figure that he got a lead off double and I missed it? LOL

Ashlee and Alyssa were baptized on Sunday. Megan and Scott are each Godparents to one of the girls. The ceremony was beautiful! The girls just get cuter and cuter each day! :) [By the way, Dane a pretty good job using my camera, huh? I was in charge of Brian's camera so I gave mine to Dane for the day!]

Gardens, birthdays & prayer request

2009-07-12T20:32:00.007-04:00

Crossed another thing off the long list of goals for 2009 today... Jen's Mom, Jeanne, came over and helped us plant a garden! We planted basil, cilantro, tomatoes, green beans, peas, carrots, cucumbers, summer squash and radishes. We are so excited to have finally done this after 7 years of talking about it.

Dane's tournament team is done for the season having lost their 2 games. :( Dylan's All-Star team still has several games to go but they will be wrapped up before our Orlando trip later this month!

Speaking of Orlando (which is pretty much ALL I think of these days), have you seen our adorable new blog header? Thanks to Tebi73 on the Disboards.com for the awesome family graphic!

In case I don't blog again this week, I have to give a shout out to my first born baby girl.... Victoria will be 17 years old this week! Where has the time gone? I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday. (Gosh, I sound like an old person now, huh? lol)

Before I close, I want to ask for prayers for Scott's Dad. He has been having trouble with his heart. After a bypass surgery last year, he now had stents put in place and is dealing with other complications. Please keep him in your thoughts & prayers.

Duke is coming soon!

2009-07-08T17:43:00.005-04:00

We received these CUTE pictures of the black males from Leah's litter from the breeder yesterday! We are going to choose one of them on the 18th- our future puppy, Duke! It's going to totally have to be a matter of personality because they are all so adorable! They weigh 4.5 lbs each now and have opened their eyes and are starting to toddle around!

If you haven't checked it out lately, we have lots of new updates on our Disney Blog!

Lots of things

2009-07-02T09:10:00.007-04:00

Where have I been?? I can't believe how many things have happened since I last blogged! To highlight a few faves...

Megan graduated middle school and looked beautiful, of course! She has been staying very busy with her friends!

The boys marked the end of the regular baseball season with Big Field Day.

Dane and Dylan also had a great time at baseball camp this week! They got to meet Gov Lynch, a member of the Fisher Cats team and got to see the 2 most recent World Series trophies won by the Red Sox!

And most thrilling of all, I am excited to announce that we are officially booking our first ever Orlando vacation today! I will still post some things here, but I have decided to start a separate blog for our vacation adventures. I want our entire experience to be in one place for future reference (and printing) after the trip! You can find our new blog here!

2009-06-21T22:59:00.004-04:00

I am sad that Nicole is going back to NC on Wednesday and we only got to see her once! :( For those of you following Nicole's life as a Marine, I think I forgot to mention she has now joined us in the world of blogging! Check it out here!

Father's Day was quiet today. Sadly, Scott had to work and the kids are still in lock down, lol. We did finally go through the boy's clothes to weed out the things that are too small (or too ripped, or too stained, etc) and see what "handy downs" they might have grown into. It's a fun way to get a handle on what shopping needs to be done and the boys always crack me up! I laughed so hard when Dylan tried on "skinny jeans" and was convinced they didn't fit him!

Happy birthday, Lou Gehrig!

2009-06-19T11:15:00.003-04:00

Happy birthday, Lou Gehrig! Today we remember Lou Gehrig, as he is the face of ALS. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.
Please consider participating in the Covering All The Bases Hitting Challenge! The money raised will be used to advance research, expand patient services, continue public education programs, and advocate for people with ALS. This is close to my heart, because my Mother passed away in December 2000 from this heinous disease.

I also wanted to share that 2 of my favorite designers have collaborated to create amazing new digi kits available today at The Lilypad!

Wild Rump is available right here.

Capture the Moment is available right here.

The kids are doing pretty well today... the fevers seem mostly managed with Tylenol and Motrin and the coughs are quiet for the time being! They are busy watching scary movies on Fearnet OnDemand!

The compound is in lockdown

2009-06-18T21:51:00.003-04:00

$15 co-pay for a doctor's visit
$270 in prescriptions for Tamiflu
$120 in Tylenol, Motrin, Mucinex, cough drops and cleaning supplies (Lysol, Clorox wipes and the like)
Countless dollars spent on ice cream, chicken noodle soup and Gatorade

Why, you ask? ALL FOUR OF MY KIDS HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH THE H1N1 FLU (SWINE FLU)!

Dane has been sick since Thursday, Dylan was home the past 2 days and today both Megan and Victoria came home from school sick. I knew something wasnt right. A trip to the doctor's confirmed it's the damned swine flu. UGH! I feel so bad for them because they are not allowed back to school until next Friday- the very last day of school- which means they are missing all the end-of-the-year activities (field trips, finals, yearbook signing, graduation practices, sports parties, etc). They are all so depressed and sick on top of it! My heart breaks for them! :(

Please send your prayers and positive thoughts that they are all healthy and feeling strong again soon!

Guess who needs more surgery!

2009-06-17T17:57:00.006-04:00

When I discussed surgery with my doctors, I joked with them that they should remove anything I didn't need while they were in there because I only wanted to be put under once. I specifically mentioned my gall bladder and appendix. Today I went to the urologist for scan of my kidneys and low and behold, I learned that my gall bladder is FILLED with stones! I will need it out as well! Is that ironic, or what? I guess so long as I dont have any specific gall attacks, I can wait till my next physical in January to schedule it.

The other thing that kills me is that I have had several gall bladder attacks over the past 3-4 years. I was told by a specialist that it was IBS. I have literally rolled on the floor in pain thinking nothing could be done about it. What the heck? It irritates me to no end that the doctor never ordered any test to definitively determine what was wrong and now *I* have paid the price!

Dane and Dylan were BOTH home sick today. Dane has now missed 5 days of school. UGH! He is extremely stressed about how he will get caught up with so little time left before the end of the year. I initially thought Dylan was just overtired from listening to Dane cough all night, but I took his temp this afternoon and he was almost at 102 degrees. I am SO praying he doesnt have the same thing as Dane! :( To think, we stayed healthy all winter...