* Wicked and the Rialto Cafe *

Two weeks ago Russell and I went to see Wicked at the Buell Theater.  Russell had never been to a Broadway show before (we've been married almost 9 years so this horrifies me).  Before the show we stopped in for a very quick dinner at the Rialto Cafe on the 16th Street Mall.  We love this restuarant and have eaten there several times.  If you're planning on eating there sometime soon, you should sign up for their e-mail list on their website, you'll get a free appetizer.  We were running a bit late, because of the snowstorm we had to drive through, so we sadly had to eat and run.  We had the waiter bring us our check along with the food and ate without talking.  Everything tasted delicious. 

After dinner we plowed through the snowy streets to get to the theater.  We had great seats, second row center on the mezzanine.  The show was fantastic and Russell was amazed at all the sets and special effects.  The show ended a little after 11:00 pm and it took us 90 minutes to drive home in a raging blizzard.  Most of the way home we couldn't see the lines on the road because the snow was so thick.  The next morning church was canceled because of the storm.

* Sweet Shoppe *

This past weekend I participated in my first craft show ever.  I decided to make Christmas treats to sell for a number of reasons.  First off, my mom used to take me to craft shows when I was a kid and we sometimes stayed for several hours because she usually had friends selling things and they would talk and talk.  I would always get hungry, but no one was ever selling anything to eat.  I always wished that someone would sell food so I could get a bite to eat while we wandered the stalls.  Secondly, I figured if sales were a complete bust and no one liked my stuff, then I would at least have all my holiday baking done.

Saturday was the big day and I would say that sales were average.  We didn't have great traffic since this is the first year this craft fair has been at a new location.  Most people who came bought something from me though, so I feel like if I tried a larger venue I could definitely sell more.  I still made a little bit of money and was able to deliver planty of treats to the people Russell home teaches and some of our friends and neighbors.  I felt like it was a good experience and I might try it again next year.

* On My List *

 La Pastisserie Compotes by Rosanna.

2010 MomAgenda, This has been my dayplanner for the last 5 years.

 

Large Patent Campo Bag by J Crew.

The best cupcake and frosting mix in the world.

I love to be organized. Click here to buy.

What's on your list?

* Holiday Giveaway *

There's another great giveaway this month on my other blog.  Click here to enter.  You have until Midnight PST December 4th.  Good luck.

* Thanksgiving 2009 *

We hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year.  My brother and his family joined us, as well as Russell's youngest sister.  It's dreamy having family living nearby.  We all enjoyed an amazing meal and the kids even behaved themselves most of the time. 

What I am thankful for this year is that Russell made it to the two-year mark without any new growth from his tumor.  11 more months and he'll be in remission.  I'm also grateful that we didn't move, change jobs, have major home contruction during the holidays, have surgery, get pregnant, or have a new baby.  Finally a mostly quiet year.  I am also tremendously grateful for our wonderful friends and family who continue to remember us in their prayers, and who love and support us.  Happy Thanksgiving.

* Seizure 101 *

While we were on our vacation to Florida Russell had another seizure.  He has had one about once a year since he was originally diagnosed 5 years ago.  This is the fourth seizure I have dealt with.  While it can be a frightening experience, I can say that knowing what to expect helps a lot.  Because he spends plenty of time with people other than myself, I wanted to write about seizures and what you should do if someone is having one.

The first time Russell had a seizure he was a work and happened to have a paramedic sitting in the seat next to him.  The first time I saw Russell have a seizure (about a year after his diagnosis) I did not know what to expect, because amazingly, none of his doctors ever talked to me about seizures.  To this day, none of his doctors have ever talked to me about his seizures, unless I have asked specific questions.  I can only assume that they assume that someone else talked to me, and that I already know how to handle the situation.

Here is what to do if someone is having a seizure:

1.  Don't panic.  Even though they may look terrified, they will have no memory of what is going on.

2.  Make sure that they won't injure themselves.  It is best to carefully help them to a position where they are lying down, so that they won't fall down and get hurt.  If possible, get them on their side.  Often they are already in this position when you discover the seizure.

3.  Watch the clock.  If a person is seizing for more than 2-3 minutes you need to call 911 because they may not be getting enough oxygen.  This is also helpful so that you can tell the medical personal how long the seizure has lasted.  Time will appear to drag on and on, so your memory of how long the seizure lasted will not be accurate.

4.  It is normal for a person who is seizing to rock back and forth, to make groaning or whining noises, and to foam at the mouth.  This is all ok, and should not be cause for alarm.

5.  Speak to them calmly as they start to come out of the seizure.  It is normal for them to be disoriented and to try to get up and walk around.  A person coming out of a seizure can sometimes be combative, remain calm.  It is important to keep them sitting or lying down until medical help arrives, or they can speak clearly and remember that they had a seizure.  Following a seizure, Russell's speech is slurred for about 15-30 minutes. 

6.  Short term memory can be affected for several hours following a seizure.  When Russell is coming out of his seizures I ask him about every 5 minutes if he remembers what happened.  It usually takes a while before he remembers that I told him he had a seizure.  He also asks the same questions over and over for the first day.

7.  It is normal for people who have seizures to experience migraine headaches afterwards.

8.  Once the seizure is over and the person suffering the seizure has been checked out, or is resting, feel free to completely freak out.  Just kidding, freaking out doesn't help, but sometimes it does feel really good to swear or scream a little bit.

* New Orleans *