Heat, Humidity and Heart

This heat wave has been a killer!  You might think that having spent much of my youth on the boards (or stage) that I am used to the heat of the bright lights, but let me tell you, nothing can compare to the heat that we have been experiencing here in the South East!  Not for me anyway.  I don't consider myself a Southerner living in Maryland, but we are south of the Mason-Dixon line so I guess that is what we are, but true Southerners would dispute it I am sure!  But despite the fact, it is HOT and HUMID here! 

Last week it was 109 outside and when the heat index was factored in it was 124 degrees.  I don't care who you are-that's hot! 

The heat is just killing me.  Not literally mind you, but it really is doing quite a number on my physical being.  I don't like it, I can't take it, and I WANT MY MOMMY!  If this doesn't break soon, the family is going to find me curled up in a fetal position sucking on a bottle (of wine) twirling my hair and babbling incoherently.  Oh - wait a minute, I think that happened Sunday, but anyway you get the picture.  I don't like this weather.  It puts me in a constant state of 'what's next'.  The heat brings on the headaches, which in turn brings on the nausea and the vision problems, and vertigo and all that rot, now I've noticed that symptoms that I thought were under control are ba-aaack!  Visiting again are my old friends the Tremors, and we can't forget about those unhospitible guests the Myotonias, and where would I be without my old friend  Hypersomnia.  (He is the biggest pain of all because even when he leaves he's never really gone!)  Which is all to say, this month has been pretty rough on me and I've been doin' my best to get through it without whining and moaning too much but sometimes, I just need a bag to scream into and today this blog is my bag.  So there you go.

What have I been doing, for real?  Honestly, not a whole lot.  Staying inside, keeping cool.  Sleeping.  A lot.

As much as I hate to do that, I have to do that and I am miserable if I can't take a nap.  Sounds crazy doesn't it?  I am almost 50 years old, I've never been one to take naps during the day, or even sleep in for that matter and now I can fall asleep at the drop of a hat.  Next thing you know I'll be investing in Depends so I won't have to get out of bed to go to the bathroom!  Ha!  Not that it matters much anyway, I do it in my sleep from what I understand.  I must be reverting back to my infancy or something. 

Last weekend the kids had a treasure hunt for Bella and Aiden and it ended with their treasure being new Ice Cream Sundae bowls for each of them, toppings and an ice cream scoop.  Their treasure was an Ice Cream Sundae Party to celebrate National Ice Cream Day of course! 

We all joined in the fun, but I had yogurt and was called a traitor for my efforts! 

This weekend, was pretty quiet.  Sunday Michelle and Shawn took Bella and Shawn's niece Jordyn to the Princess Breakfast at the Way Off Broadway Theatre.  Here is our little Princess;

She's getting so big and grown up looking.  She went as Rapunzel.

Later on in the evening, we all went to Shawn's parents home for dinner.  His sister Courtney was home from Florida, so we got to meet her and his sister Jennifer and her husband Jason and their three children were there as well.  It was a delightful evening with good food, a very warm and welcoming atmosphere and lots of fun stories and conversation.

One other thing that has been keeping me busy as of late is another new addiction-Heartsy!  Have you heard of it?  If you know of the Etsy site then you may know about Heartsy.  Etsy is an online 'mall' where anyone who crafts things can set up a shop and sell their homemade items online.  Here is what Hearts has to say about themselves: Heastsy features exclusive private sales on handmade designer items across the internet. Our mission is to introduce you to new & talented artisans every day via amazing deals.

And let me tell you, the deals are amazing!  For instance, I bought a voucher for a shop that was worth $59 for just $20!  Then I could use that voucher like cash in that particular shop and purchase whatever I wanted to.  Pretty cool, right?!  And they also have referral rewards.  How does that work?  Well, NEW: Invite friends, and share $10 with every friend you refer.

After you buy the deal, you'll get a unique link to share. If your friend buys a deal on Heartsy, you get $10 to spend with us in the future! 
Can't beat that, right?  Look them up at Heartsy.me and browse their site and you can see some of the deals that they have featured today, and what they will be featuring tomorrow.  It doesn't cost you anything to join unless you become a VIP member.  You will get the deals sent to you inbox each day and if you are interested you just click on the link to look further and if you want to purchase, you click on it and buy it!  So simple.  I've already picked up a couple of gifts and maybe one or two things that I might not want to give away!  I Love Heartsy!  You will too!

Friday Already?

I don't know how this week has gotten away from me but it has.  Actually I am sure that I can put it into a word-migraine.  For whatever reason I was hit hard this week with a migraine that started on Tuesday.  I could feel it coming on which is not always the case with me.  I started getting 'floaters' in my eyes and feeling just slightly nauseaus, so I tried to be careful about what I ate and made sure to wear my glasses so not to strain my eyes, I was vigilant about my medication.  To no avail.  It hit hard sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, while I was sleeping.  I woke up in the middle of the night in severe pain.  Eyes burning, head crushing, dizzying, bed spinning PAIN!  If you've ever been there, then you know what I am talking about and it is an absolutely terrible way to be woken from sleep.  It is a terrible way to have to live.

 

So many people throw around the word migraine and misuse it for the word headache, but for those of us who truly suffer, the difference might be compare to having a splinter in your finger or a railroad stake driven through your hand.  There is no difference. 
The University of Md. Medical Center describes a migraine as such:

The headache from a migraine, with or without aura, has the following characteristics:

• Throbbing, pounding, or pulsating pain
• Often begins on one side of your head and may spread to both or stay localized
• Most intense pain is often concentrated around the temple(s) (side of the forehead)
• Can last from 4 - 72 hours

These symptoms may occur at the same time or before the headache:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Dizziness, lightheadedness, or even vertigo (feeling like the room is spinning)
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue
• Visual disturbances, like seeing flashing lights or zigzag lines, temporary blind spots (for example, loss of your peripheral vision), or blurred vision
• Parts of your body may feel numb, weak, or tingly
• Light, noise, and movement – especially bending over – make your head hurt worse; you want to lie down in a dark, quiet room
• Irritability

Symptoms that may linger even after the headache is gone:

• Feeling mentally dull, like your thinking is not clear or sharp
• Sleepiness
• Neck pain

To put it succinctly, it sucks.  Really and truly.  There is no escape no way out it is just a waiting game.  I am now somewhere around hour number 55 and counting.  The good new is that my vision has gotten better.  While it is still blurred, I no longer feel as though I am looking at the world through clouded lenses.  And I am no long nauseaus or vomiting.  A vast improvement from yesterday and the day before.  My head is still pounding, my eyes hurt, I'm tired and menmtally I feel incapacitated.  As for the irratibility goes, just ask the receptionist at my work who sent me an email to tell me that I had packages at the front desk.  I had to assume that my response to her was somewhat on the terse side because she emailed back to me 'ALRIGHTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!   JEESHH!"   I had to very quickly eat humble pie (via email of course) blaming it all on the headache.

So, that's my tale of woe for the week.  I tell you this so the next time that someone says they have a migraine that you will understand a little of what they are going through.  Or that if you have a headache please don't say that you have a migraine, the two are vastly different.  
And one more thing, any prayers you could send up for me would be greatly appreciated.  I think I could use any and all I can get about now.   

Celebrating our Independence

I know that I have mentioned it before, but I love a three day weekend!  It's so nice to have that extra day to relax and recover before heading back to the grind of the work week.  Jim worked on Saturday and Monday, and I have to say that I really didn't mind.  I know that you might think that sounds terrible, but hear me out.  He gets in my way.  Really.  No all the time, but you know, just when I want or need to get something done. 

Now don't get all uppity on me, saying things like 'I love having my husband/boyfriend/S/O/whatever, home with me'.  Yea, right.  We all do.  Sometimes.  But not all the time. Getting underfoot.  Making a mess when I'm trying to clean up.  Dirtying dishes after I've just finished cleaning the kitchen and not bothering to put said dishes in the dishwasher.  Yes.  I have one of those husbands.  I will admit that he is wonderful in many ways.  In keeping the house neat and picking up after himself ways, not so much.  As a matter of fact-not at all!  He's a slob.  He thinks that his shoes belong on the kitchen floor and that if I trip over them all the time then you would think that I or anyone else in the house who may trip over them would know by now that they are there.  Because he never puts them away!  Get my point?

So, Saturday he worked and I got things done without him.  I made cookies.  So, I didn't get the house cleaned like I had intended, but I made cookies.  Well, I did do some wash and ironing, made the bed, and vacuumed and general cleaning before Michelle, Bella and I ran a few errands before I began baking.  I also made my cookie dough and got it in the fridge to chill.  Then when we got home and got everything put away, I rolled out my dough and cut out my cookies.  Stars for the 4th. I thought that they would be easy to decorate and easy to work with.  I was wrong.  I am not so artistic and need a guide or something to follow.  Because once I started to decorate the cookies, I just lost all train of thought and forgot the ideas that I had had in my head previous to my baking session.  Where did they go?  Who knows but they were gone for good!  So, I mostly marbled them which I had never done before but was fairly easy and came out pretty good.  Looks way harder than it really is!  Didn't take any pictures though.

Then on Sunday we had some guests over for dinner.  Shawn, Aiden, Della, and Rex came over for chicken and ribs and fixens.  We made it fairly simple and bought the ribs and chicken at Giant Eagle and Michelle and I fixed everything else.  It was casual and very nice.  Way too hot to do too much cooking inside or out! 
Before we ate, Bella had been itching to show Aiden and experiment that she had seen at a show at the park with Jim.  She and  Jim had gotten the required ingredients, so we all went outside to watch as the kids did the experiment.  The ingredients:  Diet Coke and Mentos.  The results;

Add 2 Mentos to 2 Liters of Diet Coke

Step Back

Watch Coke Fountain

Jump for Joy!

Bella was thrilled with the results and Aiden wanted to do it again and again.  Jim thought it was a great waste of $2.00.  (Luckily the Dt. Coke was on sale for .68!)

Anyway, we had a great evening with good food and nice company. Della and Rex are Shawns parents and are so nice and we really enjoyed the chance to get to know them a little better and hope to have the opportunity to spend more time with them in the future. 

Monday Michelle and Shawn were off to the Park with the kids, Jim was at work and I was at home alone.  I cleaned the mud room, ironed, cleaned up from the night before, read a book, took a nap and generally enjoyed the day.  Jim and I had leftovers for dinner and watched a Capitol Fourth on TV and cought the fireworks there, which was a good t hing because by the time 9:00 rolled around it was pouring! 

So, it was a quiet 4th at our house.  I was in bed by 9:30!  

 I'll tell you, it's tough getting old. ha!

Happy 4th!

Just popping in quickly to say that I hope everyone has a safe and Happy 4th of July!  Thanks to all of of service men and women for all they do to keep us safe here at home.  Our Freedom does not come without a price.  We are privelidged to live in the greatest country in the world!  God Bless the USA!