bee and rose

The Good... Road Trip!  We are off this week to Sacramento, CA so that Miss Irish Dancer Girl can compete in the Western Region Oireachtas (pronounced O-Rock-tus)! This is a regional competition that requires an invitation from your dance instructor to qualify for attending!  All good luck wishes welcome here! The Sad...  Chilly lost his health insurance without any warning on Thursday.  As you might imagine this is seriously devastating to our family.  For those of you not familiar with my blog, Chilly (my husband) is terminally ill.  Without insurance, his health care needs are extremely expensive.  He needs very expensive medications and multiple monthly doctor visits (that are only affordable through insurance) to survive...literally. (and I'm not talking only "long term"...he needs it for his short term survival.) I can't really say much more without sobbing all over my computer monitor.   The Ugly... All I can say here is that ...

The last few weeks have flown by in a blur. School activities, the medical rounds with Chilly, and the very unexpected passing of my Aunt Lil have made for a stressful time around here.  I remember spending hours as a child copying Aunt Lil's handwriting because I wanted mine to be as lovely as hers.  I will miss her with my whole heart. My heart aches deeply for my Uncle Ben who has lost his soulmate and for my Dad...she was his sister. As always, music has again uplifted our spirits during this difficult time.  Connor and I (along with his best friend) headed up to Phoenix to see Paramore in concert a few days ago.  It was simply AWESOME.                                                   (Connor..on the right) We had amazing seats (as you can see from my photos!) I've been to many, many concerts, but this one takes the cake! T...

Whew!  Company is gone....school is officially underway at our house...my menopausal brain continues to short out regularly (why did I come in this room again?  how did I get to this part of town?)...it's back to normal at the Smith house. Keepin' it short and sweet today...found a little somethin' for Chilly... Who wouldn't want an adorable cuddly kidney to squeeze at bedtime?  Here Chilly...for you... Yep...urine in my thoughts, Chilly...hope you're having a pee-ceful day.... I didn't realize how adorable my own organs were until I saw this last night... This is my intestine!  Isn't she cute???  Apparently, she loves it when I drink my Yakult probiotics beverage daily!  Awww... Bet ya' didn't know how cute your insides were!  And talented too!  Mine blows bubbles...really...it's on film!  Check it out...my intestine made a commercial! You're welcome...I know...you couldn't have gone another minute without see...

When I was a wee girl, I was enamored by this lovely bag... Yes, indeed-y! I desperately wanted   Mary Poppins ' carpet bag! She pulled a hat stand out of that bag for heaven's sake!  And a potted plant, a floor lamp, an ornate wall mirror and of course, that magical measuring tape!  I wanted Mary Poppins to measure me with that magic tape so badly!  I was sure my measurement would read just like Jane's... " Rather inclined to giggle...Doesn't put stuff away.."   I have a feeling it probably looks more like this... Maybe someday it will say "Practically Perfect in Every Way" ....just like Mary Poppins ...sigh....I hope she shows up around here soon.... Actually, I would be delighted if Nanny McPhee would make an appearance around here too...Chilly could use a few of Nanny McPhee's lessons.  This is for you, Chilly... Miss Cat and I joined some fabulous friends to go see "Nanny McPhee Returns" at the movie theater yes...

Welcome to another fine edition of Dear So and So... brought to you by the lovely Kat over at 3 Bedroom Bungalow! And off we go! Dear Teen Caveboy, Let's review the "quality of childcare assessment"  your darling little sister handed to me yesterday detailing the incidents that occurred while in your care...(her words are in bold.)... Bad (apparently there was a doll~napping for ransom...) Not Good   (hint...knocking on her door and running away is just goofy...especially after the 400th time...) Very Bad (for bothering her while she was enjoying some Polly Pocket cruise time and a movie...) Annoying (I know...it's just who you are...) Sometimes Funny   (well now...here's a spot of sunshine...) Here are some helpful hints for today's adventure in sister~sitting.... *There will be no doll~napping...(unless of course, she actually pays the ransom, then I'll take a 50% cut...) *Keep in mind that there will come a day when she will spy on you and ...

I'm officially residing in the Land of Blog once again!  Woo hoo!  Here's a recent photo of me...(ok...not really me, but a good depiction of my life as of late!) This is one of the reasons for my blogging absence...my new deafness in my right ear..more on those sordid details in another post.... Now, I promised you the story about Chilly's Near Death Experience and I'm going to deliver it right now! Let us begin... As you may remember, Chilly had a triple bypass surgery in March 2008.  He died for 6 minutes during his recovery.  Those six minutes completely changed his life.   Prior to his bypass, Chilly was blessed with many loved ones telling him they would pray for him and his speedy recovery.  He shared with me that he thought all that praying was a waste of time...that it wouldn't make a difference anyway.  Well, we all prayed for him anyway. Chilly was very negative about the surgery and it's outcome...just overall negative about every...

I've really been a blogging slacker lately....It seems that my days just fly by so quickly with running Chilly all over the place, home~schooling the kiddos, and now it appears that Chilly has probably suffered a couple of mini~strokes. I've received tons of emails inquiring about my bloggy absence and Chilly's health. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind concern.  I'm overwhelmed by your kind thoughts and prayers!  Here's a quick update on the Chillmeister.... Even though he realizes he has suffered some form of stroke (or most probable...multiple mini~strokes) Chilly is being stubborn and refusing medical treatment.  He feels it won't stop the inevitable and may even make things worse. It is enormously frustrating.  It just feels like we are always in limbo...waiting for something to improve or decline.  In addition to all of this, my son's friend lost his mother to cancer last weekend. We attended her funeral this past week. Overall, i...

Happy Monday, ya'll! I think the flu has finally flown from our domicile! It's been a rough few weeks around here! As many of you know, my husband ordered up a stroke / heart attack combo during the month of August. We've had to make lots of changes to accomodate Chilly's new way of life. The most significant change is his mobility. He is now able to walk with the use of a cane. This is his current fashion accessory...the Bubba Stick.... Did you know that there's a whole world of "cane" fashion out there?! Every time we are out and about, we end up in some kind of cane "show and tell" situation...seriously, this happens all of the time! People are super proud of their canes! Personally, if I needed a cane, I would use this one... It comes with a built in flask that holds a double shot of liquor...how convenient! You can purchase this at www.vampire.co.uk! Apparently, vampires love to use canes! Who knew?! Chilly would love to add this ...

Hello...?...? (peeks head in..)...Is anyone here??.... I've missed you all so much! I've been busy dragging Chilly to physical therapy multiple times per week (trying to get him up walking again) as well as going to lots of follow-up doctor appointments trying to keep him among the living. His doctors are 45 minutes away. As a matter of fact, my day usually begins with Willie Nelson whispering "On the Road Again" in my ear... it's kind of like that movie "Groundhog Day" where Bill Murray wakes up every day to "I've Got You, Babe". Thanks, Chilly...the good times just keep coming with you! So, Chilly and I took Catherine out to see " Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs ." It was a FABULOUS day! First of all, there was no pink bucket tagging along.......What? What does a pink bucket have to do with taking your wee gi rl to a movie? Pink Bucket hasn't left Chilly's side since he was in the hospital. I'm sure you...

Life is slowly returning to "normal" (a new normal) around the Bee and Rose.... I've come to realize during this ordeal with Chilly that I am definitely a C reature of Habit . I found that even during my trips to the hospital over the last month, I created a routine. I always stopped at the small cafe in the hospital lobby for coffee before heading up to Chilly's room. After arriving in Chilly's room, I would fluff the pillows and blankets for him, clean up his tray table, then freshen his water. I would then make all of the family phone calls to update everyone on his condition. I did this every single day in the same order. Shortly after arriving home with Chilly, I realized I was continuing the same routine at home, but now had added dispensing medications, checking blood sugar and blood pressure, and occupational therapy to the daily rounds. I think routine is like a huge security blanket for me. Do you have any routines that are your "security b...

"Did You Know" Tuesday has returned! And away we go! Did You Know.... that mild mannered Bee (that would be me...) yelled at a nurse when she didn't come to check on Chilly for OVER 6 HOURS??? Did you know that this same nurse said to me that if my husband needed her, he should have pressed the nurse call button? Did you know that when I said he was unable to do so because he had a stroke and heart attack, that Nursey McNasty smirked and said "well, can't he use his good arm?" (Uh, let's review...Would that be the arm that he was having the blood transfusion in or the one he was unable to use because of the stroke?) Oh, yes..she actually said that to me...BIG MISTAKE... Had I not been there during those 6 hours, Chilly would have aspirated multiple times due to his severe nausea, would not have had any liquids or would have been unable to go to the restroom. His blood sugars also dropped dangerously low. I was able to find a PCT nurse to help with t...

We are home....now a new journey lies before us. Over the last ten days, I have been told that Chilly's prognosis is very poor. It's highly unlikely he will survive the next two years. (The manner in which that news was delivered to me is a blogpost in itself...) His heart, kidneys and brain are just deteriorating too rapidly for his body to continue on much beyond that. I, however, have seen Chilly cheat death on many occasions. I am holding on to hope that he will this time as well. I am overwhelmed with emotion when I read all of your very loving and supportive comments. They were a lifeline to me and my children during the last ten days. Thank you from the very bottom of my truly grateful heart. In a few brief seconds, our lives irrevocably changed on Friday, August 14. That's all it took for the stroke to occur and set the heart attack in motion as well. We are savoring every second we have together as a family. The likelihood of another stroke is incredibl...

(from Young Frankenstein...a family favorite) Just wanted to quickly update Chilly's condition.... He's still in the hospital. He's out of ICU and in a step down unit. We are now dealing with brain swelling that is causing him pretty severe nausea and vertigo. He is unable to keep food down with any success. On the upside, his kidney function is much improved. His blood sugars seem to be in control. Those are steps in the right direction. His heart function is still poor. The doctors are watching him very closely, but are unable to run tests because of the extreme nausea. Those will come later. It's going to be a very long road to rehabilitation. Chilly's stroke was in the cerebellum so his motor skills on the left side were impacted. He's unable to walk right now. He has facial numbness on the left side. He suffers from some pretty severe tremors all along his left side. His left arm is a bit wonky. ...