Dr. Who Dalek Tardis Hello Kitty Earrings

You can find all my items on eBay, Etsy, Artfire and Bonanza :

http://www.pinkclaymonkey.com (linked to my eBay account)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JegasCreations (this has my old business name)

http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/PinkClayMonkey

http://www.bonanza.com/booths/pinkclaymonkey

Princess Rosalina Earrings (Super Mario Galaxy) Cosplay

I have been commissioned to make Princess Rosalina earrings and I loved how they turned out, I figured I’d make a permanent spot for them in my store. Not sure just how much interest there will be to be Rosalina for Halloween, but we shall see. I do plan to make her medallion she wears on her dress and her wand as well. Who knows, I may even sell all 3 as a set! 😉 Stay tuned kiddos!

You can find all my items on eBay, Etsy, Artfire and Bonanza :

http://www.pinkclaymonkey.com (linked to my eBay account)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JegasCreations (this has my old business name)

http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/PinkClayMonkey

http://www.bonanza.com/booths/pinkclaymonkey

Once Upon A Time Bracelet

I have been working on this for almost a month now. I had ordered some Swan charms that still have not arrived, so I caved and spent some $$ at my local craft store for some Sterling Silver swan charms. 

My original concept actually had a few changes and I must say I am 100% satisfied with the final result! 

*UPDATE : Since listing these, they have been selling quite fast. I am unsure when I will have these in stock again, since I only had 3 of the Swan charms to start and it was the last 3 my craft store had. I have an order I placed a few weeks back, but it’s international and could take a lifetime to get here….I have one bracelet left as of typing this.**

So instead of talking about it, here it is :

You can find all my items on eBay, Etsy, Artfire and Bonanza :

http://www.pinkclaymonkey.com (linked to my eBay account)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JegasCreations (this has my old business name)

http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/PinkClayMonkey

http://www.bonanza.com/booths/pinkclaymonkey

Packer Tailgate Tour

I received my vendor form today and have been doing some research with the possibilities of having some newer merchandise to offer.

I’m just racking my head on just how much I should make, being as I don’t want to make to little but then I don’t want to make too much either. BUT the upside is, if I make too much, I know come football season, it will sell or at least have a greater chance of selling.

I can’t find my notebook, so I snatched up a coloring sheet Julia printed and have been using the back for notes. Mainly little tid bits about the team and some ideas to start cracking on. 

I hope to get this all in check over the weekend, being as I need to turn in my vendor form and tell them what I plan to be selling. I should ask Jill if that even matters if it changes from now till then. I won’t change what I have listed, basically will be adding more so I have a bit of variety.

Actually, I’d rather have more of a variety then with just massive quanities of some items.

I also need to check to see if it needs to be strictly only Packer related items. 

So exciting, but so stressful at the same time.

Anna Brown

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook and I am just appalled at how medical staff refused to treat her properly because they “felt” she was a drug seeker. And come to find out, she had blood clots in her legs and by failing to take proper measures. She died. 

BUT only after the staff called the police and they DRAGGED her out of the hospital to take her to jail. She died only 30 minutes AFTER the took her to her jail cell and left her on the floor writhing in pain.

This truly saddens me and I think medical staff nowadays are so quick to slap a quick fix and not truly treat you. I went to the ER for an allergic reaction, to what, is anyone’s guess. We think it may be a new shampoo I was using, but I NEVER used it again for fear my reaction would be much worse. (And talking to my primary doctor I have now, says that was a smart move.)

Literally, I had been to my primary doctor at the time, twice. And my reaction was only progressively getting worse. My face and hands had completely swelled and I could not stand for more than 2 minutes, being as I felt like I was going to pass out. Called my doctor and he told me to get my butt to the nearest hospital. Instant panic set in. When a doctor tells you that, it made me realize that this was much more serious than either of us had thought.

Got to the ER and I couldn’t even tolerate sitting. I just wanted to lay down being as I just felt like I was going to pass out. I stop a nurse and ask if I can get a bed or if there is something I can lay down on while I wait. She says, wait just one second. And not even a minute later, they rush me into a room, bypassing the 7 other people that were waiting before me.

They give me fluids and a shot of Benadryl, which couldn’t come at a better time, being as I was just going into anaphalaytic shock. (At the time, all I knew was my throat closed as the shot was administered. The nurse could not explain why that happened, but again, talking to my primary doc I have now, explained that is what happened.) 

I was at the ER for 2 hours and when they told me I was ok to go, I explained to them my hives had moved to my feet and was uncomfortable to walk on. Basically they told me they did all they could do and my swelling went down in my hands and face. It took about a week for all of this to finally clear up, but it would move from my feet, to my back and it would flip flop. 

Maybe I am being dramatic about this, but truly, I felt let down when they sent me on my way when apparently my original symptoms improved, BUT moved to a different body part. And while they did treat me, it just scares me that I am putting my health in someone else’s hands. And granted, nothing more came from this, but I just felt let down to be sent home with symptoms still.

Now back to Anna Brown. I am just shocked they didn’t do more for her. They say they felt she was only there for a drug fix. But did they use a doppler to check her pulses in her feet? Why didn’t they do an MRI, which would have clearly shown the blood clots she was suffering from? 

My husband suffers from blood clots due to a blood clotting disorder called Factor 5 Leiden. He even had a leg amputated due to this disorder. We have two doctors that argue back and forth. One says he should have stayed on blood thinners, another says he shouldn’t be. And it just angers me he was even taken off of it in the first place, this could have been prevented or possibly, the outcome wouldn’t have been having his leg amputated. He has so many other factors that contribute to this, but that being one of them.

But watching the video of her writhing in pain, literally makes me cry. I’ve seen how much pain this puts my husband through. And each time, I got him a wheelchair since it hurt him way too much to walk. Each time they used a doppler to check his pulses, which is useful, but sometimes not always the greatest at determining exactly what is going on. And they always end up doing an MRI just to see where these are at. 

And what is also crazier, they can toss ALL sorts of pain meds at my husband and it will have zero effect on him. The last time he was in the hospital, they kept upping his Morphine and then had moved onto other pain killers. All the while I am telling them, give him some Ativan. That is used to treat anxiety, but also enhances the dose of Morphine. It amplifies it’s effect. Kinda like putting a magnifier on it. 

I only learned that from when he first suffered from blood clots and when he was in ICU, he was writhing in pain. They had done a fasicotomy on his right leg. (The slice open the calf on each side, cut past the sheathing around the muscle to allow it to expand and then pack the incision. This allows the swollen muscle to expand and allow blood flow to return.) I can not tell you how many pain meds the nurse went through and she was out of options, when it was suggested to give him Ativan, that stuck with me and it’s a good thing too.

BUT I hate mentioning it, being as the staff looks at us like we are drug users.  And at one point I was asking my husband’s Physical Therapist about this and she said that the cocktail that works for my husband, is in some cases what works for people who are heavy drug users, BUT also sometimes people just don’t get the effect from Morphine like they should, my husband being one of them. But as soon as she said that, would explain that pausing look I would get from staff. And quite possibly why after mentioning it to 4 different nurses/interns and even the stinkin’ pharmacist. When my husband’s vascular doctor finally came into the ICU unit and I told him what I have been suggesting, he didn’t miss a beat and said that is a good suggestion, afterall, he is my husband’s doctor and I am sure he knows his body just has a high tolerance to pain killers. Goodness, my husband barely takes Ibuprofen.

BUT with all that being said. It just saddens me, what if what happened to Anna happened to my husband? For one, it shouldn’t happen to anyone, plain and simple. I am just glad I am there, being as what would happen if he was single or went in alone?  

I can’t hold the officers to blame, being as they were only doing their job and she WAS just at the hospital and they trust that the medical staff are doing their job. But I truly wonder how all these people who neglected to treat her properly feel now? People really need to stop and quite treating people like they are drug addicts. 

I truly think, just for arguments sake. Maybe implement a test they can do for patients to check for drug abuse. But then also, regardless if the person has a drug habit, should not impede their care, period. 

Kawaii Underwear

I am thinking I may make these into earrings or something, they are just too damn cute!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmaruyama/7019346185/

Insane

I am giving my dog his summer hair cut early, but he looks like he really needs it! Our temps have been warmer than the norm and I hear him pant more than normal, which I know has a lot to do with the heat. But decided, let’s give you your hair cut now, which usually isn’t until at LEAST May. Here it is March…. it just doesn’t feel real.

I started on him last night and have only his hind legs and tail to do. Sadly, his hair was so long, in some spots it got matted. So he is going with the short cut so it looks even. Plus the upside to it being VERY short, longer time it takes me to give him another hair cut. LOL

Holy Heat

Man I am loving the nice weather, but not loving that it been so muggy in our house. Ugh. I tried working upstairs today and my hands were sweating like crazy. Not good when trying to work with polymer clay. Even more so when there are pieces I need to make and wear gloves. Plus these insane temps are not good for my stored clay either.

I started thinking about this a few months back and this was the original plan last year, was to move my work area studio to the basement. Which I truly think will be best. Considering it is always cool down there. Seriously will need to insulate the hell out of it. This way it will maintain warmth when I want it to stay warm. I have a good friend who used to do basement remodeling he ran as his personal business, but the economy took a dive and so did his sales, so now he is in college. Going to need to check with him and find out what are some good tips for sealants and what to do to keep moisture out. Being as I will have electronic equipment as well that I don’t want damaged.

If funds permit, I will even check to see about insulating the ceiling. So I don’t have to listen to craziness coming from upstairs. Plus going this route seems cost effective electric wise. Since we already run heat on our level, I will branch a vent off from an existing duct in the basement to my studio. Instead of running my own heat bill seperately. Which was pretty modest in the first place, but seems a waste if I could use the existing heat that is already running.

Emily doesn’t want me to move my work area, but I have too. Being as in the summer I can use the basements coolness versus running A/C. But I think she also likes me having the upstairs, being as there is a bathroom close by. Which I know I would definitely consider building a bathroom in the basement. I might check into this one company that can install bathrooms basically anywhere you need one, without having to be right next to the pipeline. And who knows, maybe my friend Patrick may have some tips on that as well. 

So now we come to the cross road to double check with Gwen to see if she truly wants me to save the upper for her otherwise we can rent it out to my friend’s Mom, which I think would be nice to have someone around I grew up with calling Mom…lol And would be nice to have a tenant again, with that extra money coming in I can relax and not work so hard to maintain my income.

It just feels weird to say I could be renting to someone I considered a Mom when I was growing up. It seems like it should be the other way around.

But I know if my friend’s Mom moves in, this would be a permanent thing. But then I also don’t like the idea of her having so many stairs to walk up and down. And I like the idea of having Gwen close, if my friend’s Mom moves in, that eliminates any chance of Gwen living up there. Well, can’t say never. I could always ask her to move, but I don’t like putting people in unpredictable situations. Maybe I could offer to rent to her for a year, this way get Gwen situated and I think that would give Gwen time to establish herself with a job and maintain an income. 

Why can’t decisions be easy? LOL

Win!

Made homemade Cheesesteaks for dinner tonight and they were a win! I was worried since I would be using new veggies we have not tried before. Yellow pepper and Poblano Pepper. When we have had these, it’s always with green peppers. The recipe said to use Monterey Cheese, but next time I’ll just use Provolone. I wasn’t over the top with the Monterey.

I also went through the cook book again and have found some more recipes I would like to try on the family. Since every recipe I have tried has been a win, I figured see what else I think my family would enjoy.

I had really hoped to make this Berry Tart with Cookie Crust, but I did not have enough time to make that as well. Since I got started on dinner rather late. I really should have started that first, then when I was cooking the actual meal. The cookie crust could cool. And that recipe alone is what made me plunk down the money for this book. I normally pick up a version of this at Sendik’s. But at $3 for a single tart, is expensive when you times that by 5. So I had been on the search for a recipe close to it, but healthier. And looking at the cover, it says “Our Best Diabetic Recipes” Which uh, hello, would explain why every recipe has been a hit so far. I can not tell you how many books I have or found a recipe online or magazine and they rarely turn out good.

I know Emily is tired of having chicken a lot, but I am learning as we go along and I am sure one this learning experience is done, we can plan our meals out with a bit of variety. But it doesn’t help I have a lot of chicken recipes. I am hoping to try some fish recipes in the family, but will only be from this cookbook.

We really need to add some variety. I do have a few pork recipes I’d like to try. My husband hates pork, but this time it will be with a tenderloin, which may change his mind. I have a recipe for Sweet And Sour pork, which I made A LOT when Gwen was younger, but that was breaded. This new recipe is not, but think it would be great if this makes it into meal rotation again. And if for some crazy reason, it tastes not so good or pork doesn’t go over well, then I can always do the fall back, chicken…lmao.

This journey has certainly been fun and I hope it doesn’t end anytime soon!

GERD

I had a bout of this a little over a week ago and let me tell you, it scared the crap out of me. I was upstairs working in my studio replying to emails and I got this radiating pain in my chest. It kinda felt like I had to burp, but it was stuck. I paused for a second till it went away and then a few minutes later it came back but stronger. I stopped what I was doing and went downstairs. It literally was scaring the living crap out of me and I was starting to panic being as I thought I was having a heart attack. I wanted to be near my husband in the event something serious happened.

I sat by him for about 3 minutes and I couldn’t take it anymore and called my doctor. Well the receptionist offered to me to talk to the nurse practioner. Which I was alright with, being as I am sure it’s not that serious.

After talking to her for a few minutes, she decided it was indigestion, take 3 tums and call her back in an hour to see if my symptoms improve. And told me to not lay down, being as it will only make it worse.

It took about a 1/2 hour to 45 minutes, but it let up some and I was relieved. I called her back and she confirmed it was indigestion and explained it would take a couple more hours for it to completely go away, but from here on out I will take Omerprozale. (I know I spelled that wrong.) So I have an ongoing script for that.

But I’ll be damned te other night, heartburn kicked in, being as I didn’t have my script, so I tried to sleep elevated and effed up my back something serious. I tried working, but had to stop because I could not sand it, it hurt so bad. So I took a Valium. I swear that is a magic pill. I take it for anxiety, but learned last year that it is also a muscle relaxer. So anytime I have some aches or pains, I toss one of those down and I am good to go.

I also know I am seriously out of shape, but will be changing that. I have EA Active Sports I picked up for the Xbox before Christmas and I have a core balance inflatable with exercise DVD that I plan to start using upstairs.

I have not bothered to work out downstairs, being as my husband is always home. And I really don’t want to hear his cackles or jokes while I am trying to exercise.

Having him constantly around me, I have zero motivation to clean the house, being as soon as I start, he decides he wants to hang out in the living room and be in my way. I should set up a camera or take photos from one day too next to show this truly does happen.

Go figure, I can’t win either way. He complains the house is a mess, but then when I start cleaning, he gets right in the way and then complains how the garbage can, laundrynbaskets, etc are in his way. I almost want to yell at him and have him decide which he prefers. I swear, he is a total female, he has GOT to complain about everything.

I really miss having time away from him. He is ALWAYS here………..