Artists are the most insecure while simultaneously being the most egotistical people in the universe. This is true of every artist I have ever met, not matter their art form.
I am all artist. I love all art, if it's artsy; I want to do it. I love crafts, I love painting, I love music and singing (in the shower, not for real humans) and I love writing.
No matter what form of art I am doing, I am always tempted to keep it to myself. I did photography for a long time before I felt "safe" showing others what I could do, and even now, I sometimes feel certain things are not good enough to show others.
Showing your art, in any form, to others is like opening up your soul to them, whether you or they realize it or not. I pour my heart and soul into anything I do, and when it is something I have created, I love it like I love the children I created.
I have been writing stories since I had the ability to write. I wrote my first "novel" at 9 years old. I haven't shared my writing (outside of blog form) with anyone since I was 14. That means it has been almost 11 years since another soul has read any of my fiction.
This scares the crap out of me.
I have had editors, marketers, writers, and readers beta read my book for feedback and it has been the most nerve racking experience of my life.
In a few short weeks my book will be released. People will buy it, they will read it, and they will have opinions. Can I handle that? My name will be on this book and people I know will see it and read it simply because I wrote it. Will they be kind?
This book is NOT everyone's cup of tea, I know this. It deals with a lot of tough subjects and has some language, something I know a lot of my family may judge me for.
I have been battling with a great deal of fear and insecurity leading up to the release, and I honestly don't think there is anything I can do to make this feeling go away, or to avoid it. If I publish more, I will likely still get this feeling.
Guess what, it doesn't matter.
This is my dream, and I am going after it. I have wanted to be a published author since I was 7, and I am about to be one. People may have opinions about what I wrote about, or how I wrote it, or anything else, and that's ok. This isn't there dream, its mine. They will not regret it if I don't write books, but I will. They will not go crazy with the stories swirling in their mind, I will.
This is my story, and I am writing it the way I feel led. God has given me this gift and it would be wrong not to use it in the way I feel led.
I thank you all for your love and support and hope you will consider purchasing it when it comes out, but if not, I will understand.
Showing posts with label mom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mom. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Monday, February 17, 2014
I'm alive!!
Hello all,
I am so sorry I have been absent. I need to find an afternoon to type out some posts and schedule them. I have been very busy with a few projects;
1. Darcy turned 2! Hooray! We are planning a little home party with her for family and a couple of her friends from the nursery.
2. We are working on the studio! We have been cleaning and prepping to paint the basement as well as getting my props and equipment organized for my studio!
3. The best I saved for last-- I WROTE A BOOK! Yes, that was a big project. I have a publishing company, am working with an editor (though I am doing the actual editing myself with guidance) and am meeting with someone later this week who will be designing the cover! If all goes according to plan it will be available around the world in ebook format by the spring!
I really hope you will buy it, just because that would be super cool.
Thank you all for your continued support for my writing and artistic career!
I am so sorry I have been absent. I need to find an afternoon to type out some posts and schedule them. I have been very busy with a few projects;
1. Darcy turned 2! Hooray! We are planning a little home party with her for family and a couple of her friends from the nursery.
2. We are working on the studio! We have been cleaning and prepping to paint the basement as well as getting my props and equipment organized for my studio!
3. The best I saved for last-- I WROTE A BOOK! Yes, that was a big project. I have a publishing company, am working with an editor (though I am doing the actual editing myself with guidance) and am meeting with someone later this week who will be designing the cover! If all goes according to plan it will be available around the world in ebook format by the spring!
I really hope you will buy it, just because that would be super cool.
Thank you all for your continued support for my writing and artistic career!
Friday, January 10, 2014
Adventures in essential oils!
Hello again,
For the last few months I have been doing lots of research and sampling of essential oils.
Last year my son Greyson got sick every week. By this time last year he was rushed to the ER 3 times in respiratory distress. Not only was this stressful, heart wrenching, and horrible on our finances, it was exhausting and confusing too. I have always fed my kids healthy whole foods. Even when at times its been hard to afford things like fresh produce, I've prided myself on limiting their processed food intake. My kids get daily exercise, daily vitamins, lots of love and we honestly hardly go anywhere besides church and errands for him to get exposed in the first place.
It was to the point we were avoiding church because we just couldn't bear another illness.
If you don't have kids, let me tell you that watching your child gasp for breath and not being able to do anything about it is the most horrifying feeling ever. Promise. You will never feel more helpless than when your child is going through something and you cannot help them.
This year at one of my MOPS meetings we made home made cleaners. My Discussion group leader then told us about Thieves essential oil and how she felt that is the reason her daughter survived Chemo. It is an immunity boosting essential oil blend discovered to keep people healthy during the bubonic plague (The black plague for those of you who don't know).
I was very intrigued but didn't think too much beyond it, then I heard about it again at my Chiropractor. She was going to be doing a class on essential oils and I attended. After hearing the history as well as some personal testimonials on thieves, I was sold. It was a $45 teeny bottle of Christmas smelling juice, and I had so much apprehension. I weighed it out logically though and I pay $30 per person as a co-pay for every doctor's visit. Usually, if one kid gets sick they both do, so usually, its $60 an illness. $500 per emergency room visit. If this random black plague oil could save me just one illness, I just "made" $15.
I began putting it very sparingly on the bottoms of my kids feet in the morning and at night any days we were out in the world, with other kids, etc. I also diffuse it occasionally in an oil diffuser.
This was in October.
So far, we have not been ill since I began this. I don't even use it every day. If they seem congested, if we are going on a play date, to mops, to church, or to a family gathering, I do it once on their feet before bed.
We have been to 6 mops meetings, church, 4 play dates, mc donald's germ-place, the mall play scape, otherwise known as flu central, all things I would have seriously avoided last year. These activities would have landed us here:
(Giving Patches a breathing treatment too)
I woke up one morning in November with what I was sure was a severe sinus infection, something that in me would normally last as long as 2 weeks. I grabbed a supplement I had bought the previous month called "Inner Defense" which is a thieves oil based supplement with a bit of other good stuff too. I took it every 4 hours or so like I normally would have done with my cold medicine. I took no cold medicine, at all. No medicine, no chemicals period. I took this supplement, oiled my feet repeatedly, and took a few steamy baths. I was completely back to normal within 24 hours.
By then I was sold and on black Friday I purchased a kit with whole sale membership to young living. This basically just means I get 25% off on my oil purchases. I can make this into a business if I want to, and I really think I may- even though that wasn't my original intention.
The level of pain, discomfort, heartache, and money that one bottle of thieves has saved me is PRICELESS to me. I have seen tons of people on my facebook, etc. dealing with what we dealt with last year- seemingly endless illnesses and the pain it causes your family and your wallet.
If you never, ever try any other essential oil, just try this one. I guarantee you will not be disappointed with the results!
For the last few months I have been doing lots of research and sampling of essential oils.
Last year my son Greyson got sick every week. By this time last year he was rushed to the ER 3 times in respiratory distress. Not only was this stressful, heart wrenching, and horrible on our finances, it was exhausting and confusing too. I have always fed my kids healthy whole foods. Even when at times its been hard to afford things like fresh produce, I've prided myself on limiting their processed food intake. My kids get daily exercise, daily vitamins, lots of love and we honestly hardly go anywhere besides church and errands for him to get exposed in the first place.
It was to the point we were avoiding church because we just couldn't bear another illness.
This year at one of my MOPS meetings we made home made cleaners. My Discussion group leader then told us about Thieves essential oil and how she felt that is the reason her daughter survived Chemo. It is an immunity boosting essential oil blend discovered to keep people healthy during the bubonic plague (The black plague for those of you who don't know).
I was very intrigued but didn't think too much beyond it, then I heard about it again at my Chiropractor. She was going to be doing a class on essential oils and I attended. After hearing the history as well as some personal testimonials on thieves, I was sold. It was a $45 teeny bottle of Christmas smelling juice, and I had so much apprehension. I weighed it out logically though and I pay $30 per person as a co-pay for every doctor's visit. Usually, if one kid gets sick they both do, so usually, its $60 an illness. $500 per emergency room visit. If this random black plague oil could save me just one illness, I just "made" $15.
I began putting it very sparingly on the bottoms of my kids feet in the morning and at night any days we were out in the world, with other kids, etc. I also diffuse it occasionally in an oil diffuser.
This was in October.
So far, we have not been ill since I began this. I don't even use it every day. If they seem congested, if we are going on a play date, to mops, to church, or to a family gathering, I do it once on their feet before bed.
We have been to 6 mops meetings, church, 4 play dates, mc donald's germ-place, the mall play scape, otherwise known as flu central, all things I would have seriously avoided last year. These activities would have landed us here:
I woke up one morning in November with what I was sure was a severe sinus infection, something that in me would normally last as long as 2 weeks. I grabbed a supplement I had bought the previous month called "Inner Defense" which is a thieves oil based supplement with a bit of other good stuff too. I took it every 4 hours or so like I normally would have done with my cold medicine. I took no cold medicine, at all. No medicine, no chemicals period. I took this supplement, oiled my feet repeatedly, and took a few steamy baths. I was completely back to normal within 24 hours.
By then I was sold and on black Friday I purchased a kit with whole sale membership to young living. This basically just means I get 25% off on my oil purchases. I can make this into a business if I want to, and I really think I may- even though that wasn't my original intention.
The level of pain, discomfort, heartache, and money that one bottle of thieves has saved me is PRICELESS to me. I have seen tons of people on my facebook, etc. dealing with what we dealt with last year- seemingly endless illnesses and the pain it causes your family and your wallet.
If you never, ever try any other essential oil, just try this one. I guarantee you will not be disappointed with the results!
(If you would like to purchase some thieves essential oil, or any other oils, do so here: https://www.youngliving.org/saltyalley If you have any questions about essential oils and what oils to use, feel free to message me!)
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
How Target almost ruined our Christmas (and why they should be held accountable)
Many people were effected by the recent data leak/hack of Target corporation financial information. More than 700,000 people actually. Card numbers and pins were leaked, all following the biggest shopping day of the year- Black Friday.
It took several days for Target to put out an official "comment" on the matter and it was a very brief apology which probably took less time and review than this blog posting. To help make up for any "inconvenience" they gave customers 10% off for a whole whopping day. wow. Slightly less profit for a whole day. How generous.
Here is some ways Target and their big data leak effected my family:
All my bills come out on Fridays, from my debit card, which was immediately cancelled (on a Friday) by my bank. The bank was kind enough to provide a letter to explain the situation but the bill companies were not so understanding, which means 3 $25 fees for my card being rejected when they tried to charge it: $75
I then had to rush to the bank and take out cash before it closed (going in, waiting in a line of 50+ people in the same boat while wrestling 2 small children was super fun, NOT!). I then had to rush to a store on the opposite side of town and pay my bills, plus the fees, plus the service charge from the store ($3 per bill x3 bills=$9) Not to mention the gas which we shall say conservatively was around $5 extra I wouldn't have had to spend.
Then Saturday night came, and as you may have already read, my super brilliant dog decided it was a good idea to eat mouse poison and I had to rush him to the Animal hospital at 11 at night 4 days before Christmas.
Animal Hospitals (at least this one) require cash up front, and its $75 just to walk in the door. I have $78 in my wallet and no way of getting more until Monday (Bank is closed Sunday). I have no one I can call, its late, and I'm not thinking people will have extra money laying around 4 days before Christmas. The hospital was pretty much going to let my dog die because of money. Because of Target. (If you want to read about this story check it out here:http://saltyalley.blogspot.com/2013/12/silver-linings.html)
Because of the high volume of new cards being ordered, they were taking longer and it was a full 10 days before we got our new cards, and we still have not received our new pin numbers (as of New years day). We have made 6 total trips to the bank which we normally wouldn't have so I am going to call that an extra $15
Not to mention I ordered my husband's Christmas presents Thursday night before all this happened and the payment didn't process before the card got cancelled, so all of his presents were late. :(
That puts me at an extra $103 Target has cost just my family alone. I know there are people who had far worse situations than we did. People who had money taken have to wait an average of 6-10 weeks just to get their money back. What if I didn't have a Christmas miracle and my dog died because I didn't have access to my money? What if it was my child and I needed medicine in the night? Seriously, how is a day of 10% discounts going to make this OK?!
I shop at Target a LOT. I had cartwheel all of 2 weeks and saved over $90 before this happened, just to give you an idea of how much I shop there.
Target needs to step up and make this right, or I am never stepping into a Target again.
They need to be held accountable for their lack of security/discretion with their customer's information and make up for nearly ruining (or actually ruining) many people's holidays!
If you agree, PLEASE SHARE this post! Lets make a ruckus and let Target know we deserve better as consumers!
It took several days for Target to put out an official "comment" on the matter and it was a very brief apology which probably took less time and review than this blog posting. To help make up for any "inconvenience" they gave customers 10% off for a whole whopping day. wow. Slightly less profit for a whole day. How generous.
Here is some ways Target and their big data leak effected my family:
All my bills come out on Fridays, from my debit card, which was immediately cancelled (on a Friday) by my bank. The bank was kind enough to provide a letter to explain the situation but the bill companies were not so understanding, which means 3 $25 fees for my card being rejected when they tried to charge it: $75
I then had to rush to the bank and take out cash before it closed (going in, waiting in a line of 50+ people in the same boat while wrestling 2 small children was super fun, NOT!). I then had to rush to a store on the opposite side of town and pay my bills, plus the fees, plus the service charge from the store ($3 per bill x3 bills=$9) Not to mention the gas which we shall say conservatively was around $5 extra I wouldn't have had to spend.
Then Saturday night came, and as you may have already read, my super brilliant dog decided it was a good idea to eat mouse poison and I had to rush him to the Animal hospital at 11 at night 4 days before Christmas.
Animal Hospitals (at least this one) require cash up front, and its $75 just to walk in the door. I have $78 in my wallet and no way of getting more until Monday (Bank is closed Sunday). I have no one I can call, its late, and I'm not thinking people will have extra money laying around 4 days before Christmas. The hospital was pretty much going to let my dog die because of money. Because of Target. (If you want to read about this story check it out here:http://saltyalley.blogspot.com/2013/12/silver-linings.html)
Because of the high volume of new cards being ordered, they were taking longer and it was a full 10 days before we got our new cards, and we still have not received our new pin numbers (as of New years day). We have made 6 total trips to the bank which we normally wouldn't have so I am going to call that an extra $15
Not to mention I ordered my husband's Christmas presents Thursday night before all this happened and the payment didn't process before the card got cancelled, so all of his presents were late. :(
That puts me at an extra $103 Target has cost just my family alone. I know there are people who had far worse situations than we did. People who had money taken have to wait an average of 6-10 weeks just to get their money back. What if I didn't have a Christmas miracle and my dog died because I didn't have access to my money? What if it was my child and I needed medicine in the night? Seriously, how is a day of 10% discounts going to make this OK?!
I shop at Target a LOT. I had cartwheel all of 2 weeks and saved over $90 before this happened, just to give you an idea of how much I shop there.
Target needs to step up and make this right, or I am never stepping into a Target again.
They need to be held accountable for their lack of security/discretion with their customer's information and make up for nearly ruining (or actually ruining) many people's holidays!
If you agree, PLEASE SHARE this post! Lets make a ruckus and let Target know we deserve better as consumers!
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Taco Salad Recipe!
In the spirit of variety, I'll post a nice recipe today!
Here is my taco salad recipe:
Need:
1lb ground beef
taco seasoning
bag chopped lettuce
1 tomato (diced)
1/2 bag your favorite flavor of doritos
Catalina Salad dressing
brown the meat and mix in the taco seasoning. I sometimes mix in additional taco sauce. Allow to cool as you dice and chop your tomato/lettuce. You could also dice up some onions or peppers if you wanted to bulk it up or add to the flavor variety. Once the beef is at least room temp (so you dont wilt your lettuce to death) mix it into the veggie combo and mix in some catalina dressing. Do it to your liking, keeping in mind you will also be adding the chips. Lastly, just a few minutes before serving, crush around half a bag of doritos or another of your favorite tortilla chips into the mix. Serve chilled. ENJOY!!
Here is my taco salad recipe:
Need:
1lb ground beef
taco seasoning
bag chopped lettuce
1 tomato (diced)
1/2 bag your favorite flavor of doritos
Catalina Salad dressing
brown the meat and mix in the taco seasoning. I sometimes mix in additional taco sauce. Allow to cool as you dice and chop your tomato/lettuce. You could also dice up some onions or peppers if you wanted to bulk it up or add to the flavor variety. Once the beef is at least room temp (so you dont wilt your lettuce to death) mix it into the veggie combo and mix in some catalina dressing. Do it to your liking, keeping in mind you will also be adding the chips. Lastly, just a few minutes before serving, crush around half a bag of doritos or another of your favorite tortilla chips into the mix. Serve chilled. ENJOY!!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
My bath salt recipe!!
Hello All! Here is a fun recipe for home made bath salts that is a bit more natural than what you may buy in the store.
You will need
A jar or container to keep the mixture in.
1-2 cups Epsom salt
1-2tbsp baking soda
5 drops of your favorite essential oil
(If you have dry skin you can also add 2 tbsp of dry oatmeal or dried goats milk for super soft skin)
Mix salt and baking soda (and any other dry ingredient variations you may have added) add the lid to your container and shake it up until well mixed. Open up and add 3-5 drops of your favorite essential oil. (I highly recommend only using therapeutic grade essential oils, such as Young Living Essential oil) close and shake up again. Voila! Home made bath salt. Add a few tablespoons to your next bath and enjoy. Makes a great inexpensive gift.
Photo courtesy of the idea room.
You will need
A jar or container to keep the mixture in.
1-2 cups Epsom salt
1-2tbsp baking soda
5 drops of your favorite essential oil
(If you have dry skin you can also add 2 tbsp of dry oatmeal or dried goats milk for super soft skin)
Mix salt and baking soda (and any other dry ingredient variations you may have added) add the lid to your container and shake it up until well mixed. Open up and add 3-5 drops of your favorite essential oil. (I highly recommend only using therapeutic grade essential oils, such as Young Living Essential oil) close and shake up again. Voila! Home made bath salt. Add a few tablespoons to your next bath and enjoy. Makes a great inexpensive gift.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Happy Birthday, Little man!
My Little man is FOUR years old today! Unbelievable!!
He is running, talking, getting dressed on his own, potty trained, counting, saying his ABC's, spelling his name, and being a great big brother to his sister!
He is quite possibly one of the coolest little kids in the world. He loves superheroes, vegetables, his family, and Jesus! He just loves going to church, he loves to sing, and to dance.
He is a great helper to mommy and her photography. He is an awesome little poser for me ;)
I am super excited to see what the next year will bring for this gorgeous, hilarious, precious little man! We are so blessed. Love you buddy!! <3
He is quite possibly one of the coolest little kids in the world. He loves superheroes, vegetables, his family, and Jesus! He just loves going to church, he loves to sing, and to dance.
He is a great helper to mommy and her photography. He is an awesome little poser for me ;)
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Merry Christmas!
Calm down folks, I scheduled this post. There's no way I would have time to write a blog much less form a coherent thought on Christmas day.
Just wanted to make sure I did take the time to wish Jesus a happy birthday and share some of the blessings that have happened this year.
Greyson & Darcy are continuing to grow and thrive. They are happy, healthy, hilarious little images of Jeremy and I and I love them to pieces.
No one had surgery this year. Yay us. I figured I should mention it since we both did last year and both kids had at least 1 trip to the ER as well. This year was (thankfully) uneventful health wise. We continue to pray that Greyson will grow out of his nut allergy, because lets face it, a childhood without peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is no childhood at all!
Jeremy got a promotion. It is well deserved and he is settling well into his new position. I am very proud.
I started a business. Saltwater Photography was a hobby turned business in spite of myself and it is thriving. I love it and feel so blessed from all the support I have received.
Next year:
We plan to continue to eliminate debt (medical and student loans) in hopes to be prepared for the plans that God has for us. We hope in the future we can both complete our dreams of adopting a child as well as going into full time Missions. We are trusting God on this journey and know he has an awesome plan for all four of us!
Love to all & Merry Christmas!!
Just wanted to make sure I did take the time to wish Jesus a happy birthday and share some of the blessings that have happened this year.
Greyson & Darcy are continuing to grow and thrive. They are happy, healthy, hilarious little images of Jeremy and I and I love them to pieces.
No one had surgery this year. Yay us. I figured I should mention it since we both did last year and both kids had at least 1 trip to the ER as well. This year was (thankfully) uneventful health wise. We continue to pray that Greyson will grow out of his nut allergy, because lets face it, a childhood without peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is no childhood at all!
Jeremy got a promotion. It is well deserved and he is settling well into his new position. I am very proud.
I started a business. Saltwater Photography was a hobby turned business in spite of myself and it is thriving. I love it and feel so blessed from all the support I have received.
Next year:
We plan to continue to eliminate debt (medical and student loans) in hopes to be prepared for the plans that God has for us. We hope in the future we can both complete our dreams of adopting a child as well as going into full time Missions. We are trusting God on this journey and know he has an awesome plan for all four of us!
Love to all & Merry Christmas!!
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Silver linings.
Between 12PM Friday and 10PM Saturday I have had a whirlwind of disaster and emotion.
On Friday I got a call from my bank that mine and my husband's cards were compromised by the whole Target/data leak ordeal. Both cards were immediately cancelled by our bank without warning to help protect us...
We have NO credit cards, we mainly use our debit cards. I don't even have checks so my only option is to go to the bank before it closes and withdraw cash. I also realize all the bills which automatically come out Fridays are taken through our debit cards, which are cancelled. So I am most likely going to be getting returned payment charges added to the bills which already seem astronomical in this lovely time of year.
I then spent the remainder of the day calling all of the companies, driving all over town to the bank and to various places which will accept cash for my utility payments and overall, being super stressed out. Thankfully Target issued an apology and gave a whole day of 10% off prices. Because that totally makes up for the stress they have caused everyone. NOT.
Enter: Saturday. It is a new day with new possibilities. We planned to have a nice day mostly at home with the kids and then head over and see Santa. When we went to see Santa, we had a blast. My kids were about as good as can be expected, my son who is friendly and outgoing is now St. Nick's new best friend, and my introverted sassy pants daughter managed to not punch or growl at him, which in my family, counts as a good trip.
Here's a pic of our family with Santa:
I know, I know, we are freaking adorable....
We get home and I go to unlock the door and notice the knob is about half an inch lower than normal and it looks as though someone tried to pry it off. I obviously get kind of freaked and my big strong husband and our loyal four legged child, Leo search the house.
Its a bit hard to tell quite how bad it was, but here is what we came home to:
I just painted this door about a month ago so it looked nothing like this.
Thankfully no one got in and nothing was taken, but it still totally shook us up and we filed an informal report with the police just in case.
We carry on with our day and I load my kids up to go to the music store to get something for my violin. (i know, Im full of surprises, aren't I?) and receive a call from Jeremy (My husband) that our four legged child Leo had accidentally snatched up some mouse poison that had been behind the stove but gotten knocked out while Jeremy was sweeping. I generally don't even keep anything toxic in my house having 2 small children and a puppy child, but back in April we had a repair done and the guy left the door wide open for about an hour and some field mice sneaked in. I cannot tolerate mice. at all. I literally lose my mind. So we bought some poison and put it all in very safe places where kids and dogs could not get it. well we honestly should have gotten rid of it after so long without a mouse siting but I honestly forgot, and I feel terrible. He ate almost 3/4 of a brick of green D-Con mouse poison before Jeremy was able to get it away.
I sobbed the whole way home. Jeremy called the animal hospital and we were told to give him peroxide and make him puke as soon as possible. This is the dog that if we buy a different brand food he will puke all night. we gave him the 5 teaspoons of peroxide they recommended (Which we had to get from a neighbor because we don't even have that in my house!) Wait and....Nothing.
This is our boy:
We re administer as advised...wait...nothing.
I HAD to take him in. By this time its 8PM and there is only the animal hospitals open. Its $75 just to walk through the door and I have $78 in my wallet. They require you to pay for everything up front. I explain I have no plastic because of the Target situation and the bank is obviously closed. ATM is out of the question because again- no card. They explain (very rudely and coldly) my dog will die if he is not treated and I just stood there sobbing. Its 4 days before Christmas and not one has money right now. They refuse payment plans, etc. and tell me just to wait in the waiting room. There are a few others in the room and all were very nice and seemed concerned, but one lady stuck out to me because she was the only one in the room actually in possession of their pet. Everyone else (including me) had their pet immediately taken back. She very kindly told me she would pay for the shot that was needed to save Leo. I couldn't even speak, I just sobbed. All I could think about was how I was going to tell my 4 and 2 year old where their dog was tomorrow. I said that would be amazing I would appreciate that so much. I was taken to the first room in the hall next to the waiting room. I could see the counter but not the waiting room. I honestly think they put me back there (because I was by myself not with my dog) because my sobbing was making them look like complete douche bags. Which honestly, they were being. This was a $50 shot, not a surgery or huge procedure. They were letting $50 stand in the way of letting a beloved animal live or die. He is worth far more to me than this but I simply did not have it!
The woman went up to the counter and told the woman who brought me back not to let me pay for the shot, but to add it to her bill, she would happily pay and please hurry and save my dog. The nurse seemed so irritated by this but told her I would have to speak to the vet first.
I neither saw nor heard the woman again. I didn't see her or her pet go by. They gave him the shot and he brought up the poison and when they brought me my bill they told me I wasn't going to be charged for it and did not mention the woman at all. My total was $77, one dollar shy of what I had in my wallet. When I walked out with my sleepy puppy I fully intended to thank the woman for offering, and let her know they didn't end up charging me, and offering her a free picture session and my card for being such an amazing person. I was unable to do that however because when I walked out, the waiting room was completely empty. There wasn't a soul there and I have no idea what happened. The workers there didn't seem to even know who I was talking about when I asked about the woman with the dachshund who had just been there. This sounds surreal, and it was, because I am honestly not convinced she was ever there in the first place, but something compelled those people not to charge me to save my poor Leo.
Leo is doing well this morning and I am trying to be positive in light of the stress. Our cards were compromised, but they weren't used. Someone tried to break in, but they didn't get through. My dong almost died, but he will be fine. God's hand was definitely on us the last two days, even if it doesn't feel like it. I choose to focus on the ways he spared us and not the trials we had to face anyways.
Praying as trials come your way you are able to do the same and thereby lessen the stress such things could cause. Even in all our trials, there are people out there going through much worse. We are blessed.
(Sorry this is so long, hoping the pics make it less boring)
On Friday I got a call from my bank that mine and my husband's cards were compromised by the whole Target/data leak ordeal. Both cards were immediately cancelled by our bank without warning to help protect us...
We have NO credit cards, we mainly use our debit cards. I don't even have checks so my only option is to go to the bank before it closes and withdraw cash. I also realize all the bills which automatically come out Fridays are taken through our debit cards, which are cancelled. So I am most likely going to be getting returned payment charges added to the bills which already seem astronomical in this lovely time of year.
I then spent the remainder of the day calling all of the companies, driving all over town to the bank and to various places which will accept cash for my utility payments and overall, being super stressed out. Thankfully Target issued an apology and gave a whole day of 10% off prices. Because that totally makes up for the stress they have caused everyone. NOT.
Enter: Saturday. It is a new day with new possibilities. We planned to have a nice day mostly at home with the kids and then head over and see Santa. When we went to see Santa, we had a blast. My kids were about as good as can be expected, my son who is friendly and outgoing is now St. Nick's new best friend, and my introverted sassy pants daughter managed to not punch or growl at him, which in my family, counts as a good trip.
Here's a pic of our family with Santa:
We get home and I go to unlock the door and notice the knob is about half an inch lower than normal and it looks as though someone tried to pry it off. I obviously get kind of freaked and my big strong husband and our loyal four legged child, Leo search the house.
Its a bit hard to tell quite how bad it was, but here is what we came home to:
I just painted this door about a month ago so it looked nothing like this.
Thankfully no one got in and nothing was taken, but it still totally shook us up and we filed an informal report with the police just in case.
We carry on with our day and I load my kids up to go to the music store to get something for my violin. (i know, Im full of surprises, aren't I?) and receive a call from Jeremy (My husband) that our four legged child Leo had accidentally snatched up some mouse poison that had been behind the stove but gotten knocked out while Jeremy was sweeping. I generally don't even keep anything toxic in my house having 2 small children and a puppy child, but back in April we had a repair done and the guy left the door wide open for about an hour and some field mice sneaked in. I cannot tolerate mice. at all. I literally lose my mind. So we bought some poison and put it all in very safe places where kids and dogs could not get it. well we honestly should have gotten rid of it after so long without a mouse siting but I honestly forgot, and I feel terrible. He ate almost 3/4 of a brick of green D-Con mouse poison before Jeremy was able to get it away.
I sobbed the whole way home. Jeremy called the animal hospital and we were told to give him peroxide and make him puke as soon as possible. This is the dog that if we buy a different brand food he will puke all night. we gave him the 5 teaspoons of peroxide they recommended (Which we had to get from a neighbor because we don't even have that in my house!) Wait and....Nothing.
This is our boy:
We re administer as advised...wait...nothing.
I HAD to take him in. By this time its 8PM and there is only the animal hospitals open. Its $75 just to walk through the door and I have $78 in my wallet. They require you to pay for everything up front. I explain I have no plastic because of the Target situation and the bank is obviously closed. ATM is out of the question because again- no card. They explain (very rudely and coldly) my dog will die if he is not treated and I just stood there sobbing. Its 4 days before Christmas and not one has money right now. They refuse payment plans, etc. and tell me just to wait in the waiting room. There are a few others in the room and all were very nice and seemed concerned, but one lady stuck out to me because she was the only one in the room actually in possession of their pet. Everyone else (including me) had their pet immediately taken back. She very kindly told me she would pay for the shot that was needed to save Leo. I couldn't even speak, I just sobbed. All I could think about was how I was going to tell my 4 and 2 year old where their dog was tomorrow. I said that would be amazing I would appreciate that so much. I was taken to the first room in the hall next to the waiting room. I could see the counter but not the waiting room. I honestly think they put me back there (because I was by myself not with my dog) because my sobbing was making them look like complete douche bags. Which honestly, they were being. This was a $50 shot, not a surgery or huge procedure. They were letting $50 stand in the way of letting a beloved animal live or die. He is worth far more to me than this but I simply did not have it!
The woman went up to the counter and told the woman who brought me back not to let me pay for the shot, but to add it to her bill, she would happily pay and please hurry and save my dog. The nurse seemed so irritated by this but told her I would have to speak to the vet first.
I neither saw nor heard the woman again. I didn't see her or her pet go by. They gave him the shot and he brought up the poison and when they brought me my bill they told me I wasn't going to be charged for it and did not mention the woman at all. My total was $77, one dollar shy of what I had in my wallet. When I walked out with my sleepy puppy I fully intended to thank the woman for offering, and let her know they didn't end up charging me, and offering her a free picture session and my card for being such an amazing person. I was unable to do that however because when I walked out, the waiting room was completely empty. There wasn't a soul there and I have no idea what happened. The workers there didn't seem to even know who I was talking about when I asked about the woman with the dachshund who had just been there. This sounds surreal, and it was, because I am honestly not convinced she was ever there in the first place, but something compelled those people not to charge me to save my poor Leo.
Leo is doing well this morning and I am trying to be positive in light of the stress. Our cards were compromised, but they weren't used. Someone tried to break in, but they didn't get through. My dong almost died, but he will be fine. God's hand was definitely on us the last two days, even if it doesn't feel like it. I choose to focus on the ways he spared us and not the trials we had to face anyways.
Praying as trials come your way you are able to do the same and thereby lessen the stress such things could cause. Even in all our trials, there are people out there going through much worse. We are blessed.
(Sorry this is so long, hoping the pics make it less boring)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
MOPS
MOPS
Mops is a nation wide organization which stands for “moms of preschoolers.”
It is essentially an escape from all the mundane day to day activities of stay at home momhood and gives you a hot breakfast, a cup of coffee, and some social contact with other women in the same boat as you. Its nice, I love my group and it more than likely saved my life last year as I struggled through postpartum depression after the birth of my second child.
I do have to say a few things about MOPS though, basically, rules I think they should have for it.
Rule #1: No makeup allowed. Its 9AM. who the heck do you think you are showing up with makeup on?
Rule #2: Your pants should be sweat and or pajama and or yoga variety. we are moms, its 9 am, and you got your kids dressed. go you.
Rule #3: No teasing. I am not even talking about the obvious bullying that moms can do, but even simple playful banter (which I am very prone to) does not belong in mops. you do not know what that mom is going through, you do not know what her morning was like or her story, so even a playful jab at this or that may be enough to push her over the edge. Mops should be a SAFE place for mommies to come and relax, not be on the defensive.
Rule #4: Please throw political correctness out the window. We know you don’t tell your 3 year old not to throw their “excrement” Just say poo poo. we know that’s what you say at home.
Rule #5: Be nice. This is not the same as the no teasing rule but definitely similar. Be nice, even if you don’t know someone, smile and say hi. Don’t talk only to your friends, and invite others into the convo when you are. Cliques weren’t fun in high school, and that hasn’t changed.
Ok so some are funny and some are more serious but this is just my take on the most important rules for a good, stable mops group that gets everything out of it that it is meant to. Hope everyone has a great year!
Friday, December 13, 2013
All about my reproductive system...
I’ve noticed not a lot of people get my humor, so I put more of it on the blog than on things like, facebook for instance, where people who may not appreciate stories of my husband and I may not be as well appreciated…
So recently I was asked if we were having more kids, because when you are young and have young children your reproductive tendencies and plans are everyone’s business, apparently. Fighting the urge to tell the group I was in fact currently pregnant but unsure of who the father was just to be a stinker, I replied that we do not indeed plan to have any more kids, which was of course, met with disagreement. I was told that I will obviously have an accidental pregnancy. Well we both plan to get “fixed.” At which point I was told, that is stupid. Of course it is.
Got to love old ladies and their meddling. We aren’t actually positive at all on our next moves toward parenting/reproduction but we are happy where we are. I cannot imagine what lovely opinions I would have gotten from that answer. In the mean time I am enjoying my beautiful children I have and all their antics, I have no desire to be outnumbered by these little minions, but I have learned to never say never.
Maybe next time I am asked (likely within the next week) I will pull out a temp chart and ask for positional recommendations…hmm…
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Nerdiness
The nerding kingdom
Its come to my attention a lot has happened in the nerd kingdom and I should address it! *Spoilers possible*
1. Doctor Who 50th anniversary special.
It was brilliant. The combination of old and new series was spectacular, the fact that we find out we are technically on the 12th doctor as opposed to the 11th is mind blowing to whovians everywhere. Also, how many wives has the doctor had? Im quite curious now.
2. Sherlock, its about freaking time. They announced the new season will be starting in January. Yes. Just yes. Dr. Watson can come cry on my shoulder whenever he would like.
3. Arrow: The most recent episode featuring Barry Allen was great, cannot wait until next weeks to see where they take it. I also think the Barry-Felicity match up is great. It is no secret I love Felicity, and her genius mixed with his would be amazing. I hope to see more on this front.
Anything else you would like me to write on? Let me know.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Things you don't think you should have to tell your children (But you do) Part 2
Things you don't think you should have to tell your children (But you do) Part 2:
16. Just because I said I will not buy that for you does not mean you “need to call papa”
17. If you are trying to make me feel guilty by saying you miss daddy after being punished, well, its working.
18. Rubbing poop on the walls is not my idea of “artwork.”
19. You went poop in the potty? awesome! No, we cannot save it to show daddy….
20. …Fine, we will send him a picture…
21. Don’t eat that bug.
22. Don’t eat sand.
23. Don’t eat rocks.
24. Sorry, they don’t make medicine for bad dreams.
25. Because I said so.
26. Mommy and daddy get to share a bed because…because….ask daddy.
27. Your best friend can’t live here, his mommy would miss him too much.
28. Why is great grandmas skin so stretchy? Hmm, I don’t know, maybe shes a super hero!
29. “Its so cute and fuzzy” is ok to say about pets and woodland creatures, but not about the gigantic motorcycle guy behind us at wal-mart. Please stop pointing. Shh.
30. Don’t lock your sister in the kennel. It does not matter if she has her sippy and some cheerios.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)