Photography Giveaway

Just wanted to let you know about a cool photography giveaway. There are several prizes, but what I personally would love to win is the Canon 85mm 1.8 lens!

Go here to enter!http://cravemyphotography.com/blog/lens-giveaway-2/  Good luck!

2012 Christmas Letter

Hi! Below is our 2012 Christmas letter. Hopefuly this year I will be able to keep up with this blog a little bit better. Here's hoping!

Dear Friends and Family,

I thought I would get an earlier start on our annual newsletter, seeing as how we might not be here after December 21^st (Ha! Ha! Hopefully most of you will get that!) The year 2012 has been a year of ups and downs around here, but we are blessed. Here’s a rundown of what’s happening in our little world.

Kim is still a stay at home mom but will be job hunting not long after the New Year. After all, in just a couple of years, we will have one son in college. WOWZA!  Ed is still working on his PhD, juggling that with work and home DIY projects. He still serves on the Area 5 Advisory council for the kids’ schools as well.

 Jonathan got his driver’s license and is now driving his new (used) Honda Element to school. He is in the tenth grade and his third year of marching band, and he will begin his second year with the Aiken Youth Orchestra in the spring. He is still an excellent student who continues to make his mom and dad proud! Matthew is in his final year of elementary school!  WOW…how is that possible? He is doing well and is enjoying his second season of soccer! In fact, last night he scored his third goal of the season! We still have three dogs. Sally is our 13 ½ year old arthritic lab mix; Faye, our 3 year old overweight pit bull mix; and Molly, our 8-10 year old Maltese that we rescued last fall.

In extended family news, Kim’s mom has had some major health issues. We almost lost her right before Thanksgiving, due to Septic Shock. She is currently in rehab trying to regain some strength before having a second knee replacement. We are so thankful to God that she is still with us and are praying for her complete recovery! Kim’s brother, Randy, got married this past spring, and Ed and I were able to travel to Charleston for his beautiful wedding to Kelly.

Besides our trip to Charleston, we spent a week in Jekyll Island, GA in July. That was a fun trip with the exception of Molly getting sick and our having to find an emergency vet. She was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and has a stage 5 heart murmur, as well as some other minor health issues. She is doing amazingly well on her four medications per day. (Yes…I know!) Not much travel during 2012, other than those little trips, but we hope to make a trip up north sometime this year to visit Ed’s family and Jonathan’s half sister.

Well, that’s about it for the Ketusky family and pet update! If you want to learn more,  visit http://facebook.com/kimscraps. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!  God bless you.

Love,

The Ketusky Family

What it Means to be Pro Life

I stumbled across this video, and I absolutely love what it says about being pro life. It's so much more than just the abortion issue. Check it out.

Jonathan

Jonathan, my 15 year old was just diagnosed recently with a disease that I had never heard of, though I have learned that among bleeding disorders, it is fairly common. Several years ago, Jonathan began having frequent nose bleeds. I'm not talking a little trickle of blood....I mean his nose would drip, and the bleeding would last quite a while. So we took him to see an ENT (ear, nose, throat doctor). They cauterized some of the larger blood vessels in his nose, and for a while, the problem seemed to go away. Then this past summer, particularly during August and the hot weather, he started having the nose bleeds again. And realize, for a teenager, this is embarrassing. One day, he called me from school and told me that he had a nose bleed that lasted all band period--we're talking fifty minutes! So I immediately called the ENT's office and got him an appointment that day with someone new to the practice. He examined Jonathan, then cauterized another blood vessel, and sent him to the lab for blood work.

On our follow up visit, they sent us to the lab to repeat one of the tests that had come back abnormal. And again, his results for clotting factor were low. We were asked if he had a family history of bleeding disorders, and I had to tell him I didn't know. Jonathan was adopted, so I had to e-mail some of our contacts with his family. We did find out there was some history with bleeding problems. So the next step was to see a hematologist. This doctor did more blood tests. We're talking six vials of blood the first visit, and then another 2 the second visit. Finally, he was diagnosed with Von Willebrand Disease. What is it?

Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is a bleeding disorder that affects your blood's ability to clot. In VWD, you either have low levels of a certain protein in your blood or the protein doesn't work well. The protein is called von Willebrand factor, and it helps your blood clot. Normally, when one of your blood vessels is injured, you start to bleed. Small blood cell fragments called platelets clump together to plug the hole in the blood vessel and stop the bleeding. Von Willebrand factor acts like glue to help the platelets stick together and form a blood clot.

Von Willebrand factor also carries clotting factor VIII (8), another important protein that helps your blood clot. Factor VIII is the protein that's missing or doesn't work well in people who have hemophilia, another bleeding disorder. VWD is more common and usually milder than hemophilia. Fortunately, if he had to have a bleeding disorder at all, it was something milder. Also, among VWD patients, there are three types. Jonathan has the mildest form....another blessing!

And another blessing of all this? We learned that because he has a bleeding disorder, he is eligible for several college scholarships. Wow! You might wonder how this is treated. After a test (yep...more blood work) to see if it would work, he was prescribed a nose spray that forces the walls of his blood vessels to release the necessary protein for him to clot. So far, we haven't had to use it. And we're hopeful that we won't. We were told it may be necessary when he has to have dental work (like the removal of wisdom teeth) or surgery.

We are thanking God that it was something treatable!

Changes Coming

I have been thinking for a while now about changing my blog. I am rethinking its purpose, its look, really....everything about it. So I am not sure if this blog will remain at all (not that I have millions of readers anyway...lol!) I'll let you know what I decide as soon as I know.

I have been really busy with the house, the kids, and that weight loss thing I've been "talking" about doing forever. First of all, I have begun trying to get myself more fit. Notice that I did not say that dreaded "D" word! No...I refuse! Anytime I try to "D," I end up falling off the wagon and then quitting, or I get frustrated with people being "food police" when they know I'm on a "D." So...I simply decided to join the gym with a girlfriend of mine. THANKS, Michelle! We have been going for about 7 weeks or so, and so far I am down 16 pounds and can tell a huge difference in my clothes. As far as food goes, well.....let's just say I still LOVE it! I think that's in my genes (and my jeans). I am simply trying to eat a smart breakfast and lunch and then eating what I want at dinner, within reason of course. I knew that if I started trying to cook something different for the kids and hubby, I would throw in the towel quickly! I am also trying to include more fruits and veggies. A staple lately has been red grapes. I make sure I keep those and apples in the house. If I want chocolate, I will have some. I just have a small piece. On Thanksgiving, I ate whatever I wanted all weekend, and with the exercise, the two pounds came off in no time. Last night, I ate what I wanted at the ladies' ornament party at church. I find that if I eat good 90% of the time, and get my exercise in, I will lose weight. And since I am not on a "D," there is no one around to pressure me to hurry! Slow and steady will win the race, right? I will try to keep you updated on my progress. Notice I said, "TRY." I haven't been too good at the consistent blogging thing lately.


In the last post, I mentioned our unfinished dining room. Well, it is now finished. I will try to take some photos and show you, especially since my table is set for Christmas. Ed did an amazing job!

End of Summer

Today is the last day of August, and even though it stays pretty warm in the south through at least mid-October, I begin to think about fall right about now. Wrapping up summer is kind of sad. The kids have been back in school since the 15th of August, and they are beginning to settle in with their new teachers. Matthew is in fourth grade and is being drilled on those wonderful multiplication facts. Jonathan is a freshman in high school and is taking honors English, Geometry, Biology, and World History. In addition, he is in the Freshmen band class and is taking Spanish I and PE. He is at school until after 6 PM at least 3 days a week for marching band practice. Yes...football season is here! I love it, although it makes for a busy time of year!

This summer was what I would call "forgettable." Not trying to be a negative "Nancy," but we didn't get to plan and do a lot. Ed went to England for a week for part of his course work in working on his PhD. I had foot surgery (an Osteotomy) on my right foot. That put me out of commission for the most part for six weeks. I am still recovering. We did manage to get in a couple of weekend beach trips right before school started, and we have been taking advantage of the pool lately.

Although I am sad to see summer end (I miss my boys when they go back to school), I look forward to pulling out the fall decorations and sprucing up the house. I even cleaned out our "office" closet this morning! :)

Today

Today....

Outside my window: all is quiet with a gentle breeze and upper seventies already at 8:57 AM.


I am thinking: I really need to lose some pounds, not only to improve my appearance, but also to help with acid reflux and other health problems.



I am thankful for: a husband and family who love me, and a home to stay cool in during these hot days!

From the kitchen: not a lot going on there. We are eating out tonight. I had foot surgery on Friday, and I am trying to stay off of it as much as possible.

I am wearing: my pajamas...yes still!

I am creating: a system for storing my photos that will allow me to be MORE creative. It is the Library of Memories system by Stacy Julian. I am learning through a course by Big Picture Scrapbooking, called Photo Freedom. It will entail a lot of work, but it will be so worth it in the end.

I am going: to the doctor this afternoon for my post-op appointment. He is going to check that my foot is healing properly after my bunion/arthritis surgery on my big toe joint.

I am reading: 10 Lessons from a Former Fat Girl by Amy Parham. I am also reading material on the topic of "Boys and Literacy" for a class I am taking.

I am hoping: I can get this boot off and begin walking normally VERY soon!

I am hearing: Phineas and Ferb....while my 9 year old sits in front of the tv.

Around the house: Many projects begun and not finished: my class, which has taken me MONTHS to do; our dining room, again has taken months to finish the remodel; granite counter tops and tile backsplash not sealed, etc....

One of my favorite things: Feeling good and having a day to do whatever I want. Haven't felt that way in a while. I think that addressing my weight issues, mentioned above, will help take care of this.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Except for a couple of scheduled appointments, everything is kind of up in the air because of my foot. Ugh! Looking forward to better days ahead!

Picture for today:



I LOVE these guys of mine! Thank you, God!