Week One of Advent:



(He doesn't look too happy because he couldn't get the lighter to work...!)

Happy Thanksgiving, 2010!! We didn't go anywhere, we didn't have anyone over and really, didn't see a soul, other than each other, but we had a very lovely day! It was low-key, relaxed and everyone got along. :o) I've got a bunch of pictures to share, so if you're looking to read a book, look elsewhere - I've got PICTURES! ;o)

Here is Nikolai this morning, helping to gut one of our pumpkins to make roasted seeds. He'd never gutted a pumpkin before, and found this to be quite the interesting experience! lol


Nik is one HECK of a great kitchen helper! He is a master at doing dishes, and usually has a great attitude about it. Here he is doing small batches of dishes, as he knows what a MESS is coming later on today!

It's been a long time since I posted a picture on here!! I haven't taken many lately, I guess...!! I DID take this picture of Mary (now 9 months old) in her chicken costume for Halloween. This costume is perfect for her because she can be sooooo timid at times!! We love you, Mary!!

This is just a picture so that you have a picture to see. LOL

Poor Reese had a tough day yesterday. What we expected to be a short, eventful, but smooth day turned into a very long, eventful and tough day!

We arrived at our scheduled time at the hospital at 5:35am. Checked in, waited in the Ambulatory Care Center (ACC) for an hour or so, as expected, then was brought up to the Holding Room (pre-OR room). There, we met everyone we needed to in a mad scurrying about, and they put Reese's IV line in. Well, they tried. The poor kid was stuck SEVERAL times (each time preceded by a "numbing shot" that didn't appear to do a durned thing). The 20-year anesthesia vet said only twice was he unable to stick someone, and he called the main anesthesiologist to do it!! By this time, Reese's nerves were shot, though I thought he did GREAT keeping it together (better than I would have done!). The guy said Reese's skin was VERY tough and not only that, his veins were deep into the muscle! (Poor Reese!) The main guy got it on his first or second try (I don't remember which) and was amazed at how tough it was to get. But after that, they gave him a sedative to relax him (by this time he NEEDED it!) and he got very happy and relaxed. Lots of smiling. ;o)

So we waited for the surgeon. And waited. And waited. The RN came over and apologized for the wait but this surgeon is "never late!". I was getting a little worried about him, but a few minutes later we got the news: someone screwed up the schedule and he was across town at another surgical center and wasn't scheduled to see Reese until 1:00!!! It was 7:30am now!! UUUUGH!!! Reese was in la-la land, in his happy place, and so we had no choice but to wait until the sedative wore off and they sent us down to Recovery (due to the meds he'd had) for awhile, then back to ACC for many hours until they could bring us back up!! So he has this IV in a weird place in the crook of his arm, he's starving, and just wanting to get the show on the road.

ME TOO! We only have one car right now and Mark needed it to go to Orlando for an appointment that he needed to get to, no one could pick up Nikolai from the daycare (where he volunteers) on time, and... and... and... What a mess.

EVENTUALLY, after an eternity of waiting, he made it back up to the Holding Room, had his procedure, which went very well, and back to Recovery and down to the "sub" recovery room, and we finally got home around 6 or 7pm. I can't tell you how exhausted we both were!! Poor Reese hardly got any sleep (other than during the procedure, of course) and was JUST starting to sleep when they finally let us go home! I was glad for him to get into his own bed last night.

He's doing okay this morning, not too much pain, and is planning on resting most of the day. I am heading off to work (I initially took the day off, but decided against it, thinking that he would be fine and we need the money so badly that I needed to go in) and Mark will be here with him. His nose is really swollen, but he is the best patient, and doing everything he's supposed to. :o) (Does that surprise anyone??)

Sorry, no pictures! He would destroy me if I posted post-op pictures of him. ;op

After a horrible day, diet-wise, at the hospital yesterday while Reesie had his septoplasty, I had a great breakfast, superfood-wise, this morning!!

I had: Multi-Grain Cheerios (whole grain), that weird superfood drink that was recommended, a cup of Soy Milk (chocolate), and a bowl of yogurt with blueberries!

I'm so full now that I doubt I'll want to eat anything for quite awhile! I also bought some "Super Tea" to drink in the car instead of my usual big diet Coke, so today so far, I am being a VERY good girl!

Hmmm... since I'm on a roll, I think maybe I'll bring a little baggie of mixed nuts with me for a snack!

P.S. I'd love to hear any feedback anyone has on this new "diet" that I'm on! Plusses AND minuses!

At the risk of sounding redundant about my "diet", this IS a journal, and this is the most interesting thing going on right now! LOL

I had a good "SuperFood Day" today: for breakfast, I had Multi-Grain Ch**rios (whole grain) and a piece of leftover pumpkin pie. Lunch at church was pizza, so I flopped on that, but later, I had a handful of almonds (a "sidekick" of walnuts). Supper was small, cause I'm not feeling that great, but I had a spinach salad with sunflower seeds, wheat germ sprinkled on it, and ...I guess that was all the good stuff I put on it. I did drink some soy milk which, while chocolate tasted a lot like N*stle Kwik mixed with water, not milk. It was drinkable, but not what I would call delicious. So I did pretty good. I certainly didn't get all the foods I'm supposed to, but what I DID eat was pretty good!

And, while it is not on the SuperFoods list, I did have a drink of some "Odwala" brand SuperFood drink that the author of the book recommended, and is hideously expensive. It is green and has fruits, vegetables and grasses in it. If I close my eyes, it tastes a lot like thick apple juice. Not good, but not bad at all if you don't think about what's in it!

...and if it's not my imagination, my shorts today fit looser than usual. ;o)

It was mentioned to me that I'm on a diet. Well... not really. Yes, I desperately need to lose weight (again) but this is not a weight loss diet. It's a "get healthier" diet. In my attempts to eat something off all 15 superfoods each day, I AM finding, however, that my diet is decreasing and I am filling up so much on these healthy foods that I'm not hungry for the junk! So, in my attempts to eat right, I see that I am also MAYBE losing some weight!!

The only thing is... if I'm eating so much healthier, how come I'm not feeling any better or having any more energy?? If anything, I'm more tired than ever (at least, this week...)??

Advice is more than welcome!!!