Quick update

Hey everyone! I want to say "hi" to all my new followers and I'm glad you're here!

I just wanted to write a quick update, as I haven't posted in a while. I am still having back & leg problems, which causes me immense pain, and makes it hard to sit at the computer desk (as I don't have a laptop), so I haven't really felt like getting online to post. I'm actually trying to do this pretty quickly as my back is starting to bother me as I sit here now. Anyway, I start physical therapy next week and will go twice a week for the next 3-4 weeks. The therapist believes that I will respond well to therapy, and I'm hoping it'll help! I have been diagnosed with severe spinal stenosis, which is a narrowing of the spinal cord, which causes the nerve endings to touch areas that they shouldn't and that in turn causes my pain. I actually have a compression of my L5 & S1 vertebrae so that explains a lot of my symptoms. The therapist is hoping that having me in traction during my appointments will help gently pull open the space where the compression is and allow it to heal normally. I'll keep you all updated! Until next time, I hope you all have a great weekend, and welcome Fall with open arms! :) Take care & stay safe!

Later gators,

*Jolene*

Never forget. Always remember.

Just my own way of remembering all those lost on this day, 11 years ago. R.I.P. all you angels and thank you to all who have fought for our freedom...

Back/leg pain and Thunderstorms!

As some of you may know, I have been suffering from back problems for probably the last 6 months or so. I went to my Dr about 3 months ago, and was diagnosed with a bulging disc in my left lower lumbar region. Oh yeah, I was just thrilled to hear that (notice the sarcasm here). Well, after a dose of pain medications and anti-inflammatory drugs that worked but didn't kill the pain, I went and got an epidural steroid shot in my back. That seemed to help immensely. I'd say my pain went from a 11/10 to probably a 1/10 (and no, that 11 is not a typo). At the beginning of August, I fell outside my home on the sidewalk, HARD. I landed on my right knee, and banged my left shin against the step. Yeah, it was bad! My right knee swelled up to probably about the size of a grapefruit, and I had a pretty good sized knot on my left shin. I ended up going to the ER that same night and they told me that I didn't break anything (thank goodness), but had a LOT of soft tissue swelling around my knee-I did not get my left leg looked at, as it didn't hurt as much. Luckily, the swelling on both legs have gone down, but ever since that day, I have had excruciating pain in my lower back & left leg. I literally would have shock waves of pain shooting down my leg to my foot almost 24/7 and I would have a hard time standing up straight, or standing up for long periods of time. I even had trouble walking around, as my left leg would get so weak within probably about 10 minutes, I could barely keep my body weight up. Well, after trying OTC pain meds, with no such luck, and a MAJOR flare up of inflammation this week, I finally went in and saw my Doctor this morning. She has decided to have me try Physical Therapy to see if it'll help with the pain in my leg, and prescribed me some more painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. If the PT doesn't help the problem, then she is going to schedule another MRI on my back to see if maybe I jarred my back enough that the disc has moved some more or if it's pressing up against anything (like my spinal cord). I think I may have a pinched nerve around that area, as the only pain I seem to have is on my left side, so I'm really hoping the PT will work. I have my first appointment on Wednesday morning, and I'm not sure how many times I'm going to see them. Keep your fingers crossed for me that this works! In the meantime, the pain meds and anti-inflammatory meds that the Dr gave me seem to be helping me, as I don't hurt as bad right now, as I did this morning (it was so excruciating, I was literally bawling as I got out of the shower). I'll keep you all updated on how things go.

Not taken here, just a thunderstorm pic I love :)

On another note, today's weather was AWESOME! It basically stormed on and off all afternoon, the wind was blowing like crazy, and the temperature dropped to under 70 degrees, which made me so happy! It really did feel like Fall was here, and I only wish that it would stay like this! Even as I type this, I have my balcony door and bedroom window open, letting the cool, fresh air flow throughout my apartment. I'm totally loving it. Tomorrow it's supposed to be back up in the 80's, and be that way (or in the 90's) for the next week, so sadly I'll have to turn the a/c unit back on, and just anxiously await the time where I can turn the a/c off for good. Hopefully in the next few weeks, it'll start to cool down and actually become Fall weather. Until then, I'll just keep dreaming of that day! :)

Well, I think I'm going to end this here, but I hope you all are doing well, and I hope you all have a great weekend! Take care & stay safe!

Later gators,

*Jolene*

Goodbye August...Hello September

 

Well, today is the last day of August. I can't believe how fast this year is going by! Before you know it, the holidays will be here, along with the much cooler weather, which I am SO looking forward too! As you all know, Fall/Autumn is my favorite time of the year, and I have been anxious for it to get here. I love all the smells, sights, and sounds of Fall, and right now, I am just wishing our weather would cooperate with my wishes. LOL! It is still pretty hot out right now, and it's going to be in the high 80's to high 90's for the next week. Yeah, the first week of September is mostly going to be in the 90's here in Kansas...that SUCKS! I'm so ready for it to be in the high 60's to low 70's! I'm so tired of these hot, dry temperatures I could literally cry over it. Every night I go to bed, dreaming of the Fall and all the holidays that are coming up, and then I wake up every morning/afternoon & see the freaking hot temperatures! It just totally bums me out. Ugh, why can't Mother Nature cooperate with us? LOL.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great Labor day weekend and has some fun. Unfortunately, I have to work Saturday & Sunday, but at least Saturday, I get to spend some time with one of my best friends, after I get off of work. Her birthday is next week, and I won't be able to see her then, as she'll be back home, most likely recovering from getting her wisdom teeth removed, so we are going to get together tomorrow and just hang out and probably walk around Old Town looking at all the shops down there...who knows, maybe we'll come across some frugal finds in our search! :)

Well, I'm going to end this here and go ice my back & leg again, but I just wanted to get my thoughts out of my head to make room for some more that are sure to bound in soon. LOL! Again, I hope you all have a great Labor day weekend, and Goodbye August, Hello September! ;) Take care & stay safe!

Later gators,

*Jolene*

P.S. GO BIG RED!!!!!!! (yup, Huskers football officially kicks off tomorrow afternoon!)

Soggy Saturday

 Even though I named this post Soggy Saturday (it's been raining on and off ALL day long), I don't mind it...in fact, I'm LOVING that it's raining! And thundering...and lightening...wait, is that even a word? LOL! Oh well, I just love it all! :) As you know, my favorite kind of weather is cool & damp, just like today. Although, the temperature could cool down a little bit more, but I guess it's still a little too early for that. Haha. I love being able to open my balcony door or my bedroom window, and just listen to the sound of the rain as it splatters against the sidewalk below or patters against the side of the building. I love watching the patterns it makes as it runs down the tree trunks and leaves and splashes into the awaiting pools at the bottom of the gutters. There's just something so soothing about it, and I do my best artistic work when it's raining. By artistic, I mean writing. For some reason, I'm able to write so much better when it's raining out, than when it's sunny and warm. Probably because I don't have as many distractions. I don't know. LOL. Either way, I love it. I also sleep SO much better when it's rainy. I can literally sleep through a thunderstorm. The lightning doesn't bother me & the crashes of thunder don't wake me up, no matter how loud they may be. I guess it's that water aspect about me (my closest friends understand that statement). Days like this are just perfectly wonderful in my eyes and I hope it continues to rain throughout the night and all day tomorrow, like the weatherman was predicting it too...but, you know how accurate those weathermen can be, especially here in Kansas. You know the saying: "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes. It'll change!" LOL! ;)

Well, I guess that's about it for now. Just a little blurb of what was going through my brain at the moment. Hehe. So, until next time, take care & stay safe!

Later gators,

*Jolene*

Frugal Fashion Friday-Blue Cold Shoulder Skull Top

A few weeks ago, I came across this top on the DEB shops website (www.debshops.com) & fell in love with it. It's so cute & girly, yet reminds me a little bit of Pirates of the Caribbean (the skull minus the bow). LOL! It's also one of my favorite colors-blue. The pictures of me wearing the shirt show the color much better than the first picture. I don't know what happened there. LOL. I found this top in the clearance section of the website & there were only a few left, but I got a $25 shirt for about $13, so I couldn't complain! :)

Anyway, this top is 95% rayon, and 5% spandex, so it is quite clingy. If you don't like that, this would not be a top for you. I don't usually like clingy tops, but I can overlook that with this one. It is another cold shoulder top (I'm starting to LOVE those kinds of tops) and there are little rhinestones along the skull & bow, so it has a little bit of sparkle to it. It does have short sleeves, and as you can see from the pictures, they hit me just a little above the elbows. This top is more of a dress down piece, so it'd look good with jeans (like I have on in the pics) or maybe a pair of leggings. It's also a very lightweight shirt, so it's a good piece for those hot summer days, but still wearable in the Fall or Winter (just make sure you have a jacket to take along).

This will probably be my last FFF post for a while as I don't have any plans on buying anything new for a while, but I will still continue to post my own rambling thoughts every now and then. Until next time, take care & stay safe!

Later gators,

*Jolene*

***I was in no way compensated by DEB shops for this post.

Frugal Fashion Friday-Turquoise Crochet Sleeve Top

My friend Danielle & I found this top at Lane Bryant a few weeks ago. We were going through their clearance rack, and I had actually overlooked the top, but Danielle pulled it out & said I had to try it on. It is a light turquoise color, 3/4 length crochet sleeve top, made up of 79% polyester and 21% rayon. It is a very airy shirt & has lots of room, so it's one of my favorites, as it covers a lot of what I don't want to show. LOL. It has a nice scoop neck to it, and the crochet design on the sleeves is very pretty.

It doesn't make you feel like your shoulders/arms are naked, but still has that air about it. I believe this top was around $30 and if I remember correctly, I got it for around $12. The one I have is a size 14/16, but does come in bigger sizes. It is also machine washable, but I would air dry it, because of the sleeves, as I wouldn't want the crochet design to bunch up, but it's all up to you how you want to take care of it. It's also one you could wear year round, either with jeans or dress it up with slacks or a skirt. It'll definitely be one of my go-to tops. Until next time, take care & stay safe!

Later gators!

*Jolene*

***I was in no way compensated by Lane Bryant for this post.