Easter Egg Tree

  How many of you put up an Easter Egg Tree during Lenten season?  I do!  I love my tree.  There is nothing I don't love about it.  This is my tree this year:

What do you think of it?  I tried something different this year.  Instead of using branches from the yard and forcing them to bud, I used lighted branches.  I am not sure if I like it or not.  I like how it the light but it looks a little fake.  Oh well, had to try. 
  This is my all time favorite egg on the tree. 



My grandma Daisy made this for me when I was a little girl.  She made one for all of us "girls."  I always remember grandma's tree, with the hand blown and decorated eggs.  They were decorated with quilling or tatting.  We were told that we could look but not to touch.  I really wanted to touch.  Easter was also the last holiday we were able to spend with my mom before she passed away.  This time of years bring back so many wonderful memories of family.  I hope there are times in your life that bring back wonderful memories.  I know Easter is one of them for me. :)

Manic Monday

  I am so thankful that today is over.  What a crazy day!  I think I sat down for all of 5 minutes to day.  Went to the hubby's shop today to work on the books.  That is always a fun time!  How sarcastic did that sound?  Got home from the shop just in time for a doctors appointment.  Received my monthly B12 shot.  Happy to say everything is going along fine.  Don't have to see the doc again until next month.  Had to then go deliver Girl Scout cookies back to the cookie coordinator.  Discussed different projects we are going to go with our girls this year.  Came home and worked in the craft room for a half hour then it was off to coffee with the blue hairs.  Next it was picking up the daughter from school.  Then home and laundry.  Got all the laundry put away and it was time for the daughter's dance class.  Asked another mom to bring her home, they were practicing at the school, then home to make supper.  The dance studio the daughter goes to is next door to our house, so today was a little different.  Finally with supper in the oven, I sat down for a few minutes.  The hubby agreed to take care of the dishes, which means he will stack them up on the counter and leave them for me tomorrow, but right now I don't even care.  I am exhausted.  I will be bedtime for this mama soon.  I sure hope the daughter doesn't need help with homework.  Fingers crossed!

Me

  I thought I would tell you a little more about myself and the circumstances I find myself in.
  First, I will tell you about my medical history.  I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was 15.  I have type 1 or juvenile diabetes.  Luckily, I do not have any kidney or heart or eye issues because of the diabetes.  I am what is known as a "brittle" diabetic.  This means your blood sugars can go sky high or drop dangerously low very quickly.  Eating or doing something that might cause a slight shift in another diabetic, will cause a HUGE shift in me.  I also have high blood pressure, thyroid condition, chronic migraines, sleep apenea and sleeping issues.  The other major diagnosis is fibromylagia.   For those of you who don't know, this is a disease that cause wide spread muscle and nerve pain.  Somedays I feel great and some it hurts to get out of bed. 
  In 2005, I decided to get control of my weight problem and had a gastric bypass surgery.  Worst mistake of my life.  For the next year and half, I had nothing but problems.  I lost a lot of weight but it was because I could not eat.  I threw up everything I ate and drank.  My surgeon said I was eating & drinking the wrong things, but I don't know how a teaspoon of cottage cheese for a whole day could be considered wrong or to much.  After a year & half of suffering and losing my job, my surgeon agreed to reconstruct my stomach.  I realized that the doctor never listened to me.  He never believed I was a type 1 diabetic.  He almost killed me by ordering my insulin stopped after the bypass surgery.  Every check up I had I would tell him I wasn't eating, that I was throwing everything up, wasn't really having bowel movements, was losing a lot a weight without exercising (more than I should be).  He just didn't listen.  It finally took me yelling at him that I would not be ALIVE at this time next year if they didn't do something.  I was bawling, the hubby was getting furious.  The surgeon finally thought maybe something could be wrong.  After the second surgery, he admitted that he didn't take into consideration what my diabetes had done to certain muscles between my stomach & intestines.  I ever said to him is maybe you will actually listen to you patients from now on, because they might actually know what is going on with their bodies better then you do.  Gee after that, I only say his assistant for check-ups. IMAGINE THAT!
  As of now, I am not working.  My doctors, yes that is plural, don't think it would be healthy for me to hold down a job.  Talk about feeling guilty about that.   Before I had to quit, I brought home a very nice paycheck.  The hubby owns his own business, so some months are good & some not so great.  Make planning really, really hard!  It took certain members in my family a long time to realize that my paycheck wasn't there anymore.  I am not saying who, but there are still times that reminders have to be given.  This sends the stress levels off of the charts, which mess with the fibromylgia and diabetes and migraines and sleep,etc. 
  Don't know what else would what to hear about my medical history, but since it will come up, I thought I would give you a little history.

  Love to all,    Sara

Snoring Husband

  Does your husband snore?  Does he keep you up half of the night because of his snoring?  MINE DOES!!  I swear, it doesn't matter what position my hubby is laying in, he snores.  If I wake up in the middle of the night, the chances of me falling back to sleep are next to impossible.  IT DRIVES ME CRAZY!   Yes, I know he works hard and he is tired but come on this is ridiculous.   I am surprised his left side isn't permanently black 'n blue from me hitting him to roll over.  When I do ask him to roll over most of the time he just shifts positions.  Again driving me CRAZY!  It has gotten to the point that I have to go to bed at least an hour before him, take double my sleeping medication and make sure my CPAP machine is working correctly if I want any good sleep at all.  If I don't do any one of those things, forget it.  I am doomed!  
  I have been trying to get him to go see my sleep doctor to see if he could possibly need a CPAP machine also, just like every other male in his family does.  But do you think he will, oh no!  I have even tried making the appointment myself and the just telling him about it a few days before.   Let's just say that didn't go over very well.  I may have to resort to the ultimate threat.  He may have to sleep in the spare room until he goes and sees the doctor.  I don't know how many more sleepless nights I can take.   The next day, the hubby wonders why I am cranky and tired.  He always thinks I am coming down with something or at was because of my own sleeping problems (we will get into that some other time).  When I tell him it was because of your snoring, it's as if he doesn't believe me.  Why else would I be up at 3:54am on a Sunday morning?  It is not because I am a morning person! 
  Right now hubby is laying on his side with his back to me and to listen to him, you would think he was laying flat on his back.  He can even snore while he is rolling over.  He just DID!  Great he is on his back, now I am really in for it! 
  Well, I might as well get up.  There will be no more sleep for me tonight.
  Love to all,     Sara

State Wrestling

  I think I have finally recovered from our weekend at State Wrestling.  Our family is a wrestling family.  Even though we have a daughter, we all love the sport of wrestling.  To go to state wrestling is our family vacation for the year.  Luckily our local high school excels at the sport.  To add to the excitement this year, my nephew Jed went to State for the first time.  This is the first year he was on varsity wrestling and to be able to go to state is a HUGE accomplishment.  We are all very proud of him!  Myself and another one of Jed's aunts had shirts made that said Jed's fan on the back of them.  I think he was a little embarrassed, but he also was grinning from ear to ear.  Jed placed 8th this year.  Pretty darn good for a 10th grader that is wrestling 10 pounds under weight.  The whole family has been beaming with pride.  Our school team placed 4th in state and we had 2 state individual champions.  It was a good year. 

 

Isn't he a cutie?



It has taken me almost a week to get my voice back, but oh the fun we had!!!

  What does every one's weekend look like?  My is busy like usual.  Tomorrow doctor appointment in Fargo, ND.  Saturday clean house and hopefully get Easter Egg tree up and Sunday church, Girl Scout cookie sales booth and then church game night in the evening.  Just the normal weekend.  I think I need a nap!  LOL

   Love to all,     Sara

Snow Day

  And we have snow!  We have had the first official BLIZZARD of the winter.  There was some snow on the ground before yesterday, but we got 12+ inches and the wind blew it sideways.  Here are a few pictures.

  The first pic is the drift over our front door.  I really hope it doesn't come down on me!!!  And then there is Sweatheart trying to decide if he should go out or not.  He decided not to.  My bed was much more comfortable.  Then there is the drift over our kitchen window.  Our family says it hasn't really snowed if we can still see out that window.  Here are a few shots into the back yard & front yard.  Have to love North Dakota winters!  At least the daughter got a snow day from school!  Yeah!  Poor thing is now cleaning her room.  I don't think that was in her plans!  Oh well.

Love to all,   Sara

25 Products You Think You Need, but Really Don’t

25 Products You Think You Need, but Really Don’t   You all really need to read this from Wise Bread.  How many of these products do you use?  I am ashamed to say I use more than I should, but a number of them I have gotten rid of. 

Love to all,   Sara

Adorned From Above: 12 Uses for Rubbing Alcohol

Adorned From Above: 12 Uses for Rubbing Alcohol: Today, 12 Uses for Rubbing Alcohol.  I decided to do some research on this household product to see what other uses there were for Rub...

I want to thank Adorned From Above for publishing this list.  I love finding lists like this.  It helps to save money and usually healthy for the family than costly cleaning products.  So as I find other helpful hints like this you all can expect me to put them up.  It is also a way for me to keep them all in one place.  LOL  Does that mean dementia is setting in if I need a blog to help me organize things.  Not good.  Oh well. 

Love to all,     Sara

Annoyances

  I don't know about you but the last few days every little thing has been getting on my nerves.  I have been snapping at everyone in the house, even the pets aren't safe.  I don't know why.  Nothing is really wrong.  Haven't seen much of the hubby, but that is normal this time of year in his business.  It even got so bad, I went of on a friend on Facebook because I didn't like what she commented to one of my posts.  Pretty sad.  I thought it would be a good idea if I stayed away from this blog if I was acting like that.  Today I had a break through.  I went to our usual Tuesday morning Bible study and as we were discussing the book of Mark I felt a great calm come over me.  I realized than what was wrong with me is I had been gone from Church for to long.  Last Tuesday we didn't have class, Sunday I didn't go to church because I was under the weather.  I needed an infusion of Christ in my soul.  I have had a much better day since.
  I have been a homemaking fool today.  I have my last load of laundry in the washer, the dishes are done and supper was delish.  I made "My Mama's Meatloaf."

My Mama's Meatloaf
2 lb hamburger
1 egg
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed

Mix all ingredients together until just combined.  Don't over mix.  Put in a loaf pan.  Bake a 350° for 1 hour. 

To make it my mama's classic meal, serve it with baked potatoes, string green beans and a tossed salad.  Every time I eat this, it brings me back to my mom's kitchen table.  Nothing better.

Why?

  Why is it that the person that seems to fix all the problems in the house is the mom?  I always thought the dad was the one who solved all of the problems, especially the mechanical problems.  But no, who is the first person the majority of the family turn to?  THE MOM!!!!!  For example, we have a WII, that I know absolutely nothing about.  One of the remotes wasn't working right so who does the daughter want to fix it.  The Mom.  Again did I tell you I know NOTHING about it.  I tell her that she is just going to have to wait until her dad gets home.  OK, fine, whatever is the response I get.  I think she was trying to be cool in front of her friends.  The hubby comes home.  He looks at it.  Can't fixes it.  Looks for answers on the Internet.  Can't find any answers there.  Tries a few more things.  I google "why won't my WII recognize two remotes" find and answer and in two minutes the problem it fixed.  Mom to the rescue again.  I remember when my mother was alive, even she would call me to came fix her vacuums or fan or a/c or even when she had a problem with her car.  This is a woman that had 2 sons-in-laws less than 5 blocks away from her, but yet she would call me.  Crazy.  Somehow between the two of us, we got this working again.  I hope you all have a wonderful day.
   Love to all,  Sara