Bogart asked me how the new job was going, so thought I would post an update.

The job is going great so far! I am working 3 days a week and anywhere from 2-4 hours each day. I know to some that is not many hours but for me, it is almost perfect. It still allows me enough time to keep up with the house work, laundry, grocery shopping and all the other mundane things that keep a home running. Thankfully the pay is good, so the lower hours are great. Yesterday I was told that probably by the end of next week, my "teacher" will turn over his keys and be gone. He is close by so if I need help, all I have to do is call him, which is wonderful. The most confusing thing about the job is learning the newer version of MS Excel2007. I have the 2003 version at home and there is a big difference between the two, so that is giving me a bit of frustration. But in time I will learn it!

Our garden is doing well. The tomatoes have done really great so far this year in the new area. My little grape tomatoe is in a big pot on the deck and has several tomatoes that are almost ripe. Won't be long now! Blackberry plants are full of flowers and fruit too so it looks like the harvest this year will be good too. We have shoots coming up all over the place so I told my hub that we should start digging them up and repot them in coffee cans and sell them. We'd make some extra money but not a killing but usually just give them away.

Don't know if I told everyone but we have a little bitty bunny in the yard. He is really sall and comes out in the early morning and late afternoon to eat. So far he has left the garden and my flowers alone and is eating the weeds that are in the yard. Eat-bunny-eat!!!

 graphic by http://www.glitter-graphics.com/graphics/361070

I see on the news that the Energy Bill passed this morning. According to the news the new bill will "only" add about $200.00 a year more to my utility bills. Well, I got news for Washington, my utility company is already in the process of trying to get an 18%  rate increase and a whole lot of people here in Iowa are really up in arms about it. Jobs lost has been high and utilities here are already too high. For us,  if the new increase gets approved, it will increase our bills a minimum of about $400 a year. Now mind you this does not include the additional increases that will follow from other companies we do business with, such as the phone, cable, trash, water companies and our grocery bill. So between the two we could be looking at $600 a year more!

I really wish the government would just quit messing around with my budget! We have enough problem just staying afloat without the additional expense. I know that we are in better shape than many others but we are by no means in the upper income class anymore. We make less now than we did 10 years ago! I went back to work for the extra money because I was very concerned about were the country was heading financially.

Well enough of all of that. Hope everyone is having a really great weekend! 

There are several forms of Thyroid disorders and diagnosis can be difficult because many of the symptoms are the same in many other conditions too. Speak to your doctor, if you feel that you may have this condition.

This is how I found out I had the disease. About 10 years ago I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism which is an "underactive" thyroid. The condition was diagnosed after several months/years of being tired all the time. A simple blood test confirmed that not only was my thyroid gland barely functioning but my hormone levels (had a total hysto) were almost non-existent, too.  Between the two, I was just barely getting things done. Your thyroid and hormones are really important for your body to function correctly. Both can affect you physically, emotionally/mentally and your immune system.

My symptoms included: tiredness, dry skin, weight gain, brittle nails, hoarseness and sometimes, sensitivity to cold. However, there are many other symptoms that I have not had (see the link below for more details)

When I say tired all the the time, it's not just worn down,  like when you have a cold, it's feeling really wiped out as if you have had the flu for a couple of days and it doesn't go away.

My skin gets very dry and scally in appearance, almost as if my body is dehydrated. I call it my alligator skin!

The weight gain is not the gradual over the years adding a pound or two here and there but for me almost within a 3-6 month time frame.

Now as to the brittle nails, I know this is probably not a big deal for most of you  but I have been able to grow my own nails long since I was 18 when I first got pregnant and was on prenatal vitamins. I keep them long and polished 99% of the time so when my thyroid is not working correctly, they will peel in layers at the tips and become more brittle and prone to breakage.

The hoarseness is probably the most noticed by everybody else because my voice actually gets much deeper and huskier in tone and leaves me sounding like I have laryngitis.

These are just a few of my symptoms. Over the years I have had doctor's tell me that "your just getting older".  Now mind you I was in my late 30's when this all stated and just accepted what the doctor's said. It still took several years to find that "one"  doctor to do a simple blood test to see what was going on. 

My condition is easy to control with a daily pill for the rest of my life and annual blood tests to check my levels!

Having an undetected thyroid problem can have very serious consequences to a persons well being and health. So, if you think that you may have it, ask you doctor to test for it!

Mayo Clinic link-Thyroid Disease:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/thyroid-disease/AN00986

and specifically more about hypothyroidism:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hypothyroidism/DS00353

So much has happened since I last posted. Last month I submitted a resume for an Office Manager position with the local Y. Went for an interview and got the job! Worked last week for the first time in over a year. The position is only 3 days a week and less than 5 hours each day but I am still adjusting to getting up and going in the morning. The people are really great and every one seems pretty easy going so far. Really fun environment to work in. Everyone is pretty upbeat. Really great for a change!

Last blood work for my annual thryoid check showed my meds were not working properly, so that was changed. When my meds don't work right, I get alot more tired and sleep more than usual. With the new job and learing to juggle things around, I have slept more too. Will get another blood test next month.

Still trying to adjust to "Lucky" being gone. Every once in a while when I go to get Bear's food and try to grab Luck's food too. When I leave for work, I say goodbye to the all the critters and I still look around for Lucky. It is getting better but I still miss him.

Today is my daughter's 43rd birthday! Seems like it was only yesterday that I held her in my arms. She has become a beautiful woman, wife and mother!

The other morning we were looking out the kitchen window while drinking our cofee and saw the smallest little bunny rabbit in the flower bed. It was soooo cute! Tried to feed it some carrots and lettuce but it has not eaten any of it. I think it is sleeping underneath our deck and comes out real early in the morning and late afternoon.

It's getting late and time to cook supper. So more later---

Yesterday I tried to post some new photos and could only get one to post, so let's try it one more time!

Here's a photo of another project that I just finished of a window in my office. My neighbor likes to store a trailer in his driveway with old cars that he tears apart to build race cars. This window is visible from the couch and I just thought it would be nice to see somthing pretty instead of old rusty cars!

I took this picture during daylight hours. It is not stained glass but Gallery Glass by Plaid. This is a great craft to hide or decorate windows, mirrors or anything glass or even plexiglass and the best thing is, it is not a permanent. The leading is available in premade strips that you just peel and stick or you can make your own. I like the premade because they are uniform in shape and thickness and to be honest, all the squeezing of the lead lines is hard on my hands. The color is squeezed onto the glass and spread around with the tip.  This is such an easy craft to do and it can be removed with a single edge razor blade. A great craft for renters! The light shines through the picture but does not reflect the way "true" stained glass would. A fun project with super results!

Have been busy with projects since my last post. Here is a photo of my first mosiac project, a 9" clay saucer. Not perfect but not bad either. I should have used a darker grout to contrast better with all the white pieces. This one was made with white ceramic tile hearts, blue tile chips and flat sided blue marble tiles. It was really fun doing this and have already started another.