Wednesday, April 30, 2008
The April Pain-Blog Carnival is now posted at How to Cope with Pain, featuring the month's best posts.
Go check it out!!
Go check it out!!
Labels: blog carnival, pain issues
link | posted by Emily at 9:14 AM
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Enchanted
i think my husband and i are about the last 2 people on earth to see Enchanted -- but finally, last night, we rented it and watched it.and i had heard only great reviews -- that people loved it, left the theater wanting to sing, to dance. that it was just a great, fun movie. so i was prepared to love it. i wanted to love it.
i didn't love it. i liked it, but that's about all i can say, really. i think for the most part, it's because i had seen the previews (more than once) and felt like evern funny part in the movie was included...it was like they gave it all away beforehand. and i was expecting some other funny or charming bits that i didn't know where coming, but they just weren't forthcoming. to me.
for the record, i do love disney movies (by and large) and musicals. but there we have it. enchanted. what do you all say -- did you love it?
Labels: movie review, movies
link | posted by Emily at 8:46 AM
Sunday, April 27, 2008
don't know if you all read Notes from the Trenches. you should.today was possibly the best blog entry ever.
just check it out. so great.
Labels: fabulous blogging
link | posted by Emily at 11:06 PM
Saturday, April 26, 2008
the story of the bath pouf...
well i found a pattern online for *making* a bath pouf -- crocheting a bath pouf. and i thought that it was just a great idea. it was made using kitchen cotton, so i got started and once it was done -- ta-da! here it is!
but in using it, i found it didn't lather up very well, and was rather scratchy on my skin! so, sadly, all the work was for naught, and i ended up going to the store to get one of the regular old bath poufs. it was a fun adventure, though!
Labels: randomness
link | posted by Emily at 10:00 PM
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
ah, it's been a beautiful day today -- the first day in a long time i've had some serious, sustained pain relief. and it is AMAZING how happy it makes me. of course this is due to pain medication and not the preventative meds actually working.it is just a beautiful fabulous thing to feel normal. i could really get used to this. ;)
i got a lot of work done today, and enjoyed spencer's birthday immensely.
here's a question for all you bloggers out there: do you keep a journal in addition to your blog? i do. what i write in my journal is either a) too personal to go on here, b) too negative or c) too repetitive (usually whining about headaches). do you all keep journals too? or do you feel like your blog acts as your journal?
Labels: randomness
link | posted by Emily at 7:46 PM
Monday, April 21, 2008
i seem to be unable to move these pictures around -- my blog ability is skyrocketing (in a downward fashion). also, i can't get rid of a spam comment from one of my previous entries.oh jeez.
so i'll tell you about these pictures as they came out of the camera. :) they're from a very short hike spencer and i took last weekend down a nearby canyon. first up are my shoes, i don't know if you can tell, but they're soaked -- the only way up to the falls was across the stream. and let me tell you something -- whooeeee was that water cold!! straight from the snow, baby!
and then this picture is up a little canyon, you can see part of the falls here, and i love how waterfalls look running over rocks. mmmm...so relaxing.
more water running over rocks -- and that white stuff near the top of the frame is snow, even though it was near 80 outside. always colder up the canyon!
this is a better picture of the same thing. this is where we crossed, trying hard to avoid the slick rocks and logs. :) we didn't fall in.here's spencer, coming across. i must admit i was hoping (a little bit) he'd fall so i could take pictures of it.
of course i told him that once he got safely across, he mentioned that would've been a bad thing if he'd've fallen in with his camera strapped to his back. :( seriously.not worth the blog fodder.
that's all she wrote! if you're in the area, and want to check it out, this is called the Hidden Falls, and is up the Big Cottonwood Canyon.
Labels: Hidden Falls, hike, nature, random marital events
link | posted by Emily at 8:51 PM
Friday, April 18, 2008
home again!
that's right, i'm back home. i was in chicago again, this time (thankfully) just overnight. no hospitalization for me this time. i went back for a follow-up appointment with my doctor at the diamond headache clinic. it went well, he adjusted my medications and added another med to (hopefully) help control the pain better. we shall see.overall i felt like it went well. it was the first time i've traveled by myself with a migraine. i was nervous. i was nervous something would go wrong -- that i'd be flustered, that i'd look like an easy mark to mug, that i'd have trouble making the connections i needed to in the city. many of you know exactly what it's like to live in pain: it's hard to do what needs to be done when you're in pain. it's hard to think and it's hard to keep your wits about you.
obviously everything worked out just fine.
and, BONUS! i missed the earthquake this morning! sweet!
if you are in need of an extra dose of humility, i recommend flying as a passenger on a small airplane during high winds. i haven't prayed with such urgency for a long time. the wings were swaying back and forth - i was worried that one big gust was going to come along, and we'd just flip right over and bite the dust. thankfully, we landed without incident. also gratefully, the plane on the way back was bigger. :)
Labels: diamond headache clinic, headaches, pain issues, traveling
link | posted by Emily at 8:33 PM
Sunday, April 13, 2008
craft day recap!
we had a great craft day just a little while ago, and so i thought i would show you what i made! i finally finished my sign:
the N is actually a purple, not blue like it looks here.and here's a close up, so you can see the glittery goodness. and the cuteness of the ribbon, of course.
then it was onto the bags. these are kind of small tote bags. i should've shown you these on me for scale, but i'll just say that they're the perfect size for a 3-ring binder. they are great for a big purse or a small tote bag. first is the green and turquoise one:
which i like quite a bit, but i really love the black and white one. i love the outside print
as well as the inside (bubbles!) print.
there it is! you can also see the cute bags Muum made for gretchen here. if you want. :)i feel compelled to mention that Edge was there as well. all this talk about Muum and Gretchen, i can't leave out the mother on the edge!
Labels: craft day, crafts, fun
link | posted by Emily at 6:02 PM
Thursday, April 10, 2008
There's nobody like my sister!
guess who's 25 today? 
that's right!!! it's gretchen!! go on over and wish her a happy birthday, won't you? 
here we are laughing it up -- mom says we look like the 4 stooges. so true, so true. i figure i can post an unflattering picture of everyone else if it's MORE unflattering of me. that's fair, right?we miss you, G!! we can't wait to see you again. and we LOVE YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Labels: birthday, family, gretchen
link | posted by Emily at 5:25 AM
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
this is beautiful to me:how Steinways are made.
link | posted by Emily at 8:25 PM
Coping with headaches and migraines
so i thought i would write a little bit about coping with migraines -- what i see as the major facets of coping with chronic migraines. my current situation is a bit different (for me) than it was when i was having episodic migraines, once every month or two. now i am in pain every day, all day. i wake up with a headache, and it's there all day till i go to sleep at night. hopefully some of this will apply to those of you reading here, i know my situation is somewhat (thank goodness!) unique.to me, there are 4 different parts of coping with migraines. they are the pain, nausea, discouragement, and sleep difficulties that come with migraines. here are my ideas on each topic.
1.Pain
resting in a quiet, dark room -- kind of a given. but for those who haven't experienced migraines, i thought i'd give you the full scope, even things that seem obvious.
i like a cold pack on my forehead -- some people like heat. some people like the cold or heat on the back of their neck. some find a hot shower or bath helpful.
of course there are medications for treating the pain - i'm no expert by any means, so i will link to a few articles that are helpful. here is a list of preventative medications that can be used for migraines. usually preventatives are considered if you are having several migraines a month. i'm not sure what the actual # is -- i'm sure it varies from doctor to doctor anyway. and here is an article about the medications used for treating migraines. and while we're on the topic of using medication, we'd better mention medication overuse (rebound) headaches. don't use your abortive medication too often!
2. Nausea/vomiting
this can be a huge problem or a small part of your situation, depending. i have some nausea, but rarely does it progress to vomiting. i'm lucky. but nevertheless, who likes to be nauseated? so here's my tips and tricks for nausea, in the order i usually try them:
a) mint gum (could also be mint tea or mint candies)
b) 7up or club soda -- i'm leaning towards the club soda lately because i don't like the idea of drinking so much sugar
c) ginger tea
d) emetrol
e) reglan -- my prescription anti-nausea pill
f) from here it's just rinse and repeat -- i try to continue eating bland food, skipping meals will only make the nausea worse and the migraine pain much worse
3. Discouragement
like nausea, this can range from a small problem to full-on depression. i'm sure that having a good support system helps prevent a lot of discouragement, but i also think that even with the best, kindest, and most supportive family (which i believe i have), a person is bound to get discouraged and upset at times if she's in pain all the time.
one of the best things i've found to combat my emotional pain is this idea: This pain is bad, but i've been through pain like this before, and I can get through this too.
it helps keep me from catastrophizing the situation and making it seem harder than it is or like i'm somehow not going to make it through. there are also numerous scriptures that have helped me through difficult times -- i'll share one here "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philipians 4:13. i realize that not everyone is religious, but for me, religion is something i can lean on when things get hard, and has helped me make it through.
4. Sleep difficulties
sleep is hugely important for migraineurs. too little (or too much, they say) and you are bound to suffer the next day. but it can be difficult to get good sleep when you are having regular migraines. it helped me to make it a priority with my doctors to 'fix' my sleep -- if i wasn't regularly able to get to sleep and stay asleep, i let them know and made sure we found solutions. thankfully this problem was easily remedied for me. until i was getting reasonable amounts of sleep (when the migraines first began to be chronic), the entire situation was worse and more difficult to deal with because of the poor quality and lack of sleep i was getting. i guess i just want to point out the importance of a good night's sleep. it's worth the trouble of keeping regular hours and doing all you can to rest well.
hopefully this is helpful for someone -- or even just a reminder that you're not along in your migraine pain. :-)
Labels: headaches, migraines, nausea, pain, pain issues, sleep
link | posted by Emily at 6:03 PM
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Bread pudding
well i just had to tell you about this: do you all read the Pioneer Woman? because you should.not only is she hilarious, she's an amazing photographer and cook. she does photoshop tutorials, which i just ooh and aah over. but the recipes -- the recipes i can use!
now if the apple brown betty had been up, i'd have probably made that. because i had all the ingredients for it. but i had *most* of the ingredients for bread pudding, and a real hankering to try bread pudding.
i had wheat bread instead of sourdough bread and no whiskey. hopefully the pioneer woman won't follow her links back someday and gasp in horror at the sacrilege of what i've done to her recipe. the thing is, it is GOOD. it is good even without whiskey and sourdough bread. :) i won't take a picture, because mine wouldn't look nearly as good as her pictures do -- so go take a look at hers. man it is good.
also, i'm working on very little sleep, please forgive all grammar and spelling nonsense in this post. pleaseandthankyou.
p.s. -- i also made these bacon wrapped jalapenos and they were everything i dreamed they would be.
Labels: cooking, pioneer woman, yumminess
link | posted by Emily at 8:56 PM
Thursday, April 03, 2008
tagged!
I've been tagged!the book lady tagged me, and i do love a good meme, especially one i haven't done. :)
Here are the guidelines:
1. Write your own six-word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
4. Tag five more blogs with links.
5. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play. (This last step is optional.)
Loves music, family & laughing, hates migraines.
and now, for the tagging (mwa hahaha)
i will tag muum and edge (of course), and gretchen, heather, and deborah!
this was a fun and easy one! i hope lots of people will play along -- tell me in comments if you have so i can come read your memoir, too!
Labels: meme, memoir, randomness
link | posted by Emily at 8:45 PM
photobucket meme
I fount this at Fireflies & Frogs -- very fun meme. :)THE RULES:
you need 2 internet windows open to do it
1. Go to www. photobucket. com (don't sign in)
2. Type in your answer to the question in the "search" box
3. Use only the first page
4. Copy the html and paste for the answer.
THE QUESTIONS:
1. What is your first name?
2, What is your favorite candy?
3. What is your relationship status?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
i don't really do celebrity crushes. if i had to choose someone, i'd choose beyonce -- i think she's beautiful. and talented.6. What is your favorite band?
had to choose 2.7. What is your favorite movie?
8. What is your favorite pastime?
9. What is your job?
i don't have a job. i do get migraines like it's my job. ;)10. What do you do for fun?
11. What kind of car do you drive?
12. What is your favorite TV show?
13. One word to describe yourself:
link | posted by Emily at 11:02 AM
