by Sarah | Jun 10, 2010 | All About Me, Crap
It’s that time of year. Pollen counts are high, people are sniffling and moaning about hayfever and “allergies”. Today everyone has allergies (it seems like). Benadryl is over the counter, and there are more allergy meds than you can shake a stick at.
Some days I just look at everyone and laugh. I think, “If you only knew.”
From birth until the age of three I was, by all accounts, a holy terror. I never stopped screaming (although this is disputed by slides of me actually smiling – so it did happen). Nothing made me happy.
When I was three years old somehow my mother found what could label the cause of my problem.
I had allergies.
Oh, but this is more than the common problem of today. I was allergic to some very basic foods that are in EVERYTHING you eat (practically).
1. The protein in dairy. This meant no milk, no ice cream, no cheese, no butter. Nothing related to dairy products at all.
2. Corn. Yup, that yummy delicious food was among the list of my enemies. No corn on the cob, no corn on Thanksgiving. Imagine the cereals I was restricted from? Oh, and on that note:
3. Wheat. I barely remember this one so I’m pretty sure it’s the first I outgrew. (I only list it because my mom mentioned it in our last discussion of my little hell)
4. Cats, cat dander, don’t come near me if you have a cat. I sort of outgrew this in highschool, but it came back w/ a vengeance right around the time I got engaged to my husband.
5. On that note, any long haired animal was evil. I still remember in first grade we had a long haired guinea pig that I wasn’t allowed near. I always had to switch chore days w/ my BFF at the time (Hi Wendy!) when I got assigned the guinea pig.
6. Typical hayfever – pollen, dust (this one still majorly is true), mold…you know, the generics.
7. Soap. Bar soap (very much), bubble bath, shaving cream (oy, very much), body wash, deodorant (ugh. Yes, I use it). This one is still (mostly) true. I have to be selective of my liquid soaps and I still cant use shaving cream.
Weekly I went for shots (yes, shots. Most try to treat with oral meds these days) to “Dr. Bob”. My pediatrician and allergist extraordinaire. I couldn’t eat anything hardly, but meat and veggies. It was a good thing I was a freak of nature that loved my vegetables, because I HATED meat. All I could drink was orange juice or Kool-aid, the only cereal I could have was rice crispies or oatmeal.
My cousin (hey cuz!) to this day reminds me of the days I used to eat orange juice on my oatmeal or rice crispies. I think of those days and shudder.
I am addicted to pop nowadays because I still cannot bring myself to enjoy juice of any kind thanks to those influences. Kool-Aid is like a four letter word to me, but I’ll occasionally enjoy a Capri Sun or some pink lemonade – that’s my limit.
I eventually started to outgrow some of the allergies. Corn, thankfully, is something I enjoy frequently these days. Corn on the cob is still a favorite treat. Wheat, I don’t know how long that lasted, but I remember enjoying sandwiches in kindergarten so it can’t have been that long.
Dairy was tricky. I mostly outgrew it, and was drinking milk like a normal person by high school. When I got pregnant with my son, it came roaring back. And can I tell you something? Don’t EVER tell the hospital you have a dairy allergy. Otherwise your menu is seriously compromised. Anyway, with each pregnancy this sucker came roaring back w/ a vengeance and I was limited to no more than one serving of dairy a day (which I often opted for in ice cream). Now between my allergy and my lack of a gall bladder – dairy has once again become a four-letter word to me.
Cats. Oh, how I love cats. I love their purr, how they curl up with you, their grace…hell, I love the musical. Love, love, love cats. I got a cat in high school, Cali. I was not as affected by her dander as most other cats. Then we adopted Jazzy from my brother, and learned that I still had issues, but it was tolerable. We moved and eventually switched cats, and once again proved that I tolerate some cats better than others. Then I went to visit my cuz in NY. She had a huge ball of fur…Seriously, the cat was super-fluffy long hair. By the time I left her house 2 days later I could barely breath (after hogging her inhaler the whole time I was there)…got home and ended up in the hospital. Now, no cat is tolerable once again.
The worst these days is the soap/deodorant issue. Yes, I do use these things, I’m not a horrible pig. But I have to be VERY picky. I cannot use bar soap, of any kind. I don’t know what it is about forming the bar that does it, but I react every time. I have to use certain liquid soaps or shower gels. I CAN’T use shaving cream. I’ve ‘dry shaved’ since I was 11. It sucks. Then there’s deodorant. I have to switch about every six months to a year. I develop an allergy the longer I use a brand. I think I’ve been through almost every brand on the market and it’s time to switch again. Looks like I’m moving to the men’s aisle.
Needless to say, I don’t know how my mom did it. She should have put me in a bubble and fed me a liquid diet and be done with me. I was blessed to not have any kids w/ allergies beyond hayfever. For the almost two years we dealt w/ just a dairy allergy in Riley (who, thankfully has no issues now), I was at my wits end trying to find foods she could eat.
I admire my mom for the struggle she had
by Sarah | May 31, 2010 | All About Family, Crap
Just after Mother’s Day I got the call. “Grandma is going into the hospital for some tests.”
Words you never want to hear.
Within a week we had a diagnosis – stage 4 Lung Cancer. Plans were made to get to New York. My mom was to go out on the 26th of May; Archie and I were going on June 10th. None of us made it. We just didn’t have enough time. She was gone not a week after her diagnosis.
14 years ago I lost my grandpa. Less than a week ago I lost my grandma.
“GroGram” as her great-grandchildren called her. She was stubborn, strong, proud, and oh-so-loving. Nothing meant more than family. She’d seen what suffering Grandpa went through when he fought his cancer – and she wasn’t about to put us through it.
But the loss feels so sudden, so strong.
Her life was rich, full, long.
She had 3 daughters, 5 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren – not counting spouses, who all loved her as if they’d been born into her family.
I had 33 years w/ her in my life. Brandon was blessed to have known her during his 12 years. My girls – they won’t remember. The picture of GroGram holding Riley is one of the few I have of her w/ my kids. I’ll always wish we’d gone to see her more. Financially it wasn’t feasible, but I still wish we’d forced it.
With each day you spend with your family, whether they live close or far – remember that in the end it will never seem like enough time together. Don’t scrimp on time, eat it up and revel in it. Take hundreds of pictures, don’t leave the camera in the case. Don’t waste a moment – because every time it’s over far too soon.
***
I love you, Gramma…GroGram. We all miss you so much – but I know you’re with Grampa, happy and free of pain.
by Sarah | Feb 17, 2010 | All About Family, Crap
When your BROTHER calls you out.
*sigh*
Yup, my brother called me out on my failure to get my project 365 going beyond where it was in my last post.
If I were TRULY evil, I would post that picture I have of him when he was 10 wearing earrings and a shawl…but I won’t.
I would also take this post to introduce my new Nephew (via my bro) and Niece (via my SIL) – but I don’t post pictures of others kids on my blog!!
So…instead I’m left with a rather empty post announcing that I’ve been called out. So I must pick up my camera and begin anew 365. I think I know exactly what my first picture will be tomorrow. It’s truly sad, but I’m so excited about it I’ve been posting it all over twitter and facebook all day. I got my beautiful NOOK today. I already have several books on it and lots of poetry.
January was a month of illness. We all got sick. Riley first, who gave it to me…then Angel got sick…we feared a hospital visit but were blessed to have that fear lifted…for now. Her levels were WAY down at her last visit so we must return to have her levels checked again.
As I said, February has been a fruitful month. I became an Aunt (again) twice in the past two weeks. First a gorgeous nephew that has been struggling a bit with jaundice, but is coming out the other side finally! Then a beautiful niece…who happens to share a middle name with my Angel.
Otherwise I have been doing a LOT of writing…just not in cyberspace as you can see. A story hit me and demanded to be written. When that happens I end up consumed and so I was. Now I need to take the drivel of unpublishable material that comes from such a spurt and attempt to make something viable from it. That is the challenge. The story is told, now it needs to be formed.
In other news our month of sickness from January to now ended with a literal bang. Hubby gave himself a concussion. We are unsure if he slipped or passed out, but he hit his head on the way to the ground and gave himself a mild concussion. That was two days ago, he’s showing improvement but he’s still a little out of it…
Tomorrow I pick up my camera again, okay, bro? If I miss a day I’ll just fill in with you in girly clothes and earrings.
by Sarah | Dec 30, 2009 | All About Me, Crap
Wow it’s been such a long time since I posted! An entire month, actually! I’ve been so very busy doing stuff around this house prepping for christmas and actually taking part in it. That I just havne’t posted.
Sad thing is, I’ve been online…I just have not been motivated or inspired to post. There are some things I have simply NOT been able to post about, and everything else seemed trivial, to trivial to post.
Excuses aside, I’m starting to come out of my hole again, I think. I hope. I just paid for another year of my URL, and it would be a shame to waste it as much as I did in 2009. My amount of posting really dropped off and died for a long time…think I can revive it again? Gosh, I hope so.
I have a lot of little (and big) projects going on. I have pictures of my massive crafting expidition and resulting Christmas day to post. I have a lot going on, and hopefully I’ll be sharing a lot more of it with you again! And yes, this involves visiting your blogs as well!
~~~~~
*Paraphrased quote from Slap Shot.
by Sarah | Nov 21, 2009 | All About Me, Crap
There is nothing I can write.
Not at the moment.
There is too much.
It can’t be said here. It can’t be said there.
I am on a trip. I’m visiting my best friend Jess. We are meeting for the first time and that is wonderful…but the reasons behind it are too heavy to divulge right now.
I will be back. Soon. I will be posting.
Eventually it will come out, but for now when I return the posts will focus on the joy of this trip and my children.
The rest will wait until I am in a better place to explain my absence.
I have not forgotten you. I just cannot put into words where I am. Or I could, but I won’t. This isn’t the place for it. It isn’t the time for it.
Please forgive me this brief break of posting that I had this week. The events were coming for a while, but hit suddenly as all things do.
I hope to return by Monday if I’m recovered from my long drive home on Sunday. If not, Tuesday. Then you will be able to see and hear of the joy I have felt in being here in this place, surrounded by the love of a dear friend that I have known online for six years – but have just now met face to face this week.
Until then.
by Sarah | Oct 21, 2009 | Crap, Random
Watch that last step it’s a doozy!
I had no intentions of ending up disappearing for this long. I have at least a dozen half-baked and sometimes half started posts in my head and on my dashboard waiting to be written. I have no good explanation except…”oh hai, I have blog?” Yeah – I could just never hit publish or wrap my head around actually completng a post.
On a good note – real life has been absolutely packed with stuff. Our October calendar was packed full of activites of which we’ve only done about 1/2…because we also had some illness creep through and things like cruddy weather getting in the way.
Instead of blogging I’ve been driving my wonderful husband Archie nuts with the crafting supplies now absolutely overflowing out of their previously neat and tidy corner. I’m making presents and decorations for the upcoming Yule/Christmas season!
I have made several of the decorations. Two adorable little pettiskirts, and overskirts. I’ve got the materials nearly completed for two twirly skirts for which I’m making my own pattern and hoping to let them both be free and overskirts for the pettiskirts. I’ve also started other gifts, but I can’t say what they are on this public area 😉
Brandon has been going forward in school like wildfire. He has been doing his afterschool program and loving it. His grades are (mostly) holding on great and we went to his first band concert this year! I actually got to go on a Field Trip with him this year – to the zoo! It was great finally meeting some other parents in his grade and getting to the zoo. I’m getting ready to go in a few weeks to the formation of the new parents group that’s forming along the lines of a PTO…I’ve been painfully aware over the past few years that I’ve never been involved enough in these things – so I’m trying to be now.
Today I finally got the girls to the new homeschool group. Riley got stung by a bee, but it didn’t hold her back. They had a blast and I had a nice time socializing with the moms….and being able to come home and tell Archie about the large group of (successfully) homeschooled kids from the girls age up to 17! I think I can learn a lot from these women and look forward to going again next week!
I’ve also been really busy doing some behind the scenes stuff online…I have a lot more work to do in that area, but hopefully I won’t forget this place again!! Or any of you! I feel like I’ve gone to no blogs at all lately…and it’s time to rectify that right now!!
It’s that time of year. Pollen counts are high, people are sniffling and moaning about hayfever and “allergies”. Today everyone has allergies (it seems like). Benadryl is over the counter, and there are more allergy meds than you can shake a stick at.
