More Library Craft Pics and More Etc.

Here are those pics I promised of the Scrabble tile pendants we made at the library. My cutouts are from "Mod Floral Pink" scrapbook paper by Vera Bradley. Once I realized that the bails would be glued on (and thus, render the pendants non-reversible), I used blank tiles for my second and third pendants. 'Cause I'm anal like that.


What a horrid photo. You can tell I'm not my husband.


You can see where I tried to add more Aleene's Paper Glaze after I realized it hadn't reached the bottom. I didn't bother with a close-up of the third tile, which became a disaster after I leaned over it carefully, checking for bubbles to pop, and dropped the straight pin flat in the middle of the semi-congealed Paper Glaze. Yeah, you can't fix something like that. At least when I wear it as a pendant, no one will be close enough to notice. (Or as I tell my clients, "If someone is that close, they don't care what it looks like.")


Here's the one "lettered" tile I used. Did you happen to notice my Lego-decimated manicure? Yes, I thought you might've.


We were laying down for Caspian's nap today (he's been asking me to cuddle with him for naps and right after he wakes up), and he started stroking my face with the back of his hand and fingers. This isn't so odd, since he often caresses my arm or whatever he can reach when he's falling asleep. My sweet boy. So anyway, he was stroking my face when he decided to stick his fingers up my nose. My sweet boy. After I asked him not to do that (and he giggled — stinker), he started to settle down, his eyes got half-lidded, and he started running the back of his hand and fingers across my mouth, over and over. I tensed, waiting for those fingers to jam up my nose again, when he whispered, "I love you." My sweet boy.

My achy miserableness of the past few days is "just another mono flare-up", says my doctor. Sigh. When I went in on Wednesday, he even said, "I hope it is strep, just so we can do something about it"...but no. Rest and fluids is all I can do. Fluids are no problem (120+ oz of water yesterday, for example), but the rest? Ah, rest. I remember you. From college, right? Want to know something interesting about mono? My doctor says that 90% of people get mono for about 6 weeks and then never get it again for the rest of their lives. The other 10% gets what's called "chronic mono". I've had it for approximately 6 months now. Woo-hoo. Well, I may be miserable and tired, but at least I'm not contagious to my clients. You can bet I'll answer "Great!" to anyone who asks how I am (as MK said, "If you don't think you're great, nobody else will either").

Speaking of mono, guess what I did today? Used a neti pot! Well, not really. I used a peri bottle (which I brought home from the hospital) as a neti pot. Hey, it worked great! I used 3/8tsp. table salt and dissolved it in a little hot water, then added lukewarm water to make 8oz. Apparently, it only stings if you use too little salt and it's not the same salinity as your nasal passages. Effective, but weird. I didn't like it when it ran into my mouth, but it sure was nice to breathe through both nostrils for the first time in three days. If you don't have $15 for an official neti pot and you don't have a leftover peri bottle, you can try a turkey baster or a sport squirt water bottle or a teapot. Just don't use rock salt.