Christmas Ornaments 2012

I decided I might as well post something...since I finally got something done around here!  Nothing like a deadline of TODAY to make me get something finished.  Seriously how to people work and have three children I can barely not work and have them.  It is my goal to get this thing up to date before I send out Christmas Cards...but who knows when that will fit in the plans!

October is tomorrow and I am sucking at this.

I can't recall the last time I was on top of anything around here...or even sorta organized.  I need to do this before I forget what we have done all summer and since school started...

Two!

Argh.  Two months behind again.  This week I will get this thing on track, not a good way to start out the school year.

Guess who gets to have surgery?!

Ugh, yes me.  I have felt crappy and had stomach pain all year and thought I could fix it.  Keith laughed at me and said "it is your gall bladder" and it only took me 7 months to listen him, so that is progress I guess. In the meantime I tried a variety of things. No processed food.  No alcohol.  Exercise. No dairy.  No gluten.  Vegetarian.  Vegan.  If God made it I ate it.  More exercise.  But the pain, it just got worse and the worst pain was from eating a kale and brussel sprout salad--there was NO fat in that meal.  Here I thought I was making all these efforts to be as healthy as possible only to learn that if you don't use up or empty your bile (that stuff that breaks down fats) from your gall bladder that it forms stones from lack of use.  Seriously?!  Everyone reading this go eat some cake.

Causes

By Mayo Clinic staff

It's not clear what causes gallstones to form. Doctors think gallstones may result when:

• Your bile contains too much cholesterol. Normally, your bile contains enough chemicals to dissolve the cholesterol excreted by your liver. But if your liver excretes more cholesterol than your bile can dissolve, the excess cholesterol may form into crystals and eventually into stones.
• Your bile contains too much bilirubin. Bilirubin is a chemical that's produced when your body breaks down red blood cells. Certain conditions cause your liver to make too much bilirubin, including liver cirrhosis, biliary tract infections and certain blood disorders. The excess bilirubin contributes to gallstone formation.
• Your gallbladder doesn't empty correctly. If your gallbladder doesn't empty completely or often enough, bile may become very concentrated and this contributes to the formation of gallstones.

Types of gallstones
Types of gallstones that can form in the gallbladder include:

• Cholesterol gallstones. The most common type of gallstone, called a cholesterol gallstone, often appears yellow in color. These gallstones are composed mainly of undissolved cholesterol, but may contain other components.
• Pigment gallstones. These dark brown or black stones form when your bile contains too much bilirubin.

Only a month behind now!

Phew!  Still more to catch up on but at least it only a few weeks instead of a few months.

Welcome baby Easton Kaid!

My friend Danielle had her little guy early this morning.  Everyone is doing well.  Nothing more precious than a new baby.

The 50th Celebration!