Fun and Frolic With Long-Term Love

[Bluebird]

OMG my nephew won free tickets to see Taylor Swift in Vancouver on the very last day of the Eras tour on Sunday! Some Twitter giveaway? They already sent the tickets to his account on Ticketmaster and it seems super legit. He’s so excited, and so am I! I love this for him!

Yesterday for me was an uneventful plane ride to Houston. I spent the entire time on Pinterest, looking at merchandising options for my headband booth. I think I’ve figured out a good name for my business too, so that’s exciting.

OMG though y’all I am so in love with our granddaughter! She will be one on Christmas, and I bought her 3 outfits last night, and we got her parents and her matching Christmas pajamas! (By request.) Target actually had their sizes all in stock which was a surprise. We took her for her first picture with Santa at a community center. She didn’t cry but she was like, wtf?



Today MisterMoonbeam is taking his son to get their car looked at and an oil change as a Christmas gift, and I am taking my daughter-in-law clothes shopping for her gift. Then later is dinner out with them and the other set of grandparents to do birthday presents for the baby.

I crapped my pants again this morning at like 4:30 am. Ugh. This is a common side effect of the Mounjaro, apparently. I had completely missed out on it earlier this year, but stopping and then restarting has apparently made this a thing. It didn’t get in the bed, thank god, but I did have to hand wash my pajama bottoms in the hotel bathroom sink.

 

[Bluebird]

Home again and absolutely exhausted. We got picked up at the airport by DarkKnight and when I got to the house I almost immediately fell asleep. Our alarm this morning was 2:30 am so we were on an early flight. I just woke up.

I’ve tackled the mail from the weekend and I’m excited because I bought my friend a corset and it’s gorgeous. I have her and another friend coming over on Thursday to play dress up!

I am sad to leave our little granddaughter behind - she is so perfect and sweet. It’s sad to know she won’t remember us yet and when we do see her again she’ll be so different. MisterMoonbeam was upset with his son when we left - he straight up told him that if he gets divorced because he isn’t changing diapers, he won’t be welcome in our home! I’m like, oh damn. But yeah, this trip was certainly eye-opening. His son doesn’t even do the bare minimum to help his wife with the baby! It’s no wonder the other set of grandparents are tired of his shit. I’d shut off the internet as well. We’re very disappointed with him.

We ended up buying an oil change and 4 new tires for their vehicle - they were BALD. So unsafe for everyone. I took momma shopping for clothing and she straight up got teary as she first asked for a new bra and her size was WAY off. When I measured her myself and got the right size - her boobs were locked and loaded! They looked fabulous! She was like, omg I can’t believe this! I was super happy to be able to help with that. She ended up with two bras, a pair of pants, a sweater, a hoodie, a tshirt and two other bras that I ordered her online.

Then Saturday evening we all went to dinner and it was obvious that my stepson needed clothing as well, so on Sunday we went to the mall again and got him 5 different tops - tshirts, long sleeve shirts and I think a sweater? Everything was expensive but I don’t begrudge them any of it.

 

[Bluebird]

Today - and really all week - has been horrid with gas. The stomach pain has been unending unless I take a GasX, and last night was the first time that didn’t work. I’m having painful, watery poops and the gut-wrenching is just hitting me in waves. The sulphur burps are also awful.

I think I need to go back down to the 2.5 level in Mounjaro. I definitely will be calling the endocrinologist today when she opens up. It’s just not working - my weight loss has stalled, my blood glucose is hovering high consistently, but the worst is this sour stomach. I can’t handle it well at all.

I’m not sure if it’s a combo of the Mounjaro and the Levothyroxine or if it’s just one or the other. I just can’t do this anymore - I was trying to soldier through it but this is nothing like my first round through with Mounjaro!

 

[Bluebird]

So, everyone at my house has Covid. So does everyone in Texas, including the baby. MisterMoonbeam and his son started showing symptoms first.

This is DarkKnight’s first time ever catching it.

I feel absolutely awful.

 

[Bluebird]

Before I tested positive for Covid and started experiencing THOSE symptoms, I had a message back-and-forth with my endocrinologist. She has taken me off of all diabetes meds until I see her in January. She wants me to try adjusting to just the levothyroxine for now. I have to say that all issues with gas resolved themselves almost immediately, though that could also be because I’m focused on my runny nose and hacking cough.

I am pretty miserable. Yesterday I was starting to feel a tiny bit better but the cough seems to be settling in right at this moment and it has me exhausted. I’m in bed with a heating pad on my chest, buried under 2 blankets and a sheet, with a crumpled tissue in my hand.

I’m really really sad. Yesterday I missed a planned date day with TheEngineer. We were going to go to the Christkindl Market downtown. I still have gifts to buy for a couple of people, but I was also interested in seeing the layout of the vendor booths, now that I am planning on having my own! I had actually seen TheEngineer on Tuesday - I got sick that evening - so I am worried he is going to start feeling terrible himself, from COVID soon.

Today I was supposed to be going to PA Yuletide! I had been planning this trip all year! I bought this particular outfit before my first surgery - wanting to own a complete Damsel in this Dress look. I just got done creating a Chain of Office for MisterMoonbeam, and my plan was to make a headpiece sometime this week! Well that surely didn’t happen.

Sunday and Monday I was supposed to be in NY. I still have to go, to deliver presents. I’m not sure when that is going to happen! Hopefully I will be much improved over the weekend here and I can head up in the middle of the week? Idk. I can’t mail the gifts - it would be crazy expensive!

 

[Magdlyn]

It's okay if people get their gifts late because the gift-giver has a serious illness. Really! You can chill. There's no law that says xmas gifts can't be given a few days after xmas.

 

[Tinwen]

Good luck with your recovery, Bluebird. I'm currently also still recovering from a mycoplasma infection that got me to hospital. It does take time.
(Edit: Oh whoops, I didn't realize there was another page of posts after reading about the surgery, but unfortunately the wish is even more relevant now... So, get well soon!)

 

[Bluebird]

It's okay if people get their gifts late because the gift-giver has a serious illness. Really! You can chill. There's no law that says xmas gifts can't be given a few days after xmas.

yes but I have to have time after Christmas. Lol Not sure that I will. I won’t be pushing myself too hard, that’s for sure.

Yesterday I watched season 1 of AP Bio and today I watched season 2. I’ve not done anything but lay in bed and feel sorry for myself.

 

[Bluebird]

I got my schedule back in alignment and I’ve now got a NY trip on the calendar for the weekend of January 3.

It’s TheEngineer’s birthday this weekend and I need to figure out when I will be seeing him. I’m still pretty sick at the moment - loads better than I have been, but I’m snotty and exhausted still.

His wife moved out (temporarily, he says) before I went to Texas. She’s been staying with her married partners but coming back to the house at random times to see the kids or to let him have the ability to go attend things he signed up for in advance. She is now agreeing to go to family therapy, and he says he understands her better after their latest talk? Idk. I’m not really involved with what is going on, and I don’t wanna be. He continues to sound optimistic but I don’t have all of the details.

MisterMoonbeam’s brother and sister-in-law are staying with us the weekend after Christmas. DarkKnight has informed me that his friend who is a furry in Texas, who came to stay last year, is also planning on staying over but I don’t know the dates yet. The house is a disaster at the moment and we are all still sick so I’m a little stressed about this! I need to start feeling better soon so I can clean and organize and actually get my presents wrapped. I still have the fireplace and entryway decorations in bins!

The calendar is empty until Thursday, at which time we have a furnace inspection scheduled. We get a free one every year. On Friday, DarkKnight and I have a date night planned, as we have tickets to see A Christmas Carol, followed immediately by A Christmas Carol: Drunk After Dark. Sunday is tickets for MisterMoonbeam & DarkKnight & I to see Improvised Shakespeare in DC together. Just a day trip!

Hmmm I guess that means I’m seeing TheEngineer on Saturday. lol Hmmm. I know there’s a Christmas market in Baltimore this weekend. Maybe we can go do that? I need to wrap his birthday gift!

Oh geez - I didn’t post this today, as I fell asleep for most of the afternoon. I didn’t post talk with TheEngineer and he’s now sick. He tested negative for Covid, but he’s pretty positive that he’s positive. Sigh. I probably won’t see him now until after the holidays.

 

[Bluebird]

Still really tired today but feeling better as well. Finally emptied out our suitcases and got our Texas clothes washed. Which reminds me that I need to move the laundry to the dryer! I’m going to shower in a short bit.

I’m starting to feel freaked out since it’s a week until Christmas! I feel so overwhelmed. Every room in my house needs a freshen up and I need to finish decorating. MisterMoonbeam told me he has Friday off - he does, every other week - and he will go with me to Wegmans in Frederick then if I want. I need to buy everything for the Christmas Eve family charcuterie dinner. I still have gifts I need to buy. EVERYTHING needs wrapped.

Maybe I will swap laundry to the dryer, shower, and then wrap some gifts.

 

[Bluebird]

W00t! Success today. Showered, 3 loads of laundry - washed, dried and put away, and I wrapped a bunch of presents. I feel pretty good about that. I cajoled MisterMoonbeam into my to-do list items and he got the candle blow molds out on the front porch, cat litter scooped and my suitcases all stacked inside themselves and stowed in the closet.

My nose is no longer raw. My weight is 171.2 - my dietician wants me at 169 by the end of the year - and today I did a finger stick after eating to find my sugar at 122. I haven’t had a sensor in for a few days because it malfunctioned and started telling me I was at 40, which, nah, that’s crazypants! It eventually failed altogether and since I was so sick I didn’t care to even plug a new one in. DarkKnight said he’ll do that tomorrow night. I’m still really tired and I feel like the stuff I did today was just below the threshold of too much.

Hopefully I can sleep tonight. The last few nights I’m up until 4 or 5 am.

 

[Bluebird]

No sleep again last night - I was up until 6 am. Ugh. Once I crashed, I slept til 11 am. I feel like half my damn day is missing.

I did wrap some more Christmas gifts and now I am deep cleaning my entryway. I swept the walls and floors and emptied it out completely. The throw rugs are currently in the washer, set to heavy duty and soaking in My Pet Peed. Every one of those suckers had a faint whiff of cat piss. Ugh. I have no idea when that happened, but it’s being taken care of now! I am putting new rugs on my list for May - which is when I bought the ones we have, two years ago.

I really need a new ceiling light in this space. Sigh. I have zero dollars right now - our electric bill arrived in my inbox this morning and it’s $930. I did get my hospital indemnity payment of $1000 but I had planned to use that to pay off our cat Milton’s medical bills and cremation. Guess that will have to wait.

 

[Bluebird]

Oh FML I spent two hours on barely half the entryway floor and though it now looks clean, there was mad efflorescence coming up. I stopped and made a baking soda paste and then had to scrub all that out. It’s better but not great. However, when I stood up and took a pic, it wasn’t as bad as when I was on my hands and knees with my face near the grout. lol



I’m done for the evening. Figure I will finish cleaning the floor tomorrow with the steamer and do the baking soda thing as well. I will snag some actual grout cleaner to combat the minerals and deal with that tomorrow night. The important thing is that it’s sanitized, I guess!

 

[Bluebird]

Date night with DarkKnight!

We’re going to see A Christmas Carol downtown tonight, so I decided to pop on my mystery bag corset! For a biscuit of a second I tried wearing the elf hat, but I felt goofy, so that didn’t come with me. Maybe I should have brought it along, because we’re actually going to see two shows - the second one is A Christmas Carol: Drunk After Dark! Maybe some libations will have me confident enough to rock the hat.

Also, I’m a little unsettled, because this mystery bag was a size 32. I bought it so I would have a smaller corset to fit into in a couple of months, as I’m still losing weight. It fits NOW. Like, OMG. Im not sure how to feel about that, honestly.

 

[Bluebird]

Photo drop!

DarkKnight and me at A Christmas Carol on Friday night:



On Saturday, TheEngineer and I drove to DC and went to a craft fair at the National Harbor. I bought this hat:



On Sunday, I was back in DC with both DarkKnight and MisterMoonbeam:



We went to see Improvised Shakespeare at the Kennedy Center. Our made-up-on-the-spot show was entitled “King Arthur and the Assassins of the Square Table,” and it was the funniest improv act I have ever seen!

It was cold out, so I had my winter wear on!



Today I visited my friend and got a tour of her new house. I talked to her about starting my own business next year and we discussed crafty things for a bit. Then I had to run errands - I now have all my Christmas shopping done! Tomorrow is going to be cleaning the house before all of the kids and their loves get here for our family holidays in the evening!

 

[Bluebird]

Gah!

Okay, the sunroom is clean and the presents are all wrapped. I’m missing a gift for the mailman - it’s a Starbucks gift card and I stashed it someplace…

MisterMoonbeam is working on laundry, and our blind kitty apparently is the one who is peeing in the entryway. I’m so glad I didn’t put the newly washed rugs down yet! We’re going to have to address this with her - she was marking on the new game room rug until recently, but after 3 times, it’s been a few weeks, so I think she’s been redirected. She just loves peeing on rugs omg. I was going to finish cleaning that space and then get dressed, but now that there’s fresh urine getting the treatment, I’m going to have to do that after lunch, I guess.

I’m going to finish cleaning the dining room - which isn’t bad at all - and then I will put on clothes. Imma head out to Lowe’s and pick up lunch. I have decided to do a fun Christmas game and I need 12 prizes, which I should be able to grab from there. Then when I get back I’ll have to wrap all of those!


I will start assembling charcuterie at 4 pm, when MisterMoonbeam leaves to pick up my son. My daughters will be here at 5:30.

I need to finish clearing the game room table - which isn’t bad mostly coats and assorted winter outerwear that needs hung up - and then my living room STILL does not have the greenery above the mantle hung up yet. That means our stockings are still in the storage tote and things look drab in there. That will take me at least an hour, so that’s a 2 pm chore, I think.

DarkKnight is at work until 4:30 but hopefully they’ll send people home early. His work is shitty about that, honestly. He did a lot of prep work last night with washing dishes and making deviled eggs.

 

[Bluebird]

Christmas Eve photo drop!

My family gets together to celebrate the night before Christmas, with a bunch of charcuterie and finger foods.



My husbands and I change into matching pajamas at the end of the night! This year, we’re repping our favorite meeple color. DarkKnight is blue, I’m green, and MisterMoonbeam is red!



MisterMoonbeam got me a dual-zone king size electric blanket. Harry loves it already!



Golden fox cup from my oldest daughter!



My son bought me slippers! BugGirl hooked me up with a microwaveable axolotyl, a succulent pillow and a cool coloring book.



I also got this glass. Marie from the Aristocats is a favorite of mine!



Part of the gift-giving is our tradition of wearing fun hats!

Top row: LittleMichigan, her partner, BeanBoy
Middle row: DarkKnight, me, MisterMoonbeam
Bottom row: BugGirl, her partner, her partner’s son


My youngest daughter got me a cat backpack! I can’t wait to see if Lenny will let me take him on a hike! I also got some boot socks.



DarkKnight bought me green Doc Martens!!! I am gonna die happy, OMG!!! I was also gifted two oracle decks, a savings binder and a pink bangle, some jewelry-making pieces and a bee pin. The binder was a mistake - I planned to gift one to each of my kids but I had it on the wrong Amazon list, so I was given one instead. lol

I love my kiddos so much!

BugGirl, LittleMichigan, me & BeanBoy

 

[Bluebird]

I’m tired and a little stressed. I guess it’s no longer Christmas, but honestly it was a very low key sort of day. I woke up around 7 am, and we had homemade quiche and blueberry scones from Wegmans. I had some chai as well. My sugar spiked to 250, which was crazy, seeing as I ate so much more trash last night and barely made it to 200! I only had one scone so I don’t understand my body, geez. We all opened our stockings. I felt pretty happy, as I got bracelets, a jewelry-making tool and a fabric sunflower that I had thought about buying earlier this month but didn’t then!

Ugh speaking of my glucose levels, I just checked and I’m spiking at the moment. 203. I just took my overnight Levothyroxine. That’s it. It shoots me to the moon every time. I don’t know what to do. It’s just a thing that happens. Hopefully I can get back on the Mounjaro next month and get my numbers back under control. Of course the whole eating trash on Christmas won’t be a thing then, but mostly I am just stressed because I am on the Levothyroxine for life. I don’t have a thyroid to make hormones anymore. I have got to figure out a way to not have my glucose go high! I guess it’s a well known side effect.

Anyway, I took a nap in the morning and then had a protein shake for lunch. DarkKnight and I finished up our advent escape room board game and saved Christmas. Lol We both agreed it was money well spent, even though it was a one-and-done and we destroyed it during gameplay. I think we will get another one next year.

The three of us watched another two episodes of Lower Decks later on, and I had quiche again for dinner. It didn’t spike me. However, before bedtime I had chai and a single sugar cookie, and yep, I popped up for a short period of time. Sigh. I’m going to do better tomorrow - er, I guess today, since it’s after midnight now!

This coming afternoon MisterMoonbeam and I are going to his parents’ place to meet up with his extended family for dinner. I tried on a couple of outfits and I am excited to wear my new green Docs.

 

[Bluebird]

Spending time with MisterMoonbeam’s family yesterday went well. I forgot to take a photo of the day, so you’ll just have to accept that we both looked cute.

Today DarkKnight’s best friend is coming to visit and stay overnight. DarkKnight is taking a half day at work so they can go to lunch together. I’m about to get up and start laundry, as our guest will be staying in my suite, so clean sheets need to be ready to go! He’s allergic to cats as well, but banishing them and Benadryl helped last year.

TheEngineer is supposed to come over this morning but we will see. He messaged me that his wife was having a difficult time on Christmas so I’m not sure how things are going with him right now.

 

[Bluebird]

MisterMoonbeam’s brother and his brother’s wife just left for Michigan. We will see them again most likely in October, as their oldest daughter is getting married. We went to Ypsilanti a couple years ago and it will be nice to visit again.

I was focused this morning, so I got the wreaths off of the front door, the candle blow molds packed up, and my inside entryway decorations into a bin. I took down the hanging ornaments in the dining room, and put away the Christmas tree cat bed, our fun hats and MisterMoonbeam took the 3 totes and wreath-box and stowed them in the garage. Whoo hoo! This was my goal for today, so that’s amazing to have it done so early.

I also stripped my bed and washed the sheets. The washer actually just stopped, so those will get moved to the dryer here in a second before I start the blankets.

This afternoon I plan to clear my table downstairs, and get it pulled away from the wall. I need to wash the wall in preparation for painting. I’d like to get the craft room painted before I go to DC and NY this weekend. TheEngineer is coming over tomorrow. I told him I will probably be painting. My in-brain schedule says that I will be putting up at least one coat of primer tomorrow in the craft room. I should probably make sure I have primer and paint for this project! I will look in the morning, I guess. I don’t feel like going out to the garage myself right now.

DarkKnight had to work today, but I am hoping we can do a game night tonight or tomorrow. MisterMoonbeam got a new Mansions of Madness expansion for Christmas, and we played one scenario on Saturday during the day. The second is harder and more complex, and will take a couple hours longer to complete. Maybe we will save it for tomorrow night - we don’t have plans for New Year’s Eve yet. I did buy a new overhead light for our entryway - maybe I can get the guys to put it up tonight instead!

Saturday night we went and saw Life of Pi at the Eisenhower Theater in DC. I had never been in that part of the Kennedy Center and it was very comfortable! The show was great - I had read the book years ago, and had seen the movie as well. So it was enjoyable to see a live action play of it.

MisterMoonbeam - Me - DarkKnight:



You can see my thyroidectomy scar is healing well. I think I am on the correct dose of medication and I’m adjusting okay now that the Mounjaro has been stopped. I’m hoping to restart that later this month.