landileigh’s little world

i had the biggest laugh getting this wonderful postcard from Amylia. it is the FIRST piece of mail i’ve ever gotten with my whole dang name on it! poor mailman must have wondered who all those people were that this was addressed to!

Isn’t the D-OC amazing though? that you can have relationships with people all the way across the world?!? TOTALLY AMAZING!

holly and i went to the newest Walmart super store. i have avoided McD’s since Dx in July. But they HAD to have one in the dang store! i was overwhelmed. So, i dug out my trusty Calorie King Carb counter and bolused 8 units. OH MAN IT WAS SO FRIGGING WORTH IT! i can’t even begin to tell you how it made me feel all warm and good inside. i promise to be good most of the time, but this truly was a treat!

diabetes makes me sometimes feel as if i’m driving on a lonely road in the fog. i think of places such as Diabetes365/TuDiabetes.com/DiabetesDaily as my GPS that keeps me on the right path.

you gotta love a secure man who will wear big fluffly lion slippers just because his little girl bought them for him for Christmas. having my husband home for Christmas helped my emotional stability for the holiday season

neither holly nor myself have taken off our gorgeous Monsoon Artisans necklaces.

they have brought such joy.
1. because a new friend made them.
2. because my daughter loved that it was created especially for her.
3.that diabetes could bring this all together.

i didn’t take this picture, actually beth did! i tried very very hard to capture these necklaces with my camera, but nothing came out as good as the ones she took and sent to me.

you may remember me talking about them here:  day 46.

the necklace on the left is mine and has my birthdate and Dx date, the one on the right is my daughter Holly’s.

they are absolutely BEAUTIFUL and i’m so happy! thank you Beth!

holly was trying to get ariel into the christmas spirit. i don’t think it was working too well.

both holly and ariel bring me joy, which allows me moments when i’m not thinking about diabetes and what my blood sugar reading is.

just spending time wrapping presents, messing with the cat, and sing christmas songs. for a few hours, i didn’t think about diabetes once.

this alone helped my emotional health tremendously!

in my mail today, i had a photo christmas card from my first D-OC friend, beth and her husband daniel.

i want to thank you every day for being the co-creator of this project. i am learning every day from the knowledge of everyone who is participating. thank you! i can’t begin to tell you what you mean to me. but i hope this says it ten-fold. thank you!

this is my sleeping daughter, my 17 year old only child. she is why i’m doing whatever i can to keep myself healthy. i’ve never had a friend such as her. at the moment this picture was taken, she wasn’t thinking of taking care of me. she wasn’t making sure i had juice if i was low, or water if i was high, or did i have my kit with me. did i have enough needles for the pens.

she has been working since thanksgiving at her first job. she’s starting to be independent, part of that scares the living daylights out of me, and part of me is so proud i could burst.

i like this picture because it reminds me she is still a little girl.

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now that i am finally testing 10-12 times a day, i have finally developed the little prick spots on my fingertips. i’m not sure that i like them at all.

1. Wrapping or gift bags? wrapping. my first job was at 15 in the gift wrap department at Macy’s.

2. Real or artificial tree? this year it is a real tree, but it is outside. i have two asthmatics in the house who can’t handle a real tree, so we have an artificial one. Problem is, Ariel the tree-eating kitty doesn’t know it’s artificial!

3. When do you put up the tree? Right after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? One year it stayed up until March. Holly was 3 and Santa was stupid enough to leave her a note that said that the Fisher Price Dream doll house would be at her house as soon as there were some available. she wouldn’t let us take the tree down, because Santa wouldn’t know what house to deliver to if the tree wasn’t up. damn thing didn’t come in until March! Luckily it was artificial.

5. Do you like eggnog? love Bud’s eggnog. but i’m allergic to casein, so it doesn’t love me back.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? my Dawn Fashion Show. 1969. very cool.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? ABSOLUTELY! it is porcelain and very much loved and treasured.

8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? stepstools for the second christmas me and my husband had together. he thought he was being thoughtful. and i told him, “if i wanted to put things up on high shelves myself, i wouldn’t have married you! why the heck do you think i went out with tall guys?”

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail them

10. Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? after thanksgiving. i can’t get into the christmas spirit until that holiday is finished.

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? fudge!

13. Clear lights or colored on the tree? i prefer tons of white lights. but i’m living with two colored lights lovers and i’m out voted.

14. Favorite Christmas song? Grown-up Christmas List or Breath of Heaven from Amy Grant.

15. Travel at Christmas or stay home? i’d rather stay home, but in-laws on both side are an hour away.

16. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? dasher, dancer, prancer, vixen, comet, cupid, donner, blitzen, rudolph, and olive (the other reindeer)!!

17. Angel on the tree top or a star? A star. reminds me of the real reason for Christmas. “and a star shall guide you to our Saviour’s birth”

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning? BOTH! christmas eve with my family. christmas day with his.

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? people that bring their overtired children to walmart and target at 11pm just so they can get some last minute shopping in. all the kids do is scream at that high pitched squeel that hurts down to your filings.

20. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? it’s pretty much a hallmark tree. all of the ornaments are from there.

21. What do you leave for Santa? homemade chocolate chip cookies, and a big glass of milk, and carrots for the reindeer!

22. Least favorite holiday song? The little drummer boy. i can’t stand the “pah rum pah pum pum”

23. Favorite ornament? My Un-deer. we got it from 7-up when i was a little girl.