WOWZAHS

I know, I know- it's been AGES since I've posted.  And what's a blog post without a picture?  So, I'm just going to post a picture quickly.  This is a picture of myself, Quinlynne, my brother Aaron, sister in-law Mandy, and nieces Abby, Cadyn & Jenny Paige.  We had these taken way back in June.  So- the girls have grown since then and I'm sure the adults have only improved with age.  (Except, this is my birthday month and I have now found 2 gray hairs!!!!  What am I going to do??) 

Catch-up

It sure has been a while since I've posted, huh? Well, back in February I got to go on a cruise!! I know, crazy, right? I went on the cruise with one of my dearest friends, Lorena. Lorena and I met the first week of college (August of 1994) when we were both residents on the same hall at OU. Imagine our surprise when we showed up for church on Sunday and each other was there! Over the years at OU, Lorena came home to Broken Arrow with me many a time and became part of the family. In turn, I went home to the Houston area with Lorena and met aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. I was once the only white person at a Quincenera...I could hear the surprise when I could dance at the Quince, too.... "La alta gringa bailla!!!!" Anyhow, over the years Lorena and I have kept in touch. She has previously discovered the joy of cruising, and she thought I needed to discover it as well. So, we planned a 5 day cruise. GLORIOUS!!!! I'll admit, at the end of day 3 I did break at the phone to look at pictures of my child. But, as we were packing up I thought "I could handle a few more days of this." I was actually really sick when we took off on the cruise, I'd had to have two bags of IV fluid the day before we left & the Dr. had told me to stick to a bland diet. UH....don't think that'll happen on a cruise ship. I absolutely loved cruising! I loved lying out on the deck getting some sun, the yummy food, the different ports we went to....I loved getting to be an adult & not a mom. I even cut loose! I did a little crazy dance on the pier in Progreso, shook my groove thang a little.

After my cruise, I had surgery. What?? They cut you open, Shandolynne? Why- yes, they did. On March 5 I had a panniculectomy. You may ask what that is. Basically, they cut my hangy tummy off. After 5 hours of surgery, the Dr. had removed more than 21 lbs of skin. As he said to my mom "No wonder her back was hurting!" I did spend one night in the hospital, for pain control. It was odd to be the patient. The techs came in the next morning and asked to give me a bed bath. It was actually an internal moral dilemma for me.....there was a student there and who was I to deny her a learning experience?? And I'd be easy- I could move myself, etc. Anyhow, I had 2 JP drains, which were inserted on the pubic....mound, if you will.

I had, and still have an elastic binder which I must wear, except when I shower. I could not shower for 17 days. That was horrible.

This is me right now. I have edema going on, since the 2nd drain fell out and was still putting out about 200 mL of fluid a day. So, I am waiting for the edema to go away, which feels like it never will. But, I know that when I can begin work as an RN, I won't have this surgery looking me in the eye & hopefully my back will hold up!!

Christmas dresses

Since Quinlynne's first Christmas, I couldn't decide on one dress that was cute enough to be her only Christmas dress. Luckily, as you may know, I always shopped at Just Between Friends and was able to purchase absolutely adorable dresses for good prices. This year was no exception. Quinlynne had 4 dresses for Christmas. I believe the most expensive dress was $15. Not bad, eh? It was a great Christmas for the Hoffman clan. My camera is not doing so well, so I'm afraid I don't really have any pictures to show. Sorry- just take my word for it.

Dress 1

Dress 2

Dress 3

Dress 4

Us on Christmas after church.

Speaking of Pumpkin Patches

Here's a picture of Quinlynne's first trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Uncle Aaron made a special trip home from OSU for this.

Here's the pumpkin patch this year:

Where does the time go? *sigh* I need another one.

Kindergarten Field Trip

Quinlynne went on her first field trip in Kindergarten. She begged & begged for me to go & "help". I could think of no good reason to get me out of it. I just didn't know how I was going to be with other people's kids! As you may know, my patience does not rank up there with Job's. I rode out to the pumpkin patch, which was about 20 or so miles away- maybe farther with another mom who is a friend of mine. Her daughter goes to another school. It was about 45 minutes before Quinlynne got there. Luckily, I was only put in charge of one other little kid. She was a good girl- so I was relieved. This was not the same pumpkin patch where Quinlynne & I usually go. We go to Carmichael's in Bixby, OK. That is the patch where my mom used to take my brother & me. Now- we take our kids there. (As a little side note here...I have tried to do things over & over so Quinlynne will have traditions. I never wanted her to NOT have the same kinds of traditions because we do not have a "traditional" family...ya know...mom, dad & kid(s). I must be succeeding b/c the next week when I announced we were going to the pumpkin patch Quinlynne asked if we were going to "our" pumpkin patch & started telling me all of the things we had to do when we got there. Made me feel good!)

Here are some pictures from her field trip: She got to "milk a cow". I thought that was pretty cute. They had bottles they use for livestock in 5 gallon puckets with water inside. The kids squeezed the bottle nipples & "milked" the cows.

They got to rope a "calf" while they were on a "horse". Quinylnne was very sad when I told her she had to throw away her lunch bag. She had worked so hard on that bag. Can you see the pumpkin towards the bottom? This was the face she gave me when I told her we weren't going to carry it around & she needed to throw it away.

The kids got to have gunny sack races. Very cute. Overall- it was a good first field trip. I only scared one kid. He kept on throwing this dried corn all over & this other chaperone asked him to stop several times. He'd look at her & ignore her. I told him to stop. Again- ignored us. I finally grabbed his arm, got down on his level, looked him in the eye & very calmly told him to STOP throwing the corn. We weren't going to ask again. I'm pretty sure he wet his pants.

It's test time

...so of course I'm going to publish a blog post. So much has been going on in our lives, that I don't even know where to begin. Quinlynne is in Kindergarten. Can you believe that? Doesn't it seem like just a few days ago this little girl: became this little girl? (Tilt your head, I haven't edited yet.) She has said some of the most hilarious things. Her first day of school I was leaving her in her classroom. I got about 3 steps out of the door and she said "Momma!" I was turning around expecting to see a sad face, or the beginnings of a meltdown. Instead she blew me a kiss. That's a big girl. (What's even funnier about the whole thing is that just as we were walking out the door my mom told me that she made it out the door from delivering me to my first day of Kindergarten. I called her name & she expected to see my ugly cry beginning. Nope, I waved & said "Have a good day!") Genetics folks....

Soon I'll have to post about the guy who tried to hit on me at Barnes & Noble when Quinlynne & I went there to read the new Fall & Halloween books. But- that'll take too much time right now. I mean, I AM supposed to be studying. Oh- & I need to tell you about my experience in school so far this semester. But, before I go- there is a link I'd like to share wtih you. Please go here and read about a friend of mine & the injustice which has occurred to her.

Silly Shandolynne

I don't know how many of you can relate to this. But- I just need to express it. Do you know how much it stings the heart to find out that a man you have always carried a flame in your heart for- even though you haven't been together in over a decade- and he has moved on & had more children & you have had a child...and you know he's been with a woman & even in your deepest crevices of your heart you know it won't happen for the two of you & you continue to have tender feelings for him & the two of you communicate & know there's still love between the two of you....to see he is now engaged to that woman? Even though you know it's not a good thing for him. It breaks my haert just a little more. Silly Shandolynne- don't open up your heart.

What a Weekend

This weekend was our annual Hardwick Cousin Family Reunion. (My mom's maiden name is Hardwick.) It was held in Allen, OK. Each year our reunions have a theme. The theme for this year was Mardi Gras. One of the activities was a Mardi Gras parade. Each family was supposed to do something. Mom left to go to Allen on Thursday with her brother. She informed myself & my SIL (Mandy) that we were in charge of coming up with an idea for the float. I have more pictures of it coming, but....Mandy & I made tutus for the girls in Mardi Gras colors. We called Mom to tell her & she said she wanted one too. So.......
There was more to the costume than this- but doesn't mom look HOT in the tutu? Speaking of hot...it was HOT at the reunion.

Since Mandy & I stayed up until 4 am making the tutus, I didn't get much sleep before it was time for us to leave and drive the 2 hours down to Allen. It was 98 degrees (at least, no exaggeration) during the day. I only got about 40 oz of water during the day. I was outside quite a bit. So, total- I spent about 6 hours driving during the day. I decided to drive home & when I got home- this is what my edematous feet looked like.
Isn't it sexy? It was starting to swell up into my legs. I hadn't had swelling that bad since I was pregnant with Quinlynne. I don't even think this picture does it justice.

Things I heard this weekend: Quinlynne "Abby, do you know what booby cracks are for?"
Abby "What?!?!"
Quinlynne "Ya know- women's booby cracks? They're so men will fall in love with them."
Me trying to not make noise laughing in the front seat.
Abby "My mom doesn't have that I don't think. I never see it."
Quinlynne "My momma has it."
Abby "I see it sometimes too."

As Quinlynne & I were driving back home last night, she was watching "Because of Winn Dixie". Just as we were getting on I-40, she started laughing. I heard her laughing & wondered what she was laughing at. She said "Momma- know why I'm laughing?"
Me "No. Why are you laughing?"
Quinlynne "I heard thunder & I it made me kinda wake up. It was in the movie, but I thought it was in our country."
I guess I'm gonna have to talk about the word "reality" & teach her the definition & when to use it. That kid cracks me up. "In our country" & "Booby cracks".

Might I Suggest

Last week I was making some cookies. My cookie scoop had gone kaput & I was somewhat distraught. I enjoy having near-perfectly round cookies. So, I ran by Wal-Mart (when my heart really cried for William Sonoma) to see if they might accidentally have a cookie scoop. Might I suggest this little beauty:

The Oneida cookie scoop. Most usually, I love anything by Oneida. I think they make a good product. This beauty was around $7.00 and has a lifetime warranty! Both my sister in-law & I have used it already. We both loved using it. So- if you're in the market for a new, cheap kitchen goody- go for this! (Notice I have more blogging? Can you tell school's not in session??)

I hate stuff like THIS

So, I have a real problem with people making money off of Jesus. Bumper stickers that say Honk if you Love Jesus make me want to rear end the person. I just think it's disrespectful to our Savior. Several things of this nature I witnessed today. But- this was the cherry on top.
I think that is so tacky. I think it's disrespectful to our Savior. I think relationships with Jesus are meant to me sacred, not commercialized so someone can make money off of Him. I saw it (sticker) in a parking lot & HAD to stop & take a picture of it for a friend who no longer lives in the Bible Belt. I know she misses seeing this sort of thing!

Funny things from Thursday

Yesterday Quinlynne had an allergy skin testing done. She was pitching a fit, she thought it was going to really hurt. I finally bribed her with Mozzarella Sticks from Sonic. She loves those. I had to take this picture so she could actually see what was going on back there.Turns out, she does not have any allergies. I know!! Weird, huh? The child does have some sinus issues, and she will most likely develop allergies as she gets older. She has vasomotor rhinitis. I'd never heard of it. The CT scan did show that she has some chronic sinus infection that has most likely been up in there for a while. She also has this inflamed area on her septum which severely impedes the flow of oxygen. We're supposed to use a nasal spray to try to reduce the inflammation.

Last night as my sister in-law & I were in the living room talking, we banned Quinlynne & Abby to Quin's room. They decided they were going to clean the room. Whatever- as long as they were out of our hair. It wasn't until I heard something being sprayed in the room that I was concerned. I asked Quinlynne what she was spraying. "It's that stuff in the bathroom that we spray after we poop." She meant Lysol. I had to contain myself.

Adorable sayings

I wanted to write down some things Quinlynne has said recently so I didn't forget them.

We went to have a CT scan of Quinlynne's sinuses on Tuesday. I was trying to prepare her for how it would work. She, of course, was concerned with whether she was going to be poked with any needles. Anticipating that she would not need any contrast for a scan I told her NO. I told her how she would lie on a table and the table would slide back & forth into a big machine, but only her head. I had referred to it as either a CT scan or a CAT scan. She was asking questions, like if it was going to be like the x-ray she had when she broke her arm. She says "Momma, am I going to have to remove my clothing?" Now I ask you, what 5 year old says things like 'remove my clothing'? So, we get to the children's hospital and check in. As we're sitting there waiting, Quinlynne says "Momma, is my kitty x-ray going to hurt?" Inside, I was dying. I thought it was hilarious. As it ends up, we had to walk over to the radiology department in the main hospital (There was no tech to come over to the Children's hospital to perform the scan.) for her scan. So, I made Quinlynne tell the people there what she was there for. The lady at the window thought it was so cute, but didn't let on that she thought it was hilarious. She went to get the other ladies in the office & had Quinlynne tell them the name of her procedure. It then evolved to a Kitty Scan. Too cute, I tell you.

Last night I made stir fry. It's nothing too fancy. I just throw in onions, bell peppers, garlic, polish sausage, and then some portobello mushrooms. I had cut the mushrooms into chunks. I then served it with some pasta (rigatoni) I had boiled with chicken flavor bullion. As I dished it up and gave it to Quinlynne, she said "Momma, I don't want the dead meat." I thought that was what she said. I looked at her bowl to see what in the heck she was talking about. She was pointing to the mushrooms & again said "Momma, I don't want the dead meat. Ya know- this dead chicken right here." I have no clue where she has seen chicken look like that. But- apparently she has.

Is This Artist MY Kid- or What?

Check out the outfit....all the way down to the feet. If you know me at all, you know how I feel about feet & toenails. Is this my kid, or what? She took the time to do Barbie's toes!!!

PRE-K graduation Round 2

I'm sure I've told you before- but since Quinlynne is a late August birthday, I went ahead and had her do a second year of Pre-K. So, she will be starting Kindergarten this August, right before she turns 6. She has been going to the same school she has always gone to, but thankfully they have 2 Pre-K classes. Quinlynne had Mr. Cody for a teacher last year and this year she's had Ms. Pam. She recently had her graduation, and she was so excited for it this year.

On a separate note, I've been trying to teach Quinlynne the art of and importance of correspondence. I really do believe it is a lost art. I can't tell you the number of gifts I've given in the last 2 years and have not received a Thank You note. Seriously- graduation gifts, wedding gifts, baby gifts, teacher appreciate gifts...it ticks me off. How hard can it be? Sure, sure- I may have let a gift slip by without a thank you note...but I can probably count them on less than one hand. (Toot, toot!) All that to get to this: there is a teacher at Quinlynne's school who is expecting a baby. I was unaware that this teacher was pregnant. Quinlynne informed me of this and said "I'd really like to get a 'Congratulations' card to her, momma. OK?" I thought it was adorable & it made this momma proud that Quinlynne is paying attention. Also- Ms. Pam's husband had a hip replacement and when Quinlynne told me this, she asked if there was a card for that. Oh- my baby is catching on!

Hair

We've been trying to grow Quinlynne's hair longer than normal. She & I both usually like to keep her hair a with about chin length. With curls like hers, when the hair starts getting long the ends look terrible, dry & it tangles like crazy. (Combing out tangles also does not help the ends look any better!) We've been trying a few more things to help it not look so dry & for her curls to stick together more. About once weekly I've been taking Organic Coconut Oil and finger-combing it through her hair. I also massage her scalp very well during this process. I then put a shower cap on her head, and she leaves it on for a few hours. Sometimes she sleeps with it on at times. Then when it is time to shower, we don't use shampoo. What??? No shampoo??? Are you freakin' nuts?? Are you disgusting & dirty or what?? We actually are doing a thing called co'pooing. We use conditioner to cleanse her hair. You wouldn't believe how nice, soft & healthy her hair is looking.
My cousin actually did her hair this day. But look- she's having to show off her soccer trophy!
I've also been trying to do more with her hair. I'm not the most creative with hair. I'm doing good to get mine done. I've been consulting some different websites to get ideas. Here are a few things we've been doing. Considering I do not know how to French braid (I really need to learn)- we're getting better. I've done this particular look this way, diagonally across her head, upside down, and in pigtails. She likes it! BTW- we have a hair appointment to get her hair cut tomorrow. She can't wait to get it cut- she wants to get it done...mainly because (I think) she likes her hairdresser, whose name is Peaches!

Soccer, anyone?

Quinlynne has just completed her first season of soccer. She loved it. She really started catching on and got some hustle to her about halfway through the season. We were really blessed to have a team of 6 girls and all the girls got along, as did the parents. Doesn't that just make things so much easier? I think Quinlynne ended up scoring 4 goals over the duration of the season, and she is awfully proud of those. The last practice of the season was at Braum's & the coach bought the girls all some ice cream. (He then ordered himself a meal to wolf down before he had to go to a meeting and Quinlynne tried to just reach over and get herself a fry from his tray.) Each of the girls got a trophy, and Quinlynne is so proud of it. She keeps saying "It's my very first trophy!" As her mother- I hope she earns many more trophies- since she was so excited for this first one. I love to see the excitement at a tangible monument of her accomplishment. Way to go, Momma's Precious!!

A little bit o' Weather

I've grown up in Tornado Alley. I do not love Tornado Season. We do not head to the bathroom when the Tornado Warning hits- otherwise we'd be in the bathroom for days. We don't even head to the bathroom when the storm siren sounds. Instead, like every good Okie, when the siren sounds we go outside & look for the impending wall cloud or funnel coming towards us. We do not panic until we see the funnel starting above us or coming towards us. However, we do take precautions.

Last night we had quite a little storm system come through. The area we live in is between cities. So, when the news focuses in on the Oneta area, we know we're in trouble. The tornado that hit Haskell last night ended up coming just south of us, thank goodness. We did get a sudden downpour of rain and wind blowing different ways. Quinlynne has to prepare the bathroom "just in case". We put our sneakers on in case something were to happen- we'd have protection for our feet instead of our dear flip flops. Then we found a use for Quinlynne's helmet. Thank goodness!

Oh my goodness, really??

I have been on a kick lately of visiting antique stores. It's my version of "going green". I'm reusing!! I thought to myself "Gee Shandolynne, you're really getting old when you go to these antique stores and you think 'I remember using that!!'" Then I said something about remembering the Otasco stores. The older gentleman working at the store said "You're THAT OLD??" I told him indeed I was, and I'd take it as a good sign that I looked good if he found it hard do believe I remembered Otascos. So- this is the Piece de Resistance: This morning Quinlynne was watching cartoons on Disney. In between the modern cartoons they show short classic cartoons. I told Quinlynne that those cartoons I used to watch when I was a little girl. (It was one with Daffy Duck.)
Quinlynne: On Disney Channel, momma??
Me: No. We didn't have Disney Channel, Quinlynne.
Quinlynne: Why not?
Me: We didn't have cable when I was little.
Long pause.
Quinlynne: Did you have electricity when you were little?
Long pause.
Me: Yes, Quinlynne!!! (snidely) We had electricity!!! We just didn't have cable yet.

Wonderful start to my Mother's Day! The child has a thing or two to learn about history.
For Mother's Day we had a fun picnic at one of the parks here in town. It was great to be able to spend time with my mom, Connie, Mandy, Aaron & my nieces, my cousin Penny & her husband John, and Uncle Charlie. We did use the new quilt, again! It was a beautiful day!! And to top it off?? I get to have my niece Cadyn this week! Quinlynne has already asked if she can pretend she's her little sister.

Its Maiden Picnic

Did I ever post that I have taken up a new hobby? For years now I have been wanting to quilt. I've always been quite daunted by it, though. I didn't have enough faith in my sewing abilities. So- I decided to grab the bull by the horns and go for it. It has been a little labor of love. I decided my first quilt was going to be something for Quinlynne & I. I picked colors that were kind of girly. I wanted this quilt to be one we could take on picnics, to sporting events, etc. (Let me interject here- a few days ago I went into an antiques shop & the lady there was quilting. I mentioned to her that I was almost finished with my first quilt. She could NOT believe that I was going to use it for the above listed purposes. Seriously?? I think quilts should be utilitarian.) Today we had a ward picnic, and I was excited to take the new quilt on its maiden picnic.

Quinlynne had to pose on the new quilt. She likes it a lot, I do believe. I can't wait to start my next quilt!!

The Morning After

I was unable to go to clinicals today. So, I WAS able to see Quinlynne's reaction to her pillow this morning. Here it is....It's not the greatest picture- but look at her expression. She was so excited to take that for her nap time!

As a side note- how should I feel when I'm on several LDS singles web sites and I have absolutely ZERO profile views. No one looks at my profile. Do they just see my profile pic in the preview and decide it's not worth even checking out the rest of the profile? I mean really, if you were me- what would your thoughts be?