Creative Juices

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String

I totally forgot to mention how I spent the morning of my Christmas Eve. As I had planned to make Creme Brulee for my mom, amongst other things... my morning was actually spent at the Vet's.
Friday morning, as I made my way downstairs, I noticed that one of the delightful snowflakes on pretty ribbon that had adorned my kitchen window for a month was no longer hanging. And the string was gone. Hmmm. I knew Cooper, the dumber of my cats, was a fan of the pretty ribbon, but I never thought he'd be able to chew it off and run away with it.
But he had. And he was kind enough to leave little clues around the house as to where the ribbon had gone. Like the blue tinted throw up. When I found Cooper laying on the floor in the bathroom, I knew he was not well.
So, I called the Vet and they told me to bring him in. And I did.
And then she examined him and told me he needed surgery right away.
So, I cried.
She told me the details... first they would try to find it with a scope, which meant not having to cut him open. But, the string would still have to be in his tummy. If it had moved on to his intestines, they'd have to cut him open and make several small incisions in his intestines to remove it. It would cost between $200 and $800.
I called Steve, cried about it more. He made the final decision to go ahead and do it. Not that we'd ever actually decide not to.
They brought him in and I waited. If they found the string with the scope, it would only take about a half hour and then he could go home as soon as he woke up. I waited and waited and waited. And prayed. A lot.
The nurse came in a half hour later, holding 6 feet of blue ribbon. Yay!
The doctor came in shortly after, very pleased. The string was sitting in the small area just between the stomach and the small intestine. Had I waited any longer to bring him in, and they would not have been able to retrieve it with the scope. Cooper won the prize for longest ingested item and easiest retrieval. That's my boy.

And I've Got Cookies, Three Yummy Cookies

Well, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. Mine was kind of odd and untraditional. Christmas Eve was spent at church, my local family. The services were very lovely, but I was working them (running the computer and such), so it felt like more of a production than an opportunity to celebrate a birthday.
Christmas Day was spent cleaning house, wrapping last minute presents and waiting for my Mom and brother to arrive. Their flight was almost an hour late. We got back for a nice dinner and then opened presents.
I made out quite well. I got 9 items off my list (much better than last year, yes?) The Steve learned his lesson, and even when he strayed off the list, he did excellently, with a set of cordless phones, complete with caller id, phonebook and a fun little light that tells you when you have voicemail. Other things I acquired included the Nikon 3200 Digital Camera (wtg dad!), Scene It - TV Edition (anyone ready to challenge me?) (I actually got this game times two, one from The Steve and one from Fabulous Aunt Debbie). I got Peppermint Hot Chocolate (mmmm so so good), The OC Mix 2 (my collection is complete!), Harry Pottah Prizoner of Azkaban dvd, and Aladdin dvd, America: The Book and A Funny Thing Is.... Plus the nice Flat Out Tupperwear. Very successful.
Onto New Years! Besides my mom and brother spending the week here, I've got a party to get ready for. I'm hosting a Murder Mystery Party. I'm a little nervous, I hope it goes well. But it should. Everyone on the guest list has received their characters and are working on their costumes and such. They all seem pretty excited.
More on that later, maybe.

I Can See Clearly Now

For those that havent already asked... Steve's surgery went very well. He said it was by far the scariest experience of his life. On the way home from the surgery (we were only at the place for two hours), he was already reading street signs and even some before they were totally clear to me.
This morning he drove himself to his check-up, where they declared him having 20/20 vision. He called me exclaiming "I love seeing!"
I cant even imagine such a thing... having your own eyes go from 20/800 to 20/20. He's a very brave man. I was a mess, just being the wife of a man getting Lasik.
Medical technology is amazing.

Last Christmas I Gave You My Heart

Holy Crap!
Yesterday, The Steve called, asking me to write down the number "1-800-243-EYES." This is the number for LasikPlus, a Laser Eye Surgery place. The Steve wears glasses and for a very long time, has dreamed of having his eyes done. A couple of years ago, his mom had it done.
I wrote down the number, and he explained that they now allow people to use money from their Flexible Spending Account (an account you can set up through where you work that takes money out of your paycheck before being taxed and holds it for you to spend on things like perscriptions...). We put too much money in the account, and it will go away at the end of the year, whether or not we spend it.
Today, The Steve called the number. And they were kind enough to set him up for an appointment this afternoon. He had his free consultation, they said he was a excellent candidate and asked if he'd like to have the surgery performed tomorrow. TOMORROW. TOOOO MOOOOROW.
He calls me. Asks if I can drive him there and back (but if not, Mike should be free... no no no, I will be there when my husband has SURGERY).
I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all. The whole thought of it really scares me... but, I suppose, The Steve can do whatever he wants with his eyes. He's done all his research. His mom is fine. The success rate is quite high, I know.
But, for all my friends that pray, I wouldnt mind if you kept us in mind tomorrow and while he recovers.
If all goes well, he'll have vision like mine and be back to work on Friday. Crazy.

Santa Baby, Slip A Sable Under The Tree, For Me

I was chatting with my mom today, and she implied that my brother still believes in Santa Claus. I was a bit surprised. He's 13. He cant have many friends that still believe in Santa, and I'm sure his 16 year old step-brother doesnt... so wonder why he still does? He was even worried that Santa might not know that he would be at my house for Christmas... I might have to ruin it for him this year... the kids in junior high.. really... he wears the same size pants as my husband... yeah... he needs to know.
I found out there was no Santa when I was seven. It was Christmas Eve and very late (or at least very late to a seven year old). I was sick with something bad, and woke up at some point during the night to go downstairs and find my mom with her dimetapp. My favorite cough medicine. Yummy yum. Anyway... for my childhood Christmases, my entire family, Aunts, Uncles and cousins would all spend the night at our house. My cousins would sleep in my room with me, and the rest of the family would spread out in the living room. It made for fun Christmas mornings, having everyone there. But this night, the family was still up. And as I came down the stairs, I heard my dad say "Pat! Come race me!" It was the year of the race car track. (yes, thats what I had wanted for Christmas). And what I saw was my dad and Aunt Pattie playing with my toys. All the other toys were set up around the house too. And since we all know Santa doesnt come till everyone is asleep... obviously, those presents werent his doing...
I dont really remember my reaction, I remember my mom running to my side and yelling at my dad for being so loud and waking me up. I dont think I cried. I was probably confused and sick.
Certainly not the worst Santa Revealed story.
But thats all it took for me to decide I wont be lieing to my kids. Of course, I have very high expectations for my children. They'll understand that though we dont believe in Santa, other kids do, and we shouldnt spoil their fun. I'll respect my kids by not lieing to them for my own enjoyment, and they'll respect other kids by not ruining the mess of lies their parents have created. :)
I kid. But yes, no Santa believing in my house.

Telling Their Tales

If you ever get tyerd of hearing (reading) stories like these, please let me know and I'll stop. I'm just always so surprised, shocked, whatever.
So, I had to run to Michael's today, because tomorrow night, I'm getting together with some girl friends to make Christmas wreaths. I needed to buy a wreath. Did that. I got a cute one with snowy tips. I like it. 4 bucks.
After Michael's, since I was in the area, I decided to grab some lunch at the new I Love NY Pizza place. Angela and JJ had told me about it. And, well, since I actually do love NY Pizza...
As soon as I walk in the door, the man behind the counter, shouts, at the top of his lungs (which are big lungs, I'm sure) in his familiar scratchy voice NY accent "They lied to me!" The guy behind the cash register says "Who?" and the counter guy says "The weather channel. Cause they said the sun wasnt coming out today, but here it is," holds his hand out to reference ME "the sun is shining." I smile and giggle, because that's what I do. "What can I get for ya Gorgeous?" I ask for my usual, one slice of cheese. The guy that was behind the cash register then says "Hey, I know her." I turn towards him and realize that he also works at the I Love NY Pizza place by my house. But the guy behind the counter says "You know her? You know this sunshine? This angel from above?" Please. Thats a little much. And I know the whole place is staring at me because behind the counter guy obviously does NOT have an inside voice. The cashier informs him that I frequent the other place, but behind the counter guy is not impressed. I pay for my pizza and hide in the corner.
What gets me most about guys like that... is that it always seems to happen on days when I feel like I look the least attractive. When my hair is a mess, and I'm wearing my least flattering pants... thats the day I go into a pizza place and the guy behind the counter makes an embarrassing deal of me. Go figure.

I Need Somebody

My officemate read an article about this place and passed it along to me. I think its such a cool idea, I'm passing it along to you.