Update on Gage and National Diabetes Awareness Month

Halloween 2009--Flapper and Mobster

It has been about six weeks now since Gage's diagnosis.  We are doing well.  It gets a little easier every day, and yet harder at the same time.  I think the thing that keeps us going is that Gage is so happy.  He has tons more energy, he has gained five pounds and all his pants are starting to get too short!  Which is good, it means that his body is receiving nutrients from his food.  Before, it was not.  He had lost weight and in hindsight, really wasn't looking well. To see his body grow makes us so happy.  I think what we mourn now is the loss of his normal childhood.  He will never get to be a carefree child.  He will always have something in the back of his mind that he has to worry about.  That we have to worry about.  We tried to make Halloween this year as sugar free as possible.  It worked and we had a great Halloween.

I also want to spotlight the fact that this month is National Diabetes Awareness Month.  I will be posting some facts about diabetes as well as ways that all of you can help, if you so feel inclined.  I know that there are many causes out there that you all are passionate about. Here are some statistics on diabetes that I think everyone should know:

• Each year more than 15,000 children are diagnosed with diabetes in the United States.  That is 40 children per day.
• In the U.S. a new case of diabetes is diagnosed every 30 seconds.
• That means that 1 out of every 3 children will be affected by diabetes in their lifetime.  Whether through Type 1 onset in childhood, or developing Type 2 later in life.  That is a huge statistic!

I personally support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  85% of all funds raised goes back in to research to find a cure for this disease.  As part of National Diabetes Awareness Month the JDRF has been able to partner with a large pajama manufacturer.  Just in time for the Holidays you can place an order for women's or children's jammies and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the JDRF.  Their goal is to raise 1 million dollars for research.  Check out the cute jammies below or click here.         

I know that I buy my kids new pajama's every year for Christmas and I plan on purchasing these pajamas.  I still get cute pj's for my kids, and in return will be helping so many people.  Isn't that what Christmas is all about?

Xoxo,

Annie

P.S.  I also have some fun house projects that I have been working on that I will be posting soon.  I still want us to have fun together too!

Meet Gage

Me and my baby.

Isn't this face precious?  Yes, he has two different colored eyes.

Meet our little family...Sis, Dad, Mom, and Gage

Yes, my hair style and color changes as much as my dress size.

This is Gage today...isn't he the cutest thing you have ever seen?

For those of you who still read this blog...I'm Back!  I'm back because I want you to meet Gage and hear his story.  On September 23, 2009 we took Gage to see his pediatrician because about a week prior he started to have to go to the bathroom a lot and was always thirsty.   I decided to Google his symptoms to see what could be going on with my sweet baby.  I found a lot of information out there and deduced that it was probably one of two things, a kidney infection, or Juvenile Type 1 Diabetes.  Having the blessed life that we do I assumed that it was a kidney infection even though I had this nagging feeling that I discounted as being a paranoid mom.  Two days later I was able to get him an appointment with his pediatrician and as soon as they had his urine test back they were able to tell that it was diabetes.  To say that time stood still and the world fell apart would be an understatement.  I will never forget that moment when I heard the word diabetes.  My heart sank and I was literally sick.  I wanted to bawl but knew that I had to be strong.  I didn't know very much about Juvenile Diabetes.  All I could think about was Type 2 and how it could cause blindness, heart attacks and strokes.  The same is true for Type 1, but I try not to think about that.

Our pediatrician immediately sent us to a local children's hospital to get his blood sugar regulated.  We spent the next four days at the hospital getting him regulated and learning how to take care of him.  It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.  To hold my baby down while he screamed and got poked and prodded.  He didn't understand what was going on.  He still doesn't understand what is going on.  The hospital staff was amazing but being at the hospital was a nightmare.  So many sick little kids.  Those memories and images will forever be burned in my mind.  We would spend our days taking care of him and I would spend my nights crying myself into unconciousness.  I won't say sleep, because I don't think I ever fully slept.  I am glad that part is behind us.

It has been a week and a half now, and each day gets a little easier.  We still don't know how we are going to work out child care arrangments with both of us working.  Gage's insulin has to be checked before every meal and he has to be given insulin shots depending on what his blood is at and what he is going to eat.  No two days have been the same so far and we are not sure how his regular babysitter will be able to monitor all of this and take care of the other kids.  We have been praying about it, thinking about it and know that we will be able to make the right decision.

I don't post any of this to gain sympathy.  After the initial shock wore off, I decided that our family would not become victims of this disease.  I realized that the best thing I could do for Gage besides closely regulating his sugar was to find a cure.  I want to raise awareness not only for the kids that have already been diagnosed with diabetes, but also for those kids out there that are living with the symptoms and no one has realized it yet.  Now more than ever I am getting creative in order to turn those lemons into lemonade!  I know the Lord gave us this trial because we are supposed to turn it into something positive.  So I am using this blog to help other families like ours.  I will still post some nonsense now and again, but don't be suprised to see diabetes related posts as well.

I want everyone to hear Gage's story and hopefully together we can help to find a cure. 

Xoxo,

Annie

P.S. Our friends and family have been absolutely amazing during this.  I want to tell them thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  It has made all the difference to know that we are loved and supported.                  

The End

I have finally made the decision to shut this blog down for good. I barely have time to breathe these days, and there is no way I can keep up my blogging ritual. It has been a great ride, and I will always treasure some of the friendships that I have made with blogging friends. I just have to decide what my priorities are right now and blogging can't be one of them. So I will keep this blog up for another week, and then it will be deleted.

Thanks to all of my devoted readers...you know who you are. It means so much to me that you actually cared about what I had to say.

To my literary sisters...I will still be reading and commenting, just from my private family blog.

Thanks so much to all of you for taking this journey with me.

I Am Still Here!

Just wanted to let you all know that I am still here. I just returned from a wonderful week's vacation to find 286 posts in my reader and about twice as many e-mails. To top it all off I started my new job yesterday and have been consumed with that. Hopefully, life will calm down and I will have some great posts for you. On a positive note, I came back with a great tan!

Love you All!

Xoxo,

Annie

Mixed Emotions

My apologies for not being the greatest blogger this week. You see, I have a lot going on. Today is my last day at my current job. I am starting a new one soon and I have all these emotions rolling around inside me. I am happy, sad, scared, excited, and thankful. So to say the least my mind has been preoccupied. I haven't thought much about blogging. So forgive me! Hopefully, I will be able to come up with some better posts soon.

In the mean time check out this post that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is a Friday confession by one of my blogging friends Jenny Kate. I love how honest she is about her obsession with all things NKOTB and Twilight.

Xoxo,

Annie

P.S. To all my work friends, you have become so much more than just colleagues. I have enjoyed the time I have spent with you. I am so glad we got to know each other. This isn't goodbye just see ya later.

Two Great New Blogs

Just wanted to pass along a couple of new blogs that I found thanks to Cher one of my subscribers. First is:


This is a brand new blog and only has two posts. I can tell that it has the potential to be something big. The women who runs this blog has lost over 50 pounds twice. She is going to share her knowledge and some inspiration with us daily. To check it out click here.

Secondly, is Cher's blog. Love, Actually. She provides cute tips and ideas on how to keep the romance alive in your relationships. Being married for a long time and raising kids definitely takes the romance out of your relationship. Cher provides ideas that even us old married ladies can try.

Hope you like these gals as much as I did.

Xoxo,

Annie

Easy Taco Salad

You all know how much I love Kathryn over at Nanny Goat. She came up with the best idea for making taco salad tortilla bowls. With this simple trick you could have them any night of the week. Here is how you do it:

First, wad up some tin foil and stick it on a cookie sheet.


2. Take some tortillas and heat them in the microwave until they are warm.
3. Lay them over the tin foil balls and spray them with Pam.
4. Bake on 375 for 10-15 minutes and.....


Tada.....!

These look really delicious! Thanks for the great idea, Kathryn.

Xoxo,

Annie

The Little Things

Have you checked out Jen Johner's blog The Little Things? The photos on her blog are beautiful. Just how I would want mine to look, if I could photograph anything very well. She just re-did her family room/dining area and it looks gorgeous. I applaud her use of turquoise and yellow. Quite a bold choice.

While some of it is too modern for my exact taste, I think she did a wonderful job. I love how the neutrals in the room make the turquoise and yellow seem fresh, sleek, and sophisticated. What do you think?

Xoxo,

Annie

More Laundry Rooms

One of the most searched terms on my blog is for laundry rooms. So, I thought I would post some more adorable ones.

I really, really, really like this one. I am so digging painted cabinets right now. I love the tile, the color palette. and how bright and airy it is.

This laundry room is fancier than my whole house! Who wouldn't want to cuddle up in that chair with a book while you laundry is washing?

This one is "loaded" with charm. Get it?

One thing I did notice about each laundry room, is that each one has a counter to do your folding. That would be so nice!

Xoxo,

Annie

P.S. I am not sure where I got these images from, but if they are yours you are one lucky gal.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day, whether you really celebrate it or not. We don't much. A leprechaun does sneak into our house every year and turns our milk green in the middle of the night. My kids think it is a blast to have green milk on their cereal. We also try and get a shamrock shake from McDonald's. Though they have been hard to come by this year. I know, we are wild and crazy!

Xoxo,

Annie

Opinions, Please!

I need to know how you all feel about slate tiles for flooring. This is my kitchen.

I love my kitchen, but hate my floors. Hence, why there are no picture of the flooring in this room. I have sort of a greyish tannish tile that is the smaller 12x12. My husband doesn't know it yet, but we are replacing this tile. You know how husbands are. You have to make them think it is their idea.

So, my first thought was large ( I am not sure what size, but bigger than 12x12) slate tiles. Check out the pics below.

I adore this pic. I could move right in.

I dig this one too.

Who am I kidding? This is pretty darn close to my dream kitchen.

What do you think? I want a flooring option that is timeless. I feel like wood floor colors kind of come and go. I could pick out another type of tile, but same thing. It could go out of style.

So give me your opinions please! Is slate tile overdone and yesterday, or timeless? I really want to know!

Xoxo,

Annie

A Little of This, a Little of That...

I just wanted to thank Mikki for the lovely friend award. Mikki is just the sweetest person, honestly. I will be passing this award on next week sometime.

Also, I am so excited to be the newest member of the Literary Sisters Society! I have always loved reading from the moment I learned how and started reading Ramona Quimby books. Then it was on to the Baby Sitters Club and then Sweet Valley High. Well in for the first time in my life I am actually part of a book club. I can't wait. We are currently reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I love all of her books. Hopefully, actually having to give my opinion on books will help me stretch and grow and use my brain in a different way.

Well, I am off tonight to see Confessions of a Shopaholic with my girlfriends. Has anyone seen it? What did you think? I have read some of the books and are wondering how the compare to the movie.

Xoxo,

Annie

Lemonhead Wreath

I am so ready to have Spring her that I am currently obsessed with all things yellow. Have you seen the Lemonhead Spring wreath that Kimba made? It is yellow and it features lemons, how could I not like it. Kimba got the idea from Country Home magazine and recreated it using ping pong balls. I like it. I think I would love it more if it had fake lemons, but that might be expensive. It is lovely in all its yellowy freshness though.

Kimba 's version.

Country Home version.

What do you think? Refreshing or hokey? If you love it, click here to get instructions from Kimba to see how to make one.

Xoxo,

Annie

Goal 1, Semi Completed.

Earlier today I posted some of my goals for the coming month. One of them was to make some adjustments to my living room. Well, I got started yesterday on completing a new valance and throw pillows for this room. I had my mom get out her trusty sewing machine and we begun our project.

Love this fabric. Once I got them hung up my excitement was starting to build.

I didn't have enough fabric to make the kind of pillows I wanted so we made this long one. Still excited.

Got the fabric hung up on the rod stepped back and noticed a mistake. Can you see what it is? If you don't notice then I am not going to change them. But it is all I can see.

Still love my pillow. Now I need some other throw pillows for the sides.

Oh well. At least I am part of the way there.

Xoxo,

Annie

Goals

My life is utterly chaotic. Plain and Simple. If i didn't have such great friends and family I would never survive. Period. Being a working mom just makes everything that much harder. So I have been faithfully reading Working Woman's blog. She lays out her goals every month on her blog and I like that idea. She doesn't always get them accomplished, but I like that too. Check out her blog to see some of her goals. I am going to attempt to set a few of my own. Here goes:

1. Finish getting my desk area put together and decorated. This will involve my hubby running wire for a new telephone jack. This in and of itself might take all the extra time I have for this month.

2. Finish making a few decorating changes to my living room.

3. Refinish an antique chair I bought.

4. Have a give away on this blog!

5. Get my Easter decorations out. Since it's perfectly clear right now that the St. Patrick's Day ones aren't making an appearance.

I have more, but I have to be realistic. What are your goals?

Xoxo,

Annie