Stir Crazy

I never thought I would say this, but I am going stir crazy being laid up at home with cellulitis on my right leg. On Monday morning I woke up not feeling quite right. I was achy all over, weak, and a bit chilled but had no clue why I was not feeling well. It wasn't until I was giving Ashton a bath that I noticed a large red area on my right leg. Immediately I knew I had to get to the doctor. Needless to say, I had to take a week off work and have had to keep my leg elevated with heat being applied 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. Honestly, the being off work part hasn't been so bad, I've had extra time with Ashton but being limited on what I can do has made me and Ashton stir crazy. Reading a book is a great past time for me (I haven't had much time to read since Ashy was born and just started the book "The Help.), but poor Ashton just wants to play with me or go outside so it is not fair for me to read while he is awake.
Today to help alleviate some of our boredom, I remembered something I had seen on TV. A woman allowed her kids to finger paint on the inside of the dishwasher door then when they were done, she closed the door and turned it on.

Ashton loved this! It is a definite winner. Next time I may let him finger pain in the tub or the shower.......larger surfaces with infinite possibilities. I think I willhave him bag the shirt too when he is in there and just paint in his diaper!

Getting Fit

It has been such a long time since I last posted. Life has been busy but great. Ashton is now 19 months and very active and funny, he keeps me on my toes. So, recently I have made a commitment to myself (and to Ashton and the dog) to go walking every day. I have set a goal to walk 2.5 miles most of the time. The days I don't are usually when Alan is with me and he is not up to walking that far due to his bad joints and lack of fitness level. I can't complain, he has to start somewhere.
I have been walking when I first get up in the morning. I put my walking clothes on, get a bottle ready for Ashton, get the dog's harness and leash on, and off we go pushing Ashton in the "new" jogging stroller. It has been a great way to start my day. I am getting some very needed sunshine and the exercise I need to get fit. For so long I had difficulty getting out to go walking due to osteo arthritis in both of my knees. I would go out one to two times per week but would be in too much pain to go more often. I finally decided to get cortisone injections in both of my knees and it has helped me immensely. I am not miserable and can go longer distances. Why I didn't do it sooner is beyond me!
Ashton and Mandy (my dog) are great motivators and very excited walking partners. Mandy follows me around the house wondering if I am going to get ready to go and keeps whining at me until I actually get her harness on. She gets me out the door. Ashton, on the other hand, keeps me moving once I am out. If I stop longer than 15 seconds Ashton gets upset and will cry. The second I start moving again, Ashton is happy and content. What better motivators could I ask for?
I have to keep this up. Not only for my health, but for Ashton's health. He needs to see his mom exercise and love it. I will never be a runner because I don't love it and it hurts too much, but walking is something I totally enjoy. I wish I could get over to the pool to do water aerobics but it is too difficult for me to get ready and drive over there in time. No worries, walking is great and I am going to keep it up. It is time for me to start a new blog tracking my fitness progress and hopefully weight loss. I think I'll call it "Fluffy Girl Fitness" because I am a fluffy girl trying to get fit (I use fluffy because I hate the word fat.)
Thanks for reading my blog and feel free to give me any weight loss or fitness pointers.

Ashton's firsts

I was sitting here thinking about all of Ashton's firsts: first experiences, birthday, foods, toys, laughs, steps, but most recently his first haircut.  Though I have been having headaches lately (an unusual thing for me), Alan and I took Ashton to get his first haircut.  He went from looking like a baby to a little boy almost instantly.  He sat in the chair really still for a 13 month old and only cried a little.  I did give him his binky so he would feel a little more comforted.  The stylist, Gaylynn Geiss, has done my hair for several years so she was the natural choice to give Ashton his first haircut.  She cut his hair in about 6 minutes!  It amazed me that she could cut his hair so fast.  I guess she has had a lot of practice cutting baby hair and wiggly children.  I must say I was proud of my boy for acting so big for a little guy!

2010 in Review

As you will notice, I changed the title of my blog.  Realistically, my home isn't always happy, but there is always something happening.  I try to be happy amidst everything that goes on, but sometimes I put on a happy face when what I really want to do is vent, be mad or frustrated, sad or depressed, or laugh at some of the dumb things I do.  I also want to share the fun and happy times too, but I have to be real and share my struggles in order for me to grow.  In sharing my struggles and achievements, I plan to take the Pollyanna approach and make myself put a positive twist on whatever I may talk about.  So now, on to my latest rantings.
WOW!  What a year 2010 turned out to be.  So many trials intertwined with blessings.  Looking back, I can't believe I started out the year as a new mom and Ashton was only a month old!  I spent the first couple of months of 2010 staying home with my baby while hooked up to a wound vac.  That was difficult when it happened but sure seems like old news now.  That ended up being a blessing by allowing me to be home until Ashton was 3 months old while getting paid the entire time.
Fortunately, life was uneventful for about 5 months while I adjusted to being a new mom.  Then came the beginning of June, the start of "criminal" activities for me.  Finally standing up to my mother-in-law ended up being detrimental to my clean criminal record.  An argument ensued between the two of us and ended with me receiving a citation from the Salt Lake City police for domestic violence and a few other charges.  June, July, August, and Septmeber were filled with attorneys, court hearings, fines, and an anger management class.  I learned through this whole event that it is better not to say anything and just walk away.  Fortunately this event opened Alan's eyes to how his mom treated me and how he never stood up for me.  Through months of counseling, Alan and I have learned how to manage his mom more effectively by taking the driver seat in the relationship (if this makes sense.)  Alan's mom and I have made amends and are kind to one another.  I definitely will not let myself make the same mistakes with her that I made in the past, but I have forgiven her for what she did and she has forgiven me (for now) for what I did.
In August I was in a car accident that totalled my 2002 Ford Escape.  I was within a mile from work on Vine Street and 300 West.  A lady in a Toyota Corolla ran the red light and broad sided my car.  Hers looked like a tin can that had been stepped on while mine looked like it would be all right.  Unfortunately, the front axel was totally broken and there was a lot of internal engine damage so it ended up being totalled.  However, I received nearly $9,000 for my nearly 9 year old car and went to buy my new car, a 2009 Ford Edge.  I love my new car.  It has black leather seats that have seat warmers in them and a DVD player in the back seat (these are my two favorite options.)  It is a very nice car and I love to drive it.
September was my saddest month.  My dad passed away on September 12th from a massive heart attack (we think.)  His passing shocked us all yet at the same time it wasn't too much of a surprise.  It shocked us all so much because it happened so quickly with no suffering involved.  He had been dealing with some chronic health issues for the past couple of years, but he seemed to be managing all right.  He wasn't able to walk as far as he once did because he got winded so easily, but somehow he managed to a few of the things he still loved to do.  Dad loved to watch sports and yell at the refs.  He loved to play electronic Yahtzee and solitaire on the computer.  He loved old war movies and westerns.  He loved to go grocery shopping and out to eat, but most of all, my dad loved to spend time with his family.  He was so excited whe he found out I was pregnant with Ashton and was one of the first people to see and hold Ashton after he was born.  He was so happy and proud to be a grandpa again.  Fortunately dad got to know Ashton for the first 9 months of his life.  Now Ashton is fortunate to have a grandpa who will be looking over him from heaven.  I have missed my dad's corny jokes, his laugh, his smile, teasing, childhood stories, work ethic, dedication, compassion, faith, love, and devotion to wife, family, God, and church.  I think about him every day and just wish I could hug him one more time.
October and November proved to be happier months.  Though dad was gone, I was able to enjoy Ashton's first Halloween and his first birthday.  Ashton was a monkey and Alan and I dressed up as bananas for Halloween.  Ashton didn't quite get the idea of holding his bucket out for candy, but we will se if he catches on next year. 
November was great.  My aunt Rinda and uncle Marv came into town for Thanksgiving.  It was great to see the two of them and have some laughs.  We also celebrated Ashton's first brithday around Thanksgiving.  We helped him open presents and baked him his own mini cake so he could tear into it.  He was a little timid at first to just dive into the cake, but after licking some of the frosting off one finger at a time, he realized it was cake and grabbed a large handful and shoved ti in his mouth.  He enjoyed the cake for a minute or two but was soon annoyed that there was cake sticking to his hands.  Once he was cleaned up, Ashton was a much happier one year old.
Finally December was upon us.  The first week and a half was filled with shopping and decorating followed by fevers and colds.  Ashton was a miserable little guy.  He was recovering from getting six immunizations, was getting his top two front teeth, and had bad cold on top of it.  Not too much later Alan and I were sick.  Of course as a mom I never get a sick day, I have to keep taking care of the little one as well as nursing my husband.  One Sunday, December 12th to be exact, I stayed home from church sick.  I wanted to finish decorating the Christmas tree, but Ashton wanted me to hold him.  While holding Ashton in my arms and decorating the tree, I tripped on my pants and fell to the floor while hitting my right shoulder on the wall.  I heard and felt my shoulder crunch, but was more worried about hurting Ashton.  Fortunately Ashton wasn't hurt, but I found out later in the Instacare that I had fractured the top of my humerus.  I wore a sling for two and a half weeks and began physical therapy on the 29th of December.  Wow! what a way to end an already eventful year.  I feel fortunate that my should wasn't hurt worse and that Ashton wasn't hurt in any way, but it really would have been nice for it not to have happened at all.
Well, GOODBYE 2010!!!  Hello to 2011!  I hope this year proves to be less eventful and more prosperous.  Best wishes to all of you who read these rantings, I hope you find them entertaining. 

Summer fun

So far, this summer has been filled with firsts for Ashton.  He went to the zoo for the first time and we had a great time.  He spent a little time outside in his jumper while I gardened.  He got to swing in the baby swing at West Jordan park, and he sat in the wading pool for the first time at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  Sydney sat behind him to make sure he didn't tip over in the pool.  Ashton loves to play with his toys and loves all the crazy pacifiers that Alan and I (as well as my family) have bought him.  He is such a sweet boy and is so much fun.  I am so blessed to be his mom and am enjoying every second of his life.  He is my miracle.

Another duck cake

Tomorrow Ashton and I will get to go to a birthday party for a friends 2 year old little girl.  She asked me to make the cake since she was going to do a rubber ducky theme and have a wading pool party.    I am so pleased with how this cake turned out.  Finally my frosting wasn't too stiff so the edges didn't fall off this time.  I used fondant for the beak and chocolate wafers for the eyes and for the circles along the outside.  I made the balloons out of card stock and used bamboo skewers to hold them up and poke into the cake.  The party hat was made with scrapbook paper.  I think this is my best cake yet and I think my technique is getting better.  It has been a lot of fun decorating cakes, now I need to find tried and true cake recipes that I know aren't going to spill over in the oven.

More fondant

Last Tuesday I started a fondant class.  This is what the cake looked like after learning how to put fondant on properly.  I made a home made butter cake, frosted it with real butter cream icing, then laid the fondant on top.  I had some extra royal icing flowers and attached them to the top of the cake with butter cream.

Later this week I will be working on a baby shower cake.  I can't wait to get started on it.