Back to the Beach.

Hi.

Welcome.

Greetings.

Thought it might make some of you happy that I actually am not dead, I am alive and (pretty) well.  Blogging had to take a sidebar to my life for awhile, but I am back and I do have things to say.

Thing #1:  Sock Summit is not the end-all, be-all of the knitting world.  People are getting all bent out of shape and pissy because they didn’t get the class they wanted, they didn’t get to register because the server crashed, they are more important than the other 30k people that tried to register that ill-fated day.  It’s just socks.  Relax.  Take a chill pill.  B Complex is my favorite, though you may enjoy something with a little more tooth, Prozac or Xanax perhaps.

Thing #2:  I am sewing.  A lot.  There will be big, exciting news on that front soon-hopefully by the end of this coming weekend.  All I will say is, Do you feel your credit cards buzzing?  That’s because they are psychic.

Thing #3:  I never did do much with Facebook before, but I am now officially in love with it.  I have found some really old friends and it is an awesome way to keep in touch with my sister.

How are things for you?  Are you enjoying the summer yet?  We had the finest weekend ever and I spent it indoors, sewing.  I’m going to have to figure out a way to get all that stuff done at night so I can spend my weekends outdoors.

We have a weiner!

Er, I mean WINNER!  Soulloon, my good Internet friend, guessed correctly that I found my wallet!  It took me a little too long, but his reward was finally ordered and mailed.  The book looks awesome, I have not read it, but I wanted to send him something involving personal journey and growth, since that is about all we ever talk about.  I hope you enjoy it and give us all a book review on your blog!

Baby Surprise Jacket

Baby Surprise Jacket, Knitting Workshop, Elizabeth Zimmermann

Needles: US6

Yarn: Bernat Baby Jacquards, Boo Berries

This was super easy, but you really MUST blindly follow the instructions.  I also used Dawn Adcock’s Row Counter.  Super helpful.  Once you are complete, you end up with a tragic looking blob, then Hey, Presto! you have a sweater.  A couple quick seams, and it is done!  Again, as with all my baby sweaters, I skipped the buttonholes.  I just don’t trust chewing little babies with buttons.

The blob:

And, for your viewing pleasure, my little guy in his Easter best:

Jumping in with both feet.

The report from the doctor was not so good.  He has recommended that I have an ultrasound to see my aorta because of my brother’s history, but was mostly concerned about my grandmother, who has had congestive heart failure and a pacemaker.  He found that my blood pressure was elevated, something that I’ve never had trouble with, and asked about my sleeping habits.  I explained that they’re terrible right now, but I’m really stressed out.  I have a lot going on right now, and I also have a very high pressure job.  Well.  He basically said I can decide to keep my high stress job and lose weight, but I can’t have both.  He explained that doctors know that stress causes trauma to the body, but they don’t know why or how to fix it.  Basically, if I continue on this path I may have heart failure by the time I’m 50, and they won’t be able to fix me.

My bff Barb (who doesn’t have a blog but should), lost a lot of weight, so I asked her and my blogger friend Aunt Kathy what they thought about different weight loss schemes out there, and I think I’ve decided on South Beach.  It’s a pretty low carb, good fat diet that I think can work with what I usually cook for the family anyway.  I started today, and I will have to keep it up for approximately four and a half months to reach the heaviest my doctor wants me to be, then we will figure it out from there.  The only problem I’m really having?  Coffee.  It needs cream, sugar, and caffeine, and I have to cut all that out.  Ah, well, all in good time, right?

If my blog were a pet,

it would probably be buried in the backyard with a little cross shaped out of two twigs and secured with some superwash sock yarn.  Anyway, I’m here, with a list.

1.  Wally World pharmacy is the enemy.  I dropped off the baby’s prescription at 11am, was told to come back at 1pm.  I got there around 1:30, and they were on lunch.  Fine.  Then they didn’t have it ready…for a long time.  Then they gave me attitude when it became apparent to me that they have no organized system to handle their customers.  I have a $10 copay wherever I go, so I’ll be going somewhere else from now on.

2.  No more eczema!  This cream is like a miracle, we have been using it every night and giving him Zyrtec before bed and he is doing amazing!  I can’t get over it.  Even the texture of his skin is better, it’s like he’s got that nice baby skin back.  I didn’t even know how worried I was about it until I realized I was so bored the other night.  I thought to myself, “What am I doing differently that I’m bored tonight?”  Then it dawned on me that I wasn’t researching eczema, trying different products, and settling down a baby whose itch has woken him up from a sound sleep.

3.  Knitters can never really be bored.  I have launched into a pair of socks for a gift.  It’s a secret, though.  I don’t know if the recipient reads this, but it’s someone who has really helped us through this with their generosity and good natured spirit.

4.  Easter is tomorrow!  How did that happen?  I am amazed that we are still hanging on as a couple, paying (most) of our bills and keeping food on the table.  Time flies whether you are having fun or not.

5.  I don’t think I would change a thing, even with our struggles.

6.  I have nothing to wear to Easter services tomorrow.  Usually we go to the 8am service, but I think we will go to the 10am one so the baby has some time to play with his Easter basket toys.  I got him mostly toys, but also a sugar-free chocolate bunny.  You have to have a chocolate bunny!

7.  I am going to the doctor on Monday to get my heart checked.  My brother’s cardiologist wants us all to be checked, and I am the only one who hasn’t done it yet.  I am nervous because I know I have an irregular heartbeat, I can hear it when I get over-anxious or excited.  I also know he’s going to tell me I’m too damn fat.  He’ll probably say exactly that.  He’s a great doctor, but not exactly known for his bedside manner.  Aunt Kathy, got any good tips?  If anyone knows about weight loss, it’s you!  You are awesome!

8.  State taxes.  Ugh.  We owe, as usual.  I just keep faith that we will have the money to pay.  I don’t want to file an extension, but I guess I will if I have to.

9.  Easter Bunny.  Do you tell your kids there is an Easter Bunny?  My church didn’t teach that, we also never believed in Santa, but we go to a different church now, and I don’t know if I’m going to tell the baby about the Easter Bunny or not.

That’s it…I know it’s a long one, but I wanted to catch up as best as I could.  Enjoy your Easter, Passover, whatever you may do, I’ll have a slice of ham and glass of wine for all of you!

Eczema

has taken over my life.  Seriously.  When I’m at work, I think about eczema.  When I’m home or on coffee break, I google eczema.  When I meet new people or chat with my family, we talk about eczema.  Did you know that children with eczema will likely outgrow most of their symptoms by the time they are 5 years old?  Or that their parents likely suffer from hay fever, asthma, or airborne allergies?  Did you know that even if you use Free and Clear laundry detergent you still have to run clothes through a second rinse cycle to get all the detergent’s chemicals out?  Oh, and dryer sheets are the DEVIL.

What started as a few bumps on the baby’s back developed into the worst case of eczema I have ever seen in my life in 7 short days.  We have been to the pediatrician, a dermatologist, and then back to the pediatrician.  We have an appointment with a specialist at A.I. but that’s not until JUNE.  I have tried Cetaphil, prescription foam, Cerave, Triple Cream, Arbonne, Vaseline, Nozema, Formula II, and Aveeno, all the while dosing him with Zyrtec, which I don’t think can possibly be good for a baby.  I think we have finally found a treatment that works.  I give him a bath every night, letting him play in the tub for awhile before washing him, so that he isn’t playing in soapy water.  I wash his hair and skin with pine tar soap, so when he is good and clean he smells just like a woodstove.  After bath, we apply a topical steroid cream prescribed by the pediatrician.  At bedtime he gets 1/2 tsp. of Zyrtec.  We’ve only been doing this for one day, but he is already 75% better.  I think we may have this licked.

Oh, and the doctor told me that if this doesn’t work we will have to do an oral steroid because he may have SCABIES.  That’s pretty much when I involuntarily screamed and scrubbed my entire house with bleach.  Wasted effort, it turns out.  Scabies is caught from other kids, not from dirt, so the baby may, in fact, have to spend his entire life in a plastic bubble.  (NOT SCABIES, by the way.  The treatment is working well, so it’s just plain old eczema.)

Next post:  How I was treated at the WallyWorld pharmacy and why they may never get another penny from me.

Can we send them all to an island somewhere?

On Sunday, a gunman entered a church, shot and killed the minister, then turned a knife on the people that tried to subdue him, before finally turning the knife on himself.

Yesterday, a man burned down his mother’s home, shot and killed nine people, then shot himself.

This morning, the news reported a gunman opening fire on a school in Germany killing sixteen people, including himself.

I’m not trying to go all conspiracy theorist on you folks, but there’s something up here.  Did you ever notice that these tragedies happen in waves?  Is it the phase of the moon?  Is there something in the water?  What compels a person to take out so many people just so they can get around to killing themselves?  I mean, if you’re going to off yourself anyway, why not just do it and leave everyone else alone?  And I’m getting really tired of this whole temporary insanity garbage.  If you are so unstable that you are driven to commit an irreparable act of violence on an innocent person, then you need to be out of society forever.  You cannot be trusted to keep your wits about you.  I don’t think you should be executed or anything like that, but I do think you should go away forever.  No more of this crap where a psychologist deems you fit for society.  You’ve already proved that you can’t handle society.  Sorry!  You messed up big and you have to pay for it.  I know this is a Debbie Downer post, but I notice that every time there is a loony shooting up a church or a school, all his homeys decide they’re going to do it, too.  Is there some sort of message board where they all chat and plan out their dastardly deeds?  Assholes.

A rare quiz.

Your Word is “Think”

You see life as an amazing mix of possibilities, ideas, and fascinations. And sometimes you feel like you don’t have enough time to take it all in.You love learning. Whether you’re in school or not, you’re probably immersed in several subjects right now. When you’re not learning, you’re busy reflecting. You think a lot about the people you know and the things you’ve experienced.

What’s Your Word?

I don’t take quizzes very often, but I saw this one on Kathy’s blog and thought it looked interesting.  It’s pretty accurate for me, I think.  (heh)

Oh, you silly readers!

I thought SOMEONE would have figured this one out!

(It was in the diaper bag.  I promise I checked there about a zillion times.)

Guess what I found?

The first person to answer correctly will get some yarn as a prize!

OOOPS!  Unless you’re a guy (Soulloon!), then you will get a book!