Crafty Mama-- Christmas Pillows

Every once in a while, I will get a crafty surge and I have to succumb to it. Yesterday's was Christmas pillows. SaSa came over and I was setting up Christmas decorations and telling her how I thought I might make some Christmas pillows to match the tree skirt and she spotted my table runner and matching cloth napkins I had yet to put in their home. She told me to make that into a pillow.. I had two- I could make a pillow! I told her that if I used a different fabric for the back that I could make two! I also had the perfect cream to match the stripe. When I went to my fabric tote, I found a bunch of fabric that I could use in my pillow making. I decided to try to do and put together what I could so I could wait on going to Hobby Lobby just in case there was something else I ran across needing.

FINISHED PRODUCT!

Excuse the Christmas tree box in the floor...

This was the cloth napkin!

back of it. 

This is my tree skirt. I wanted the pillows to match.

Voila!

I made the back out of some red corduroy that I used for Addison's Christmas pants last year.. I obviously bought entirely too much! The light green was left over from the iPhone pillows I made a few months ago. The dark green was felt. The red dots were felt. It would have been easier to use felt for all 

the stripes but I had that fabric, so I used it.

This was an after thought pillow.. I had left over red fabric and I thought I would make one to match the stockings.

 

These are our stockings..

This one was REALLY an after thought. I had left over poly fill, so I decided to use scraps of fabric to make another pillow.

Want to know what these SIX pillows cost me? $20!!! Since I had the red felt, and all the fabric all I needed was green thread, dark green felt, and poly fill. Which I did poly fill instead of pillow inserts since it was cheaper and actually easier to work with. 

I'd say that's a Christmas deal!

Christmas Wish List... 2010

This years list is pretty simple. As I am a simple gal with simple tastes... (okay okay, y'all stop laughing...) 

I do need a ROAD ID for my outdoor running... Not sure if I want to bracelet or the shoe tie thing, but you can be the judge!

www.roadid.com

I would also like a running skirt.. size medium please! And maybe some capri tights and a running jacket? 

http://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpage-PFR618P.html

I am always up for some Sephora Gift Cards! 

www.sephora.com

A Nathan water bottle.. I get really thirsty on those not so long runs!

Here is the lens I am drooling over at the moment... The Nikon 105mm Micro.. oohh baby! 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/424744-USA/Nikon_2160_105mm_f_2_8G_ED_IF_AF_S.html

It should be a crime for how much I love Z Gallerie.. Really. It should. This bedding? Please come to live with me!

And these pillows? Perfect for my living room!

I also desperately need a foam roller.. You don't want me to injure myself running do you? You don't want that on your conscious. 

http://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpageWRA-NBWBK3P.html

Let's not forget a sweaty band to help hold my crazy hair away from my face!

www.sweatybands.com

If you really want to be my friend... you can get me this..

13 in Macbook Air... Ooohhh... Love. 

I will also take iTunes gift cards, Victorias Secret gift cards, Forever 21 gift cards, and Target gift cards. :)

Happy Shopping!

Catholics, Turkey, and Sand= Thanksgiving 2010

These past couple of weeks have been nothing but craziness for us/me. Being sick hasn't helped. I am also sick again... Sarah said I needed some pro-biotics. We shall see... I was busting my hump this weekend getting orders finished and tying up loose ends since we left on Sunday for the BEACH. Yeah.. nothing says "Thanks Pilgrims for the turkey and sweet potato pie" like a trip to the beach. Now, why the beach, you must ask? In case you were wondering, John's dad's family is Catholic, which means he has like 5 brothers and sisters. And you know how those Catholics are about breeding.. they just don't stop. I'm pretty sure that MeMac knows more about Poppy's family than he does. Everyone is scattered, so every other year, the family gets together at the beach and everyone comes down and it's super awesome with 50-60 Catholics, bloody marys, sand, turkey and more children than you can imagine. 

Last time, I was extremely pregnant with Claire and couldn't partake in the Bloody Mary's- they are Poppy's speciality- and I was super sad. But I am going to fight some aunts for them this year. I absolutely love Thanksgiving down here.. it's a vacation! Outlet shopping, booze, turkey, and sand. Can't really ask for much more. 

We got up early(not as early as we had planned, thanks to John not turning the alarm on) and hit the road and were down here by lunchtime on Sunday. I have been able to get a run in everyday-which has just totally made my trip. The girls have been able to get in the pool with people that brought their bathing suits-not me! 

I took Addison to get her first official mani/pedi today- it was love. Girlfriend was so stinking excited she could hardly contain herself. 

I also got to go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. Yeah... I like wizards and vampires. And I blog. I don't think I could get much nerdier. Ahh-mazing. I can't wait until Part 2 comes out... I may or may not have already re-read the book while down here... 

Anyway, we are doing our Thanksgiving dinner with the family tomorrow night and getting up Thursday to travel back home to get ready for the Iron Bowl.. Alabama vs Auburn is Friday. This is the big game, peeps. 

Lady Biz Saga Continued...

When we last left off, I was burned by the receptionist at my lady biz doctor and was made an appt for Tuesday. So, on the big day, I arrived with a couple of minutes to spare, and sat down to wait. A few minutes passed and they called me back to pay my co-pay. So, I went back there. The woman asked my name and appointment time and I told her and she couldn't find me on the list. *red flag* So, she just wrote me down and took my $20. I asked her if I came at the wrong time-- I am super paranoid about going to the doctor at the wrong time. She told me no that it hadn't printed off for whatever reason. So I head back to the waiting room. About 15 minutes later, the receptionist called me up there and asked why I was coming in today. I tried to keep my cool, but I am pretty sure my eyes were shooting daggers at that woman while I told my brief story of the crappy receptionist. It was probably her anyway.

So, I head back to my seat with the assumption they were working me in. Once I was the only person left, I was called back. I kinda sorta unloaded on the nurse, but tried to not take it out on her, afterall, it wasn't her fault. But she told me she was told I called and cancelled my appointment. UMMM WHAT?!!?!?! No, that didn't happen, at all.

They ended up doing my yearly exam... gotta love a little cervical scrapeage.  Dr. F told me that she thought that my problem was an egg popping out of my ovary. Not sure if I believe that or not, since I have NEVER had that happen before. But, a ultrasound wouldn't have done any good since the fluid is gone now. But, she didn't feel any cysts or anything on my ovaries, so I opted to not have an ultrasound.

I am still pretty jacked about the front office issues. Not sure what to do. It's not my doctors or her nurses fault and I was assured by Dr F that I would be seen the day I was in pain if it happens again. She also encouraged me not to skip out my b.c. anymore unless I wanted #3.

So I ask you, virtual friends, what would you do in this situation? Change doctors? I would have to go an hour out of town to see someone in a different group. Change doctors within the group? Write a letter to the office manager? Let it go completely?

Updates!

I ended up calling my OB/GYN yesterday and this is how the phone conversation proceeded:

Me: Hi! I'm a patient of Dr.F's and I am having some problems. I started having cramps last night in my lower abdomen around my ovaries, and then proceeded to start throwing up. I haven't thrown up today, but I am really hurting around my ovaries and was wondering if maybe I had a cyst to rupture? I would just like to talk to one of the nurses,please."

Mean Lady: "Well, she is going to want you to come in. How is Friday afternoon?"

Me: I can't do Friday. Is there anything sooner?

Mean Lady: Well then, can you do Tuesday? (In a snooty voice)

Me: *sigh* yes, Tuesday is fine. Am I still going to get to talk to a nurse today? Can someone call me back?

Mean Lady: Oh no. That's not likely.

Uhhh okay. Please tell me, what is the point of having doctors if and when you have a FREAKING problem, you can't get into see them that day? Please tell me how 6 days from now, this dr. appt is going to help me? This is ridiculous. I didn't call to be cock blocked by some stupid receptionist. I wanted to talk to someone. To see what I can do to aliviate pain. I can't even pick up my daughter b/c it hurts. Please tell me how this helps anyone?? Besides, when you go to these drs it's an all day affair anyway.

But, I am already feeling better. Just a little sore and extremely bloated. I have a muffin top over my jeans. I prefer elastic waist pants today.

On a different note... My weight loss is going pretty well. I got down to 136.5 a couple of weeks ago, and the WW peeps decided I needed less points and I kind of fell apart. And got sick. And with the bloating, I am back up to 139. Which isn't so bad. But I wanted to be 135 at Thanksgiving, and it doesn't look like that will happen. Sad day.

Pain Pain Go Away!!!

So last night started out okay. John is getting off of work at 4:00 now, and gets to come home and play with us. I made taco soup and it was smelling delicious. I couldn't wait to try it. We came in from a fun afternoon is riding bikes in the driveway ate some supper, played, watched some cartoons.. John had another Bama Club meeting, so it was just the girls. I got the girls to bed, had the last Granny Smith Woodchuck beer (it was delicious, by the way!), John came home and we watched Glee. We headed to bed afterwards, and I was satisfying my sweet tooth with some sweet tarts, and I started getting crampy. But it wasn't stomach crampy. It was like ovary crampy. John tells me to go the bathroom-- that's his answer for everything.

So, I am sitting there, feeling like I am dying, and I have a wave of heat come over me. I take off my socks and my pajama bottoms and ask John for a cold wash cloth. I laid on the cold tile to help cool me off.. and then, I just knew what was coming. So I sat up, and hugged the toilet. I think I started moaning and John said, "Are you okay?" And as my mouth started watering, I said, "I'm going to vomit". And I did. All that taco soup. And people? That shit BURNED. My stomach, throat, and mouth burned from the acid of the tomatoes. Once I stopped, I asked John to take my temperature because I immediately got cold chills and was freezing. Our thermometer was broken, of course.

I actually, stopped at this point, Tweeted about it and texted Rebecca. (Hi, my name is Rachel and I am a social media addict.)

The whole time this was going on, I just kept complaining about my ovaries hurting. I thought they were going to explode they hurt so bad. I had John get me a Zofran and then round two came on. I ended up coming very close to falling asleep propped on the toilet, so I grabbed the trash can and crawled into bed. I slept fine until 4 am, when John woke me up, so I went to pee and realized how weak I was. I never actually went back to sleep, my ovaries hurt too bad.

Everyone is asking me if I am pregnant. NO. I am not.

I did a little googling this morning and WebMD says I have had an ovarian cyst to rupture. So, awesome. I am still hurting this morning.
Not sure if I should call my doctor or not... Don't know if there is anything they can do.

What would you do?

Halloween 2010

We had a low key Halloween this year... I was one busy lady that weekend. I took some pictures yesterday in their Halloween costumes, before it got too cold. 

I couldn't find Addison's Little Mermaid costume.. but she had two she wore, so I found the little red riding hood one. 

Classic for them. Seriously. 

Oy. I love my girls.