tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18475722493737498792024-02-19T05:32:19.368-05:00ARTwork by KarcherMy ramblings on family, everyday life, infertility and everything in between, and how ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY made it all possible.........shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.comBlogger226125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-16538496896029518112013-11-25T09:29:00.001-05:002013-11-25T09:29:08.793-05:00What a difference 6 months has made. I haven't worked since May, and I couldn't be happier! There is nothing that I miss about my job (other than seeing my friends everyday). Leaving there made me realize how much I really hated being there, how miserable it was making me, and how much I was missing in my son's life. I know that being a stay-at-home mom isn't for everyone, but it's perfect for me. <br />
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I'm still just as busy though- some days I think that I'm too busy. I'm still working on my bachelors degree. I alternate between 1 to 2 classes per semester. I recently switched my major, from Health Informatics to Psychology (with a concentration in children). It's a way better fit for me, and I really love the classes and what I'm learning. I babysit 3 of my great-nieces/nephew during the week. I'm also still working on two different direct sales businesses. Those are going kind of slow though- I tend to put them on the backburner when I get busy. So lately I'm not putting enough time into them at all. <br />
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Then, I FINALLY got a chicken coop!! I filled it with 6 chickens. Since that didn't happen until this fall, I couldn't get chicks. Instead I bought 3 pullets, and 3 hens. I love my girls, but I am a little disappointed though. I searched around a lot, and I finally settled on a farm that sounded great. He only raises certain breeds at a time. His flock is NPIP certified and they are all non-medicated and fed organically. Sounded great. So I get there and it wasn't the kind of farm that I expected at all. He had a bunch of birds, but they were in sort of crappy, make-shift cages/areas. It smelled so bad there. But I still went ahead and bought the birds that I wanted because, I'm new at this and what the hell do I know.<br />
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So what is the problem? Well, it's been a month now and the girls are still kind of skittish. He is obviously a breeder and these aren't his pets. So they weren't really socialized well. I probably should have waited and bought chicks if I wanted that though. Then, it wasn't until just this week when I got my first egg. Now, I know that chickens stress out easily, and between the move, the change in the flock, the change in season and the change in the amount of daylight it wasn't easy for them- but c'mon!! They are way more spoiled by me than they were previously. They have it pretty easy actually. Anyway, I'm finally getting some eggs- slowly, but surely. The issue now is that I think that only 2 of the hens are laying, but I should have 3 layers. Then I think one of them is going broody (that's an issue for a different post!), and I'm having trouble getting one of them to lay in the nesting boxes- so she lays her eggs in the middle of the floor. Ugh!<br />
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If I had known that I could bathe them, I would have given them a bath right away when I got them, but now it's really too cold. They really stink from that farm! I was reading an article on bumblefoot, and when I checked my girls, sure enough, one of them had it. I brought her to the vet, but since treating chickens isn't big business, she really had no idea what she was doing. Waste of money!! So I had to do a procedure myself to remove it. Not fun!! She is recovering nicely, but I also noticed a problem with one of her eyes. WTF! She's actually the sweetest one of the bunch and my favorite- so of course, I have her recovering in my basement in a cage. Fingers crossed.<br />
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I'm still such a novice chicken keeper, that I feel a bit over my head. I'm learning everyday though, and I follow some great blogs and websites that have helped me tremendously. I'm getting the hang of it!<br />
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shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-63514525555840301672013-05-09T01:50:00.001-04:002013-05-09T01:50:09.131-04:00Hmmmm.....Maybe I should have proofread that last post, or atleast ran spellcheck! Note to self: posting at 2 am is almost as bad as drunk texting....almost.shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-86282804455516008992013-05-07T00:58:00.000-04:002013-05-07T00:58:26.601-04:00Wow, it's been a long time! How things have changed since last August!<br />
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First of all, I need to change my intro on here. I DO NOT have Celiac Disease. I never felt better by cutting out the gluten. Atleast not good enough to make any difference. So I talked to my Dr about it. She said that the bloodwork indicated the possibility of it, but it could be wrong. Seriously, that is not what she told me the day that she called my to say that I had Celiac. Overall I can't complain. I can eat gluten now!! It makes me happy. <br />
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Then I started taking classes again, and am working towards getting my bachelors degree. I've only been taking one clss at a time. That's good though. It's too hard to squeeze it all in. I've really enjoyed up until this semester. This semester, I decided to take 2 classes. One of them is Statistics, and I'm in hell. I hate!<br />
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Of course, Griffin is getting bid. We're in tball season right now. It's awesome, and he loves it! He is all registered for kindergarten. He has his first orientation night in June. He 'is very excited aobut it. <br />
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Finally, it would be totally wong here if I didn't mention the fact that I'm quitting work. The details aren't all worked out just yet, so I csn't go into detail just yet. So maybe I'll have time to blog again- I'll have to change it around a little bit though- to my adventures as a stay at home mom. <br />
Should be interesting!<br />
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shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-80754123155342964802012-08-09T23:53:00.001-04:002012-08-09T23:53:11.731-04:00We've had the best summer! The weather has made it so that we've got tons of use out of our pool. Griffin has really surprised us with how great he's doing at learning how to swim. He stopped using the life jacket, and went to the arm floaties. Now he'll even take those off and practice swimming on his own. I'm so proud of him. He's fearless in the water and enjoys it so much. <br />
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Our annual family camping trip to Moosehead Lake was a couple of weeks ago, and it was fantastic. The weather was perfect for camping. Not too hot, not too cold, and barely any rain. Griffin actually cried on Sunday night when vacation was over. He has no idea how much I wanted to cry at the thought of going back to work!<br />
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I'm also trying to plan a trip or visit to somewhere different for any free days that we have. So far we've taken a ride on a train at the lake, gone to a science center, and checked out a play in the park. It's not a long list so far, but I figure that we have most of the fall to do some of the things on the list. I have a really cool coupon book that gets Griffin admission into most of the places for free. So I've got a few great ideas of things to do from that. <br />
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So the greatest thing for me about this summer is how great I've been feeling lately. It's taking a while to get used to the whole gluten free thing, but slowly but surely I'm noticing changes in my health, and it's fantastic. I have noticed a HUGE difference in my energy level. I can't even believe the difference. It's very encouraging!shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-44211741788685791012012-07-06T00:52:00.001-04:002012-07-06T00:52:43.416-04:00Hope everyone had a fabulous 4th! I had a really nice day hanging out here at home with my 2 favorite guys. I know that sounds pretty corny, but it really was just a great day. My sweet hubby let me sleep in, and I really needed that. When I got up, I fiddled around with a few things like laundry, but by noon the three of us were outside enjoying the beautiful day. We swam, layed out in the sun, swam some more, and just hung out. It was real quality family time. <br />
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I'm hoping that by the end of the summer, Griffin will be swimming on his own. He's moved from wearing the life jacket to wearing the arm floaties. He is so fearless that he scares me a little, so I push him to practice swimming without the floaties. It's just safer if he can swim on his own. He's doing a great job. I wanted to get him into swimming lessons but I was a week late when I started looking them up. So we'll just see how the summer goes. <br />
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My GF diet is going well, or atleast I think it is. If it's not, then I'm completely clueless of where I could be messing up. I haven't noticed a huge difference in how I feel though. I am definitely not as tired as normal. My mood seems to be a lot lighter...that could be because I'm not so damn tired though. I'm still getting the body pain, which is making me think that I have Fibromyalgia, and not just pain from the Celiac. However, without the exhaustion it seems a lot more manageable. So I'm staying optimistic, and continue to take it day at a time.shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-59476777502393820342012-06-27T22:38:00.000-04:002012-06-27T22:38:24.804-04:00I met with a nutritionist today. I have to say that because it was my first visit, a lot of time went to getting my health info and background. So I didn't get as much information as I had hoped. I did find out though that feeling worse in the beginning is totally normal, and that I shouldn't expect to start feeling better for about a month. Good to know. <br />
<br />shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-69406679558760751572012-06-25T01:14:00.001-04:002012-06-25T01:14:58.769-04:00Well, I started feeling even worse. By Wednesday, I was having horrible stomach cramps, and everything that goes along with that. Luckily, it only lasted 2 days because I wasn't even able to eat a popsicle. I'm sure that it's a combination of things, but I'm also having terrible anxiety and depression. It's some of the worst that I've ever had.<br />
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Don't get me wrong, I know that I could certainly have things a lot worse. I do have the ability to recognize that. I think that I just have sooo many questions. How long have I had this? is this the cause of my "unexplained" infertility? I think about all the time that has passed by and all the tests that I've had done. I wonder if I'll ever feel better, and how long will it take. It's all so very overwhelming. If you've ever experienced depression, you know that none of your logical thoughts stop you from feeling so down. I have even started having bad dreams, including one that involved Griffin getting taken by a bear. It's awful. <br />
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I'm feeling better today, and I'm really hoping that it continues to get better. I have an appointment with my Dr tomorrow to go over everything. I also have an appointment on Wed with a nutritionist. I'm really looking forward to that, and have a list of questions all ready for her. <br />
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On the plus side, I went to Walmart yesterday because I was running out of food that I could eat. I was pleasantly surprised by their selection of gluten free. It was an unmarked section and I just happened to stumble upon it while looking for anything I could find that was GF. They had a few things that my grocery store didn't have, and it's nice to know that between the two I have a decent selection to choose from. Mostly, I need to get back to cooking and start adapting recipes to be GF. I have enough stuff on hand to eat when I'm in a hurry, but I need to start making meals. Tonight we grilled some steak tips, and I baked one of the GF corn bread mixes (Gluten Free Pantry brand) that I picked up. I was shocked....it was actually one of the best corn breads that I've ever had. I expected it to be crumbly and flavorless, but instead it was delicious. It was a tad crumbly/crunchy like a lot of the GF stuff, but not enough for anyone to think it was any different from a gluten filled corn bread. I have a second mix from Bob's Red Mill, and I can't wait to make it and compare.shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-53513681713555890952012-06-17T22:28:00.001-04:002012-06-17T22:28:27.581-04:00I'd like to know why I feel worse since removing gluten from my diet. Seriously worse. My body aches horribly, headaches and I'm so exhausted that I can barely move. This really sucks. I'm supposed to be having an optimistic outlook and looking forward to my new life, but I'm finding that kind of hard. What I'm also finding very odd is that I'm always hungry. So hungry that my stomach is constantly growling. I'm eating though. I'm certainly not starving myself, so what's the deal?<br />
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The other thing I'm having a hard time with is the cost of gluten free food. My grocery bill was ridiculous before, now it's downright outrageous. I'm currently frustrated....so welcome to my pity party.shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-87218943942015847672012-06-14T23:59:00.000-04:002012-06-14T23:59:23.732-04:00My word of the day: cross contamination<br />
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In the world of Celiac, this is apparently a huge problem. Today I found out first hand. My friend picked me up a McFlurry at McDonalds. An M&M McFlurry, which should be gluten free, unless you find a chunk of an oreo in it.........which I did. <br />
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Sounds pretty minor, right? It was just a small piece. WRONG!! It contaminated my otherwise gluten free treat. The gluten free diet for a Celiac is really strict. So strict in fact that I have to actually get my own toaster. I can't toast my gluten free bread in the same toaster as the bad, evil, horrible wheat bread. <br />
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Cross contamination. <br />
<br />shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-47784965014625959492012-06-13T22:30:00.000-04:002012-06-13T22:30:38.927-04:00Just when I thought that I wasn't busy enough, something else comes along that seems insurmountable. Yesterday I found out that I tested positive for Celiac Disease. Seriously. <br />
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On one hand, it explains a lot. The headaches, body aches, and possibly even infertility. It's good to know that all the symptoms weren't all in my head. I have an actual explanation, and in some ways it's a relief. Plus, it's not a fatal or crippling disease. It definitely could be a LOT worse. <br />
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However, all that positivity isn't stopping me from being totally overwhelmed, depressed and irritated. All I can think about is all the stuff that I will have to give up. Oh fresh, warm, crusty bread how I love you so! It's like a break up, and I'm devastated. Not to mention the total and complete freedom to eat whatever I want, whenever I want. It's now gone, and I am sentenced to a life of planning ahead, checking every single label, and being that annoying customer at the restaurant that asks for special food. I can no longer wander in to a bakery and savor a delicious, gooey pastry. I will never be able to order the roast beef asiago sandwich (my favorite!) at Panera again. <br />
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I'm sad. Seriously sad. <br />
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This is my new life though, and I don't have much of a choice in this. So I know that I have to get over it and forge ahead. It will be my own personal challenge to cook, and bake delicious gluten free goods. I look forward to the day when I feel so fantastic that I look back and realize that I spent way too long feeling like crap. Today is not that day though. Today I am still wallowing in my own self pity while I check all my antidepressants for gluten. Yup, even medications can contain gluten- who knew?!shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-27215249359527135732012-06-01T00:19:00.000-04:002012-06-01T00:19:21.872-04:00I have to post these things because I never want to forget how funny and damn cute my son is. I seriously find myself laughing at something he says or does just about every day. <br />
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This morning I got up to Griffin begging Ryan to play Lego's with him. I mean this kid was pleading as if his life depended on it. Finally in complete desperation, Griffin says " I'll let you have the log skidder, and I promise not to take your trucks from you". That is a HUGE promise coming from a 4 year old! Ryan couldn't resist the log skidder offer, and finally went upstairs to play Lego's. <br />
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Then last night as Griffin was getting ready for bed, I was in the bathroom washing my face. He comes running in, completely naked, because he had to pee. He finishes and then turns to me and shakes his wanker at me. When I asked him what he was doing, he replied "it's the pickle show". Seriously. I didn't know if should die laughing or just die from shock. Lord, I hope he doesn't say stuff like that at school....shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-33627059112195440012012-05-24T23:00:00.002-04:002012-05-24T23:00:42.130-04:00I am a human pin cushion. In an attempt to draw blood from my veins today, the nurse stuck me, not once, not twice, not even three times, but FOUR! Seriously, FOUR!! Bless her heart, she was nice and all, and I could tell that she felt bad. But seriously, FOUR?! It's funny, I don't mind the needle much. What I do mind though is the tapping of my inner arm in search of a "good one". I'm also not a fan of fishing around inside my arm with the needle in search of it. To me, it's like nails down a chalk board and it grosses me out. Finally, oil was struck and it flowed beautifully! Two sore arms and a couple of bruises later. <br />
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Lucky for me, I have a nice long weekend off from work to celebrate the holiday. That's plenty of time of time to get over it!shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-71954812799173889512012-05-22T21:04:00.000-04:002012-05-22T21:04:03.286-04:00Griffin: How come you don't feel good?<br />
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Me: I don't know bud, I just don't<br />
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Griffin: Is it because your old?<br />
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............OUCH!..................................................shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-86221863320761329822012-05-19T00:19:00.000-04:002012-05-19T00:19:04.508-04:00It's been a fun and interesting week. Tuesday was my 8th wedding anniversary. Ryan and I had plans to go out to dinner last Saturday, but wouldn't you know that he got sick with the stomach bug! We don't get a lot of grown up time alone, and I was really looking forward to it. So needless to say, I was disappointed. Yes, I felt bad for him to. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vWDdo6TtXmGGi2sFZOsd7Ta25cOlankgCji1sXj8bdfTCBT_r8G0zsceZ4B_vBLJvRFwqhFlaVyLq4IG2oYlsefzPiSDUzCuQIXxbFC2jvf_u0sgkU4MckTgvK02-l9mM29veqLpg-VP/s1600/photo11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vWDdo6TtXmGGi2sFZOsd7Ta25cOlankgCji1sXj8bdfTCBT_r8G0zsceZ4B_vBLJvRFwqhFlaVyLq4IG2oYlsefzPiSDUzCuQIXxbFC2jvf_u0sgkU4MckTgvK02-l9mM29veqLpg-VP/s320/photo11.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
I had a great day on Mother's Day. Ryan was still sick and stayed home, but Griffin and I went with my mother and Ryan's parents to the beach. It was such a gorgeous day, and so perfect for just relaxing. The water was frigid, but the kids didn't care and went right in! Crazy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4OnthMWepIuqTW725JHLSbpGb9Uq7hEtzKnNHbGhta26pgSqzZTQIDpWNUCIfzX7drD33myYLKeYsjGcR_j_y8b_KoYegfmJi7FC0UG28Dlu8rrqMiEIj9d4lXfxZPRXq51JkJCNSQwP/s1600/photo12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4OnthMWepIuqTW725JHLSbpGb9Uq7hEtzKnNHbGhta26pgSqzZTQIDpWNUCIfzX7drD33myYLKeYsjGcR_j_y8b_KoYegfmJi7FC0UG28Dlu8rrqMiEIj9d4lXfxZPRXq51JkJCNSQwP/s320/photo12.JPG" width="239" /></a>On Wednesday, our family welcomed it's newest addition. Here's Griffin checking out his new 2nd cousin, Brysen Matthew. My nephew Matt and his wife Brittani are happy and proud new parents. Griffin and I went to the hospital to meet the sweet little peanut. Ohhhh he's a cute one! Just a sweet little snugly nugget. I totally got my baby fix and enjoyed every second of it. </div>
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I love living in the country. I really do. It's nice to not deal with asshole neighbors, traffic, noise, and all that stuff. <br />
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There is a drawback though................................................................................<br />
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ASSHOLE PORCUPINES!!<br />
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Lately, there is at least one porcupine in the yard at night, usually there are 2 though. My breaking point was a couple of weeks ago when there were 4! Really, the porcupines wouldn't be an issue if we didn't have dogs. Homer got quilled once years ago, and that seemed to have taught him a lesson. Reuben is another story though. I don't know if he'll ever learn, so having porcupines in our yard is an issue. <br />
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Here's how it works. Once it gets dark out, if the dogs need to go outside, I have to go out and check the yard first. If there are any of the rodents out there, I have to chase them off. This can take a little time. Bet you didn't know that they are kind of slow, clumsy and bumbling. They do not throw their quills and they won't chase you. When they get scared, they put their quills up and turn their backs to you. You would actually have to walk up to one and touch the quills to get any stuck in you. Reuben has done this.....more than once. <br />
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So I finally asked Ryan if he thought that I could shoot them. Take in mind, I've never shot anything in my life. I actually have never even fired a gun. He laughed at me. Doesn't matter though, because as I started looking online all about porcupines and ways to get rid of them, I realized how cute their little faces are. They are also peaceful animals and that just did it for me right there. I can't shoot them. <br />
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Ryan can shoot them though, and that he did! Another porcupine fact- they sleep in trees and can be hard to spot. Ryan did find one though. Yes he shot it, and it fell from the tree, and yes I felt soooo bad. Not so bad though that I don't want him to shoot the rest of the little bastards and get them out of my yard. Next time, I won't be watching though. <br />
<br />shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-69187779203814530842012-03-23T01:25:00.000-04:002012-03-23T01:25:57.377-04:00So the stomach bug missed Ryan and I again. BUT, I've been sick anyway. I probably haven't mentioned it on here, because I don't want to complain about it, but I have fibromyalgia. For anyone not familiar with fibromyalgia- it SUCKS!! I currently take 2 anti-depressants and Lyrica to try to keep it under control. I also supplement with a daily multi-vitamin, Vitamin D, and magnesium. Then there are the actual pain medications. When I'm not popping pills, I am at my Dr's office and then at the chiropractors once a week. I try anything I can to find relief, including massage and acupuncture. Jealous yet?! Oh, did I forget to mention the migraines?<br />
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With all of that, I am fortunate enough that I don't spend every day in pain. I seem to be in a cycle right now of every couple of weeks. If it's not the migraines, then it's the pain and extreme fatigue. This past week has been a combination of both. It started with a migraine on Sunday. Then it evolved into the horrible fatigue. Trust me, this isn't the kind of tired that taking a little nap will take care of. I can sleep all day. Doing a load of laundry is hard work <br />
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Right now, I'm just really frustrated and venting. I apologize if this whole post is depressing. It just sucks so much when my 4 year old son says "Mommy, you never feel good". Seriously heartbreaking for me.shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-8462585831457699742012-03-16T18:53:00.000-04:002012-03-16T18:53:46.330-04:00The stomach bug has entered the building...AGAIN!! This is getting old. Griffin woke up last night just before midnight after throwing up.....in his bed. About 1/2 hour after getting everything cleaned up and his bed changed, he did it again. The bed was spared this time, the carpet, not so much. Luckily for him, that was the end of it. He has been quiet all day and resting, but no more throwing up. Of course, he couldn't go to daycare and no one else wants a sick kid, so I had to stay home with him. Guess who is feeling a little funky now? I am praying that it's just coincidence and that I'll be fine. My friend is having a St Patty's party tomorrow night and I have been looking forward to it all week. Even going as far as spending $50 on completely obnoxious party wear. I will be extremely disappointed if I don't get to wear the shamrock headband and suspenders! <br />
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My new Birchbox came in the other day. I haven't had a whole lot of time to dive into it, but it looks like there a few interesting things in there. I'm still using stuff from the last 2, including the Vichy products. Still love them and highly recommend them.<br />
<br />shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-89260579433970541812012-02-24T23:39:00.000-05:002012-02-24T23:39:35.378-05:00This month I got a bonus box from Birchbox. No extra charge- totally free! LOVE!! Usually the samples are pretty random. Different types of things from different companies. This one though is a selection of products from Vichy. There is a face wash, eye makeup remover, face lotion, night cream and cellulite lotion. They are fantastic! Very gentle, great for sensitive skin, and my face feels fabulous. This box was a total win. I just bought the Dermalogica lotion, but I may have to buy the Vichy face wash and the night lotion. <br />
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</div>shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-89806326389329917682012-02-21T22:34:00.000-05:002012-02-21T22:42:34.780-05:00I just finished crocheting a blanket that I've been slowly working on for the last couple of months. I found the pattern on Pinterest, of course, and I really wanted to try it. It was originally going to be a baby/toddler blanket. I figured that I'd find someone to gift it to. Then it sort of got bigger, so I turned it into a throw blanket. Not sure yet what I'll be doing with it. <br />
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If you're interested in the pattern, this should bring you right to the blog where I got it from. <a href="http://thelazyhobbyhopper.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-to-crochet-granny-ripple.html">http://thelazyhobbyhopper.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-to-crochet-granny-ripple.html</a></div>shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-36780342291952842222012-02-20T22:17:00.000-05:002012-02-20T22:17:22.825-05:00We dodged the bullet, and neither Ryan or I got the stomach bug! Yeah! Griffin is past it and feeling so much better now. Everything is back to normal in the Karcher house. <br />
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Ryan's cousin hosted a family gathering/potluck on Saturday. I was so glad that Griff was better and that we were able to go. There was so much delicious food, and of course lots of wine. For my part, I made homemade Cheez-its and a loaf of beer bread. I was hoping that Griffin would just love the homemade Cheez-its and never want to touch the other ones again. Nope. He hated them. However, they were a big hit with the adults, and I received lots of compliments. My personal favorite of the night though was the chocolate chip cheddar. Yup, you read that right. Chocolate AND cheese, c'mon how could it possible be bad. I need to find out where they got it, and stock up on this stuff. Seriously, what a great PMS food!<br />
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On Sunday, my friend Angela and I had our "chick-flick date". Her and I usually get together to see movies that neither of our husbands would be caught dead seeing. This time it was "The Vow". Now, Angela can be pretty emotional during movies, so we brought a couple of tissues in preparation. She should have brought in the whole damn box. I am not kidding when I say that she cried through the WHOLE thing. Luckily, I grabbed tons of napkins for my popcorn because she was out of tissues before we got half way through it. It was good though, not Oscar worth or anything, but in terms of totally indulgent chick flicks it rates right up there.shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-42848825085932250412012-02-17T21:03:00.000-05:002012-02-17T21:03:14.289-05:00Ladies and gentlemen, the stomach bug has hit the building. Oh yeah! Griffin was up all night, throwing up. Today he was much better, so I let him eat a few Cheez-its. Big mistake. He barfed all over the backseat of my car. That was a fun time. So far, both Ryan and I feel fine, but Ryan keeps telling me that it's just a matter of time. I am praying for mercy.<br />
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I went to the Chiropractor today and got adjusted for the very first time. I've wanted to go for so long and try it, but just have never taken the leap. Well, I finally did it. She starts out really slow, so I had a very small adjustment today. I was surprised, there was no major cracking or discomfort. No scary neck cracking. I'm excited to go back and see how and if this makes a difference for me.shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-64155265601856405792012-02-14T20:53:00.000-05:002012-02-14T20:53:15.738-05:00Happy Valentine's Day! <br />
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Hopefully everyone is spending it doing something a little more "fun" than me. Since I have a fabulous head cold and my sinuses hurt so bad that my teeth feel like they are falling out, there will be no romance in my foreseeable future. Seriously, sinus medication is barely even touching this pain and pressure. I'm miserable. <br />
<br />shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-39719597393681611662012-02-11T00:31:00.000-05:002012-02-11T00:31:37.994-05:00I try not to be beauty obsessed. You know what I mean, and we all know those people who are. I don't even know if I have a "style", and if I did, I wouldn't even know what to call it. I think my biggest prerequisite is that it's comfortable and it doesn't take much effort! This isn't just my clothes style, it goes for makeup and hair as well. <br />
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However, I will admit that I am slightly obsessed with my face. As in keeping lines and wrinkles off of it! Seriously, I get spray tans instead of sitting in the sun. I suppose that does me good in warding off skin cancer as well, but you get the point. I started taking care of my face back when I was a teenager. So far, I think I've done a pretty good job of minimizing the lines. <br />
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The biggest thing for me is moisturizer. I have combination skin- sometimes oily, sometimes dry. and sometimes both at the same time. I've been using the Mary Kay Timewise set for years now, and I like it, but it was time to try something else. So I went to my favorite spa and got some recommendations, and ended up with the Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery. So far, I love it! My face feels so smooth and soft. I won't lie, it is on the pricey side. But since it has an SPF, I can use it during the day and opt for something less expensive for the night. The wonderful esthetician at the spa gave me a handful of samples to try out, so I'm still deciding on the night moisturizers. So far, it's a tough choice. <br />
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So in my non-expert opinion, I give the Dynamic Skin Recovery a 2 thumbs up rating. <br />
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<img alt="dynamic skin recovery spf30" class="bigPack" height="320" src="http://www.dermalogica.com/us/assets/product/large/60.png" width="96" />shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-75509817568825971112012-02-07T08:26:00.001-05:002012-02-07T08:27:00.001-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Griffin's no good, terrible, very bad hair cut. Needless to say, we will not be going back to that salon! No worries though, I fixed it and my child can go back out in public now. </div>shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1847572249373749879.post-80299283334618759372012-02-05T23:29:00.000-05:002012-02-05T23:29:09.859-05:00Such a busy week. Griffin has been fighting a cold all week, and tonight my throat is really sore. Ugh! One thing after another. <br />
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Griff and I ran a bunch of errands yesterday together. I decided that I had had enough of his hair and it needed to be cut. So I made a last minute appointment. Big mistake! It was one of the worst hair cuts that I've ever seen. She cut his hair dry. I thought that was odd, but I went with it. So by the time she was done, it was really kind of staticy and messy, and I couldn't tell how bad it was. I ended up having to fix it today. There was no way that I was letting him go anywhere like that! It's pretty bad when I can cut hair better than the person that I just paid. <br />
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Last night we went to my nieces wedding. It was one of the prettiest, most touching weddings that I've ever been to. I don't usually cry at weddings, but found myself very choked up at a couple different times last night. I think because my niece, Fawn hasn't always had it so easy in her life. It didn't matter though, and she made a good life for herself. When she met Erin, she wasn't out yet and I know it was very hard for her to admit it and tell everyone. Since then, she's really been happier than I've ever seen her. They are a very cute couple, and obviously very much in love. They compliment each other well. It sort of felt like she had come full circle last night. I couldn't be more proud. <br />
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My favorite part of this whole week though had to be when Griff and I were grocery shopping, and right there in the meat department, he said "Mommy, I love you more than a hundred rocks". He knows how to melt my heart! <br />
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<br />shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10985775380277101441noreply@blogger.com0