Friday, February 24, 2012

Colonoscopy Prep Tips


Let’s enjoy a pretty photo first…



Ahhhh….  That’s nice.

You see, I had planned an entirely different blog entry for today, but Life Happens, and you just have to go with it.

Because truly, as candid as I am, I never thought I’d blog about something like having a colonoscopy, but there you have it.  We just go wherever we need to, right?  We don’t let that stop us from sharing good stuff, do we??  ♥

(And if this is all just Too.Much.Information, then we’ll just catch you next Friday.  Not a problem at all!)

It’s just that I blogged about one of my favorite products the other week, Balneol, and it failed me this week.  Truly a first.

Because I really still stand behind it under the aforementioned circumstances….  Just not this one.

You see I was doing all my “prep” the day before my colonoscopy, drinking that vile solution that you have to drink.  Oh, and let me tell you, I couldn’t get through that were it not for smelling and even tasting a little sugary pickle juice between sips (anything with a strong taste would do), and then rewarding myself with a piece of hard candy afterwards.  Merciful heavens!

And as if that were not bad enough, and it was, then the “wiping” began.  But I thought, “Oh ho, I have my Balneol.  This won’t be a problem.”  Well, let me tell you, it stung instead of soothed!  My wonderful Balneol failed me!!!

Okay, okay, I thought, at least I know what to do for Plan B:  a warm wet washcloth compress to the rescue.  And that was better, and helped a lot, but still I was in trouble!  I survived, but not without great pain.

And I have to go through this all over again the next morning???  Horrors!

So, off to the Internet I went.  I googled “colonoscopy prep pain” and got the best hit and found exactly what I needed to know.

And it was worded so cute, too:  “..you may experience some skin irritation”.  Right.  More like razor blades were slicing me up!  LOL

They recommended 3 things to avoid such “discomfort”:

1.  Before you even drink the prep stuff, coat your business end with Vaseline or Desitin ointment. 
2.  Then use alcohol-free wet wipes instead of toilet paper.
3.  And if you need to, sit in a sitz bath of warm water afterwards for 10-15 minutes, re-applying the Vaseline after you dry off.

So!  I tried the Vaseline the next morning, and it was like night and day.  Apples and oranges.  A complete 180.  I think it waterproofed the skin, or something.

So why wasn’t this on the sheet from the doctor with all the instructions???  <sigh>

So my dear readers….  I couldn’t let my blog steer you wrong, leaving you to think that Balneol would work for you under these most trying conditions.  Not under these wet conditions, anyway.  For “D”, yes, but not this.

Nope, it was Vaseline and wet wipes to the rescue.  And you just feel free to re-apply that Vaseline as often as you want.

And….  Thank the good Lord above, after my colonoscopy, I got a good report from the doctor, and don’t have to go back for 10 years!!!!!

Surely by then they will have a better-tasting product to “prep” with.  One can only hope.

And surely, we can move onto to some lighter topics for my blog.  <whew>

In fact, I think I feel a “Knitting Lace 101” entry coming on.
Okay, so, TGIF, everybody!!!

XOXO,
Lucky Dog  









Friday, February 17, 2012

What if?




What if every disease on earth was cured tomorrow?

What if every business transaction was ethical and fair?

What if every road was smooth and beautifully paved?

What if grass never needed mowing?

What if every job was done right the first time?

What if you could make electricity from smiles?

What if everything was wireless?

What if there were no calories?

What if everyone lived 10 minutes from their job?

What if laughing made you physically fit?

What if you got everything you wanted?

XOXO,
Lucky Dog  


Friday, February 10, 2012

ORB



I have a confession to make. 
A lot of the hardware in our home is polished brass,
and worse, it doesn’t really bother me that much. 

I know, I know, I’m so out of it.

However…

Some of our outside doorknobs have seen better days,
and we’ve been thinking about replacing them.

But then I saw this on Pinterest:


Before.

After.
They spray painted their hardware with
Rustoleum Metallic in Oil Rubbed Bronze:

But would it really look that good in real life??

So Mr. Man went to Lowe’s,
bought some black automotive primer
and some ORB spray paint,

and tried it out on some old hardware that we had leftover,
sitting out in the garage.


And it works! 
It really is quite amazing.

I was afraid it would look cheesy up close, but it really doesn’t.
 (In fact, I think it looks better in person than in this photo)

I’m so impressed; we may do more than those 2 doorknobs.  (!)

I googled it and found some more photos,
and found out that all sorts of gals are doing this: 

ORB’ing their hardware. 

ORB=oil rubbed bronze 
It’s a noun, an adjective, and apparently, a verb!





For now, we’ll probably stick to some doorknobs
and a maybe a porch light, but what a deal! 

New ORB hardware for about $8!

Another good find.
Thank you, Pinterest!

XOXO,
Lucky Dog  



Friday, February 3, 2012

Nebula OP188



Here is a photo of my latest pastel painting!

I was wanting to try out my new handmade pastels
that I got for Xmas,
and just had to paint another nebula.  (!) 

These space paintings are just so much fun. 
I know I’ve painted several of them,
but I always love painting another one.

Which leads me to an observation…

Sometimes when we go to art shows,
all the pieces in an artist’s booth look alike.

This used to bother me. 

It was like, hello, it’s all the same! 
Sometimes, right down to everything being done
 in the very same colors.

At first I thought it was a lack of originality,
but I slowly realized that it was a sign of the artist’s style.

And then one time we were at an art show,
and the opposite happened. 

The booth was full of paintings,
and none of them were even remotely alike. 

12 paintings and they looked like
they came from 12 different people.

My husband and I talked about it later
and we both wondered about the artist: 
so which one of these pieces is “you”??  J

Anyway, these little space paintings are definitely “me”. 

And if they were all together in one art booth,
yeah, they might tend to look alike.
But I hope you enjoy them anyway!

I still wish you could see them in person... 
They look so much better in real life.
Oh, well!

TGIF, everybody!!!

XOXO,
Lucky Dog