Rough Start To the Year

Hello, my friends!

I am sitting here, still in bed sick. It has been a long few days.

Friday (the last day I was able to post) I thought I was starting to feel better...and of course overdid it. By that evening I was down again. 

Saturday was New Year's Eve and I had an all-day "Family Fun Day" planned. I got up, we got food and I was already tired. Mid-afternoon we all took a nap with plans to be up late. When we got up we made up a batch of BBQ Meatballs, some cheese dip and chips, and a meat/cheese/cracker tray. While we waited for the new year we played a couple games of Swap and Mille Bornes, and snacked. By 8:00 p.m. I could sit up no longer, so I laid on the couch while Aaron and Kayla played a game of Uno. Then Kayla decided the time would go faster if we watched a movie...and she already had one in mind..."The Greatest Showman" (the P.T. Barnum story). I barely got 20 minutes in and I couldn't stay awake any longer. With a promise from Aaron that he would make sure I was awake to ring in the new year, I came upstairs, bathed and went to bed. 

Alysia wasn't at her best and was already in bed. At a quarter to midnight Aaron and Kayla joined me with a bottle of sparkling grape juice to ring in 2023. After we were done with our little celebration we all went to bed.

Sunday morning my right ear was full of fluid and hurting. I was getting steadily worse and was not able to get out of bed. Aaron took the girls to church. In the evening, Aaron had to take Kayla back to her mother, and I was unable to go with them. After they dropped her off, Aaron and Alysia met my mom and cousin for dinner at Freddy's. Aaron had a few things to drop off for them and when they got home, my Mother had sent me an early birthday present. I opened it to find a beautiful diffuser and a bottle of eucalyptus oil.

Diffuser

NOW Eucalyptus Oil

When my Mom had COVID she used her diffuser constantly, and she says it is what helped her pull through when she couldn't breathe correctly. I was very thankful for this thoughtful gift knowing how sick I was. I put it to work immediately.

Yesterday I sat in the kitchen and helped Aaron make a big pot of my Chicken Mozzarella Pasta. By yesterday evening the ear infection was bad enough it was causing my jaw and teeth to hurt. I put warm olive oil and a cotton ball in it, took some extra ibuprofen, and used my cherry pit pack to act as a warm compress. (For instructions on how to make one, though different from mine, click here.) It finally stopped hurting enough that I could get some decent sleep.

I woke this morning feeling a bit better, but not good enough to do anything. Aaron and Alysia are in Warrensburg helping my mother-in-law move into a new apartment. It will be her first time living alone in her own place in awhile, and I am excited for her. Alysia was feeling much better this morning and wanted to help "Meme", so she headed out with Aaron.

I have spent my time soaking in the bath with Dr. Teal's Eucalyptus and Spearmint bath salts and working on my blog with my diffuser going beside me. I am hoping that I am FINALLY on the mend and will be up and at it in another day or two. This has been the worst sickness I have had since I had COVID on January 1st last year. I'm not liking this annual tradition I have developed over the last 2 years of being sick for the beginning of the new year, and my resolution for this year is to not be sick at the end of the year. 

I am tired of living off of Nyquil, Dayquil, Alka Seltzer, Vicks VapoRub and Emergen-C. Please pray for a quick recovery over the next day or so. I need to get better so that I can get my house back in order and get Alysia caught up on school. I so much appreciate Aaron during this time. He has been keeping things going while I can't, whilst taking care of me. God has given me the most amazing partner. I love him more than I can even express.

Well...hoping this finds you all well, and that I have better news to share in the next couple of days. Prayers that your new year is starting out better than mine has.

Love to all!