Ten on Tuesday

1.  Hubby has a weight loss goal.  I started him on my favourite site for counting calories and exercise.  So every day when he gets home from work we sit down and I input what he's eaten that day.  He may hate me for the 20 questions every day before he's lost the weight!

2.  My aquarium is here!!!  It came in on Friday, and after a 14 hour shift, hubby brought it home.  No, it's not out of the box yet... but hubby has been working like crazy with all the snow we've had this week.  I picked up 2 - 25lb bags of gravel on the weekend.  I haven't decided on plants or ornaments yet.

 3.  My physiotherapist has recommended that I try acupuncture.  I have a call into my massage therapist as she has a great one.  (What is the proper term for an acupuncture person?? ist? )

4.  When you scald your tongue on tea first thing in the morning, nothing tastes right the rest of the day!  The new microwave at work works, really well! My thongue hurths...

5.  How many times do you have to ask the letter carrier not to walk across the lawn, which is piled 4 ft high with snow????  Wouldn't it be easier to go up the walkway???

6.  Watching cooking shows at 3pm makes you hungry for dinner by 4pm...  Having only 2 channels to choose from it's cooking or soaps.  Or find a DVD...  I'm already planted on the couch, so cooking it is!  (hmmmm..... those baked chicken wings look amazing.... gotta try the coating - she used tortilla chips instead of bread crumbs)

7.  Sunday I attended a baby shower for an old friend.  Honestly, I wasn't really looking forward to going, but I'm happy I did.  I enjoyed myself and even won a picture frame playing Baby Bingo.  I stitched her a bib as a part of her gift.

8.  Last night the temperature dropped to -29C / -20F.  The cute over-the-knee boots I have are cute... not warm.  Note to self.  

9.  I went to the library today.  It's been so long since I went to the library that my card had expired and I was no longer even in the computer!  I don't generally borrow books as it takes a long time for me to read one.  Today I checked out 2 books of cross-stitch patterns.  Now I have to remember to return them on time!

10.  My dizzy spells have been better that past couple of days.  Until I missed lunch today because I was at physio.  Definitely have to not miss meals... or I feel like crap!

A Year In Review

2010 will go down in my mind as the most challenging year of my 34 years.  And I'm still shiny-side up.

The first few months of the year were riddled with pain, headaches and monthly calls to Dr. Gentili waiting for my surgery date.  I'm happy to report the pain of the first months of the year is behind me because of my June decompression surgery.

In February we celebrated my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary.  Theirs is a love from which I try to model my own marriage.  They didn't want any big celebration, just cake and coffee with the family.  I ordered letters and certificates of congratulation from Queen Elizabeth II, the Prime Minister, the Governor General, the Premier, and the Mayor of our city.  I was so proud to say I have grandparents who were married for 60 years.  It is a remarkable achievement. 

My grandma's health began to fail shortly after her 83rd birthday in April.  She was admitted to hospital and we knew it was very touch and go.  In true grandma fashion, she surprised us and started to get better and was moved to the rehab hospital.  She had been given a discharge date.  And then her tired heart gave it's last beat.  And it broke my heart.  It broke everyone's heart in my family.  And not a day goes by when I don't think of her a dozen times.  And at least once or twice those memories are coupled with tears.

A few days after my grandma passed away I received a phone call from Dr. Gentili's office with my decompression surgery date - June 22, 2010.  I won't reiterate the whole story.  It's here  and here.  It was the scariest thing I've ever had to face.  Worse than public speaking in grade school, the first day of high school, even traveling across the ocean to live in Italy.  I was petrified, but I was calm, prepared and anxious to feel better.  And I do.  If I had to do it all again, I would.  The difference it has made in my life is amazing, and I'm just 6 months post-op.  With 2 years to fully recover, I can only hope that I continue to feel this good.

The months after my surgery were long and very lonesome.  I did a lot of walking and a lot of physio at home.  I rested when I needed to.  I did what I could.  With the help of my dear husband I made it through.  I still struggle with my nerve issues in my right arm, but I will head to back Toronto Western on January 28th, 2011 for a nerve conductive study.  And that will hopefully provide a prognosis or at least a firm diagnosis.

November and December were good months, preparing for Christmas and craft shows and returning to work.  I kept busy with crafts as much as I could, a little at a time.  I did two successful craft shows and 1 trip to sell crafts at my mother-in-law's old office.  I'm very happy with the craft season this year.  As I was off work or only working 3 hours a day I had extra opportunity to bake, write Christmas cards, and get ready for the holidays.  I have never been a Christmas person, but this year I was actually in the spirit.  I wanted to get the tree up.  I was finished my shopping and wrapping early.  And I baked enough goodies for a small army.  And on the actual days I wasn't sick, exhausted or miserable.  I was fortunate to not get a headache or flu or cold.  (Well, I did end up with a bit of a cold on December 27th, but it wasn't on the holiday for a change!)

I'm very happy looking back at this year with all of it's trials and struggles.  I can say I'm still shiny-side up after all of it.  And that's what matters most.

Hodge-Podge

1.  My wonderful husband has completed the trim work in the last bedroom.  IT IS BEAUTIFUL!!!  And he brought my piano up from the basement and put it in the room.  First time my piano has lived upstairs since we moved into the house!! :)

2.  I grew an ugly tomato - a really ugly tomato - people pay big bucks for these at the grocery store.  Should have sold it on eBay or something!!  But bumps, lumps and all the splits cut away - it tasted awesome!  There are still a lot of tomatoes still to ripen on the vines and I hope to make at least one batch of tomato sauce with them.

3.  I gave into the shoulder pain on Friday and went to emergency.  The doctor had an x-ray done - of course it showed nothing.  But he did put in a referral to the fracture clinic which will fast track me in to seeing the orthopaedic surgeon - hopefully in the next couple weeks (instead of MONTHS).  I was told to use a sling and to ice it.  I have been using the sling a couple hours a day while the hubby and I watch tv or while I ice it.  It helps a little, but not a lot.

4.  This morning there was frost.  The 6th of September - it's not unheard of, but still a little early for my liking.  I covered my tomato plants last night as I would prefer they ripen on the vine and not in the basement.

5.  Surefire way to aggravate a torn shoulder - sit down at the piano your husband moved into the spare room and play for the first time since last Christmas.  Three songs and I was done.  But I do miss playing!!

6.  I watched momma and two young otters swim down-river this morning on my walk.  They were fishing.  And so pretty!  I love watching wildlife.  And the river is only a block from my house, smack-dab in the middle of town.

7.  I promised a picture of my beaded Christmas tree ornament - the one I designed from a picture I saw. Here you go!!  Nothing amazing, but I think they are cute.  Right now I'm working on spiders - Christmas spiders (not creepy crawly gross things I make the husband kill if they live on the main floor of our house).  I'm getting ready for the Christmas craft show season.  This week I have to call the consignment shop in town and find out when I can bring in my stuff for the holiday shopping season as well.  I live in such a small city that yes, we have 1 consignment craft shop, and most craft shows might see between 120 to 500 people in a day.  You have to be diverse if you want to make any money with what you are selling.  There are many years when I don't even make enough to pay for the rental table.  I know I'll do one show this year, but might look into one more.

8.  Suddenly, after 10 weeks of having no social life, things have suddenly turned around...strange! I went for lunch with my mother-in-law and aunts-in-law on Thursday.  Saturday I had tea with a dear, dear friend who is going for wrist surgery in Toronto on Wednesday - I'm praying for her!!! And this week I will be having lunch with another friend before she goes back to Bogota.  Plus appointments galore in the next two weeks - massage, shoulder MRI, physical, eye doctor, and I really need a haircut soon!!  And I should hear from the fracture clinic too, so I'll have to head up there for a day too.  I'm not complaining - it's nice to be out of the house.  And in another week or so I can actually drive!! :)

101 Things

I saw another blog or two with 101 things about the person, so I'm hitch hiking once again.  But rather than 101 all at once, I will divide it into a couple of posts instead, a little easier to read.

101.  I live in the same city in which I was born despite wanting to move away several times, I always came home

100.  I have one brother, one uncle, three cousins, one nephew, my mum, my mum’s partner, one papa.  Kinda small family, which I love deeply!

99.    I’m a 1998 alumni of Lakehead University – a Bachelor in French

98.    I drive a truck, not a car, not an SUV, a truck.  And I will always prefer a truck to a car.

97.    You can’t pick your in-laws, but I got great ones out of the deal, and I miss my father-in-law dearly

96.    I live where the average temperature in the winter is -8C / 16F in January during the day and overnight can dip to -38C / -36F.  In the summer we enjoy up to 16 hours of sunshine and temperatures in the 30sC / 80sF.  I like variety :P

95.    I love frogs.  I gave up counting at 125 collected frogs, and occasionally a live one or two – African dwarf frogs

94.    I speak English, Italian, French, and a little Finnish

93.    My husband and I have no children and do not plan to have any (don’t preach to me, I’ve heard all angles – it’s a medical reason)

92.    I ride a 1998 Kawasaki Ninja 500 – it’s purple and silver and I really miss  riding it this summer

91.    We don’t have cable or satellite tv.  We have rabbit ears on our 50” Pioneer plasma tv which gets us 2 channels most days, and up to 4 when the weather is right

90.    I love to garden.  I inherited that from my grandma and mum

89.    I am a Taurus and the year of the Dragon, and I fit both descriptions very well

88.    I prefer to bake my own bread.  But I use a bread maker to mix it because of a bad shoulder and arthritis in my hands

87.    I lived in La Spezia, Italy for 3 months on exchange when I was 16

86.    My father was born in Finland, making me and my brother first generation Canadians on his side

85.    My best friend lives 1,600 km or 1,000 miles away, and I miss her!

84.    I work as a legal assistant for 2 lawyers in corporate law.  Nothing nasty in my job – just business

83.    I am a crafter.  Needlework, beads, cards, painting, ceramics… I do it all

82.    I worked in insurance claims for almost 10 years just out of university, and no, it’s not what I went to school for

81.    I have had 2 surgeries to repair my right shoulder, 2 on my right foot, 1 for an ectopic pregnancy and 1 for posterior fossa decompression with a dura graft from my thigh (brain surgery….), and countless scopes

80.   My husband and I spent our honeymoon at Walt Disney World.  10 perfect days, 4 parks, and lots of roller coasters.

79.     My love of roller coasters ended with the Chiari diagnosis

78.    I have way too many Disney movies memorized…

77.    I have skied since I was not quite 3 years old

76.  I have an aquarium with tetras, neons, a pleco, and a catfish.  No froggies right now :(

75.   I trained as a lifeguard in high school and taught swimming lessons

What to Report??

Well, recovery continues... brain and leg are healing well. I'm up and walking 1.5 miles every morning and sometimes up to 1.3 miles in the afternoon if it's not hotter than the Mojave out there!!  My shoulder is still giving me GRIEF! But I can't do much about it until I have my MRI and then see an orthopaedic... I have one locally and one in Toronto to whom I am being referred.  Whoever can get to me first I will see.  Yes, it's that frustrating and painful that right now I'd be willing to chop it off at the joint and go limbless.  Except, I would have to work on my left-handed hand writing again...

Seeing as I don't have anything to report on my recovery, I thought I'd post a pic of my latest creation...  

Christmas fairies - in red, pink, violet, blue and crystal. Red photographs the best. I've started working on some other designs too - Christmas trees - and I'll share them with you soon too.  I also really want to get out the fabric and porcelain heads to make some more angels.

It's pretty quiet around here so I have a lots of time to work on my crafts when I have the energy.  There are lots of days when my shoulder screams at me to stay away from the wire cutters and dishes of beads, but I try to push through and make one or two things...  Days like today when the humidity is high and the heat unbearable there's not much I can do outside, so sitting in front of the fan with my projects is it.

I have to place an order for more beads sooner than later it appears too.  I've been using them up like crazy.  My local store charges an arm and a leg and a foot for beads so I buy there in a pinch when I'm running low.  But my ultimate supplier for beads comes from, surprise surprise, the US, Florida to be precise.  The price difference when you can buy bulk is astounding - 18mm pearls $0.40 here, or $0.07 from the US, including shipping and exchange.  Not to mention the variety and the bulk bags I can get.  When I use almost 100 of a bead on one project and the local supplier sells the bead in bags of 100 - kinda gets expensive.

But not to bore you any further with talk of nothing anyone else in the world is interested in... I'll sign off and wish everyone a pleasant, cool evening.