She's a survivor!

Last post I wrote about a certain little person eating a watch battery. How she got it was highly disturbing, but that wasn't the point. There were several batteries in her reach and I thought she might have eaten more than one.
I took her to the ER and the sent us right over to get an xray. She was so happy, not uttering a word of disagreement when we laid her down on that cold table! I, on the other hand, was quite shaken by the fact that the other batteries I saw were corroded and I was sure that there was acid swimming around her little baby stomach getting ready to do some serious damage.
They quickly took the xray and I could hear them declaring, "There it is! Yep, I see it. She got that one down all right!" I was giggling since they sounded like they had just discovered Mars.
We went back down to the ER and after a few minutes the Dr came in to discuss the plan. Plan A-If she became ill then we were to bring her right in. Plan B-If she were to pass it then she should be okay. If not, then well, back to plan A.
Needless to say, we were sent home to wait and see what happens.
The next morning, it happened. The battery made its way out after breakfast and my life was made easier.

Love American Style, or how to spend too much money.. (:-)

Yesterday was Valentines Day.
Do you remember that day? The day you spent too much money on things that you probably shouldn't have. I was and am becoming a bit wiser these days so most of my gifts were bought nearly a month ago when the items hit the stores. I was wandering through Sainsbury's (an American equivalent of that would be almost like Albertsons), when they had just began putting out the fine chocolates that I knew my family loved. I picked out one for each of them and a LARGE Toblerone for myself. Oh yes, I was selfish for only a moment, but if you know me and my chocolate, it will be shared and consumed by others more than myself.
Anywho, the night before V-Day I went to the BX and saw the array of overpriced items that people had preordered and had yet to pick up. There was also a wall of items to buy for those "last minute "suckers"". I priced a bunch of items a month ago and was shocked to see the price gouging that had taken place since then. A giant stuffed bear and a cheap box of no-name chocolates for $30.00 dollars!!! What????? I don't think so!
I shudder to think what the price of a dozen roses were. Why do people do this to themselves?? I know that I'm not queen of plan ahead, but I hate to throw money out the window for something I don't have to. What is the true meaning of V-Day? Hmmm? Is it a day to outspend the Joneses? DO you have to? That's coveting. You should do what you can to let your love one feel loved- everyday that you live. Not just on one day of the year. My family didn't ask for anything specific so I was intent on giving them something they would really love- Breakfast for dinner. When we were in America, a special treat for us would be to go to IHOP, (International House Of Pancakes). We were going to have Belgian waffle palooza along with enough bacon to stop the heart of a horse! Oh yes, we were gonna have a good time. Do you hear the disco music playing in the background? I do..
But the dream of swimming in bacon ended when Baby Dear ate a watch battery.........

Wednesday, Wednesday.

Well, as usual I have taken too long of a break and now have writers clog or whatever the phrase is.
It's been quite busy as usual and I have wanted to write and let you know what was going on, but whenever I get to the computer, a short person who is as strong as an ox, overtakes my leg with her preciously sharp nails and sends me into a leg slapping frenzy! You see, I cut her nails EVERY WEDNESDAY and even though I buff those sharp edges down, they manage to resharpen themselves or something when i'm not looking. Maybe it's the squareness of them. Whatever it is, it's painful and I can't take it anymore! What to do? What to do? Hmmm,I reserved myself to not sitting at the desk when she is crawling around. And so hence, the lack of blogging.

February is here and it is the month of LUVV.
Yes, I spelled that right. And I am not talking about the diapers either.
I want to spend the next couple of weeks thinking and expressing my love for so many blessings that I have had.

1. God- Isn't HE great??????
2. My dear husband. He is usually behind the scenes and dosen't get the credit he deserves, but he has been able to provide for us more than I ever thought. He is quite encouraging when he's not busy working........
3. My children! They are such a bumper crop of personality! I don't know what to say about them except that they are sweet and well behaved and hmmmm, they are my arrows.
4. Living overseas!! It's a once in a lifetime experience that I have had TWICE! How neat is that???
5. My mother and grandmother- They are gone to be with the Lord now but have left me a rich legacy and so many memories..
6. Family that remembers and cares for us- Once in a while I get an email or card from an aunt or two,(or an uncle and my father in law), just to let me know that they are thinking about me. Even though I'm not there, they haven't forgotten me. Makes me feel good.
7. Friends!-Especially the ones whom you don't hear from for months but you know that when you see them again it will be like you never left! Judy, Grandpa & Grandma Hassel, Rhonda, The Pages, Sensenigs, Mummaus, Goods, Ainsworths, Yoders, and so many more. Please don't be upset if I didn't mention you by name- I didn't forget you!!
8. Church Family- need I say more? We love them all.

Now that's my list for today. I'm headed to storytime with the little ones.

Abundant Blessings to you all!
Misty

The Anti-Vacation-It keeps on going........

My oldest child went out of town for about 5 days last week. She went to the beautiful city of Prague on a school trip. Yes, I said "school trip". She went for a Model UN debate and worked hard to get her resolution passed. She just happened to be representing China. Representing China on human rights. I know, everyone thinks that China is the bully of human rights and we can't all agree with what they do or don't do, but you have to walk in their shoes and do the best you can for your people.
Anywho, she went to Prague and had a good time except for someone stealing her phone at airport security. Yes, how ironic is that? I think they did it on purpose, but that's my theory.

So here was her daily schedule.
Breakfast
Touring- walking the city at a high rate of speed.
Lunch.
More touring.
Back to the room for a shower.
Dinner.
Model UN ceremonies.
Debating.
After debate party or get together.
Delegation meeting.
Bedtime.
Repeat for 4 days.
Come home exhausted!

So she came home 3 days ago and has been dragging ever since. her eyes are puffy and she has been getting ready for bed at 7 pm. This morning I asked her what was wrong with her? She laid in bed for an extra 20 minutes and when she finally arose and came down for breakfast, she said she was more tired from staying there versus just getting up and getting started with her day. Why was she so pooped since she just came back from a vacation-holiday???? She turned to me and with her bloodshot eyes said, "This wasn't a vacation! It was an anti-vacation!! They walked us to death and then we had to pull ourselves together after the 5 hours of nonstop walking to fight for our countries! Then we had to talk about it some more! I'm so tired!!"

She stumbled out the door 15 minutes later, late for school.

She's young and semi-resilient.
But hey, hmmm, anti-vacation. I think we have a new word!

A New Year and etc......

Okay, I AM a few weeks late, but I had a good excuse(reason), for not blogging. I was actually trying to rest and recuperate from my last surgery. The second was a lot harder than the first and I feel like a sluggard some days, but people keep telling me that once you get up in age, your body dosen't recover as fast as it used to. I must have aged a bunch in between the first and second surgeries because I'm dragging a lot more now.
The offending mass was sitting in my chest right on my aorta. It was a biggie- the size of a small melon is what the Dr described it as.
I am alive and thank God for it all!
Meanwhile, I look forward to a new year of enjoying the challenges and riches that God has in front of me.

P.S. We started Baby Dear on solids and this look says how she truly feels about new foods.

Oh no, not again!

Mr Thyroid is gone and his cousin Thymus is causing trouble.
Last Friday, before I went to get my stitches out, Old Doc wanted me to do a ct scan. I went early and did it then went home before my appt. I went back to the hospital for the appt and the Doc was downstairs in radiology discussing the findings of the ct scan.
RED FLAG!!!!! Hmmm, it took him a while to get upstairs to me and I could tell he had some news. He is such a sweetheart and I really get a kick out of his bubbly personality. He's the kind of person that you wouldn't mind being stuck in an elevator with because he's humorous and happy, no matter the circumstance.
Anywhoo, He told me that my thymus was enlarged. Mr Thyroid was big,but Cousin Thymus was gigantic and that's probably why they couldn't get the probe down my esophagus. My esophagus was being pushed aside by this gigantic mass and it was sitting on my aorta. It needed to come out and he wasn't the man to do it! Bless him. He knew when to call in reinforcements!!! He emailed another Dr in Cambridge and said that they would be contacting me so that I could be seen soon. We looked at the ct scan and he showed me all the exciting bits so I knew what he was talking about.
Hmmmmmm. Interesting.
The phone at home rang around 3pm and a loverly British accented lady named Beryle told me that I was to come to an appointment on Monday at Nuffield hospital. Now, I've been here many years and have seen that the British healthcare system does not work fast. Weeks and weeks pass and you are still waiting. This was a remarkable event! I was to be seen on Monday! And I was seen on Monday and guess what else? They are to do surgery on Friday! Miracles happen. Apparently this thing, Cousin Thymus, is really awful. As I was describing the new symptoms I have accumulated since the original surgery, the new Dr's eyebrows slowly creeped up his head. He looked quite concerned when I finished speaking to him. He declared that we needed to have surgery quite soon and the soonest he could do it would be Friday. So here we go again.

That's the latest update. Can you believe it?

Happy Trails, Mr Thyroid

I didn't get to post for Thanksgiving since I was so busy cooking and eating. I didn't post afterwards because I was embarrassed about the lateness of it and also that we had NO guests since the weather made the roads slippery and our other guests had the flumonia that day. The week after began with me preparing for the upcoming thyroid surgery that I had come to grips that I was going to have to have in the next few years. This thyroid issue is something of a family curse just like the generational phrase I heard all of my lifetime in our small community in Texas.(Ohh, look over there. There's one of those Server women!!) Apparently the women in my family were quite the Cleopatra of the neighborhood.
So where was I? Oh yes, back on the thyroid again. So this problem dates three generations and dosen't seem to skip any woman in our family. About 75% have had surgery for this thyroid which enlarges and seems to make ones neck bulge. At least that's what happened to me. I went to the Dr for a new seasonal allergy medication and he felt my lymph nodes, stepped back and declared, "My goodness, we have to get a ct scan on that thyroid of yours!" As soon as he said thyroid, I knew I had a problem. You see, my mother passed away after having her thyroid removed just last year. She had many other complications that led to her death, but the word thyroid strikes fear in my heart. I did eventually see the ear, nose and throat Dr who said that if I began to have problems and I would know what problems they were, then we'd meet again and discuss what to do next.
Fast forward to October. I was having a few problems swallowing and couldn't seem to sleep on one side because of pressure on my throat so I made the call. Well, Old Doc said that we better get another ct scan and see what's going on. The ct scan revealed that it hadn't enlarged much, but was putting pressure on my throat. So what's next? Out he goes! Old Doc and I named this offender "Big Boy" and gave him an eviction date of Dec 2, 2010.
It had taken weeks to prepare for this and Mother Nature messed up my plans for childcare so "The Oldest" hesitantly stayed home from school to help out Mr.with the little ones. I was scheduled to show up at 06:30am for a suspected surgery time of 8:30am. I was running a bit late since we had no heat or hot water, and showed up about 06:50. I check in and waited until about 07:45. I thought they forgot about me and was talking myself into leaving and postponing the whole fiasco when they called my name. I nearly felt as if the executioner was waiting for me. I went back to the preop, dressed in the hospital garb of the day, in went the iv and minutes later, the multiple questionings began. In walks Old Doc with his happy self to mark up my neck with his initials and a diagram of the work to be done(just kidding). He at least had to mark the correct side he was to work on so that I wouldn't wake up with a lawsuit pending. Anywho, the nurse anesthetist and his colleague came and wanted my to suck on this lollipop made of a gauze, tongue depressor and a giant glob of numbing medication. When he asked me to do that, I looked at the colleague and rolled my eyes up heavenward relaying to him how i felt about the suggestion. He kindly spoke the words that I didn't say."I don't think so, buddy! You picked the WRONG person. I don't like lollipops!!!!"
Needless to say, the first fellow whipped out a syringe and pumped something into my IV and the last thing I remember is grabbing the colleagues hand and squeezing it for all it was worth!
Later that day............ I awakened with a really sore throat and could hardly speak. My neck was wrapped up and there seemed to be a constant stream of visitors to check on me. I sipped a bit of water and then some broth but it came back up. Oops! Nevermind, they'll feed me again later.
Old Doc came in and explained to me that there were a few twists during this surgery. They couldn't get this probe in my esophagus. It just wouldn't go down and that's when I grabbed the nurse's hand. He also sent a sample of the thyroid and thymus to the lab for a biopsy. Both samples came back negative for cancer.(Thank God!)
You can go home tomorrow......
I got home and Baby Dear boohooed on me for all she was worth! Oh did she cry! It's as if she was telling me what happened while I was gone, and scolding me for leaving and confessing that she wasn't treated right either! Then she nursed beautifully and has been ever since.
My scar isn't bad looking either. Nice and small and it will blend into the seam of my neck just beautifully!
Sorry I had to shorten this. More news to come later......