Earthquake Measured at 5.9 Magnitude Rattles Washington, New York - ABC News

Earthquake Measured at 5.9 Magnitude Rattles Washington, New York - ABC News

I felt it!

The Little Man and I were at Wally-world and had stopped in Subway to get a sandwich. I felt the shaking but I'm a little slow. At first I thought I had a wobbly chair. Even when I noticed the the signs over the produce department shaking I thought someone had messed with them. It wasn't until I heard someone asking someone else if they felt the shaking that I realized it was probably an earthquake. Um... DUH!!

When I Grow Up

Once upon a time there was a little girl.  As she grew up she realized she wasn't the pretty one, that was her younger sister.  She wasn't the smart one.  That was her other younger sister.  She was just... her.

When she was almost grown she wanted to be a teacher.  But when she went to college she wasn't very good at it.  She goofed off.  She skipped classes.  She dropped out.  She went home to face her disappointed parents and her pretty and smart sisters.  She tried community college, but she wasn't much better at that than she had been at university.  She dropped out of that also. 

Time rolled along, she became a wife and had kids of her own.  She worked part time to help mothers breastfeed their babies.  But her job was forever trapped in the category of  "part time temporary" and there was no room for advancement.  She thought of becoming a board certified lactation consultant.  She took one online class and after barely passing realized she may not be very good at this either.  But she held onto the thought of getting that certification.  Until she realized that because she wasn't a nurse, or a nutritionist, or something else with a bunch of letters following her name - being a lactation consultant wouldn't mean much to potential employers. 

She thought perhaps she should become a nurse.  She tried to push past her fear of being the oldest person in the classes.  She tried to push past her fear of science classes that involved a lot of mathematical equations.  She tried to push past her fear of  classes period.  In the end, she realized that if she can't even clean up after her own kids being sick without dry heaving - she probably wasn't going to be very good at dealing with strangers vomit, blood, etc either.  Which would not make her a very good nurse.

Just for good measure, the universe decided to give her a good kick to the teeth by having her pretty and smart sisters go to school to become a teacher and a nurse.  And one of her friends sat for the lactation consultant boards.  Just as if to remind her that others could achieve the things she was too lazy, or too afraid to do herself.

She tried to think of something she would be good at.  Something that would interest her.  Something that would stimulate her mind.  Something that would make her feel like she had found her place in the world.  Something she could look forward to doing and enjoy each day.  The right thing had to be out there somewhere.  

She realized that at 40+ years old, she still had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up. 


  

Froggy Set

First completed crochet project for the little tadpole

Frog bib with matching hat and booties

INTRODUCING...

My grandson!!  Expected arrival - around January 16, 2012!

Yep, you read that one right.  I'm gonna be a (gulp!!) grandmother!  Holy Cow!!!

Just Us Chickens

The girls have settled into thier new home quite nicely.  We've started letting them out to do a little free-ranging in the evenings just before sunset.  It's quite amusing to watch them run around doing thier thing.  Picking at every little bug that crosses thier path.  Spreading thier wings.  Re-inforcing the pecking order.  Chicken sort of stuff.

One thing no one tells you is how difficult it is to get decent pictures of chickens.  Small children and dogs have nothing on these ladies.  Just when you think they are still and you have a good shot - they turn away or run off.  They must be camera shy.

Svetlana, Medusa, and Shelly

Medusa

Shelly

Svetlana

Shelly and Miss Muffett

Amelia and Small Fry (aka: Fry)

Small Fry

Update to: Face on Fire

The saga continues...

I did make it to the Dr following my last post.  I got a steroid shot in the um... hip.  I got a round of prednisone.  I was told to take Benedryl at night, Zyrtec in the morning, Zantac and Prednisone twice a day.  The rash cleared up quickly.  Much to my relief.

The following Friday was my last dose of medicine.  I was glad to be done.  I don't like how I feel on Prednisone - or Benedryl.  But it was finally over.  Or was it?

By Wednesday, the rash was reappearing!!  CRAP!!  Now what?  I called the Dr Thursday.  Begging to be seen or get more prednisone.  I was promised that they would get a message to the nurse and she would let me know what the Dr wanted to do.  They were mistaken.  The nurse never called me back!

So, I called again Friday.  This time the nurse did return my call and I was given 5 more days of the Prednisone.  Ugh.  I am irritable.  On edge.  Let's face it... I'm more than a little bitchy thanks to this medicine.  And I'm also living in fear that once I run out, the rash will again rear it's ugly head all over my face.

Face on Fire

I'm not sure how it happened, but I am not happy about it.  I've gotten into something that my body does not agree with.  To be more specific - my face does not agree with whatever-it-is.  So, whatever-it-is has managed to set my face aflame. 

I have an eczema type rash covering much of my face, including my forehead, eyelids, right cheek, and jaw. This absolute loveliness even extends down the right side of my neck.   My eyelids (upper and lower) are swollen and even appear slightly bruised.  Oh yeah, as you can imagine... I'm looking gorgeous.  Not.  I'm like a cross between the elephant man and the losing boxer in a prize fight.



Is there a worse place to develop a red, itchy, swollen rash than the face?  Perhaps... but right now I can't believe that's possible.   Rashes in other places can be hidden by clothing and accessories.  Not this one.  It's right out front and center for the world to see.  And it itches like crazy! 

I'm sure it's the result of some sort of allergic reaction.  I'm not using any new face products or makeup.  I haven't eaten anything unusual or different.  My best guess is something in the garden.  Although I can't quite figure why the rash is only on my face and not my arms or legs.  Quite a mystery there. 

So, after 2 days of being doped up on benedryl, endless layers of Eucerin creme lotion, vitamin E oil, and even an oatmeal bath - I'm off to the Dr this afternoon.  I feel pretty sure there is some Prednisone in my immediate future.  Which I am also not happy about since I know how that particular medication makes me feel.  But that's another story.   Right now I just want the rash gone!

The Day of the Jellyfish

One morning I got up and headed down to the beach where the Man of the House was already getting in some early fishing.  There was a strange cloudy spot in the water...

It was a huge mass of jellyfish!    Those "bubbles" in the water  seen in the pictures below- are not bubbles. They are jellyfish floating on the surface.

There were jellyfish being washed up and scattered all over the sand.

Which seemed to make the seagulls very happy.



Fortunately the jellyfish invasion mostly cleared up within an hour or two and the water was once again safe for the human ocean lovers.



Fishing on the OBX

The Man of the House had a hook in the water every chance he got.

Even the Little Man got in on the surf fishing.

And they hopped a charter boat one morning for some fishing in the sound.



Bodie Island Lighthouse

After visiting Cape Hatteras lighthouse, we stopped on the way back at Bodie Island Lighthouse.  (according to locals - that's pronounced "body", not Bodie with a long O)  The lighthouse is not open for climbing and is undergoing a lot of restoration work recently.  Last year when we drove by the entire structure was surrounded by scaffolding.

Mother's Memories

ABC's,
     123's,
"Mommy, mommy,
     look at me!!"
Children's giggles,
     Popsicle grins,
Too soon become
     "Remember When".

Grow up - It's a Toy!

You've probably seen it or heard about it somewhere.  The Breast Milk Baby doll.  And people are fired up over it!  The "ladies" of  The View are talking about it.  Good Morning America is talking about it.  The Washington Post is talking about it.  Who knew a simple thing could cause such a stir.  Even Mr. Bill O'Reilly himself felt compelled to toss in his overblown, self-indulgent 2 cents on the issue.

It's a doll.  Which little girls can pretend to breastfeed.  GASP!!  Yes, that's right.  Imagine... little girls pretending to feed a pretend baby in the NORMAL way.  The way a woman's body is designed to work.  Shocking isn't it? (please insert the proper sarcastic tones as you read those last few lines and imagine me rolling my eyes here)

Personally, I don't understand the fuss.  My favorite argument is that it pushes little girls to grow up too fast.  It's a doll!!  Pretending to feed a doll is forcing our daughters to act too grown up too soon?  By that argument we should banish all dolls.   The doll is just one more way for children to imitate the behaviour of adults they see around them.  Just like little boys pretend to shave like daddy.  Or how we have little child sized kitchen sets for kids to play with.  How is play acting nursing a doll any different from pretending to bottle feed a doll?  Or change a doll's diapers? 

Oh right... it involves (whisper the word)  Breasts!  How dare we start teaching little girls what breasts are really meant for?  Why that's just "gross", right?!  Something that might show them that breasts are more than the silicone enhanced things they see on the cover of magazines while at the grocery store with mom, or on billboards selling beer while driving down the road in the family car, or bouncing around while some curvy blond runs across the screen of a TV show or movie? 

News flash!!  Breasts are on the female body as a way to nurture our young.  It's a biological fact.  It's not gross.  It's not freaky or unusual.  It's NORMAL.  And children who regularly see women breastfeeding learn this.  Do they need a special doll?  No, not really.  Little girls (and some little boys too for that matter) have been sitting next to mom while she feeds the new baby and putting their dolls, their stuffed animals, and even Elmo toys up to their chest and pretending to feed them for years and years.  It's innocent.  And in my opinion - it's adorable. 

I like how one child psychologist put it - the only way this doll is going to do harm to children is if you beat them over the head with it.  For all those people worried about this doll forcing kids to grow up too soon.  Maybe that's exactly what they need to do - GROW UP!

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

We got up early, stopped at Duck Donuts for some eats and headed south toward Cape Hatteras that morning.  The weather didn't look especially encouraging to begin.

Atleast it stopped raining long enough for us to visit the lighthouse, although due to the rolling thunder we were unable to make the climb to the top.

The Princess and the Little Man were less than thrilled to pose for pictures at first.

But before too long; I got them to play along...

And the rain held off until we left in search of lunch