It's not always your normal Christmas.

It must've started when we decided to have 

Thanksgiving at a restaurant this year.

That made it clear that the holidays will

 be different this year from others.

And that's cool.

They can't all be the same.

You have good years and bad years in life, 

if you are really being honest. 

Some are more memorable than others too.

I remember saying once that 2009 was a tough year.

I wonder if I will remember why when I am 80 years old. 

This year will not be like the others.

Mainly, because I am off my feet.

I am doing all my shopping online, which is easy.

But, because I'm not my healthy self, 

I don't have the opportunity to roam the stores 

and peruse and get excited about the season.

{That equals spending less money, I can

guarantee it!}

I'm excited, just in a different way.

I bought a pink Christmas tree.

That's different, no?

There must be a market, cuz they make them.

This little 4 foot high tree is gonna do it for us this year.

I just don't have the energy and the wherewith all to lug out all the decor and go get a tree.

I found it at BigLots for $16...bada bing! 

 I'm done.

And I assigned the tree decorating to my little elves and sat and snapped these pics.

It sure made them happy and isn't that all that matters?

We probably won't go to Macy's Christmas downtown this year

or sit on Santa's lap, so I got creative.

We go for drives with ice cream cones from McDonald's. 

We check out Christmas lights and I do my best to explain a manger scene.

The best part?

Driving and listening to them squeal at all the lights.

And its good, a little easier than year's past.

Maybe all of this compromising-- because I can't walk much

 will provide new traditions. 

And maybe someday I will be able to say,

"Remember the year we bought a pink Christmas tree?".

And about the tree....I can sense that it's not gonna

be liked by the traditional folks......

I saw one last year at Home Goods for$100. 

 I am kicking myself that I didn't buy it.

It looked more like this...

I think that's perfection.

 ....so if YOU are out, and on YOUR feet and YOU see one.

Will you give me a call?!

Thank goodness I can still do this.

Toodles, to all my friends, who walk with ease...

Shop Local!

Today is support your local business day!

Since I can't be on my feet too long, I am

shopping online....Etsy, in particular.

Reminded me that I did some modelling recently.

I guess I could do this today, cuz I was sitting the entire time.

Go to this shop.

Take a look and get yerself a scarf...

you'll be supporting my friend Annie's cutie pie Grandma...

and what could be better than that?!?

I am an enormous fan of supporting women's businesses.

If you want me to support yours with a plug or a

giveaway.  Let me know.  I'm here to help. And sit around with a 

heating pad on my butt.  And bark orders to my kids.

What I did for a bag of licorice.

Yes, that's me.  I really do look that glamorous today.

Yes, that's more like it.

I struggle with a blogpost on my current condition.

Some of you may never come back to catch up with life

here at SoStinkin'Cute....some of you might.

I haven't pooped in a week.

Well, that was the case on Sunday.  But, while at my parents,

my Mom convinced me to try a suppository.....oh my goodness, in my

39 years, I have never had to do that!!

I hope I never have to again.  But, when you haven't gone poop

in 7 days and are on major pain meds, the problem can only get worse.

Laying around and taking pain pills make for a major problem.

She bribed me with a bag of red licorice........

It didn't work and reason why is, I didn't have a good 

technique and that's something I am okay with.

If you want the full story....call me.

 

So we went to Milk of Mag.

That worked.  In a big way.  In a really big way.

But, I knew there was more.

So, I did another dose...and that means I am always in 

the bathroom. I'm learning "less is more" today.

And it isn't fun.

As far as my sciatica pain, I do get better every day.

I can stand for about 6-8 minutes at a time and then

I have to sit down.  I am using heat and ice and am going 

back to the nicest chiropractor ever today.  He's

positive that this pain won't be around for the rest of my life.

If not, I would have to learn to go to the potty like this little guy!

So happy that tomorrow is Thanksgiving!

What food do you look forward to most?

With my Mom's kitchen remodel and me not able to do the cooking,

we are going to Kincaid's.  We all are kind of excited to not

have the cleanup job and it's a special place.  We have

never been to a restaurant on Thanksgiving!

I'll take pics....

My apologies, I don't recall.

Today is the first day in 6 days that I am not

drugged out of my mind.

Surgery went great.  The cyst was benign!

It really was everything I expected and I would recommend it

to every gal with a uterus left in her cute little body.

My stomach is bloated a bit and the incisions

are held together with medical glue.  Piece of cake, really.

However, there is a crap side to this story.

When I came out of anesthesia I complained that my leg

right beneath my left butt cheek hurt and was numb.

The nurses were great, however, they were all "you just had 

major surgery, you are gonna be in pain for a bit, take

it easy".  But, the majority of my pain was coming from

my left butt cheek and shooting down my entire leg.

I was told that for the first two days you will sleep a ton and then

it gets better.  That didn't happen.  The first night, I was up

every hour in excruciating pain.  Brandon did his best 

with trying to stay on top of the pain.

The pain meds didn't even scratch the surface.

It was so painful to sit on the toilet, I couldn't be on the toilet long enough to pee.

That meant I was up non-stop.  And with this surgery you have to

train your urethra to pee again....do any of you know how to train a 

urethra?

To make this story less boring, I'll cut to the chase.

I have sciatica back pain.  They can't determine if it's from

them laying me wrong on the operating table for 3 hours of surgery or if

my doc stitched my nerve accidentally.

Go get your hysterectomy girls...it's a breeze.

But sciatica pain....it's the worst.

Blah, blah, blah...I could go on and on but I won't.

Part of the reason I won't is...I can't, this last week is a blur.

Here's some funnies for you.

I got this text after I got out of surgery from my younger 

brother...

..that made me laugh, which made my stomach hurt.

I had people visit me, sit next to me on my bed, and

I don't remember it....that's a bad feeling

{like when you drank too much last night, kind of feeling}.

If it was you, I am sorry.

My work sent me some chocolates, I guess I ate a whole row of them.

What a waste of calories.

On Thursday, I got on my laptop and emailed my

Mom asking her if she wanted to go to TJMaxx and Michael's

to get stuff to make my house cute.  

I used a lot of exclamation points and smiley 

faces.  I have no recollection of doing that, 

but it happened cuz I just found it in my sent box.

I texted a lot of people....again, if you were one of them, 

I am sorry, especially if I didn't make sense.

On another note, Branmuffin did score some husband points for

being my "caretaker" most of the time.

He asked the doctor for a pair of scrubs for himself

to wear while he cared for me....

I had to bribe him to take this picture.

Right now....he's golfing, he's exhausted from being the "caretaker".

My goal is to get off of these pain meds so I can

drive to the chiropractor and physical therapy at some point. 

This week.

And, I am hoping that does the trick.

There are so many of you to thank.  Here goes....

I am thankful for warm meals delivered and cooked my somebody else,

because that is the last thing any of us could have done around here.

And doesn't food taste better when someone else makes it?

I am thankful for flower deliveries and care packages, I felt very special - kind of Hollywood

for a minute, on pain killers and fresh flowers around my bed.....

I am thankful that I have a doctor who is empathetic to his patient's pain.

He called me more than I called him.

I am just thankful for people that love on me and care for me.

So....this is where I need you.

Have you had sciatic pain?  I know its super common in pregnancy.

What have you done to make it better and did it work?

More later....trust me...I have a video of the surgery.

Signed, 

Numb Butt

See you on the other side...

Today is the day.

Glad it's finally here.

I'm in good hands.

And as I have said to many of you, 

I'll see you on the other side.

Thanks for the prayers.
I can feel them like you wouldn't
believe.

No longer on the bench...

I wanted one...an end of the bed bench.

But, I couldn't find the perfect one at a store.

I thought about buying one off of Craigslist or something 

and reupholstering it...but, I didn't find the right level of

cuteness....and sometimes Craigslist really grosses me out.

Then I found the pin I needed.

And I did my own version.

 My Mom helped with the upholstered pad.
She's in the middle of a kitchen remodel...

 ...then I turned an IKEA Expedit shelf on it's side.

 ...velcro secures the pad...

 ...and woolah!...

...pics are a bit dark, and I don't know if books
will are really gonna stay in there...

Fabric, cording and padding were about
$55 after I slapped my half off coupons down.
IKEA bookshelf was $59.99.

It's all mine, customized to my liking
with none of the grossness that you sometimes get
from Craigslist.


It will make recovering from my surgery, all the more cozy!

Toodles...

Dang

Two years ago this week, we closed on our house.

Here was our kitchen.

Here it is this morning at breakfast.....

Dang.

I'm looking for a fair trade..

I'm pretty much obsessed with the flower, peony.

My Mom has em' in her garden in the summer.

 I insisted on them being in my wedding bouquet.

She must be obssessed too...she has 105 of them pinned on a board on Pinterest.

Her Pinterest board has over 8200 pins,

seriously?!  That's what I call a problem.  

Now that I have mentioned it...maybe you wanna follow that problem.

I am seeing them in home decor in almost every magazine shoot I see.

Of course they are using the real, live flower...wish I had the bones to have 

a weekly bouquet delivered to my home this winter!

But, I don't.  Maybe I could work that into the budget.

For instance, look at Kate Spade's office.

So, I am working on making my own FAKE peony arrangement.

Yeah, I am....I know it doesn't sound nice, but it will look nice and going

forward I will use the word, faux over fake.

I have run into a problemo.

I cannot find any peony buds...closed buds, that look like this.

I have looked on Google, Ebay, Etsy, everything.....no one has the buds!

Please be a dear and tell me where I can find them.

Or, if you live in a place that has peonies all year round

you could send them to me...on a regular basis too.

Maybe I could trade you?!  I could come paint a door in your home, or

bleach a couch, you get the idea.

Oh, and anything wrong with faux flowers?  

It's not a wedding bouquet....

Toodles...