Jack's Specialty!

Oh wow I am terrible at blogging on a regular basis...Sorry fans! I'll pull a Jack and post some random pics from this past year to keep you entertained for the day! I hope you appreciate them because they take me all day to upload...stupid dial-up. :)

Before Charlie was born I had started a special sewing project as a gift for him! I think that I mentioned this in an earlier blog but couldn't show pics just in case the surprise would be blown. The puppy took me two days to make...he was easier than I thought and I was eager to finish him so that I could play with him! :) The blanket took me ALOT longer due to the fact that the material was difficult to work with. It kept stretching in all the wrong ways and made the squares difficult to line up just right. Not to mention the stupid blanket binding (ribbon sewn around the perimeter of the blanket to cover the unfinished edges)...I tried following the very vague directions which didn't make much sense and fought to make the corners even and tight...in the end I just had to tell myself that it IS a homemade blanket and that it doesn't need to be PERFECT! It still turned out very cute...However, next time I'll make sure to check the material's stretch before purchasing.

Close-up of super soft puppy I made for Charlie. I have to admit that I had a hard time giving him up...he was just so cute and cuddly. I even got a high five from my dad, at Christmas, once they realized that he wasn't store bought!

Occasionally Ike and I will have a bath together....I know it's a weird thing to share with you guys BUT I always find it hilarious how pruny his hands get as compared to mine and this is what I really wanted to share! Even his palms are wrinkly!

My kitty loves to play in our chairs! Silly Momma!

TAHITI MOMMA

Before I got very sick Ike and I managed to add a new member to our family! I found a rescue shelter in Winnipeg that specializes in Siamese cats. The Humane Society sends them over to this shelter once they've been 'fixed', de-wormed, health checked, and tattooed or chipped. The shelter then sends them to volunteer foster homes for two months to be rehabilitated and so they can get to know their personalities to best match them up for adoption.

Tahiti's owners didn't want her anymore so the Humane Society picked her up and two of her four kittens. She's a year and half and was found covered in flees and spiders and obviously not well taken care of. Tahiti is sooo much fun and super soft...she's a Siamese cross which is why she's white...but she does have the mischievous side to her!

I Can Breathe AND Sleep!!!!

I'm back!!!...sorta....Over Christmas I had been diagnosed with Bronchitis, by Dr. H., but not given any drugs except for a puffer to help ease the breathing. Of course, my condition worsened and I ended up in the ER with a fever. Dr. B. then told me that I had pneumonia and gave me some antibiotics that would stay in my system for 10 extra days and that I'd be feeling better within a couple of days. I felt good for two days after the meds were done...then I started to feel worse. Mid-week I was coughing so much that I pulled a muscle in my side...It hurt so bad and popped so hard that I thought that I had dislocated a rib! We went to the ER again and after some x-rays and bloodwork, Dr. H. gave me a nebulizer for my breathing and more antibiotics for the pneumonia...he also made me cry by pressing too hard on the swollen muscle so he also gave me a shot of something for the pain. Wooo I went home shaking from all the meds! Two days later I could barely breathe and the pain in my side was unbearable so back to the ER we went. I ended up with a third doctor, Dr. P., who had looked at my x-rays prior to seeing me and didn't believe that I had pneumonia until he listened to my breathing. He then gave me a nebulizer, a non narcotic shot for my pain, and set me up for antibiotics via IV for the weekend. Every morning I had to go in for my IV meds and nebulizers (they left the IV in my hand over the weekend...of course it was my right hand so I was totally useless at home)....Finally after mondays IV they removed it and he felt that I was well enough to go onto pill form antibiotic and a special puffer. Hopefully that will do it because sleeping sitting up on the couch doesn't work very well! I finally went back to work yesterday too...very tiring and sore but my boss gave me a short shift so it was bearable!

They gave me a sleeve to help protect the IV from being ripped out at home.

Aweful tape all over my hand and gross blood backing up the tube. Is that normal?

Getting my IV treatment and nebulizer at the same time.

You can't see it but the nebulizer is "smoking". Basically you smoke your meds...The oxygen and meds are misted while you breathe so it enters fully into your lungs...more effective than a puffer.

On saturday when I went in for my IV, I had a nasty roommate! I walked in and sat down on my bed and she was like, "Are you supposed to be here?!" Ah YEAH. Then she buzzed the nurse all pissed, "Uh I just had an enema and there's some people in my room!"...LOL...suck it up lady it's not a private room...the nurse just came in and closed the curtain totally ignoring her. Wooo bitchy.

On monday there was an old lady who was slowly losing her mind. She kept harrassing the nurses at the desk...determined to call her son...she was also determined to leave and kept setting off the buzzers as she had a monitor on. At one point she came up to some of us and told us that there would be parade in the hospital that night....and that if they let the man bleed to death that would be on our heads....lol weird...poor old lady! Poor nurses it had been busy in the ER that day too.

It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas...

My beautiful tree...is ready for gifts!

The tree all lit up and almost all of the gifts are wrapped and ready to go!

Ike and I made some cookies I call Pon...The first time I ever tasted one of these I was at my mother-in-laws and I fell in love with them. After much begging and asking around I finally found someone who would give me the recipe...of course it came written in german...so Ike got his cleaning lady at work to translate it. They turned out great except for the fact that I listened to my husband and cut them out a bit big, did I also mention that they rise yet as it's basically a sweet bun with special icing?!...my next batch will definitely be made with a smaller cut. They are officially my new favorite fattening cookie!

I miss my Baby

Yesterday I sat with my baby for a couple of hours before getting her ready for the vet. I was glad to have the extra week with her...To spoil her, snuggle with her, and hear her purr one last time... We were half way to the vet to have her put down when she died...the transport was too much for her and caused her to suffocate to death...It was horrible cause that's not what I wanted for her. I made Ike pull over to see if she had indeed passed. He just hugged me and then continued to the vet so that they could cremate her. He let me choose a nice urn and made the arrangements. So very sad this morning to wake up without her following me around the house.

My Baby

Some of you may understand this entry in my blog and some of you may shake your heads and say it's just a cat. Either way, Esther has been my cat for almost eight years...I got her when she was about six weeks old and she has become my baby! I don't spoil her much...she rarely gets wet cat food and never any table scraps except for the occasional sip of coffee (her favorite of course is Timmy's). Last week tuesday was the first time I've ever taken an animal to the vet...having grown up on the farm I don't believe in spending thousands on fixing up a pet...but my baby was in obvious distress as her breathing had become difficult for her and I didn't want her to suffer. They did an x-ray to see what was wrong and it showed that she had so much fluid around her heart and lungs that you couldn't even see them on the x-ray. The vet dr. then drained half a cup of fluid from around her lungs and took another x-ray to see what was causing the fluid to build up. She discovered a mass in her chest to be the culprit. There's nothing we can do for her as surgery to remove it is of course thousands of dollars and I can't justify that. So they gave her a shot of steroids to POSSIBLY shrink the mass and we brought her home and spoiled her all week knowing that she is dying. Today it is obvious that the fluid has returned as she has stopped eating and can't seem to get comfortable as breathing is laboured. I had to get my husband to call the vet to make the appointment as I can't bear to think about putting her down...Tomorrow I will say goodbye to her for forever.

Ike's 30th

It was Ike's 30th birthday on friday and so we celebrated in style! After work we raced to the city so we could enjoy a leisurely walk at Boo at the Zoo. We had never been before and I thought it would be a good family outting. :) It was a really nice evening....we wandered around the zoo and laughed at the screaming teenagers...made our way through a mini haunted "house" carrying out other peoples kids with us (they were too afraid to go through by themselves), and stopped every once in a while for couple of candid shots! After the zoo we made our way to Bangkok Thai where we warmed ourselves with some tea and a wonderful dinner followed by a fried banana dessert with coconut ice cream! Such a great evening!