Well Hello There!! WARNING - Long post with pictures!

So I'm going to stroke my little ego and think that some of you may have missed me, wondered what happened, or both! I know that some of you know where I have been but for those who don't, in as short a version as I can muster, this is where I have been since I last posted on May 27. Be warned that there are a lot of pictures in this post! Anyway, in my last post I told you that we got the house we were hoping to rent for the next year until we are in a better position to buy. Fast forward to July 1...we moved in! But life was full of twists and turns and unexpected things between Memorial Day Weekend and moving day! Here is a picture of my OLD scraproom all packed up:

It took 42 boxes to pack all my crap up!!! And some bins and my three rolling totes were packed to the gills as well! Fortunately my scraproom was one of the first things to get packed up. I say fortunately because about a week before I started packing I woke with a terrible achy pain in my neck. I assumed that I had slept funny and went to work. Over the course of the next week, the pain increased and my neck was tilted almost to my shoulder which was the only way I could hold it without excruciating pain. I called a chiropractor and began getting treatment. He took xrays and told me that I had "some issues" but he could "fix" me. Over the course of the next 9 days I made 13 visits to said chiropractor (with a $15 copay each time). Towards the end I began to ask him if I should consult my regular doctor and perhaps get some pain killer as the ice and heating pad he had "prescribed" was just not cutting it! His answer each time was that he "could not recommend that". Now I KNOW that most chiropractors believe they can make adjustments without the need for drugs. I do NOT think that all chiropractors are bad....but I DO think the one I chose was in it more for the money than anything else. He HAD to realize that I was in much worse shape than he could "fix". At any rate, one day at work I was walking down steps and suddenly the pain was shooting down my arms and my fingers were tingling. I got SCARED! I KNEW then that this was more than some bones out of adjustment! I called my regular doctor who had me come in the next day. He felt around my neck, listened to my story and told me to cease seeing the chiropractor and sent me for an MRI immediately. I left his office with several much needed prescriptions in hand, headed to the MRI place and had the MRI done. That was on Friday. All during this time I have been packing AND painting in the new house, despite the pain. You know how it is....if Mom doesn't do it, it doesn't get done! Add in there that my daughter turned 13 on June 13th and in our family 13 is a milestone birthday. I was miserable and useless but did not let my daughter down....we had a great dinner at Osaka - a Japanese Hibachi restaurant, and she was very happy with her own Canon Powershot Camera and a new fancy lamp for her new bedroom!

 On Monday morning I got a call from my doctor asking me to come in as soon as I could. I left work and headed there (his office is just across the street from where I work). I was taken right in and he showed me the report. I had spinal stenosis and collapsed disc at c5/c6 and again at c6/c7. Top it off with the fact that my spinal chord had broken through the opening and was now exposed in two different places. I guess my face didn't show enough concern so my doctor (I LOVE this man...he's a WONDERFUL MD) took my hands and calmly said to me....I don't think you understand what I am telling you. If you SNEEZE the wrong way you could end up paralyzed. PARALYZED. OK, that got my attention. From the exam room he picked up the phone and called a nuerologist he was friendly with. I was given an appointment for the next day...Tuesday. Now keep in mind this is ALSO the day that my middle son graduated 8th grade with a full graduation ceremony. My appt. was at 2pm. Graduation started at 5:45. At 4:30 I walked up to the desk and explained that I had been waiting for 2.5 hours at that point and was going to have to leave to go to my son's graduation. They were great and told me to sit 5 more minutes and they would get me in and out quickly. I was obviously in pain and very crooked which ticked me off even more that I sat in the waiting room that long. Anyway....I get called back and the Physician Assistant pulls up on a computer my MRI and shows me the problem. She tells me that my ONLY option is surgery. I explain that I am moving on July 1 (its now June 14).  She says to see what the doctor says.  He enters the room, has me walk around the room, looks at the MRI on the computer and tells me that I need surgery IMMEDIATELY....that my spinal chord is compromised and I could be paralyzed at any moment and there would be nothing he could do.  Keep in mind its Tuesday about 5:00pm.  I am scheduled for surgery on Thursday at 9:00am.  They wrapped things up and off I went to Matt's graduation....with the pain and now FEAR!  

Mission accomplished!!  High School here he comes!  That evening we went out to dinner to the local "pub", joining all of Matt's friends and their parents!  It was a WONDERFUL night and I am so proud of my boy.  He is nothing short of spectacular in my eyes!

I spent the better part of the next day at work (I would be out till 8/1) for an hour or two tying up any loose ends I could, then the hospital for pre-admission testing, then to my MD for medical clearance...ekg, etc.  No food after midnight...no problem...I've had no appetite anyway!  Up bright and early and to the hospital by 7am.  Right on schedule I say goodbye to John and am wheeled into the Operating Room.  Next thing I remember is sitting up in my bed and the nurses freaking out because I wasn't supposed to be awake for another hour!  Oh well...surprise!  Here I am!  Surgery was a success and I felt like a million bucks for the next two days!  I got home on Friday morning and by that time the anesthesia was fully out of my body.  The million Bucks I felt like is GONE.  The pain was awful but it was a different pain than I had been having.  Over the next week it gets gradually better and I see the surgeon 1-week post op.  My biggest complaint is not being able to sleep and my toes in my right foot keep going numb whenever they feel like it.  Not easy to walk that way!  He says I am doing well, removes the bandages and off I went with a script for a sleep aid.  

That brings us to July 1.  Moving day!  It went rather smoothly thanks to the help of my oldest son, John, my brother, and several strong male friends of ours!  At the end of the day I was hurting pretty good so took my painkillers and headed to bed.  The next two weeks brings us to today.  I am 99% unpacked....the house is starting to feel like home.  The kids are registered for their new schools (mostly...Matt still has to meet with a guidance counselor in 2 weeks).  They are enjoying having a pool in the backyard and enjoying their summer even though they miss their friends!

And here we are today!  I am sooooo happy to report that I am feeling better..still not 100% but better every day.  And better yet....after a full week in this room purging, sorting, etc. I have my scraproom in order (more or less!).  There are still the rolling totes and a few smaller containers and odds and ends to be sorted through and put in their new homes.  But for the most part, I can SCRAP this weekend!!  Here's a bunch of pix of my new room!  I changed from the "Cricut Green" that once adorned my scraproom to pink and black with a Damask/Chandelier theme thanks to the curtains, vinyl wall art and lamp I got from Target!

This area is my die cutting center.  The black shelf was our old microwave cart that we no longer needed so I claimed it!!  It holds my Expression, all my dies and cartridges.  The cardboard boxes underneath I still need to sort through!  To the right are 6 Jetmax cubes that I saved from the 12 I had in my old room.  You will notice that the bins are still green but I got some plastic spray paint and will be painting the handles soon!!  Most of them are still empty. 

 This shows the cubes, my sewing machine, Vagabond die cutter and some plastic drawers.  The door is pretty close to the right edge....its not a huge room like I had but I actually like it smaller!  There;s my new lamp too!  I love it!

John hung ledge shelves for me...what a royal pain they are!  This one holds all my Glimmer Mists.  Do you think I have a problem?  LOL!  And above that is my chandelier wall art!  Love that too! 

 Two more ledge shelves hold my favorite photos of my family.  You can see my chandelier curtains too!  The pink sheers will be changed out....they are more of a rose color rather than the hot pink I wanted.  That's the bad part of ordering online.  Oh well...they were cheap!  Both panels for $6!  This view is from the right corner of the room, standing in the closet!

I have a shoe organizer on the back of the door holding punches, tools, etc.  I love that I have a DOOR that I can close!

 This view is standing in the doorway looking at the opposite wall from the first pix.  Its my Ikea Expedit shelving unit redone with pink and black bins and baskets.  Look closely...my desk has not been this clean in YEARS!!  The big bins under my desk house all my patterned paper.  Well not ALL of it.  But this is where I sort my pp by Manufacturer in alpha order.  It seems to work best for me.  I do have a few that break that rule....like holidays, Seasons, travel, Disney, etc. which have their own categories.  My printer is plugged in but the wireless connection isn't working so we still have to get that sorted out. 

 Above the printer is my new Embellishment Center!  I got it at Michaels and its not the Making Memories brand but was a LOT cheaper.....I'm thinking $25 after coupon.  I LOVE it.  It holds my stickles, assorted paints, some flowers in pretty tins and bottles, dew drops, Glossy Accents, etc.

And finally....here is where MOST of stuff is....a big closet with a preinstalled closet organizer in it!  Still needs to be fine tuned, but the base is there!

So THAT'S what I have been up to.  I hope to be scrapping again and blog hopping soon!!