My ovaries are discontent. No, really. I have PCOS  or polycystic ovary syndrome. I have been dealing with it for about 7 years.. probably longer. But I have had symptoms for that long. Yesterday though was the most dramatic issue to date.

I had just finished dinner, and was helping Thing One get started on the dishes and I suddenly had the SHARPEST pain in my side. It felt like someone was punching me AND stabbing me in the side.  In my ovary. I could actually feel my ovary. I said the myself. “Self, this is not good.” I lay down on the couch hoping it would ease off, it didnt. So I decided that since very little cannot be fixed with a hot bath, that I should try it. I ran a bath and just as I sunk into the yummy smelling honeysuckle bubbles, a wave of nausea like none other hit me like a mack truck.

I was sicker than a hog in an apple orchard. (wich from what I gather is pretty ill) Again and again and again… it just wouldnt stop. Finally, Steven had enough… called Dr Baby. He of course assumed one of two things. I was 1. pregnant, or 2. had a ruptured ovarian cyst. So I was forcibly removed from the bathroom rug and we went to the ER.

I hate our smalltown ER. I hate the crappy decor, the assuming docs, and the cranky nurses. More than that I hate the type of people that you end up waiting with, crazy drug addicts, and wierdos. ESPECIALLY at the end of the month and late at night. But I was miserable, so I didnt argue to much.

We checked in at 7:19 pm. I wasnt seen until nearly 11 pm. UGH. They should issue those little lighty-up buzzy things you get at the Olive Garden. When your “table” is ready, you can come in from your car, or away from the bar… yeah, thats what the ER needs, a bar I sure would have felt better waiting outside or at home until I could be seen.

Finally after waiting all that time and puking countless times, I was called back and promptly asked to disrobe. I mentioned to the ER nurse that I was positive that I had ruptured an ovarian cyst and that if they would just call Dr Baby, he would tell them what was and wasnt necessary, and that I was 99.99% sure that I had a ruptured ovarian cyst. I was given that ” I am the professional here and you are the patient” look and slapped into the stirrups. I was poked and probed, and given a pelvic and this and that and blood work… and a catheterization…. (UGH!!!) All to come to the conclusion that.. (AHEM) ” Mrs Lane, we need to call your OBGYN and find out what he thinks.”

ugh.

really.

you dont say.

Dr Baby was called in and this is what he suggested. He said, that I should be given some phenregan and something for pain and sent on my way, as he was 99.99% sure Id ruptured an ovarian cyst.

really,

you dont say.

We left at nearly 1 am with a script for vicodan and phenregan. After having had a shot of both in the ER. I was high, but thankfully no longer in pain.

So here I am this evening, feeling still sore and a little worn out. Drugged to a happy oblivion. Waiting to feel better.

The lesson here? ER docs should listen to thier patients.

While I am recovering.. guess what Steven has agreed to accomplish? yep. We are going to paint the den.

Cate over at www.sweetnicks.com posted today about the most interesting photo essay that was in Time Magazine. It took different families from all over the world and showed what they would eat over the course of 7 days. All piled in one pile. It also listed what each family would spend. It really was eye opening! Some families of only 4 people spend over $500 a week! Can you imagine? Then there are a few families of 7 or 8 that spend less than $10 a week.  You can check it out at www.time.com VERY interesting.

  I had thought to go ahead and take a photo of our food for the week since I just shopped today, but 1. everything is already put away. 2. An enormous 13 year old accidentally stepped on our coveted digital camera and trashed the LCD screen, pictures can still be taken but its back the stone age and not knowing what you captured until you put them on the computer. I hate it. I am SO sad. I loved this camera… and it would cost as much as a new one to get the old fixed . Sad sad sad. I cant bring myself to use it much.3 a list would be just as interesting.

So I decided to make a list of the groceries that our family of 4 will consume this week. Be sure to check out the photo essay at time magazine. It really will open your eyes… AND how about listing yours? It will make you think for sure!

 For consumption between 7/27 -8/2

1 bunch of bananas               $.99

5 lbs red apples                      $2.99

2 avacados                              $2.98

1 bunch cilantro                     $.99

1 jalapeno pepper                   $.15

5 fresh tomatos                       $ free    

15 lbs baking potatoes           $5.79

1 seedless watermelon           $4.99

1 red onion                               $1.26

1 fresh pineapple                     $3.99

1 lb baby carrots                       $1.89

3 lemons                                    $1.50

2 cucumbers                              $1.98

2 heads of iceberg lettuce        $2.00

3.36 lbs chicken thighs             $5.68

chicken gizzards                         $1.45

chicken livers                              $1.79

beef hot dogs                                $.99

1 lb bacon                                      $1.50

1 lb cubed ham                      $3.20  

turkey bologna                      $1.29

3 lbs ground turkey            $3.79

6 lbs chicken breast            $5.99

3 lbs italian sausage            $2.99

1 lb sliced turkey breast      $4.99

1 dozen eggs                          $1.09

1 gallon 2% milk                   $3.99

1 lb shredded cheddar         $4.00

1 pint sour cream                  $1.49

10 flour tortillas                     $1.19

1/2 gallon cherry ice cream  $2.49

1/2 g cookie dough ice cream $2.49

frozen waffles                             $1.57

1 can baked beans                  $1.36

3 cans spaghetti Oh’s             $2.36

ranch dressing mix                  $.99

1 lb thin spaghetti                     $.99

2 jars spaghetti sauce               $2.78

cheese toast                                $1.98

2 pkgs gravy mix                         $.66

breadcrumbs                                $1.89

parmessan cheese                        $1.99

brownie mix                                   $1.89

2 cans of green beans                $1.36

2 cans of corn                              $1.36

2 cans of peas                               $1.36

1 can chipoltle chiles                   $.59

2 limes                                           $1.00

1 bottle texas pete hot sauce      $.99

5 lbs sugar                                    $1.89

1 box tea bags                               $1.33

1 gallon canola oil                          $2.22

1 box frosted flakes                        $1.69

1 box fruit loops                              $1.69

1 box poptarts                                $1.89

hot dog buns                                 $1.09

hamburger buns                          $1.09

fish sticks                                      $2.99

curlie fries                                     $1.89

1 bottle ketchup                            $.99

Dukes Mayo                                   $2.49

3 2 liters of Coke                            $3.00

2 2 liters of Diet Pepsi                 $2.00

3 cans of pringles                          $3.00

1 can koolaide mix                       $1.50

1 lb starbucks coffee                    $3.49

1 box microwave popcorn           $1.59

Lunch at Mcdonalds                   $11.49

Seagrams wine coolers               $3.49

64 oz Orange Juice                     $3.89

1 pkg fig newtons                         $1.67

6 pk dasani water                         $2.99

1 loaf whole wheat bread             $1.40

kraft singles cheese                       $1.99

Jasmine Rice                                  $1.89

salsa                                               $2.99

baked tostitos                               $3.89

Phew! thats it. A total of about $164. Granted I do have a lof of what we will eat this week on hand so my groceries were a little more than $100 when I shopped.. but still ,SHEESH. I wonder if we could actually eat like the families in the middle east and only spend $4.35? I think that I would have mutiny amoung the ranks if I were to even try it!  

Shopping this week actually ended an ongoing debate between Steven and I. We have always shopped here in our small town at Bi-lo.. the local grocery being most convienient and having the best selsction of the 3 options here in town. Recently I saw a special on food network about the chain ALDI. We have one in a nearby town and we tried shopping there.. the savings were phenomenal… but they are 45 minutes away.. and inconvienient, and I would have to do SOME supplemental shopping since they only stock the most popular items for a certain area and we eat a little different than most families around here since I am from the westcoast… Today clinched it. I will never shop at Bi-lo again.. the savings were over $100 for 2 weeks groceries when I shopped 2 weeks at a time at ALDI. Sure worth the trip.. AND it gives Steven and I an excuse to go on a “date” maybe see a movie or go out to dinner with our “savings

                        

                           

                                     

                                   

                  

Ohh my goodness! Its been soo long since I blogged I have sooo much to say! A lot has gone one.. so I will use my favorite “list” blogstyle. Here goes.

1. Thing One’s Mom did not come home from Mexico as planned. She is pretty freaked out that she wont come home at all now. I kind of expected that she would be gone longer than she planned. But I doubt that she will be gone “for good”. All I can so is comfort Thing One and hope it wont be tooo long. She has total abandonment issues since her parents split up. Her Mom hasnt always been around as much as she probably needed to be and it messed the poor girl up. I hate it that she has to go through it. But I remind her that A LOT of kids have one or more absent parents and they are perfectly ok. I know she misses her. But she will be alright.

2. Summer camp was really fun. I love the whole “camp experience” and really enjoyed myself. My girls were really good and we had a good time. It was really fun to see Thing One in a competitive sports environment. In fact we have discovered that she enjoys basketball.. so I plan to really really encourage her to develop that. Maybe I will have the next Shaq on my hands? YAHOO! While we had a really good time I did discover that I am not as young as I once was. Staying up till 3 am and then a 6 am alarm is ok ONCE.. but three mornings in a row made me exhausted! I was WIPED by the time we left friday morning. NEVER have I been more happy to see my own bed. (and my honey! I missed sleeping with him every night the most!)

3. We are still trying to figure out a good day to paint the den. Im thinking I will just go ahead and tear up the room and move the furniture tommorow and get ready. Have Steven BUY the paint and stuff and just DO IT. If I keep waiting for a convienient time to get it done it will never get done. Wish me luck!

4. I went to a bridal shower for one of Steven’s people today. It was nice. The girl the shower was for was very sweet and seemed to really appreciate the gifts. Its always nice to see Steven’s Aunts. They are sweet ladies. Plus my sister-in-law was there and she is expecting my new niece in November, so it was fun to see her “progress” She is getting a little tummy. It is so cute.

6. We are planning a BIG High School Musical 2 premiere party for the girls. Thing Two is particularly excited about it. I plan to invite whatever girls they want and really make it fun. I am trying to think of a way to make a red carpet in the front yard like a real movie premiere and then let them get all glammed out before we “screen” the new movie. I also plan to make treats that are out of the movie.. for instance Sharpay (a character in the movie) drinks blue iced tea by the pool and I will be making some kind of blue drink.. One of the characters makes eclaires and I might pick some of those up.. maybe some little bitty hamburgers and of course POPCORN. I also plan to put up big posters of the characters and a big banner that says EAST HIGH SCHOOL. (the school in the movie.. wich ironically is the name of MY alma mater.)

 6. Its been Harry Potter mania around here. Last Friday Steven and I went to see the movie “Order of the Phoenix” and then I spent yesterday happily curled up with the final installment of the series of books. JK Rowling is pure genius. I loved the way she ended the story. I wont go on in case you might be waiting to read it yourself. But it was good! Steven is reading the book now. He, however will not finish in 7 hours like I did… it will take him days and days to read it. He is a MUCH slower reader than I am and sometimes it makes me crazy when I want to disscuss a book with h im and it takes him weeks to read what took me only a few days to read.

Its been SUCH a busy week. It went by SOOOOO fast. Friday we went to pick up Thing Two from camp. She had  a really great time. She was POOPED OUT though. She came home and crashed BIG time for 3 hours, then went to bed last night at around 9 and then slept till nearly 8 this morning. She is NOT a big sleeper so I know she was totally exhausted. She still seems a little tired today so I am glad that she chose to stay at my mom’s tonight rather than go to my cousin’s house for a sleepover.

Thing One has a half sister who lives with her Mom in Myrtle Beach about 60 miles from here. Thing One sees her every other weekend, and this was to have been her Mom’s weekend. But wednesday we got a call saying that her mother was taking the sister to Mexico where her paternal grandparents live. This has affected Thing One more than I even imagined that it would. Her mom and sister are due back the 20th, but Thing One is terrified that she wont be returning at all. Normally a stoic child she rarely reacts to things her Mom does. But the fact that she is gone this weekend has hurt her feelings deeply. She keeps bringing the subject up. Aaking questions about how international travel works and the like. All day friday she hinted about some family court bench warrents her mom has for not paying child support… so much that I finally came out and asked her what was bugging her about them. She was afraid that when her Mom tried to leave the country that there would be some kind of flag on her and she’d be arrested someplace far away and her little sister would be left alone wandering in some far away airport! Can you imagine having to go though that. Just her having to even wonder about that broke my heart. So I called the sherrifs department asking about them and how it would work. The warrents arent federal. so she can come and go as she pleases (isnt THAT great news? dead beat parents can come and go as they please from our country?) I wonder though when passports are neccesary for local internation travel if that wont change some.. since she cant get a passport with her warrents… hmmmm. So anyway… my baby is sad.. and scared her mama wont come home. I’ll be glad when the 20th comes so she will know one way or another… because honestly I dont  think its her actually not coming home she dreads.. but not knowing what will happen.

Today we hosted my cousin Moriah’s 6th birthday party. Normally it would have been held at My Aunt’s house at the end of our road. Thier property is on a lake and lovely. But they planned it to be a swimming party and Thing Two isnt ready to be swimming in nn-chlorinated water yet. With her surgery only a week old. Toooo much bacteria. So I offered to host the party here so that everyone could swim in our pool. There were about 7 cousins and thier parents and the like who came and enjoyed the afternoon here. Chili dogs and chips, cake and ice cream were on the menu. I love family and having everyone close. The kids had a great time and it also motivated me to get my housework done early.

I have been suffering from another tooth ache. Its becoming an issue for me. Unfortunatly to many years of not getting cleanings and my terrible pregnancy have really comprimised my teeth. This spring I had an absessed tooth removed and now this one is cracked deeply. I would go and get a root canal and attempt to fix the tooth, but the fact is the tooth is so broken that Im not sure it would be worth capping since it will likely just break more and need removing in a few months anyway. For now I will attempt to keep food out of it, and try to put off the remocal as long as I can. Fortunatly there were some pain killers available to me and I took them and am no longer drooling from the pain!

 having

 This is the first week of Church camp at our local campground. I am a firm beliver in the whole “camp experince” It is so good for kids to go away from Mom and Dad in a positive environment. It builds character and independance and kids make friendships from all over the state that they never would have otherwise! I was a camper in Alaska at Little Beaver Camp from the time I was 7 until well after I graduated from high school. I went as a camper and then as a Jr counsleor and then as a coundelor. When we moved to South Carolina I was so happy to get involved in our camps here. Lat year I went as a counselor for our teens and this year I will go with our Jr’s .Im excited! But this week is Thing Two’s week to go away. SHe attends MINI camp from tuesday till friday morning with ages 6-9. I was a little nervous since she just had surgery last week and is sitll on a TON of meds. But a friend and nurse from our church is attending so I felt better about sending her off.

My Mother was making fun of me and the SUPER organized suitcase I sent with Thing Two. I layed out each days outfits with socks and underwear and placed them in individual zip locks.. I labeled them one for each day and included a little love note and her allotted canteen money for that day. I dont think it was over kill at all. IT works three ways. One she doesnt go crazy wearing wierd designs and her “creations” as we call them. She will look more put together if she has my suggestions on what goes together and what doesnt. I cant garuntee that she will actually abide by them.. but at least she knows what my opinion was. Two she knows she has what she needs for the day and I was able to pack easily without wondering if I forgot anything,, and Three, it keeps the clean clothes separated from the dirty ones. I also sent a mesh bag for her to put her dirty clothes in. As well as an extra zip lock for her wet swimsuits. ( I sent one for each day so she wouldnt have to worry about drying them between days.. I cant do that with Thing One since she will be gone longer and only has 2 suits.. but at least I can send both so she can let one dry a whole day and night before she needs it again.)I also baked her some cookies to take with her to share with her buddies and of course a whole bunch of junk to snack on.. in addition to the cash for the canteen.While I know she is having the tme of her life I cant help but allow my mind to wander 35 miles down the road to where she is and what she is doing.

Last night it was so quiet. We I made my favorite OLE chirkcn, mexican rice and beans, fresh salsa and avacado salad, and then topped it off with some homemade wine spritzers. mmm mmm. The fresh salsa makes it SOOO good.I was sooo bad then and made a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. It is my weakness.. Pretty generic, but man its perfection in a confection!

 Fresh Saksa and Avacsdo salad

2 avacados removed from skins and sliced

1 package grape tomatoes quartered

 1 small jalapeno seeded and ribs removed minced

the juice of one  lime

2 tbsp minced cilantro

1/2 white onion minced

 salt and pepper to taste

MIx everything but the avacado together and refrigerate for 3 hours. Slice avacado and fan out on plate. Pour salsa over avacados. Serve with quesadillas or Ole chicken.

 Ole Chicken

 3-4 chicken breasts

 1/3 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

 3 chiplotle peppers and adobe sauce minced

 1 tbsp minced garlic

 1 tbsp minced cilantro

juice of 1 lime

Mix ingredients together and pour over chicken. Cover and allow to marinate in refrigerator for a few hours. Grill on medium heat until chicken is done. BE CAREFUL as the chipoltle is SPICY.  You can adjust the peppers to your taste. OR if you are feeling lazy like I was the last time I made it GRILLMATES makes an AWESOME chiplotle marinade and that is just as good as this one.

  Last weekend Steven installed a pretty little hummingbird feeder and we have been enjoying watching a sweet little hummingbird couple coming right up to our porch! Last evening after dinner Steven and I enjoyed sitting out  in our rockingchairs and he took some great shots of them. They are so cute! I love the little noises the female makes as she feeds. And how amazing it is that they fly so so fast!

Sunday was a huge blur. I mean it went so fast I barely feel like it was real!

Steven of course had to work.. he works almost every sunday. Unfortunatly he is a GREAT salesman.. and reliable. So Home Dpot schedules him for weekends every time. They have thier biggest sales days then, so it makes sense to have your good salesmen there then.. but still its annoying. I HATE sitting alone in church.

After we both gragged ourselves out of bed he went off to work and I got dressed up and got the girls ready and we went to Preching… I never make it to sunday school anymroe. ( I know I am a heathen) Then we went to the grocery store and I picked up a few things that I needed for the week.

When we got home I grilled hot dogs real fast and we put dinner together. The girls made the colse slaw and shucked the fresh corn on the cob and then  baked some brownies while I browned off some spare ribs and got them ready for the oven. We barely had any tie left so we organized some of Thing Two’s stuff for summer camp and then it was time to get gone again.

Steven and I work with the young people in our church. We really love it. Most days it feels like we are really making a differnce. A lot of our kids come from bad homes and gang backgrounds, so its nice to be someone in thier lives that loves then unconditionally and is someone they know they can count on. I rarely go anywhere that I dont run into one of our “babies” or go more than a few days without getting a phone call from one of them. They call Steven “The enforcer” and most of them call me MOM. They are BAD most of the time.. but we love them…Anywho point being we had a Youth Staff meeting yesterday afternoon and then Sunday Nights we have DASH Jr High Ministries. Wich is mostly our CORE kids.. kids who actually are members of our church and not just youth group kids. A TOTALLY different dynamic for sure!

By the time we got home it was almost time for Steven to get home from church so I got dinner on the table and was ready to eat when he got in..  We had Braised BBQ riibs. Jasmine Rice, Corn on the Cob, Sweet and Sour Slaw, and brownies for desert.

Phew. busy day, not restful at all.. but nothing bad happened