Ebay Listing Frenzy!!!

OK, it has begun!

I listed 14 auctions last night and I have about 75 to go! I'm going to try to list another dozen today. These will be auctions of the sets Bren has modeled that I already have photos available for. I have tons of other clothing auctions that I need to take photos of before I list.

These will be girls sizes 2T-5T, 8-14 and boys sizes 10-14.

I've also got several books, vhs movies and a like new twin bed princess quilt.

I also have a babylock surger, a Kenmore elite sewing/embroidery machine that I will be selling along with about $1,500 worth of beads and their storage systems and about $800 worth of ribbon and other craft items. Basically I'm selling off my previous accessory making business to put all of my focus into my photography. I'm not sure if I'm going to list these on e-bay or not. I think I would rather either sell them in one big lot or in individual smaller lots without having to auction everything, but we'll see how it goes. I've got a little interest in them already, but if you think you might be interested in any of all of theses items, contact me and we can discuss pricing.

I've also got a 70-300mm lens that I am listing and maybe an 18-55mm too. I'm also listing a nikon N65 film slr camera. The two lenses I am listing are compatible with this great little film camera. I may list the three together.

Here's where you can find my auctions...

http://stores.ebay.com/Sweet-Cheeks-Bowtique

Keep checking back as there will be lots of auctions listed in the next week!

Whoo-hoo...Snow Day!!!!

My kids are so excited! This is their first official Snow Day! They've had days where it snowed, but this is the first day that snow has canceled school! Their giddiness is palpable!

Being the excellent parents that we are, David and I are totally using this as leverage!

So, David brought out "The List" and right now the dust is flying at my house! The wonderful smell of Mr. Clean permeates the air and I can hear the vacuum running in the distance....ah! Music to my ears!

They've each got about three major tasks that need to be done before the snow gear goes on and they leave the house for a day of sledding behind our house.

I can't wait to go downstairs in about an hour to see the fruits of their labor and to also see the snow! Most of our windows are covered with plastic to keep the drafts out, so I haven't seen the snow yet. I'll get some pictures and post them soon.

Musings from the Bed part 2.......

More things I have learned while laying here in bed for 13 days....

1. No matter how many pillows you send your husband out to buy, they will all feel like bricks after laying on them for a few days.

2. Whatever you do, when it's been a week since you've seen the downstairs floor of your home, DO NOT go down there....it isn't pretty!

3. No amount of pain killers can dull the annoyance of mouthy teenagers!

4.When you are propped in the same position on a memory foam mattress, it forgets the original flat position and will look like a bird's nest from day 6 on.

5. Ceareal is hard to eat in a semi-laying down position.

6. You can only watch so many political debates before you begin to think that kermit the frog would make a better president than all of them.

7. No matter how many times they show that dream house on HGTV, I still do not like that bedroom, nor do I think it is a good idea to build three new houses on either side of it blocking the gorgeous view of the Ocean!

8. No matter how few calories are consumed, there is no way to lose weight laying flat on your back for almost two weeks.....no matter how many toe wiggles you do!

More about the surgery:

First of all I have to reiterate how wonderful that IV was! I cannot tell you how much I have been tortured by them in the past. I let the first nurse who was working with me know that I was a hard stick, so she went to get someone else. This lady came in so confident and understanding. She said she had also been tortured in the past by IV's and had made it one of her goals to be good at it. When she actually suck me, we were talking about my photography, so I really barely felt it at all. The art of distraction, works every time.

Waking up in the recovery room was both shocking and scary. I had been told that I would be given some meds before I woke up that would make me comfortable until about 4 hours after the surgery.....but I woke up in soooo much pain. I remember moaning with every breath and trying to stop shaking. I was given more pain meds twice by IV until I could tolerate the pain and calm my shaking.

As soon as I gaged my pain at about a 5, they wheeled me down to a room where David could come and sit with me. I heard the nurses talking about how anxious David was to see me and how often he'd asked about me. They said he was very presistent but sweet. aw! I guess I had been in that recovery room far longer than anticipated so he was getting antsy.

After eating a packet of crackers, washing them down with gingerale, and swallowing two pain pills, my IV was removed and I was able to get dressed and leave.

My friend Michelle had kept Bren all day so that Bren could play with her pals Finn and Bella. When Michelle dropped Bren off, she also brought us a pan of lasagna, a big bowl of salad, crusty bread with herbed butter and the most decadent chocolate cupcakes ever! She's such a doll! Bren and Finn made me some get well hearts while at Michelle's. It was such a sweet little surprise.

I rested comfortably for a few hours and then the pain started creeping in. At about 10:00 pm, every time I moved I felt like my ankle was being burned with a branding iron! Yikes!! It was official, all of the IV meds had worn off and now my ankle was angry and let me know it!

Day 2 after surgery was a blur and full of tears! I cried because I was in pain, I cried because I had to crutch to the bathroom, I cried because my pillows were bricks, I cried because David had so much to do since I was immobilized, I cried because I ever fell in the first place! I think I used up all of my tears for the year already and we are only in day 11 of 2008!

The hospital called early that morning to see how I was and to see how the pain meds were working. I let them know how much pain I was feeling and they advised me to call my doctor and see if I could get the dosage increased. Dr, Bradley did so without question and I was relieved to know that I would get a little more power out of them. Even still, as it approached an hour until my next dose, I was in tears counting every minute down. I spent most of day 2 just trying to hold it together between pain med doses. Every little thing was an irritant and I just wanted to be alone in my dark room. I kept the TV on hoping I'd be distracted enough while I was awake to rise above the pain, but it didn't work as much as I needed it to. There was a lightening storm outside most of that day which really reflected how I felt inside.

I awoke this morning at 5:30 am to crutch my way to the bathroom. The first thing I said as I pulled myself up out of bed was, "Thank you Lord!" I no longer felt the hot iron branding and the pain I did feel was far more manageable than it had been the day before. The skies had parted, the sun was out and even though I'm still ready for my pain pill before my dose is due, I'm not in tears anymore waiting for it.

It only gets better from here! All down hill, baby!!

I'm Home!!

I'm really, really groggy from all the meds, so this will be short, but I just wanted everyone to know that all went well. I didn't have to have that one big screw in my ankle because it is staying in socket just fine.

I had the Queen of IV's do mine for me and it was a breeze! All that lost sleep worrying for nothing. I asked her to follow us to every duty station we go to so that if I ever need another one, she'll be there to do it!

I'm again overwhelmed by all the e-mails of well wishes and promise of prayers that came my way!

Thank you all so much.

I'm going to sleep now.

Much love!

Becca

Starbucks Schmarbucks!

Ohhhhhhhhh, that Venti Java Chip Frappe is the bain of my existence!!! What on earth possessed me to infuse myself with an ungodly amount of caffeine when, HELLO, I am immobilized?!!!!!

So much for 8 pee free hours! I'm now dispensing straight black coffee into the toilet every 28 minutes!

I am convinced that there is a family of spiders that have taken up residence and are mulitplying as we speak deep inside of my cast! They are running up and down my foot and causing much frustration on my part!

I have a sudden urge to clean my shower with a toothbrush, no matter how I have to arrange myself to do so! I must fiddle. with. something. NOW!!

I have chatted and giggled incesently with two separate nurses who have called to get me pre-registered for tomorrow. I am sure they have ear marked my medical folder for phsychiatric evaluation!

I have no idea if any amount of anesthesia exists that can bring me down from this crazy buzz!!!

Sweet nectar of heaven ( as I had called this drink in a previous post) my butt!

4 a day for survival

I wish I could personally hug each of you who have sent an e-mail, left a comment, had flowers and goodies delivered or made a phone call to me during this trying time. I really, really appreciate it so much! You have all made me feel so loved and cared for. It's been indescribeably uplifting to my soul and I thank you very much for even the smallest of gestures has gone miles and miles toward helping me maintain a positive outlook!

Here are some cyber hugs for you. (all pics were used with permission)

Ah! Now doesn't that feel good? And rightly so!

Being from the south, I am no stranger to hugging someone's neck...even upon a first meeting. It's just a way of life down there.

It's been said that we need

4 hugs per day for survival,

8 for maintenance

and 12 for growth!

You can't give one without getting one!

Here are some "hugs" I've gotten recently....

From my Cherry Tree Avenue Girls....

Thank you so much girls! You have no idea how happy this made me when it was delivered yesterday!!

And from my own sweet, sweet husband.....

A Venti Java Chip Frappe from Starbucks (sweet nectar of heaven!)

and some inspiration!

Love you, hon!!

A Flicker of Hope.....

So I go to my pre-op today and aside from the fact that there will be a surgery at all, it looks like mostly good news. I will need one plate along the outer side of my left ankle. This will be held in place by six to seven screws. This will be all the hardware that I will have installed unless they find that my ankle won't stay in socket on it's own. If that is the case, I will have one long screw from end to end stabalizing the main bone. In that case, it will be removed in 3 months, but otherwise, the remaining hardware is mine to keep forevah!

*

Dr. Bradley, who seems very nice, by the way, (not quite "McDreamy" nice

but nice just the same) talked me through what is going to take place on Thursday, shockingly denied my request to have the gas mask put directly on my face upon checking in, therefore nullifying the anxiety I am feeling over getting the IV, but did surprisingly agree to see me on January 22nd to evaluate me for flight! He said that IF I'm healing exceptionally well, and IF I feel like it then he will give the OK for my own McDreamy and I to take flight westward and continue on with our plans to house hunt!!

I was VERY excited until I crutched my way down the hall to the elevator, out of the elevator to the back of the building, into the van, out of the van, to our front step where a hot pink fluffy mushroom chair was strategically placed so that I could just sit directly on it and be pulled inside instead of having to step up to get inside the house. (I'm spoiled, I know!)

I then crutched my way through the kitchen, through the dining room, through the living room and through the foyer to our front staircase. I handed my crutches to McDreamy, sat on the bottom step and proceded to one legged crab walk to the top of the ridiculously steep and long stair case. Once at the top, I always have the same feeling of panic.

What now? How the heck do I get from sitting to standing and not fall forward down the stairs? McDreamy always calmly reminds me that I again use a chair. Our steps are so that a chair can sit on the second to top step allowing me to crawl up on it, sit and be spun around so that I am level with the actual top step and can then lean on my crutches while pulling myself off the chair and viola....I've successfully, but not so gracefully ascended the staircase.

The thought hits me that almost every house we want to view is a two story....um...do I really want this to be a public display? Who do you think will let us rent their house once they've seen me grunting and groaning in a modified crabwalk up their stairs? Every homeowner will need only one phrase when referring to me in subsequent weeks as they review their possible renters.... it will sound something like this...

"Oh honey, you remember that nice looking navy officer and his short little blonde headed wife with the southern accent?"

Husband scratches head.

"You know the one with a cast on her foot?"

"Oh, Crab-Walk lady!"

So, I'm adding a new requirement to my Doctor's expectations on the 22nd.

1.Must be healing wonderfully

2. Must feel like I can handle it

and most importantly,

3. Must have decided upon and mastered a more dignified way to ascend a staircase! :)

Musings from the bed.....

Some things I have learned while being stuck in bed...

1. According to HGTV, my style type is Ethnic Eclectic.

You can take your own quiz here to find out what your style is.

2. I hate the viewers choice for the Dream home Master Bedroom design. Blue stripes? It just doesn't fit the house at all. I think it is way to "country".

3. I think I could flip my own house now after all the hours of home improvement/decorating/appraising and staging that I have watched this week. A skill that might come in handy someday....ya never know.

4. I can go exactly 8 daylight hours without peeing! hey, when crutching your way to the bathroom is the equivilent of piercing your foot through the heel with a sword and then twisting it with every step, you learn the value of mind over matter!

5. Just because the first prescription of pain meds that I was given said to take 1 or 2 pills every 4 hours ( which I modified to one pill every 2 hours ), does not mean that the new prescription hubby picked up is to be taken the same way. I've been taking one every 2 hours for the last three days and just realized when I uploaded this photo that the directions say 1 or 2 pills every SIX hours! ooops! No wonder the room spins every time I sit up!

6. Besides pain management and water, two absolute essentials for me are chapstick to keep my lips soft and lotion for my face. And a nice gift basket from grandma is just icing on the cake! My mom also sent me a gift basket of nuts and fruits...perfect for bedside snacking.


7. If Bren and I keep going at the rate we are with her workbooks, she might be ready for middle school by the time I transition to my regular shoe! She's just blazing through them! Getting her to read a little might be a nice goal while I have all of this downtime.



8. Nothing beats a bedside visit from someone who thinks you "got that rama-jamma" ( a quote taken from one of her big sisters old cheers.) Even though it took her fours days to get over the fear of hurting my foot, Bren now spends a good part of each day sitting in bed with me.

This Makes Me Happy....

Even though the yellow background is not right for this designer, I'm still so happy with these photos because for me they represent hope.

I'll be re-shooting these adorable sets in hi-key after my surgery, but I could not help posting a few of my favorites anyway.

I think I may frame this one for my wall. Something about the bench and her smile I just love.

Madison was able to get in on this shoot too with these cute coordinating jeans!

Yeeeeowwwch!!!!

I hope your New Years was great! Mine was not so great.

On New Years Eve, I slipped and fell on a wet floor in my house and broke my ankle so badly that it was just flopping around on the end of my leg...no stability at all.

I have to have surgery on January 10th to put a pin and six screws in. Yeooowwch!

Our house hunting trip to Seattle was planned for Jan. 22nd, but we'll have to cancel that now. My husband's commissioning ceremony will still take place on February 1st and he'll still go to school from Feb 4th-March 7th (without returning home at all during that time), and all of our family will still fly in for the ceremony and reception to follow.

I'll be in a non-weight bearing cast for five weeks after the surgery and then a walking cast or boot for three weeks before transitioning into a regular shoe about a week before we drive across the country to find a new home.

We'll have 4 weeks to find a home and move in before David gets deployed for 7 months, so it will definitely be a rush, but it can be done.

I'm in soooo much pain. I'm made comfortable enough with vicodan every four hours, but I'm definitely ready for my next dose far before it gets here.

It is just amazing to me how a split second can change everything. One minute I'm standing upright, normal day, normal after shower routine and the next, I'm facing more pain than I have ever felt before.

It happened like this:

I was getting my make up out to get ready for a grocery shopping trip. We'd just finished a two mile walk, so the song, "You got me and Jesus" was running through my head as it was the last song I heard on my mp3 player. I looked in the mirror and decided that I needed to pluck a few eye brows before doing anything else, so I hunted around my bathroom for a set a tweezers. None to be found.

I stepped down into my dressing room with my right foot, slipped on the water left there by Bren running from my shower to her bathroom for a bottle of princess shampoo we'd gotten her for Christmas. In an effort to not crack my head by falling backwards, I attempted to bring my other foot underneath me, but it didn't work as planned. I came crashing down on the inside of my left foot and just snapped it.

I remember being spralled out on the floor in my bath robe and looking down at something protruding from the inside of my ankle like a babies foot protrudes from a pregnant stomach and I knew. It just all flooded in at one time....

no trip to Seattle,

no cleaning and preparing my house excitedly as company arrived for David's commissioning ceremony.

Oh no! The commissioning ceremony!

How was I going to get up the flight of stairs to the stage to participate in my part of the ceremony?!

What about our house hunting trip?

How were we going to find a house and move in before David deploys?

I have about 100 e-bay auctions to run and about 40 sets to photograph...what now?

Thoughts were buzzing through my head and leaving to fly around the room and come right back, stinging with the realization that I was not only not going to be doing any of those things, but I couldn't even get up.

Oh, my toes. Thank God I can move my toes!

David and the boys came flying in the room, none of them knowing what to do. The boys ran right back out shocked by the horror of my screams and the frightening look in my eyes. They peeked only their heads through the doorway, the rest of their bodies were in the hall way in case they needed to run.

David, his face white and his hands in his hair held it together for me as best as he could. He grabbed a scarf to wrap my limp and flopping foot. He brought my clothes to me and wriggled them onto my body. He helped me down the stairs and to the van. Once at the hospital I was taken to x-ray, given an iv and pumped up with morphine until I could close my eyes and exhale.

A few hours later, they discharged me with a bottle of vicodan and instructions to call and schedule a surgery date.

For the first three days I was in bed, leg elevated, head dizzy. Everytime I closed my eyes, I would relive the moment when I brought my foot down on that wet floor. What if I had dried it first? What if I had gotten the shampoo Bren had wanted for her and she'd never dripped all over the floor? What if I had done anything else at all except for what I did?

Why? Why now?

This is probably the busiest month I've had in a long time. I was excited about so many things. Looking forward to time away with David. Our first to speak of in our 15 years of marriage. I had houses lined up. I had the car rented and the hotel room reserved. Why can't I go!? It's just not fair.

Yesterday I was able to close my eyes and not hear the snap of my bones or the sound of my screams every time. I got up and went downstairs to watch a movie with the kids. It was hard and put a big strain on my body, but I did it.

On January 2nd a big box arrived. I fought back bitter tears because those boxes full of sets for Bren to model usually filled me with such excitement and creative energy....but now, now that was taken from me to. Now I had nothing but frustration and fear because I wanted to do an incredible job for this designer and yet, I was so limited. I had Madison lay all the sets out on the bed I was stuck in so that I could look at them. I thought for three days about what I could do with them that would satisfy my desire to be creative and also please the designer while still allowing me to protect my healing ankle.

I shot those sets today.

It took three hours, but it was such a relief to know that I am still capable. I was on a rolling stool and had a lot of help from Madison and David, but I made it through. Bren did awesome and I'm so proud of her! David moved the computer up to the bedroom so I could edit the photos while elevating my leg and it's has worked wonderfully. It feels good to know that with all I can't do, there are still things that I can do!

Things could have been worse.

I'm told that often in my kind of break, there are certain bones that almost always break as well as the ones that I snapped. Those are still in tact. yippee!

David could have been deployed when this happened.

Then where would I be?

He's been so wonderful. Such a comfort to me and a rock for the kids. He's cooked some great meals and has kept on top of the house as much as he can.

He's wrapped my leg up in plastic bags and helped me in and out of the shower, and he's come in to check on me or called from work so many times that I can't possibly get lonely.

He's such a blessing to me.

So, today after my success in the studio, I am in alot of pain. I probably over did it, but it lifted my spirits so much. A trade off I'm willing to make at this point.

My revised New Years Resolutions:

1. Tell my husband I love him every day.

2. Delight in little things like orange jello made by a four year old especially for her mommy even though I heard her say that she "wants her other mommy back...the one without the hurt foot."

3.Lift those 1.5 pound weights David just bought me to strengthen my arms since they'll be carrying me around for the next two months.

4. Make the best of my down time. After I can manage my pain without medication, there are lots of things I'd like to read and research.

5. Look on the bright side.

6. Stop asking why.