New Glade Expressions

Next, Glade Expressions...



Glade has introduced a new Expressions collection....making the sprays more decorative as well as the oil diffusers.  I haven't been able to find any of the oil diffusers, so can't speak to them yet, but we did get the Cotton & Italian Mandarin scent....one that is most on store shelves.  The smell is nice and clean for those that like a more "laundry-type" scent.  The spray lasts a long time and with the new packaging, you can leave it out and it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.  You can check out their other scents here..
http://www.glade.com/en-US/Collections/expressionscollection/Pages/default.aspx

Once I can find the oil diffusers I'll let you know more!  :)


UPDATE:  Found the  oil diffusers.  Now they are AMAZING!  Picked up the lavender and the smell is incredible...it fills the whole room and the design really is more appealing to leave out than a plug in or other freshener.  I HIGHLY recommend trying one of these out, and getting the complementing scent in the spray to leave in odor hot spots like the bathroom or kitty litter area.

UnReal Candy

So, as a BzzAgent, I am now tasked with testing out new UnReal Candy



If you're looking to eat a bit healthier, but still need your candy fix, then UnReal is for you.  The have taken the top candies......M&;Ms, M&;M Peanut, Snickers, Milky Way &; Reese's and "unjunked" them.  Knocking off 40% of the sugar....no corn syrup, no partially hydrogenated oil, no artificial ingredients, no preservatives, no GMOs. I tried the M&M Peanut knockoff and I must say, it was pretty damn good.  You can really taste the chocolate and the peanuts taste freshly roasted.  I was surprised at how, even after taking out all the junk, it was still good.  I highly recommend giving them a try...you can grab them at CVS, Walgreens and Kroger as far as I know.  Also check out http://www.getreal.com to learn more.  Let me know what you think!

Covergirl & Olay Tone Rehab Verdict

As I mentioned before, I am a BzzAgent and have been testing Covergirl & Olay's new Tone Rehab Foundation.  The verdict?

I actually LOVE it!  I have been looking for the perfect (affordable) foundation that gives me full coverage, helps to minimize my sun damage, but doesn't look like I'm wearing a mask and Tone Rehab does just that!  As I said earlier, the shade they sent me was a shade lighter than I would normally wear, so I will go back and get the correct one, but I plan to continue to keep wearing this foundation.  It goes on smooth, and you don't need much for the full coverage.  It has that funky scent to it that takes some getting used to, but goes away after it sets in.

I also tested the Tone Rehab pressed powder, which is nice and silky and covers well too.  It comes with a typical crappy sponge applicator, so I highly recommend using a powder brush like I do.  It keeps the application lighter and more natural looking.

So, if you've been looking for a new foundation, go give Covergirl & Olay's new Tone Rehab a try!  I recommend going to Covergirl's website, http://www.covergirl.com/makeup-match and get color-matched before going into your local store just to make sure you pick out the correct shade for you.  And let me know what you think!

Covergirl & Olay Bzz

So, I am a BzzAgent, which means companies send me products to test and get the word out about.

Right now, I am testing the new Covergirl & Olay Tone Rehab Foundation and Pressed Powder.  I used it for the first time tomorrow and will let you know more about how I feel about it in the coming week.

Initial feelings.....the foundation feels great going on.  It has that typical Covergirl scent to it.  Now, they sent me Buff Beige color, which I think may be one shade too light, but it's enough to get away with for now.  It has great coverage.  At 44 years old, I am starting to prefer a more full-coverage foundation, but they say just to lightly dab it on if you are wanting lighter coverage.  I have a lot of sun damage on my face, and the foundation was great at smoothing that out and says it will help lighten over time, so I am excited to see what happens.

Covergirl states the following about their Tone Rehab 2 in 1 Foundation:

• One pump instantly covers discolorations, lines and wrinkles while one bottle hydrates to help improve skin tone over time
• Clinically shown to help reduce the appearance of discolorations over time by hydrating the skin
• Available at all major retailers, with a suggested retail price of $13.99
• Online at covergirl.com — visit the site to get shade matched, discover tips and looks, and learn more

The Pressed Powder was nice too.  I don't wear powder that much during the summertime...preferring to use a bronzer, but I did use it under my eyes and in my T-zone.  It has a silky feel on my skin and took out the shine.

I will let you know more as my testing progresses.  So far, so good.  :)

Hmmm...now maybe it's time to start back?

Started wishing I could say more than what I do on my Facebook page.  I keep all politics, religion opinions off there, but still have opinions none the less, so thinking about going back to blogging.

Well, here's what has happened to me personally since my last post back at the first of 2009.  The "mystery job" I spoke about was me going back to work for Metro Traffic doing traffic in Memphis again.  I started back in June of 2009.  The weekend I moved from Chattanooga to Kennesaw, my Dad passed away, so everything was bittersweet.

Metro Traffic was bought out by Total Traffic (Clear Channel) in 2011, and so far, I've been lucky enough to make it through all the "blood lettings"...so far.  We will be moving into new offices in September.

Chris and I are still together.....it will be 4 years September 5th.  We've had our ups and downs...another guy with infidelity.  You'd think I'd learn by now.  He left his job at Pugs Eyewear in 2011 and has been umpiring girls fastpitch softball full time since.  He's pursuing a dream no other woman in his life has allowed him to do.  If there's one thing I know, it's how doing/using the gift's God gave you is the best feeling in the world.

At this point, I'm trying to be optimistic about my future.  The radio business has changed so much....all the fun is completely gone.  One thing statistics continue to show, is that radio listeners still want their weather and traffic info, so I still have that going for me.  I LOVE Atlanta, and hope to stay here for the foreseeable future.

More opinions on life and the world soon.

Why not start blogging again??

Well, after several years off, I'm returning to my old blog site. It's weird to read up on Dad's illness 4 years ago, especially since so much has changed.

Dad did great for 3 years, I say great, in that he went back to work & pretty much back to his old self. However, he refused to follow any of the nutritional guidelines or exercise programs. On April 15th of 2008, he had a massive stroke and has been going downhill ever since. In one of his bi-annual checkups for his liver from the 2005 illness, the doctors discovered he had Stage 4 liver cancer and it is terminal. He is not expected to make it through the year. Wow. Takes the wind out of my 2005 posts!

I was laid off in January, moved to Chattanooga to by with my boyfriend, and job hunting my head off. I have just accepted a job....something I can't talk about yet....but will have me living in Atlanta (Kennesaw exactly) by month's end.

Never ending drama with the Hays'!!

I'm Back!!

Whew! What a shitty year! Boy am I glad it's finally over! To sum everything up since my last post, Dad is doing GREAT! Driving again, preparing to go back to work, truly a miracle! I found a new job as the manager of Mona Spa & Laser Center in Memphis and am working part-time on Sunday's from 10a-3p on FM 100, mom opened up a clothing store, and Wade bought the Toot's Murfreesboro restaurant outright and got away from his asshole partner and his family. So there ya go!

Hope everyone had a great holiday and here's looking to 2006!!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!!

The Harbor Town snowfall has begun!! I tried to take some pictures, but you can't see it very well. I LOVE this time of year....freaks out the out-of-towners, but beautiful to see. Just in time for Memphis in May!

Dad-The Final Chapter

There’s no place like home.....maybe.

Well, this should probably be my last email update to you all. Thank you so much for everything...prayers, etc. Because of Dad’s unusual circumstances, no one really knows what to do with him. Unfortunately, Blue Cross Blue Shield has been absolutely worthless throughout this entire ordeal and, avoiding a major soap box discussion, have not approved ANYTHING the doctors have recommended for his recovery effort. Because he did not follow a generic list of requirements, he was refused at rehab and they were not going to allow him to stay another day where he was. His only choice was a nursing home, so we nixed that, and the hospital sent him home Friday afternoon. Baptist provided a bed, wheelchair, walker and potty chair, plus a nurse and physical therapist a couple of times a week to check on him. BCBS refused any coverage of an aide to help Mom carry a 200 pound man back and forth out of the bed to potty, practice walking, etc. He didn’t meet the “criteria”. Good thing ( and I highly recommend this to everyone reading ) they had long-term care insurance and they will get about 8 hours a day of care through that.

Wade and the kids came in this weekend, and we all helped him get adjusted to his new surroundings. For those of you who have been to our house, his room is what used to be the bar, and it works out great, as he can see and get to everything. We had a good time. The best news out of all of this, is after getting some real food in him, his feeding tube out, and a little over a week without sedatives, he is 100% lucid. He doesn’t remember anything that has happened past the last 2 weeks, so we have been filling him in about what happened, visitors, etc.....and me. And of course, he is TOTALLY freaking out about that. He kept waking up on Saturday night telling me that I need to go find a job. I had prayed that I would have had one when he finally was able to understand.

Good News

Well, the prayers are continuing to work! After my last e-mail, Mom had another run-in with Dr. “Doom” and so she went to his main Dr. (Carter) and told him that she doesn’t want him prescribing any more medicine and to take a back seat to Dad’s recovery. We really have no need for him any more and Dr. Carter agreed. Dad’s lucidity is slowly getting better and by Thursday, he was FINALLY able to pass his swallow test. He ate dinner for the first time since February 5th!!! Chicken and potatoes never tasted so good!

Mom and I have been taking turns staying the night and boy is it killing us! He talks in his sleep so we don’t get any! But, I was there for his first breakfast on Friday morning and he drank 3 cups of coffee...he was so excited! Later that morning, the doctor came in and took out his feeding tube. Another victory! Dr. Carter had told Mom that once that happened, that he would really begin to improve. He has been suffering on and off from sinus infections due to the tube, so that alone should help. The infectious disease Dr. came later that afternoon and said that Dad no longer needed regular antibiotics, so that has stopped as well.

The best news is, that although Dad has his moments, he is beginning to understand that he is confused. And lets be honest, you are usually not really crazy if you acknowledge that you are, so it is a good sign. His humor has pretty much come back....when I told him he talked in his sleep, he asked me, “well, did I say anything constructive?”. They have called for a evaluation and even Dr. “Doom” has said it looks like he will be out of the hospital and into a rehab facility in about a week!!! WOO HOO!! Most likely, he will go to Baptist Rehab on Exeter in Germantown, where Mom can practically walk to visit. Here, they will ride him like a wild horse, making him constantly walk, talk, work with his hands, etc., kind of like a mandatory spa. They say here, barring any complications, he should only have to stay 2-3 weeks.

Also, on a side note, Dr. Carter has said that amazingly, since Dad’s surgery, they have had 4 more ruptured triple A’s, all who’ve survived and are in rehab as well. Those odds are incredible.

God Bless you all!

Sunset on the Mississippi

Sunset on the Mississippi
Originally uploaded by DoeEyes.

Ahhhh.....the view from my patio. Can't beat it with a stick. Everything going on in my life...my job, my Dad...God has a way of reminding us to Be Still. Enjoy!

Dad

Back again to tell you to keep up those prayers! They are working! One thing Mom has started doing is bringing his clothes up to the hospital. She puts him in a polo and his swim trunks every day and he looks like his old self. She talked to Dr. “Doom” Vassu, his neurologist, who told her that Dad had Alzheimer’s and was out of his mind. Mom proceeded to ask him if he knew what he did for a living and that he had one of his best days the Friday before he went into the hospital. He looked at her and said “oh”. He assumes that Dad is just an old man who sits around all day and drinks. We are learning to take him with a grain of salt. His regular doctor Dr. Weiss and Dr. Carter (who we LOVE...he saved his life) both think that sleep deprivation is one of the main causes of his confusion, as he has only had about 4 or 5 days of actual sleep since he has been in there, plus, Dr. Weiss said that it takes 3 times as long for all the sedatives/medications to leave your system, so he said it could be another 27 weeks before all that shit gets out of his system. Both told Mom this weekend that they do not think he has mental issues.

It was such a beautiful weekend, so we got him all dolled up and took him outside at the entrance to the hospital and sat in the sun for about 1-1/2 hours Saturday and Sunday. I have enclosed some pictures. He was 90% lucid. He knew where he was, he was worried about missing work, he talked to several people on the phone, and as you can see from the pictures, he looked like he was sitting in his backyard by the pool. He was as relaxed as I have ever seen him.

Thank you again for praying for our family. We are so blessed to have friends like you!!

Yep, that's right, update on Dad

Prayer. That’s what I am here to ask you for....again.

Dad, health-wise is going great. He still has yet to pass his swallow test, but other than that, is getting strong. So strong, that he is ready to be moved out of the step-down unit and into restorative care, which technically, is just rehab.

The reason he isn’t being moved yet....his mental state. Dad is confused and combative. He is getting stronger and now the nurses are having a hard time taking care of him. They had to start restraining him at night. The doctors have told Mom that the confusion is no surprise with what all he has gone through. It’s the combatitiveness that they can’t figure out, and they don’t know what to do, because with every kind of sedative, sleeping pill, etc. he has an adverse reaction.

So, I am here once again, to ask you for your prayers. PLEASE pray for dad’s mental state. If he doesn’t get any better, he will have to go to a nursing home, and I just don’t know if Mom will be able to handle that...or Wade and I for that matter. For those of you who may not know, both of my grandmother’s died of Alzheimer’s and Mom and I were the primary caregivers for them. I don’t know if we can go through that again. We know the Lord has a plan, but I just have a hard time imagining that He would want all these miracles to come and go and Dad not be able to understand what all has happened and thank each and every one of you in person for what you have done. Please, please, please, help us pray for his mind.

I love you all!!

More on Dad

Doctors removed his trake on Tuesday....he will now have a scar to talk about when he gets out. :) He is still very confused, but, oddly enough, when the doctors and nurses come in to talk to him, he is 100% lucid, so we know things will get better. Today, Wade said that he walked (with assistance) from his bed to the door of his room 3 times!! He is still on his feeding tube (he and the Pope again....hmmmmmm), but he is very close to passing his swallow test. His speech pathologist said that once the trake came out, that his swallowing should come back quicker, so hopefully it will.

More on Dad

Well, Dad had a pretty rough weekend, not through any fault of his own, but some problems with his care-taking that I won’t go into here. It set him back some, but today, we are mostly back where he was when he entered the step-down unit on Friday. The good news, he is off dialysis. His kidneys have begun to function. Halleluah! He is still having trouble with his swallowing, so they have decided to put a peg in his stomach where he will start receiving his feedings there. This would not be a permanent need, only if he cannot get his swallowing down. Everything else is looking good. He is still having some confusion, but the doctors have all said that would take some time. Everyone, have a blessed Easter and keep up those prayers!!

:)

Short note on Dad

3/18

Short note here. Dad was moved out of the CVICU today and is now in room 2435. He can receive calls and visitors at any time. (Not sure how to call the room direct.) He is agitated and confused, as the ICU waited on him hand and foot and now he just has Mom and I and a nurse that checks on him every 4 hours. I really don’t know how Mom and I are going to make it now.....we are both so stressed out, and he has only been in that room for 3 hours. We are going to get some help so we don’t have to spend every night there with him. His kidneys are slowly kicking in a bit and he is still peeing on his own. I just ask that you pray for Mom and I to have the strength to handle our current situation and for Dad to give up control and listen to what we and the nurses tell him.

We love you all!!

Dad Update

Sorry it has taken a week...things have been crazy for me. Dad is doing great. They plugged his trake and put a voice-box thing on it so he can talk. And boy, can he talk. He is ordering Mom and I and the nurses around. He is about 80% lucid and 20% delirious. There is still some confusion about where he is, as he is constantly bitching for food, his clothes, and wanting to go home.

His creatinine is still high, and they have put him on a regular schedule of dialysis...Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturdays. If his kidneys don't kick in by the end of next week, his doctor will diagnose him with permanent dialysis. Please keep praying for those kidneys!

We are still waiting for him to be moved out of CVICU...with the way he is acting, I'm sure they want to get rid of him by now.

Thanks to all of you and your prayers!!

Goodbye Cat Morning Show

OK. So I guess it's official. Yes, JL & I are no longer a part of 98.1 The Cat. Neither is Kay or Rich Bro for that matter. It was a fun ride and I'm gonna miss everyone a whole bunch. Especially JL and I's early morning therapy sessions.

Anyone out there hiring????

Happy St. Patty's from Gizmo O'Hays

Happy St. Patty's from Gizmo O'Hays
Originally uploaded by DoeEyes.

Dad

Dad has had a couple of good days. His stats have regulated, his fever is gone and he is breathing on his own. His creatnin level went up again, but the kidney doctor thinks his kidneys are working again and is holding off on giving him dialysis. The pulmonary doctor came in today and said that he is ready to get the trake out, but he wants him to get stronger before he does. They still plan to move him out of ICU this week. Please keep up those prayers, as now, Dad's recovery is going to be all up to him.