Goodbye

This will be my last post on blogger. Come visit me at letajoy.com! Please update your bookmarks and feeds accordingly. Thanks.

Newborn

I have started a new blog, shut up and read, where I will be posting reviews of books that I have recently read. Come on over and take a gander.

Moving Day

I am in the process of moving the blog to wordpress. If you can't find me try
www.letajoy.com or www.letajoy.wordpress.com.

Thank you for your support!

Daily Dose

So, yeah the natural doc thing. In January I started seeing a doctor of natural medicine. I'd been having some health "issues" and felt that my family physician only wanted to treat the symptoms I displayed and never tried to get to the root of what was causing the problems in the first place. I knew about this doctor through some work that Bubby had done and after talking with a friend that had seen her, decided to give her a call.


I liked her and felt that a lot of what she said made sense to me. I knew that I would be making a big commitment if I decided to pursue this: change of diet, lifestyle and that pesky little matter of money. Insurance companies don't look too fondly on the world of natural medicine, it seems. I was already shopping for organic food and filtering our water. If my health improved, I felt it would be worth the extra cost.

After three months of treatment the majority of the problems I was having before are gone. I have increased my water intake drastically and it is now just a part of my day. My immune system is still low and she is still concerned about my liver and adrenal system. I do not know how long I will have to continue the litany of pills and drops and I DO get frustrated with dietary restrictions that I've never thought about before. I will say that I do not adhere to the diet as strictly as I should and I'm sure this slows the process down. If I could just give up the cokes and sweets! Is life really worth living without Coke and dessert?!

One of the strangest and best side-effects of this whole process has been the common ground it gives me with my parents. I have talked to my mother a great deal about my current health concerns and hers, something that rarely happened in the past. She asks about my health and doctor appointments, something that has only happened when I was pregnant. My parents and I have a somewhat tense and shaky relationship and anything that gives us something to talk about that won't cause even more tension is a wonderful gift. I'm trying hard not to focus on the dollars flowing out of our bank account and instead find the benefits of this journey. If I weren't going through all of this myself, I wouldn't understand their fascination with homeopathics. I joke with Aunt Banana that our parents are turning into hippies in their old age. Next thing you know they'll be growing pot on the back forty of the family farm.

Red

A book we found at a local antique shop that we like to frequent.

Yellow

Two rooms I spend a lot of time in.

Pink

Mamaw Ruth made a quilt for each of her grandchildren to be given when they were married. I think I had my choice between two or three and this is the one I chose as a teenager and then received several years later. It has grown on me over the years. I am not a fan of storing things away never to be used in daily life, so this is currently protecting our recliner from all things child-related: mac-n-cheese, yogurt, toe jam, etc.

I am quite picky about my quilts. They must be thin and soft and two is my maximum unless it is frigidly frigid. Bubby prefers them heavy as hell and piled up to the ceiling. I don't know what this has to do about anything, I just thought it would make an interesting story. Perhaps I was wrong.


I wish I were:


Remember when I used to post about crafty things and stuff? Yeah, what happened with that?

One Year

Julie at handmaid is reviving Colour Week. I missed out on Monday, so here's what I found in my search for a green view for Tuesday. Green napkin, green drink and green Care Bear (Good Luck Bear glass circa 1983).


Today marks the one year anniversary (birthday?) of my blog. Thanks for visiting my corner of the world.

Bunny Recap

What better way to kick off Easter weekend than with a pitcher of Blue Moon and the best pizza in town? None, I tell ya! Arwyn's at her aunt Banana's house for the weekend? Even better!


We'll skip right over Saturday and the boring trip to Lowe's to pick out faucets and grass seed (we just go hog wild when our child is out of town) and get right to the good stuff. Who wouldn't love to wake up to a plate of orange rolls hot from the oven and an Easter basket on the table?


Bubby's basket. The Easter bunny gave him women's flip-flops. Oops. No pictures of Arwyn with her basket because she got so much crap from other people that we decided to keep the goods and use them as potty bribes presents.


Neither bone-deep wind chill nor snotty noses shall keep us from hunting eggs at Grandma's house. Those cows better stay away from my eggs.


Breaking up fights between cousins and eating your kid's chocolate. Its what Easter is all about. Isn't it? What?

Smells Like Christmas

I went to bed with the AC on and woke up to turn the heat on. Bizarre weather that put me in the mood for baking and soups, so I tried the no-knead recipe that Alicia posted recently.


I am a fairly accomplished cook and I love to bake, but there are some things (mostly bread-y products) I just cannot make, no matter how many times I try. I've overcome my pancake problem by sticking with a recipe from a Bizquick cookbook. I just add different things to it to make various flavors of pancakes. Its the only recipe that works for me, whatever the reason. This might be my new bread recipe.


Isn't it pretty? It was easy to throw together, it rose like it was supposed to, and it is de-lish. I pre-heated the oven early and left the oven door cracked to raise the kitchen temperature, so perhaps that's why a bread product finally decided to turn up properly. It was easy enough to make while running to the basement for laundry and overseeing a paint project by my very own little Picasso.


It made a lovely afternoon snack, topped with Dillman's Black Raspberry Seedless Preserves (shameless family plug).


I give it a hearty five fruits.

Swaparooni

OMSH is cookin' up a swap!

New Knife

Not Chai

My doc of natural meds recommended I drink a cup of this vile concoction every day:

Brew 1 cup peppermint tea. Mix equal amounts of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cayenne pepper, and cardamon. Add 1/8 to 1/4 tsp to tea. Use Stevia to sweeten.

Every morning I get to look forward to the sensation of my mouth and throat being licked with the flames of hell.


I would MUCH rather be drinking this:

Goodies!

I received my order from the super talented Theresa of Rock-Paper-Scissors fame last week. So much fun stuff! I immediately tore the package open to see inside, but haven't had a chance to play with any of it yet.


Go check out her etsy shop!

More Potty Talk

I'm researching potty books and DVDs online. On Amazon, I come across a cute book called Does a Pig Flush? WHY is this book $73.96?!?! Does someone from the publishing company come to your house and potty train your child for you? If so, then it might be worth the price tag. OK, it would definitely be worth the price tag. (Hey, maybe I could start my own business: We Wipe for You) Is this a typo? After looking at this listing three separate times and trying to figure out what I was missing, I finally see (in small type) that there is a paperback version available for $5.95. That, I might consider.

No Words

Sometimes I rail against the forces that brought me to be living the life that I am. Sometimes I get so angry for having to do all of these jobs. Sometimes I am ungrateful and ugly. Sometimes I lose my shit. Sometimes I read something that makes me remember how lucky I am.

As My Garden Grows

This tulip is outside our back door and it has now been joined by seven of its brothers and sisters. And that black plastic which I loathed? Gone! I plan on filling this space up with flowers, flowers and some more flowers. We might be eating canned beans by the end of the summer, but at least our yard will look good. Bwa-ha-ha-ha!


This is a small tree in our backyard. It was half expired when we moved in and we (by 'we', I mean Bubby) had to remove several branches, and we weren't sure if the tree would survive the amputation. Now it is so pretty! Our neighbors told us it had beautiful flowers in the spring, but this is the first year it has looked this good.


The peonies are coming out of hibernation. These babies grow so fast! I think I took this picture two days ago and they are already doubled in size. Incidentally, I've always called peonies "pee-on-mes". Sick, but true.


I have no idea what my recent fascination with the flowers in the backyard is all about, but I'm going with it. It's that or poop talk. That's all I've got right now.


This is a really pretty little tree on our side yard. I have no idea what anything is called. It has these gorgeous flowers in the spring and then dark red heart-shaped leaves in fall. I like it.


Bubby, I hope you like canned beans.

A Real Moment

I saw OMSH had joined the Real Mom 'movement' and decided to start my own flickr set celebrating moments of what? Insanity? Ineptitude? Survival?

More times than I'd care to admit, Arwyn enjoys her lunch in front of the computer or the tv. It keeps her busy and quiet for a few minutes so I can enjoy my own meal without the constant stream of "Sit down. Get back in your chair. Don't do that with your fork. Eat your lunch." etc, etc. This works as long as it is a game she can do by herself and I don't have to rescue her.


Today's Real Moment was brought to you by the letter P and the number 2.

Oh My

I just discovered another blog to add to my ever-growing bookmarks. Because really, who doesn't have the time to read 500 blogs per day?!! I mean, its not like I'm doing anything but cleaning up bodily fluids anyway.

I'd seen OMSH referenced on other sites but had never checked her out before today. And wow, I'm really glad I did. She's straight forward and funny and sounds like a person who would be great to get to know. And she loves Sonic, so how could I resist? I'm loving her Real Moms flickr set and have decided to attempt something along those same lines.

Tonight the girls and I are having a night on the town. And by girls, I don't mean me and my ta-tas. I mean iMollie, our buddy BJ and myself. I think we're all looking forward to it slightly more than may be appropriate, so here's hoping it lives up to the hype.

And now I'm craving Sonic. The best birthday gift my brother-in-law BW ever gave me? A Sonic gift card. I'll have a large coke, please.

Can You Dig It?

I made a list of everything we planted so I wouldn't forget anything. I'm such a nerd, but we already knew that, didn't we.

• Hyacinths (2) - one purple, one white
• Cosmos (seeds) - orange and yellow
• Zinnias (seeds) - multi-colored
• Daisy mix (seeds) - multi-colored
• Anemones - purple
• Dutch Iris - don't recall
• Bearded Iris - black
• Phlox (2) - purple
• Viola (6 pack) - orange and purple

Here is the "tool" I was using before Monday. This is actually a promotional item given away at a library grand opening. Suffice to say it was not meant to be used to dig any actual holes, but I did anyway because that was pretty much all I had on hand.


My first actual gardening tool. Its amazing how much faster the digging went once I wised up.


My assistant's tools. They don't dig too well either, but they do fling dirt really well in all directions and water anything in sight.