Happy New Year!

I know it is New Years Eve but I feel the love and want to share.  I am really looking forward to 2015 although the ringing in this year isn't quite as I expected.  I've been down with this cold thing for a few days.  Not much is going on besides laying on the couch and moaning about how crappy I feel.  Luckily, Philip has been here to make sure I eat and he even supplemented my groceries for me...including a separate run to Walgreens because the grocery store didn't have the cold medicine I wanted.  Now that is love for sure.  But alas he has left for his Dad's for the next 5 days so I hope I can keep it together while he is gone.  (He did say he will come help me if I need it.)

We got a terrible cold snap that came through yesterday.  As luck would have it, we woke up to a fridged house.  Our furnace was not working.  I called the furnace guy and they came a few hours later.  By the time they got here, we were both in sweats, coats, and scarves with down blankets.  It was 50 degrees inside.  It felt like the 40-60 mph winds were blowing right through my home's walls and windows.  As I suspected, the problem is the condenser tube that runs outside of my house.  When I put in the high energy furnace a few  years ago, it requires a drain for the condenser.  Because I don't have a drain in the furnace room, they drilled hole in the house and stuck it outside.  Well the wind and cold is just too much for it and it keeps freezing.  And when it freezes, the furnace turns off.  He got it running again but didn't seem very confident it wouldn't happen again.  And it did...and did...and did. 

Philip and I figured out if we bundled up and went out in the bitter and windy cold with my hairdryer, we can defrost the tube and magically the furnace turns back on.  We each took our turns yesterday facing the frozen tube.  Last night, I turned the heat way up and left it on all night to hopefully keep it from re-freezing (it was -5 degrees with the wind).  All went well although I was up most the night being too hot or dealing with my congestion.  But about 11:00, it stopped again so I bundled up and went out to defrost.  Magically again it started working and it wasn't too miserable as the wind has died down but we have huge snow drifts and everything is icy and I really don't like that.  I'm pretty sure I will need to go out again today.  I'm hoping if I do it before dark, I won't have to go out in the pitch black night.

The furnace guy recommended to fix the problem, we run the line through the basement ceiling into the laundry room.  The problem is we will need to take out the sheetrocked ceiling....or run it through the furnace ducts.  I know we looked at that option when we put in the furnace and decided it wouldn't work.  I seem to remember that the joists run the wrong way and it would be quite cumbersome to run to the laundry room.  I'm really hoping we leave this bitter cold behind so I don't have to keep going outside with the blow dryer.

So Mama Gayle always has a New Years Eve party.  I was looking forward to going but I am staying in to keep taking care of my cold and keep my germs to myself.  Plus I've not been in real clothes since last Saturday so I can't even begin to imagine getting dressed and ready.  Hell, I can't even fathom going to the grocery store right now.  Too much energy.

I hope everyone rings in the new year in just the way they want.  I hope everyone is safe and warm and looking forward to 2015.

Paint Nite with Jennie

Jennie and I decided to go to Paint Nite while she was visiting.  They had a fun painting in Lehi so we headed there.  We were very glad we got there early and got a pick of seats.  The teacher of the class has been painting for many years and taught us some new tricks and tips which were fun to try out.  It was really fun to see how everyone's painting was different and represented a version of their painting they enjoyed. 

Jennie really took to painting.  She got the techniques of the flowers down well.  We had a great time!!

 

 



Our finished paintings!

Merry Christmas!

We had the best Christmas celebration this year.  As always, I hostessed Christmas Eve with Mom's side of the family.  Mom and Chuck drove up from St. George, Mars and John left their cozy home in Park City, and Jennie joined us from Tennessee via her Dad's house.

We had a lovely dinner with ham, cheesy potatoes, salad, rolls, beans, and cookies.  We did our usual "white elephant" exchange too.  We had a great time.

Before we all went our separate ways, I asked everyone to pose for photos by the tree.  I know that is silly but nice to have photos and it never hurts to know someone is taking your photo so you can prepare.

Me and Jennie

Me, Mars, Jennie, and Mom

The guys - Philip, Chuck, and John

Chuck and Mom

Mars and John

Me and Philip

Philip and Jennie

Philip Christmas Morning

Christmas Kitty.  There is catnip in that stocking.

Philip got all settled in after opening gifts.  He was one happy camper!

 We had quite the snowstorm most the day Christmas day.  It looked like a Christmas card!  Very pretty.  I also hostessed Dad's side of the family for dinner.  We had a small but meaningful gathering.

The bad thing is  my uncle Randy was put in the hospital on Christmas Eve.  Very lucky to have caught his health issue.  He is getting better now.  And I caught a nasty cold.  I guess it was bound to happen.  We had a beautiful holiday regardless.

Christmas traditions

When I ask Philip what traditions he really likes and wants to make sure we continue, having dinner at "The Roof" is one of the items at the top of his list.  We started going a few years ago.  The really cool thing about The Roof is that it is at the top of the Joseph Smith memorial building (the old Hotel Utah) and has fabulous views of the temple.  

We like to go to the early seating  so we can watch the sun set and the temple lights come on.  So we make reservations for 5:00 sometime in the month of December.  In order to secure a table at 5:00 in December, we make reservations in October.  This year, our schedules were pretty busy so we had reservations for December 23rd.

I wasn't totally thrilled with our table as it was more facing the Capitol then the temple but we still had a great view and had a great time.  The dinner is a fancy dinner buffet complete with prime rib, ham, turkey, filet mignon, salad, breads, cheese, desserts, and soup.  When you sit, you are notified you have 90 minutes for eating.  Then you must leave so they can prepare for the second seating.  We are okay with that.  In fact, we eat pretty fast and were finished in about 1 hour 15 minutes.  We weren't the first to leave but we certainly were the earlier eaters.

Waiting for the doors to open.

The sun setting and the temple lights are coming on.

View of the Capital

The lights in the darkness of the holiday night.

 I don't care if you are Mormon or not, this view is amazing and inspiring.  Plus it is an easy way for me to enjoy the lights without having to walk through the temple....which is tough for me.

Festivnessessess

I've been having lots of fun celebrating the holidays.  As I sit in the silence of the house by the glow of the Christmas tree lights, I thought I would share with you all.

Let's start with the Santa Brunch.  Each year, Philip and I try to set aside a Sunday in December to go to Little America for the Santa Brunch.  Honestly, it isn't Santa that brings us there.  It is the crepes!  But they have a Santa Brunch in December so why not??  Little America is a fancy hotel in downtown Salt Lake.  They have it decorated all festive like and it has been a family tradition to go for Sunday Brunch.

Strawberry crepe complete with Sabayon sauce and powdered sugar.

I told Philip that if Santa came around, I would like a photo with him.  He flat out refused...as he does every year.  He was very stern that it was simply not going to happen.  It wasn't maybe 10 minutes later, that Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause came around to our table and saddled on up to Philip.  Luckily, I had my phone out and was able to snap a photo.

This is priceless!  I'm pretty sure there are daggers coming out of those eyes.

After they left, Philip told me he was horrified and needed at least a year of therapy to deal with what just happened.  I always follow Philip's wishes with his photos but he told me to go ahead and post it wherever I wanted.  Okie Dokie.  It took about 2.5 seconds for me to put it out on Instagram and Facebook.....because I live on social media.  Haha.

As we were leaving, we stopped to pose for a selfie together.  Much better smile. You can't tell in the photo, but we ate so much, we were completely miserable for several hours after this.  Philip managed to rustle up some dinner in the evening but I simply could not manage to fit one more thing in my mouth that day.

Another fun thing I did was this past Sunday.  Ryan had invited me over for his family's Christmas dinner and celebration.  I cannot express how surprised I was to be included after 17 years.  But I am ready to foster a better relationships so I agreed to go.

Ryan is an excellent cook.  He was a good cook while we were married but over the years, he has perfected his skills and tackles even Julia Childs with enthusiastic vigor.  For dinner, he made a wine braised beef roast, tri-color roasted carrots, and riced potatoes with au juice.  I'm telling you, it was to die for.  The flavors were excellent and the beef just fell apart.  I've always been interested in riced potatoes and I have to say, I am a huge fan.

The really special things was being included in such a fun adventures but also getting to spend some time with Ryan's Mom, Carol and his 3 girls, Philip's 1/2 sisters.  Rowan is 12, Kiera is 10, and Maggie is 5.   Rowan and I have hung out together so she knew me.  She came right up to me and gave me a big hug.  That was sweet as could be.  Kiera is really shy and kept her distance for a good hunk of the night.  Maggie was shy too but about 5 seconds later, we were playing legos and she was quizzing me about who I knew in the family.

After we had dinner, they opened family gifts.  Sticking with my regular tradition of focusing on the gathering rather than the gifts, I requested no gifts for me.  I had a great time watching the kids open gifts.  Even when they got something really small like a box of candy or a pack of gum, they were so grateful and made a point to thank the giver.  When they got to their larger gifts, they were overwhelmingly excited. Ryan did a great job fulfilling what each one asked for down to the very specifics.  At one point, Maggie came over and sat on my lap!  I was surprised but really enjoyed the loving celebration shared between the family.

Maggie in her reindeer hat Philip gave her.

After gifts, we had the most delicious Bread Pudding that Ryan made.  They felt it was a bit dry but to me, I thought it was very good.  Especially considering I am not a big fan of custard. But I enjoyed it and had a great time celebrating with them.  It really filled my heart.  I was very touched Ryan decided to include me.

Today, I met my work friends for lunch.  We went to Faustina's downtown.  We visited and caught up on news between us all.  We had a fantastic lunch and because we were all off work today, we had a cocktail.  Okay....I admit I ordered a glass of wine but only had a few sips.  Julie graciously agreed to finish it for me.  But boy was it delicious.  These girls are really a great group of friends.  I'm very glad they are in my world.

Lesley, Stacy, Julie, Me

I hope you are finding ways to enjoy the holiday season without too much stress.  I believe spending time with friends and family is really what it is all about.

Merry Christmas week.

I was RAK'd!

I don't know that Philip thinks of it as a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) but it certainly was.  I took my Metho shot last night so I was sleeping in.  I won't lie.  I woke up feeling sad and overwhelmed (it happens!).  I was really swirling down and contemplating if staying in bed all day was a good idea.  Out of the blue, I got a call from Philip.  He wondered if he could come over (it's his Dad's weekend).  I suggested he bring breakfast.

I jumped out of bed and put clothes on.  I started watching a movie on Hallmark and waited.  My little ray of sunshine showed up with Einstein's and a Jamba Juice!!  He knows me so well. Sesame bagel sliced but no smear and not toasted and a bagel pretzel.  Jamba - small Razzmatazz without boosts.  We ate our breakfast together and caught up.

When he got here, I gave him a huge tight hug and thanked him for showing up at the very time I needed it most.  That simple surprise reach from him changed the course of my entire day!

I complain a lot about mothering a teen but sometimes, my teen shows his tender caring side and surprises me in a way I wouldn't even know how to ask for.  It is these moments that let me know I've raised an amazing kid and he is going to grow up to be an amazing adult.

I'll be glad when this Metho day is over.  It's been a rough one.

I made it!

I made it to my holiday vacation time!  Every year, I save as much vacation as I can to take at the end of the year.  Today was my last official work day of 2014.  I know I will need to do a few things while I am off but that will be on my schedule when I want too.

I've been very busy getting everything done for my celebrations.  I have my crafts done, shopping done, and the house is clean and decorated.  All gifts are wrapped, cards are sent, and lists are checked.  So now I get to sleep in, nap, watch holiday movies, bake cookies, and really enjoy what I like most about the holidays....spending time with the people I love (both far and near).  I might even find inspiration to blog more!

If I drank, I would crack open a bottle of wine or make a martini and really celebrate almost 2 weeks off work.  Feel free to have one for me.  I'll feel the glow all the way over here!

Book Club Ladies

I've been part of a book club for several years.  I've gone through my periods of time when I wasn't sure I wanted to continue.  But I do continue and I keep pushing to go to book club when I can, regardless if I've read the book or not.  I would say about 50% of the time, I didn't enjoy the book but it has pushed me out of my regular genre reading and I've read and loved books I would have never guessed.

Each year, at the end of the year, we take a group  photo.  We took one last week at our last book club of the year.  Many of the ladies are missing.  We have 21 people in our book club.  I thought I would share so you can peek at the lovely ladies I spend an evening with once a month.

Back - Teri, Shari, Rhonda, Tiffany, Stacy, Me, Marybeth
Front -  Laurie, Kim, Holly, Kathy, Allyson

Sometimes these ladies give me just the boost to keep smiling.  It really is a special group of ladies.

Crafting part 2

I finally did it.  I got Philip excited to work on Christmas crafts!  It helps that my kitchen table is covered with every dream of crafts you could image.  I have clay, rolling pins, glue guns, glitter, beads, etc, etc, etc.  We were both really excited about the polymer clay gingerbread boys Nola and I made.  Philip decided he wanted to make a "modern" one for his girlfriend.  Of course, it needs to be punky with piercings and such.  I convinced him part of the goal needs to be to keep it looking like a gingerbread boy.

Philip conditioning clay.

His gingerbread boy.  Complete with
piercings and punk bangs.



While Philip worked on his gingerbread boy, I worked on decorating the plain stocking we bought.  We got some really pretty metallic fringe.  I had the felt laser cut snowflakes already so I beaded them and put sequins on them and glued them on.  I embroidered her name on it.  I think it came out pretty cool.  It reminded me of making stockings when I was a little girl.  Ours were never this pretty but they were fun anyway.

 

After we finished those projects, I decided to continue on with my Dollar Store crafts.  I had a wreath left over from Nola's visit and I saw on TV to get some tinsel garland and glue it on so it is like a vintage kitschy wreath.  So for $2 total, this is what I ended up with.  I thought it was so cute, I went and got another wreath so I had 2.  I hung them on my patio doors leading to our deck.  I think they are cute.  Philip said it was over the top but I think kitschy isn't Philip's thing.

In process.  Super easy and super cheap.

I'm not sure if it is a good thing or not, but Baby has become super obsessed with crafting with us.  She MUST be in the group.  In my scrapbook room, I have a folded towel I put on my desk for her to sit on.  It took me a minute of her being obnoxious while doing crafts in the kitchen to realize she needed a "crafting mat" on the kitchen table.  I put it there and almost immediately, she sat on it and was content.  It is pretty cute.

Kitty Craft Master and Quality Control Supervisor. 
She thought the tinsel was a gift from god!

Much to my surprise, Philip wanted to go with me when I went back to the Dollar Store.  This is the kid that will practically go to school in underpants to avoid shopping.  He hates shopping.  So when he said he would go, that was a real treat to me.  He was in a great mood and really got into it.  We were fascinated with the hats.  He put one on and even let me take a photo!

One might say he looks very unhappy but the person that says that must not have a teen because this is the classic "teen look".  If you are happy, sad, excited, crying....this is it.  We were actually laughing hysterically.  To the point that people were looking.  Yes, he knew I was taking a photo.  He even was okay with me putting it on Instagram!

We  had great fun crafting and we were both really happy with the end results.  Now I suppose I should clean all the supplies off the table.

Rocky Raccoon

A few weeks ago, I heard something in the chimney.  It was clear it was some kind of critter.  I decided to get my yard stick and beat on the grates (the flue is shut).  I did it a few times and the fireplace went quiet.  Isn't that so cool I fixed it all by myself and for free?

Fast forward to yesterday.  I hear it again.  It is the sound of chewing and movement.  Little squeaks.  Again I beat the grates with my yardstick.  It got quiet but the sound did not stop for long.  So I googled what to do with a critter in the fireplace chimney.  Everything I read said I needed to call an exterminator that specializes in animal removal.  So I called one that trapped instead of poisoned the animal.  I got an appointment for this afternoon.

Last night I was sitting at the kitchen table doing crafts.  There are a few stray kitties that come around when they are hungry.  The cute shy grey one came so I put out some kibbles in the dish.  Not too long after, I looked over and this is what I saw.

This is not my photo but a great representative of what I saw.  Startled me!!

So this morning, I had a 5 hour conference call for work.  The exterminator came right after the call was done.  Since I've been crafting and working, the house is a mess and I was a mess.  Here is what exterminators usually look like and what I expected.

Here is what the guy looked like.  And he was single and really nice.

It wasn't Ben Affleck but he could have been a brother.

Here is what I looked like.

(this is not  me but pretty close to what I suspect I looked like to Ben's Brother)

What he probably thought my house looked like.

They say a good date will never come knocking on your door.  I don't know if this guy would have been a good date.  But I am pretty sure I didn't tempt him either.

The good news is Ben's brother, the exterminator, couldn't find the raccoon in the chimney or in the basement but he said there were fresh soot footprints on the roof and chimney stack so Rocky was in there.  He put screening across my chimney entrance.  No more critters will be getting in my fireplace.  He also checked all around the house and said he saw no place the critters could be getting in my attic which was a huge relief.  He also suggested I do NOT put food out for the cats outside.  He said cat and dog food are like special treats to raccoons, rats, and squirrels.

I'm glad it is taken care of.  And my meeting went well.  Thanks for asking.  Haha!

I'm not a pin cushion dang it!

How is your December going?  Doing any RAKs?  I've kept up so far and I keep seeing chances to do more.  So much fun.

I continue to work hard on my pre-Hopkins testing.  Today was my last pre-visit test.  I had the EMG today.  There is just no way to put it besides it really sucked.  Dr. D, my Neurologist did the test and she teaches EMG studies to students so she knows what she is doing.  We started with nerve tests where they put a shock think on your arm and legs and send a pulse though to see your reaction.  After that pleasant experience (sarcasm), we started with the needle electrodes.  We started on my legs.  Although I am not afraid of needles, they certainly aren't great.  For this test, she puts it in a specific muscle and you have to rest to try to get a silent reading.  If you can't get silent (totally relaxed), she will try another spot close by.  Once it is as quiet as she can find,  she then moves the needle around in a circle in your muscle while you keep "relaxing".  Then you flex that muscle so the chatter increases.  Then, she circles again while you are flexing.  After she finishes one muscle, she moves to another.  Depending what the muscles say will determine how many pricks you get.  Luckily my legs were coming back normal.  So we moved to the arms after 4 areas.

That is more tender for sure.  She did my upper and lower arms and right between my thumb and pointer (ouch!).  My triceps was acting abnormal so she decided to check my neck and spine.  It was abnormal too.  Doesn't make much sense because I'm on Methotrexate and the other muscles were normal.  She was real curious and is anxious to hear what the specialists have to say.

Doesn't look like a medieval torture device....does it.

She did warn me that Johns Hopkins will most likely want to repeat the test.  If it were her, she would do another muscle biopsy of my triceps.  She encouraged me to do that at Johns Hopkins if they wanted because it would give a more complete picture.

The great news is my insurance has agreed to pay for 1 consultation at Johns Hopkins but they will not pay for any procedures or the travel.  Hopefully I won't need any more.  But this disease is complicated  and it can be tricky to figure it out.  And figuring it out is exactly why I am investing in Johns Hopkins this next year.

So now I can put my health issues away for a few weeks and enjoy the holidays!  Are you getting ready?  There are only 11 days until Christmas!!!!!

December 1 - RAK

Happy December!!  I always try to look for opportunities to be kind but December, I focus on doing Random Acts of Kindness (RAK).  My friend Ann (from San Diego) shared a link to a site that sends a daily reminder with an idea for a Random Act of Kindness.  These don't need to cost a lot.  In fact, they can be free.  I am sharing with you guys to hopefully inspire you to do a little RAKing yourself.  Feel free to sign up for the reminder email as well.  It is fun and it will make your heart feel good.

The Advent Calendar - http://www.noomii.com/advent-calendar

December 1 suggestion - http://www.noomii.com/advent-calendar/2014/day-1

Have a great day!