I am amazed.....

At the things fibromyalgia teaches me on a daily basis. Like today for instance. I learned that is NOT a good idea to use the blender on a day when fibrofog is present. I also learned that blueberry smoothies are NOT easy to clean off the wall. Counters and cabinets, not too bad. Beige walls- not so much..........

Lots to update, but gotta run for now. Will catch up later.  OXOXOXOXOX

Happy Father's Day!!

I hope this day finds you all well and celebrating the dads in your family. My Dad has passed on quite some time ago. I was in my mid twenties when I lost my parents just 18 months apart. And mother's day and father's day are bittersweet for me.

My Dad was a wonderful man, and a good provider for his family. His name was Vojislav Saric and he was born and raised in Yugoslavia, and met my mom (her name was Magdalene) when he was in Germany. He fought against the germans in WWII. He brought his bride to the USA in the 1950s. He was so proud to be here. He worked for Nabisco in Chicago for more than 30 years. He was a quiet man who never raised his voice. He adored his family especially his grandchildren. My son Christopher followed him around like a puppy. He loved to water the garden with his Opa. And sometimes Opa got watered too.

I remember Pop and Chris watching the A-Team and that show where the guy could do anything with a stick and some duct tape-whether it was build a bomb or some other contraption to get him out of a fix. Can't think of the name of the show at the moment. But they loved to watch these two shows together. Lots of memories.  It seems like only yesterday...........OXOXOXOXOX   

TGIF

Friday ushers in the weekend, and hopefully that means I'll see a bit more of Greg. He's soooooo busy, working on 3 huge jobs plus his wood buisness that he barely has time to breathe. I hate that. I hate that I can't do more to bring income in to take some of the load off  him.......

I hope all of you are well and enjoying some nice summer weather. It's gonna be another hot one today. The weather report said  95 degrees. Thank goodness for air conditioning. I wouldn't make it without it. My body can't regulate temps anymore. I don't sweat, and therefore can't cool down. And in the cold I freeze and can't warm up. So our house is forever an extreme. Really really warm so I don't have pain, or really really cool so I don't over-heat. So my poor sweetie either has to walk around the house half naked in winter, and in the summer has blankets over his head while sleeping.  And he NEVER complains. NEVER. Always is concerned about my comfort. What an amazing man he is. And I never take him for granted. I am so blessed to have his love and there isn't a day that goes by where I don't thank God for bringing him in my life.

We haven't set a wedding date yet. And haven't decided what we'll do yet. Kinda thinking about a small ceremony with a Pastor, and a small reception at the house. Don't want a fancy thing. We've been "married" for almost 8 years, now we're just putting it on paper.  ;)
I've been toying with some designs for some wedding favors. I've been playing with some graphics at nite when I can't sleep. I have every just about every pattern I could possibly ever need and graphics from some of the most talented graphic artists in the whole wide world. And if you don't know Trina Clark and Cheryl Seslar, you need too. Extremely talented ladies......

When I have some designs done, I'll post them here, and you can give me some feedback on what you think. K?

Went to see Diana (advanced nurse practitioner) today. She's not happy that the orthopedic doc did not inject my knees for some pain/swelling relief. But, good news is, her office is now ready and set up to do the lymphedema therapy and I will have my first treatment on july 1st. They will also be doing medical massage therapy as well for FM patients so I am thrilled about that. She was concerned that I don't have feeling in my feet. Poked me with a needle in several areas and I didn't flinch. I'm not a diabetic, but I am told that the numbness is common with FM and CFIDS.

I asked her about a new topical gel out for arthritis called Voltaren. She said it is NOT a option for people with heart problems, so that idea went out the window. I got info about it through the mail from a company that I do surveys for. I did one on arthritis several weeks ago, and they sent me a info packet and a card to give the pharmacy that would allow me to get up to 6 prescriptions of it for free. But, since I can't use it, I'll see if Greg can. He has an appointment to see Diana on july 1st as well. I told him if he wanted me to marry him he had to go to the doctor. Several weeks ago there was a health fair at the fair grounds and the hospital was doing blood screenings and blood pressure checks at no cost. And I begged him to go. His blood pressure was VERY high, and so was his cholesterol. And I worry about him. Doing all that heaving lifting and extreme physical work. Not good when you have really high blood pressure. So Diana will see him and get him on some meds. Greg does not like going to the doctor at all- especially since he doesn't have insurance. So this is a huge thing he's doing. And I am very happy about it. :)

And now it's time to sign off. I promised Greg I would go back to bed and rest. I had a stressful day yesterday and worked myself into chest pain that required 2 doses of nitro last nite. And I am worn out today. :(

Please say a prayer for little Brayden. They are on their way to Children's Hospital in Little Rock. Brayden pulled out his feeding tube and they have to use a scope to re-insert it as it goes into his intestine, not his stomach. This is the second time in 2 weeks. Poor little guy.  :(


This is a pic I took several weeks ago. This gorgeous butterfly was loving our azaleas. (I know I spelled that wrong!)

Good Morning! :)

As followers of Jesus, we should be profoundly
aware of how far we fall short of God’s absolute of
righteousness, and how important it is to allow the One
who lived a perfect life to live through us. Also, we should continue to feed
our faith, shower people with grace when they fail to reach the goal, and
refuse to become discouraged when we miss the mark. Repent, receive God’s
forgiveness, forget the past, and move on. You’ll never bat 1.000, but a perfect
Savior walks with you. —Marvin Williams

I read this today and thought it was an amazing message and wanted to share it with you. It's part of Today's Devotional from http://godtube.com/
If you don't get their daily messages, you should. You will love them. Each day, you will get an email that includes Today's Video which is mostly music videos (AWESOME!!!!), Today's Devotional which always has an incredible message, and Today's Verse. So sign up for their daily messages and pass it on to friends and family!

Here's a cutie to make you smile.......

Today will be a quiet day. I'm trying to get rid of yet another sinus headache! UGH!! Have a wonderful and blessed day my friends!  OXOXOXOXOXO   Marlene

Hello and happy saturday!

I hope you all are well and enjoying your day. I am laying low today. I fell again yesterday, and am incredibly sore. Greg is home and helping me get around, and I am  using ice to get down the swelling.

I went to see the orthopedic surgeon on thursday. His exact words about my knees were "they're pretty much terminal." Wierd words to tell me they are completely shot. I knew that already. But he said he is worried about my circulatory issues causing blood clots and /or excessive bleeding. He also wants me to have therapy for the lymphedema first, and also wants to have a release from my cardiologist saying I can handle the knee replacement surgeries. Yeah, like that's gonna happen.......

So, I don't know what I can do at this point. Not good news I know, but that's where I'm at right now. Looks like I will have to look into a power chair so I can get around without having to keep falling on my face........ Ugh.......Prayers at this point would be welcomed.  That's all for today friends.  Love & hugs. XOXOXOXOX    Marlene

OMG!!!!

Greg came home at lunch and asked me if I wanted to go run a few errands with him. So I said sure. First stop was the Fireside Grill as he wanted to see if they had enough hickory (he supplies them). So instead of driving to the back where he stacks the wood, he pulls up to the front of the building facing their sign. I asked what are you doing? Then I glanced at the sign.

 

The photos show my reaction. And by the way, in case you are wondering, I said YES!!  :)

Happy Sunday My Friends!

I hope you are enjoying your day today. It's another hot one here. It's noon, and I'm pretty sure it's close to 100 degrees outside. I went outside to fill the feeders and birdbath and I could barely breathe out there! Yuck! I never have been able to deal with heat- even as a kid. I was always the one who got overheated and sick during the summer. Joey, my youngest is the same. He doesn't fare well in the heat either, though he has gotten better as he got older......

We got some of our veggies planted yesterday. Lots more to do-but we have to go to Lowe's and pick up some more soil. We decided this year to do container gardening since our bodies just aren't up to digging new garden beds at our new place. At the old house I had lovely raised beds surrounded by concrete blocks that were stacked 2 blocks high. Easy for me to sit on the edge and do my planting without kneeling on my poor decrepit knees, or straining my back. Perhaps next year we will work on some raised beds.

Yesterday, we went to do a bit of shopping, and got my haircut. It's shorter than I ever remember having it. I'm not overly excited about it to say the least. Greg being the sweetheart that he is say it looks wonderful, I think he needs glasses. ;)

I was a bit disappointed that a few coupon deals I was hoping to get on pet food/treats were not available at my walmart. But they did have the new Oscar Mayer products I was looking for. I got coupons to try them for free from Kraft First Taste. If you have not signed up for Kraft First Taste, you need to. When they have new products, they either send you a freebie, or a high value (or totally free) coupon. Then you try the item and give them feedback on it. They also give you some extra coupons to share with friends. I have been a member of this panel for about 3 years, and have tried quite a few goodies!
Also at walmart, they had a gal handing out some P&G samples in a little drawstring bag. Mouthwash, toothpaste, Old Spice Body Wash, and a Secret deoderant. Plus high value coupons for other P&G items were inside as well. So that was a nice little freebie. (They are going into my box of goodies I am saving to make hygene kits for Samaritan's Purse.) And even nicer is the P&G insert in today's paper had more coupons for these items as well!

I noticed in the coupon inserts that alot of the things I missed out on getting about 3 weeks ago are in the inserts again (like the great deal on Gillette Razors), so I am happy about that. Got 7 papers yesterday and clipped all my coupons. I will share with my 2 DILs. We have 2 friends that are paper carriers and they are saving inserts as well, so I'm thinking of maybe starting a coupon swap. And possibly a class on couponing.  I had several people ask me how to do it while I was shopping. Of course my binders gave me away! I told them, that there's NO possible realistic way to shop and get your $1500.00 worth of food for free. At least not where I live! The stores here have a limit of how many coupons you can use at one time, how many like coupons at a time, etc....Maybe it works on TV but not in real life. You CAN get some freebies, and some really good deals, but it isn't realistic to set a goal to shop like they do on the Extreme Couponing TV show.

Remember, if you have any questions, or want to share what deals you've found, leave a comment!  :)

Well, I gotta run. My sweetie just came home and I want to make him some lunch. Have a wonderful day! Love and hugs  OXOXOXOXOX  Marlene

Ahhhhhhh. Summer.......

It has arrived. 80+ degrees at 7:30 am as I left to go to the doctor this morning. It's gonna be a hot one again. But, I can't complain. I am in the air conditioning. But poor Greg is another story. I hate that he is out there working his butt off in this heat and humidity. I hope you all are well and keeping cool.

Brayden is doing well, I'm told. I haven't seen him in several weeks :(  and this makes me sad. But he and I are not easy to travel with. With me having trouble walking, and him with all the tubes, machines, etc. I hate that I can't see him more, but, it's out of my hands. Hopefully soon he will be off the vent and it will be much less stress on him. He is scheduled to have surgery to repair his cleft palate on July 15th, so please say some prayers for our precious little one.

Greg is doing better. Still hobbling and needs to ice his knee at the end of the day. But he needs surgery badly, but that's not possible at the present time. Guess I need to play the lottery......

As for me, same old shit, just another day. I wish the people that do the lymphedema therapy would hurry up and get here. They are coming to our town and moving in with my doc's office. I was told I will have the first appointment. That will be nice. Meanwhile I keep putting on weight (fluid) and my legs keep getting more swollen. Two more pounds in the last two weeks. Which may not seem like alot. But since december I've gained 22 lbs. More than 3 gallons of fluid. And that fluid my friends is mostly in my calves, ankles and feet. The left leg is worse then the right. And I'm having a hard time finding pants in my size to fit the swollen bottom half of my legs. I have to go a couple of sizes larger and make alterations I guess. And I hate that several months ago I donated all my larger clothes as I had lost more weight. Oh well..........

Next week I will see the orthopaedic doc for my knees. I am hoping he will at least be able to give me a cortizone injection. I know he's gonna say I have to have the surgery, but with my circulatory and heart issues, it's just not an option at the moment. To get my mind off this crap, I busied myself with organizing my office/studio/craft room. Even made a window shelf with a tufted cushion for my furbabies. My studio is looking good, but I still have several boxes of stuff to get out of there. They are full of garage sale stuff and some things to donate to the Humane Society. I am slowly trying to downsize and get rid of stuff. I just have too much stuff!! And quite frankly, I could use the money. My mounting medical bills are killing me. And yes, I have insurance. So, I shouldn't complain. But 15.00 copay for my reg doc 2 - 4 times a month, then the cardiologist is 35.00, my rheumatologist is 35.00, and we won't talk about the copays for the 17 meds I take. (down from 22!) And I know you guys know what I mean. Most of you are in the same boat I am! And I don't know how many days a week I will have to go for the lymphedema therapy, and the gas back and forth! Oh my. But it could be worse. I could NOT have insurance or a car to get there........ But sometimes it's hard to take. I mean, I have the insurance but CAN'T have the surgery. Greg needs to have the surgery far worse than me, but he doesn't have insurance. Ugh!

Moving on......I am hoping we can get some things done outside this weekend. The grass needs to be cut badly, and weeds are sprouting everywhere. And I have a front porch full of plants that need to get in pots. I have never been this late putting in the garden. But we just haven't been in shape to get it done! Luckily we have a long growing season here, so it won't make much of a difference.

I know I promised you I'd let you know about how my couponing thing is going, but I have to tell you, it's not anything like on TV. That's just to nutts for me to even comprehend, and while it may be nice to have a "stockpile" I really to have an issue with people that clear off the whole shelf and buy 50 hand soaps or 40 containers of mustard, just because they can. This will make all stores start changing their policies and limiting quantities, etc. So if you are doing the coupon thing, be considerate of others. Don't swipe all the blinkies or catalinas, and don't remove the peelies off the products if you're not gonna buy the product now. And don't clear the shelf. It's rude and inconsiderate of others that are trying to get by just like you! And most important, don't STEAL the newspapers. If you want 5 papers, don't pay for 1 and take 5 out of the paper box. The carrier will be responsible for that shortage. And they're trying to make a living too! And I want to encourage you to spread the blessings around. If you find some great deals or freebies, remember the food pantry or food bank in your area and share some of your stash. And if you don't have pets, but find freebies, share them with your local Humane Society. In these hard times more and more people are having a hard time feeding their pets and have to give them up. And with the recent natural disasters in the south, there are sooooo many pets that are homeless and the shelters and Humane Society need help and they will happily take your pet food/ treat/toy donations!

That's all for today my friends. I badly need my coffee, and I have orders to rest, put up my legs, and ice my knees! And I guarantee Greg will sneak home and check on me, so I better listen. ;)
Have a wonderful day my friends. Love and hugs! XOXOXOXOX  Marlene