Miley Cyrus & Bret Michaels???

This takes icky to new levels! 46 year old, Rock of Love veteran, Bret Michaels has a new duet with 17 year old, pole-dancing-at-the-Nickelodeon-Awards, Miley Cyrus.

The part in the second verse where he sings about taking her clothes off is really classy. I'd write more, but I have to go take a shower, blech.

Book Review: Swinging On A Star

Swinging On A Star by Janice Thompson

Anyone who knows me knows that I read voraciously, which is why I love having the opportunity to review books for Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Swinging On A Star is the second in the Weddings by Bella series, written by Janice Thompson. Bella Rossi is taking over her familys wedding planning business. I planned and ran weddings for about 5 years at a hotel, so this made it even more fun for me.

The fairy tale wedding that Bella is planning has a requires the building of a castle and it's own Hollywood certified Prince slash hottest available movies star as it's best man. Bella's family is full of characters that are hilarious and loveable, but never too over the top.

The thing that really got me about Swinging On A Star is it's underlying Christian theme. It's part of the core of this book, but not in a way that knocks you over the head. This is a great book that that will take you away and leave you wanting more.

Swinging On A Star is available now at your favoritebookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Check it out & tell 'em Mimi sent ya!

50 Ways to Feel Great Today

I recently had the opportunity to review "50 Ways to Feel Great Today", written by David B. Beibel, James E. Dill & Bobbie Dill.

Any of you who follow my blog know that this has been a hard few months for me. I can't tell you how many times I've picked up this book and found something that worked for me, right then & there.

Subtitled "Keys to Beating Stress, Worry and the Blues" the back cover states:

50 Ways to Feel Great Today offers medically and scientifically sound advice for giving a blah mood the boot. These time-tested ideas are simple and often no cost. While no "happy" pill exists, the activities in the book let you become your own helping hand.

Including everything from "Feed Your Spirit", to "Name That Feeling Before it Becomes a Mood" and even just "Get a Massage" or " Pamper Yourself", "50 Ways To Feel Great Today"
gives real life examples from real people, reasons why these ideas work and tells you how you can incorporate these ideas into your life.

By not professing to be a book that will solve all your problems, "50 Ways To Feel Great Today", provides real life strategies for altering your mood and your mindset.

I'm passing my copy on to my mom who's still recovering from her breast cancer surgery. Pick one up for yourself, I can promise that you won't be sorry you did.

I Need Some Robert Smith Stat!

While driving in the car the other day I found myself humming along to a song, I was kinda diggin' it until I found out that it was a Miley Cyrus song! UGH!

Next while watching a commercial for the Westminster dog show there was a song playing in the background that I enjoyed, Paparazzi. When I asked my sons who sang it I was told it was Lady CaCa GaGa. Her tunes may be catchy, but I can't support a woman who goes into public dressed as a used feminine hygiene product.

[IMG]http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z310/phoerauf/Blog/eminem00.jpg[/IMG]

I need an infusion of The Cure, The Beatles, The Smiths and anyone else who can get me past this horrifying musical trauma.

The View From Where I Sit...

To get ready for TPN (total parenteral nutrition), or as I will be calling it from here on out, my feed bag, I had something called a PICC line inserted in my arm. This is a more permanent, stable form of IV that goes directly into an artery. There's 2 plugs on the outside of my arm. One for food going in, one for when they draw blood. It looks like this.



It runs down my arm to the IV pole. I got just liquid for the weekend.





Kitties like IV lines...





Now I've got my feed bag which lives in a handy backpack. On one side is my liquid food, and the little thing on the other side that looks like a "Little Professor" toy is the pump.



Now I just have to remember to grab this thing and take it with me everytime I move. I predict I will forget to to this approximately 2,786 times before it sinks in fully.



I will be posting my One World One Heart winner soon and I've also got some good reviews and giveaways coming up so stay tuned!

Disparate & Multifarious

Since Toyota is having a problem with their gas pedals sticking, should their new slogan really be "Moving Forward"?

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Getting ready for colonoscopy tomorrow. I have to take an insane amounts of laxatives. I have warned the kids that no one is allowed to stay in the bathroom for more than 2 minutes since we only have 1! They're boys, they can go outside!

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Someone left a comment on my last post saying how nice it was that I'm keeping this blog about my illness. It was a nice comment, but I feel like I should apologize. I don't want my blog to be all about my gastroparesis or my bipolar. Hopefully they'll just be occasional visitors to my blog and not main players!

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Don't forget to click the links at the top of the blog to enter my OWOH giveaway and my heart keychain giveaway.

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I'm off to check out all of my friends blogs. I've missed you!

What's Next...

Up next for me is total parenteral nutrition or TPN is basically tube feeding on a short term basis. Well technically next is a endoscopy (tube w/ camera down my throat) & colonoscopy (tube w/ camera up my bum). I hope they don't try to save $$ by using the same tube. I'm going to request that they do my endoscopy first just in case ;-)

It will be a busy week here in Mimiville. Monday 2/8 Jack gets his braces put on, Tuesday I have an appointment with my regular physician and I have to have lots of blood drawn. Wednesday the colon & endoscopy, Thursday they placement of a peripherally inserted central catheter or PIC line which will go in my shoulder into a vein and down into an artery. This will leave an outlet that I will hook up my TPN or bag of liquid nutrients that will be used to get my body strong enough so it can try to heal itself.

None of this will heal my gastroparesis, but I will hopefully have enough energy to feel much better.

As a side note I'm a little worried about the amount of calories in this TPN. I grew up with a mom who was overweight and always trying to diet and the second half of my adult life has been that way. I know it's not healthy to lose 40+ pounds in 2 months, but I have an actual waist for the first time in years and I'm so much skinnier! Now obviously this isn't my first priority, but if I have to have a condition where I will never be hungry again, I should at least get to be skinny, don't you think?

I'll keep you all updated & hopefully get around to your blogs to say hi soon.