My Life's Ingredients

I signed up for Shimelle's Christmas Journal class for the first time in 2004 - and managed to do ZERO entries!!! The second take was in 2005 - once you have signed up for the class you will be a member for life (or as long as Shimelle is running this annual class). That time I managed to embellish 2 pages ... but no journalling!!! "Aller Gute Dinge sind 3" as we say in German, so this time I am geared up for it and want to finish the album/journal I have started in 2005. And I am sure I will manage this time, as I will have at least a little bit more time on hand. I am sure having my friends Sharon (2nd year?) and Heather (first timer) doing the class will help as well... maybe a little competition and keeping each other on the "leash" for the journalling. :) And I assume that Shimelle's "Manifesto" will help as well... making it public on my Blog etc. This means I really HAVE to stick to it... and I want to get at least 26 out of the 37 entri...

... I just thought I follow the example of big companies (and Heather K's suggestion) and merge my 2 blogs. Much easier for people to see my crafty stuff as well. So here it is!! :) Now I am just looking into how to change the template of the blog ... have to do something personalised really, but don't have a CLUE where to start... so if anyone has an idea (Websites etc.) as to how to do it (I appreciate offers to do it for me - but I really would like to have a go at it myself this time... ;) ) please let me know.

And it's only 1.20pm!!! Had the outlaws picking up the car this morning - we're trying to sell it and will get their old one. DH has been phoning me like crazy about things (must have been 5 times already!!) and one of our players/committee members came around for me to have a look at his knee. Just no TIME!! Had a lot of "to do's" on my list for today but will have to cut some bits out as it seems.... mmmph! Just chatting with a pal online and then make lunch (first thing I am going to eat today) and probably wrap some christmas presents. Have to transfer my address book file from my Psion to the notebook - which means slowly typing in as the files are not compatible!!! :o Then will prepare my christmas card list and write my christmas letter. Scout post is this weekend so I have to finish the Christmas Cards for Edinburgh tomorrow/Friday. HEEEEELP!!!! Need the Time Turner from Harry Potter!!! ;)

Woke up with a very nasty migraine... ice pack didn't work, trying to sleep didn't either. The tablets I've taken were "talking to me" (i.e. reflux) and I only managed to eat something at 2pm!!! But feeling better now. Will go for a little walk at 3pm to pick up DH's prescription and meds and get the TV mag as well. Wonder if that's my body reacting to the Zoladex already ... even though the Doc said it would take about 2 days for the side effects to kick in. Maybe I was just "due" another migraine again.... Have to start studying again tomorrow...want to do the last practical module in January and then ... hopefully ... will be able to pass the exam in February!!! :)

Just have spent about 7 hours preparing my listings for ebay and have been uploading them onto my turbo lister. Now will only need a couple of minutes tomorrow morning (15p listing day) to get the whole shebang up. Hopefully I am able to sell the stuff - it's just taking away space really!!!

Lots of scrapping today at the Harry Potter Cyber Crop and I got 5 LOs done plus 2 challenges. That's more than I did the last 6 Cyber Crops!! :) Here are the LOs I have done: Shimelle's "Magic in the Middle" Class: Lynz's "Magical" Class Nat's "Notions & Potions" Class My "Mystery Kit" provided by ATDML My "Hidden Challenge" Pre-crop Layout Lousette's "It's Magic" Class Phew - that's the LOs now all finally updated!! :) Enjoy and please do leave comments.... :)

Fairly busy day today.... I had a docs appointment at 9am to get the injection - Zoladex implant - which went fairly ok. Doc said I can expect the side effects to kick in in about 2 days... OOOOOH JOY!!!! ;) A quick check on the internet (e-mail and all that) and then rushed into town to meet with Sharon and Graeme before they returned to London. Had a nice Cinnamon Hot Chocolate Sundae and enjoyed my time chatting with Sharon while Graeme was mostly quiet (poor soul - nae chance with two crafters!! LOL). I walked with them to the train station, waited until they were settled on the train and then went Christmas shopping - with the intention to go to Whittards, Lakeland, the German Christmas market, Pound Stretcher and Matalan. Well, I managed Whittards and Lakeland where I got a phone call from DH ordering me back home to take photos of our car. While on the phone to DH I had a missed call - my MIL. Phoned her back and she told me that my FIL would go and check if the car ne...

First of all - my friend Sharon is coming up. WAHEY!!!! We're going to meet her for our - traditional??? (LOL) - dinner at Jimmy Chungs. :) And then lots of talk and Xmas presents exchange. I'm missing her quite a lot, specially with all the news I had over the last 2 months. Next good news - I have received my invite for the Module 12 (which I expected to have to skip because it's on 8 - 10 December) - but the invite shows 26-28th January!!! So ... I can do that AFTERALL!! :) Instead of waiting until March. WOW, that's soooo great!!! And the 3rd - we have another CyberCrop starting this weekend .... not that I would be able to do lots tonight, but the rest of the weekend I'll be fine! :)

I'm wondering if I should merge my Crafty Blog and my normal blog ... just to keep everything in one place .... what do you think?

Still can smell that gas ... all imagination, but hey! Had a discussion with DH yesterday about things which ended up to be a debate/argument and then me cracking down finally. Tried to explain to DH that I need to get a bit more sympathy, that there should be different levels of sympathy between migraine, common cold and getting cut open for the 3rd time in 18 months. Also need to be allowed to break down into tears from time to time - I'm not a robot (even though I seem to manage a good fasade for everyone there) and getting told that you don't seem to conceive naturally, then being told that the tubes must be removed, then knowing that you cannot conceive naturally full stop (and all the stupid talk at ex-work "it may just happen" is crap - because it AIN'T! Highway is gone... would be a blimming miracle!!!) and then that there is a cyst, cyst is getting drained, womb etc looks like warzone, and how about Endometriosis???? Makes you wonder how they top that??...

Went to NRIE for 8am on Wednesday and got my bed (21) allocated ... was first to arrive and then was told I was 3rd on the list. Mmmh... thought first come first serve, but obviously the surgeons are just rolling dice the day before.... :( Standard procedure of getting into that nice backless nightie, talking to the anaesthesist (sp?) - told him about my grade 3 throat (didn't make a bit of a difference afterall!!!) - and then the wait. I took my pre-OP medication at 10:30am (DH left me at 9:30am for work) and believe I was rolled into the theatre at 12pm!!! New for me I got straight into the theatre, not to the pre-OP room. Had to move from my bed onto the - very slimline!!! - OP table for the first time in my life. Also had the nice DVT socks on for the first time as well. Got the pads for the ECG and one on my leg (not quite sure what that was for?). Talking to the anaesthesist about the canula and my crappy veins (he tried it on the left hand first, then went with a smaller one...

Woke with a totally stuffy head, but fortunately still had some sinusitis tablets from the US and they worked a treat (well... supressing sinusitis pain etc.) and at 10am I got a phone call from NRIE from my consultant... asking if I could please come in for another scan??! Why? Didn't they do the scan correctly yesterday????? Well, had to take the bus and calculated the time wrong ... so went for a quick shop at Lush for a Stocking Swap but resisted to buy Christmas Hot Chocolate at Whittards. Scan went fine, apparently the cyst has gone down - so now we plan to have a laparoscopy tomorrow at 8am (or whenever it's my turn) and to drain the cyst. If it's bigger than anticipated then we have to cut a bit bigger.... That means my hospital stay can be anything from a day surgery (i.e. release in the afternoon) to full open surgery (release Friday to Sunday?). mmmh... we'll see.... :o

i'll be under the knife on Wednesday. Don't have it 100% offically as the consultant who's doing the OP was not there for the scan (his research morning) but the cyst is still there, still the same size, so I believe I can pack my bag already. :o Not that worried about the tissue report really (cancerous?) - much more worried about the docs damaging my good/easy to reach ovary (they have already punctured one of the arteries of one of the ovaries when they did the hydrosalpingectomy in January) and reduce my chances of my own eggs. DH and I touched the subject of DEs (Donor Eggs) when we drove home... we just HAVE to. And while every surgery (we don't know whether key-hole or open yet) still has the risk of death it's not really something we want to touch. Goodness, I have seen the Day Surgery more often in the last 2 years than in my whole life!! Think I'll manage the OP on Wednesday as well!!! DH seriously asked me if I'd rather adopt ... after all that st...

Someone hacked into my Ebay account and listed something... I'm totally gobsmacked!!! What a CHEEK!!! I am sure that they must have hacked into it, because I've made sure not to follow the link from any suspicious ebay e-mails.... Reported it - unfortunately the bidding's finished ... I so hope that the poor bidder has not paid anything yet. I'm too stunned about that ... how can people DO THAT??? At least he/she didn't use my account to BID on things..... :O

Got it from DH who has beens niffling about for the last couple of days. Nasty!! Hope this won't affect any impending OP ... the last word for that will be spoken tomorrow. Oh... and tried our new toy - we've got a Webcam. :) Now I just have to get my family in Germany to set up SKYPE and get some Webcams as well... Love those little gadgets. AAAH... TV just changed - DH got Football on Sky (NFL) and on Telewest (CFL). Need to get the connector for my laptop for TV.

Have finally been able to do my ATCs for the "Favourite Movie" Swap on UKS ... with me being in hospital and all that has been delaying sending them out but will go to the PO tomorrow. I will be getting all the "Batman Begins" ATCs back... looking forward to that really. :)

DH and I went to see The Prestige and I have to say it's one of the best movies we've seen EVER!!! Absolutely great, if a lot confusing. Every time you think you figured everything out there will be yet another twist. WOWEEE!!! Definitely have to say: GO AND SEE IT!!! And I hope you'll like it as much as we did!!

Had my pre-OP assessment this morning ... and it looks like there is no way out of having the OP for the cyst removal. The staff nurse said that a cyst that size is highly unlikely to burst or to reduce in size to just leave it be. Still have to have my pre-OP Ultrasound on Monday at the ungodly hour of 8am which will then give final say to OP or no OP. IF I'm going to have the OP I'll be in hospital for 3-4 days, that means I'll be in for DHs birthday and I will miss the crop on Saturday as well... and my module 12 and the exam in December/January are would be in question depending on the method they use to cut me open - recovery may not allow strenuous exercise, and I'd believe that the deep tissue massage would be classified as that if they do classify hoovering as strenuous. Just glad I got the First Aid course out of the way .... putting people in Recovery position would have been definitely strenuous. :O MIL offered to help with housework etc during recovery ... ...

Finally allowed to officially anounce that the Edinburgh Wolves have successfully gained full BAFL Member Status again and are allowed to apply to play in the 2007 season!!! Pheeeew!! :) Hopefully we will be able to show everyone that the 2006 season (and our withdrawal from it) was only a blip ... Had a nice team meeting on Sunday with lots of rules to follow through in future ... that should get us in the right position.

Well... would be nice to say I'm a qualified Sports Therapist but that has to wait until January hopefully. But yes, I am now a qualified First Aider - had a 1 day Basic First Aid Course at the British Red Cross an am interested to take up membership with them as well... back in Germany I have been a member of the German Red Cross for 7 years and liked it a lot. Just won't be able to put in as many hours as in Germany due to Wolves and Youth Wolves etc. But it was fun.... now off to search for "Nelly the Elephant" which is apparently the correct rhythm and lenght for your CPR cycle!!! :O

arrrrgghhh!!! Had a slow start again today (feeling still exhausted and as if I don't get enough sleep during the night) and didn't start studying until 11am (had to wait for Tom to pick up the stuff for the Youth Wolves game tomorrow against Fife Fire) and then decided to go swimming at 4pm (once finished my 4x45 mins studying). Took the car as I thought it would be a bit cold to walk back with wet hair ... and to use the car again (I don't drive very often ... err ... very seldom actually! ;o) ). Arrived to a full car park but didn't think anything about it. However, when I walked to the front desk and saw all those parents in the cafe area it dawned on me that it was Kiddies' swimming classes and that I wouldn't be able to go for a swim today.... Returned home as I didn't want to hang about for 1 hour and then got too involved with cooking dinner - so no swim today. Will start going swimming and to the gym again regularly from Monday. If I'm going to ...

Well...our neighbours came around today for dinner (Pumpkin soup with Dried Tomato & Parmesan bread and Chocolate Fudge Pie - good ol' Jello!!) and the long awaited DVD night part 1! :) We have been talking about watching DVDs for AGES but never managed it ... and now they are going to move to a new house (well.. it's an old house... :) )on 1st December... But not too far, so we probably will visit each other more often than we have done for the 4 years we're now living next door to each other!! DH put on black jeans and his Batman T'shirt and used my Zag as the "Batman Sweety Dispenser" for the kids. Had surprisingly lots this year, and at least none who are just coming with the "Gie' us yer money" without any joke or song or whatever. Have to check up on that "Penny for the Guy" thing... never heard of it! We watched "The Majestic" - really good movie, never heard about it. Looking forward to "cramming in" a co...