Pain Saver....Check it out!

Being a person who deals daily with chronic pain I am always looking for products to make things easier. I LOVE to read and reading a book has become almost impossible for me. Between supporting the weight of the book and dealing with the frustration of trying to use my numb fingers to turn the pages I have pretty much given up on reading all together! Well today I got some really exciting news from BzzAgent.com, if I am chosen, I will receive a Amazon Kindle 3 to try out! As a BzzAgent, I sometimes receive products or coupons for products to try. All I have to do in return is give my honest feedback and share my opinion (positive or negative)here on my blog, on Facebook, Twitter, in a shopping line, at the bank, at work...Well you get the idea, if I am chosen to receive an Amazon Kindle 3, you will hear me singing from the rooftops!

You see, an Amazon Kindle 3 will give me back my reading power and that is very, very exciting! I could read a book of any size and wouldn't have to worry about not being able to turn the pages or aggravating my pain by holding a heavy book. I could go anywhere and be able to read to take my mind off this never ending pain! I'm trying not to get my hopes up in case I am not chosen but my mind is reeling with excitement! Check back for an update tomorrow!

Check this out...

If you're into style and love to find awesome deals, check out this link!



I am a new BzzAgent and I am spreading the Bzz about StyleFind.

After Hurricane Irene...

We were prepared for the worst and thankful we got off easy. Our area was out of power for about six hours but we have a stand by generator and it was really great to carry on normally. I was sure to thank my husband for spending the extra when we built our house and having the generator installed.
So, I've been having a craving for Coconut Macaroons...craving satisfied, I baked a batch this morning :) Yum!

In addition to posting about pain...

I will be starting to Bzz about products I use and like...or dislike.  I have joined BzzAgent to spread the word about various products I use in my life.  I have always been sure to talk about product/services I like or not and thought BzzAgent would be a better forum to do so and I could reach more people.  So far I have left my reviews about Target, KitchenAid, Green Mountain Coffee K-cups, World's Best Cat Litter, Panera Bread, Minute Rice, Pepsi, Lego, Glad Trash Bags and Crayola Crayons.  Super fun and keeps me busy!
On another note, it has been quite awhile since I have posted.  I could give a ton of excuses but I won't.  I just haven't posted, I've been busy doing other things.  I'm hoping to change a few things in my life and I am going to post more about that later.  For now...I'm off to get a little sunshine for my aching bones!

It's a good day today...

I'm sitting here on my sofa catching up on e-mail and FB.  I have the windows open, there is a beautiful, gentle breeze and the birds are chirping.  No other noises, just nature!  I enjoy these days so much.

On the other hand, it is a bad day.  I'm sitting on the sofa enjoying nature and I am having a ton of extreme, shooting, pulsing nerve pain in my calves and left arm.  Each throb I curse for interrupting my peace and quiet.  Sometimes I get so angry at the pain, I am angry for what it has taken from me.  I can't reach down pick up my grandson and hold him over my head as I did with my babies.  Instead I have to make sure I am firmly planted, visually check I have a hold of him (left arm and hand numb) and try not to get distracted so I don't drop him.  I can't just walk out the door and go for a stroll.  I have to go with someone in case I fall.  I can't do much of anything for any amount of time.  I pay for it dearly as does my family.

I have been having a pity party for myself over the last few days because of all I am no longer able to do.  I know I have to take a more positive spin on it but I'm having a little trouble doing that.  Part of it is because we didn't have group last week and part of it is I'm just in a funk!

So, for now I will just shut off the computer, get my e-book and a beverage and head out to my zero gravity lounge and relax, surrounded by peace and quiet and pretend I am pain free!

Cake done and delivered…

So, here is the final cake set up at the wedding venue.  It is very rewarding to be able to create in this way but there is also a trade off.   My trade off is pain…and lots of it.   I won’t be back to “normal” for at least a week.  I would have loved to have stayed in bed a little (a lot) longer this morning but my dog started waking me at 7am and the cat chimed in soon after.  They are like little snooze alarms and wake me every ten minutes or so.  Too funny!
My house is a mess, dishes are piled up, toys are still out from our grandson’s visit on Saturday and I have cake stuff in the car that needs to be brought in today!  Lucky for me, my husband is off tonight and will be up at noon to lend a hand.
Next cake to work on isn’t as big and I have most of the prep work done.  It is a donation for a dinner to raise funds for a young woman and her children.  Sadly the husband committed suicide so there was no insurance at all.
So, I am off to deliberate over which task I should attack first.  It will be a lot of do a little, rest a little today!

Wedding cake progress...

I've completed three of four tiers...this is a photo of the first two.  The set up is only for the photo, the actual set up will be a bit different.  I'll post the completed photos later.  Pain is through the roof, I'm waiting for pain meds to kick in before continuing with the cake.  It's going to be a long night!

And the additional pain begins...

All my happy plans on pacing myself making this wedding cake have gone out the window!  It took me three times longer than normal to crumb coat, ice and fondant the six inch tier...it has been a learning experience.  It figures the last wedding cake I do under SweetArt Cakes has to be the hardest one yet!  I was so proud of myself yesterday.  I usually let the cake decorate itself as I go along but I had a dream the night before last on how it is supposed to look.  So when I got up, almost the first thing I did was sketch the finished cake.  I have to say, if I am suscessful, this cake will be beautiful.  I put the trim on the six inch as well as doing scroll work in royal icing and it is very pretty.  Three more tiers to go!  I am taking a break to get on top of the pain so I can continue decorating.  We will see how it goes!

Wedding cake in the works....

and it will probably kick my butt!  Four tiers, hexagon, red sugar paste roses, white calla lilies and a couple of butterflies.  We cant forget the lace trim that I spent four hours hand sewing the silver "bling" to!  Tomorrow will be a big baking day.  I just wish I could figure out how not to make such a huge mess!  Yes, I am a very messy baker, if I try to clean as I go, I end up forgetting to add ingredients.  Lucky for me I have a wonderful husband that will clean up after me if I'm not able to do it!  Honestly, I don't know what I would do without him.

I went to my chronic pain support group this morning and ran a few errands after including grocery shopping.  I'm experiencing a ton of pain tonight.  My feet are the worst that they have ever been and walking is very difficult.  I'm hoping a good night's sleep will restore my energy and bring down the pain levels.

Thank you Sharyn...Love this poem!

"The Oak Tree"
A Message of Encouragement.
A mighty wind blew night and day.
It stole the oak tree's leaves away,
Then snapped its bark
until the oak was tired and stark.
But still the oak tree held its ground
while other trees feel all around....
The weary wind gave up and spoke,
"How can you still be standing, Oak?"
The oak tree said, "I know that you
can break each branch of mine in two,
carry every leaf away,
shake my limbs, and make me sway.
But I have roots stretched in the earth,
growing stronger since my birth.
You'll never touch them, for you see,
they are the deepest part of me.
Until today, I wasn't sure
of just how much I could endure.
But now I've found, with thanks to you,
I"m stronger that I ever knew.

We started off with sunshine...

then it turned dark with thunderstorms!  The weather doesn't help any with my pain.  My feet have been on fire since I woke up this morning and my low back pain is very intense.  I had plans to bake today but I can't stand long enough to get anything done.  It's very frustrating!  I hoping tomorrow will be better...

Loving this time of year!

Spring has to be my number one favorite season.  I love the anticipation of waiting for everything to grow and bloom!  I went out and battled the bugs today and planted my annuals and a couple of pots for the deck.  I noticed my dahlias are peeking through, my hosta is up, the bleeding heart is in bloom.  I noted we have one lupine that made it through, we put them in by seed last year.  I really prefer to plant established plants but we were a little strapped for cash last year so I tried the seeds.  This year I tried growing pansies by seed but I don't know if any will survive.  We put them in the ground today, I guess we will just wait and see!
While it was great to get the annuals in, I'll be paying for it for a couple of days.  As I write, my back is in spasms and my energy is drained.  It's a trade off, I can't give up everything I enjoy to avoid more pain, I just need to pick and choose my activities and plan around my pain.

Exhausted....

So Tuesdays are my big day out each week.  I attend a chronic pain support group in the morning.  We have a great group of ladies and are really there for each other.  I love being able to talk freely without any guards up about my pain!  After group I run errands and grocery shop.  I can usually go to one store and then the grocery store and then I'm done, physically done.  Sometimes the 40 min ride home is almost unbearable.  I delivered a Three Stooges cake topper for one of the ladies and she really loved it. 

Three Stooges cake topper almost done...finished picture to follow later!

Rain, rain and more rain...

I don't get along well with changes in the weather.  I went to bed with a migraine last night and managed to wake up with it still raging this morning.  I got up managed to feed the cat, (otherwise she will keep at me like a snooze alarm) pulled the drapes closed, gave myself my shot and closed all doors to block out any light.  I managed to sleep for an hour or so while the medicine did it's magic and got up feeling able to face the day.  There is still that background twinge that tell me it isn't over yet so I'll take the few hours I have and enjoy them.
As mentioned in the first post, I am a little creative and I like to be able to get that energy out on a regular basis.  For the last few years I have been decorating cakes.  I even set it up as a part-time home business.  When it came time to renew my license, get a new water test, renew my insurance, etc.  I really had to take a step back and look at it with both eyes wide open.  During the last few months my lower back pain has been really loud and limits (a lot) what I am able to do.  So after a great deal of thought I closed my cake decorating business.  I am hoping to focus on making custom cake toppers (non-edible) as that is where I receive the most joy and am able to feed my need for doing something creative.

Welcome to my world!

Let me start out by sharing a bit of my chronic pain background.  I grew up with migraines, summer time was the worst.  My mother thought I was dehydrated so she would make me take salt tablets.  They didn't help but I think it made her feel better!  
I was also diagnosed with scoliosis and they were considering surgery but my mother declined.  I don't think surgery would have made any difference in the long run.  I have always as an adult had pain in my lower back.
When I was 19, I was in a car accident.  I rear ended  a car at 50 mph.  My neck was pretty messed up, I wasn't able to hold up my head for a couple of weeks.  I believe that was the start of my adult chronic pain.  I've been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and some other fun stuff which I'll get into in another post.
I've lost count of how many CAT scans and MRI's I've had.  I've been to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and I've got to say that place is awesome!  I told my husband I would move there for the health care alone!  The main reason I was sent there was because my biracial plexus on my left side is inflamed which causes my forearm and left hand to be numb and tingling.  This is espicially bothersome because I am left handed and it effects my fine motor skills.  I also have a creative side and the numbness interferes with my creativity.
To be continued...