So, where were we up to?
Ah. I see I haven’t posted anything significant for quite a while.
Well. There’s a reason.
I now have a brand spankin’ new OFFICIAL diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder. (Something which had been suspected for a very loooooooooong time, as in, since I was a teenager…) Which means: new medications. And going off old ones. And so far, we (Mr Beloved and the support team: the Nice Psychiatrist and the Wonderful GP, and the Friends Who Are Team Caity) have managed to avoid going inpatient for the changeover: it’s still an option, but one I really don’t want to take up.
But sheesh, it’s not easy. There are definitely times I would like my old head back. Times when feeling EVERYTHING TOO MUCH is – well, too much. And the ANGER, the RAGE at things is Not Fun. And my immune system is not co-operating: in all this turmoil, I’m catching every little bug that goes ’round (And I’d like to especially thank that $&*%^ cow who COUGHED EVERYWHERE, with no attempt to keep her germs to herself, in the doctor’s waiting room last Wednesday. Your lack of consideration was *really* not appreciated.) I feel like my head is TOO FULL, and not just of snot from the sinus infection. (Ok, TMI, perhaps. But true.)
Also, panic attacks? I know how to deal with them (count breathing s l o w l y , breathe into paper bags, whatever it takes to get more CO2 and less O2 happening) but I don’t LIKE them. (Not that I can think of anyone who WOULD like them.)
Six weeks, apparently, is the length of time it takes to know if a particular drug is working. Two down. Four to go. Unless the dosage is upped when I see the Nice Psychiatrist on Wednesday.
And did I mention the other inevitable side effect of increased appetite? No shit, WHY couldn’t just ONE of the drugs I have to take be an appetite SUPPRESSANT, huh? Nope, EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. makes me crave carbs. It’s almost enough to make one believe in a conspiracy between Big Pharma and Big Agribusiness. Bread? Sure, I’ll have another slice. Or three. With butter, and maybe some jam. And are there any bikkies left? How about some pasta?
Thank goodness that I am no longer enslaved to Diet Coke: if every glass of (fizzy!) mineral water I have was the Evil Black Drink, I’d be (a) broke; (b) addicted and (c) sweating aspartame. (Is that possible? I swear, I can get back on that stuff so fast that my endocrine system gets whiplash.)
Not much art journalling getting done; not much of anything, really. I’m sleeping more deeply but when I’m awake I’m too scattered to achieve much. Not sure I like this version of me at all. The drugged up depressed version was easier to manage.
ANYWAY, I am looking forward to baking on Wednesday – I’ll be making one of my all time favourite recipes, the banana variation of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Cordon Rose Cream Cheesecake. (I can’t believe I forgot to put her new book on my wish list for my Birthday! ARGGH!) On Thursday, I’ll take it to Social Cre8te, as my birthday cake. These days I try to only bake if the results can be sent out the door so I don’t scoff the lot. (But the leftovers of the banana cheesecake are definitely coming home so Mr Beloved and I can share it – his birthday is the day after mine.)
In other news: Mum and Dad got the house in Adelaide they wanted; and now their Wagga house is on the market. ( I confess to being just a teensy bit jealous that they’re going to live near my brother, and not me, but Adelaide is really a much better fit for where they’re at.)
And that’s all the news that’s fit to print… oh, except that one of the Neighbours from Hell has an “UNDER CONTRACT” sign on the realtor’s board outside his house (yay!) and another Neighbour from Hell has had a ginormous loud breakup in their relationship and seems to be moving out. (And since they’re the ones who tend to be REALLY LOUD just outside our bedroom window at 3 am, he can’t leave soon enough for us. )
Time to take the next handful of medications…
And if the cake doesn’t turn out….
- Add a lego construction worker to the rubble
- Fill the centre with the Birthday Girl’s favourite choc orange easter eggs
- light fancy candles
- and just laugh!
(and remember to do an extra layer of greasing and flouring the tin next time!)
The cake tasted GORGEOUS. Like a light choc orange mousse pudding. We were all laughing too hard to get non-fuzzy photos, I think!
But it smells so GOOOOOD!
(Polaroid frame from Kitschy Digitals‘ “Vintage Cameras ” kit; font is CK Ali’s Hand.)
Fingers crossed that this cake will turn out of the tin ok! I do adore my Nordic Ware tins, but sometimes the cakes stick a bit. (Anyone know here I can purchase “Bakers Joy” non stick spray locally? It’s NOT the same as the spray Mum used to use, this one is flour based…)
Anyway, the cake is to take to Social Cre8te (aka PLAYGROUP!) at the Local Scrapbooking Shop tomorrow. Since the Birthday Girl (the shop owner, Tammy) is mad for chocolate paired with orange, I decided it was time to give one of those cakes where you boil the oranges and blitz them in a food processor a go.
The only problem? I am GUARANTEED a migraine if I mix chocolate and orange – every single time. I had to wake Mr Beloved from his nap this evening for a taste test of the mix (yep, he got to lick the bowl, LOL!) and he reckons it’s lovely.
I’m planning on leaving it un-iced, just a few choc orange speckled easter eggs and a little bit of grated chocolate to decorate.
Will I be able to resist? Stay tuned for an update tomorrow!
In another lifetime…
Credits: Art Journal Caravan Parcel 8 (Scrapbookgraphics); K. Pertiet Basic Journal Spots (Designer Digitals); brushes from A Rockwell’s CU grunged pattern brushes (Scrapartist); font is Academy Engraved
This is very clever!
Chalkboard Book by etsy seller erinzam
(Seen on Poppytalk (who found it via SwissMiss)
Just too darn wonderful!
Note to self: Get out the Keith Smith books and learn how to do coptic stitch! I mean, I bought Vol III Non-adhesive binding: Exposed Spine Sewings with the intention of getting this right… (although I bought mine years ago from Artisan Books – and their booklists have just been updated, yay! [not that I'm buying anything. Nope. Not until we get some bills out of the way...])
(Although if I WAS in the financial position to be buying books, these two are definites:
[click images for links]
but sadly, boring things are eating up the small amount of discretionary income our budget allows.)
It’s a MONSOON!
Well, thank goodness we FINALLY got the phone line in the street replaced! When the Big Telco man arrived and hauled it out of the ground, he was amazed by how ancient it was. He showed me ant chew marks which let water into the line (everybody sing: everyone knows an ant CAN’T move a rubber tree plant but he’s got HIIIIGH hopes…) – apparently those rotten little beasties can gnaw right through the old stuff. The NEW cable comes covered with a more ant-proof outer, apparently. Anyway, so far the phone line is holding up under fairly wild conditions:
As I’m writing this, it hasn’t stopped raining for 48 hours. We’re getting wind gusts up to 87 kilometres per hour (that’s NINE on the Beaufort Scale – or, to be more accurate and modern, 24 metres per second.)
The rain by itself isn’t a huge problem – even though we had 157 mm of rain in February, and therefore the ground is wet, and most of the rain is running straight off into water catchments. No, the problem is that our house (and I suspect a lot of other houses in southern Queensland) isn’t designed to cope with rain that arrives HORIZONTALLY. And at 24 metres per second. Blowing right under the ridge cap and running down the frame inside.
Consequently, the roof is leaking. Again, that’s not toooooo bad – the ceiling that’s under the worst leak is pretty high on our list of Things To Do If We Ever Have The Money. It’s plywood and was eaten by termites (well, the corner opposite the wet patch was eaten by termites) and overdue for replacement. (It’s just part of the larger puzzle that involves new gutters, insulation, roof repairs, etc etc etc…)
The sheets of tin lifting in the wind (and pulling the affixing nails out with them) over the laundry/toilet extension of the house (different roof line to the main house) – well, there’s a hand’s width of daylight (such as it is in this gloom!) already. Eeeek! That’s quite worrying.
One lane of the big highway down the Range has been closed due to a mud and rockslide.
Its’ very, VERY wet.
In other news, I’ve been out of action with stomach/abdomen problems again – fortunately, tonight is prep for the procedures tomorrow. (icky drink! Then never more than 2 metres from the loo…) I’m having a gastroscopy and colonoscopy, or as Dad says, an up periscope and a down periscope. Part of me wants the doctors to find something and tell me why I’m so crook; the other part of me doesn’t want them to find anything wrong. Arrgh! In any case, I can’t go on feeling so sick all the damn time.
No pics today: camera is in house and I am down here – and I’m not braving the rain again until I have no choice!
