Wednesday, 31 October 2012

Live...


I know, I know – I really am not very good at keeping this blog regular and posting updates as life happens, but I do try and surely “it’s the thought that counts”? ;p
September has flown by in a haze of coping, making it from one day to another and I now realise living.
I have celebrated a birthday, attended a scrapbook convention {which really fed my soul}, watched my oldest daughter sing her heart out at her concert and do us {her mom and Dad} totally proud, attended a fantastic show with some good friends and made some decisions regarding my next impending medical drama!
So in essence I blinked and now we are in October!
Getting older certainly gets better each year as I become more comfortable with who I am and what is important, and once again my special people made me feel very special on my birthday early in September! My husband really got it this year… and put a whole lot of effort into my birthday cards, and I received one from him {which made me laugh, and love him a little more if that’s possible} and one from each of my girls which they chose out themselves and which totally represented their personalities and made my heart melt. For me the gifts are lovely but not imperative, it’s the effort and thought that means the most and Shane certainly scored very high points there this year! So a good start off to the month <3
Then I got to attend the International Scrapbook convention held in Johannesburg. I used to attend this every year, but with moving, pregnancy and just general chaos, I haven’t been in a few years – It was amazing to catch up with my TT {Thursday Therapy;)} girls, let alone all the scrapping, but it was kinda bittersweet as it REALLY made me miss them and my old life when it was time to go home. The funny thing though is that since it was my first time flying since my medical drama last year, I was thoroughly amused to find that my Dr wasn’t kidding and I can longer pass the security checks without setting off alarm bells because of all the metal clips etc. now permanently taking up residence in my abdomen! I was searched thoroughly (luckily just short of the glove) each time! Why this amuses me so, I’m not quite sure, but it does and each time I have a good giggle! {Insert shrug here!}

I will post some of the fantastic projects we did shortly, as I’m sure you’ll all enjoy a peek!

Then after months of practice I got to experience such a “proud mommy moment” or two;), when Kayla took to the stage, the youngest performer at just age 8, with the oldest being 18! So confident she did her thing and literally sang her heart out, even contending with a bit of the flu, she made us so, so Proud! Who knew she could have such a good voice? And to remember all those dance moves, I could never do that! She was amazing! <3


 
This month I also finally got to attend Madam Zingara – WOW! The wait was well worth it, we had a table of twelve good friends and had such a fantastic evening! We all dressed up for the theme “theatre of dreams” and had an absolute ball. I really felt like I’ve lived this month! Madam Zingara is a circ de solei kind of act, which takes place in the last glass and mirror tent left in the world! A privilege to have been able to experience it, especially with all the laughs and fun had amongst our good friends!

On the subject of living, I realised that I had been holding my breath, waiting for this next operation… and have resolved to try my best to LIVE and enjoy my beautiful girls and special friends and all the amazing opportunities that are all around us every day.

It seems an easy enough thing to do, and I thought I had learnt this lesson already last year after missing out on so much while being bed ridden, but it happens so easily…we get caught up in all that’s going on – three young children can be a handful, let alone running a household, running a business and trying to find time for Shane and I as just us, and our lives are chaotic, but I am learning to find that balance a little better and to prioritise the IMPORTANT things and people.

So, the decision we made (and I say we as my surgeries can effectively have a huge impact on my husband, just as much as me and I need him to be sure of the steps I take). After doing so much to-ing and fro-ing with pro and cons lists (hehe – can’t help myself it seems) we decided that we are going to go ahead with the op. Big Sigh* We feel that since it is inevitable that my gallbladder will need to come out at some stage, we might as well opt for it to be taken out by a set of prepared and informed doctors in a calm surgery, instead of waiting for an emergency and not knowing who will be operating and raising the risks that much higher.

So I psyched myself up for the 25th September, organised the kids, did a million lists and informed all who needed to know, only for one of the doctors to end up being not available at the last minute and so I opted to postpone! Huge anti-climax…

I only realised after the op was cancelled, how nervous I was as I literally felt lighter and felt like for the first time since making the decision, that I could actually breathe!

Anyway, the op has been postponed till the second week in October (I am still waiting for date confirmation) and although some days are hard to handle, I am managing and the handfuls of meds that I am taking to solve this and counteract that in the meantime, seems to be helping. My family as usual have been amazing and I think this time I will be perhaps more prepared emotionally and better equipped to get through whatever comes my way! Everything for a reason I am reminded!

I’ve had September to LIVE, to remind me of the little things and to take stock once again of just how blessed I am.

This journey has been a long one and is sadly far from over, but the people I have met and what I have overcome along the way has been worth it, let alone my little miracle that manages to burst my heart right open every day…and I will continue to learn and love and live till it’s over.

Thanks for reading and for all your support.

xxx

Wednesday, 29 August 2012

Weighing it all up...


It’s been a rough week. So to update all those that have been asking...

I took another visit to Hillcrest Hotel; I mean hospital, last week. The usual pain in my abdomen, but also something new; a pain in my lower back, and up my shoulder blades and this awful pressure below my ribcage…and still the constant nausea.

{You would think that with all this going on and me not managing to stomach much, that I’d be feeling pretty fab when stepping on the scale, but just my luck it seems, my body is still in “trauma mode” and so stores anything I do manage to get down my throat – grrr… What’s with that!?}

Anyway aside from my frustrating body issues…it turned out after scopes and x-rays and ultrasounds, that I have Gallstones and that my Gallbladder needs to be removed! Never a dull moment round here!

But this has opened up a whole new debate… usually a gallbladder op is pretty simple and routine, but as usual in my case never a simple thing! Because of the previous surgeries and scar tissue and other issues, doing it laprascopically may not be possible.

The info we have been given is once again terrifying for me and I’ve had a week now of weighing up the pro’s and con’s and trying to make the decision that the doctors won’t make for me due to the risks involved! To Shane and I this decision just seems impossible...

The issue is this, my pain threshold is now incredibly high and so I am feeling discomfort and bouts of extreme pain due to the gallstones, but am in pain daily anyway in my abdomen so on the whole I am able to push it aside, put on those big girl panties of mine and carry on. {Which apparently in itself is not altogether a good thing.}

So my first response was that if I can deal with it – no more ops… The thought of not knowing in what state I am going to emerge from another op scares the daylights out of me – so I’d rather deal with what I know. But in the vein of never being simple – you apparently can’t just leave a sick gall bladder!

There are risks of inflammation, stones in the bile duct, peritonitis, and more so something HAS to be done…

The options I have are to open me up in the small area above the old scar and go in and remove the gallbladder and hopefully not touch any of the previous trauma area. The doctors can then assess conservatively and then at the same time have a look at my abdomen and the adhesions and if possible try to loosen the adhesions allowing more mobility of my internal organs and hopefully reducing my daily pain. But I am told that the surgery alone will be high risk and going into my abdomen and poking around can open up the possibility of bowel nicks, septicaemia, and peritonitis amongst other risks, all of which can cost me my life.

I then go back to the fact that one would think: okay no problem, let’s just leave the abdomen and go in take out the gallbladder and get that “issue” out of the way… but again not as easy as that as depending on the adhesions, the scar tissue and how vascular my abdomen still is or isn’t they may not be able to get to my gall bladder without encountering problems…sigh*

So in a nutshell I have no idea what to do! How do I make a decision when even the experts can’t or won’t decide what is best?

I guess once again I simply need to have faith and trust that the picture will become clear and that we will make the right decision.

 Wish me luck!



August catch up!

Sorry for my absence...

We have had such a wonderful time away with our little getaway to our beach house and then the kids mid-term break and snowfall inbetween it all!

I have had loads of photo opportunities but not much "download" time. So I appologise and will endeavour to catch up and carry on!

Day 4 - What's for dinner...

 This was the most divine dish ever! Once you've got your head around waffles not being sweet - you can truly enjoy the savoury type - waffles with avo, bacon and cream cheese from the Waffle house down the South Coast. Yummy...

Day 5 - A Sign...

My beautiful family...what more can I say <3

Day 6 - Makes you smile...


This is my Izzy Bizzy Girl... my soft, kind and gentle, funny little princess. Always ready with the best hugs ever and always able to make me smile.

Day 7 - The weather today...


My sister-in-law and I took an impromptu road trip to the newly fallen snow in Notingham Road. It was such a fun afternoon. We had heard the reports of snow on the radio and decided that it would be fun to take the kids to play in it... and oh boy was it ever ;) best idea! We had no idea where we were going, but that was half of the fun of it and once we were theere our littlies just loved it - snowball fights and of course the creation of our very own Frosty...Olivia tasted EVERYTHING and now prefers her carrots chilled! Teehee.

Day 8 - A furry Friend...


This is my Delilah! Such a beautiful friend, so gentle with the kids and a special piece of my heart.

Day 9 - Something Old...


Don't you just love this? It is the wheel of an old wagon that was parked at the Lion Park that we took the kids to. There is just something beautiful about the aged wood and rusty metal...

Day 10 - Heart...

This heart just spoke to me... life is so uncertain, it can change in a heartbeat and I'm feeling the need to play, have fun and actively find joy in the little things as this make my heart happy...

Day 11 - Childhood...


How beautiful are these Cherry blossoms? We went for brunch with some special friends at Makaranga lodge and took a walk around their beautiful gardens... the girls took such open glee in running down the multitude of paths and pretty places and seemed to just soak up their beautiful surroundings. I sometimes wish we didn't have to grow up and loose that carefree attitude we had in childhood. What a happy place to be!

Day 12 - Unusual...

These flowers remind me of the ones outside the dinning hall of the boarding school I attended as a child. So beautiful and unusual...

Day13 - Colour...

Red! Now that's something different, anyone who knows me and my girls know that pink is usually the order of the day, but today while visiting her cousin Olivia took to the Lightning McQueen Quad bike and we couldnt get her off - so proud of herself too, such a big girl - I guess she's got some red in her yet!

Day 14 - What you did today...

Today I baked cookies! They are for party packs for a friend...I had such fun, after spying the idea on pinterest, I decided to try using my scrapbooking rubber stamps to stamp an image into the cookies before baking! They worked out quite well. Such a clever idea....

That's all for now... I will continue to post my images when time allows. I'm glad I've taken on this challenge it is showing me just how much good stuff I have in my life to be thankful for...

Till next time,

Friday, 3 August 2012

Someone that makes me happy!

Today this little mite inspired me!

Although all three of my beautiful girls make me happy - today Livie has been so full of fun and I've found myself chuckling at her frequently....

Day 3: #3 Someone that makes me happy




How can this little face not brighten your day...

Well we are away for the weekend so I'll post again when we back - looking forward to some R&R with my beautiful family. It's been a long time since we got away, so I'm counting down and will hopefully come back with some lovely pics too!

Happy Friday everyone!

Thursday, 2 August 2012

And the Challenge is on...

Right...after more investigation into the photo a day challenge I have put together the following:


My own Photo a day challenge for August!

So the idea is that you use the inspration on the list above and by the end of the month you have taken a photo to interpret each theme. Pretty cool if you ask me, but like my inability to order a straight meal off the menu at a restaurant without changing it to suit myself {my husband HATES this}, I have decided that I'm not neccasarily going to take pictures in the order of this list, but rather use which ever "inspiration" talks to me that day!

So today number 22 talks to me...

Day 2: Something I can't live without.


These are my electric hot water bottles - and no I can't live without them at the moment. They are FANTASTIC...unfortunately not because its cold {although that's a bonus} but rather because they are the only thing besides drugs that eases my abdominal pain left over from all my surgeries last year.

My ever thoughtful Mom spotted these as they hit the shelves and reasoned that they must be better than my microwave bean bag that only stays warm for a little while. All you have to do is charge them up - the charger plugs into the little heart shaped electrical point {I know that in itself is right up my alley} and voila - hot for around 5 hours!!! Bliss. Clearly after falling in love with the first one my mom gave me, I naturally had to get a backup one for just in case so that's why I have two!

To fill you all in, I am trying to stay painkiller and anti-inflammatory clear as it has just been so long and I've had enough! So today has been a week and so far so good, nothing my hot water bottle and a bit of mind over matter can't deal with {of course I have also changed my diet over the last two months and am supplementing with natural alternatives too} I assume it's only a matter of time before I will have to revert to the drugs again, but for today I'm feeling pretty good about myself and Loving my electric hot water bottles and would definitely recommend them!

See you all tomorrow...










Wednesday, 1 August 2012

Photo a day...August Challenge

So, I've been seeing these photo a day challenges all over the place and I have been so tempted to take the challenge...but with three children and a busy husband, let alone all the animals that frequent our home, I dont have much time for myself... so to commit to a photo a day for a year - Not likely!

A month though, I think I can do...I am thinking that it will help with my photography and to get me back into the groove of photographing everyday stuff - the little things!

So wish me luck and here is my first pic...a bit of a cheat since I was already scheduled to photograph this gorgeous little man today anyway, but herewith for your viewing pleasure...

DAY 1... Introducing Ayden.

Thanks for stopping by.

Friday, 27 July 2012

Chocolate Brownies anyone?

This is a day in my life...

So upon asking my husband which biscuits he’d like me to bake for him and to put in the kids lunchboxes – he quickly responded with “Chocolate Brownies”…{Duh! Like how come I didn't think of that?!}

Now Chocolate brownies are not quite biscuits in my estimation, and certainly not lunchbox friendly…clearly there is a reason I’m the mom in this house!

But anyway, I obliged - like a good wife should {*insert sniggering here} and the kids and I had fun baking again...and cleaning out the bowl and bits after.



I thought I’d share the recipe with you all ‘cause it is just too darn good not too!

So here it is The Chocolate Brownie Tutorial:


You will need:
250ml Butter
150g Bar One Chocolate bars
2 Cups Sugar
4 Eggs
5ml Vanilla Essence
1 Cup Flour
200ml Cocoa Powder
½ tsp Baking Powder
A pinch of Salt

100g Pecan nuts OR white chocolate pieces or both (I always use both!)



First off you can start by pre-heating the oven to 180°C.
Then, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence till creamy.
Then melt the butter and bar ones in a heavy based pot (I cut it all up into squares first as it melts more evenly this way)





Once nice and gooey, add to the egg and sugar mixture.
Add the sifted flour, cocoa, Baking Powder and salt and beat till well mixed.
Once well mixed, stir in the chopped nuts and chopped white chocolate.


Pour the mixture into a large oven dish lined with foil (shiny side down). The mixture rises so make sure the dish is about 5cm deep so that the mixture doesn’t overflow while cooking.

Pop it in your pre-heated oven and bake for approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool in oven dish,  and once cool tip out and peel off the foil.



Cut into squares and dust with icing sugar.

Yummy…. needless to say I am apparently part of Shane's weight gain "problem" and definiately not part of the "solution"!

This recipe was shared with me by a very talented friend who offers cooking courses, check out her website: http://www.domesticgogos.co.za/ she often features yummy bits for you to try.

Have a lovely weekend and let me know how yours turn out!