Shabby Miss Jenn

Tuesday 31 March 2009

Happy Birthday Sweet 15 ♥♥♥

Happy Birthday To You
Happy Birthday To You
Happy Birthday Dear Stephanie
Happy Birthday To You
Hip Pip Hooray, Hip Pip Hooray, Hip Pip Hooray!!!

Have a great day my little chickadee, you deserve it after all you've been through lately. Loads of hugs and kisses and heaps of wonderful birthday wishes.

So what did she get you all ask......well Stephanie asked for a computer and so we had one built for her and it is just waiting for hubby to pop it together on her desk ready for her to use when she gets home from school complete with a 22" monitor.....ohhhh how I like our local computer shop.....Centre Com. We've had a few pc's built from them and allthe "extra's to go as well.

Have you seen these gorgeous and unique pooki characters? Check their website here and they also have a store locater as well as online store. We have this gorgeous new shop that has fast become one of my fave shops for things a little unique and odd and that's where I found these characters.

Part of Stephanie's birthday wish list was not only a computer but also a teddy bear which she has such a collection of as well and when I saw these cute and adorable critters I just had to grab one or 2 or 3....thankfully not only do they come in adult form but baby ones as well and looks like another collection has begun.....don't you just love it when you can justify collections because you have kids.....hehehehehehe!



Above is the adult Pablo

This one above is a baby Pablo.

This one is a baby Pooki.

I just think they are gorgeous and I can see we will end up with quite a collection......lol!!!!!

Ok so that's it from me today short and sweet, hope you all have a great day, take care and stay safe. Hugs Chris xoxo

Monday 23 March 2009

Oooh Naughty Blogger I Am!

Yes yes yes I know....naughty blogger I am. Seems too long sometimes between posts and when life is full on and chaotic such as mine well then sometimes updating my blog is not a priority. The past week or so has left me somewhat.......running on empty!!! Life was not meant to be easy.....or so they say but I think our family has not only had our share of trials and tribulation than most families by now but much more then what seems "fair" as well because whoa...sometimes you wonder what's hit you and why so darn hard!

Ok first up our youngest son Maddison as you know is visually impaired. He has a genetic disorder of the eyes which is called Best's Vitelliform Dystrophy.....a rarer form of a macular degeneration.....Tim and Stephanie both have it as well. Last Thursday I had to take Maddi and Steps to our optometrist as they were both saying they felt their eyes had changed and so I thought it best to book them in to see what was going on.

Stephanie wears graduation lenses because she is also longsighted (Tim and Maddi are too) and so the distance part of them needed to be changed up 2 steps. Sounds great in theory and yep it will help....but and yep there is a but, that's it, she is now wearing the maximum strength, she can't go higher and if her eyes change again there is nothing that can be done for the long sightedness anymore. So that's enough for any mum to take in alone without anything added to it....but like all stories there is always more and it goes something like this...............................................................

Maddi however has had a severe and serious change. His right eye has always been bad and so he has relied on his left eye and we have always been told that when his left eye starts to change then he will be in trouble.....well it's happened and so much worse then ever possibly imagined.

Optometrist found a severe and massive hemorrhage at the back of his left eye, an enormous blind spot and one that required urgent attention and I'm talking straight onto the phone to Maddi's eye specialist to let him know and request help. As he only comes to Bendigo once a week on Wednesday's Maddi was popped in first thing in the morning, photos of the back of his eyes taken (use to this as normal procedure), ultrasound taken of both eyes (once again normal procedure) dye injected into his veins to have another lot of photos taken to show up the bleed better (new procedure for us and not the norm) and urgent action required.

His specialist was very concerned, rang through another colleague and they decided the best form of action and that it had to be done asap. We were told what was necessary and that it could be done under either local or general anaesthetic. General anesthetic would be surgery that arvo in the day surgery theatre at the hospital (thankfully only next door to the clinic), or if Maddison thought he could cope with a local anaesthetic to have the procedure done he would do it there and then.

Of course my brave 13 yr old opted for the local and so he was readied for the necessary treatment. Course of action would be a drug directly administered into Maddi's left eye where the bleed was....yep 2 needles straight into the eyeball. How important this procedure was.....very and might add very expensive as well at the cost of $250 just for the drug and he has to have the procedure done again on the 15th of April and possibly as a continuous treatment.

Eye specialist is not sure if this will work...we are all hoping so.....as he said "this could be your miracle Maddison" The bleed was bad and no-one will know the outcome of how much damage has been done either....we just have to wait and hope the drug does what it's meant to do. But as the eye specialist said he couldn't do nothing and this was what they felt was the best way to go. Now it just needs to take time to work and we go back on the 8th of April for a review.

Until then he is not in school because he really can't see much and so we sit in limbo praying for our miracle and hoping that this will be it.

Dealing with all the things we deal with is tough....pretty darn tough at that and having both my boys with mulitple diagnoses is no easy street...not even for the toughest. The impact their disabilites have on the family is horrendous and sometimes no matter how many steps you hope to move forward with you take many many more back. My adorable DD Stephanie crashed and burned on Wednesday last week......everything we deal with got to a breaking point for her and she broke. Urgent phone call to the doctor's and then an appointment first thing the next morning...the result.....more referrals and another on anti depressants for major depression. I feel our family is falling apart and that in reality.....life sucks!

Ok onto some other news I have scrapped...yes finally managed the last of the 3 LO's I was required to do for the month of March guest ct'ing for digi designer Karah Fredricks. It was so nice to be able to do this....something I saw as a "me" project and something I accomplished by sitting up into the wee hours of the morning.




Isn't she gorgeous....yep that's my baby girl Stephanie who turns 15 at the end of March.....where did all those years go?!!

Well that's it for tonight....long blog too...hehehehehe sorry for venting but you know if this blog helps just one person (usually me), one family, one situation then it's worth bloggin' about and I know that I have people who regularly pop by and read my ramblings....yep those of a mum, wife and full time carer to those that mean more then the world to me.....my sweetheart Tim and my teenage kids. Till next time take care and stay safe...hugs Chris xoxo

Sunday 15 March 2009

What Are You Looking At?

Hehehehe another Guest CT LO for Karah Fredricks that's what.....lol. I love this photo of Grace taken Christmas Day '08 and love the way this LO turned out too. Seems like there is just too much time between LO's I figured these days with all I do and not much I can do about it either.

Credits

Anyway tonight is just a quick post before I open up PSCS2 again and start scrapping a LO. Went shopping over at Scrapbookgraphics which felt so darn good because it has been ages. Mostly due to the AU and US exchange rates and the fact that it really is very expensive to shop at the moment because of it.

Good buddy Ann-Marie got me onto a kit I just had to have so I have it now and a few more. So I wanna scrap a few awesome photos of Lance using this kit and until then I'm not showing you....hehehehehe.

Well guys I hope your weekend has been great...far too fast in my honest and humblest opinion and so until next bloggin' post take care and stay safe. Hugs Chris xoxo

Wednesday 11 March 2009

We've mooooved in!!

Finished unit


Bathroom and laundry all in one!


Front door and lounge room!


Kitchen


Side and back of unit


Front veranda

Yes it's official.....Lance has moved into his unit in the backyard. It was handed over to us on Friday and we have been slowly setting up the unit as his home away from home. He has been sleeping out there each night and managing well there and usually spends most of his days in the main home but for him to have his own space is fabulous. Yes and there is also a bedroom I for some reason just haven't taken a pick of it.....hummmmm not sure why. Anyhoo since handover we have moved Lance's things in and started to set him up so he has a little bit of independance so he can at least have brekky and snacks in his unit.

Tim and Lance laid a stone path from the unit to the main house yesterday and apart from a few little "niceties" to go, it looks great, we even have some pot plants on the veranda which sets it off fabulously. I will have to take piccies of that too and his unit with his stuff in thus far. We have shopped for a new bed as he has outgrown his single....being 6ft doesn't help so we have a bed and new mattress on order and should get that in a month or so. Fridge went in today....yep full size and now we just need to fill it up a little. We have been looking for a sofa but so far I haven't liked too much in our price range so we keep looking, so for now he is using 2moon chairs we purchased at xmas time for the boys to sit and watch DVD's or play the xbox. we still need to set up a tv antenna and the internet for him so he will be able to watch tele and play his beloved Runescape online.

Ok so that's it for now until next time take care and stay safe....I'm off to scrap! Hugs Chris xoxo

Friday 6 March 2009

Woohoo I am guest CT member for Karah Fredricks.....


.......for the month of March and here is my very first LO I've created with her goodies and I really love the way this LO turned out. The photo of Stephanie is an actual self portrait, yep she took a photo of herself to update her my space profile I think and of course I just had to scrap it.

So what's new you ask......Lance's unit is almost complete and we just have the plumber hooking up the gas for his unit now. Apparently the inspector will be in later today and I do believe if he manages to get here Lance will get the keys within the next few days. Woohoo!! I haven't taken a photo yet as I was out last night with Steps at volleyball....her first game for the season and then it got kinda late and darker earlier then usual. So once everyone is out of the way today I'll grab the camera and take a photo or 2. I'm eager to get inside as they have painted, laid new carpet and lino, new blinds, new light fittings, new windows, new fire/smoke alarms and I am so eager to see the result. A little more patience!

It's the long weekend here (labour day) thank goodness and Tim and I have plans to get into the backyard and tidy up and do a few things. We want to lay a stone path from Lance's unit to our back door and remove a couple of trees we had to take out of the ground to make way for the unit. Hopefully the weather will be perfect although it's freezing now but prefer that to the heatwave and we can manage what we want to accomplish. Anyhoo just a quick update today and I really should go get myself ready as I have a few errands to run. Also off to visit my nan in the nursing home today so until next bloggin', stay safe and take care, hugs Chris xoxo

Thursday 5 March 2009

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday Dad. Today is your 74th birthday and I miss you terribly. 5 months ago you passed away suddenly and I didn't have a chance to say my goodbyes. Love you stacks and miss you heaps. With all my heart and all my love R.I.P Ronald James Charles Parsell. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Wednesday 4 March 2009

Yes another blog update!

Ok so I thought it time to post an update seeing as it's already March and a new season has begun. Oh I so love autumn and the milder days. Such a beautiful season with all it's glorious colours and changes....well it's still hot here down under and the trees are only changing because the heat has burnt all the leaves, there is no water, there is little rain but still it has to be better then the past few months with one of the worst heat waves ever recorded and all the tragic bush fires with a few still burning almost a month later.

Well what's new you ask.......Lance's unit is coming along really well and I do promise to take a photo of the outside and the paint work recently done. It is looking fabulous and even though the colours are cream and green...colours chosen by default by the Department of Human Services who supply the unit, it is fresh and clean and really is coming together now. Lance is a little more excited but at the same time very very anxious as to the HUGE changes taking place and I reassure him continuously that it will all be baby steps for however long it takes. We have so many strategies in place and so many plans that even I am eager to get it all sorted but can't till the unit it finished. Whiteboards and cork boards with daily routines, visual cues/pictures where needed in the unit so he knows how, when and why to do things. Intercom system so we always have that backup, fire safe products in case of fire and the list truly goes on and on. Huge process for us as a family in trying to teach Lance to become even a little independent.....not easy but certainly one we must try with the help of professional disability workers helping long term.

I do want to mention that tomorrow the 5th of March would have been my dads 74th birthday, I even have it marked in my diary and I feel very saddened that he is no longer with us since passing away suddenly on the 6th of October last year. I do think of him all the time and everything that has unfolded since his passing and so much of me wants to yell and scream and say it isn't fair because simply put it isn't. I try to think on all the good things over the years even with the hardships our family always seemed to be in but keeping those good memories in the forefront of my mind helps ease the pain a little. R.I.P Ronald James Parsell....love you and miss you terribly. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

I have scrapped a couple of LO's for BSM....can't show you though but that's ok because that just means you have to wait a little longer to see them......lol and while I am on that topic I have to share my exciting and totally unexpected news with you......Ann-Marie asked if I wanted to be a part of Karah Fredricks (Owner of Blue Flombingo and selling at Oscraps) guest CT for the month of March in "bring a buddy to work" approach. Of course I said yes because wow what an opportunity and I miss scrapping so much because I am so so full on busy and I decided I needed some "me time" and I needed it now. So look out for those LO's and when I am done here for today I plan to start scrapping for Karah. BTW thank you so much Ann-Marie and Karah for this awesome opportunity....more so that you think my scrapping is worthy enough!

Ok well that'll do for now and until next bloggin', take care and stay safe. Hugs Chris xoxo