Princess Picasso

Our new baby!

2009-01-09T08:10:00.001-07:00

Aw sheesh... my poor blog! Lol. Well here I am again :) We got a new puppy for the kids for Christmas! We wrapped her up in a box for the kids, and she didn't make a peep or move the whole time. They were completely surprised and in awe. Nathan's reaction was *gasp* "Wow..." Her name is Asia, and she's an 8-week-old Shiba Inu.

Feelin' Swell

2008-05-02T11:25:00.004-06:00

Come join LimeVine for an Old-Fashioned Summer Soiree, our first ever guest launch!!! Search "Boutique LLB" to see all the AMAZING listings!

For my contribution I wanted to do something a little retro and vintagey, sweet and girly. I have been in love with this fabric for a couple months now, and realized it would be a perfect fit for what I had in mind.

The red polka-dots and flared capris add that retro vibe... the delicate lace detail on the halter bodice, along with the fluttery ivory-colored gauze, gives it a sweet feminine touch... and the summer hat is just plain cute and girly!

Random Naps

2008-04-24T17:48:00.005-06:00

Ninja Nate

2008-04-04T10:30:00.000-06:00

I swear, he has never watched Ninja Turtles, or Power Rangers, or anything really, and yet before he knew what a sword was, he was turning EVERYTHING into one! What's up with those little guys???

Our Health Scare... RAISING AWARENESS

2008-03-25T16:24:00.000-06:00

At the beginning of this year, my 30-year-old healthy husband started to get sick. 1st diagnosis: bronchitis. 2nd diagnosis: pneumonia. When he wasn't improving much after a few days and his leg started to hurt like a bruise or pulled muscle, I started looking up other possible diagnoses and came across a very sobering article on Pulmonary Embolism (PE) that probably saved his life.

I initially thought it probably wasn't PE but decided to bring him to the ER anyway, since PE can mimic other illnesses including pneumonia. Even at the ER they didn't seem very concerned, and would have sent him home had I not specifically asked them to test for blood clots. The blood test came back off-the-charts, they gave him a CT-scan, and discovered massive clotting in both lungs. He also has a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) extending from below his knee up to the groin, which had been breaking off and causing the PEs. While this will be a life-long issue to deal with, he's doing very well, and I'm just very VERY thankful that we caught this in time!! If it had gone on undiagnosed, as it usually does, it likely would have killed him. The doc said if he'd been 65 at the time this happened, it probably would have.

In our journey over the past couple months, I've been repeatedly shocked by how under-recognized and misdiagnosed this condition is, considering how common and deadly it is. While I don't want to scare anyone needlessly, I do think EVERYONE should be aware of what this is, what symptoms to look for, and tips to prevent it.

SOME FACTS...

- Pulmonary embolism (PE) is an extremely common and highly lethal condition that is a leading cause of death in all age groups. It is the third most common cause of death in the US, with at least 650,000 cases occurring annually

- If properly diagnosed and treated, only about 1/12th die from massive PE or its complications. Untreated, roughly 1/3 die.

- The highest incidence of recognized PE occurs in hospitalized patients. Autopsy results show that as many as 60% of patients dying in the hospital have had a PE, but the diagnosis has been missed in about 70% of the cases.

- The diagnosis of PE is missed more than 400,000 times in the US each year, and approximately 100,000 patients die who would have survived with the proper diagnosis and treatment. Many of these go unrecognized and labeled as heart attacks.

- It is the most commonly missed diagnosis responsible for death in the elderly institutionalized patient.

- Most patients with DVT develop PE and the majority of cases are unrecognized clinically.
While my husband's particular case is rare, about 5% of the population has his defective blood clotting factor (called Factor V Leiden), and most don't know it. It usually doesn't cause problems, but can, especially when coupled with other risk factors such as pregnancy, birth control, etc.

Also, ANYONE who has even a minor surgery (like knee surgery), hip surgery, is bed ridden, etc. is at risk and needs to take precautions. Pregnant women are at increased risk, as are women on birth control who smoke. In the last month I've come across several young people in online chat rooms who didn't know what precautions to take after a simple knee surgery, and ended up with DVT and/or PE.

Another thing... DH had noticed some shortness of breath (with no other symptoms) for about 2 months before all this happened. He attributed it to getting out of shape and getting older. He'd been walking around with DVT/PE for probably 2 months and hadn't the slightest idea.

SOME RISK FACTORS...

- Pregnancy
- Use of certain drugs such as birth control pills or estrogen hormones
- Paralysis from a stroke or spinal cord injury;
- A cast on a leg to help heal a fractured bone;
- Confinement in bed due to a medical or surgical condition;
- Prolonged sitting, especially with crossed legs, in a car, train, or airplane.
- Cancer
- Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis)
- Certain unusual blood conditions

SYMPTOMS TO LOOK FOR…

- Symptoms that should provoke a suspicion of PE must include chest pain, chest wall tenderness, back pain, shoulder pain, upper abdominal pain, fainting, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, painful respiration, new onset of wheezing, any new cardiac arrhythmia, or any other unexplained symptom referable to the thorax.

- PE is so common and so lethal that the diagnosis should be sought actively in every patient who presents with any chest symptoms that cannot be proven to have another cause.

I know this is really LONG and I don’t want to come across as preachy, I’m really not that way :). March is DVT awareness month, and I want to do my part in raising awareness for this silent killer. DVT/PE is so common (it kills more people each year in the U.S. than breast cancer, AIDS, and highway fatalities combined), and yet so few people know much about it. If posting this might help even one person recognize the risks/symptoms, it could possibly spare them the devastation that comes with the condition.

Hopefully you have never had to deal with it, and never will. But if you do…if you or someone you know has a seemingly minor but unexplained pain in the leg that won’t go away…unexplained shortness of breath…chest pain that isn’t proven to be of another cause…etc…please go get checked out! My husband was reluctant to go in, and even the ER doc seemed to think we were just being paranoid. (Only after they found the PE did DH say, “Well, I don’t feel so stupid about being here now.” LOL—men!) It probably is something minor, but getting it checked out won’t hurt anything, and it could save someone’s life.

SOME INFORMATIONAL LINKS…
http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic490.htm
http://www.dvt.net/
http://www.clotcare.com/clotcare/index.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_vein_thrombosis
Amie

When the kids are too quiet...

2007-09-05T23:18:00.000-06:00

you know they're getting into something. And you're not sure whether you want to know what it is...

You have to wonder, what is he thinking in this shot? Is this just an innocent puppy-dog sort of look? Or is he thinking, "Oh crap, she sees me! If I just squat here and look really cute and innocent, maybe she'll just whip out the camera and take pictures instead of punishing me for this horrible green mess I've made."

Boutique Eden and "The Hamptons"

2007-08-20T11:57:00.000-06:00

Here's my newest set on ebay for Boutique Eden's launch, "The Hamptons". What would it be like to live in the Hamptons? What would you wear? This is my take...

60's and earthy, with a pop of color...

"Eclectic Jane"

Click here to view this auction.

And, coming very soon!...

SuperMAN!

2007-08-07T13:02:00.000-06:00

As I was going to take pictures of some jewelry the other day, my little guy in his Superman uniform hopped in front of the camera and started saying "Picture-uh-me! Picture-uh-me!" And of course, anytime one of my kids willingly stands still in front of the camera, I could never, ever, resist!

It's been awhile since I've listed just jewelry! I've been so busy concentrating on clothes. But when Christine of GenMarie asked me to match her adorable panda set I was more than happy to whip something up!

Click here for bracelet auction
Click here for bows

My newest creation...

2007-07-12T15:32:00.000-06:00

My newest set, "Euro Delite", is for the Elite Euro "Serendipity" launch. I joined the launch group just a few days before, but I really wanted to whip something up for this launch! This will be my first season making fall clothes on ebay, and even though we are still in the middle of summer I'm getting really excited to make some cozy fall styles!

Click here to view auction

I had wanted to make a transitional set that Hailey can wear right now, and still be adorable for fall. I am already envisioning her running around in this outfit with her cute little fur-trimmed boots...

Smores and more practicing...

2007-07-03T16:35:00.000-06:00

Today I decided to actually try photographing a moving object. The trick is to get that moving object to stand in the one shady spot of my yard while I play around with my settings.

(Of course a little bribe of smores never hurts!)

This amazingly adorable outfit is one we just got from the very talented Michelle of pixie*couture! LOVE it!!!

Teddy

2007-06-29T10:26:00.000-06:00

I'm ecstatic! I finally took a decent picture all by myself in manual mode! I am still feeling rather clueless when it comes to my camera, there is so much I have to learn. But finally, I am on my way.

And maybe, just maybe, I will get on a roll with this blog, and someone besides me will start reading it ;)

I've been tagged! 7 Random Things About Me...

2007-05-15T18:30:00.000-06:00

I've been tagged by Linda, Aida, Michelle, and Chelsea! Here we go... Prepare yourself!

1. I'm half Chinese. My dad's parents came here from China. People are constantly wondering what the heck I am, especially since my last name is no longer Wong. People guess Italian, Hispanic, all sorts of things, but mostly Hawaiian. I went to Maui once many years ago and oh, how I felt right at home! I looked like everyone else, and the slow pace of life there is just heavenly...

2. My hiccups are monstrous! It is absolutely embarrassing when I get a bad case of the hiccups while in public. Either this loud, high-pitched squeak comes out and everyone turns to stare at me... or I try to stifle it and my head jerks back really hard, and everyone stares at me. I guess at least my diaphragm is probably healthy.

3. I used to race snowmobiles. Sno-cross. So much fun!!! Unfortunately I haven't been on one since before I got pregnant with Hailey. Since having kids, I feel guilty doing anything too risky. Not to mention I still have trouble leaving them for more than a few hours at a time.

4. I would secretly love to be a rock star! I really would!!!

5. I am perfectionistic in the most ridiculous little ways. For example... when I go to quickly spiff up the bathroom, more than a few times I've found myself an hour later scrubbing behind the toilet with an old toothbrush. (Who ever looks that closely behind the toilet?) Another example... when I stack Chris' socks (he won't let me fold them--says it stretches them out) they have to be perfect or it will drive me nuts. Well a few days ago, just after I'd stacked them, I noticed that one was lying sloppily on top of the rest. I just stood there staring at it, dumbfounded, wondering how on earth I could have done such a thing. (Stupid, I know!) Well then Chris busts up laughing. He knows how I am so he messed the sock up on purpose to see what I would do. Okay, this is so stupid it's embarrassing!

6. Wow, what else is there... Well, my favorite subject in school was math. I am a geek and I love math.

7. I love to play the piano! I've played since I was 10, and I played some in college too. I find it so soothing and relaxing. A great stress relief!

Now who can I tag??? Everyone's already been tagged! What are the rules? I'm still new to this blogging thing :)

Amie

Photo Shoot

2007-05-01T13:33:00.000-06:00

This is how our photo shoot went yesterday. I couldn't get Hailey to quit doing her goofy ballerina poses :p But hey, some of them are pretty cute and it's better than the tongue-sticking-out poses!

Ack!!!

2007-05-01T12:57:00.000-06:00

Obviously I have a lot to learn, LOL! What is happening to my pictures? They are getting cut off!!

Finally!

2007-05-01T12:01:00.000-06:00

I'm finally ready to get this blog going! Seeing all the cool blogs out there, I've really been wanting to do this for awhile now. So... first I'll do some catch-up :)

Here's our family in 2003... just Chris, me and Hailey, before Nathan was born. I really need to scan some family pics of the 4 of us onto the computer. It's about time to do new family pictures again too! I'd like to lose some weight first. My weight has been all over the chart since having these kiddos, and right now it is NOT on the lower end!...

Hailey & Daddy

Hailey & Me

Hailey & Papa

Hailey & baby brother Nathan

Hailey lovin' on her little baby bro

Happy Nathan

The kids in their usual attire

Nathan