I'm back

So I took a little break there, sorry. Life got a little overwhelming. Today we are at our first appointment for Jack's pre bone marrow transplant work up. This is definitely a scary time but it is the best thing for Jack. So bear with me, I'm going to try to keep up with the blogging while we are up here. 

Perspective....

You know, it's hard raising a toddler. It's even harder to have them mostly confined to a hospital room attached to a formula pump and attempting to eat for the first time in months. Today was rough. But, just when I was about to lose it and yell at this poor kid for whining again I read about another blogger whose son passed away a few weeks ago. 

My heart aches for her. 

Perspective is so important. I may be frustrated and tired and hot (in the bad way, why is this room 80degrees?) but I'm in a very good place right now. The ginger is pretty healthy for a sick kid and we are here for good stuff to happen. He ate some bacon today, natures cure-all, smoked meat.

-cassie

Living in the hospital is like an extended trip to Wal-Mart

So we are currently in Cincinnati children's with the ginger to get a second opinion on his gi problems. I can't say enough about how great this hospital is! Everyone is friendly, it's clean, people do things they say they're going to do, people drop off their shot up homies outside, what more could a mom want for her favorite sicko?

Vanderbilt has it's good points too. We love our gi team there! However, living in the hospital can get cray. I mean really cray. People do things that I'd NEVER do in front of the general public!

Here are a few examples...

1. Some people see the hospital as a daycare....in both hospitals we have seen people leave their children for long periods of time often to go out on the town. I wish I was making this ish up.
2. People forget how to dress themselves. I understand being in your pjs on the floor at night but not in the cafeteria. Throw on some sweats. I once saw a chick in a long t shirt and her underwear at Vanderbilt. Nothing like seeing some booty to wake you right up.
3. Random people want to know what's wrong with your kid so they can determine if theirs is more sick than yours. I call it having a sick off. I once had a woman tell me her child's liver made him (and I quote) "retarded". Is that even possible?
4. People steal. My iPod was stolen during our last round at Vanderbilt. I suspect the heifer next door but hell I guess it could have been anyone.
5. There's always one kid in the playroom that wants to be up in your grill, they are usually the contagious one.
6.I once saw a guy with his daughter playing and I noticed he had a teardrop tattoo on his face. Good for him for being in the hospital with his kid but doesn't that mean he's killed someone?
7. No privacy. It's really hard to go to the potty since every time you turn around someone is walking in your room.

8. Skin colored leggings....I can't tell you how many people are wearing these!

Well I'm sure there's more but that's all I can think of right now. We had a rough night so we are both tired. Here's hoping the ginger will not wake up barfing in the middle of the night!

--Cassie

Cincinnati children's hospital day 1

We made it and the ginger has already had his first procedure. Upper and lower endoscopy. Fun times.
Nothing new to report other than they are going to put in an ng tube to start formula feeds. He just Barfed, not a good sign.
How about this, yesterday the hospital was locked down because "someone was dropped in the circle". A nurse quite calmly explained that means that someone dropped off their shot up, stabbed up or dead homie in front of the hospital. Time for some new friends dude. I'd like to think that my friends would at least plop me in the er in a chair before they peaced out.
--Cassie

You don't always get what you want...

But I suppose I'm getting what I need, and more importantly what the ginger needs. 

We are heading to Cincinnati Children's Hospital on Thursday to meet with a new GI specialist. We're so very hopeful that they will be able to fix our kid or at least make his life better than it is right now. I really hope this doesn't sound terrible but, I'm ready to get back to our old normal. I know that things will probably never be exactly the same but there are so many things I really miss about how our lives used to be. Don't get me wrong, things have been much worse and we are in a really good spot right now. It would just be awesome to not have to worry about the ginger's central line, or what foods can he eat, or has he had all his meds today.

I REALLY miss working. I know, I know, I should love being a SAHM. There's so much that I do love about being home with Jack. We have a very laid back existence, we stay in our pj's all day if we want, I get to run every day. But, I miss being around grown folks and having conversations about things other than cartoons. I've never been the type that wanted to stay at home, no offense to anyone who does want to be a SAHM, no judgement and honestly if this is what you want to do I sincerely look up to you. The real issue is that I loved my job. I love teaching and being around the kids at school. I miss getting up and getting dressed even though I do love me some sweat pants. Teaching is a very stressful profession, especially now since everyone seems to hate teachers and blame them for society's ills but I love it. I miss reading and discussing literature with teenagers and getting to know some amazing people, I'm talking about my students.

There's so much good right now too though. I know that once I do go back to work I will seriously miss spending my days laying around the house with the ginger and being able to go to the zoo, or the children's museum or an early morning run in the jogging stroller. 

Times like these will be few and far between sooner than I think. So my goal for now is to embrace the time I have with my sweet ginger kid.

Let me say that Sesame Street has gotten quite cheeky lately. I just looked up because I heard Bert of Bert and Ernie say that he is reading "50 Shades of Beige". Well played Sesame Street. Well played.

Which do you prefer?

So I've been busily stocking my etsy shop over the last few days. I had plenty of pictures that I've taken over the pat few years to get me started. Well, my irises bloomed a few days ago and I got out early one morning, during the golden hour and took some pictures of them. 

The whole point of this blog post is that I started processing these images and I can't decide which ones I like best. So here's the same pic processed several different ways. Keep in mind that I'm attempting to sell these as art prints. Which ones do you prefer?

Thanks for the help!

I'm also considering offering larger prints in my shop. As of right now I'm offering 5x7s and 8x10s.

Thanks for looking!

BTW does the Cat In The Hat cartoon show on Sprout freak anyone else out? I mean these kids just run off with a cat and a fish all the time and their moms don't mind. It's just a little weird. Sorry if my observances are a little strange :)

I'm at WKRP in Cincinnati...

Hey ya'll!

I've written here before about how the ginger is sick. We spent several months last year in Vanderbilt Children's trying to stabilize him after what seemed like a terrible bought of GI troubles. First they thought it was just a stomach bug and then they thought celiac but he didn't react well to the gluten free diet, personally I think he probably has celiac but when they initially tried to feed him the gluten free diet his intestines were so irritated that he couldn't even absorb anything, no matter what it was. Anywho, he's been at home and getting better and better but we still need to get him all figured out.

Soooooooooo, we are off to Cincinnati Children's Hospital next Thursday. It's the best hospital in the nation for pediatric GI issues. I'm so excited to get him up there to those doctors! He's going to have his upper and lower GI scoped to see if there has been at least some healing in his gut. Pending the outcome of that they plan on trying to give him interic formula and a gluten free diet so we can eventually get him off his intravenous nutrition.  

The Ginger calls this his juice, it's his intravenous nutrition.

One of the Ginger's pumps, he uses two.

We'll spend about a week up there before coming home. I'm so hopeful that we will come back home with some answers. The most tiring part of all of this has been all of the negative test results. I can't even begin to tell you everything that this kid has been tested for. But, I can tell you that he doesn't have anything that they have tested him for, believe me I'm glad about that but still I want to know what's wrong with my Ginger Boo. He has even had a whole exome sequencing done, if you are interested to know what that is HERE is a link to the Baylor College of Medicine explanation of the procedure. I mean, who doesn't like reading medical research?? LOL! Just know that it's a big time genetic test that takes FOREVER to come back and it may not tell us anything at all. Yay.

OK well I am off to catch up on Bates Motel. Anyone else watch that show? It's my go to now that I'm waiting for the next season of The Walking Dead. If my phone and doorbell rang as much as Norma Bates' does I'd be crazy too.

 

 I'm going to try my best to keep blogging the whole time we are up there. We shall see if I actually have the time!

Piggottography

So for a while I've considered selling my photography via Etsy and honestly was scared to do so. I guess I was afraid of being judged or someone saying that what I'm really passionate about sucks.

 

So anywho....I grew a set today and opened an Etsy shop for selling my photography as art prints. Here's hoping someone will want to buy one. I swear if someone does I will need a new set of britches.

Here's a link to my shop and you can also access it at any time via the page at the top of my blog.

Well I guess it's well beyond time for me to get in the shower and leave the house!

Have a great Tuesday ya'll!

How do I get my kid to stop saying boobies in public?

Good Monday Morning! 

So my kid has become obsessed with the word boobies. It might be kinda OK if I was the only person he uttered this word to. Nope, it's open season. He said it to the lady at the grocery store last week. I've tried time out, doesn't work. Is duct tape my only option. 

In other news.....

Ginger Boo and I were out early today at our fave place in town, the Discovery Center. We went for a walk out by their wetlands to check out all the baby ducks. If you follow me on Instagram (if you don't, you should, click HERE) you saw the video I posted of all the baby ducks yesterday. 

They are SO FLUFFY and there are literally about a hundred out there right now

So we are tooling along and I realize that the waterlilies and irises are all in bloom in the little pond right next to the museum. This is why I always have my camera with me :) Here's a few shots from our morning constitutional.

Yellow Irises

The Ginger checking out the little fish and bullfrog tadpoles, those things are huge!

All pictures shot with my Nikon D90 and 35mm 1.8 prime lens. Processing was done in Photoshop with Greater than Gatsby presets.

I hope everyone has a great week! 

--Cassie

Look What I Can Do

 

Anytime I get to show off my photography work I feel like Stuart on Mad TV. I don't always end up with my pants off like him thank goodness, that could be a real issue. Anyway....I've been doing photography for about 5 years now and I really had very few pieces of my own work in my home until a few months ago. We've lived in this house almost 5 years now and I have had a huge blank, green wall in my kitchen beside the breakfast table for the same amount of time. Being a cheap ass I didn't want to pay an arm and a leg for some type of art work or other random thing to hang there. That's where my camera comes in.

 We have two huge hydrangea bushes in our backyard, one is a regular one and the other is an oakleaf hydrangea. I took these right after a rain storm with my Nikon D90 and my 35 mm prime lens. They were processed in photoshop using Pioneer Woman presets. 

Here's the finished product. Being cheap I didn't actually print these on canvas. I bought a huge pack of canvases in bulk and painted them black then I modge podged the prints to them. I didn't even have to put a nail in the wall because of the 3M strips that are SOOOOOOO fabulous!

Here's another couple of things I have hanging in the house that I have shot

These were shot at Folly Beach, SC near Charleston. LOVE IT THERE! If you go, hit up Taco Boy.

This is Folly Pier on Folly Beach

So I hope I haven't bored the heck out of anyone today with my photography. I hope everyone has an great Thursday. The hubs and I are heading out to the Arcade Fire concert in Nashville tonight. Should be a good time.

--Cassie

Pinterest or the reason I can't get anything done and feel bad about myself

Pinterest has to be the most EPIC timesuck ever invented. A few years ago when it first came about I was still a yearbook adviser and we had to ban it for the yearbook staff. They would literally just sit and scroll through the Everything page for hours and hours not getting anything done. I'd never experienced anything quite like it. Some of those kids needed a 12 step program to quit. Cold turkey was hard for them. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some Pinterest. I am a member and you can find me HERE. I sometimes just sit and scroll and feel like I can be the best, craftiest, skinniest, and most organized mom ever! Then I wake up.
Here's my fave cray over there.

**Weight loss/workout/clean eating pins- If I had a nickel for every pin like this I'd be a very rich lady. How many different before and after/take this product/ don't eat crap that's made in a factory with chemicals you can't pronounce pins does one site need? I'm also not a fan of the take this product and lose 100 pounds in a week pins. I mean really. Just get off your butt. I'm all for weight loss and workouts and clean eating but it's kind of taken over Pinterest and sometimes I just want to look at cat memes and cupcakes.

 

**Pallets- I'm fairly sure that due to these pins that many businesses are putting their pallets under lock and key. SO far I've seen pins touting how to make beds, shelves, swings, artwork,towelracks, and sheds with pallet wood. How many things REALLY need to be made from pallet wood? Probably pallets. Just sayin.

Yup those are pallet house plans. Get crackin!

 

 

**Monogram- I just saw monogram Converse on Pinterest. WTF? Like any good southern gal I love having some monogram items but does everything have to be monogrammed? How far will people go you ask? See below.

Of course you can monogram your hunting rifle. Let me get my Cricut warmed up!

 **Makeup/hair tutorials- Some of these are really cool tutorials but some....not so much. How many gals really need to know how to do their hair just like Princess Elsa? There's a tip or trick no matter what you have going on above your shoulders. Got fine hair, we can make it thicker. Got curly hair? We will straighten that mess right out. Acne, age spots, dry/oily skin? Boy! Does Pinterest have an answer for you. It can be WAY overwhelming. Then there's also the whole chola makeup brigade. Seriously look it up. Some of those gals really do gorgeous make up but then there's the group that shop the Sharpie section of target for eye and lip liner.  If you want so laugh take a look over at glowpinkstah on YouTube. Her Baby Smiley character is my fave chola on the block.

This is a link to a hair tutorial for Elsa hair. You never know when you might need an epic side braid!

 **Dirty/weird shit or what I like to call Pinterest After Dark- No matter how many people are pinning monograms, hair tutorials, cute outfits they'll never have or DIY deodorant pins Pinterest will always have the underlying dirty/creepy. The crazy thing is that you don't have to go looking for the cray over there. Just go look at the Everything tab at the wrong time of day and you'll see all kinds of NC-17 shit. I'm a believer that people can do what they want within reason but , damn, how many naked ladies do I have to see while I'm digging around for gluten free recipes and projects to use up my plethora of pallet wood. I'll spare you the links. You all know what I'm talking about. There's also true horror stories, ghost sightings, and tons of other creeptastic shit. I spend too much time alone here to be reading about serial killers and ghost sightings. Seriously, I need to be able to sleep for real.

**Everyone on Pinterest has the same tattoos- I have zero tattoos. I want one but I'm a weenie. But really, take a look at tattoos over on Pinterest and you will find that every member has one of the following tattoos. 1. Some type of bird bird tattoo- some of these are really cool but I think the idea of a tattoo should be that not everyone else has it. 2. The dandelion puff being blown, sometimes turning into birds as they float away. 3. Some type of infinity symbol, sometimes with words. 

Please don't take this as a slight if you do have any of those tattoos. I'm not judging. Just saying that they are way popular right now. I can't really think of what kind of tattoo I want to get. Any ideas? 

The UniPac tattoo is pretty epic.

Well, I've got to actually go do something, like probably take a shower. Why is it that I can do so much all day long, but getting in the shower seems like too much sometimes? Hope your Wednesday is wonderful!

--Cassie

30 Day Challenge or what I like to call "I have to exercise every day?"

Hey Ya'll I've decided to join up with a 30 day fitness challenge with a couple of great ladies.

My weight has been an issue for me for about four years now, ever since we started makin babies. When I was young I was a ballet dancer and had some opposite weight issues if you know what I mean. That's a post for another day.

The real issue that I need to get a handle on is my relationship with food. I'm a binge eater on occasion. I'm also an emotional eater. I can't tell you how much I ate while my son was in the hospital. Did you know that at Vanderbilt you can get 3 pancakes as big as your head for $3? I know that all too well. 

Two summers ago I was in the best shape of my life from doing barre workouts and one of their bootcamps. However, since our circumstances have changed we can't afford all that jazz anymore. That shit works but damn it's expensive! I have to work out on my own at home and it's not so bad and no one has to see me sweatin to the oldies, except for the ginger of course. I've been able to locate tons of free workouts on the internet and I run pretty often. My poor neighbors have to see my big booty trotting through the neighborhood on the regular.

What do I want to get out of this challenge?

1. To get back into my clothes that don't fit. I LOVE clothes and I miss wearing so much of what I have because it simply doesn't fit or doesn't look good once it's on.
2. To feel better. I'm so damn tired all the time.
3. To look better. Um can you say bikini season?

What are my daily goals over the next 30 days?

1. Drink 100 oz of water every day- just get me a diaper, ok?
2. No fast food
3. No soda or sweet tea (house wine of the south ya'll!)
4. Tons of protein and veggies and fruits
5. Activity every day! This is not hard since I literally chase the ginger all over the place all day long.                             

So there it is! This challenge starts May 1st and I'm ready for it :) 

I've linked up the fab ladies who are running this challenge below. They're fab! You should check out their blogs.

On a completely unrelated note, why has my toddler started gesturing with hands so much when he talks? He looks like an extra from The Godfather right now.

 

--Cassie :)
 

Let there be light...or at least the right switches

 Happy Friday Ya'll! Here's the crazy that's already happened here before 9am!

Have you ever felt so stupid you wanted to disappear? I had one of those moments this morning. Long story short we've never been able to get our lights over our garage to work. We've lived here 5 years and no lights over the garage, ever.
This past week I had another electrical issue so I called in my favorite handyman, Eric from the Good News Guys, come out to work on that and look into our lighting issue. This is an awesome group of guys that donate a portion of their earnings to do mission work. I also feel safe having them in my house when it's just me and the ginger.
So he fixes the other issue and starts in on the lights. He took the light fixtures off and looked at those and still couldn't figure out what was wrong. Then he mentioned to me that maybe the switch at the front door isn't the one for those fixtures. I was like, WTF? Why wouldn't the switch at the front door work the outside lights over the garage?

Front door switch...why doesn't this work my lights over my garage???

Nope, the switch for my outside lights is tucked away in my garage behind a dryer that doesn't work and beside my extension ladder.

I had no idea these switches were even there...geeze.

 

YAY! Yeah ignore my house number all falling off and shit, nothing a little Gorilla Glue won't fix.

--Cassie

If you don't think this is funny we can't be friends

I have a twisted sense of humor. See below for reference.

Manic Monday

Mondays around here are always a crazy time. That is the day Jack has in home physical therapy and his home health nurse makes a visit to check his weight and change his dressing on his central line.
Today was our normal routine, PT then nurse. One thing was different though, today was Jack's first day with 8 hours off his TPN pumps! It's a big deal since he's been on 20 hour days since October. We were very excited to go out and celebrate so we had planned an trip to the zoo. I get the ginger in the car, I jump in and what do you know but my car won't start. I had left a door slightly open and drained the battery overnight. Awesome. I can't wait to explain this to my husband when he gets home, and deal with somehow getting his car close enough to mine in the garage to jump it off since mine won't change gears when the battery is dead. Yup, you read that right, I can't even put it in neutral and back her up.
I assume you understand how a toddler reacts to not being able to go to the zoo when he's been told all morning that after the nurse leaves we get to leave. Meltdown level- GINGER! The upside of this is that he took a nice late nap, hence I'm blogging right now instead of chasing a toddler through the house.
So my advice on this lovely Monday is to be sure your car doors are closed before you hit the hay tonight.
--Cassie

The ginger and his cousins

So yesterday my sister drove my mom up to see me for Easter and she brought my nephews along so we could get some pics of them with Jack. I took them out to the local children's museum called the Discovery Center. We LOVE this place! The museum is great but the best part is the wetlands area they have outside. Here are a few shots of Jack with his "big kid" cousins. It's nice to see him looking so happy and healthy!

 This area is set up over a pond with little fish, a muskrat lives there and lots of other stuff. The boys are looking at an ENORMOUS bullfrog tadpole here. How big was it? Oh I thought it was a snake. A SNAKE!

These were all shot with my Nikon D90 and a 35 mm prime lens. I process in Photoshop using Greater Than Gatsby Presets.

--Cassie