Wordless Thoughts..add your own words...

Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association

Weesie has long QT Syndrome. She is only 2 years old and we are absolutely blessed to have had her diagnosed at age 1. There is a certain feeling of loss of control when you imagine in your darkest times ever losing a loved one to this deceptive disorder. Taking back that control for me has been joining the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association. By the time Weesie goes to school, we need to feel confident letting her out of sight and entrusting others with her care. This is part of that proccess.

From the SCAA site:

The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA) is an organization singularly focused on sudden cardiac arrest. SCAA identifies and unites survivors, those at risk of sudden cardiac arrest, as well as others who are interested in being advocates on SCAA issues in their communities and beyond. Our membership is dedicated to promoting solutions to prevent sudden cardiac death, including increased awareness, immediate bystander action, public access to defibrillation (PAD), cardiovascular disease prevention, and access to preventative therapies.

SCAA is a nonprofit, tax exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to SCAA are tax deductible.

We are governed by a Board of Directors and are forming two advisory boards: one composed of members of industries active in the area of SCA and one of physicians and scientists well known for the practice and research in the area of SCA.

By sharing information, resources and experiences in promoting policy changes and community programs, SCAA aims to prevent loss of life from sudden cardiac arrest.

Mission: To prevent loss of life from Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

Vision: To eliminate preventable deaths from sudden cardiac arrest by 2020.

Status: To access the 2008 Annual Impact Report, click here.

ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT

AEDs in Schools/Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death

Please support or initiate fund-raising in your school district for AEDS. The passsage of the Josh Miller Heart ACT will "help" fund AED placement in schools. The child that may be saved could be any of ours.

Josh Miller Hearts Act Passes the House of Representatives

Thanks for your support of our work to encourage Congress to pass the Josh Miller Hearts Act for AEDs in schools!

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - June 9, 2009 -- The Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS) Foundation applauds the passage by the House of Representatives of H.R. 1380 (the "Josh Miller HEARTS Act"). This legislation establishes a federal grant program to help fund the placement of automated electronic defibrillators (AEDs) at elementary and secondary schools across the country and also requires school personnel be trained in the operation of AEDs.

Tragically, each year in the United States, several thousand young people between the ages of 1 and 22 die of sudden cardiac arrest due to cardiac channelopathies. Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) is the most common cardiac channelopathy, affecting approximately 1 in 2,500 individuals in the United States with 500-1,000 new carriers born each year. This syndrome causes cardiac arrhythmias in seemingly healthy and often young individuals and can lead to syncope, seizures, cardiac arrest, and sudden death. LQTS is one of the more common causes of sudden death in young people, resulting in 2,000 to 3,000 deaths per year. Appropriate use of AEDs can reduce the risk of untoward events that lead to death as people diagnosed with SADS conditions respond well to defibrillation.

According to Michael J. Ackerman, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic and SADS Foundation's Board Chair, "Cardiac arrest does not have to be fatal. It is often possible to shock the heart back into a normal rhythm with an AED. If a sudden cardiac arrest occurs outside a hospital environment and if an AED is available in this same location, then an AED can be used to shock the heart of the victim and hopefully restore normal rhythm. Early defibrillation of cardiac arrest victims is essential. The earlier the victim is defibrillated, the greater the chance of survival." Dr. Ackerman explains that AEDs consist of two electrodes that are placed on a patient's chest while a computer interprets the heart's rhythm and determines whether an electrical shock is needed. The rescuer then pushes a button that delivers a shock to the heart. AEDs have become so simple that anyone can be trained to use them.

AED devices provide high voltage electrical shocks to a dying heart to normalize the heart beat. AEDs are computerized defibrillators that talk users through the use of the device in an emergency. This legislation will expand the placement of AEDs to one of the most critical areas that children who suffer from these conditions are: their schools. This, and the training mandated by the bill, will save lives. According to USAToday, many schools across the United States have already begun to equip themselves with AED devices.

The SADS Foundation thanks Representative Betty Sutton (OH-13) for introducing this life-saving legislation and urges the Senate to consider and quickly pass H.R. 1380.

Read the Josh Miller HEARTS Act Letter to Congress

Handmade Dress From ETSY by dress baby beautiful

"dress baby beautiful" on Etsy has some beautiful Summer everyday and dressy dresses for tots!! This dress, I call it the "Pear Dress" was one of Weesie's 2nd Birthday gifts! It is a light cotton in a really pretty pattern. It was ONLY $20! This was a special that dress baby beautiful was running, but her veryday prices are only @ $20 to $30. She runs sales all the time. The stripe fabric at the hem of this dress makes it very special!

Visit dress baby beautiful at: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6733241

Chocolate Lab Mayhem!!/Adventures of Seamus!

Our beautiful chocolate lab Seamus aka "Shay" and "shameful". At least once a week we have an adventure, mishap, or some other episode that causes mayhem in our house with Shay!!!! The one that occurred tonight almost landed me in the hospital with internal injuries!!! Dear Shay loves to be close to mom. If he can possibly sit on my foot or lean against my leg with all ofhis 80 pounds, he will. He thinks he is still a puppy and is all baby!

So tonight Shay was sitting under the silver metal chair (long story behind this chair...) that I have at my computer desk as I sat typing away and sorting my pile of stuff almost about to block my screen. QUIET.......I got up to throw away some papers in the kitchen. As I got up, I felt the chair tumble to its side. I am thinking in this split second "Oh Shay has gotten his big body up from under my chair and knocked it over..." until I took a foot of the metal chair to the abdomen: HARD! This is followed by a crazy LOUD METAL noise and I see Shay running through the house with a METAL FOLDING CHAIR ON HIS BACK! He is panicked but everytime he comes near me I am in danger of getting impaled! Finally I grab him by the harness (yes, he still wears a harness at age 3 and THIS IS WHY).....and I wedge him and the metal chair against the recliner and SCREAM for my son to HELPPP ME!

The metal chair is firmly wedged in one of the 90 degree angles of the harness. The chair has slipped down into the harness! He can't get loose and his only option, as he sees it, is to run the darn thing around the house clanging and banging and scaring the bajeebies out of his dog self! So back to me holding the 80 pound dog with the steel chair...my son yells "what?????!!!!" for clearly I am interrupting something important (video game) with my hysterical shrieking. Said son finally responds when I scream ITS SEAMUS!! (I will not EVER forget this delay in his response to my dire need...like when my B-in-law "went to the bathroom" before picking my sister up from the bottom of her outside stairs with a broken ankle)....so my son (adult by the way!) pulls the chair out of the harness and wa-la all is well! ( then he told me it was my own fault that I got such a big dog ....made me wonder if he is really my kid?!)

I have a bit of a bruise (like when you fall on your handlebars), but all is well...until next time!!

****************************************************************************************

If you would like to see more beautiful, gentle, and really sweet dogs visit Shay's human dad's site:

http://www.ourchocolatelabs.com/

Truly the sweetest dogs in the world!

Fabulous Fun Finds Heatherly Designs Giveaway

Fabulous Fun Finds is hosting a Heatherly Designs jewelry giveaway. Beautiful vintage look jewelry on ETSY at very reasonable prices. Click on over to FFF for pics of these special pieces and enter the GIVEAWAY!

http://fabulousfunfinds.blogspot.com/2009/06/heatherly-designs-necklace-giveaway.html

So Proud of our Students!!

Congratulations to all of my student nieces and nephews! Their achievements and honors make me so proud of them as students as well as the wonderful people they are becoming! Here are highlights of the achievements that I know.

Emily: won Academic awards for college prep English and pre- Algebra!! Awesome for a kid who complained that her English teacher was "hard" and who NEVER been a math wiz (like her mom and Aunt Sarah). Completed her freshman year on top!

Mitchell: graduated 8th grade! "Most Friendly" according to his yearbook! Handsome and sweet for sure! National HONOR SOCIETY! Congrats Mitch!!

Melanie: graduated 8th grade! Academic awards including straight As in 5 subjects! Yikes very big brains! National Honor Society!

Brandon: promoted to 5th grade with Honor Roll ALL 4 MARKING PERIODS!!! awesome!

MITCH MAN!!!

BRANDON is posing!!

(My favorite pic of Melanie, Emily, and Mitchell...4 years ago!!)

Puppy Dog Art Smock/ Tot Bib by handstosew on ETSY!

I found this WONDERFUL tot's art/meal smock on ETSY! I was SEARCHING and searching for a SOFT tot-friendly larger sized bib! I do not like the large plastic tie-bibs for toddlers! They are scratchy & uncomfortable! Once our Weesie hit 18 months, she was able to rip the velcro and the tie at the neck bibs right off! "NO WAY" (her words) was she putting up with bibs at mealtime. She finally agreed to a large hand-me down shirt from one of her cousins, but only sometimes.

I started my search for "LARGE BIB/TODDLER BIB" and was disappointed until I found this one! It is STYLIN' !!! The fabric is great quality. Nice and arm openings. The print makes it seem like it is just another cute top to wear! The BATTLE IS OVER!

Vivid red background, brown polka dot trim! The sweetest puppy dogs, bones, balls, and leashes! handstosew has other prints as well and we will be purchasing more!!!

This washes and dries very well and will be quite durable AND may follow Weesie all the way to pre-school and beyond. The size will fit about a 2-5 year old! handstosew describes it best so please visit her Etsy pages!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vt_related_3&listing_id=23668826

handstosew's email is quilter397@aol.com

Please see her Etsy pages!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Blogger's Block

SEE KAI RUN Sandals/DORA Dress from Etsy HaleyBugDesigns

I wanted a DORA dress for Weesie for her Birthday, but it's going to be tough to hold back on giving this to her NOW!! So cute from Etsy seller HaleyBug designs! It is a handmade Tee-Shirt dress. You can customize your tee-shirt color and the skirt pattern! This is even cuter in person than I ever imagined it would be! $25.00 plus shipping!

Can't wait to see Weesie in it with her See Kai Run Isabella sandals!

TERRIFIC TWOSs Tuesday!

It has been sneaking up on us...hushhhh...stay in the moment...she's still a baby!...and yes she is going to be TWO May 30! It's official! Here is her dress! Miss Weesie will be decked out in her Gymboree Ice Cream Social Neopolitan Dress! Aunt Zeesie wheeled and dealed on EBAY and finally grabbed it for only $40 WITH SHIPPING! She is going to be a princess! Now for the hair bow, tights, and shoes....and how will she wear her hair?

NOT ME MONDAY

NOT ME! Na uhhh! I did not just medicate my 15 year old daughter with 50 mg of Benadryl for her cold, cough, PMS, emotional melt down including "it's 7:29 and I'm missing my show that comes on at 7:30" in a shrill voice in the truck on the way home ......(never mind that I have been up since 4AM with 3 hours sleep and worked 11 hours today working with profoundly mentally ill people)................... with the secret hope that it would knock her out! I would NEVER do that! Goodnight sweetheart!

"Hanging Out" Teenage Girls/Do you let her walk alone?

What exactly is "hanging out" if you are a teenage girl? It seems that it is meeting the friend and then "walking around" with the friend. Maybe stopping to get a drink at the Wa Wa (like 7 Eleven) or a slice of pizza. The friends stay together, but the hitch is that my daughter wants to walk alone to meet the friend. I do not know about what other parents, but I DO NOT let her walk ALONE anywhere! Evidently, I am being overprotective and she thinks that I am "paranoid" and of course she doesn't think anything will EVER happen to HER. And oh of course, the friend's mom lets HER walk alone to their meeting point ( about 1/2 mile between our 2 homes). So is the risk of my over-protection and her rebellion greater than the risk of her being accosted or abducted during these short walks alone? ....I DON'T CARE! I drive her to the meeting place anyway and she has to bear my presence........and then there is getting home...........

My Valentines!!

2 of my Valentine's!! The "teeney boppers bubbles". hmmmmm..................they were sweet little babies and now they are just ODD!...and "cool".

Wordless Wednesday

BLOG LINGO

I thought that I would "create" a couple of NEW blog terms.....kind of originals like "NOT ME MONDAY" and "WORDLSS WEDNESDAY". Much to my chagrin ( a word I never use when I am speaking), I found that I truly am NOT creative or original in this area! I thought that "blog envy" was my new term for a person who mocks another persons logging efforts while not posssessing a blog of his or her own. (you know who you are) but.................... "BLOG ENVY" is defined in the URBAN DICTIONARY as:

(1) The jealousy you feel when you see another blog getting recognition in the mainstream press. (2) The jealousy you feel when you realize that your friend's blog is more popular than yours. Not at all what I thought!!!...and add insult to injury.............. Thursday I was feeling warm and fuzzy about 2 things that I thought I could turn into a blog entry. One was that my husband is still nice to me after being together for MANY years (cannot post the actual number in case my daughter suddenly develops math skills and figures out how I was when I started dating!) and the other thing I was happy about was....I wish I could remember now. I think my daughter may have been being nice to me on the same day??!!! So I "created" the term "THANKFUL THURSDAY" Na uuhhh!

SWEETENING UP my BLOG BACKGROUND with some Blog Hygiene!

Some wonderful BLOG HYGIENE provided by Sarah aka "A SMALL SLICE" !! I do not have the patience to figure our such touches.....so artistic credit to Sarah, Mommy of B and Weesie!!

Not Me Monday

Credit where it is due to MkMama for the creation of "Not Me Monday"! See her blog at My Charming Kids.

I did not watch 2 hours of the Duggar Families oldest son's engagement and wedding Sunday night!....and then tell my 15 year old daughter that it was absolutely ok to kiss a boy before marriage! The Duggar's are ultra conservative Christians, entitled to their beliefs and behaviors, BUT C'MON!! (TLC's 18 & Counting) http://www.duggarfamily.com/ ...I am so ashamed!

Book Shelf

I read about one book a week. That hour that I call my own just before bedtime. It has to be a good book or I will NEVER finish it...I will instead FALL ASLEEP because it is that last hour.

To make the list, the book has to be finished and memorable enough that I recall the title! So all of these books are at least GOOD. I have given them 1 to 5 stars. The ones with no stars..well I just don't remember the story, but know it was at least good. If it has 3 to 5 stars, THAT's a winner.

I HATE boring, dragging, overly "describing the landscape and scenery" books!

I LIKE somewhat edgy, realistic, psychological, memoir-ish, moving right along books!

So...here's my list! This is only a start. MANY more to follow. Would love to hear from anyone who like these authors too!

5 Minutes For Mom Reviews and lists books for us and for our kids of all ages! Check it out. http://www.5minutesforbooks.com/


Joyce Carol Oates
We Were the Mulvaney's *****
I'll Take You There ****
My Sister, My Love
The Gravedigger's Daughter *****
You Must Remember This ****
High Lonesome ***
The Falls ****
Man Crazy **
My Heart Laid Bare **
Because it is Bitter: Because It Is My Heart ***


Chris Bohjalian
Midwives *****
Before You Know Kindness
Trans-sister Radio *****
Buffalo Soldier
The Law of Similars
The Double Bind ****

Jodi Piccoult
I have read all except the current one (reading it right now)......more to follow. She's kind of a light read, but very good.

Kelly Corrigan
The Middle Place ***


Kim Edwards
The Memory Keeper's Daughter ****

Sarah Gruen
Water For Elephants ****

Jeffrey Eugenides
Middlesex *****

Melinda Haynes
Mother of Pearl ****

Audrey Niffenegger
The Time Traveler's Wife *****

Mark Haddon
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time ***

Lalita Tademy
Cane River *****

Diane Ackerman
The Zookeeper's Wife *****

Wally Lamb ***** The Hour I First Believed *****
She's Come Undone ****
I Know This Much Is True ****

Christina Schwarz
Drowning Ruth

Anna Quindlen
Black & Blue ***

Kaye Gibbons
A Virtuous Woman **