Insomnia is visiting

Well, my old friend (?) Insomnia decided to visit. I guess she felt bored. LOL Courtesy of my upstairs neighbor's dog howling in the night, she came by around 1am tonight. Ah well....

It was good that she did visit, because my inbox had messages returned! :( AACK! Some of the tracks I had ordered from months ago were finished and they'd attempted to email several, but I only got half of them. I informed them of this, I pray that it reaches their INBOX and not the spam one. (They said some of my messages were going to the spam box at one time.)

Dolly news? Oh I have dolly news...I am so excited that I now have BOTH of the Bratz Wicked Twiinz! Had to pay a little more than I wanted, but it's ok...first I found Diona:

Around the same time, I found a neat African-American clone doll (Barbie size) by Shillman:

Then I found Dinah (Dawn size doll), in the rare "10" headmold and she has now rounded out my collection of her:

Then I found and won this beautiful Penny Brown wearing a Pippa Pak fashion:

Lastly, this weekend I obtained Ciara, Diona's twiin:

I also got 2 Dale bodies, 2 Garys, and a Breyer dude who's too tall as is for Dawn & her buds but will be transplanted onto 1 of the 2 Gary bodies I just purchased.

Well I think Insomnia's about ready to leave for the night, I'm sleepy now....goodnight and TTYL ;)

long week

This has been a long, busy week. From Sunday through yesterday (Wednesday) evening.

If you read my past entries, you'll see that Solomon's acted dumpy and didn't want to do much of anything. He's had constipation issues which I think may have been the result of my switching his dry food to another brand, and switching back to his old brand after his ears turned bright pink and became nearly raw from his itching - the result of a food allergy.

It started Sunday when I got up to feed the kitties and Solomon refused to move. I went to feed him and he would NOT walk over to his dish, like he normally did. I'd try to get him to take a few steps but he'd take 1 or 2 and that was it. Then he barely ate and did not want to move, he just growled at me. So, I decided I'd better take him to the ER vet.

3 hours and over $400 later, he came home with a diagnosis of constipation. He had X-rays and bloodwork done at my request. (I did it in case he was injured, had something more serious, or was so backed up that he required hospitalization.) He was put on a canned food only diet (by me) and given an enema which made him "go", and thank God he did, since I also noticed before that he hadn't had a bowel movement in several days. They suggested adding Miralax to his daily feedings, so I did.

He still didn't want to move around, although he did eat better. At first I thought it was on acct. of the enema, but by Monday he was still the same and unwilling to move. So, I called the vet and they said to bring him in. That night, he was found to have a fever of 104 (or more) and the dr. said he had an infection, tho they couldn't find any wounds or anything, and his breathing and heart & other vitals were all normal. He was given Clavamox 125 mg. and a shot of Tramadol for pain, since he was limping when he walked. He also got a prescription for Tramadol in case he needed more.

Solomon started improving immediately. Although he didn't have any BMs, he began eating & drinking normally, moving about more, and was interested in playing again. His not having BMs did concern me, and when Wednesday arrived with still no BMs the vet said to bring him in for a recheck.

Solomon checked out with normal signs health-wise aside from his teeth (which need cleaning). The dr. said the enema cleans him out and it might take a few days for him to have a BM. Also, not all cats have BMs daily. She was pleased with his improvement and progress and recommended to get him to walk and move about every day, which would also aid with his constipation and bowel issues. Lastly she prescribed Lactulose for him, which he hasn't started yet but will soon.

Meanwhile I also gave Solomon 1 tsp. of pumpkin every evening in addition to his Miralax supplements and finally, Thursday morning he had a BM. It was soft, but still he finally 'did his thing" and that was a relief. I'd been worrying about it for days and I couldn't relax. I found myself obsessing over it.

Now that Solly's on the mend, I find myself starting to obsess about every little thing, and I have to keep praying about it over and over. Satan will NOT have victory over me, I am a child of the KING and I have a Great High Priest who intercedes on my behalf!

a blessin' and a lesson

Hi again,

Well the Lord, and "mama nature" (me) helped Solomon to take care of business, if you'll pardon the term. Solomon finally did his thing just in time to save a trip to the vet.

I was so happy and relieved to find Solly's "prezzie" to me when I came home early Tuesday. He was so happy and frisky, schmoozing me and loving me up. I could tell he was feeling better. So I canceled the vet appt. :) Thank you Lord. :) :) What a blessing.

He also went again later after supper, so I thought, good, his bowel habits are back to normal.

Then yesterday came, and I am not 100% sure if Solly "did his thing" or not. Since he & Greta share a litterbox during the day, it's hard to tell whose is whose, if you'll again pardon the term. Since cats typically have 1 BM per day, I got to thinking, I hope we aren't going to have problems again.

So, worrywart me started getting nervous and thinking, well how much is he drinking? Eating? I knew from watching him that he ate well, but wasn't sure about how much he drank. Then I found myself worrying about things like kidney problems, chronic constipation, infection, allergies, etc. Lots of "what if" worrying.

Then the Lord spoke to me early this morning just before I typed this. He reminded me of how He brought Solomon to me as answer to prayer.

He said, "I will take care of Solomon's bowel habits. I gave Him to you. Let me take care of Him."

But of course I wasn't content or sure if I was hearing from the Lord, so I tried to find comfort in it but was still worrying.

So the Lord got ahold of me again and said, "Look, you're just going to have trust me on this. Stop worrying. I will take care of Him. OK?"

Still nervous, I said "Ok, Lord."

Then He said, "Give this over to me. I can't do anything until you do." He knew I was trying to "control" the situation, in my own sinful fleshly way. So, I did.

It's hard for me sometimes to trust the Lord in things like this, because I find I have a fear that I'm not hearing from Him, and will be in for a shock or a letdown. This is something I'm still trying to learn more about.

I find I have to just (and I can't think of any other way to put it right now) pretend that things are fine even tho I might not think so, otherwise I'll catch myself worrying again or expecting things to happen at a certain date or time when they might not. God is trying to show me that things WILL work out, just not necessarily when I want them to.

This is a lesson I need to learn and I pray the Lord help me to learn it well. :)

update on Solomon

Well Solly has a vet appointment Tuesday. AFAIK he still has not had a bowel movement, and his anal area (glands etc.) seem irritated and pink. I did try to, as they say, manually express the anal gland but nothing came out.

Earlier I tried also to express his anal gland and did get some results but not much. When he goes to the vet they too *may* express his anal glands if they think it is necessary. Of course all this means $$$....(sigh)

Please be praying for me and Solomon. I would LOVE to know what's going on.

3/13 post

Well here I am again lagging. Bad bad bad!

Now I have to catch up on posts, AND sleep thanx to the daylight savings time change.

I finally got myself a new keyboard. Yay, no more sticking keys! Then I discovered it was a USB keyboard. (DOH!) Good thing my puter has 2 USB ports in front and in back.

Good news, my tapes from Canada arrived! Wooohoo! Turns out they didn't ship until 2/25. That explains that. ;) My faith in the Canadian postal service is restored. Good on ya, Canada Post! :D

Solomon is doing better, he's starting to act like his old self now. Only problem is he hasn't gone "number 2" in the litterbox in at least 2 or 3 days. So, I first gave him some Vaseline which he loved (some cats love the taste of that stuff), and then for good measure tried to give him less than a teaspoonful of Metamucil. He HATED THAT. He started frothing at the mouth from anger. That is amazing coming from him, he usually doesn't get upset. AFAIK he isn't constipated but the fact that he's eating all this wet and dry food yet not having bowel movements is a puzzle to me. If you pray, please keep Solomon in prayer.

BTW Solomon also is due for a dental cleaning & scaling. He has advanced dental disease & because of that it'll cost me $650 including bloodwork & pain meds. I am praying for the Lord to guide and assist me in this area. I definitely want to do this for Solly, cuz I think he'd feel better. It's up to the Lord now.

Also got another of my accompaniment tracks - "Heaven Will Be Near Me" by Michelle Tumes. The background vocals are supposed to be female but they don't sound it to me. Hmmmmm

I ordered 2 more tracks as well for production, "When Love Draws Near" by Michele Pillar, and "My Soul In Your Hands" by Natalie Grant. Perhaps next month or so I will order another one too.

OK I need to think about going to bed. (boo hiss)

Oh (S)no(w)

Well I meant to post an entry Wednesday but have been dreadfully sleepy this week. For starters, the weather Monday was terrible. The snow alone was bad. Six inches or more were on the ground when I left for work yesterday morning and the parking lots not plowed - but there was also sleet & ice from the night before, causing problems with frozen car locks, and treacherous roads. The day before we had a beautiful spring-like day and had seen some of the "white stuff" melted, along with sunny warmer temperatures, along came a nor'easter with a little sleet, rain, and snow. The dreary weather made me so tired I went to bed early.

Then Tuesday I had every intention of posting this entry, and again I headed to bed early (8:15 or so). I'm taking meds to help me sleep that I got from the dollar store, and they also help me immensely with my sleep apnea. They contain a combination of Valerian, Chamomile, & Melatonin. I take 1 a couple hours before bedtime and they help me sleep thru the night and awaken rested & refreshed the next day. And - best of all - I have no issues with staying awake during the day, something sleep apnea sufferers must deal with. These work even better than the prescription meds I was taking. Praise God for the dollar stores! :)

Tuesday night, I received the cutest doll from my friend Sue...a Dawn clone head ("Jeanie") on a vintage Dawn body. Jeanie was originally 7.5 inches tall so she couldn't share Dawn's wardrobe, and while I have 3 Jeanies already on their regular bodies I was hoping to find one I could put on a Dawn body. I just couldn't transplant them since she is HTF and it took me a while to get the 3 I do have. Now, thanx to a doll swap, I have a Jeanie who can wear Dawn's clothes, and she is such a sweet girl.
I'll have to take a closer look at her body to see if she has any markings. I found out thru my fellow clone lover friend Laura that she might actually be Mod Miss, a doll who was sold with Jeanie's head but a plastic Dawn-type body.

Wednesday I was going to post this, and I found myself falling asleep around 7:30pm. So early bedtime, again.

Ever have weird dreams when you go to bed early? I had an interesting dream that my mom was upset with me and claiming she had no money to buy any nice clothes for herself because she had to spend it on clothes for me. Why I even had this dream is a mystery, since I don't live with her, I buy my own clothes (I get em from the thrift stores and Walmart occasionally) and the only time she now buys clothes for me is occasionally at Christmas.

Today is Thursday and God has blessed me in the most wonderful way. He provided finances so that I can pay off most of my debt, and save monthly in the long run. God is SO GOOD!! I give Him all the praise, glory and honor for this one. Interestingly, the other day when I ordered from a local Chinese takeout place, I found the "fortune" from a fortune cookie that read "The Star of Finances is shining down on you." I remember thinking to myself, "Lord, if it be thy well, let this come to pass." That was only 4 days ago, and He did! I don't put any stock in fortune cookies, but it was almost like this was a sign from the Lord.

I do have a prayer need. I am concerned about Solomon again, as he is sleeping a lot, and is warm to the touch...he eats & drinks well, & is using the litterbox but doesn't seem to want to do anything but sleep. I go to where he's at and he purrs. :) Doesn't seem interested in wanting to be with me right now. I hope it's just because of the weather. Praying he will be OK.

TTYL

Today & tonight

Hi there!

Well, I got a few things done today. Like take pictures of my MW case & the stuff it contained.

I promised pics and here they are:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43193008@N00/sets/72157626211631626/with/5504420276/

A whole set of pics, 1o in all for you to enjoy.

I also managed to fix the knob on the fan in my dining room/living room....had to dremel out a larger hole to accommodate a knob but now one is in place. The old one wore out.

This morning I discovered my Daniel managed to chew off his calming collar. That really annoyed me. Daniel is certain a rebel. LOL I call him "rebel with claws".

Finally, I added an entire album of accompaniment tracks by Andrew Peterson to my library. :)

Hope to add a bunch by Jaime Jamgochian soon.

That's it for today.

behind again

Hello folks!

I am really sorry for not posting daily. My goal is to try and post an entry on here every day, but I'm not doing very well.

So, what's new in your neck of the woods?

Me? Glad you asked. Solomon is eating his Lysine treats, and so is Greta. LOL His herpes is clearing up, his eye (left one) still waters but not as much. His ears look great, the 2 scratches in front of his right ear are healing up wonderfully, praise the name of the LORD. For some reason, however, he's still afraid of when I sing. This morning I was singing along to MercyMe's "Word Of God Speak" and was singing at about a lower than normal volume. He took off like a shot and hid in the dining room. Why? I'm asking the Lord for an answer, and a solution, since the collar isn't helping with that.

Music. OK you didn't ask but I'll tell you anyway. No, my parcel from Canada did not arrive but it could be due to customs problems. I just learned that mail from coming into the US is being scrutinzed by customs....why I do not know....perhaps terrorist threats...perhaps due to activity in the MidEast....only the LORD knows. So, in my frustration, last night I ordered 3 more tracks from Sweet-Music (they're in Canada) and paid $26.50 for Priority Mail delivery. My last order, I had them ship via Air Mail which normally takes about 10 to 15 days (it's been 11 days now).

Bear in mind, Canada Post is not reliable, and I really hate ordering anything from Canada because of their lax attitude regarding delivery. I'm not blaming the Canadian sellers or companies, but I am blaming Canada Post. I've heard stories about how their staff is overworked and underpaid, and this is why the inefficient service. I heard someone tell me that some of their carriers don't feel like delivering certain things so they just throw them in a pile and get away with it. I will say this: if my Air Mail parcel is actually lost, and not just held up in Customs, it will be the third time something of mine was lost by Canada Post. I have one item I've waited on for four years. Another one has been at least one year or more. This latest order and my selection of Priority Mail delivery will help me decide if this method works better or not. If not, I will have no other choice but to order stuff to be shipped via FedEx or a method not involving the Canadian postal service and see if that works. I know to some I'm probably making a big deal out of this. Why the big deal? Because the items I ordered are out of print and hard to find. If I could find them from a US seller I'd go that route instead, but since sometimes Canadian sellers have them, I use them. The items I ordered this time via Air Mail were accompaniment tracks - "When Love Draws Near" by Michele Pillar, and "When The Time Is Right" by Ginny Owens. If these tracks don't arrive, I will have an accompaniment track made to "When Love Draws Near" by mycustomtracks. I already had a track to "When The Time Is Right" but this one just ordered is a better version. Yes, I'm that passionate and serious about my accompaniment tracks.

Good news, I got one more of the songs from my accompaniment order with mycustomtracks. Wooohoo!!! I had them recreate the accompaniment to "Still" by Watermark. They released a track in the early 2000s, but I got tired of hunting for it and decided to just have it recreated. Now I have it and it sounds great. Love this song.

Found another artist or 2 offering accompaniments also: JJ Heller, and Downhere. JJ Heller is a Christian folk artist, and since I'm not big on that genre (it's good music, just not my style) I only had 1 or 2 songs I really liked of hers. I ordered & received a track to "All I Need". I also have tracks to "Your Hands" and "What Love Really Means". I wanted to order her track to "What Love Really Means" but her had no background vocals, so that nixed that. Yes I have a track to "What Love Really Means" but it's by Daywind, the people known for adding instruments to songs. I discovered Daywind has an (IMO) annoying habit of adding a cymbal buildup to the intro of the slower songs. Whenever possible I try to edit it out via Audacity. But in the case of "What Love Really Means" it was not possible, so the annoying cymbal buildup intro stays...for now. Maybe when I have more money I will just go ahead and order "What Love Really Means" from JJ's site.

As for Downhere....they have 99 cent accompaniment tracks to their songs& also package deals. I already had a few tracks by them so instead of getting the package deal, I ordered tracks to the rest of their stuff. Like Jason Gray, the tracks from the 1st album have background vocals, but the tracks from their 2nd album do not. Why they did this I don't know, but I may be able to fix this with some remixing. ;) (heehee)

DOLL STUFF. At last I got my htf rare MW Dawn case!!! It is gorgeous. And STINKY. Whoever had this case must've smoked a few packs of cigs, cuz everything reeks of cigarettes. Upon inspection, the case needs a mirror replaced, a good wipedown, a few dryer sheets thrown in (to help absorb the cigarette smell), and I will try to wash the clothes. One of my friends online told me they saw pics of some htf MW outfits in the lot. They were right! Ohh, it's finds like this that make doll collecting so much FUN!

What's that? Pictures? You want pictures? You shall have them...as soon as I can find my camera, set up my tripod (I just got one from the dollar store), and take care of things....patience is a virtue. Take it from someone who knows. LOL

quick update

Solomon now likes his new treats! He ate 2 of them this morning. His ears look great. He does have a slightly reddish area by his right area, but I think this is a scar from a scratch that is still healing.

More later!

well!

Well I am certainly slacking in my posts! I have been stressed and burned out lately, so do forgive my lack of updates.

Daniel & Solomon got calming collars Sunday. They seem to help a lot, since Daniel is calmer and not as prone to bother his siblings as usual. Tonight I did catch him trying to pick on Greta, but a squirt of the water bottle stopped that. But for the first time in months, when I have him come with me to bed (I keep him in my bedroom at night so his siblings can have some peace) he hasn't hissed when he comes with me. He knows that when I say "bedtime" he knows he has to come with me to the bedroom. Most of the time (in the past) he gives an attitude and hisses his disapproval. The last 2 nights however, he has not hissed once at me. That's incredible. :) THANK YOU LORD.

Solomon is also calmer. We have a new network on our cable, Sonlife Broadcasting Network (run by Jimmy Swaggart Ministries) which I watch often for the preaching and music. I was singing along with some of their songs during a live worship broadcast, and Solomon did not run away or hide. He's also mellowed out and is not afraid of Daniel either. This morning Solly came to visit me in bed and even laid on the pillow by me purring. That's the Solomon I know and love.

Sunday, Solly also got scratched by Daniel before they got their collars. He has a scratch in front of his right ear, which I've been treating with peroxide and triple antibiotic ointment. It's getting better now. Then I noticed he was scratching at his ears (the back of them) constantly. So I decided to apply ointment to them, to see if it would help. He has not scratched his ears since, PTL!

Since the vet said to watch his ears for possible infection, I did notice his scratching and shaking his head a little. They mentioned this could also be dermatitis, and I have feline dermatitis products, so I have used them on him. He doesn't like them very much but I believe they are helping. I mentioned to the vet the scratching and shaking his head and they said to bring him in. As much as I'd love to do so, it costs me $50 per trip to go. That's the price for a taxi to, and later from, the vet. It's also the equivalent of a weeks' worth of groceries. So I scheduled an appointment for March 19th, when I should, hopefully, have more funds. I am bothered somewhat by the fact that the vet doesn't want me to try something over the counter first before coming in. If I already have something available, and it's made for felines, which this product is (it's called "Petrelief" by Sentry HC and is made for feline dermatitis) why not try it? Why spend money on exams, tests, & other things if this will solve the problem? I understand that they want to do all they can for Solomon, and are cautious. But I think a little common sense should be used as well. I expect I will draw some heat from the vet and perhaps other folks about this, but right now this is all I can do, unless God provides transportation there for a lower price (or no cost to me). If He wants me to have it, He'll make a way. Whatever the Lord decides.

Even tho today is payday, it's actually what I call "pay everybody else day" since 80% or more goes toward expenses like rent, electric, etc. There isn't much left for trips to the vet, and since I just spent $50 in cab fares this past Saturday, I am already low on funds for groceries. If God wants me to take him to the vet before March 19, He will make a way. I know He will, I don't have to wonder, because He is just that good. He CARES about us.

Doll news:

I recently got a great deal on a VHTF Dawn case! Then some of my Dawn buds showed me that this was not only a Montgomery Wards (MW) Dawn case, making it special, but it also included some MW fashions for Dawn, making it extra special. And at $20 it is a great bargain! Take a look at the pics:

http://tinyurl.com/6fc5hxt

They sent it via Parcel Post but the shipping was free, so I can't complain.

I also found a shirt & pants set made for Gary, for under $10!

http://tinyurl.com/5s2x9cs

They even made shoes for him! Naturally they aren't as nice as the originals, but again, I'm not complaining. LOL It is SO great to find such deals on Dawn items. It makes collecting her that much more fun....you can still get bargains and not break the bank.

Music news:

Nothing much to report, except that Francesca Battistelli has a new album out today. She also has released accompaniment tracks to all of the songs, which I purchased on Amazon. I haven't listened to the entire album yet, but I've heard "This Is The Stuff". :) Catchy fun tune.

STILL no news on my custom track order. I want to ask "When, Lord, when?" but I won't. Instead I will have faith and trust Him for them, just like I'm trusting Him to care for Solomon. In all things, at all times, I will praise and give thanks to the Lord!