Medical Malpractice

So I get an email today that some medical claims have been processed by my healthcare provider. I knew that the Isabella-breaking-her-collarbone-X-rays were going to be costly: $664 and I haven't met my deductible yet, so you know what that means. When we had these Xrays taken at the Urgent Care clinic late that Monday evening, they referred us to an Orthopaedic specialist. Guess how much they are charging me for the "professional services" to see the Physician's Assistant @ the Orthopaedic office where they viewed Isabella's Xrays and felt along her collar bone... and then told me the same information I learned online... less than 10 minutes in the room???

SIX HUNDRED FORTY-TWO DOLLARS!~!~!~!~!

Needless to say I called them immediately and explained that they need to review this charge. I will gladly pay for an office visit (heck, I already paid a $50 co-pay). But I REFUSE to pay over $500 for them to tell me "yeah, it's broken... nothing you can really do about it...." I'll update you after the "30-45 day review" process.

And people wonder why some folks just don't want to take their kids to a doctor.

Arts Festival 2008

Rick, Isabella, her friend Fiona and I ventured to the 2008 Greater Gulf Coast Arts Festival a few weekends back. We have fun in the kiddie section; the girls made sand art, fairy wands, and Isabella did her first fish print (I remember doing that when I was a little girl).

Newest Gator Fan

Presenting Miss Riley Lynn Nelson

Daughter of Steve & Heather (my best buddy since the 3rd grade) of Gainesville, FL

Born Today, November 7th at 10:35am EST

7lbs. 12 oz. 20 inches long

THIRTY hours of labor! Already a little troublemaker! ;)



Can't wait to hold her... and hug her mommy!

My Handsome Fisherman

Pictures I just recovered from Rick's deep-sea fishing adventure on October 18th.




Rick fried this bad boy up nicely with fried okra from our garden on the side!

Making Strides

As you know... I walked my fourth Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk on October 25th. This year I surpassed my two goals: 1) I raised over $1,000 yet again for this amazing and important cause, and 2) I had the most walkers with me than in years past... four friends and family for a team of five. My mom, my sister April, my daughter, and my friend/co-worker Daun. After working behind the scenes this year on the Team Recruitment Committee, it truly was a great day seeing all of our hard work come together. Great weather and great company for a great cause!

(I had to wager with Isabella for movies from Blockbuster to keep her walking; by the end of the walk we had worked up to three movies. A movie and mile.)

Election Day

Today at Isabella's school they had a class vote for President. Isabella, wearing her red, white and blue, voted for John McCain! She even got a sticker. She then got to come with mom to the polls tonight to place a real McCain vote for Florida.

Regardless of the finale tonight... I am truly glad that this Election Day is almost over! No more politic-in from my family members. Woohoo!

Chin Grin

Remember this??

The best of Grand's chin!

Halloween 2008

It was a wonderful Halloween this year. Isabella's school celebrates "Country Day" on Halloween. For whatever reason, I read that to mean... dress up in your USA gear. When I pulled up at the school to drop her off (this is an unusual event, for she typically rides the bus)... I son saw a sea of cowboy hats. I'm sure Isabella was rather upset... for the first hour until her daddy brought her boots and cowgirl hat to school. When I picked her up she was proudly donning her cowgirl gear... and was carrying a jack-o-lantern. Praise to her teacher, Mrs. Mosco. Rick and I had decided that carving a jack-o-lantern wasn't in the cards this year. Funny how things work out for the good.

This is the first year that Rick, Bella and I celebrated Halloween in our new home. Our home was festive with decorations: one real jack-o-lantern, six plastic jack-o-lanterns (including two that I picked up at the local Winn Dixie that cover the lanterns that flank my garage), purple "Christmas" lights, a mum, a cinderella pumpkin (looks like it is covered with warts) and gourds, a mum, and a small scarecrow. We probably had two other neighbors on our street who had halloween decorations. I guess that have learned not to go all out... for we did not have any trick-or-treaters visit our house! There are over fifteen kids on our street!

Isabella dressed as... can you guess... a cowgirl. She donned some jeans, her horse-shoe button up shirt, a straw hat (in lieu of her two true cowgirl hats), her boots, her hair braided with ribbons, and one horse-on-a-stick.

Isabella and I met up with her little friend Fiona (she's six and was dressed as a spunky witch), Fiona's mom and dad, Fiona's big brothers Orion (dressed as a mugger with one of those neon orange knit thingy-ma-bobbers like a hunter would wear to keep his face warm... eye and mouth holes only... and he even had a toy gun) and Logan (the oldest, a 12-year old, who was at the pivotal year of being embarassed to be trick-or-treating with his family AND upset because his parents couldn't fork out a pile of dough for a fantabulous costume... and instead had to wear a cloak and a "Scream" mask). We did trick-or-treat on our street; about seven other homes has their lights on. We then traveled across the road to newer neighborhood, Winterdale. This neigborhood was shaped like one long oval with two entrances/exits at the short ends of the oval. It was an UNREAL experience. We were in Suburbia. Never in my life have I been out on Halloween and been in a spot where I could turn and see a hundred or more children and parents, Halloween creeks and screams from CD's, and 'fake' smoke wafting into the streets. Almost EVERY home in this fifty-something house neighborhood was participating, some of them going to the extreme with their decorations. It was as if there were all competing for the best decoration trophy. Most of the home-owners were dressed in costumes of some sort, sitting on their porches or in their garages doling out handfuls of treats. It was a surreal and memorable experience (and of course I left my camera at home).

I sit here, sharing this experience with you, as I dig through our stash of sugar.

Sweet neighbors bring sweet blessings to our yard

Rick, Isabella and I have some great neighbors. We have the neighborhood "watchdog" across the street. She has the same passion for growing things in her yard as we do. She has been very generous in brining us plants and seeds over the course of the last ten months, and will continue to do so I imagine. I have some fabulous pink dahlias in the backyard thanks to her. Her mother-in-law lives directly across the street from us (we stand in Ms. Kent's front yard everyday to wait on the school bus). Ms. Kent gave us some sweet potatoes in the spring and explained to us how to get them to sprout. We then broke off the sprouts and placed them in water; they root over night! I planted about fifteen sprouts in the ground in the spring... and we finally harvested out sweet potatoes last week. These are just two of many wonderful people who live on our street.

The picture on bottom is from the 1st day of school... the one on top from a lovely October morning. We are surviving Kindergarten!

Pain in Life

There is something that happens to a woman's spinal alignment once she gets pregnant. I am thoroughly convinced that motherhood and back pain go hand-in-hand. Maybe it has to do with a little human growing inside your body and literally kicking your spine into a direction never ventured before. I have been to the chiropractor twice in the last two weeks to no avail. My right hip keeps shifting forward causing a twinge of constant pain where my last vertebrae touches my pelvic bone on the left. I have been cognizant of how I am sitting at work, in my car, on the couch, etc. I have also been vigilant with the pillow between my knees as I sleep. I just can't get comfortable. Usually a trip to the chiro gets me back on track (until the next time I twist or bend in a fashion that causes me a world of pain). Now after the second visit, the "doctor" says I need to stretch, for my muscles have "learned" this new position and are rocking me back into the uncomfort zone. I am also supposed to apply ice after loosening the muscles with a hot shower. We'll see if this helps... but I am still not aligned properly this lovely Friday morning.

Speaking of pulling muscles/pain/discomfort... Tuesday night Isabella and I went to Rick's softball game. Bella found a little friend, Savannah, that she begin to talk/play with. As they were climbing onto some transformer boxes, I was thinking that she could fall off the box, bust her lip, get hurt... but don't be an overbearing mother, Iris, let her play. Well, she didn't fall off the transformer box. They started to play hide and seek. Now there weren't many places to hide, so once they found each other, they ran back to a nearby light pole to tag "Home". Bella's first time to hide is upon us... she hides behind the transformer box. After Savannah locates Bella... and they are racing to the pole... Bella trips and falls, landing somewhat on her right side with her right arm behind her back. Needless to say, the crying ensued. When I couldn't get her to stop crying after applying ice and coddling her for about ten minutes, I knew it was bruised or strained badly. I prayed we didn't have any broken bones, for we have made it five years without a trip to the E/R and I didn't want to break that record that evening. Isabella was very concerned that she wasn't ever be able to color again. It was truly pitiful. Rick called the doctor the next morning; they told us to give her Ibuprofen and to ice. We kept her out of school on Wednesday to restrict movement that would cause her discomfort (i.e. writing, coloring, pointing, and the list goes on... people often don't appreciate their body and the movement it allows until this movement is hindered with accompanying pain). Getting dressed has been a challenge, brushing teeth and hair, eating, and all the other things she is used to doing with her right hand/arm. I had to drive Bella to school yesterday, because she couldn't carry her backpack. Today she seems to be doing much better. Rick told me that yesterday her great-grandfather explained that she couldn't ride a horse until she could raise her arm over her head. Yep... her right arm pointed to the sky immediately. Ah... the bumps and bruises and pain of life.

Kitten Central

Lily's six kittens are going to get their first round of shots today. They will be twelve weeks old on Wednesday, October 15th. We are keeping two kittens: Genjur, the first kitten born who I helped deliver (Genjur, the white female kitten whose picture is shown above, is a manx kitty)... and Twiggy (the other picture), a male kitten who was the last one born and who also has the cutest bobbed tail. I am working hard to find the rest of them new homes. As of today, I have people interested in all the remaining kitties (Lucky, Guido, Lila, and Quinn), it is just a matter of sealing the deal and dropping them off.

My one and only Political Post

I am sad to report that I have reached a point in this election in which I feel uncompelled to vote at all. Politics is such a sensitive issue with so many people. Trying to share one's political stance with a person voting for the other candidate is as productive as trying to "nail jello to a wall".

It is crazy that government is so intertwined in our lives that we have to decide what is MORE important in regards to issues, for we can't have it all: healthcare, the environment, Native American rights, taxation on my family and on the small businesses that pay me and my significant other, schooling for our children, how I'm going to fill up my car to get me to work, women's pay, etc., etc. etc.

There are plenty of things that I DISLIKE about all the candidates involved. I know who I would prefer, but apparently my vote will be "cancelled out" by votes for the opposition. And I am sad to report that politics and history never were my favorite subject and thus the whole electoral college thing still baffles me. (Please don't confuse this as a need to educate me on this topic, for I have already checked out a book at my local library... and it will probably remain on the floor beside my bed until I need to return it... if only there were more hours in my days and more days in my weeks).

I obviously have some research to do based on the following recent discovery:

Candidates for President and Vice President of the United States on the FLORIDA ballot

• John McCain and Sarah Palin, Republican
• Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Democrat
• Gloria La Riva and Eugene Puryear, Party for Socialism and Liberation - Florida
• Chuck Baldwin and Darrell Castle, Constitution Party of Florida
• Gene Amondson and Leroy Pletten, Prohibition Party
• Bob Barr and Wayne A. Root, Libertarian
• Thomas Robert Stevens and Alden Link, Objectivist Party
• James Harris and Alyson Kennedy, Florida Socialist Workers Party
• Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente, Green Party
• Alan Keyes and Brian Rohrbough, America’s Independent Party
• Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez , Ecology Party of Florida
• Brian Moore and Stewart Alexander, Socialist Party of Florida
• Charles Jay and John Wayne Smith, Boston Tea Party/Personal Choice Party
• Gary Nettles and Brad Krones, write-in

Politics suck! I can't wait for this darned election to be over so we can all get on with our lives and whatever government policies it comes with for the next four years.

Before I forget

Must pass this on...


Isabella asked me yesterday... "Can we go to 'Old MacDonald's'?"


She was referring to McDonald's.





We were going over "sight words" sent home from school. When a five-year-old is trying to read the word "at"... he/she typically says the short vowel sound for 'a' and then the 't' sound. Now what do you think happens when they look at the word 'as'? Do you think they pronounce the 's' as a 'z'? No. Thus, parents are not the only reason our children learn such words as 'ass'.


Now one parents CAN be blamed for... this parent in particular. Bella went with me and Chandler to PetSmart recently. She wanted to push the buggy. With a large bag of cat litter in the cart... pushing the cart and turning into aisles can be tricky for a 46-pounder. Bella was making a turn and the cart got away from her a little bit... and guess what mom heard... "Shit" she said as she tried to manuever the cart back on track. We had a little chat about that and were on our way.

More on my goofy gal to come. Love to all and to all a Good Night.

Domestic Diva

Yes... I do have to give myself credit. I am a domestic diva. A Queen of Clean.

This morning, after making Cinnamon Rolls for Bella and me (thanks to Pillsbury, for I have yet to take on baking cinnamon rolls from scratch like my mother did and probably her mother and so on)... (and I say Bella and me because Rick had to work some this morning and was gone by the time I rolled out of bed at 8am to find Bella watching cartoons in her bed)... so back on track... after feeding sweet rolls and apple slices to my child, I proceeded to can the pear preserves that I started on last night. Oh, they are so sweet. It will take about two weeks for the ten jars to "set", but I am looking forward to a piece of buttery toast with some pear preserves. The last time I had pear preserves was out of a jar my Grandma Ellen had prepared; I don't think the pears cooked enough, for they were still hard and somewhat turned me off to eating jellies, jams, or preserves prepared by actual humans and not some manufacturing process at the Smuckers plant. But I think I cooked the pears long enough and added plenty (probably too much) of sugar to get me back on track with consuming homemade preserves.

Now I must confess, those pears had been in my possession for close to three weeks. Yes... I know and admit that I am also a Princess of Procrastination. A couple weeks ago a lady who lives behind Rick's place of business had brought two large bags of pears off a tree in her yard. I had full intention to make preserves last week, last weekend, Monday night, Tuesday night, etc. When I finally got around to it last night, I ended up having to throw out almost half the pears (and when I say throw out... these pears made it to our compost pile). But it worked out perfectly, for to include all those pears that didn't make it... I would have run out of jars.

This Marvelous Mama also made time this morning to create Invitations for the Barbie/Bratz/High School Musical Dolls that were attending a birthday party today. Being the crafty lady that I am, I found a leftover envelope from the Opus South Christmas Cards of 2006 --these envelopes are transparent, almost as if they were made out of wax paper, with glittery orbs throughout (and yes, I still have about twenty more of these old envelopes... I knew they would come in handy at some point... plenty of future Barbie invites can be made thanks to my O'Neal hoarding traits). I cut the envelope into twelve Barbie-sized invitations. Although I correct her, Bella says "Vie-tation". Bella and I then worked hard dressing the dolls, and washing and brushing their hair in preparation for the big event. But I must confess, I haven't played Barbie with Bella in a while. And to further confess, right now as the Barbie party is taking place, I am hiding out in the bathroom to finish this blog.

Bella just found me in the bathroom... she was carrying a small watermelon... "Look what I found, mom"... more like... "Look what I just ripped of the vine." Ah, children. And the doorbell just rang... neighbor next door bringing back Benz's collar he found in his driveway. This is the neighbor on the other side of the big fence, Steve to be exact. I introduced myself... but he seems to think he already met me. He hadn't, but I'm not one to point that out. I have had a small handful of people tell me the same thing over the last few months... that they had met me previously... when I do not think we had in fact met. Seeing each other and introducing yourself are two different things. I would like to think that my post-partum brain allows me to remember those folks who I have met... and those that I haven't. Anyway... I met Steve for the first or second time today. (I still say first).

All in all, this Domestica Diva and Marvelous Mama does have her shortcomings, but I try. Now let me get back to the Barbie party and to my weekend "list", for I now only have eleven hours to accomplish whatever I can.

Starting a Blog

Hello All-

It is an amazingly wonderful October morning. I am sitting on my back patio with my laptop, listening to the eee-eeek, eee-eeek of the swing set--Bella is decked out in her horseback riding attire: jeans and boots (Thanks Noni)--and to the birds talking/bickering/mocking/singing. From my perch I can see the okra that needs to be cut, the last of the watermelons peeking out from a true mess of vines, and the pink dahlias standing tall as if they know that this month is "Pink Month"... Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Chandler is languishing in his pre-dug hole, thoroughly a cool weather fan.

My "Little Sister", who I adore immensely and who recently bequeathed me a new title of AUNT in July, has been on my case about starting a blog. I have a MySpace account, but this avenue seems more intimate in sharing the precious moments of my life with my most favorite people. I applause Rachel for her heroic efforts in keeping us east-coasters updated as to the ongoings in her life... especially the updates on Nealon G.I. So here's to you, little sister of mine....

Since I started writing, Bella appeared with scissors to cut the okra--we've taught her well; one more thing I can strike from my weekend list.

I will wrap up this first blog post. Bella and I are headed off to horse country for her Saturday lesson. And it sure is hard to write with a 9-year-old fat cat in between you and the keyboard. Beamer has found me in a sitting position and literally jumped on the opportunity for some one-on-one time with his 'mama'. He is a gnaw on your fingers if you ain't paying me no attention kind of cat. And now kneading my stomach.

Stay tuned for an onslaught of pictures and posts. If you are a woman over the age of 40 reading this... have you had a mammogram this last year; if not, make your appointment. If you are a woman under the age of 40... take some time today for a self-exam.

Love to you all.