Let's Get Physical

...therapy that is - Physical and Occupational therapy.

My silly index finger thankfully does not need surgery, but it does need a good amount of bend-point-and-straighten working out to slim it down and allow for better dexterity. 
Oh to make a fist again...

My gimpy finger, now taped to my middle finger, uses the buddy system.  Gimp finger follows the third finger around and bends when it bends and such.  Basically it's showing my non-working finger the ropes again.  It does make giving the bird harder, though.

And then there's the sensation aspect.  Aparently when you slice your nerve and it grows back, touching things makes you want to crawl out of your skin.  Let me tell you how much I despise sliding my hand through the sleeve of my jean jacket or wool coat. AHHHHH ::nails on the chalkboard feeling:: !

So there's help for that too.
It's called desensitizing and teaching my nerve that things feel normal.
This involves tapping, brushing, and rubbing pieces of moleskin, cotton, felt, velvet, towel, and working up to tolerating velcro loops, velcro hooks, my hair, denim [::shudder::], and upholstery.
I also get to stick my hand in containers of macaroni, dry beans, rice, and popcorn and force myself to not slap the poor, nice lady teaching me how to "feel" again.

It's pretty much the oddest thing to watch.

Honestly, you should see the faces I make. 
It's pretty hysterical.

But I guess any time you slice your finger down to the bone & then  need occupational therapy to recover falls under a pretty comical, unbelievable scenario.

PSA:  be careful with knives, y'all.  As my 4 year old niece reminded me, "They're dangerous. Use a butter knife"
Word.

Over the Bridge

Now, compared with yesterday's photos, which one would you choose for a New Year's card?!

 

 

 

These are some of my favs, for obvious reasons.  They are from out "day after/trash the dress" shoot.  The next question, is which one to make into a large canvas print?!

{all lovelies by Studio Juno}

Under the Bridge

Which of these would make a good new year's card?!?!

Thankful...

...for these special people in my life,

especially this guy!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Wordless Wednesday: Down by the River

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scentsy! Mixing it up

Two amaHzing Scentsy things:

1. Online Scentsy Party, hosted by a dear friend!
 AND

2.  Did you know you can mix Scentsy scents?!  "Recipes" below!

First up, through the beauty of the interwebs I met Nicci. Sure, she might mock my love of Twilight, but deep down we both find Will Ferrel movies hilarious, exchange tweets about HIMYM, and enjoy a good football game (even if the Packers and Vikings don't exactly mix & she finds that stupid Big Lebowski movie tolerable..).  Oh, her kid baby toddler is really cute, too!

We can both agree on this: Scentsy makes wonderful wick-less candle systems (& other fragrant products), which also are great gifts!
So, Nicci's hosting an Online Scentsy Party!


Beyond the basic wonderful Scent Bars, you can combine fragrances to create even better aromas!
I first discovered Clove & Cinnamon to be slightly strong for my liking, so I added Cinnamon Vanilla and BAM.  Amahzing cinnamony-clovey-vanillayness.

In fact - if you find any of the scents overwhelming, just add a cube of Vanilla Cream to even it out!

Here are some other great combos for the upcoming holidays:

• Lemon Cookie: Coconut Lemongrass & Sugar Cookie

• Peach Cinnamon Cobbler: Peach a la Mode & Clove & Cinnamon

•  Thin Mints: Mochadoodle & Whiteout

• Spicy Pumpkin: Cinnamon Bear & Pumpkin Roll

• Spiked Punch:  Cinnamon Bear & Perfectly Pomegranate

So go show Nicci some love, buy some scents for those you love, or just show yourself some love.  If you try the recipes above, let me know how you like it!

Do you have any Scentsy Recipes to share?

Steppin' Out Saturday 11.19.11 Early Thanksgiving

Our good friend Sarah hosted Early Thanksgiving, with her roommate, yesterday.  She provided the bird, the ham, and some serious side dishes (despite her oven breaking on Friday! eek!).  Everyone else brought tons more food.  The selection? Amahzing:

The bottom right picture shows my contribution: my dad's recipe for savory ginger mashed sweet potatoes.  They are my essential piece for the holidays.

Oh right, clothes:

 sweater dress, scarf, leggings, and shoes:
all from Target (I know, right?!)

owl ring: ?? seller @ Eastern Market, DC

button earrings: oh sweet joy

up-cycled tshirt bracelet: cotton lane

new highlights: you can't be me (ha ha!) 

Do you celebrate early Thanksgiving? (Twice the fun & yumminess?)

Did you tell your stylist "a little more red" and end up with fire engine RED highlights? (which actually ended up rocking your world once you realized how cool it was?!)

Just Write: Guilty Pleasure

There's this book I own which I refuse to finish reading,
because I never want it to end.
I'm drawn in and hooked, wishing I lived as the main character.

I can guess how things finish, because honestly the plot line is nothing too complicated.
In fact the plot line borders on ridiculous, unbelievable, and flat out silly.

So what is it about the Twilight series that causes me school-girl giddiness in anticipation of seeing the last (second to last, since they are splitting it in two parts) movie?

Let's be honest:  Kristen Stewart's acting makes me want to vomit.  I truthfully believe my childhood acting classes taught me more method acting skills than her pitiful sighs and that one emotion she knows how to display.  The movie is all glitz and glam and boom and nice to look, at sure (Jacob's abs.....  oh yes.... we need to ponder his abs just a little longer..... but I'm not team Jacob), but it's not winning any acting or screen Oscars. ever.  And if Edward uses that forlorn, pained, I-have-to-poop look one more time I will throw my Diet Coke at the screen (I would never do that to my Diet Coke, actually).

And as for the book itself?  Well we all know it's the worst use of the English language, ever. And the plot lacks, a lot.

So what is it that caused me (and many others I know) to get sucked into something so bad?

Twilight is my guilty pleasure.
Edward is so strong, protecting, dangerous, amazingly talented (as all vampire are), and breaks headboards, like the high school boyfriend you dreamed of dating.
Alice captivates you, makes you want her as a best friend, and of course her ability to see the possible future is nothing short of awesome.
Jacob is tortured by his unrequited desires, has the body of a wolf* (literally...), and challenges his pack authority.  We all go through times like that. (right?!)
Bella might not have it all, but she gets what she wants. And what girl doesn't want that?

The fantasy captivates you.

Andplusalso - there's a happy ending.
Spoiler Alert!

I can't wait to see their wedding!!!!!!!

And so, Twilight is my guilty pleasure.
It's the book I can't finish because I never want the fantasy to end.
It's also why I will wait in line, on opening day, 3 hours prior to the movie showing's start time.
Because I'm not alone on this one.
Twilight makes "normal"** girls believe in make believe.

*yes I know I mentioned Jacob's body 2x in one post
**meaning of "normal" up for debate
picture credit from a blog of a 30-something woman whose guilty pleasure is also twilight.
case. in. point.

Wordless Wednesday: MORE Day After Photos !

If Bread Could Kill

Inspired by Laura Numeroff's If you Give a Mouse a Cookie

If you give a girl a loaf of free cinnamon raisin bread from Panera,
she's going to want to slice herself a piece
(especially when she's not feeling well).

So, she's going to need to use the brand new sharp serrated bread knife.

And since she's not feeling well,
she's not paying close attention and using the knife safely.

So she cuts her finger.
(pretty badly).

And so she's going to need a band-aid.
And if she asks you for a band-aid, chances are she might really need a trip to the ER instead.

Since she cut herself with metal,
the doctor going to need to give her a tetanus shot.

But since she runs a fever for days,
She needs another trip back for antibiotics.

And chances are, that's not the end of it.

When she notices a tingling sensation and lack of mobility,
the 3rd trip to the Urgent Care Center results in a trip to the neurologist.

The neurologist confirms nerve damage but
since she can't bend the finger, he think she needs a hand x-ray.

And since she needs an x-ray, she needs a freakin' hand surgeon to review the film.
Chances are, she might need surgery to repair a severed tendon*.


So, If you give a girl a free loaf of bread?
Please, for the love of wheat, pre-slice the bread for her.
Seriously.

*This is only a chance. I go to the hand surgeon this week to find out what they think!
{mouse}
{bread}

Day After Photoshoot: Up on a Fire Escape

And then our photographer said she always wanted to do a shoot on a fire escape.
So we asked a random building to do just that.
On a random Wednesday afternoon, the staff happily obliged.

By the way, I hate heights.

 These pictures were so worth the adventure!

{Studio Juno photography}

Unscheduled Leave

I started putting 2 and 5 together when after four days of a fever (above 100), not needing any covers at night (while Mike piled the blankets on), and taking a day off from work, that I didn't feel good.

duh.

I assumed my students gifted me a(nother) cold.

Then the nausea set in coupled with a lack of appetite.
My tetanus shot site ached to the touch.
And my finger, that darn cut, throbbed.

Once again I found myself in that clean, friendly, flat-screen adorned Urgent Care center.  I showed off my swollen finger to the PA and then the doc.  The best part? They didn't charge me the copay as this became a "follow up visit" for my pointer.

Infected.
Yeah, I guess that makes sense with the tingly-pins-and-needles feeling at the finger tip.
The consisted ibuprofen dosages were necessary to get the warmth & pain to subside, only to return. 
But really, whose bread knife injury gets infected?

Oh right, mine.

The teacher whose classroom pet gave her Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
The patient whose test results also showed antibodies for Mono, yet every test in college always came back negative.
The person who keeps a handful of filled Rx in the medicine cabinet "just incase."

Because if it can happen (to me)
It will happen (to me).

I'm just happy I clipped the "new prescription = $10 gift card" coupon from Target, the other day.
(I just didn't think I'd redeem it a week after getting it).

Please forgive the sporadic posts.
Normalcy will resume, eventually!

Halloween Real-Life Drama

Mama said there'll be days like this,
There'll be days like this Mama said
(Mama said, mama said) 

I took a sick day today, because I was honestly sick (duh) & tired.
Head pounding, sinus congestion, dry cough, fever hot body, and dog-tired sick.
All that coupled with a healing wound, leaving me to type with 9 fingers.

As the Urgent Care doctor told me Monday, working with children is a hazardous occupation.

I started to feel The Sick coming on Sunday.
But Monday was Halloween!
Students gripping bags of polyester costumes stuffed into bags, grinning from ear to ear, and hyper with excitement from the upcoming parade & candy rush!
As much as Halloween Day at School can be a cat-herding event, it's not your normal day.  And so that's fun.
I doped myself up on sudafed & ibuprofen and off I went, to a successful day complete with pasta skeletons and other fun activities.
I made it through after school tutoring, even though the student didn't have homework (cue me creating last minute activities).

I even found coverage for my reoccurring Monday-night yoga gig.
The thought of PJ's, tea, and the couch completed me.

I decided to have some cinnamon raisin bread, toasted & buttered, which Panera gave us free the night before.

Shiny, serrated, bread knife.
I like having nice things that do their job right.
Maybe too right.
And then I sliced my finger clear open with our lovely, new, wedding gift knives.
Now I know why it's bad luck to gift knives.

Throwing the knife to the counter and gripping my finger, I recounted everything I knew from my Girl Scout's First Aid Badge: pressure, hold it above your heart, grip it tight, and cry like a baby.


One hand in pain, the other gripping it tight.
I had no free hand to help me.
Now what?
Neighbors.
Do you know how silly it feels to knock on your neighbor's door, in PJ's, braless, tears staining your face and say, "Uh, Hi.  I cut myself. Can you help me?"
I'm so lucky I live in a building with nice people.

They bandaged it up tight and kept offering to drive me to the hospital.
Maybe it was the adrenalin talking, but I couldn't for the life of me think why anyone goes to the ER on Halloween night for a measly little injury that probably only needs one single suture.

I finally found myself back on the couch, using Dragon Dictation to tweet and ask medical questions to people who clearly are not doctors.
No ER for me, no way.

When Mike arrived home from class I changed the band-aid to show him my brilliant, sick-haze-caused, not fully paying attention to what I was doing, injury.
Funny thing happened.
We got a real-life Halloween show, right there.
Blood dripping and going everywhere.

We looked at each other and said, "We're going."
...didn't need to say where - we both knew it was to the ER.

Luckily (?) our good friend Todd reminded us of a new Urgent Care center closer & with hopefully less of a wait.  And he even met us there to keep us company!

 I showed up claiming my costume was a unicorn.

Only $15 copay.
Only 2.5 hour wait.
and since I was their last patient, they didn't even want to give me stitches! (Which I still debate if that was the right thing...)

SKIN SUPER GLUE to the rescue!
Tetanus shot (stings like a B)
and a strep test for good measure.

Working with children might be a hazardous occupation,

but being me is living on the edge, enough for us all!