Missing Once Again

Sorry doesn't exactly cover how horrible I feel leaving my blog so empty, for so long. I wish I had an exciting excuse. I tried that on my January Update post, but I just can't, I can't lie! 

I do have a list of events that happened and that I've missed posting. I'll try to hit the highlights, and not be too boring!

My last post was my Happy Independence Day, the post before that Father's Day! So I really need to hit a few of posts in between those two days!

~O~

June 26 was my "little" sister Mitzi's birthday.

She became a "Mimi" (grandma) this year to Finley Johanna, my adorable great niece. My niece just got some fantastic new pictures of her. Here's one!

Isn't she adorable. Audrey gave her that little leopard. Britainy said she loves it!

~O~

This (the 26th) was also the day that Audrey & I went to stay at my parents to help out for awhile. The next day (the 27th) my mom was having dental surgery. She babysits my niece Janie for Tony & Bridget to work. I was sure she wouldn't feel like doing much of that after dental surgery. Dental surgery isn't fun for anyone much less someone at 72 y/o.

The dental surgery was very hard on my mom. The next week was very rough on her. We (Audrey & I) went back home on the 3rd so we could be home for our annual little 4th of July celebration. The plan was to go back to my mom & dad's on the 5th.

~O~

I have such a wonderful husband. He knows how important family is and doesn't care when Audrey & I go off and stay for long period at my parents. He let's the couple times a day phone conversation keep him close to us.

Still Here...

Back in October, I posted about a Strange House Guest. Well, John (if you read the other post you may remember that Audrey has named him "John", I'm not sure why) is still here and making a a"mansion" in between our kitchen window and screen.

Isn't that weird? Look at all those layers! 

All those little dark speck are tiny bugs he has stored.

And....

there's John. 

Oh boy, since my horrible ordeal with my

 spider bite, I really don't like spiders.

A Strange House Guest

Well, actually he isn't inside the house. He is between the glass and the screen of the kitchen window which is above the sink. 

Audrey has named him "John"

As you can tell in this second picture he has an intricate layering of webs with a funnel opening right behind him in the picture. (Hence why we think he is a funnel web grass spider)

With nothing to use as a guide, it's rather hard to tell how big he is. Looking at the top picture, the length of his body is about the length of a quarter. Then he's very thin across, and of course you have to add his legs. 

I didn't tell my blog friends, but 4 weeks ago I was bit in the leg by a spider. We are not sure what kind. In our area we have brown recluse, funnel web, and wolf spiders. The bite was on my left leg at the base of my shin. The swelling, redness, and dark red rash spread up my leg and spiraling toward my outer leg and up my calf. The dark read rash and swelling stop about 3 inches from the back of my knee. 

The pain was Horrendous 

(and I have a high tolerance to pain)! 

I have migraines and the first week of this spider bite was worse than any migraine I have ever had. 

It is still slightly red and will occasionally still hurt. So with all that said, you can see why I don't really like this "house guest". In the past I didn't really like spiders, but they really didn't bother me either. Now...I don't any of them. Even the little house spiders make me jump out of my skin! 

Oh well, they're every where! So I will have to get use to them I guess.

I tease Audrey that if John "come's on this side of the glass" (inside the house) I would get my gun and shoot him. I wouldn't of course, but I do hope as big as he is that there isn't a way for him to get through an unopened window.  

Frozen Treat!

I have a great treat using frozen banana's! Cut the banana's into chunk's keep in the freezer. 

We all know that they're great to throw into smoothies & shake's. 

Well, you can also throw them into a food processor or blender, and magically get...

banana soft serve! 

You do have to blend for several minutes. First the frozen banana's will become frozen crumbs. Continue blending until the banana's become creamy.

No liquid or any other ingredients required. So it's very healthy, just frozen banana's.

You could add some other flavors. Chocolate syrup, cocoa powder or maybe even some almond or p-nut butter. Use your imagination.

Scary Start To Our Evening

This afternoon my mom called to inform us that my sister was taking Keegan (my almost 18 year old nephew) to the local Children's Hospital emergency room.

He had been extremely tired since the end of last week. Then yesterday, he needed to call home sick from school. Complaining of chest pain with numbness in his arms & hands. After a trip to the pediatrician, a chest x-ray and an EKG  they still didn't have answers.

Today the pain became worse and Keegan was complaining of  "feeling weird". Another call to the pediatrician and they're headed to the emergency room.

We live less than 15 mins from "Pill Hill", the area of the city filled with hospitals and medical centers. My family lives on the other side of town which gives them a 35-40 min drive to these hospitals. 

Audrey & I grabbed our purses and shoes and headed to the hospital to lend moral support. Mitzi also had her two year old with her, so I knew some "babysitting" would be appreciated too! 

Four hours later we were heading out of the emergency room door with a young man diagnosed with costochondritis. Costochondritis is an inflamation of the junctions where the upper ribs join with the cartilage that holds them to the breastbone or sternum.

The doctor said that the inflamation secondary to a viral upper respiratory infection. Only treatment is Motrin every six hours for the pain. 

So, needless to say, we have thanks in our hearts and praises on our lips. I told Keegan he wasn't allowed to do that to his aunt ever again. He just smiled his typical "Keegan smile".

Love you Keegan!

They're Even Better

Remember these (the homemade buns/rolls I made)?
Well, I added ground flaxseed (I grind them in a coffee grinder that is strictly used for seeds & spices)!
Not only are flaxseed a "healthy food" it made the buns taste better! See all those wonderful flecks of ground flaxseed...yummy!

This Wasn't a Treat!

We never "celebrate" Halloween. Audrey never goes trick or treating. Well, a last minute change and she goes this year!

We usually hand out candy to the neighbor kids (of course, we live on a small cul-de-sac and our record number of trick or treaters is 13!). Well this year our 3rd visitor was our nephew Shane with his daughter Samantha.

Most of Audrey's "cousins" on Rudy's side of the family are 30 something adults. So she is actually closer in age to her second cousins (like Samantha who is 13 y/o).

While we were standing around talking with them, Samantha asked if Audrey could go walk around with them trick or treating. After telling her yes, she ran into the house grabbed a "bucket" for candy, a hat for her head and off she went.

Our trick or treat time was 6 pm to 8 pm. So a few minutes after 8, Rudy saw the three of them walking down the street. He decided to go out and meet them with Bear (our dog) to say bye, thanks etc. A few minutes passed and in walks Audrey who announces... "Hey Mom, I got bit by a dog!" WHAT?? Did I just hear her correctly? Did she say "bit by a dog"? In she walks into the kitchen holding a wet, ice filled paper towel up to her bottom lip.

So, me "the mom" is asking to see her lip, she is wanting to talk about everything that she did & saw. Finally, I get a good look at her swollen lip and see the teeth marks on her bottom lip. Oh, the horrible feeling we mom's get any time our babies get hurt.

The good news, it was Rudy's brother's dog. So we know it's up on shots etc. The dog is a tiny "puff ball" of a dog Pomeranian. Samantha was holding it and handed it to Audrey. The dog, not knowing Audrey, growled and as she try to set it down it turned and bit her lip.

Audrey said Samantha freaked, feeling guilty for handing her the dog, then started cleaning up the blood from her lip and chin. She also said the help was endless...Samantha, Shane, Drew (Shane's brother) and Joyce (Shane's mom) all had their look and helped clean up off the blood & get some ice on the swelling.

We've got it all cleaned some "steri strips" on it and it didn't prevent her from eating some of her candy. All in all, she said she had a fun evening.

You can read Audrey's take on the events of the evening and see pictures of her lip on her blog.

I got called.....

stubborn today!!

I think I might possibly have pneumonia. Having pneumonia in it's self is not being stubborn! However, while my daughter was talking to her granny (my mom) today, she informed her that I have pneumonia. Well, upon that announcement my mom promptly did what all moms do asked told me that I had "better call Dr. so & so tomorrow"! I of course answered with "nah, I'm ok, really! It'll go away". That's when my daughter & mom both informed me that I was "stubborn".

Now I must tell you , I haven't been properly diagnoised, just my own (registered nurse) observations.

During school today we listened to my (well both our) hearts & lungs. Audrey's (of course) sounded like a heathly 10 year olds heart & lungs. My heart sounded fine. My lungs, on the other hand....sounded like a 47 year old with pneumonia.

I did get a qualified second opinion (hubby did run lifesquad over 20 something years ago)! I had Rudy take a listen to the bottom areas of my lungs (where pneumonia likes to hide). His diagnosis...."I don't hear anything" (typical with pneumonia actually).

So, I guess after futher review.... where "Going to the doctor" is concerned, I am a little very stubborn.