by Sarah | Jan 17, 2012 | All About Kennedy, All of Us, Crap, Special Needs, SSI
[flickr id=”5888961016″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]Four years ago we jumped through hoop after hoop. We went to all of the exams, evaluations and tests needed for Angel to get qualified for SSI.
We were denied.
It took getting a disability lawyer to send in the paperwork for them to say yes.
Three years since our official qualification (thanks to the lawyer & the lovely fee they took out).
Now we are up for review.
For CF.
CF is not currently a disease that gets BETTER.
So we jump through the hoops again.
Pray that this time we aren’t denied again and are forced to go back to the lawyer to push the government back into reinstating what we’ve been qualified for for years.
It’s not like we’re trying to bilk them. If we were we’d reapply for Riley. We’d apply for Brandon. I’d work if I could so we didn’t need the SSI, but as we so recently realized that’s not a possibility if we’re to keep Angel on the insurance we so desperately need to keep.
I’m tired of jumping through senseless hoops.
Angel has CF. What is the purpose of a Speech evaluation and a psychological exam? They have no bearing on her disease at all. None.
Stupid hoops.
by Sarah | Jan 15, 2012 | Photography, Scavenger Hunt Sunday, Simple Things, Weekly Winners
First half of the week was nice and almost warm, but I’ve been on a bit of a cleaning binge. By the end of the week it was too cold for me to feel eager to get out and get pictures. So about 2/3 of this weeks pictures are archive pictures from last winter.
All taken w/ Canon Rebel XS or my HTC Thunderbolt.
1. Stacked Up
“Exercise is done against one’s wishes and maintained only because the alternative is worse.” — George Sheehan.
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2. Winter Wonderland
If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant. ~Anne Bradstreet.
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3. Sweet
No, there’s nothing half so sweet in life As love’s young dream. ~Thomas More
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4. Frozen
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5. Hole
Down the rabbit hole…
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A Simple Thing:
As I said, I’ve been doing a lot of cleaning this week. Decluttering. Organizing the house. I’m spring cleaning ahead of the spring. One of my simple pleasures this week was setting up this organization central. So everyone makes sure I know what’s going on….and the wants and needs are so we see every day what we want/need and maybe take more care with our frugality.
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You can find more pictures over at my flickr account.
Scavenger Hunt Sunday is run by the beautiful Ashley. Head on over to see more Hunters.
by Sarah | Jan 12, 2012 | 45 before 45, All About Me
[flickr id=”5944091199″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]Two years ago I made a 45X45 list. 45 things I wanted to do before I turned 45.
Considering this year I turned 35 (yikes) and now have about 9.5 years left at this point I thought I would revisit it. Change up a few things and see what I can do.
Items in Red are DONE. Complete. Finito. (You know, those two little lonely items on this list).
Items in Purple are new…a change from my original goals/dreams
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45 X 45
- Take a real vacation. (Not to Buffalo, not w/ the kids)
- Take my kids to Disney World.
- See my name in print.
- Have a novel published.
- Get a degree (this is following up on a long ago promise made – I must keep it)
- Get back to my target weight.
- Take a photography class (or 2 or 3)
- Perform on stage again
- See Colorado
- Camp – really camp in the Rockies
- See Yellowstone
- Grow my own garden.
- Go to a blogger’s conference.
- Go to a writer’s conference
- Get on a regular exercise regime & stay on it for more than 3 months (Working on it. 2 months down!)
- Hand craft (knit, sew) 1 item for ME for a change. (working on it)
- Make a complete Victorian era dress from skin out. (underthings complete, corset 50% complete)
- Get some crazy color in my hair (purple, blue, pink highlites/streaks)
- Read the Little House series aloud to my girls.
- Learn how to draw
- Remodel/redesign living room & bedrooms.
- Pay my house off (long shot – but I can dream)
- Get a car that is less than 2 years old
- Have my feet fixed. It’s a lifelong pain/issue. It is now starting to really hurt.
- Do something daring (paragliding, etc.)
- See the butterflies at the Indy Zoo (I always seem to miss them)
- Be a reenactor at Conner Prairie
- Organize my recipes into one place
- Go on a hot air balloon ride
- Play the piano again (translation – GET one)
- Ride a horse – not a trail horse. A real ride on a horse.
- Volunteer at Angel’s CF clinic
- Stop drinking pop
- Make my house beautiful (landscaping, decorating inside, everything)
Get a tattoo (Done 7/16/11)- Go on an Alaskan Cruise
Go on a wine tasting (Done 10/16/10)- Go white water rafting
- Take my husband to swim with whale sharks
- Fly first class
- Read at least 50 of the 100 Greatest Novels (I am saying the book can be from either of the 2 lists there. In total I have read 8/50 at this point)
- Have a real spa day
- Visit a real haunted location
- Sell a photo
- Visit Salem, MA
by Sarah | Jan 10, 2012 | All About Me, Random
[flickr id=”6030468849″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”] Back in March or April I decided to challenge myself. I’m attempting to be a published author, but I was reading very few books. It wouldn’t do. So I decided to push myself to read 50 books in 2011. For a while it appeared that I was going to totally leave 50 books in the dust. In October I had hit 45 books. The last 5 were supposed to be a piece of cake.
Turns out I just squeaked it out. I read the last book on December 29th and completed the challenge. I’ve set the same goal for myself in the new year. Here’s what I read in 2011:
- Eat, Pray, Love.
- Pale Rose of England ~My review is HERE.
- The Nanny Diaries
- Awakened
- She’s Come Undone ~Being honest…I couldnt finish it. I disliked it that much.
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.
- Confessions of a Prairie Bitch ~My favorite autobio of the year.
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower ~Another one I couldn’t finish. Hated the voice.
- Wicked ~A repeat read, but it had been YEARS. Glad I re-read.
- A Discovery of Witches ~Hands down, favorite book of the year.
- Diary of a Mad Fat Girl
- The Help ~Wish I had loved it as much as so many others. Actually preferred the movie.
- The Idiot Girls Action Adventure Club ~Blech. Random ramblings. Didn’t care for it.
- Speak ~One of quite a few YA I read this year. Took my breath away.
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
- Darkfever
- What’s a Ghoul to Do?
- Entwined
- The Eyre Affair
- What Alice Forgot ~Recommended read. I really enjoyed it.
- Thirteen Reasons Why ~It’s about a teen suicide. I liked it, but it’s a love it or hate it book.
- Moon Called (Mercedes Thompson #1) ~Loved this whole series that’s published so far…they’ll all be on this list.
- Still Missing ~Another recommended read. Very good.
- Mercy Thompson: Homecoming ~Graphic novel, mild cheat.
- Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children ~This was so much fun. Definitely recommend.
- The Surgeon
- Blood Bound (Mercedes Thompson #2)
- Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen
- Iron Kissed (Mercedes Thompson #3)
- My Fair Lazy
- When You Dare
- These is My Words ~Ugh. Ugh. ICK. Couldn’t finish. In the first 30 pages there is a rape of a young girl while another is held at knifepoint, a child dies, there’s an odd Indian incident followed by a major attack that kills 1/2 the adults, and makes one kid lose his leg, and then…it goes on and on…and that was JUST the first 30 pages! I get life was hard, but holy crap.
- Bone Crossed (Mercedes Thompson #4)
- Alpha & Omega (Same author as Mercedes, new series)
- Silver Borne (Mercedes Thompson #5)
- Dark Lover
- Room
- The Princess Bride
- River Marked (Mercedes Thompson #6)
- Arcadia Falls ~Good. Not my favorite of the year, but the mystery holds.
- Freak Magnet
- Nightshade
- Cry Wolf (Alpha & Omega #1)
- Trace of Fever
- Still Alice ~VERY emotional. DO NOT read if you know someone w/ Alzheimers.
- If you Ask Me, And Of Course you won’t ~Love Betty White. Wanted to LOVE this. It was ok.
- On Writing ~Not a Stephen King fan in general, but this was great to read as a writer.
- Crazy, Sexy Diet
- Bossypants ~As I was afraid of…after all the hype I was let down by this. Sure, I LOL’d at a few points, but it wasn’t as hilarious as everyone told me it was.
- Wake
Whew…What a list! Granted there were a few books I couldn’t finish. Honestly up until this year I have never set down a book and walked away. I felt incapable of it. This year I just had to. I think the biggest disappointment was “These is my words” because I’d been looking forward to reading it forever…and it was so horrible. Ah well.
So for this year I need to find new books!! I just read “Orange is the New Black” and I’m currently in the midst of “The Night Circus”. What books do you recommend? I’ll add them to my list!!
(P.S. You can see my full ratings of these books over at my
GOODREADS page)
by Sarah | Jan 8, 2012 | Photography, Scavenger Hunt Sunday, Simple Things, Weekly Winners
After a few blah months where my camera languished in silence, I felt a bit revitalized this week. I think having a “take everywhere” camera in my new phone has helped a little.
All taken w/ Canon Rebel XS or my HTC Thunderbolt.
1. One Color
“Of all the hues, reds have the most potency. If there is one electric blue, a dozen reds are so charged. Use them to punctuate white, burn into bronzes, or dynamite black.” — Jack Lenor Larsen.
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2. Laundry
The laundry has its hands on my dirty shirts, sheets, towels and tablecloths, and who knows what tales they tell. ~Joseph Smith.
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3. Empty
The world is a playground, and life is pushing my swing. ~Natalie Kocsis
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New Years Day – Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. ~Mark Twain
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4. One Dozen
A hen is only an egg’s way of making another egg. ~Samuel Butler
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We went from no Barbie dolls to a dozen in a matter of days (Thanks, Santa).
P.S. There is a dozen, but one’s face is hidden, count the exposed arms. LOL.
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5. Soft
Instead of going w/ a soft item, I chose soft focus of a flame.
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A Simple Thing:
First a gorgeous sunset, followed the next day by a most beautiful sunrise.
The sunset caught me, turned the brush to copper, set the clouds to one great roof of flame above the earth. ~Elizabeth Coatsworth
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There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope. ~Bern Williams
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You can find more pictures over at my flickr account.
Scavenger Hunt Sunday is run by the beautiful Ashley. Head on over to see more Hunters.
by Sarah | Jan 6, 2012 | All About Molly, Autism, Crap, Special Needs
[flickr id=”6650056311″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]Every day without fail I pull into the parking lot of the elementary school to pick up Angel. At the same time every day I get into line behind the other parents, sometimes even in front of the line.
85% of the time so I don’t feel rushed to shove her in the car and go I end up toward the back of the line. This prime spot affords me a clear view of the area the older kids have their recess in. It’s mostly parking lot, but to the right there’s a large grassy area with a playground.
Every day in dry weather above freezing they run around like little ants. Hustling and bustling so fast it’s hard to keep track of them. All playing together. Laughing, shouting. Playing tag, pushing each other on the swings. Kicking balls, sliding down the slide. Talking. Laughing. Being with friends.
Except one.
One girl.
My girl.
My beautiful Riley.
Sure she runs. In circles. Behind the other kids.
Mirroring play.
Never participating in it.
Sometimes walking slow, all by herself. Other times watching, laughing after the joke has passed and the group has moved on. Never right in the moment.
And every time I see it, it breaks my heart.
She loves school.
I have seen in the contained space of the classroom how her friends aide her, pull her in to participate, make sure she is included.
It is only in recess that I see this.
If she feels the pain I do when I see it, she can’t express it. Or chooses not to.
But I know it’s there. I know that she will always remember the ‘different’ she felt. I know this, because her dad remembers the same feeling. The same sense of ‘different’. The same attempts to participate without the sense of how.
It’s something I don’t know how to fix for her. I can’t go to the school and force the kids to make the effort in recess. It’s their wild time, it’s expected to just run free.
But still…
What I wouldn’t give for her to be pulled in to the games. Instead of mirroring, melting in.
