Did I cure my Multiple Sclerosis?

Well, to say I cured my Multiple Sclerosis might be a little ambitious of me.

Since you haven’t heard from me in awhile, I will back-up to November. Oh what a rough month. I shared with you all of my swallowing troubles but I didn’t tell you about what happened when Big Bad Dad, my husband, went out of town.

It was the lowest of the lows. I was unable to lift my arms and was so weak that I couldn’t even change out of my pajamas. I went 3 days without washing my hair. Ewwwww. There was no way I could lift my arms to shampoo.

During this week I was also unable to lift the milk to drink my multiple glasses of yumminess and eat cereal, which had become my “go-to food” because of the coolness of the milk and the softness of the food which made it easier to swallow.

By the end of the 1st week in December I noticed that my health and symptoms had drastically improved. I began assessing what changes were made during that time and discovered I hadn’t had any milk in weeks.
Another shock to my body was red meat. I don’t even eat that much red meat but one evening I went and put a sliver of sausage in my mouth and man was I paying for that.

Within minutes I was struggling with my speech, having trouble lifting my arms and in pain. My hubby even had to brush my teeth for me that night because I couldn’t lift my arms.

Since January I have been rockin' and rollin’! I still have trouble with fatigue, using my brain, swallowing and weakness but I am not in pain!!YEAH!

I know what you are thinking…"Norma Lee, if you are feeling better, where have you been and why haven’t you been blogging?”

 Because, I feel good! For the first time in almost 3 years I have been able to play with my kids without pain! 

Of course, this doesn’t mean that I haven’t been doing some blog-able stuff!

I have 4 posts from AUGUST that I haven’t published, as well:

• laundry room make-over
• Monkey’s party
• Monkey’s big boy room
• Playroom make-over
• more projects that I just can’t think of right now

{Update: I started this post a couple of weeks ago and didn’t finish because life got in the way. I have since gone to a new neurologist at UT in the Houston Medical Center. He ordered blood test that I have NEVER had to rule out other diseases that mimic symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis. I also had an MRI done of my spine. Stay with me and I will keep you updated. Very exciting stuff.}

My Namesake

My Nana, Norma Lee Good is my namesake. She was an incredible woman and today she would have been 90 years old. I think of her often.

These are some of my favorite pictures. I need to learn how to use my Photoshop so I can edit them.

Nana was the oldest of 5 kids to Dessie and JW Good. There were 4 girls and one boy.

I would love to know what she and her sisters were laughing about in this picture. I love how they were always dressed up.

Well almost always dressed up…

She was 40 years old in these pictures. I would love to look this good at 40!

Nana was Creek Indian and has a very interesting heritage. She was tan skinned and when she and my granddad moved from Oklahoma to Pasadena, Texas, people always assumed she was Mexican and spoke Spanish to her.

Nana and my granddad were in Harlingen, Texas during WWII. They were each other’s greatest loves. The story goes that Nana went to visit Frank in Harlingen and saw him in his greatest shape ever. He was tan and built and there was no way she was going to leave him down there alone. She wired her mom in Oklahoma and told her she was staying and to send her her things.

My uncle Charles and Daddy truly believe she died of a broken heart. After Frank passed away in 1975, of a sudden heart attack at the age of 54, her health was never the same. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and beat it but at the early age of 60, signs of Alzheimer's started showing up and would ultimately take over her.

Happy Birthday to the 1st Norma Lee!

Hungry

I’m hungry.

In a serious way.

As I’ve said before, I have problems swallowing due to my Multiple sclerosis. I truly can not remember the last time I went one day without choking on my food, drinks or own saliva.

But now, I’m hungry. Seriously hungry.

As if the problems with swallowing were not challenging enough, now it feels like I have food lodged in my throat. Thankfully, the food is not blocking my airway and I can still talk and breathe.

The challenge for me is not only eating, drinking and swallowing my own spit, but also taking my daily vitamins and pills.

my daily "cocktail"

When I was in the hospital with ChaCha I was given my first steroid shot since diagnosis. The goal was to help avoid a relapse. Unfortunately I can’t take steroid shots because of my bone disease but the Dr.'s felt the benefit outweighed the risks after I delivered ChaCha.

But boy did I feel good.

For the first time since April, I was able to play with Monkey outside.

Life was good.

That lasted 2 weeks.

By the end of September my symptoms started creeping up on me again.
I was dizzy, numb, had no strength in my arms, my cognition problems became more noticeable, difficulties talking, fatigue, etc. It was the worst I have ever felt.

I have always said that if it weren’t for my children, I would not get out of bed.

If I did not have the amazing husband I have I would also be lost. I know it is hard on him to have a wife with Multiple Sclerosis. We don’t get to do the things we used to do.

I’m also not the person he fell in love with and married. I am afraid I may never again be that woman but that is a different blog topic for a different night.

My family is also wonderful. They are here to help me whenever I need it.

Last week Monkey needed a haircut and I could not drive him the 5 miles to the salon. I didn’t have any arm strength. Luckily I have a wonderful Mom and she drove us.

My husband was out of town on Saturday so my lovely sister stayed with me at my house to help out with ChaCha, just in case I fell. Or perhaps my strength would fail me. Or I was too dizzy to stand up. Etc. Etc. Etc.

God also blessed me with a great circle of friends. This whole MS business is way beyond their understanding. Bless their hearts, they try to understand but it is unexplainable and it really doesn’t matter. All that matters is I’m really not the same person they got to know and befriend but they stand by me and still include me even when they know I might not be able to play.

Thank you also for still putting up with me. I have not turned my computer on regularly and I certainly haven’t kept up with my blog as I would like.

When I started blogging a year ago, the purpose was to keep my sanity. I needed a creative outlet for me to be able to stay busy and keep my mind off the things I could no longer do anymore.

The idea is to focus on what I can do instead of what I am unable to do.

As I was putting ChaCha to sleep just now, I realized tomorrow is December.

It’s a new day. A new month. A new season.

Tomorrow starts our advent calendar here. We will be busy making memories and starting traditions with Monkey.

I am very excited. There is nothing better than seeing Christmas through a child’s eyes.

Tomorrow there will be no time for whining. That ends now. I’ve said what I needed to say in an attempt to preserve my sanity.

Tomorrow will be wonderful.

I may be hungry but that will be okay.

My problems are only problems for me and I am blessed for these problems. There are so many people with REAL problems and I know my “problems” are nothing compared to theirs.

Instead of thinking about how hungry I am and the foods I would love to be able to enjoy, I will be delighted that this will be the first Christmas season in my adult life that I will not be worried about gaining holiday weight.

Good bye November and hello December!

My darling

I am so in love.
Last week my dear friend Lane kindly came over to our home to take Charley’s first pictures.
I had no idea how time consuming and how delicate a photographer must be to take pictures of a newborn. Lane was so patient and kept Charley asleep for the whole photo shoot.
{These are the first and only pictures I have seen. They are unedited.} Enjoy.
Isn’t she precious?

Aren’t these cheeks just so squeezable?
I love my baby. I love how she smells. I love how she raises her eyebrows when she’s sleeping. I love her noises. I love that her skin is still peeling. I love how she looks in her clothes. I love that she loves her bath. I love that she is a good eater. I love that she is a good sleeper. I love how she needs me for everything. I love her cries. I love that she flexes her toes when she eats. I love how she looks at me. I love how she holds her head up.I love how tightly she holds my finger. I love her button nose. I love that she lets her brother touch her. I love how she cuddles. I love everything about her.

I love that she’s mine and God chose me to be her mommy.
I will continue to cherish, appreciate and absorb every moment because time just goes by too quickly.
Much too quickly…
I am so blessed and so happy.

Sugar, Spice & All Things Nice

She is here!

Charley LeAnn was born on September 11 at 3:08 p.m. 
She weighed 8lbs 4 oz and was 19 3/4" long.

We are all doing well and adjusting to life as a family of four! It's no surprise that she was coming but I thought I had a few more days!


I have some tutorials to share with you, 2 room makeovers and of course baby pictures to show.

NOW...if I could *press pause* on everybody's creativity and blogging, that would allow me to catch up on emails and blogging all while taking care of my family! Stay with me! I will have more pictures of Charley and Monkey together.

Aged Metal Shelf

For my baby girl's room I knew I wanted something perfect for her shelves. When we were at a junk show last year I saw some metal shelves that I regretted not buying later.

I was whining to my mom about not buying the shelves and she informed me that Hobby Lobby had what I was looking for.

Yes, this is the shelf. At the store.

Since I was on bed rest during "operation-make-the-shelves-perfect," I didn't get a before shot.

First, Big Bad Dad {BBD} sprayed the shelves with Rust-Oleum Heirloom White.



Since I was going for an "aged" look, I had BBD use our favorite product, Ralph Lauren's Smoke Glaze. He just wiped it on with a rag and wiped it off!! So easy!



It's hard for me to get a good picture in this room because of the lighting.



That's it! Those are her shelves and I am very happy with how they turned out!

Dresser Restyle

My goal is to get all the posts about the nursery for Baby Girl {Charley LeAnn} written BEFORE she arrives!  {I think I can, I think I can...}

In 2003, my generous sister Denise gave us a crib and a dresser with a changing table. She knew how expensive the furniture was and hated to give away her furniture when she knew that ONE day BBD and I would be able to put the furniture to good use.

This is what the dresser/changing table looked like before:

Source:Babies R Us

 {I did not get a before shot because I was on bed rest. Our dresser had the same knobs and finish as this dresser.}

The first thing Big Bad Dad {BBD} did was sand the finish and remove the knobs. Luckily I was nosy fast enough to get some semi-before pictures.

He used an oil-based Sherwin Williams paint: Mariner {6766}

He let the dresser really dry well between coats. It was really humid the week that he painted it and he wanted to make sure the paint really adhered to the surface. After waiting a couple of days between coats he would sand lightly to even out the surface.

Once the dresser was painted and good and dry I was called out to "assess the damage." It was a little too bright for me. BBD was NOT happy because he thought "too bright" = paint another color. So he was really happy when I assured him the color was fine, we just needed to glaze it.

{I wish I had some pictures of this process but I was being a good patient and was in bed.}

I used this when I prettied the corbels for the dining room here.

He used Ralph Lauren Smoke Glaze to achieve the look I was wanting. This is my absolute favorite product to use. It's as easy as taking an old rag and wiping it on and then wiping it right off.

BBD worked in small sections and wiped it on and then wiped it off. He would wipe it on one drawer at a time and as soon as the drawer was covered he would wipe it off. The longer the glaze is left on the darker it will be.

The drawer pulls were purchased at my beloved Hobby Lobby during one of their 50% off drawer pull sale.

 

 

I am VERY happy with how this turned out. Stay tuned to see the other nursery projects I have done!

I  haven't "partied" in so long- I don't know where all to go! If I missed a party please let me know!
This is where I am linking up to:

Tatertots and Jello,
Life in the Fun Lane,
Finding Fabulous,
The Shabby Nest,
I Heart Naptime,
Cottage Instincts,
Domestically Speaking,
My Backyard Eden
The Shabby Chic Cottage
Somewhat Simple