New Stamped Metal Jewelry Line!

Hey everyone! I am so excited about the new jewelry items that I will be offering very soon!! The new items are part of my new STAMPED METAL JEWELRY! I am so excited, and this is something I've been waiting quite a while to be able to offer. Thanks to my sweet Daddy's wonderful Christmas gifts, I have now started my metal stamp collection and I have three fonts available already!

My fascination with metal stamping started when I was trying to find a medical alert bracelet for Multiple Sclerosis. Then I realized that most of the ones I found were big, bulky, or rubber, not exactly matching my other jewelry. Even if I didn't want a medical alert bracelet, I still would like to be able to raise awareness for different diseases like Multiple Sclerosis or Breast Cancer without just wearing the awareness color.

So, I ran across the art of metal stamping, and I decided that was the route that I wanted to travel. THEN, I realized how expensive the hobby was to start, so I put the idea on hold until I opened my first three sets of metal stamps and my anvil this past Sunday! I was squealing with excitement, and I am still so anxious to get started!

Wearing ribbons and pins is a wonderful way to raise awareness, but I also like the idea of actually stampong and spelling out what I'm representing, which as you know is Multiple Sclerosis. The color for breast cancer is pink and the color for multiple sclerosis is orange, but that doesn't always match what I'm wearing that day. By spelling out the awareness, I'm still able to represent a huge fight for awareness for a fight I'm making everyday.

As I continue to grow my jewelry sales, I'm still saving money to be able to buy new supplies to offer a bigger variety and more unique jewelry styles. In the future, I hope to be able to offer a certain portion of each sale to actual organizations responsible for trying to find a cure for any disease without a cure. Until then, I'll keep working and stamping to build my tools and supplies. I have a goal, and luckily I already have a few orders of people who also want to help raise awareness and one boutique that has offered to carry medical alert/awareness bracelets and necklaces. I love it!

Even if you aren't interested in wearing medical related jewelry, I will still be able to offer many other stamped styles, which are swiftly becoming more popular. So, please message me on facebook if you are interested in placing an order or for prices! Thanks!!

Here is the link to my facebook page...
https://www.facebook.com/#!/makeupandmudboutique

Make Up and Mud Boutique Name Change Coming Soon!

 Guess what? Make Up and Mud Boutique will be changing names in the very near future! When I chose Make Up and Mud, I anticipated that I would sell a few things here and there, and that would be it. Little did I know, I'm starting to sell more and more (Thank YOU GOD for watching over me!)

Make Up and Mud came from my husband, Scott. We were brainstorming names, and he said that I like to wear make-up but I'll be knee deep in mud five minutes later, so Make Up and Mud just seemed to fit. And for some reason the luster it once had is rapidly wearing off.

Number 1: Quite often people say it backwards: Mud and Makeup.
B: It seems to cause more confusion than necessary, and it is a difficult name to remember.
And 4: I'm just ready for a new start.

So, let's brainstorm new names. Here are a few facts about me that may help you help me come up with a new name:

• My name is Chelsea
• I design Jewelry, vintage jewelry boxes, and upcycled housewares.
• I live in Alabama
• I have always wanted to own a Funeral Home or Funeral Parlor
• I love vintage items, and I am planning on gearing my items more toward the shabby chic/cottage chic/vintage flair look

So what do we have? Now remember, in the future there is a slight chance that I could *possibly* own my own real shop in a real building one day, so when you're thinking of names, picture it written on some girly shop sign on the front of the shop. Also, if I ever do get to open my own shop in the FAR future, I would love to offer a place for other artists and designers to display and sell their work as well as offer classes and workshops for painting and jewelry designing. So, keep this in mind.

I was thinking that I could keep it simple, and the only name that keeps coming back to me is:

Chelsea's Parlor

Now I know that I will never own my own funeral home, and old, old funeral homes were called parlors, but they utterly fascinate me (which explains why I used to work in one.) I want to keep a little piece with eme without scaring off people who think I'm gothic or something. And homes have parlors, not just funeral homes. I don't know, PARLOR just sounded vintage-y to me.

My shop will be online only for as far as I can see right now... but If I'm already wishing I had chosen a different name, imagine how I would feel a few years from now. I'm ready to change it while I haven't gotten myself too deep!

Please help me come up with something or let me know what you think about my suggestion!

Thanks!

My Plan for the New Year... Or Plan(s)

Well the new year is rapidly approaching... Act Surprised.  I'm sorry, haha, but I just had to write that last sarcastic line, because the sentence before it is one of those "Duh! No, Really?" lines. 

• I'm not sure if you have noticed before now, but I try to write to you like I would if I were actually talking to you. Therefore, I really try hard not to erase the stupid lines or sentences that I might not have thought through all the way. Why? Because if I was actually talking to you in person, I would have actually said the sentence without thinking. Does this make sense to anyone? Bottom Line: This is me. These words are mine. I admit that I can speak before I think, or in this case, write before I think. And I'm not erasing it just to make myself look like I'm totally together all the time. Cause I'm not. Hardly ever.  

On to our BIG topic today: Do you have any great new years resolutions? Yes, I'm sure there are the usual resolutions like:

• I'm going to lose 50 pounds this year.
• I'm going to join a gym and go 5 days a week. (DON'T sign a contract!)
• I'm going to pay off my credit card debt.
• I'm going to floss twice a day

Ok, well maybe that last one has never crossed your "Resolution List," but hey, you never know. For some anti-flossers, that may be a BIG commitment.

Anyway, I've a confession... (bahaha... that made me laugh out loud, because while I meant to write "I Have" a confession, the way I wrote it sounds kind of Foreign 1920's with an accent if you say it out loud... I've a confession... lol.)

Let's try that again: I HAVE a mildly shocking confession...

Ive NEVER had a New Years Resolution before.

I say "mildly shocking," because I'm only 24, so what serious thing could I have resolved to do in my life before now... make good grades? That would be a... sometimes.

This year, I'm going to be making my first New Years Resolution, and it's a little tricky to say the least. Remember my past ADD blog entry? (If you don't, click Past ADD Blog Entry. )
Well, I haven't yet mastered the art of narrowing down my lists yet, so my New Years Resolution is actually a Master List with many other Major Resolution List topics that also have Mini Resolutions below them. Remember this:

New Years Resolution
      1.Major Topic
              1a. Mini Topic
              1b. Mini Topic
      2. Major Topic
              2a. Mini Topic
              2b. Mini Topic

Get my drift? I think the main problem stems from one main issue: I want 2012 to be SO different from what 2011 was for me. This past 2011 year was full of ups and downs, with MANY more down days than up days, and I want 2012 to be the complete opposite. I desperately want 2012 to be a wonderful year, full of so many ups that I can't even remember what it feels like to be down.

If you have followed any of my past posts, you know that I have struggled with gaining control over my Multiple Sclerosis this past year, and I was largely unsuccessful most of the time. Thankfully, God has allowed me to kind of wrap up the 2011 year with a little more closure and control than I've had all year. As a result of such a crazy rollercoaster of a year and the effects of the placement of my brain lesions, I've also struggled with depression almost consistenly for the entire year.

Many people who have never been exposed or dealt with depression don't realize how difficult it is to find the perfect medication for depression or what happens if you have a bout with a medication that seems to do more harm than good.

Now imagine this:

Imagine trying to make all of these medications work successfully together EVERY DAY, all the while trying not to lose your mind:

• Anti-Depressant
• Muscle Relaxer
• Migraine Medication
• Interstitial Cystitis Medication
• Hypersomnia Medication (to stay awake)
• Brain/Nerve Conduct Medication (like anti-seizure)
• ADD Medication (to channel the Hypersomnia medication effects)
• Medication for random pain management
• Heat/cooling therapy
• The list goes on

See what I mean? Try making all of those work together every single day. It takes time, and for me that time was most of 2011. And the thing about MS is that the symptoms are constantly changing, so what medication works this month may not work next month if anything changes. What does that mean? It means II better pray long and hard that there are no side effects from the new introduction of new medicine or withdrawal from the ceasing to take the old medicine.

The #1 KEY to taking all of this every day is MANAGEMENT, MANAGEMENT, MANAGEMENT. Strictly documenting everything, so that if I have some adverse effect, I can help to narrow down which one is causing it. And by adverse effect I mean nausea, fatique, grogginess, dizziness... I have to be able to function as well as possible, and I've had to build up a decent tolerance to each drug. And I have to responsibly monitor each medication to ensure that the tolerance stays at the right place, making TIME MANAGEMENT crucial.

Needless to say, I've spent the better part of 2011 being poked, prodded, tested, watched, and monitored. And thankfully, God is making everything come together just in time for the New Year... now do you soo why it's so important for me to get off on the right foot?

First things first: When you're struggling to climb out of a hole of depression, you can easily sink back further down before you realize it. I REFUSE to do that, so I am starting a crazy little thing for myself called: The Good Day Project. See, I am so scheduled in my own weird way that I can almost trick myself into following my own rules (yes, I know it's strange). In 2011, 15 out of 20 days were just low low low and I honestly had a hard time finding reasons to make them any higher.

2012 Solution: The Good Day Project
I have one of those little mini planner/calenders and I have already filled it up with so much inspiration! There are certain days each month that are designated to be GOOD DAYS, no matter WHAT HHAPPENS that day. So what does this mean? One of my problems stems from feeling overwhelmed a LOT of the time. I never used to get overwhelmed, but that's one of the biggest personality changes for me now, because the slightest change in plans can make me panic. On the designated GOOD DAYS, when I feel overwhelmed all I have to do is remind myself that I promised myself that I would have a good day that day, and if I let me down, what will all of the rest of the GOOD DAYS in the year mean?

Sounds simple, but to someone who's actively trying to make a normal life again, this is a BIG deal. The point is to start out with a few good days a month and gradually, as the year passes, I want to start to have more GOOD DAYS than bad until, at the end of the year, I have almost nothing but AWESOME DAYS. I know no one has good days every single say, so I'm planning for that. But the 2012 year will be a year of "Finding the new me, figuring out who I really am now, being normal again. I will never be the old Chelsea, and I can't go back in time. But I want to learn who I am now. And yes, brain lesions are brain trauma, which do cause personality changes. While I still have the same values and love, my interests, talents, needs, and wants have changed drastically.

  Now, I obviously don't want to be too optimistic so I'm starting out in January for one designated GOOD DAY each week. All of the other good days that run my way are bonus days. February, I start with two GOOD DAYS a week, and March goes to three and so on. The weird thing is, I found myself making little "rules" about which days could be designated as GOOD DAYS...

For example, Holidays don't count, because those are already good days in my book, because I get to spend time with people I love. Close friends and family member's birthdays don't count, because they're a given that they're going to be good, because I'm going to be trying to make that day special for them. Weekends don't count, because I'm also with people I love. Do you see the trend I made for myself, even though I didn't realize it at the time. My designated GOOD DAYS were only the days that I would be spending alone. And there lies my problem. Solution?

On the GOOD DAYS, I plan to do more than just make it "good." I plan to spend about an hour or two doing something that makes me happy that day, something that relaxes me that has nothing to do with stress. For me, it may be making a scrapbook page, painting, making jewelry, or even writing in my blog. I promise to keep you updated! When I realized that the GOOD DAYS were days that I was alone, I realized that I was starting something a little more important than just having a good day... I was starting a little project to spend some time on myself. I was starting an actual project for one year that I really want to finish. To me, it's more than just having a GOOD DAY... it's finding out what makes me happy again. I can't wait for the new year to begin! 
 

CHRISTmas at our house!

Good Morning Friends! I don't know how your Holidays went, but CHRISTmas was wonderful at our house. It was absolutely amazing to see our gifts underneath the tree, but I still am in awe at how they appeared there. Not due to the Santa Clause fascination, but due to the money we must have used to purchase these gifts.

When we were writing our "Gift Giving List," more than once we looked at each other with that "There's no way were going to be able to buy all of this look" and just felt a little deflated, honestly. But, over time, we caught sales and prayed about it, and the gifts started appearing. We wrapped and wrapped, and I was constantly thanking God that he sent me to certain stores and showed me where to look. The big factor in this was that I set my mind to this one thing: I refused to choose convenient gifts this year. I made up my mind around Thanksgiving that the gifts we bought were going to be personal and thought-out. They were going to be specifically chosen for each person based on what they would truly love to receive. That was my little way of bringing the spirit of CHRISTmas into our home.

I also tried to have little conversations with Jesus about his Birthday. I mean who wants to see everyone celebrating something, only to realize that it was SUPPOSED to be your special day, but they made it about them. This year, I wanted to remember: Jesus is the reason for the season, and I hope HE knew that I wanted to make it special for him. I know that ANY effort was a winner in HIS book!

All in all, I missed TWO very important CHRISTmas celebrations due to an extreme bout with nausea and vomiting that I've been having. I've been getting car sick and motion sickness really bad, and unfortunately I'm not quite out of the line of fire on that one. I'll be a little unstable, and then I get in the car and I feel like I have the flu with nausea. We really don't know why yet, but nausea is quite common with MS, due to vertigo.

I didn't get to celebrate CHRISTmas with friends and family on three different occasions, and I hated that I had to miss out AGAIN this year! Please pray that we do get a good grasp on my health issues this year, because I'm ready to gain more control over this illness!!

One event I missed was with my grandparents, Maimie and Pawpaw, my uncles and aunt, Ashley, Blu, and Ryan, and my two adorable twin cousins, Emma and Ella. They were all so wonderful, and sent the most amazing gifts to us anyway through my mom, and I hate that we couldn't be there to receive them! We received some amazing gifts, and I must mention one of them which was for both Scott and me, but I've taken it over: (This is not me, just a model in the pic)

Isn't this chair/couch amazing? Our bean bag couch/chair is Brown Microsuede, and it takes about 7-10 days to reach the full size, which is "pretty HUGE!" It is already big enough for me to stretch out on and sleep for hours, which is something I am famous for, as you know. (I hibernate daily!) Seriously, I grab my blanket and pillow, fluff the chair up a bit. and stretch out. And I don't have to worry about getting chilled, because my furnace of a chihuahua, JoJo, sinks into it and curls up around my belly, under the blanket. I'm in love...

I also missed Christmas with our good friends, Lee and Gena Anderson and with my Mother-In-Law Dianne. Next year, I refuse to let this control me!!

While I received a LOT of amazing gifts, here are a few of them:

• Project Runway Sewing Machine
• My entire collection of METAL STAMPS and Anvil to start my collection and new HIGHLY ANTICIPATED Metal/Stamped Jewelry Venture
• Estee Lauder Make-Up Collection (I get one every year!)
• FOUR different ART sets (with pastels, charcoal collection, oils, paint brushes, colored pencils, Ahhh.... I LOVE THEM!)
• A new sign for our den (Already Hanging!)
• And MANY more gifts of love.

Izzy was all into ZEBRA PRINT this year, and she received a LOT of it! Here are a few of her gifts:

• An Art set
• Zebra print boots
• Zebra Print Duct Tape ( Don't ask...)
• A Zebra Mini Pillow Pet
• A New Study Bible
• Jewelry Making Beads
• And much much more!

Evan is into "Boy Stuff" and he got plenty of it! Here are a few items he received:

• A Diablo game (to play Daddy online)
• A BB Gun
• Nerf Gun (Ahem, excuse me... Barricade RV-10 gun)
• A New Study Bible
• A Remote Control Car
• And much much more!

Scott didn't ask for anything... ANYTHING, so we were all at amiss on what to buy! He got:

• A new Eddie Bauer Coat
• Eddie Bauer clothes
• Wool Hunting Socks
• Gift Cards to Academy Sports
• A Father's Wisdom book (It's an awesome read!)
• A Browning T-shirt
• More Gift Cards
• A few more shirts

Needless to say, we were more than blessed this Holiday season. I'm anxious to learn how to sew so I can start sewing Scott's underwear soon! (haha... just kidding!)

I pray that your Holidays were as blessed as ours, and I hope the stress has left you with the shopping frenzies over! Have an awesome week, and don't forget to start planning your New Year's Resolution... I have many this year!!!

MOVING SALE: Our House NOW!

Hello again! I have an idea that I hope to turn into an opportunity, but I'll need your help with that!


First of all, We are MOVING! Yes, we're moving to Valley, Alabama in January. We live in Tallassee now, and we were living here, because it was half way between my work and Scott's work. With me not working now, it seems crazy for Scott to drive this whole way home. Also, we will be moving twenty minutes away from Izzy and Evan (Scott's Kiddo's), so making it to ball games and practices will be so much easier when we live only minutes away.


Those are the good things about the move. The Bad? Well, we're EXTREMELY downsizing and moving into a smaller place, so that we can save a little extra money to build a house in the future and pay off my existing and future medical bills (MRI's are EXPENSIVE)! Needless to say, we are going to be getting rid of a LOT of things that we have in our house now.


When we got married, we held on to what we both had before, and we combined that with our new wedding gifts... which means multiples like 4 crockpots, 3 camera cases, an extra king size mattress and box springs, end tables, decorations, etc. We have WAY too much stuff where we are now, much less where we are moving to.


Where you come in: We are planning on having a yard sale, but I'm having a little difficulty with this. I'm going to be getting rid of a lot of things that I've held on to, because they are important to me or just because they are just plain nice. And when you're cleaning out your home, it's hard to part with items that you like when you imagine random hagglers dumping it in their house. It's not junk to me. And it's too cold to have a yard sale right now anyway.


So here's the plan: Anyone who is interested in anything is more than welcome to come to our house and go through the stuff we are getting rid of. Yard sale prices still apply, but I will feel a LOT better if I know that someone I know is going to actually appreciate what they're getting, AND I'm much more likely to get rid of a LOT more if someone is in front of me actually wanting it.

I'm also "DE-STASHING" my craft room as well, so all you crafters come on over!!

Here is an idea of the stuff we have for sale:



A Parker Challenger Compound Bow, BRAND NEW arrows and arrowheads (still in box), MANY accessories, hard case uncluded, used twice! (Paid over $425)

Yamaha TTR125L Dirtbike 2007, very well maintained, low riding time, new back tire, kept in garage

ALL of my dirtbike accessories, including my helmet, roost, boots, pads, etc

Picture Frames

Candle Holders

Floral Arrangement Items (including flowers from Hobby Lobby-Never used)

Craft Bird Houses

Pots and Pans

Dishes

TONS of clothes (Sizes 3-7 Juniors, and 2-5 Womens) NICE and well maintained... I just don't work, so I don't need as many nice work outfits. Also have nice coats and jackets.

Womens Shoes (Size 5-6) some hardly worn or not worn at all

Purses (Some not used ever)

Closet Hanging Organization Bin

One desk

End Tables

MANY books

Bags and Beach Bags

Wood Router (never opened)

Wood Jigsaw (Black and Decker) with blades (used once for 2 minutes)

Stuffed Animals

Kids clothes (girls size 6-8, boys size 5-7)

Kids Toys (Some never opened)

Ornaments (TONS, Some brand new)

Mens Clothes (Medium-XL)

Organizational Baskets and Bins

Wooden Signs

Wall Decor

Housewares

Glass Cake Stand (we got a beautiful one for our wedding- this one is our old one-perfect condition)

DVD's

Paris Bathroom Decor Set-Up (We use it now... just no room for it)

Pet Items

2 kids rocking chairs

1 tiny toddler rocking chair

2 old charcoal grills

Kitchen Stuff

2 brand new baseball bat bags

TONS of makeup (some never used... was too dark for me)

Make-up Cases (mostly Estee Lauder)

exercise equipment

lamps

1 king size new bed frame

2 twin boxsprings

1 king size mattress

one wooden floor baby bassinett that rocks

Thomas Kinkade Painting

Laundry Hampers

MUCH MUCH MORE



The options are endess... We literally have bins and bins of clothes to get rid of, mostly mine. If anyone wants to just take a day to ride out (It's 30 minutes from Montgomery) and look, you're more than welcome to. I'm home almost every day, and I won't hover over your shoulder! I'm sure that if you found something you liked, I'd be much more willing to part with it if you were here than if it was online. I love my stuff... but it's time to move on and start fresh!!



Just send me a message!!

I am Chelsea, and I am a Procrastinator with ADD

Merry Christmas Everyone! Do you like the title of this blog entry? I hope you do, because it is SO TRUE! I have serious ADD, otherwise known as Attention Deficit Disorder, and it severely hampers my ability to do just about anything in a reasonable manner and on time. Getting distracted is the very least of my problems, because my crazy condition goes much further than that. MUCH deeper.

Usually people with ADD or ADHD get distracted from their initial task very easily. It's not the fact that I get distracted from what I'm doing that is so crazy... it's what distracts me. Normally, people with ADD will be walking through the bedroom to go fold clothes and see a book or video game that catches their attention and distracts them and off they go to play. Not me. I'll be walking through the house to go fold clothes and see a James Patterson commercial about his new book and then randomly decide that very moment is the PERFECT opportunity to grab a stack of paper and start writing that book I've never planned to write. You know, the book that I don't have in my head that would most definitely become a best seller? Seriously? What is my deal?

In the middle of cooking dinner, I'll be measuring flour and suddenly, BAM! That seems like the perfect time to cut out some vinyl letters and label my measuring cups. Or I'll be washing clothes, and I'll start computing the cost of laundry detergent which sparks a google witch hunt for homemade laundry detergent recipes that will never get made. (Although, I must add that I DID actually make 5 gallons of homemade laundry detergent ONE time, and it was VERY wonderful and it worked like a charm! I got to trip over the 5 gallon bucket for 4 months as I hobbled over the mountain of clothes to do laundry.)
 
 

 


I've tried Adderall, and it made me extremely edgy and anxious, so that was a No-Go. Now, I'm on a similar drug called Focalin, and it does seem to work a lot better as far as keeping me awake and somewhat better with focusing. I guess lately I've actually been doing a lot better with the whole "Can't maintain focus" thing, luckily. If I hadn't wrangled some kind of control over my ADD I would have never wrapped the first Christmas gift, because I would have decided to hand make the wrapping paper or something crazy like that. It seems like I have the hidden mentality that if it's not extraordinary then it doesn't count. Is that realistic? Not hardly, although I DID make all of my gift tags!

My curse: I was given a vision. A vision of what "Could Be." The curse? I was also given the inability to channel that vision to one item and EXECUTE the "Making it Be" part of the equation.
 
 

One thing I credit for my recent gain of control over my ADD is a new book I bought about a week and a half ago. And I bought it out of desperation, because when you live like this, unorganized, it seems like you don't have control over one single aspect of your life. One thing I learned that made me feel better: A LOT of this inability to control my ADD is caused by my brain lesions affecting the executive functions in my brain, because of the location of the lesions. Whew! It's not ALL me... although some of it is laziness I have to admit.
 
 

The book is called Procrastination: Why You Do It, What To Do About It NOW! And it's an AMAZING book that I highly recommend to anyone who has issues with time management, procrastination, finishing projects, depression, ADD, or ADHD in general. It is written by Jane B. Burka and Lenora M. Yuen. One of the best parts about the book is that the authors are habitual procrastinators as well, so they understand what the reader feels like. They use their personal experience to help you not only understand what the problem is and medical causes, but also how to remedy this loss of control over your life and gain your self-worth back. Self help book, yes. Am I thankful for it, definitely. (There were over 150,000 copies sold, so they must be doing something right.)
 
 

Below is the link to purchase the book for $10.85 if you are interested (and it is SO worth it)! It is also available at Books-A-Million.

http://www.procrastinationisfun.com/procrastination-books/
They said that they held Procrastinator's Anonymous meetings to help gain more information while writing this book, and the meetings were from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. I thought it was hilarious that they said that was a horrible time to hold the meeting, because all of the people that were attending had issues with procrastination, and they all didn't show up until 10 a.m. anyway. (I totally understand this, because I am usually late for everything!)

Since I have been reading the book, I have been through two highlighters, and I've been on time and finished more projects that I have total in the past year. It's AMAZING, and if a book can help my butt be on time... it can help you too. (Chapter 16 is called: Tips for Procrastinators with ADD and Executive Dysfunction.)


I learned that self-monitoring is very important when you are trying to be on time, and people with either of these disorders have issues with this (I have both.. yay me!) I also learned that if you are like this, every single decision point represents a potential diversion from whatever path you are on. As Ned Hallowell said, "The devil does reside in the details in the land of ADD."
 
 

Another tip I've learned is,"Don't try to be good at what you're bad at. Get better at what you're good at." (by Ned Hallowell and coauthor John Ratey) To boost your attitude and inspiration, find what you're good at, and do it more! (Sounds good to me... even if it is funky dancing... haha)


FINAL POINT: You have a choice. You can delay, or you can act!
 
 

I choose to act. And to all you readers, if you are a procrastinator like me, BUY THIS BOOK. If you are an organizational wonder-person, please give me your ideas, tips, and strategies. All of them will not work for me, but some of them definitely will. And just knowing you care will mean the world and inspire me as well.
 
 

FYI: This is NOT my brain... Ironically, I can't figure out how to save my own brain scans from the disc, because of the system they used to download them. As soon as I can learn how to do it, you can bet that I'm going to share my BIG beautiful brain with you. It's proof... I have one! haha. Seriously, this picture shows you what a brain with MS looks like with lesions (the white spots). I have four lesions... this person has more than I do. And... because of my lesions, I have more color in my brain than just that dull gray color.. I have white polka dots! How cool is that... which means.. my brain is prettier than yours! haha... Gotta have humor in it!
 
 

Well, enough procrastinating! Off to finish my daily goals!

New Decoupage Items!!

Here are a few of my new items! E-mail me at makeupandmud@yahoo.com or message me of you are interested in anything! 

My LATEST MS Episodes (with Video)

FIRST of all, let me tell you: I want to curl up on the couch right now and take a long nap. This cloudy weather messes with my sleep-o-meter! But I won't... so I can write this. Obviously. Of course, I have my little sweetheart, JoJo, my sleepy sidekick who has been with me (well, ON me technically) and she's so warm so it makes it that much harder not to ....z.zzzz......

Speaking of JoJo, she's going on almost 6 years old, and she is getting CRANKY! The funny thing is, as long as you aren't the UPS driver or the cable installer, she doesn't have a problem with you. Unless YOU are trying to have ANYTHING to do with me, WHILE I'M ASLEEP (hence her "protectiveness" in the picture below and the tiny tooth indentions that are currently on Scott's right hand).

Yep, the other day Scott was going to cover me up with a blanket while I was laying on the bed, but as he walked closer, JoJo let out her absolutely MENACING "warning" growl. Of course he ignored her, and as he reached for me, eleven pounds of pure JAWS came out from underneath her own coccoon of covers and nipped his hand. NOBODY messes with her Mama while she sleeps... NOT EVEN DADDY.

This is her, "If you even THINK about touching MY MAMA, you're dead!" look.

You can guarantee that if I'm asleep, she's definitely either sitting on my shoulder or hiding underneath the covers. Without a doubt, nearby.

From 2006

To 2009

2010

2011

And of course, she's a lake dog... As long as she has her clean bottled water, she's good! haha ! (just kidding!)

That's my sweet girl...

Anyhoo... In my recent past posts, I've mentioned that I've felt pretty rotten lately. Actually, rotten is putting it mildly. Honestly, I was pretty much the sickest I've ever been, and I couldn't make anything take away the worst symptom of all: the SPINNING room.

Every time I opened my eyes, the room would spin. And spin. And then spin the other way. For over FOUR weeks! It was like getting off a roller coaster all day long.

And all of those tricks I've heard that you're supposed to try when you're drunk... they don't even work. Don't act like you don't know which tricks I'm talking about: Lay in bed and keep one foot flat on the floor, try to reverse the spinning, Tylenol constantly, eat bread... All those weird things. No relief.

You know what it was? I was having withdrawals from one of my going off one of my medications. (I guess that means I'm addicted to it then? Weird to think that.)

It was Adderall, which I take for Hypersomnia and Chronic Fatique, or to keep me awake. I used to take Nuvigil, but it gives me this awful pressure in the back of my head that lingers for a while after I've quit taking the medicine. AND the BIGGEST downside was that it makes birth control ineffective... and we do not need any little Mini-Chelsea's or Mini- Scotty's running around right now. Izzy and Evan wouldn't complain, but I have to get myself regulated and consistent and then have some Chelsea and Scott time before we plan for that journey.

Anyway, the pharmaceutical companies are having issues producing the type of Adderall that I was taking, but that wasn't the beginning of the problem. The problem started because Miss Priss (me) let her prescription run out, and my doctor has to mail the prescription to me because it is a controlled medication. And considering that his office is in Cullman, Alabama, which is 3 and a half hours away, it's easier to mail it than to hop in the car and trek up there.

So, on that Monday (I can't remember the date, but it was several weeks ago) I took my last pill and realized that I was out. Completely out. So I started to freak out, and flash light in hand, I was doing what I like to call the "Drug Addict Scramble" where I frantically scrounge around flat on the floor, shining the light underneath the fridge and cabinets and under the bed trying to make sure I didn't drop a random pill somewhere. And needless to day, unfortunately I had been very careful and I found no extra meds hiding anywhere.

So on..... Scott called my doctor's office first thing Monday morning and they said they would mail out my prescription right away. Tuesday came, mail came, no prescriptions. By Wednesday morning, I was pretty much at the hallucinating state where I was sick as a DAWG.... in the bed, throwing up... and so on. And after the mail came, no meds. I was too sick to even walk to the mailbox, and by the time Scott got home to check the mailbox to see if it had come, the doctors office was closed for the day.

Thursday morning, he was back on the phone, and they said they hadn't mailed the prescription yet, but they would get it in the mail as soon as possible. WHAT?!?!?!  At this point, I was taking Phenergan, because I was so nauseous, and that would actually knock me completely out. I finally asked Scott to call the doctors office back ( I couldn't really talk on the phone well) and ask them to call me in my Nuvugil, the sleep medicine I mentioned earlier. I didn't care what kind of head pressure I had, if they would just call me in the medicine, I would deal with the pain later. And luckily, they mailed the prescription that day and they also called in my Nuvigil to hold me over until I could get the Adderall filled.

Well, Friday the prescription for Adderall arrived in the mail, and Scott had it at the pharmacy first thing, only to find out that not only did the pharmacy not have any of the kind I needed in stock, but NO pharmacies had it in stock, and they wouldn't be receiving anymore until maybe JANUARY, if they even started making it again at all. Talk about rock bottom!!

So, at this point, it was Friday and the weekend was about to start and while I was awake, the pressure in my head was excruciating! Scott got back on the phone with the doctors office, and asked them if they could call me in a steroid to stimulate me and if there was anything equivalent to Adderall that they could call me in that would not have to be mailed. And luckily the nurse gave me the steroid with no problem and said there was a medicine that was almost the same as Adderall that did not require a mail in, and she called it in for me.

What we didn't realize is this: MOST people take Adderall to help them focus. They don't specifically take Adderall to keep them awake. I take Adderall, because it has a stimulant in it that keeps me awake AND helps me focus. Well, when the nurse looked at the medicine and saw Adderall, she immediately thought I was taking it to focus, so she did indeed call me in another similar medication that was designed to help people focus and help brain function. But, the new medication did NOT have a stimulant in it, and we didn't know this. And we also didn't know that the stimulant was pretty much what keeps me normal and functioning. And so it began.

I took my medicine on time, every day, just like I had been. But every day I got more sick and more sick. And it was ALL cognitive! I couldn't even watch a movie without the subtitles on, and I was like a complete zombie. I wasn't happy, and I wasn't sad. I was just there. Then, as a result, my regular muscle relaxer, the same one that I have taken since MAY quit working to relax the muscles in my neck and it started to create what was called a brain fog. And a brain fog is putting it mildly.

Most of the time, I couldn't even hold my head up without having a neck pillow behind it, and then on top of that, I could hardly carry on a conversation. I was pretty good at faking it, like over Thanksgiving, but gosh I was so so sick. Everything was SO overwhelming, and I don't think I've cried that much in a while. I cried half the way to Thanksgiving lunch, because Scott said he was going to pack up some boxes in the house. Why? I have absolutely no idea.

I hated it, because we had the kids over Thanksgiving, and I was completely out of  it. I wasn't speaking like out of my head or anything, but I really wasn't speaking at all, and I slept a lot. I told Scott that I was in my own world, and it was so completely lonely there, because no one could see what was going on. It was literally all in my head. The pain in my neck and the back of my head was so bad that I told Scott that if a doctor had told me that there was a surgery to relieve the pain, but I only had a 25% chance of surviving the surgery, I would have had it in a heartbeat! That's how bad it was!

I finally went back to the doctor last Tuesday, and my neurologist caught the mistake immediately. Bad news is that I can't take the muscle relaxer I had been originally taking. I'm not sure why, but the cognitive fog it causes is just too much to handle. The good news is, Dr. LaGanke started me on another ADD stimulant to keep me awake. It's called Focalin, and not only does it keep me awake, but it also takes the anxious edgy feeling away that Adderall caused! So it's a win win win either way! He also gave me another muscle relaxer to take every day and my neck pain is completely gone. I've also had a lot of ups and downs and downs and downs with depression over the past few months due to the placement of my lesions and the MS in general. It's not that I'm sad, but more that it's completely out of my control, so he started me on Abilify, and so far it's awesome! The only problem I'm currently having is random headaches, like regular headaches on the top of my head (which is wierd to me), but thankfully I'm noticing a trend with the pain: lack of food. Before, when I was on the other medication, I could go a pretty good while without too much food and I was fine. With this new medication, I have to eat three meals a day or I'll get an awful migraine. If that's all I have to do... I'm fine with that! Actually, I had lost down to 92 pounds, skin and bones, and between the sickness and the steroids, I've gained 22 pounds back! I now weigh 114 and while I don't feel as "fit" I know that I am where I need to be. The steroids made me eat like everything in the house... literally!

I actually recorded a short clip one day when I was at home sick, and I was laying in the floor in such a huge amount of pain. I recorded it, because I wanted to be able to remember what it was like when it went away, just in case I needed to be reminded to not take the good times for granted. I've struggled with whether or not I was going to show it to anyone, but if I can figure out how to do it, I'll upload it to here. I've been honest with you from the beginning, and I guess I'll get a little more honest with you.

Let me remind you though: I was REALLY sick, so I look really bad, and I don't look like myself. I just don't want friends to watch it and get upset! I am so much better now, and more like my old self than I have been in a while! I'll tell you what... I'll share this one with you, and then tomorrow or the next day, I'll upload a better video of me now so you can get some good news too! (Excuse my hair! haha)

I figured it out, so here is the link!

Video of my WORST sick day (WARNING...I'm really upset, I'm better now!)

Talk to you later!!

Love you all,
Chel