Sorry I went AWOL again...

Current Mood : Dare I write it..."overwhelmed" ? 




...while I'm OK, I'm still weak and haven't been playing, much less taking photos of anything. Hope to get the 'locker' Monster High dolls soon, too. I've been writing, and hope to catch up tomorrow. Photos are gonna rank, though ! (grin)


Hope the sweltering end of July has gone better - and healthier ! - for you !

Things get better every day !

Still not sleeping much, but I've developed my own methods and schedule that get me the rest I need, and leaves me most of the afternoon to get housework and some fun done. It's not what I really want, but it's working for now, so I'm going with it !

Would you laugh if I told you I fell asleep with 'Dead Tired' Ghoulia on my chest this morning ? (grin)

Woke with Beloved Hubby, and spent some semi-coherent time with him before I fell asleep again. Got up, got Oliver-kitty bathed, which he accepted with little resistance. I think he has the idea that a cool home with steady food means putting up with baths, so he's meeting me about as halfway as a cat can. We hope to find some dander-reducing shampoo next time we go grocery shopping. I figure bathing him early will help both of us recover quicker, so wish us luck ! When Dearest Son is back from his grandparents', he gets to learn The Art of Litter Box Maintenance ! He's too young to do the bath part, but he's already managing the cat food and water levels for both DC and Oliver, so I think I can shift this job to him. DC's been around the past few nights, and I think he enjoys being 'big cat in the house' to Oliver.

With that done, I poured a tall glass of cold water and took a break. Kept smelling onions. So I washed our huge hand-made quilt bedspread, which desperately needed it- our whole bedroom smelled funky. But even as it danced through the rinse cycle, the smell still lingered. So I grabbed a trash bag and repaired much of the holiday laziness from the living room...better, but still... By now, the quilt was in the dryer, and I was ready to start a new wash load, so I tossed in my old house-blouse with some towels and living room laundry cast-offs, dumped them in the washer and took out some trash. Ah ! Reason I kept smelling fried onions is that I must've gotten some of Beloved's onion rings on my old shirt - once that was in the wash, I didn't smell it anywhere anymore.

Got some tidy work and trash out, and darn near passed out in my computer chair. Felt good to get some work done ! A short while later, Beloved called - he was on the way towards home, but had to run an errand first, would I like to ride along ? Sure - always good to have some extra time with him and get out of the house for a bit. Even got my special cherry-shot lemonade for the trip. Didn't finish it all, the rest's in the fridge for later. Leftovers and Netflix for dinner, always fun. I have a special project planned for tomorrow, for Beloved Hubby, so wish me luck !

I should get some sleep tonight, I'm exhausted ! But I've said that every night, it seems, for weeks...

Happy Father's Day to all you Dads !

Current Mood :  Relaxed

Woke up this morning all jangly - jumpy, nervous, wired, and twitchy. Evidently I took an extra hit or two on the inhaler during the night. It happens occasionally. I'll wake up and need a hit, take it, and lie back down (if I can), then wake up a half-hour or an hour later, forgot I've just had one dose, and take another. I just need to find a small box for my nightstand. Since this hasn't happened in a while, I haven't had one since the move. Keeping it inside or outside the box leaves a message that I've already had some medicine, so I don't double-dose again. Before, I've gone to bed with the inhaler outside the box, placing it inside once it's been used to specifications. Making the inhaler a bit harder to find gives me more of an opportunity to wake up, think and remember. Kinda ranks, but if I'm sleeping solidly enough that I'm not doing so otherwise, that's kind of a good sign.

Once I'm awake and wired, normally a quick snack of a few crackers and water will help absorb the excess and let me relax again. I think part of why I was so wired is because I got so much sleep. Sure, I was still awake from 2 to 3am, and still don't know why, but I'd bedded down at midnight, and didn't get up 'til 9, the most sleep I've had in a while.

So today, I played with 'Forbitten Romance' DracuLaura. She really is a lovely doll, but I'm still on the fence about keeping her. First thing, that hosiery had to go ! Unfortunately, without that, her shoes are so loose they don't stay on, so I get to make socks soon. Her new parasol is adorable, and still has the little signature bat at the bottom. I was gonna dump her purse, since it's simply too 'Hot Topic' for me, but I found that I really liked the 'belt' detail on it, and it stands on its own on end. So it'd make a great vase for her coffin bedside table. Keeping ! Her earrings are black and pink bats on a pink chain suspended from another yellow button. Hmmm...if the rest gets altered, these'll need it too...

That decided, I moved on to her dress. I retain my original impression of it - that it was 'crazy quilt clothing challenge' day in Home Eck. So much going on, the dress looks almost traffic-jam busy, and you hardly even notice the day-glo pink in it all, since the day-glo yellow grabs your attention first. Well, I had ideas for that. They just took longer than expected. I really wanted to keep that dress, since it's beautifully made. See the satin pink skirt ? It has a built-in black tulle slip giving it shape, in two tiers inside. It's very much like a single can-can underskirt, sweet, feminine, and adorable.

I liked the heart print at the bodice, the lace-edged collar and hot-pink bow, the lovely tiered skirt and snug-fitting sleeves...but those buttons and that pink and yellow print had to go ! You can see the dress is improved almost instantly by simply taking off the eight yellow buttons. I've put 'em aside for later. Then I carefully went after the print part of the skirt and the shoes - even the earrings. Those took forever, and aren't quite dry, so those get unveiled tomorrow. I may not keep this DLaura, but I don't want her stained because I was impatient, ya know ? But I am much happier with my version. Can't wait to show it to you !

Kinda mucked around the rest of the day. Beloved Hubby was home, and I made sure he got plenty of rest, and when Dearest Son returned from his grandparents, we had a nice Father's Day. Mostly by sitting around watching Parking Wars and Top Shot episodes and enjoying tag-team napping.

Hope your Sunday was fun and productive - and if you know any Dads, they had a good one, too ! 

Oh, fuuuuuudge.

Current Mood : Bewildered, with frequent f-bombs .

It's been an interesting day since yesterday - one of those 'a lot's happening, but there's not really much going on' kinda things.

Shortly after posting yesterday's entry, I was admonished for the Flickr post that contained the image. Whether or not it was the responder's intention, I ended up feeling attacked in my own post, so I sort of retreated for a bit. After I defended myself in epic-length paragraphs, of course. The person who took issue with the image and my opinion - that I was tired of getting jerked around with no information from Mattel, and that overseas stores seemed to get more reliable info than Consumer Relations had ever provided - told me that Mattel didn't owe me squat, much less a release schedule, and I needed to be more patient.

Well, I can understand both viewpoints, but it still kind of bothered me to be smacked down for voicing my own admittedly infantile opinion in one of my own Flickr pages. It's not like I was going after someone else, I was simply using my soapbox (that I paid for) to voice my views. Still not sure how I feel about the author, she's a respected fan I've gotten along with before, so I just let it go and moved on. Long as everyone can say their piece, and know that they're unlikely to change anyone's mind and can step away before it gets messy and mean, I'm fine with it.

OK, the last (hopefully) salvo in the Prescription Wars saga. Now with a surprising happy ending ! You may remember that I'm on four daily 'scripts - three fairly cheap, one expensive - plus an as-needed inhaler. During last year's Dr. appointment, I was given so many freebies of the expensive prescription that I didn't need to actually buy any until this week. But I made sure the $$$ one transferred when we moved, yatta yatta. Called it in Tuesday, would need 'em today.

And, whoever guessed 'They lost the $$$ script' - come up and claim your prize ! That's exactly what happened. Even after verifying that they had it in my name, several times since December, when it came time that I actually needed it, poof ! It was gone. This necessitated another series of calls to my beleaguered Dr. office, and I soon got a call that a one-month supply had been approved, and should be ready Wednesday morning. Place your bets...

Whoever put cash on 'It's not there at pick-up', do ya wanna double down ? Your luck - or simple knowledge of the amount of sheer cluster-bombery at Mal-Wart pharmacies  - is astounding. Because, yes, it wasn't there. We were just lucky that Beloved Hubby was off early enough so that the Dr.'s office could be called yet again. We had approval - again ! - but it'd take over 30 minutes to be filled. And that was with 'critical' typed on the priority slip.

By now, I was having a full-scale attack, and had to sit down. While my body was darn near shut off, my mind was racing to the foregone conclusion that, yes, this was pretty much M-W's last chance, and they blew it. Time to find another pharm when the 'scripts get renewed.  I caught my breath and hit the bathrooms - and the Monster High shelves on the way back, still nothin' new - and still had time to wait. Got to see three other screwed-up prescriptions and three clients much angrier than me, so sadly, I felt a little better. Nearly an hour later, I had my month's supply of 15 pills. I have a cute orange splitter at home - these pills are much cheaper if we buy 40mg and split 'em than if we simply buy 20mg ones.

Picked up Dearest Son from his midweek grandparents' visit, and dragged home. I was so relieved to put the hard-won pills away with the others. Wait, what ? There should be 15. One full sheet of ten, and a half sheet of five. Why are there two sheets of ten, and a five partial ? Yup, someone kinda messed up - I got a 50 day supply instead of a 30 day one. A reliable, upstanding adult would not hesitate to return the extras...but I'm not going to. There's a good chance they'd toss 'em out anyway, for safety. And frankly, after all the chasing around they've made me do between them and the inhaler, I prefer to think of them as a karmic reward. I'm gonna be lazy and selfish and dishonest and keep them. So there.

Any recommendations for a good pharmacy ?

Story Time !

Current Mood : Off to laundry land !

Current Image Notes : Nope, don't even have this set, won't ever -  if you knew what it sells for, your jaw would drop ! Cute but not my bag - more inside !

Got a call from the Dr.'s office - they approved a 30-day refill of the expensive medicine, and it should be ready later today. That's all I was allowed anyway, so next month, I get to go back for another office visit. I'm hoping I can ask DFIL for some transportation help with that, since I doubt Beloved Hubby can take the time off work for it.

And I forgot to tell ya'll - remember back a few weeks, when Beloved bought me DracuLaura's coffin/jewelry box bed ? He said he had an interesting exchange during the purchase that he'd forgotten to tell me about. The young cashier noted the MH logos curiously, and asked Beloved if his kids liked them, he told her it was for his wife, to go with her ever-expanding MH doll collection. She then explained to him, in detail, why the Mezco 'Living Dead Dolls' that she and her mother collect are sooo much better - and yes, she did go on about collectability and series numbers, how long the dolls have been available in the market, the usual BS that most of us use (or used at one point in our collecting lives) to justify buying toys for ourselves when we're old enough to understand what an annuity is, and why lotteries are A Bad Idea.

Beloved was nonplussed. Exactly what was he supposed to do with this information ? Return the bed he just bought, and all the MH stuff besides, because a Mal-Wart cashier prefers stuff her store has never sold ? Frankly, given M-W's censorship track record, I'm amazed they sell MH dolls at all, given how easily some parents could be offended by them. But I digress. I'm all for liking stuff that's different, but I'm still trying to figure out why she needed him to know a buttload of info about dolls he figures I don't care about, right at that moment. I mean, if I cared one whit about LDDs, he'd know about it, 'cause I never shut up easily about anything I favor. (grin)

In the end, he nodded and smiled, and walked away while she was still talking. He hated to be so rude, he told me, but he had to get my new surprise hidden while I was still in line for the inhaler, and as far as he was concerned, he'd never heard of LDD or Mezco, and this chick's insistence made him even less interested. He asked me if I'd ever done 'street preaching' like that about the MH line, but he knew I hadn't. Heck, most of the time, I'm defending my choices from cashiers who comment that Deuce is 'femmy' or having to get past sneering staff who question why anyone would want 'that wicked stuff' in the first place. These are the folk I'd really love to show a Living Dead Dolls catalog to ! They'd probably combust.

Funny thing is, yeah, I already knew about LDD. They've been around since 2000, and are easily found in comic shop-type venues and flea market 'collectable' booths. They just never 'caught' with me, mostly for the same reason Madame Alexander dolls don't grab me either. It's usually the same doll, over and over and over, just the outfits, hair, and sometimes makeup change. Ever seen the Alexander Star Wars set ? It's cute as heck, if you don't mind that the only thing that separates Luke and Han from Leia is that her mouth is painted smaller than theirs. The fellas are nearly identical, save for hair color. Heck, the three I've seen even gave Luke the same brown eyes Han & Leia have. Error !

LDDs probably have several head/body molds in use, but when you see a bunch together, it's like a Madame Alexander display - you can't help but notice they all look the same, even though this one's dripping blood down her dress and that one has an 8-ball for an eye. I'm sure they're quality dolls, but I'm simply not interested in paying big bucks for the same doll over and over again in slightly varying appearances. One of the things I like about MH is that, so far, no two dolls have had the same head mold. And while it bugs me sometimes, I kinda respect that each one has his/her own wardrobe style that often doesn't look 'right' on another doll. Get a bunch of nude, mussed-hair LDDs or Alexanders in a pile, and you'd probably be hard-pressed to identify which one wore the Marie Antoinette gown and which one was the executioner.

Not much else going on, so I'm gonna post this early before I get drained. Dearest Son and Beloved are so patient with me, but I'm tired of being tired already. Maybe I'll generate some energy if I use some. Can't hurt - much !

Insomnia Deluxe

Current Mood : With a side-order of no energy.

Current Image Notes : This is an album by Ben Lee. Have no idea who he is or what he sings, but I really like it !

Whoo. Heckuva last week or so. Still having major sleep issues, and with that big ole no-energy issues - it's not only hard to write anything interesting about how I sat around watching American Pickers episodes, it was hard to sit upright long enough to write that one simple sentence. Last night, I dreamt some nebulous thing was trying to kill me in my sleep, so I stayed up all night. You'd think I'd get some prime writing time in - or at least dress a few dolls, but when there's maybe two hours of sleep between you and the last 36 hours, oddly, ya don't feel like doing much. Even with the inhaler, I'm basically a slug, and have been for about two weeks now.

Still, I really should have dropped a short note in. Didn't mean to worry anyone, but when yer too wiped out to even cut/paste an already-written entry and image, you probably need to take yourself out of as many outgoing social engagements as possible, no matter how lightly taxing they may be.

But I feel some energy returning, and just in time to do battle with yet another round of Prescription Wars, so that was today's 'Must Do'. (sigh) And yes, there's issues. The refills I already had on file are fine, the one I have on file but haven't had filled yet is AWOL. Even though I called last week and was reassured it was there, now that I'll need it soon, it's gone. Arrrgh.

Here's the deal. On my last Dr. visit, nearly a year ago, they kindly gave me enough freebies of the expensive script to last nearly a year, but they also wrote out the script and it was submitted to the pharmacy with the others. I got one set of refills - minus the $$$ one - before the pharm lost all my scripts, and they had to be called in again. Got two more sets, still not needing the $$$ one, all's well, except now potassium isn't $4./month, it's now $20. And still, no one can tell me why. But anyway.

We moved, and I got a set of refills, but while I didn't need the $$$ one, I verified it was there waiting. So, of course, now that I need it, it's gone. They only show the one that expired in 2010. (sigh) Pharm is supposed to call when they find the correct one, or when the Dr. authorizes a refill again. I'm sure they love me at the Dr.'s office right now. They're probably still growly about the inhaler kerfluffle.

Speaking of the new inhaler, it still works very well, and I don't think it's the reason I'm morphing into Jabba the Hutt's green-eyed sister. About two years ago, I had a similar spring/summer, and about all I could do was ride it out. At least now, I got Netflix for entertainment ! The directions aren't just whistling around when they tell ya to clean the thing weekly, either. Evidently, the finer mist clogs easily, and it doesn't take much before you're getting only part of a dose instead of a whole one. Luckily, a water rinse and a quick scrub with a cotton swab takes care of business. And I can already tell by pressure, scent, and taste when I'm not getting all I should. It's amazing how quickly we adjust.

Well, not much else to write about. Got some laundry done today, including two new-to-us pillows from a job site. Homeowners are sprucing up their place to sell it, and that always involves going through the closets and thinning the herds. The lady of the house kindly offered the still-in-plastic pillows to Beloved a few days ago, but I just today had the energy for laundry, and those were first on the list. Well, them and socks and underwear. It's been a bit since I washed clothes... Anyway, they came out great and I can't wait to try them out. They're quite firmer than what either of us are used to, but maybe it'll help me sleep a bit better. Can't hurt to try !

Happy June !

Current Mood : I agree with the monkey ! 

Hard to believe it's Wednesday already. Even though Beloved Hubby didn't really take Monday off, he had a short day, so it seemed like an extended weekend to me. Anyway...

Happy June ! Hard to believe it's June already, too. The local school system is moving to a year-round schedule, so the kids only have off two months this summer, and one the next. While I hated the endless summers as a kid - we lived so far out into the sticks, it was a half-hour drive to a small and crappy general store halfway to town - I kinda feel bad that they don't get much time off anymore. But heck, the kids were out of their braincases bored when we had those weeks of snow, so I figure the schools are just doin' their jobs.

One brief bit o' bad, then I'm moving as far away from it as possible - did my normal 'wake up rounds' online this morning. Nothing unusual. Read a few online comics, amass a few points at Designs By SiCK embroidery, look for new friends' photos at Flickr, check a Monster High site or two for any new news. I should have known this was coming. First MH message of the day, I kid you not : "It's June now, so Spectra BETTER be at Wal-Mart or Target today, OR ELSE !". (sigh)

Moving on...got about four hours sleep last night, which is the most I've had in so long, I can't remember ! I only needed about four 'hits' on the inhaler all day yesterday, although admittedly, I didn't do or move much on Tuesday. Still, it's an improvement, and I'll gladly take it !

Been reading 'Thrift Store Dolls' (http://thriftstoredolls.blogspot.com), and enjoying all the neat photos and brief slices of doll provenances. Makes me kinda miss my 'scoop it all up and drag boxes and bags home' yard sale and flea market Barbie days. Well, just a little. But it is nice to remember, and see someone else still getting to enjoy it all.

Couple that up with a few more episodes of Hoarders, though, and I think I was on the verge of trouble when everything hit the fan and we moved. Well, it was never as bad as what's on A&E - things were often cluttered, but the kitchen and bathrooms were never non-functional or covered in nasty, and trash may have piled up, but it was out on the curb on Trash Day - but unchecked, I could have developed behaviors very similar to what's on darn near every episode. Most of my personal junk/hoard was confined to the doll and sewing Lab, but if you knew how packed to the rafters that place was, you'd have dropped a dime to A&E on my behalf. I'm still amazed that 1) I got rid of so much when we moved and 2) I had so much to get rid of, and still have nearly 100 dolls today.

Part of me is secretly glad I don't shop like I used to - weekly flea markets and thrift store runs, and organized yard sale circuits. I already feel random twinges of guilt when I think of all I spent on stuff I don't have anymore, and don't even miss. Beloved is more philosophical about it - if I enjoyed it while I had it, then it wasn't a waste. And part of me still wants a day every week - or two - to poke around as I please, even when I know we don't have the resources yet. I'd probably be a bit more at ease if I had the mental shape to sew, but I know it's not there right now. Although I'm nearly off the inhaler, my hands still shake, and I'm still wheezing, and my mind is in a holding pattern somewhere over Dunnowhattheh#ll. I think that's near the Great Lakes - it's quite humid.

It sounds weird to say, but I'm still grateful we had a financial crisis that yanked me up by the collar before I really did some serious damage. At least now, I can look back and see things a bit more clearly than I would have otherwise. And this place is much easier to keep clean - which is a plus, since I hate cleaning ! (grin) 

Weekend's work on display - more doll time to come !

Current Mood : Slow but steady recovery.

And Life returns to normal. Dearest Son is home from an extended stay at his Grandparents' - they wanted to give me another day to recover - and I actually got some sleep last night. Asthma is heck on sleep, you either have to try it sitting straight up, or you become a day sleeper. Either way, sooner or later, you're gonna slide to horizontal. Depending on how bad it is, you'll get either the rest of your rest that way, or you'll wake up in a panic a few minutes later, gasping and clawing at air, fighting to get back upright so you can breathe.

I was actually free-breathing pretty well yesterday, but night's always the worst. So it was heavenly to wake up with the alarm, instead of already being awake and staring at it. Haven't needed the inhaler at all today, although I am taking it easy. I hope to get more normal tomorrow, the kitchen's a mess !

Well, I watched several episodes of Intervention and Obsessed, and saw several other A& E exclusives, like Parking Wars and Criss Angel available on the Netflix queue, and started to wonder if Hoarders was available, too. Yes ! Turns out, I missed an episode or two, and there's a couple I can't make m'self watch again. I tell ya, a cocktail of Intervention, Obsessed, and Hoarders over the course of a long weekend will make anybody 1) clean the immediate area no matter how bad yer wheezing, and 2) start to hate humanity. So many people who cry endlessly over their situation, but won't do a blasted thing to change it, even with a cadre of professional help. My throttling hand started to itch fiercely. I have more sympathy when I just watch one episode - and one series - at a time. Doubt I'll watch Intervention again - I just have no frame of reference when it comes to drug and alcohol over-indulgence.

Another potential side effect is that, in seeing others' collections and even piles of stuff, you might realize some things about yerself. One Hoarders episode featured a family of stuffed animal fans. Bought 'em by the ton, from the looks of things. And by the show's end, most were out in a Got Junk ? truck, contaminated by bugs and other nasties. I never really thought about it before, but I've never been 'into' stuffed animals much. I have a few, but Dearest has a boxload, easily twice over what I've had my whole life. I preferred easy-to-clean dolls, even as a kid. Vinyl's easy to wipe down and brush out, because, let's face it, I hate cleaning, and yes, my room had to be clean always. It's great to have soft comforting toys, but it always drove me crazy when some of my always-limited possessions inevitably got dirty and were nearly impossible to get clean again. If there's anything I hate more than cleaning, it's throwing something I care about in the trash, so I ended up not caring about stuffies that were temporary at best. Even now, when someone kindly gives me a stuffed animal, I cringe inside and wonder if Dearest would want it. As yet unexplained is why I really have a hate-on for teddy bears. You'd think a doll hobbyist would like teddy bears, but I can't stand 'em. One day, I'll figure it out. Heck, it took me years to figure out why I don't care for stuffed animals and porcelain dolls - the next big epiphany is always right around the corner !

Never did get to 'doll redressing time' this weekend, heck, I barely ate. Just not hungry. But I'm sure to find time this week. Beloved Hubby's gonna custom-make a shelf for the Jem Rockin' Roadster this weekend - no Airsoft for two more weeks - and hang it for me. Glad I redid the doll bookcase, since I like how this looks much better. Everybody's not so crowded and tight, and I don't really like having a lot of dolls on the floor. At this point, we need as much floor space as we can find !

But it was worth the work, just to see Beloved take a spin - and a spin-out ! - on Dearest's Razor scooter through the living room tonight ! 


PS - Hi, Chelle !!

Say hello to my lil' friend...and go shopping with us !

Current Mood : Relief !

The Inhaler Saga continues ! Called the M-W pharm today, found out my prescription was 'on hold' for some reason, but they'd fill it within the hour and I could call back for the cost in that time. Which I did. Now, I didn't actually for one second *believe* that it'd be that easy, did I ? Turns out the inhaler they had to get authorization for on Wednesday - they're out of stock on it. So the pharmacy has to get another auth from my Dr. for a full-size $40. inhaler, instead of the 60 dose $9. one. Same medicine, just a different size container, but we're still in fax limbo.

Of course, with the pressure systems still arcing through our state, my reserve inhaler is getting pretty thin. I didn't think it'd be a problem when I called Tuesday to get another one, but now I actually need it, and we're still effing around with it. Pharmacist said she'd call the doctor personally and get it handled, but I'm really getting tired of being jerked around and I'm scared a little, too. $20. says they had the blasted inhalers in stock when this whole cluster-bomb started...

And it's not like I have nothing else to occupy my time. The eight 'big badges' we mailed off a week or so ago...never arrived. The buyer chose this morning to tell Beloved. Guess what I get to spend the rest of the day redoing ? They have to be ready when Beloved Hubby leaves for Big Event Thang tomorrow morning, to get to him in time, since it's a Big Event item. Nothing I love more than redoing something I was happy to finish nearly two weeks ago - and it's repetitive and boring, too ! I'm just glad we have enough supplies left over.

But wait - there's more ! Now I can't logon to Blogger. Keep getting returned to the same sign-in screen, and I've changed my password twice. Unfortunately, the latest one reflects my mood and is unprintable. Could sign in yesterday, wth ? Maybe if I dump my cache...

Sheesh, I know it's my turn in the Barrel of Misfortune, and really, this is Mild Frustration more than any real issues, but I'm still feeling a bit put-upon right now. Sorry I'm whining.

Okay. A couple hours have passed - Beloved was home early, and our day rapidly changed ! DFIL picked up Dearest Son while I was crashed, thank Everything Beloved was here. First time I sleep for more than a half-hour all week, and it's when Dearest is leaving !

Never did eat lunch, so I was roarin' hungry when we went to - finally ! - pick up my inhaler. As predicted, $40. for a 200-dose device, darn it. While I waited for it, Beloved wanted to check out a few things for his trip, which was fine with me, I wasn't up to a lot of his standard rapid walking ! I barely had it paid for when I was on a bench, using it. Confession Corner : My old one's been on fumes since Tuesday. I haven't been out of control, but it's scary when you know the device is nearly empty, and you're not sure when the next one will be ready - or even 'if' ! I also need to admit this - for all the negative reviews I read about ProAir, it worked darn well for me. Sure, it smells and tastes like a Primatene Mist (do they even make those anymore ?), nasty as a cat fart in the face, but wow. It really worked for me, and I didn't feel that 'medicine hitting the back of my throat' sensation. Nice.

Met up with Beloved and we did a bit of shopping. Nothing new over at Monster High central, but I'm still tempted by the Moxie Teenz shoe sets. Just not today. Found a nice keepsake box of Barbie stickers - 800 for $5. ! - that ordinarily I'd have considered a score, but I'm just not into Babs yet. They also had Cars 2 sets, which Dearest seems unexcited about, so I didn't get that one, either. Wish they'd had MH !

From there, we dropped off groceries - including some TV dinners for me during my very rare solo weekend - and headed out on a work errand of Beloved's. And we picked up a box of fried chicken on the way home. Yaaay !

And I finally got to work on those blasted badges. I swear, next time we mail anything, I don't care if it's 50c worth of used fly-paper, we're gonna use Delivery Confirmation. At least that would have told us the darn things hadn't arrived with a bit more notice. With my cat-nap sleeping this week, I was gonna be up late anyway, but there were more fun things to do, ya know ? Oh, and I can sign on to Blogger again, of course - but dumping my cache has left me with a ton of sites and no passwords. The fun never ends...

I don't get it...and I really need it !

Current Mood : Scared and worrying. 

And the hits just keep on coming. Waited for the early-morning rush to hopefully abate before I called the Mal-Wart pharmacy about my thrice-d@mned inhaler. This is the third time I've had trouble with simply getting refills for it. And it's still going. They told me our practitioner didn't call back. So I called them. Oh, they got the request yesterday, but reminded me that they have 24 to 48 hours to respond. When I told them it was for an inhaler, and I kinda needed one, they said my Dr. wasn't in, but they'd try to get someone else to approve the refill request.

Um, it's not a refill request. It's an update, not like I'm trying to scam refills without an office visit. My current 'scripts are good through June, and the inhaler had to be redone twice, so it's good at least through July if not August, since that's when it was believed solved (finally) last year. (sigh)

They called back a half hour later, saying they thought the prescription had been filled, because that's what the document W-M's pharm sent them said. I explained what little I knew, and gave them W-M's number. (sigh) Ever wonder what's really going on ? It's like I get told one thing, then another, and trying to reconcile what I was told with what the same folks told something else is like reading two different novels at once, and getting a third as a capsule review - and you were told they were all the same story.

Got a callback two hours later, my refill's been filed. No idea how much it costs or when it'll be ready, it's an entirely new brand from a different provider, Teva Respiratory. And it has the usual 'if you have heart / lung / kidney disorders, contact your physician before use' disclaimers (there's about a double-dozen more), so it was responsible of W-M to call and check. Just very frustrating when it seems like none of us had the whole story. I'll call tomorrow and verify the price and that it's ready. Kinda scared. 

There is beauty in even the worst day, if you can still look for it...

Current Mood : Scary wheezing...

(sigh) It's days like this...

Went to call in an inhaler refill, after checking Mal-Wart's website - yup, they still carry the $9. ones. Unfortunately, the actual local pharm said the manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, just reformulated them, so she'd need to contact my doctor and make sure the new ones still fit my needs. While I'm fairly low on meds, I'm not desperate, but I'd be SOL if I was. Since it'll be tomorrow at the earliest I could get them - if said Dr. approves - it's a good thing I'm not. I have to call back to see what the final word is. $20. sez the final word is that I gotta shell $40. for one of the 'big' ones.

What scares me is, this is the third 'reformulation' I know about. What if the next version doesn't work for me, it's 2am, and I can't breathe ? It's not like you can test these things when you're not having issues, ya know. And I really want to have it taken care of before Beloved Hubby leaves for Big Event Thang sometime Friday.

So, when the tornado alarms went off late this afternoon, I kinda shrugged. With the horrible destruction in neighboring states, I knew it'd soon be our turn in the barrel. Got an online live feed off the storm center TV station, and scared m'self nearly to death. It didn't help that my lungs were reacting, too, due to the pressure systems that make up tornadoes. Knew the inhaler I had was too lean to really do much, so I made coffee and tried to stay calm. It helped that it wasn't really 'night' yet - my symptoms always get worse at night.

Seemed like the storms were aiming for places we used to live. The weather forecasters were in their element, predicting the tornado to come right up one street that intersected where we lived before we moved, a scary thing. Another started to head to where we lived when Dearest Son was a newborn. Luckily for both towns, the storms faded away before the predictions came true, but they still left a swath of destruction before they spun out. I've never understood why they send out the helicopters out to the places where there's freakin' tornadoes on the ground, but it was heartbreaking to see foundations and debris where homes used to be.

We had one stang of a storm here, even without twisters, including pea-sized hail and lots of it, and the most fierce rain I've ever seen. It was pitch black outside at 6pm, when it's usually still bright and sunny until about 8. About 7pm, the storms had passed here, and were off to make others' lives very exciting if not h#llish, and it was bright and sunny again. So weird.

About the only good thing about today was a surprise Dearest found - Tabitha sent me a package ! That's today's image - a green gown so gorgeous, it seemed like no photo I could take was good enough to share. It has the most elegant pointed waist, sleeves that enable me to choose where the lace hits the doll's arms, a flattering neckline, and a sweeping, flowing skirt. It is so beautiful...

Sometimes I love altering more than sewing fresh...

Current Mood : Satisfied

Another funky day. Turns out, it's humid through 'til Wednesday, with rain expected off and on all week. Since that's one of my triggers, my chest is darn near perma-tight, and the inhalers don't really work for that. Plus, one of 'em is empty, so I've been using it as a 'fake out'. When I 'feel' I need a puff but know the meds won't really work, I take a hit on the empty cylinder. It satisfies my need for treatment without giving me speed my system doesn't need. Yes, I think in some ways, I'm mentally dependent on those darn inhalers, too, but at least I can tell when I 'need' to take a fake hit and when I truly need the medicine. Control issues, I has 'em.

I am very lucky that I'm in control (mostly) of my day - when I'm looped or wheezing badly, I can always sit down until it passes. And I've got some energy returning, so I wanted to get something done today, too. Went to post the lab jackets photo on Dolly Stitches, where I got the pattern I used on Frankie's, and saw that the talented and sharing Lucreziadelbelcoure had also stitched a few of 'em up, as shirts for the Monster High guys. Lookin' good ! Since Frankie's was simply too big - and even with the sleeves taken up twice, they were still so long, they bugged me - I decided to resew the sleeves and try it on Holt Hyde, my blue guy. Oh, yeah ! Doesn't he look great ?

At least this time, there's not a pin holding it together ! (lol) I'll sew in a snap or two, with either camouflaging buttons or brads. I actually had to look up 'Men's Shirts' on Google Images to make sure I had it the right way - I always go right-over-left, out of habit. Have to do the same thing with kimonos, to make sure they're worn correctly.  If I use some heavier fabric on the next effort, it'd make a great jacket, too.

It was funny to read Lucrezia's comments - I had a bit of trouble with the sleeves, too, and completely unaware of her efforts, did the same thing she did, sew each sleeve-to-shoulder seam in halves, from the top of the shoulder to the underarm on each side, in two steps. Trying to get it all in one go lead to puckering and fabric catching. It's not Andrea ('Dolls Ahoy')'s design or directions, or anything at all at fault, it's just the way I have to sew deep shoulder caps. Andrea did a few MH guy shirts, too, and they're fab.

With that minor alteration complete, I fell asleep in my computer chair for nearly an hour, then woke up to get some real, dreaded work done. This weekend is Beloved Hubby's Big Event Thang, so I wanted to get housework done, make good meals, and send him off happy to his much anticipated weekend of shooting, destruction, and carnage. That meant getting those blasted dishes done. Urgh. I've left 'em to sit for nearly two weeks, and we were out of plates again.

I'm still tight-chested, but as long as I had some energy and the MP3 player, a half-hour working and a half-hour resting worked well. After two hours like that, I just busted out and got the last of 'em done and the kitchen cleaned up in one steady hour. By then, Beloved was home and hungry, so I took a break, he fell asleep on the sofa, and when I woke him, his favorite dinner was ready. There's something to be said for the simple joy of a clean kitchen and a happy Hubby and Son. Especially when everyone's well-fed !  

It's still early, but I'm about ready for bed. It's been a busy day, and I got laundry tomorrow and Wednesday. Wheee. DFIL says he wants to keep Dearest Son with him during Big Event Thang, so it looks like I may have a quiet weekend all to m'self. If we can get a box of fried chicken Friday, it'll be like an early birthday !

What to sew, what to sew...

At least there were lots of new Neflix movies to watch today...

Current Mood : Wheezy

Kept putting it off, but today I had to start those Airsoft patches we've accepted the commission for - they're due Sunday. Beloved Hubby's going to a huge annual Airsoft game at the end of the month, one that's so big, people from other countries attend ! Not counties...countries ! It's all weekend long, too, so he'll be camping out. In an effort to keep some of his costs down, he's trading patches for some equipment, and another set for straight cash. In short, our approximate thousand dollar investment in Brody and all the necessary supplies will net us nearly a hundred bucks ! Seems like a drop in the bucket, but I'll take it anyway !

Did half of the equipment trade one today, and will finish it tomorrow. Then I have Friday and Saturday for the other. We haven't been paid yet, so the sooner I get it done, the better.

It actually works out - we've had thunderstorms all day, and it's really kicking my asthma up. So monitoring Brody for a while is fine, and it gives me a break from laundry where I have to sit for a bit. It doesn't give me any time for doll sewing for the rest of the week, but I already got my doll time in earlier this week.

Got a little laundry done in between embroidery runs. Still having a little trouble with the tension. The bobbin thread still occasionally shows on the front. When I discovered that I'd used 40wt thread in the bobbin, instead of the usual 70wt, I figured winding and using a couple of correct thread bobbins would fix it. Nope. It actually got worse. Not sure what to do, I'm running out of time. Thinking of doing up the last one today with black bobbin thread - 70wt, of course ! That way, if it does appear on the front, it won't be so visible. Most of the colors in this badge are dark, and a slight black edge will probably look good. Better than white does, that's fer sure !

Well, I gotta get back to it. Tonight's gonna be tough, I can already tell. Even leaning back on the sofa makes me gasp, so I'm not anticipating much sleep. At least the rain's due to move on - sunny skies and new hopes in tomorrow's forecast !