Update on Life in General!

Well, I haven't clayed much since doing the baby shower ornament (baby's first ornament), but I hope to soon. I do stay active in my clay group online though for encouragement and variety. They're a very supportive group and I learn a lot from them. Some of them are the best clayers ever!
You can check out some of the work at pcagoe.com too. You can also vote for the best entry of the month there every first week of the month. You may win something! Otherwise, it's been a tough month just generally speaking because of health issues, but at least the doctor gave me a little something to help with pain (from the fibromyalgia). Better than nothing.
On a brighter note, most of our shopping for Tamara is done (our almost ten year old). Plus her birthday which is the 17th of December. Just a couple more things to get is all. We're not buying for adults this year-can't afford it, but that is expected from the families as no one else is either, so...
She'll be so surprised too. We got an unexpected gift; even we didn't expect it! It's a Wii with all the attachments and about 15 fun games along with it! We only did this because QVC let us pay it off monthly at an affordable rate or we couldn't have at all. We also got her an MP3 player which was on sale at a good price and a kid's digital camera. For the price though, it has a web cam and video clips which she'll like for You Tube. There's more of course, but just this n that, comparatively speaking. She'll be happy. Of course, we'll all have fun with the Wii!
That's it for now. More later,
If I don't get back sooner,
Merry Christmas to all!

Finally Back!

Well, sorry it's been so long to post, but for awhile we had no internet-after we moved on our own that is. It sucks having no TV and no internet, trust me! We watched movies at night, and during the day I just cleaned house and read and took care of my daughter after school-not much to do. I haven't done any claying in awhile, but plan to start soon-I need the therapy. Thank goodness I brought my stuff! In one truck full of stuff, I insisted on having it along because I knew the day would come I'd want it and need it for therapy if nothing else.
We don't plan to get our things in Tucson storage until Jan., that is, IF the money comes in for the moving truck. I hope so, as I'd like to see my 22 yr. old son, along with our sofas and things! We have two recliners, so at least there's that!
My fibromyalgia has been acting up a lot since we moved and I had to go to a doctor here by paying cash as I have no insurance in this state. We can't afford it yet, and it could be awhile. It's hard affording the medicine, even at Costco's, which is by far the cheapest place on earth for medicine I KNOW for a fact. Plus the doc would only prescribe a low acting pain killer since I'm new without records and all, but it is better than nothing. I did well making what I had last for three months as it is. Rick is getting painting business, which was the point of moving here, to get more work, but this month it slowed down again. We are trusting God for more work so that Tamara's Christmas will be decent. We only worry about her.
Speaking of health care, how are you thinking about all this Obama Care? I'm not for it-I think it tends toward Socialism and will affect the cost of health care a lot, not to mention make it hard to see a doctor, like in Canada. My mom's doctor in Az told her it would make things much worse in getting a doctor esp. for Seniors and in rural areas like theirs. Sucks. I don't think doctors like it much despite what Obama people say. Well, that's my two bits. At least it's updated finally! If you read through, thanks a million!

We're Moved To California Now!

Well, time has passed once again. How it flies!
We arrived at Rick's parents' apt at literally 1:38 am! We ate and talked a bit and went to bed at 3 am! Didn't really get to sleep until about 5 though...so tired the next day, but oh well. The next day, his mom was anxious to show us some places she'd found, though we don't quite have the money yet...
Anyway, we can't go to a studio apt. because only two people can go into one legally. Rick has a bid out on a house (to paint it), and another tomorrow-hopefully they'll pan out. Also, he has signed onto different apartment complexes to paint for them as a private vendor and should get calls shortly, and can schedule them into his work agenda. He has his license and insurance already, so everything is going well. We are staying at his parents' and his aunt Shirley's alternately. They live about 46 miles apart, no biggie.
Some more good news: I finally got back into my clay club-yeah (pcagoe.com)! The Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy. I love that group of people-they're all so artistic and diverse in their art of claying. Every one of them is SOOOOO talented too, it's inspiring to see their works. My clay stuff is presently at his aunt Shirley's-inside the house of course where it won't get hot. Bakersfield does seem to be somewhat humid, esp. compared to Tucson where we came from.
My birthday was the 3rd of August (Rick's is the 8th)-same year, 1960. His parents took us out to a Mexican dinner that night. It was really nice.
On a personal level, there was a situation I had to straighten out to make amends and make things right. Apparently, when Rick and I were separated for a few years before we got back together a couple years ago, I called his sister-in-law a not very nice name. I can't remember doing it, but I do believe it because I was very angry at Rick then and lashed out at people close to him or connected to him. She and his brother had nothing to do with our problems and it was not their fault in the least and it was wrong-I can't even fathom why I would have done that, but none-the-less I apologized and asked that we could be friends once again, and she was cool with that. Phew! I'm glad she accepted my apology because I want no friction in the family at all and want to make amends to everyone. I did that to his parents a few years ago in writing and they forgave me...so we're all on a good note now, thankfully. Even if I hadn't said anything to her, I'd have apologized just to keep the peace and do the Christian thing. But, as I said, in my anger and hurt at the family in general back then I'm sure I did. We all say or do dumb stuff sometimes out of anger and/or hurt that we later regret and wonder where our brains went when we did! Then we tuck back in the closet of our brain and forget about it until someone or some thing reminds us...but it's for the best. These things need to be cleared out and taken care of or they'll fester up like a sore.
Anyway, I'm going to try to get back into claying as soon as I can, but with the temporary housing and all I'm not sure when. When we move into our own place we'll only have minimal things to put away as we just brought a truck full of boxes plus two dressers and a mattress. That's it! We'll have to return to Tucson for the rest in storage as soon as we can afford the gas and uhaul and time, etc., etc... But the time will come. I'm secretly hoping we can make an extra detour and go by my folks, not only so I can see them (it's been over a year now) but so that I can get my stuff from there. Hopefully the place will have an extra room or garage-we're trying for that.
Well, time to go now. I'm going to sign up on Flickr for my clay group so I can see all the beautiful works of art from the group. I think you go to the PCAGOE Flickr area to see the art works without joining the team there. Not sure how that works. Give it a try if you wish and see. Also, check out pcagoe.com and see what's happening with our monthly challenge and such...also there's a mini-"biography" on there each month that's very interesting about a member of our club.
Well, for now, take care,
Pam

Things Change Quickly!!!

Well, it seems my son is NOT moving with us. He and his room mate and the room mate's wife worked it all out. They had a good, long talk. That's good.
As for us, my husband has decided we are moving to California. He's been thinking of it for some time. It's because we cannot make enough here in Arizona, which is a "right-to-work" state. That means wages are usually lower than most states. We literally scrape by. It sucks. There, he can paint and make much more. He did before he moved to Texas (when we were separated).
SO, how quickly things change. We'll be going within 2-3 weeks it seems. We'll probably be going into a studio to start until he can get things going as a painter. He has to be a private vendor, as they put it. Within a couple weeks things will pick up. Within a couple months, hopefully, we can afford to go to a larger place. We have to leave so much here in storage and come back for it. So, that's how it is. Glad we got Cricket, because you just change your phone number to a local number over there and put the device back on the computer, that's all. Simple.
No cable hook-ups or anything! Sweet.
Well, that's it for now. Thanks for tuning in.
Oh, yeah, still haven't joined my clay club-still can't afford it. Came close, but not quite. That sucks too. But, oh well. I'll be busy packing and when not packing, reading my romance novels I got from the office here.
Pam

Back To Blogging (I Hope)!

HI EVERYONE! How's it going? Well, I've gotten behind again (nothing unusual for me) so I haven't been blogging lately. I hate being behind on things, don't you? What kills me is that I don't really have that much demanding my time like so many women today-just some housework/laundry and taking care of my 9 year old daughter. I do have an online job, that brings in a tiny bit of income (check it out at Tazsport.com-my boss' web site) but it only takes an hour to an hour and a half a day, no biggie.
I think what it is is that my thyroid is STILL being adjusted. They finally found the right dosage and added a new one called "Cytomel" for the thyroid that goes directly into the T3. But it takes one to two months to get regulated once started and it's only been about a week with the new med. So it was out of whack some when I back to the specialist last week. Plus the fibromyalgia. Both cause fatigue-put them together and you have super fatigue! Hopefully, the Cytomel will boost my energy levels so I don't feel so drained in the afternoon and I feel like getting up earlier in the mornings and getting something done.
If you have any thyroid issues, drop a comment and let me and others know about it-we can share things that work. Speaking of which, for anyone who has never heard this about Levothyroxine ( medicine for low thyroid) you are supposed to take it in the morning at least a half hour before before eating, and on an empty stomach (of course), and WITH NO OTHER PILLS. Only water too. Plus, no dairy products for two hours after taking it. This is due to calcium problems. Something about the medication draining calcium from the body and dairy makes it worse I guess or maybe causes it to drain. I'm not sure about medication for high thyroid. I just know this: my thyroid is low because I had it radiated with a nuclear capsule (I-31) at the age of 23 in 1983. When they do that, they can't get the dosage exact and it causes more of the thyroid to be destroyed than they'd like and it ends up low forever and so a person must always take medication to produce the thyroxine it lacks. Well, not long ago, mine was actually high, or overactive, because my primary had given me too much medication (unknowingly of course-which is why she sent me to a specialist to get it all sorted out). WHILE it was still high, I took medication for a low thyroid, just less of it. BUT, the same rules for taking it applied while it was high. Hope bit of info. helps someone out there who takes it. If you taking any for a low thyroid and your thyroid, like mine seems to, is bouncing up and down, it may be because you are taking the medication improperly. AND, many primaries, like mine, didn't know that stuff about the medication. The specialist actually told me all that.
Also, if you are sluggish and lack energy and focus, and are a middle ages woman, you may have a low thyroid. It would be wise to get tested. It's not the same as mine. As I said, mine was radiated because I had Grave's disease-which is an extremely high thyroid with other symptoms. It got so high, I got a goiter from it!
You can look up symptoms of thyroid problems on the net-just Google it up or Medwise
(I think that's right). Symptoms for both high and low are similar. You're still sluggish when it's high because the body is running so fast in its metabolism that it wears itself out, literally! Also you may get very hungry and lose weight. The ONLY good part is the losing weight thing! Just kidding, being sick sucks, no matter what it is...

So, enough of that talk. Well, we're selling the house in Texas again. It's in a small town called Robert Lee, 30 minutes out of San Angelo. It's really nice, but you need definite work around the area. Our renters are interested in buying if they can get the loan. If not, it's on the market. We desperately need the money and don't want the responsibility of taking care of a house and making payments anymore either. If you or someone you know is interested, let me know. It has two bedrooms and two baths, with a spa tub in the main bath. Shelves in the main bath. Big kitchen with an island stove and counter area with a built in cutting board. Bay window in the dining area, which is fairly large also. New floor in the main bedroom which has a wooden floor. So is the living room which has a nice fireplace and built in shelves. Also, there is wood shed and a deck outside. I admit it's had termites, but there's no bad damage and it wouldn't cost a lot to have it treated if you really like it. I can get pictures for anyone interested. There's a big lot with it. We're only asking 65K for it which is a good price for such a nice house, and it IS nice.

Well, my 22 year old son, and his friend and said friend's pregnant wife moved in with us for a month ( about 3 months ago-came from Prescott Valley where the rest of my family lives and is 3 a/2 hours away). Well, guess who's back? Yep, my son is wanting to come stay with us a couple months. Seems that they are not getting along so well and he needs to get out. From the sound of it he does. I mean it's much better than the first room mates but he is no prize either. They expect too much and he has always been too much on the arrogant and bossy side for my taste. I thought the first day I met him. Now he's working in Phx, and sometimes stays over to save a two hour drive home. Well, he expects my son to be there at 8:30 every night to watch over her! As if he's a baby sitter. There was some reported noises in the neighborhood and he's all freaked out about it. It's not my son's responsibility to watch over her. Nor can he tell him when to be there or not. As long as he pays his part and he did, that's not his business. My son has a girlfriend now and will not always want to rush home to "babysit" the room mate's wife for crying out loud! He's 22, hello! That's just one of a myriad of things he's saying and doing that just don't sit right. Like telling him two or three times a week to watch his laundry is too much. He pays his part of the laundry soap and water and electricity so that's ludicrous. He brags about he makes so much more money than my son and how he could support himself, well, good luck-because soon he'll need to. So, hopefully Adam can get another, GOOD room mate that isn't bossy and goes about his own business and does his share of the housework and so on. I'm not saying they didn't do housework, but she was not very "tidy" when they were here, so I'm guessing it wasn't a priority if you know what I mean ...
Tamara is looking forward to having her brother here for awhile. It's kind of cute and kind of sad though. She said when came to watch her while I was at the doctor today (he's off in the afternoons), he didn't pay enough attention to her and play with her because he was too busy with his girlfriend! I explained that when you have a new girlfriend or boyfriend that's how it is-you only focus them for some time. I saw him playing air hockey with her before I left so I know he played some-she just wants ALL the attention because she does that with me when I get busy with housework or on the computer-says I am not playing with her enough, but I do go in her bedroom and do things with her and play games, etc. Kids. I do enjoy having her home for the summer though. I guess I'm not a typical parent who is thankful for the school season when the kid(s) are back in school!
Well, haven't done any claying or sewing lately, but miss it. I need to-the therapy would be good. I need that creative outlet. I've been reading a lot lately though. Found some good Christian romance books at our apartment office. Plus they have some fiction books that are/were bestsellers by famous authors. Older books, but good none the less. Some were made into movies which I may have seen, but the books give you so much more, you know? Plus, my mom send a few things from her garage (my stuff that stowed there) and she included some books I had. There were some good Christian books there too-fiction, partly romance, partly not. Called the "Praire Series" by Janette Oak. Have you ever heard of her? She's a good author. Written many books. If I could write like her I'd have it made! I love writing, so that would truly be a dream come true.
As for my claying group online, I'm not in anymore only because I couldn't afford to renew the membership fee. It's only about 10.00, but we've been strapped. Hopefully soon I can join it again. I miss everyone so much, and miss seeing all the great creations in the Flickr photo albums. I'll bounce back though-I always do. I'll get to claying and get back in the club. In the meanwhile, I still have some things on sale at my web site on Etsy if anyone is interested, hint, hint..!
www.plumuniqpretties.etsy.com


Well, that's enough catching up for one night. Hope everyone is fine and your blogging is happy blogging!
Pam

A Little Behind As Usual

Well, sorry it's been so long since posting. So, my son, Adam, and his friend and friend's wife have been gone a couple weeks now into their own home. They ended up being here a MONTH instead of two weeks, as originally planned! Oh, well. I didn't mind the company. My 9 year old daughter enjoyed seeing her brother, too, and getting tickled once in awhile. They found a three bed, 2 bath, really nice house for only $1,000 a month here in Tucson, near Adam's work place, so he can walk when he needs to! It's great!
I enjoyed having him here (though it took a lot of food for all of us!), but of course will see him off and on. We had him here for Easter dinner and then last Sunday for dinner and cake to celebrate his 22nd birthday (his BD was on April 20). We got him a few articles of clothing he needed and will try to get more as he can't afford much yet but needs so much still. I understand that, believe me!
Anyway, I'm starting to feel a bit better, but still tired all the time. My thyroid is normally low as it is hypo from having received radiation in 1984, but lately it was found high. So that, on top of the fibromyalgia causes much fatigue a lot of time. Some times I just feel "bone" tired. I sleep a lot from all this, but I keep up the housework-barely anymore. I haven't clayed much lately, and want to get back into it and make some jewelry and jewelry hooks.
I have an idea that I had before for hooks for hanging necklaces, bracelets and earrings. For anyone who has some that need hanging, or for vendors who need pretty hooks. I just have to get on the ball and work on it! Easier said than done when feeling down under so much.
I still have my computer job-it only takes about an hour to an hour and a half a day. I'm looking into doing one of those things where you give people answers to their text questions. It doesn't pay much though-a person has to find answers fast to make anything decent. We'll see if I do or not and how it goes if so.
Well, that's enough for now. Take care and hope all is well with everyone! Pam

My Son's Here

Hi. Well, my nearly 22 year old son and a friend and the friend's wife are here for a week or two until they can secure a place for themselves. Yep, they're moving to Tucson, so of course I'm happy. My son Adam's former roommates were really getting controlling and it was NOT a good situation so I'm happy he's out of it. I haven't seen him since last June so I'm happy he's here! If I get behind on my blog that's why, but I'll try not to. Also my 9 yr. old daughter is out of school this week for Spring Break, so she tends to dominate the computer, so time on it is scarce! Take care everyone...