Just two sleeps

I have not posted in a while as I am busy spending time with my family prior to the surgery on Friday. Everything is falling into place as well.
*cake ordered for Hayley's birthday celebration on Thursday night
*bike at shop getting a tune up (Hayley's present)
*other two pressies wrapped
*Schedule written for Earl in regards to all of Hayley's coming and goings
*rides all hooked up for two weeks of back and forth to school
*Quinners looked after on Friday
*Ipod all ready with new songs
*videos ready to watch
*Icepack in freezer
*same with veggie puree soup
*gingerale in fridge
*six nights of meals made for fam
*ride lined up for dental appointment on Saturday
*precriptions waiting to be taken
*new magazine in bag

Now I just need to adjust my brain, and loosen up and relax and all will be good.

Thinking of all of you. New smile on the way.

Meesh

Hello to my new reader..

A warm hello and Victorian hugs to Mrs. Pinski. She is a great lady, who is counted as one of my mom's closest and dearest friends, and has begun to read my blog. I love that you have stumbled on my takes (or out-takes) on life and that you get a giggle when you read it.

Love you to bits, thinking of Shane and hope that he is doing better every day. He sure has a gorgeous girl!

Crockie!

Well I succumbed to peer pressure, or decided that everyone else was looking good looking ugly so I thought I would jump on the ugly bandwagon. Got myself some crocks.

For those of you that do not live on the west coast, or do not know what these are, they are rubber shoes. Someone has even had the brilliant idea to have "jibbitz" on them, which are decorations for your above mentioned rubber shoes.

Mine are from the dollar store. (did you think that I was that desperate to fit in that I would actually pay RETAIL?) Shoes and jibbitz = change back from a ten dollar bill. Yeppers, want to fit in, cheap as all get out. That is me.

So in honor of my plastic shoes (which go in the wash, shine up with Sunlight, and will be great on the beach) I took some photos. Quinners has "dawgs", and mine are not crocks, but I guess instead aptly named the "blue light specials" I threw in a photo of Quinner's shoe against a regular sized pen so that you could all see how teeny tiny they are.

I wonder if they are recycled from all the diapers that I throw in the bin? Now would that not be hilarious!

A tribute to my East Coast readers

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the grass is growing - and my faithful readers in the East Coast cannot distinguish anything outside thier windows due to the VAST amount of snow they have. They are busy shovelling, moving, plowing, blowing, and cursing the snow strom that suddenly arrived at their doorstep. Let's be honest, that is only fun for the first day, then it gets old REAL fast.

So, in honor of the snow in other parts of the country, and over the boarder, we dressed up in all our finest mitts, hats, scarves and posed for a photo. Starring left to right, my daycare girl, Mouse, then Quinners in the middle, and Hayley on the right.

Enjoy the snow, it will melt soon, and you can get on with spring. Heaven forbid, was Mr. Groundhog wrong in his prediction?

The best news EVER!

So on a whim, about 8 weeks ago, we applied for this special fund that Moxies (Roger and my employer) has. Basically it is a fund that will provide monies for employees if they are needing time off to be with their families, with either a death, surgery, councelling, etc. We did not know if we fit the criteria, or the time frame, as the councel meets four times a year and then your case is up for review.

We heard today that not only do we fit all the criteria, we are already approved. We opted to not take the funds directly, but instead mail in the reciepts for the excess bills that the dental surgery will cost. We have extended health but only to a maximum of $2000 per calender year. We know that this will cost more, and we willing to go on the "pay-as-you-have-the-money" plan. The denturist was fine with that. Now we do not have to worry about it! I am so excited!!!

For those of you that think waitressing and cooking does not pay, obviously have never worked for an establishment like Moxies! Yet antoher small blessing that our family has had bestowed on them in 2007.

I love this year so far...

Special People in my Family

My brother, Jay, sister-in-law, Marcie, and niece; Emily. This is my YOUNGER brother, who works for an Oil Rig in Fairview, Alberta. Sad, we do not get to see each other as often as I want, but we are all going to be together in July for my cousin's wedding. I love you both.


My mom and dad. This was taken on my dad's birthday - in December - the girls and I flew to surprise him on his big day. They have always loved me, supported me, guided me, and are my biggest fans. They are awesome! Love you both!! xxx
My super-baby sister, Stephanie with Shea and baby Cadance. She is a great mom, a great sister, and now that we both have kids, we are getting to know each other in a whole new way. I love that she comes to me for advice - take it or leave it. I love you sis - you and Shea made a beautiful baby!

In honor of Valentine's Day I am posting about something other than my teeth, my gluten-intolerance or heaven forbid my kids. This is about all the other special people in my life. I love them all, they are so unique and contribute to my life in so many different ways. Without any of them my life would not be complete.

Come on, who doesn't like pesky younger brothers, who stink, have long showers and drink all the milk? And who could forget younger sisters - the ones that are twelve years younger, likes you solely for your popcorn making skills and thinks that you are "just like mom". (is that a bad thing....)??? I will always love you, even though you are far away, (maybe for a reason?), you are all in my thoughts.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO MY MOM, DAD, BROTHER, SISTER, "IN-LAWS" AND TWO VERY SPECIAL NIECES. I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!

WTF????

I just about fell out of the van today.

For two reasons : one being that my cell phone rang. I got the damn thing and usually forget to bring it with me, forget to turn it on, or pack it around for two weeks and never hear it ring. Two being that my oral surgery is booked already.

Yep, the speedy efficiency of the medical system amazed me. I think that I had the same look on my face as the Queen did when the courier told her "over night delivery" - and it happened. Remember what happened to the Queen? She ate her smirk. That is what I had for breakfast. My smirk. Tasted good too.

So, the verdict is this - March 2nd, 2007 I will have the dreaded surgery, and come out with a shiny new smile. I am still in shock that it is happening this quick, but I am thankful too. The only glitch is that it is happening so fast that I needed to give my denturist enough time. Thank god he is a professional, and can have it all done from molds to new chompers in two weeks time. Yahoo.

Apples, corn on the cob, steak, humous and chips, yummy BLT sandwiches, crunchy celery, and all those things that I cannot eat now, Momma's comin' to get you soon!!!!

Whew, Wednesday..

What a week, so far anyhow! Busy, to say the least.

I had my oral surgeon appointment today, and low and behold, it is ACTUALLY worse than first expected. Really, what can be worse than having ALL your teeth extracted? Try this on for size:
a)total odondectomy (layman term = all teeth out)
b) alvioloioplasty (layman term = smoothing of the gums, filing all the lumps and bumps to create a smooth surface for my new teeth)
c) maxiallary labial frenectomy (layman term = removal of the "flap" of skin that is attached to your upper gum and upper lip)'

Ya, and it all is now at the mercy of our oh, so great, medical system (no offence Queen, I know that is what your paycheck is all about....). Because of the severity of the surgery, I am having it done under FULL anestethic (I know that is spelled wrong) in the hospital operating room. So now the waiting game begins, so I wait.

In the meantime, I am going to have my "new chompers" all ready and waiting for me, just in case the medical system surprises me.

I know that a lot of my faithful readers have been very concerned with the outcome of today, and so I thought that I would update. Now we need speedy efficient service on the end of the Jubilee Hospital, and we are off to the races and able to eat corn on the cob when it is in season here again.....oh small pleasures in life......

Good news on the home front - Quinners cut 3 teeth, so contrary to the bet that Roger and I had going, NO she will not be two years old and still only sporting 4 teeth - all of which are in the front. We are thankful for that - that and the fact that my girls cut teeth by sleeping for 12-14 hours at a stretch and bingo TEETH.

Hayley is now doing awesome in Canskate Advanced, well on her way to passing into level six. The best news of all is that she made the Tyke team for lacrosse, which is what she choosing to play for the spring here. I am happy for an outside choice! She looks so cute out there with all her gear on, and running with all the boys. Photos to come when she lets me....

Peace and love to all of you. Thank you for the well wishes...

I jumped on the ENJOY LIFE bandwagon...

Seems as thought these are the HAUTE new item in the GF world. I received a free package of these cookies in my "thank you" bag from Planet Organic for being a representative at the latest Health and Wellness fair. To be completely honest, I had my reservations about trying them. That is why COOKIES sat in my cupboard for two weeks unopened.

Well, I read freetoeat and Mike's gluten-free-blog, and realized that I may be losing out on a good thing. So today, I opened them up. The box states "soft baked gingerbread spice". That is a fairly unheard of comment in the GF world - soft baked. Usually things have a unsuspecting dusty flavour, needing to be dunked in milk, or popped in the microwave to achieve the softness that they claim to have. Not these ones. They are telling the truth, they are soft, soft to the point of sticking to the next cookie in the sleeve that they are encased in. Not a bad thing if you are looking to have more than one... I am currently on my second one.

Now, I am even a tougher customer than most. My taste buds are dying to try the CINNAMON GRANOLA CRUNCH CEREAL, but alas, no support from my teeth in that category. So once all that business is taken care of, I will be buying that product as well. I am tempted to email Enjoy Life and let them know that they are being featured on so many blogs out there.....

Past truth: when something is nut, gluten, trans fat, dairy, peanut, tree-nut, soy, sulfides and wheat free, usually TASTE FREE should be on the label as well.

Verdict: these cookies are very good, and even if you CAN eat gluten, you should give them a try as a healthy alternative...

My weekend recap

Quinn reading her two favorite books, "Snuggle Puppy" and "Hippos Go Berserk". Both by an incredible author, Sandra Boynton. Amazing.

Hayley comes in the room and asks me why I am reading in the dark to Quinn. She laughed when I told her that I did not need the light, nor even the book for that matter, as I knew all the words, when to turn the pages, and everything. Can you tell we read a lot together?

Looking at "Snuggle Puppy". For those of you that are not familiar with the book, a mommy dog sings to her puppy - and it goes like this "I love what you are, I love what you do, fuzzy little snuggle puppy, I love you". Quinn will say it to me now. Melts my heart.
My big girl. Funny how this one is in front of the bookshelf! Look how grown up she looks. My oh my, she will be 7 soon. How can she be almost 7 and I feel as though I am still in high school? If grade school maths still holds true, that also means that I have aged by 7 years since she was born. EEK. Getting old girls........

My first weekend away from Moxies went well. A typical weekend though, as Roger and I have a conversation that goes something like this....

Roger "how did you like your weekend of no work?"

Me "hmm, I don't feel any more rested after not serving for 16 hours..."

Roger looks puzzled and cannot figure me out about now...

"well, let's see, I did 6 loads of laundry, grocery shopped, had skating lessons for Hayley, had to drive to an appointment, Quinn was running a fever, went to family swim on Sunday, made meals both days, picked up after everyone, and still managed to find time to read a bit of "The Good Earth".

HE STILL THINKS I HAD A WEEKEND OFF. NO SIRREE BOB - JUST DID NOT GET PAID FOR IT!!!

Really getting nervous here...

For some of my "faithful readers" this is old news, and for the rest it is a confession of sorts....

You all know that I have Celiac, and was diagnosed in July of 2005. I carry the classic symptoms of malabsorbtion, intestinal discomfort, stomach aches and weight loss. I also carry a relatively rare symptom, one that not a lot of Celiac's have. Lucky me. I have Enamel Hypoplasy. Which means that the enamel on my teeth is eroding, my teeth are rotting, and becoming brittle and cracking. Last year alone, I underwent four root canals, and many hours of rebuilding the front ones to cover the cracks and chips. They are literally beyond repair now...

I have had two specialists come from Vancouver and UBC, both under the same conclusion. This ties in with the Dentist that I have been seeing here, the mass decay that has happened in less than 18 months, and the fact that I am in need of 14 root canals now. Yep, you read that right, not a typo.

I have an appointment on February 7th with an oral surgeon. He will assess my situation, and plan on a date to have all of them taken out. All. Every last one. Finito. Adieu pain. Oh, how forgetful of me, yep, I have mass pain in my mouth, down to eating soft foods, and practically every day a small piece of tooth breaks off again.....

I am picking "my new chompers" out of a magazine. They will not be veneers, as the decay would not support posts and veneers. Plus - have you checked out the price of that? Wow, I was shocked.... They will be dentures, but, the 2007 version of them, not your grandparent's version of them. I will leave the oral surgeon's office (date still unknown) sans teeth of my own, but with my new ones in place. I will never go a day without teeth. As gross as that sounds, I laid down the law and said that this is traumatic enough for me and my family, that I cannot go around for 7-14 days with only gums. Very sore, bleeding, stitched up gums mind you, but the dentures will act as a pressure band-aid, and they treat the liners with a clotting agent, so that will help.

But, I am very nervous. I have had these teeth all my adult life. They are a part of me, even though they are a huge pain, they are affecting my self esteem, my eating, my ability to be social, and I am on pain killers for the decay....they are mine. Now I have to get used to a prosthetic, my smile will change (not that I like smiling now...) my speech will change, and not to mention I will probably look like a grotesque monster all swollen and sore for about 3 weeks....

I have to do something though....and this is it. I am asking that everyone send positive thoughts, warm fuzzies and think of me on the 7th....date for extraction to be determined then...