irritations

After all the talk yesterday about coffee, I decided to take a few extra minutes this morning to stop at McDonald's on my way to work. I don't think I'll ever understand how this can happen to me - and it happens often enough. I ordered a coffee with cream & sugar on the side. (Note: my reasoning for not having them put it in is because I always vary a little on how much I want in my cup, mostly depending on how strong the coffee seems to taste.) I look in the bag of goods before driving off & realize they didn't give me a stirrer. At this point I have to wait for them to return to the window so I can ask for something to stir my coffee with, only to be given a bewildered look. Seriously, can you think of any possible scenario in which the cream & sugar can be successfully blended with the coffee and without causing serious burning to various parts of the body? Come on, people! A straw! A stirrer stick! Something besides my finger is needed for this! Oh, that reminds me, I needed to share a little bit of good news about McD's and their stirrer sticks. It used to really bother me that the sticks were smaller than the cups. Yeah, burnt finger tips were a certainty. I'd have to ask for a drinking straw, and would always get that dumbfounded look from the employee as to why I'd need that for my coffee. (Obviously there just aren't enough coffee drinkers in the crews of McDonald's.) Anyway, a few months ago I was given a lovely surprise... they changed the size of the stirrer sticks! Now they actually work!
(Yes, I do have a photo to show you!)

See the before and after? What a difference!

This all leads me to share a few of my "pet peeves" - things that annoy me. Feel free to share some of yours in the comment section, too!

1. Stirrer straws that are too short.
2. Buying coffee (with cream/sugar on the side) and not being given something to stir it with (this also happens to me in restaurants - I'm often seen stirring my coffee with a knife).
3. Toe cleavage. It's where the little lines between your toes shows outside the shoe. Eeeew! It's just wrong!

(Yes, two photos, just to show the horror of it!)


4. People that drive in the turn lane. You're supposed to have your signal on, and wait for a clear moment to merge. It's not an open driving lane, people!
5. People that park in front of storefront doors. I'm talking about the ones that figure they'll "just run in for a second" and end up taking 5 minutes or more. In the meanwhile, Granny outside can't get to the railings on the walkway because Dopey blocked it with his car. Poor Granny has to take the long way around, slips on a small patch of ice and breaks her hip. Dopey doesn't even notice his car being taken away from the tow truck that the ambulance driver called, because he's too busy talking on his bluetooth loud enough for everyone to hear his conversation about something nobody gives a rip about! And we can't forget to mention he continues to talk on his phone while approaching the register to make his purchase, never even bothering to say a little "hello" or "thank you" to the employee that's glaring voodoo-death wishes at him from behind the counter! (*catches breath*)

Huh! I think that last one covered about 3 or 4 pet peeves in one! LOL So, what irks you?!?

my roots aren't showing

I wasn't referring to the ones on my head - those are definitely in need of a refresher. I'm talking about my heritage here. My brother and I were talking a week or so ago about how it seems like I'm not drinking as much coffee as I used to. For those that know me, this is a big deal. I'm a huge coffee lover. I'm even debating about getting some type of coffee cup graphic as a tattoo one day (along with the others I think about, but probably will never get around to doing!). It's in my blood. My Mom jokes that it's a Finn thing (she's 100% Finnish) - it's just huge with her side of the family, and I look at it as much as a family traditional thing as I do a daily sanity saver. But since we moved here a few months back, I just can't get it to taste good when I make it at home. Sure, if I had the money and a little Coffee Beanery delivery person to bring it to my door each morning, I'd be all set!

But since that's not the reality of life, I have to continue trying to find that perfect balance of beans and water.

Oh, Matt's wonderful parents gave me this lovely item last Christmas...

...it took a while for me to adjust to her ways of brewing for me, but soon we were in harmony. I miss using her!!! Maybe I'll have to dig her out of her hiding place if I can't get this other one to cooperate!?!

drama for the holidays

Seriously, what would a holiday be without a little drama?!? I can thankfully say we made it thru our Thanksgiving festivities without incident. We enjoyed our dinner at my cousin Becky's place with her hubby & 2 kids & her Nana. It was very nice - the kids played well, the food was delicious, and the company was wonderful, as always! The drama began on the way home... with Kirsten! She was complaining of her tummy hurting, and I thought she just had to poop. When we got home (it was about a 30 minute car ride), we started her bedtime routine. I proceeded to administer her nightly dose of medicine (we put the inside powder of the capsule in some applesauce - she doesn't have the whole pill swallowing art down yet), and she gagged a little on the first spoonful. I made a comment about how I know it's yucky, then I noticed this look in her eyes. You know the one - it's that 2 second warning that something horrible is about to protrude from the depths of their bowels, and there's just not enough seconds left to do anything about it. Yup. Projectile fountain all over me. And I was directly in front of her, and quite close. That was just nasty. Poor girl, she was all upset. I calmed her down, changed her, and we went about the rest of the business, sans meds.

She was fine after that. Nothing else was wrong. Friday we peacefully slept in (aaaah! I was thrilled to experience that!), and then decided to run a few errands around noon. First stop was at my work to get her glasses adjusted. From there we were heading to my in-laws. About 2 miles from their home, it happened again. At this moment, I realized it was a good thing that I'm not the cleanest car keeper in the world. There was plenty of stuff to protect the carpet from the puking she did - twice. Blech! I was able to clean it easily enough at my in-laws, and Kirsten's been fine since then. (I'm wondering if she's developed some reflux again - or if it never fully went away. A gastro appointment in a week will hopefully clear up my questions.)

Dramatic moment number 3 happened this morning. I decided to be kind and let Matt just sleep today, and since I was on the tech schedule for the service at church, I had to leave home by 7:30am - and I took Kirsten with me. Usually she's not too bad while we're working there, but this time she broke a rule. She's not allowed to go outside unless she comes to ask me or Matt first. (I love that she has transition lenses in her glasses - it gives her away when she does sneak out!) Anyway, here I am in the booth, racing to type in some new lyrics to a song we've never done before, and along comes sweet Anthony with Kirsten in his arms, and she's crying. Apparently, she went outside & fell on the cement. Tights were ripped. Blood was definitely an issue on the knee and hand. I will admit, I feel a little guilty that my first thought was one of those "see what happens when you break the rules???" comments. I calmed her down some & we did what we could to fix the situation. In the end, I completed my job in the booth, and she ended up being able to run around again - sans tights - inside!


I guess if that's all the drama we experienced during the Thanksgiving weekend, then I'm quite thankful!

bows you just HAVE to see

I'm sorry, I totally forgot to share this information before, and this time of year is the perfect opportunity for a product like this! A friend of mine introduced me to this company earlier this year, and I decided to try a few bows for my Kirsten. Now, I'm not a huge fan of frilly things, but I have to admit that they really are adorable. Of course, I didn't order the huge kind that would take up half her head. Instead I went with a few that I figured would suit my daughter well. And they do!


(pardon the fuzzy photo)

The company is Five Blessed Bows and it really is something to see (if you've got little girlies that can benefit, that is). I like that the company is founded by two stay-at-home Moms. I like that they have a variety of sizes and colors to go with whatever we want them to match. I like that they even have a type of clip that will STAY in my daughter's uber-fine hair! (Seriously, it works!)

If you do order, let them know that you were referred to them (just click on "referred" at the top of their page). You just send them an email with the name and email address of whoever referred you (that would be me - Ruth - finngirl004@aol.com, please! *wink, wink*). With referrals I can earn a free bow! I need a new one, now that Kirsten's hair is much shorter! (And since she's lost two of her other ones!)

And if you do order, let me see a picture of what it looks like on your little sweetie! These are just so cute!!!

(Great, now that I browsed around their site, I think I need to place an order for the holidays! LOL)

interesting driving laws

I ran across this list the other day, and some of the laws listed were quite funny! Let's see how many of these would actually be a concern to you if it were a law in your state...

* In Mount Vernon, Iowa, you can't shoot arrows into the street without written permission from the town council.

* No parking in front of Dunkin Donuts in South Berwick, Maine, or you'll be ticketed.

* Officials in University City, Missouri, have made it illegal to honk the horn of someone else's car.

* In Scituate, Rhode Island, it's illegal to drive with beer in your vehicle - even if it's unopened. (So, how does one get it from the store to their home?)

* Arkansas authorities have deemed it illegal to blare a car horn where ice cold beverages or sandwiches are served after 9 p.m.

* It's against the law in Hermosa Beach, California, to spill your margarita on any street. (Hmmm... I wonder what drunk politician made that a law?!?)

* If you screech your tires while driving in Derby, Kansas, you can land up to 30 days in jail.

* In Alabama, it's illegal to drive while blindfolded.

* You can't plant a tree in the middle of the street in Blairstown, New Jersey, or you'll get in trouble.

* Rockville, Maryland, nails you with a misdemeanor if you're caught swearing from your vehicle.

status quo

The status quo. The existing state or condition. Also called "status in quo." *looks at the title* Hmmm... I think I like it in all lower case like that. No caps. Maybe I'll starting doing all my blog post titles that way. I like the look of it. *pauses and hums to self* Sorry, I digress. Anyhoo, let me preface this one with saying that I'm not here to air my dirty laundry, or rather my dirty list of ailments. I'm not looking for sympathy or anything. This is to update some people that have asked me about the situation, but also (and more-so) for my own sake. If I don't write this down now, I'll completely forget by morning what happened! Yes, even with an adequate amount of coffee!

Today I followed up with my PCP about the blood work I had done on the 2nd. Everything looked pretty good, with the exception of the glucose. It came back as borderline insulin resistant, of which a nurse told me a week ago & let me worry over it till today. My doctor told me it wasn't horrible, but it does raise a flag. It falls pretty close to the "pre-diabetes" range. After discussing more of how I've been feeling & what I've been doing, we decided to change my meds a little. I'd been taking some metformin for a little while, and we're wondering if that's been making me feel so horrible. It's typically a medicine for diabetes to help control blood sugar levels, but we're using it to help treat my PCOS. It may be that I'm on too high of a dose, so I'll be cutting back on it now. He said I might have to play around a little with it to see how it makes me feel. He told me to watch my symptoms and how to help myself when I'm feeling yucky again (it sounded to him like I might be hypoglycemic - with my levels bottoming out from time to time). The bummer is that I'm going to have to be more diligent of what I'm taking & eating... and keeping track is not an easy task for me! I bought a cool new pill dispenser (days of the week kind) & hopefully that'll help me remember to take what I need.

My weight is definitely an issue, only because of all this other garbage that's combining with that negatively against me. We talked a little about it, but not too much. He knows I'm aware and I know what needs to be done. But the other big thing is this decision Matt & I have to make. We just don't feel ready to have this set in stone yet. If you didn't read the post from the gyno visit, basically we have to figure out if we're going to try getting pregnant again or not. And I have to let my doctor know in two months. Matt & I have talked briefly about it a few times, but it seems he's as reluctant to make a decision as I am. I talked a little with my sister Valorie about it, and she said maybe this is what we need. Meaning, we've been dragging our feet about whether we'll do this again or not (we have to do the infertility route), and now this is finally making us come to a decision. I'm not getting any younger, and now my body is basically getting to the point of forcing me to make my choice. With either decision, I'll pretty much have to start some type of treatment relatively fast. Some thoughts...

~ Forty isn't too far off anymore.
~ I'm feeling old lately.
~ Kirsten mentions something to me at least once a month about having a sibling (it's hard when she brings out her baby doll & tells me it's her baby brother - she even uses the name we'd use - I should never have told her).
~ I don't feel like I'm old enough to be done with having kids, especially when practically one in five gals at church are having babies. Am I really that much older than they are?
~ There's a chance Matt might get a promotion in a few months, which would be so good for us.
~ Kirsten would be so amazing & being a big sister could really help her with some of her issues (ADHD/autism).
~ If this was God's plan, wouldn't it have happened by now?
~ Kirsten is enough work sometimes - as if she was 2 or 3 kids in one! LOL
~ Part of me feels my heart would always ache for more, yet part of me feels so fulfilled with our sweet girl - and I know we've been so fortunate to be able to have her, especially looking at all of our struggles to get pregnant with her (and since).

When I was talking with Val on Friday, a thought came to mind that I'd forgotten about. Back when Matt & I were trying to conceive with Kirsten, we had talked quite a bit about the possibility of adoption. We realized there might be a point where we would have to call it quits on pregnancy, and that there is such a need for parents to love a child that doesn't have a family. Matt's brother Aaron & his wife Jenn were able to make that a reality for their family a few years ago when God brought Otto into their lives. So, if we decide no more pregnancy attempts, there's always adoption to think about. And like Val reminded me - our lives are FULL of children that we can love & pour ourselves into! Heck, we've got 18 nieces & nephews (or is it 19?!?), along with some great nephews & nieces! That's not including kids of our cousins & friends...!

I don't know when we'll make the "final" decision, but please keep us in your thoughts & prayers as we weigh out our options. And hopefully I'll at least be a little lighter & more regulated with my meds by the time I see the doctor in January!

I must be getting old

The other day I stopped at Burger King to get a simple cheeseburger. I even ordered it plain. The total came to $1.26! A dollar and twenty-six cents! For one burger! I thought regular 'ol burgers were still under a buck! What happened? I was tempted to make a run for White Castle instead, but I knew that would be a mistake I'd be paying for continuously for days after (even though it'd taste great going down!). A dollar twenty-six, for one plain cheeseburger. A flat one, no less! I must be getting old!

The norm

I posted on the 18th about a little washing miracle I had encountered - an entire kleenex making it thru the cycles without being shredded. Well, today it was back to normal. I missed one, and the little itty bitty pieces were all over the place! You think I'd be an expert by now at locating them before they went in the washer. I mean, with all of Kirsten's nose issues, it's been a regular issue. Yet I still manage to miss one from time to time, and the results speak for themselves. Thank God for those once-in-a-blue-moon miracles!

(Just look at that messed up lint from the dryer!)

7 random things about me

Great, I've been tagged! My pal Karen decided to pass on this challenging task to me. I thought it would be easy enough, but it's surprisingly tough to think of something not everyone knows already! Here's the deal - you have to state 7 random things about yourself. I don't have many readers of my blog here, so it's hard for me to think of something you might not be aware of about me! Well, here goes...


1. I've been regularly watching a soap opera, Days of Our Lives, EVERY DAY, for around 15 years! Even on holidays or times away from home, I still record it & watch it later... in spite of the fact I keep saying I'm going to quit (especially when another dumb storyline happens)!


2. I like to freeze my Ding Dongs (of which I call King Dons). "In fact, when they were first introduced, they were actually called King Dons in some parts of the country (and Big Wheels in some regions)." They're just so yummy like that! (My Mom does the same thing!)


3. I enjoy getting blood drawn. I like watching the needle as it punctures my skin, and I especially enjoy the experience if it's completely pain-free! You know, the times when you can watch the needle go in and not even feel it? That blows me away! Perhaps it's got something to do with my fascination with vampires?!? LOL Okay, I just re-read that, and it sounds a bit weird! Maybe it's because I've been through enough physically painful procedures in my life. And maybe it's for the fact that I'm almost literally scared to death of being in the dentist's office. I like that there's one necessary medical procedure that doesn't bother me at all!

By the way, I've done a few pheresis donations years ago, and I used to try "racing" to see how quickly I could donate my blood (pumping my hand when the nurses weren't looking)! I know, what a goof!


4. There are 3 times in my life so far that I've almost died: 1) when I was an infant I almost died from SIDS - my Mom heard me, saw I was purple, and my parents rushed me to the hospital. 2) when I was 16 I had such a serious case of mono that kept me in the hospital for 7 days & 13 hours (funny how I remember that number) and there was a point where my throat was swelling & closing up that my Mom thought I might die (of course, she didn't tell me that until many years later). 3) the circumstances surrounding Kirsten's birth put me in jeopardy for my life (my pre-eclampsia was turning into HELLP syndrome & my organs were in the early stages of shutting down). I guess God's wanting me to stay around for something, huh?

Oh, and there was another one that was pretty serious, but it wasn't a "near death experience" as close as the others. I was in a bus accident when I was a teen, and most of us on board walked away with barely a scratch. Of course, the situation really should've been much worse. The paramedics and other locals told us they were expecting fatalities for certain, and were amazed that there were barely any injuries. Definitely a time of angels at work. That could be another blog in itself someday!


5. I was so unfocused my first semester of college that I ended it with a GPA of only .89! The first year I ended with 1.89. I was living in the dorms & just having fun, as you can see! Good use of the financial aid there, Ruth!


6. I have a serious addiction to Hallmark Christmas ornaments. I could literally decorate an entire tree with ornaments made by Hallmark alone! Thankfully, earlier this year my sister-in-law Jenn helped me deal a bit with this obsession. She was helping me "cleanse & purge" out a lot of unnecessary things, and with her help I was able to eliminate one storage tub of ornaments. (Not all were Hallmark ones, but many of them were.) I mean, am I ever really going to decorate an entire tree with them? I have so many other meaningful ornaments that I like putting up, too. I'm learning to keep the specific collections going that we have (regular & mini Snoopy and a Star Wars series), but not to start new ones. I also get one a year for Kirsten, but no more than that. She'll have a nice collection when she's old enough to move out (sounds weird putting that in words! LOL), but not an over-abundance from years of her Mommy's addiction!


7. What in the world is another random thing about myself I can share that isn't well known already?!? Um, my favorite Christmas movie is "White Christmas"... is that good enough? That started from a childhood tradition. On Christmas Eve my brother Steve & I would stay up & watch it every year. Our whole family enjoyed it - my Mom's cousin was even one of the dancers in the movie (cousin Betty)! And I still make a point to watch it at least once every holiday season... if not with another family member (like Steve or Val or my cousin Becky), then by myself. Matt's even endured the torture (he HATES musicals), but it's hard to enjoy something with someone who really wishes they were elsewhere! LOL

There, I made it! Now I get to pass the curse along and tag 7 other people! Let's see if Matt, Rebecca, Andi, Doug, Shelley, and Andrea take on the challenge! I know that's only six, but that's about it for non-MySpace bloggers I know that might actually do this! LOL