A Little Glimpse of Rural AK

I found this very interesting, and yes, I was certainly able to relate to it.

http://www.themudflats.net/2009/01/25/shopping-day-in-nunam-iqua-alaska/

Enjoy!

Hard Core Narcotics to the Rescue

Well, that migraine monster didn't go away as planned. I hate it when that happens. So we made the trek back to the doctor's office for a shot of some good old Demerol. Ah, you might be thinking, that will kick that migraine. Well... that's what I was thinking too. When I got a shot of it in Sitka it worked like magic. By the time hour three had passed and the only benefit of the shot was a glorious Phenergan-induced nap, I was pretty sure that something else was in order.

Should have called Mike at this point for back-up...

Instead, opted for blinding (literally) pain on the left side of my head for several long hours, all the time thinking, "That Demerol should start to work pretty soon..."

It wasn't until the early hours of the evening that I took my second large drug cocktail of the day: phenergan and two Tylenol with Codeine. Okay. That, coupled with twelve hours of sleep knocked the migraine nearly out. There were still a few residual twinges this morning but they had cleared up by noon. Now, here's hoping the beta blockers will work to prevent a new one from starting up. Fingers crossed everyone!

Yeah, drugs....

Mom and Dad, Ask For Your Money Back

Today was a very sad in the life of LLSS. No more boob. No more nursie. No more. This news triggered an unprecedented two-hour breakdown involving very high-pitched screaming at ear-piercing decibels. Maybe it would have been better if I didn't have a RAGING MIGRAINE at the time.

So, I learned today that my tonsils, removed in 1989 or so, are growing back. Well. That's exciting. Makes all the pain, agony, and throwing up 20 years ago seem so worth it. Plus, all the money Mom and Dad spent on the surgery: apparently, down the drain.


The plus side of it is that I have a really good feeling about the doctor I saw today. She seems to be up on her medical knowledge, not at all condescending even when I couldn't remember simple facts or put together a coherent sentence (migraine), and willing to work with me to get these blasted headaches under control. SO, this leads us back to LLSS and her cold-turkey, boob-free day. The doctor prescribed beta blockers in a very low dose to continually reduce the blood pressure in my head in the hopes of lessening the number and severity of headaches I get. But, the catch is that they are not safe for nursing babies, excuse me, big girls, so poor Clare is now a victim of the migraine monster as well. We both cried. It is a sad day for us.


The doctor also gave me a new painkiller combo that I hadn't tried before and my favorite anti-nausea medicine (also not baby approved). All I can say is, "Thank God for Cinderella." For an hour and 20 minutes I was able to huddle in a small ball on the couch with my head covered while LLSS was entertained by singing mice and birds, bad cats, and evil stepmothers. Way to go, Disney. Thanks for sending it, Cheda. And thanks to Brig and Noah for loving it too!


The new baby quilt is coming along. I've been procrastinating about attaching the binding and I don't know why. I think I was the same way with Julianna's quilt. So, here is a picture of the quilt top while I was laying it out to see which blocks where gave it the best look. It seems as though I don't have any of the quilted pictures on the computer yet, but I'll get there. Have I sung the praises of the walking foot yet?


We might see some sunshine tomorrow and temperatures about freezing! I'm crossing my fingers for a migraine-free day.

Following Directions

In a move so unlike the current state of "me," I actually followed the directions and came up with these: fingerless mittens for Em's birthday. And only a month late! Not bad...

Okay, well immediately after I typed the words above I remembered that I had not actually followed the directions (online pattern). The pattern called for size 6 double point needles and I only had size 5. So there were some stitches and rows to be added. It also recommended a heavier weight yarn which I did not have, so these were knitted with Bamboo Wool. They are super soft. LLSS didn't want to part with them and has put in a request for a pair of her own. That will really require some pattern altering. All in all, I don't feel too bad about this, my second ever knitting project. Happy birthday, Em!

Random Happenings

On Sunday, we took a drive to the Owyhee Reservoir in Oregon. The weather was nice and the further south we went, the less snow there was on the ground. In twenty miles, the snowpack decreased from ten inches or so to nothing. We had passed on the idea of rockhounding Saturday because we thought we would have to dig through a foot of snow before finding rocks, but now we know better.This picture was taken near the end of the road, although the reservoir continues for quite a bit in the opposite direction. It was still chilly and the wind was blowing, but the main reason LLSS wouldn't look at the camera was the sun. Sitka Baby at heart!

Here is a little ingredient photo from dinner sometime last week. Lindsay's Lentils. Notice, in all my brillance of setting this up, I forgot the lentils. I used red lentils because I think they taste better in this dish (and look nicer). I don't have a recipe, just an ingredient list, so it is always a bit different but good just the same.

Here is our little fashionista. We especially like the days when she picks out her own clothes. I'm thinking we are to blame for this look, since that is her pajama top. Probably right after a diaper change. Those are her, "Santa booties."

Last week, I heard a voice call out from the kitchen. When I arrived, Clare happily announced, "I spelled your name." I asked her to read it to me. She said, "It says Kate." Well, duh!

Finally, here is a bit of the landscape between Baker City and La Grande, OR. This was part of the previous weekend's roadtrip. Hey, gas is cheap so we might as well see the area while we can afford it!

It's a Spicy Dancer

Word confusion was the name of the game for the day...

During a diaper change, LLSS informed me that she thought she might have "ballerina" because her poop was mushy.

And during her story on the couch with Dad after work (The Three Little Javalinas) she commented on the cute little "jalapenos."

So I guess we need to ask ourselves, when should we laugh and when should we set her straight? For now, we are going with laughing.

I Should Get

Back to the blog...

I think that I have had time these past few weeks to add something to the blog, but I can't remember. Mike was home from Christmas until Jan 5th. We didn't get out and explore nature as we had thought we might. We've had tons of snow, roads have been closed, long distance travelling has been better left to those with at least some sort of emergency. We enjoyed a relaxing vacation although a little person in our house doesn't believe in sleeping in, so we missed out on that aspect. We did go to Nampa for some Costco shopping and we checked out Baker City, Oregon last weekend. I had a birthday, we celebrated Christmas and New Years, we had an anniversary... I'm thinking those are all the main celebrations for this time of year, but they all tend to run together.

Here are a few pictures from the holidays and I will do some more updating soon!