5/27/10 Thank You Note and 'Support'

Let me get this out of the way first, since someone asked me. Yes, that is my port you can see there...HEY, we were a LOT lumpier before, don't be afraid of a little port bump!

Now onto the main event...Thank you 200 followers! Yes, that punkster is out there again soliciting followers so I'll have to share pictures again... Be careful what you wish for people...your eyes may fall out this time. This is my very warped thank you note;

Three words that strike terror into every woman's heart...Bathing Suit Shopping...never a good time in BG land....but wait, she looks almost...well, happy...

...*cue scary music* DUH, DUH, DUH, DUH...

I BOUGHT A TWO PIECE BATHING SUIT!!! No, I'm not talking about a tank top one that covers everything. As recently as about a week ago I was having trouble buying sleeveless tops and now I'm baring my tummy, scars and all LOL...well, at least in the dressing room. I needed a suit with loose shorts or a skirt (remember my bum and back of my thighs are hideous, alright, alright, I'm getting sick of hearing about it too...hang in there and I'll prove it) and DD convinced me after trying on a few, that the 'grandma style' one piece suits that were like a mini dress were too A-line and none of them hugged my best part (my waist, she said) so they fell outward to my widest part and gave me a Christmas tree shape...I didn't know I had a 'best part', but I went with her theory.

I bought the one I liked best...I BOUGHT A TWO PIECE BATHING SUIT! I can't say it enough...or maybe two-piece isn't quite the right word as I've had other two pieces that covered everything. Can I call this a bikini even since it is skirted? Yes, I think I can...I BOUGHT A FREAKIN' BIKINI!

I haven't shown my belly in a bathing suit in over 20 years...DH bought me a 'loose shorts with bikini top' suit for my birthday after DD was born and she was less than one when I wore it...22 years ago (if he hadn't bought it as a gift it would have been even more years ago)! Can you tell that belly and back haven't seen the light of day in over 20 years? Talk about pasty white! I think a little sunless tanner cream might be in order!

I love that the polka dots hypnotize you into looking upward and then they subliminally make you think I might have some boobage under there, well, at least until I stand sideways and the spell fades. It's Ralph Lauren...and don't you love the navy and white terry coverup that matches above (it has another striped tie bow across the top of the V-Back).

OK, the scars aren't pretty, but I know they'll continue to fade. Now the hard part...this is about as hard as showing those Before photos...you've all done a great job of sharing your jiggly parts and I want those with booty to know they're not alone (no, I'm not trying to scare the he!! out of you). There is lots of sharing and support for people's 'possible tummy tuck' problems, but where's the support group for those of us with deflated booties (Or maybe it's a 12 step program I need? Or maybe just support period...Spanx WHEN are you going to start making bathing suits I believe I placed that order last summer!?)? Plus, I want you all to know that everyone has problem areas (yes, so you can feel better about yourselves while you point and laugh at me).
I'm showing my 'worst skin' part...those awful thighs and bum...it's even worse looking close up, but that's as close as you're getting (unless your behind me on the steps to the water slide)...it looks like crepe paper with soft wrinkles all through it...just weird. I was even nice enough (sorry Andrew, FB, and Andy...overt your eyes now or you'll never have sex again) to pull the suit up over my cheeks. You may not be able to tell from this pic, but I have very long legs...as long as my 6'3" husbands (I'm about 5'8.5", lost an inch)...it doesn't look that way because my bum has now fallen down into my thighs...seriously it's dropped half a foot...trust me my crotch is much higher than those cheeks...they're like others describe their boobs...deflated (and no, thank you, I'm not getting butt implants). So while you're looking into tummy tucks, I'm wondering if there is such a thing as a butt tuck? How about butt lift?...Maybe I can afford one cheek?

I don't even know who I am anymore....showing my a$$ on the internet (who was talking about personality changes LOL). Here's your big 'thank you' LOL...now sing it with me (the group theme song of course, could it be anything else?)...*I like big butts...*

Alrighty then...whose going to join me in 'support'...let the mooning begin...

5/26/10 My Second Vlog!

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5/25/10 Retail Therapy

DD and I went shopping (mainly for her birthday this summer) for 5.5 hours yesterday...that girl can shop until I drop! Get this, I also did some major shopping damage for my first big purchases since reaching goal...

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Just ignore my underwear showing as I know I need strapless bras/tanks underneath for some of these...and sorry no head shots as I just got out of the shower. Yes, I finally bought some sleeveless tops to show off those wings that I've earned (aren't you proud of me?)!



I'm thinking these two need to go back though...fullness right on my hips (my problem area) in the turquoise one and the red one is super thin clingy fabric.


OK, yes, I did buy some black that made up most of my previous wardrobe (and three pair of black and gray winter leggings not shown), but they're sleeveless dresses (and I also bought some other plain colorful tops/tanks not shown). The one on the right is a much bigger size (14) than I wear (8), but I thought it works because it's just a full dress with a belt (and it's Talbots and has a nice separate shift slip underneath).

OK, I'm off to a girls lunch out (in a sleeveless top)...but I wanted to let you know that I also bought something else...I'm thinking you'll be even prouder of me for this one...let's just say that I'll be showing you my bum and awful thighs (can't wait can you)...I'll save that for when I reach 200 followers (since I'm not following much, my followers have stalled...to be expected). Off to lunch!

5/22/10 Let's Talk Batwings

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Here's one of those two new tops I bought.

Hmmm....batwings come to mind. Now, I know you're going to tell me...my arms don't look as bad as most (or maybe that's wishful thinking)...

but take a look at Exhibit A...

Yes, I had to work hard to get that photo angle just right, but look at that skinny, weird, baggy, flap of skin hanging down...batwings. *She sings* "I believe I can fly..." ..."I believe I can touch the sky..."

5/20/10 Drivel Scribbles: PB's

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5/19/10 Thong Th Thong Thong Wrong

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5/18/10 That Four Letter Word...

Rain...

No, that's not the word...I'm starting with some personal updates (rain for the second day is just pissing me off), then we'll get to the LB, and that other bad word...

What's Happening:

- We finish the garage sale Saturday. We got rid of almost 1/2 the stuff and made about $100...woo. Yes, we priced things very cheap...people kept telling us they couldn't believe the deals they were getting (I just wanted it gone). I even set out three boxes of new things with the tags still on them from my 'gift closet' (LOL, things like baby clothes that were the wrong size/season, clothing for me that never fit, gifts I never gave, etc.). What's better than selling 1/2 the crap? Setting 10 boxes of leftovers at the curb and watching the Vets pick them up yesterday! The only thing that could ruin that moment? My two oldest buying four LARGE (we're talking couch and huge tables large) pieces of furniture from other's garage sales (I knew I was doomed Friday morning each time they would come back up the street in my minivan and back into the driveway). DH can no longer park his car in the garage and we're going to have to upgrade my minivan to a U-Haul to move their crap around.

- It was DS1's 20th birthday Saturday. His GF came up for the day and took him to the zoo and then we had a great dinner and family party. Can I just say that my children make me feel old...I just realized I can no longer say 'my teens' in my blog anymore as I now have 2 out of 3 kids that are 20 or older...Ahhh! How dare they grow up so fast and make me feel old...the pain of childbirth has returned to bite me in the butt!

- Sunday DH and I went to four nurseries to buy plants and bushes (all these garage sales have put me behind on my gardening). I decided we needed to redo some of the front landscaping as we lost some bushes from the waist-high snow this winter...plus some of the planting beds were getting out of control (we now have 10 tiny new bushes...and sunburns). We've never lived anywhere long enough to have to replace landscaping LOL...hard to believe we just reached 9 years here! I also have flats full of annuals waiting to be planted, but we've had two days of cold rain... d*mnit, now I have to clean my house (you can only imagine the mess after hauling all that crap out of the basement to sort)...sun tomorrow!

- Blog Comments:
---Thanks for asking, yes, my patio is still (mostly) brown and shiny (ask DD, she wiped out on the slick surface yesterday trying to run to her car in the rain). I'll try to take some pics when the sun is back out.
---Anonymous- thank you for the comment. It's comments and emails like that, that keep me moving forward on the book.

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5/14/10 Two Words...

...GARAGE SALE!

Yes, I'm certifiable. Yesterday my DD saw signs for our neighborhood garage sale this weekend and talked me into participating. We spent yesterday bringing crap out of the basement and tagging (I did have about 6 boxes already set aside for charity)...I'm having deja vu.

So why is it that I'm the only one awake...why yes, it was me that just told you the other day that my teens are nocturnal...kill me now.

The only thing I hate more than having a garage sale? Setting up two in the last three weeks.

Excuse me I have customers...Here come the 'People of WalMart' (http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/ )...Gawd I love that site.

Did I say 'Kill me now'?

5/11/10 I'm In Training

It's going to be hard for me to keep writing as much since the weather is getting nicer...my garden calls to me to sit and putter...like I said, it's my meditation. This trying to write in the evenings is not working with all the kids home and the craziness that ensues around here. Since teens are mainly nocturnal (at least mine are...I swear that's why they have big eyes...to see in the dark), I've made a plan though to sit on the patio in the mornings with my laptop this summer and type away...we'll see how that goes LOL. I've been working through the book primarily from front to back, but as things come up in maintenance, I stop and get those down.

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5/10/10 My Best Work

I hope you all had a great weekend! Mine was the best...DS1 home on Saturday (he bought me roses...notice my funny one, DS2 in the background and DS1's annoyed look LOL) and my DD made it back from Washington (best friend's graduation from American College) in time for Mother's Day dinner. The three of them (I love watching them cook together) made a great steak, mashed potatoes, and parmesan asparagus dinner, with sushi roll and yummy cheese appetizers (yes, I stuffed myself). I got some wonderful gifts and we had a great day.

Meet my brood (DD will be scolding me about this pic...she'd just gotten home from the long drive and isn't 'fixed up'...sorry DD, I'll post a better pic soon)...they're my 'best work'!

5/9/10 Happy Mother's Day!

Let me introduce you to another one of my most favorite people in the whole world...my Mom. Pic below is the two of us last Sept. in the city park where she volunteers every week working in the huge herb garden there. Yes, I got my good looks (this pic was just after I reached Onederland) and the gardening gene from Mom, although she actually knows a lot about the plants (sorry Mom, I only had a few pics to chose from on my computer; not the best of either of us). She taught me the importance of having hobbies that you love...gardening is my meditation.

My Mom is one of the strongest and nicest women I've ever met. She's got lots of nicknames, and although they might not all sound nice on the surface, all of them are endearing and show what a wonderful person she is.

My DH dubbed her 'Pumpkin' one year in college (soon after he met my family) when she made us matching pear costumes for a Greek Halloween dance where the theme was 'Famous Pairs' (get it pears/pairs). We were laughing and telling jokes as she stuffed us full of paper to fill out the 'pears' and talking about body shapes and all I remember is that DH made a funny joke (that I can't remember) about her being more of a 'pumpkin' than a 'pear' shape (like me) and she fained shock and we teased him severely about it...it stuck. He's received several 'pumpkin' items from her since then and she'll (and he'll) never live that one down.

Someone dubbed her 'Doormat' as she never says 'No' to anyone needing help. Even with five children to raise, I remember her always volunteering with lots of things throughout the years, even when she went back to work full-time in nursing after her youngest went to school; the 'Sister's of the Sick/Poor' huge annual card party and auction that I used to draw the pictures for yearly for their cookbook they sold, reading to the blind, helping shop and taking communion for the homebound, teaching CCD, Girl Scouts, PTA, Garden Club-starting a yearly Scholarship...I could go on and on. My Mom taught us the importance of giving back and doing for others. I remember my first boss gave me a book entitled 'How to Say No Without Feeling Guilty'...I guess I got the 'Doormat' gene too LOL...it's a good thing.

My kids dubbed her 'Oma' (as we are mainly German and it's their name for Grandmother). I think it's her favorite nickname as she relishes in the Oma role. She caters to and spoils her dozen grandchildren (we laugh and say that she even gives them gifts for Arbor Day). She knows each of their favorite foods and always has the cupboards full of favorites when they arrive. I've tried many times to replicate her 'eyeball eggs' (fried eggs) for DS2 (his favorite), but 'No one can make them like Oma.' He (my musical one) even made up a song he sings when he comes downstairs in the morning when we're staying there entitled 'Bacon and Eggs!'...she loves it!

I gave her the 'Icewater in Her Veins' name (sorry Mom, that one stuck too)...I remember it happened one time when I pointed out that she never gets angry or mad about anything...Mom is the eternal optimist (yes, I got some of that gene too...I guess I can't blame Mom too much for all the bad genes I got). We five children all wear our hearts on our sleeves...we laugh and cry at the drop of a hat, we fight, we make-up, we laugh until we can't breathe, we talk about everything and there's always lots of drama, but we also love each-other deeply and would each drop everything with a phone call from any one of us in need. Mom is the happy even tempered one in the family who keeps things in perspective and walks around with rose colored glasses on seeing the best in everything...and that leads me to my favorite nickname.

'Saint XXX(her name)'...you can't call many people a Saint, but this truly fits her. Anyone who knows her, loves her. She's one of the nicest people you'll ever meet...

...the funny thing is, she's also one of the strongest women I know. Anyone that knows her knows that she's one of the hardest working and most capable woman you'll ever meet too. She went back to nursing and retired as the Assistant Director of the Red Cross for Central Ohio (I got my strong work ethic from her). She managed that while raising the five of us and all her volunteer work...she has seemingly endless energy and is always working on something (yep, she taught me to always have a big project going too). She still does several crossword puzzles every morning, and if anyone ever mentions something she doesn't have the answer to, she's always gone right to the Encyclopedias (now the Internet) to look it up. She's never afraid to try something new. That taught me the value of 'learning something new every day'.
She's smart, competetive and no one wants to play 'Trivial Pursuit' with her...she's got the best memory I've ever seen. She's gone through some great adversities in her life and showed such strength through it all.

Before I finish, I'll just say that I can only hope to be the woman that she is and the example that she's been. As I've pointed out, some of her best qualities I've tried to take on at least a little bit of, but she's mastered each of them in a way that I can only hope to aspire to. The final thing I want to say is that the quality I admire most in Mom is the thing that brings all her 'nicknames' and 'traits' together...she goes through life with style and a happiness that is contagious. She works hard and makes the most of every day and finds the fun in everything. She'll sing and kick up her heels at the drop of a hat and she's not afraid to play, get silly, and poke fun at herself even...I think it's what's kept her so young...when you forget how to play you get old. I love to get her laughing and she does it often...here's to my (favorite nickname)..Mom!

5/8/10 Homecoming

My baby boy (DS1) is home from college (yes, he said you could meet him)...with a mountain of laundry and Freshman stories to tell.

Let summer begin!

5/7/10 Lock Me Up...I'm A Smuggler!

Why is it that I always make mistakes in a big way? Remember the horrific PB Event?...oh the horror.

This is what I've been working on this week (and the book...and the piles of laundry and the humongous mess in my kitchen that's still there after my 9 day trip back home...because I'm outside and the house falls apart when I'm doing a project). Yes, I'm fixin' up the patio again. About 6 years ago I decided to Acid Stain our concrete patio (original plan was pavers). I taught myself how to do it (you know I love a good project and new skills) and it turned out beautifully...very mottled...coffee brown...high gloss finish...perfect.

Two years ago I decided it needed another dose of the clear gloss sealer on top as the shine was gone...problem was the company could no longer ship a solvent based sealer to me as Pennsylvania had changed to a no VOC state. OK, well DH had just sealed the concrete drive and sidewalk with an expensive 10 year water-based sealer and there was some leftover...works for me! So I got out the sprayer and sprayed away...one coat was good, but two coats was even better, right?...I stood back when I was done and admired my work.

The next morning I woke up and grabbed my cup of coffee ready to head out to the patio to bring the furniture back on...AHHHHHHH!!! The patio was GRAY!!!! WTFrick!!!!! I panicked...WHAT HAPPENED?!!! Maybe it's not dry yet?!!! NOPE....DRY!!!! I get out the bucket of sealer and call the company to ask WTFrick?!!! The put me in touch with the 'Specialist' and after explaining what I'm looking at he says 'I keep telling them they need to add "NOT TO BE USED ON SMOOTH TROWELED SURFACES" to the instructions...It's only meant for broomed surfaces!' After seething for a moment I asked what I could do to fix it...his answer 'Well, you can try our cleaner, but I doubt it will come off without using an industrial floor sander'...umm NOT AN OPTION...'Or you can just let the sun and wear take it off.' AHHHH! I bought and tried every cleaner out there to no avail...I tried testing other strippers and sealers...nada.

So, for two summers I've had to look at my mistake...the gray haze still isn't all gone, but I couldn't stand it anymore (who likes to be reminded of their mistakes). When I was in Ohio last week I found some solvent based sealer (actually marked 'Low VOC' as they are moving toward 'Green' as well)...and yes, I bought two gallons and smuggled it over state lines! Stop yelling at me...we're a green family (DH works in the green-build industry)...I have not one, but two recycling cans as large as a trashcan (plus a paper one) that we put out every week....but I couldn't stand my patio anymore...Yes, the solvent based worked...the gray haze is still where some of the furniture covered it up (you can see the gray...see that rectangle right in front for one of my cushion boxes...outdoor rug, umbrella base), but it looks SO much better and SUPER shiny. Oh, and my neighbors think I'm crazy...I have to keep screaming and running at the birds who keep landing on the gazebo frame (top isn't on yet) and sh*tting on my patio...the sh*t will probably be permanently in the finish now....*sigh*.


OK, I waited until it hit 50 degrees this morning to put on the second coat and just came in to find out on TV that we're expecting 'severe thunderstorms and large damaging hail' around 6pm this evening (about 9 hours from when I finished)...the sealer is not supposed to get wet for 12 hours after applying...*sigh*. If I wake up to a gray patio tomorrow morning (or worse...hail chicken-pox marks all over it) you'll be hearing my screams from wherever you live!

Now...back to the "every five-years" job...I hate maintenance jobs that no one will ever notice you did, don't you? I've been sanding the the rust off our wrought iron patio furniture all week with a drill and a wire bit. Here's where I ground the rust off my leg (and my fading bruises from my work at the folks).

Wow, we bought some of this 22 years ago when DD was first born! I've got the first coat of spray paint on (see all the furniture out on the grass...OK, hard to see against our woods, but trust me, there are 11 chairs, a table, a bakers rack and about 10 plant holders out there). I had to take a shower between coats I couldn't stand myself...I was so covered in black spray paint (I no longer look blonde). I wonder what color the rain will turn my black furniture?!

Yes I'm a risk-taker...and I'm blonde (underneath the spray paint). Enjoy your evening...I'm praying for sun...and stay off the patio until it dries!

5/5/10 Pre-Op Process (Dr. Clearance & Testing)

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5/4/10 Pre-Op Process (Self-pay or Covered)

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The closest I come to understanding the medical system abroad is when 'someone very close to me who will remain anonymous lest her friends read this...like they'd ever want to' spent a semester abroad in France. She made a trip to the ER in the middle of the night just 10 days after her arrival to France (very bloody diarrhea)...which involved a move in
an ambulance to another hospital outside of town, a 5 day stay, a lab analysis of the bottle of Pepto Bismol (yes, I sent her there with a huge bag full of every medication possible...I'm surprised they didn't stop her at customs and do a strip search) that I insisted she take with her to the hospital (they'd never seen Pepto before). NO one at the hospital spoke more than a few words of English and she didn't speak much French at all yet (she attended an English speaking college, and part of her education was learning more conversational French there). In the few minutes a day we got to talk to her (cell phone had almost no battery left and she didn't take the charger to the ER) we received the following information (and yes, I would have flown out the first day if I'd had any clue this was going to be 5 days):

- Day 1: NO one here speaks English!...No, we all applied for our France health care cards, but we hadn't received them yet...I'm perfectly fine now...I think they'll send me home today.

- Day 2: They took my Pepto Bismol and my phone is about to die...No, I don't know what hospital I'm at, but I'll try to ask them if that's it...No, there's NO one here who speaks English that you can talk to...anyway, I think they'll send me home today.

- Day 3: OMG get me out of here! The TV costs cash money and I only had 5 Euros in my pocket when I went to the ER...I've been staring at the wall for 3 days! People stop by all day long to try out their 'English' on me; I keep thinking 'FINALLY! Someone who speaks English! But after they point and say 'American!' or 'How are you?' really slowly I learn that's all the words they know!...Yes, about as many words as I am fluent in French!...I think one of them said something about a 'test'...No, who knows if it was a Doctor or the janitor, they all wear the same thing!...I think maybe they'll send me home after the test today.

- Day 4: GET ME OUT OF HERE!!! They brought me some meat for dinner last night and I turned it over and it had TASTEBUDS ON IT...IT WAS A LITTLE TINY TONGUE!!! I'm starving!!! They stuck a camera up my bum today and the Doc spent 30 min. trying to communicate with me with no English...I don't know, I think I heard the word 'inflammation' and 'polyp'. Two of my friends from college took the train out to see me and they couldn't find out what was going on either...and they speak FRENCH!...No, no one from the college program has called or come to see me...I don't know why they're keeping me so long...I pray they send me home today!
- Day 5: I'm home. I was scared, but luckily I had just enough money to buy the train ticket back to the city. The Doctor told me I have to 'come back' for a 'Colonoscopy' I think to take out the polyp...Yes, I got a copy of the report, but I'M NEVER GOING BACK!!!!
After two different trips to two different Dentists there, with no tooth symptom relief, we all decided she needed to come home after one semester (she was supposed to be there all year). Back in the US, after lots of help from our insurance co., getting the foreign medical bills paid and then the hospital report translated, she had the colonoscopy and the polyps removed, and then had to have the tooth pulled out...she likes to show people the spot where her molar is missing and calls it her 'souvenir from her trip to France'. No, I'm not saying the medical system abroad is bad (I've been told France has a great health-care system), but from a teenagers view it was LOL! And yes, she should have been able to speak more French as it's not their problem to know English. Thank Gawd she's a very independent girl and could handle herself alone!
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5/3/10 Of Mice and Men (and Brother, Sisters...and Parents)

After nine days...I'm home! I hope you all had a very happy and band-successful week! Like I said, I'm so glad I went, as there was NO way they would have been ready for the garage sale...and therefore, not ready to put the house on the market either (they just had a very tight timeline once they made the decision).

We spent three solid days just organizing the stuff already piled high in the garage and cleaning it up for the sale. Getting 44 years of stuff out of the basement, attic, and four bedrooms full of drawers and closets took a lot of time...sorting into 'keep', 'sell', 'toss' was the bulk of the time and Mom was such a trooper...I know she was already brain dead by the time I got there, but she really hung in there and I know I worked her to death getting it all done. Dad did what he could given his sight issue and my three siblings in town helped (two after work, and the third really helped me a lot daily with the help of sitters). Even my DD drove out to help for a few days and the grandparents sent her home with a car full of treasures.

The back of Mom's head during the garage sale.

Although there were emotional moments we laughed a lot...as my siblings and I do, we laughed until we cried often...the favorite moments involved the mice (no, just remnants of dead ones, no live ones sighted) in the basement. I stepped on one in the dark trying to get to the light chain on the back side of the basement (OK, it was already dead, but I ran screaming for Dad like I was 5 again)...another day I had just vacuumed up the basement after everything was out and I washed up and came back down and there was a black seed on the floor (Mom kept bird seed down there that the mice got into long ago)...so I licked my (clean) finger and touched it to the seed to pick it up...it was still on the floor so I licked my finger again...YUCK! Bird seed in my mouth...there were two seeds together on the floor and now one was in my mouth...so I spit it into my hand...AHHHHHHHH! It wasn't a bird seed at all!!!! It was a MOUSE TURD!!!! D@MN my eyesight! I spent the next five minutes spitting into the sink and rinsing out my mouth...my sister's were crying (and gagging) as I recounted my stupidity.
Lots of buyers.

By the weekend I'd made a rule that no one could ask Mom or I any questions after noon (my brain was sucked dry by then too). We were able to get almost all the other jobs (spackling, painting, etc.) needed for the house sale done as well and it's in really good shape. The garage sale went really well even though the weather wasn't the best and we had some periods of light rain. I'd say about 2/3 of the things were sold, but even after we sent the shelving and other furniture they (Salvation Army) wouldn't take to the curb for the trashmen (we could have filled a dumpster with all the trash we sent to my three siblings houses during the week for their trashmen...makes me want to clean out my stuffed basement too LOL), we still had 20+ boxes and some big pieces of furniture filling the center of the garage. Salvation Army comes today and we (5 kids) paid to have window washers come today and a cleaning lady to come Wednesday. The house goes on the market Saturday. We're all praying it sells fast...it would SO make all this worth it!
Dad, with a 50 cent tag on his forehead greeting the buyers (by the end of the sale we'd written 'free' on the tag).

I'm exhausted (slept 10 hours last night); we worked morning 'till night each day, and (as DH described) my body looks like I got polka dot tattoos (there are so many I lost count, seriously...I bruise easily). I did have one day where I got a little worried...I thought I was 'good to go' since I had my post-op check up from the gallbladder surgery. By Wednesday my belly button area was swollen again like it was post-op and then it got a little red, hot and painful (and I was flushed). No, nothing was open, but I probably opened something internally. Luckily, I just stopped lifting heavy things for a few days and my body fought it off. I've got a second van load full of treasures from Mom and Dad sitting in a huge pile in my kitchen now to unpack today. Oh, and I gained 2 pounds...I'm blaming the huge piece of birthday cake...and the mouse turd.
My youngest sis at the very end of the sale (this was when about 2/3 was gone believe it or not).