Tag Archives: eBay

I’ve Been Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

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I’ve been so busy I hadn’t even realized how long it had been since I posted here. This is our busy time of year for selling on eBay, so I’ve been spending a lot of time taking pictures, writing descriptions, and packing items to ship. Hubby helps a lot with the packing, and he goes to the PO with them, but the photography and anything computer related is up to me.

I also have been very busy on the Plush Memories blog, because so many people have written wanting help finding their child’s lost lovey. It feels so good to actually help someone, and I have had some successes lately. But right now, I have something like 70 or so requests that I haven’t posted yet. Every time I open my email, there are a few more requests. It’s almost like being Santa, getting all the letters. But I’m not magic, and there are only so many hours in the day that I can give to it.

I am still sleeping a good 7 to 8 hours a night now. My alarm watch is waking me up at 5:00AM most mornings now. That’s made a huge difference in how much energy I have, and I’m not even dropping off to sleep in the car like I had been. I haven’t had the nerve to drive again, though. I have mentioned it to hubby, but he just doesn’t answer me. Not so sure he thinks it’s a good idea.

The elimination problems have improved slowly, and the Bentyl, prune juice, extra Metamucil, and the Glycolax are working. I bought a couple of books about IBS, and I’m trying to change some more of my eating habits, too. I had already made some huge changes over the last few years, thanks to the GERD. But now, my diet is even more restricted than ever. I eat the forbidden foods from time to time, like pizza, but I do it knowing that I can expect to have consequences. And I give in to the chocolate craving every once in awhile, as it’s the best cure for being upset that I have ever found. Yes, I am addicted to chocolate!!

Wearing the Skechers shoes helped last Sunday, and I was not anywhere near as unstable in them as I have been in my regular Sunday shoes. They’re not the kind of shoes anyone would normally wear with dress up clothes, but they are unobtrusive.

I’m to have a stand up MRI soon for my neck, as the pain and stiffness have not gone away at all. I’m waiting right now for my insurance to approve the test. The muscle relaxer and anti-inflammatory have not made a dent in my neck situation. The X-rays show the degenerated disks, and my Orthopedist knows about the problem I had with the Celestone. He said I may have to go off the Zelepar long enough to have the epidural in my cervical vertebrae. He said I would need to talk to the Anesthetist and work that out with him. Sounds fine to me!!!! If the epidural doesn’t work, the only thing left would be some form of surgery, and that I will avoid as long as possible.

Hubby’s sciatic nerve problem has flared up again, so he doesn’t feel like going to the track to walk. So I’ve been getting most of my exercise by working in the yard. The Lasagna Compost is still growing, one pile of wood chips, fertilizer, kitchen scraps, and dirt at a time. It sure is tempting to turn the pile to see if it’s working, but I have resisted the urge so far. I work in the yard several days a week for over an hour, so that’s good.

So, I think I have more positives going on than negatives, and that means today is a good day!!!!

Just When I Start Sleeping Later … THE TIME CHANGES!!

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I can’t win for losing! LOL!! I was finally putting together a string of days when I slept until close to 5:00AM, a real accomplishment for me, when the Daylight Savings Time changed on me this morning. So, I’ve been up since “3:30AM”, even though my brain thinks I slept until 4:30AM. I am very pleased that I slept over 7 hours, but I know that I always have a hard time adjusting to these time changes. My appetite gets off schedule, and it has always taken me quite a while to adjust to the different sleep times. Plus, I have my Sleep Study this week. Not the best timing in the world, but it will have to do.

My neck is much better this morning, with pain and stiffness only when I try to turn almost all the way to the sides. I have been very careful with this spasm episode, trying to be very cautious with any stretches, trying to move just to the point of pain, but no further. I have not tried to advance the TAP screw any, since this spasm hit, but I am sleeping with the dental appliance every night.

I have reached an amount of extension of my lower jaw that makes it harder to get the pieces in my mouth. Now, I have to connect the two pieces before they go in my mouth, and then jut my lower jaw forward to meet the mouthpiece. Before, I could put the two halves in separately, and jut my jaw forward to hook them together. I can’t unhook them in my mouth any more in the mornings, either. I have to break the seal with them still hooked together. That’s not an easy thing to do, as they really fit tight. Of course, it’s because they fit my teeth so perfectly that this contraption doesn’t hurt, so I’m not complaining.

I exercise my jaws with the chewing pieces every morning while I’m on the computer, and don’t even really have to think about it. It’s about like chewing gum, really. Then, I also do a series of facial grimacing and stretching exercises for my Parkinson’s, to delay the time when I will lose facial expression. The chewing strengthens my jaw, and should actually help delay the “Mask of Parkinson’s”.

I am in a better mood generally since I started taking the Bentyl, which is an antidepressant as well as an antispasmodic. I’m taking it to soothe my spastic colon, but I’ll take any mood improvement I can get! I’ve managed to get started on several projects that I was previously just overwhelmed by, so that’s a good thing. I even managed to put something new on eBay several days in a row, and posted some new requests for people searching for lost loveys on our Plush Memories blog. I’m still way behind on that, though. But I’m completely caught up on the BLOG VILLAGE membership screenings. The house is still chaotic, but that’s nothing new. I never was a very good housekeeper, sad to say. I do love it when it’s all uncluttered, but I never have been able to find the gumption to keep it that way. All in all, though, I can tell that I’m getting out of the doldrums I’ve been in for some time, and that’s a very good sign!!

43rd Wedding Anniversary!

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How about that! Yesterday we celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary. We’ve actually been seriously in love since 1960, but we waited for me to graduate from college before we got married. I wouldn’t recommend that long an engagement to anyone, but getting my education was important, and it’s helped our family financially all these years.

We went to a movie and ate out and generally enjoyed being with each other, as we always do. I would wish that all marriages could last so long with so much love still there after all the years.

It did get me out of the house and away from all these estate issues. We’ll go to the bank today and open the ESTATE bank account and change over all the CD’s to our name. That will be a couple of more things I can then cross off my task list, which is a very satisfying thing to do.

What with all the stuff we’ve been cleaning out of Daddy’s house, I finally got up the gumption to clean out Pop’s closet at our house. My FIL lived with us the last few years of his life, and when he died, I just couldn’t bring myself to deal with his clothes. They weren’t really in my way, so I put it off. Well, now I need the closet to store some of Mama and Daddy’s stuff until we can sell it on eBay, so all of Pop’s things are bagged up and ready to give to the Thrift Store. I will have to get the name tag labels out of everything, though, as he was in an Assisted Living home his last year, and everything is marked.

I’ve finally worked our eBay store back up to 250 items listed, which is about all we can afford at one time. Maybe now some other things on my To Do list can move up the line.

I did sleep longer last night, but it was because I took a Darvocet last night. The movie gave me a headache, plus I was generally achy all over. I think I’ve been over doing it lately, trying to box a lot of things up. Doing a lot more leaning over and picking things up than I have in a long time, and my muscles are complaining about it. Walking is great, but it doesn’t take care of all the muscle groups. I have been doing some simple arm exercises with the 1 lb weights, and I’ve gone back to doing all the neck and shoulder exercises that the Physical Therapist put me on some years ago for the degenerated disk in my neck. I continue to do the Tai Chi, as well, so I’m really trying to build up my muscle tone. I do have a set of exercise videos that I bought several years ago, but that means getting down on the floor. Getting down isn’t the problem .. getting back up is! LOL So, I’m postponing using them for awhile. I figure by the time the weather turns cold I’ll be strong enough to get up and down safely.

We’re still waiting for them to start work on our new garage, as we special ordered everything to match our house. I’m getting antsy, seeing that beautiful driveway and slab, with no building going on. But it will come, sometime soon. I just need to be patient.

Our older DD and SIL have moved into Daddy’s house, in the midst of quite a mess. I’m glad it’s them and not us!! But youth puts up with stuff that age can’t or won’t. We’re working as hard as we can to empty the house of all of my parent’s things, but it’s a slow go.

So, I continue to stay busy, improving little by little each day. Crossing things off my list reduces my stress level, so I rejoice every time I finish one small part of this huge undertaking. Some days I have to hunt for something to feel positive about, but I work hard at staying optimistic. Thanks to all of you dear friends for your encouragement!!!!

Nerve Wracking Day!!

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We settle on the mortgage on Daddy’s house Friday, and Monday and Tuesday were a whirlwind of activity trying to get everything done no one thought to tell us about until the last minute! We found out Saturday that we had to have an Alabama Wood Infestation Report ready for Closing! That left a mad rush to find someone Monday who would come out immediately and have it ready in time. The people that the mortgage lady recommended said they would get in touch with me yesterday to set up an appointment, but they never called. So, I called someone more local and they agreed to come right then!! When I called the first place back to cancel, she said OK and HUNG UP!! No business sense of being polite at all. And they don’t know that we intended to get two Termite bonds with them, when time permitted!! Now the nearby business will get that money. HA!!

Then, yesterday, we went to the bank to open an account to receive the estate money, something the tax lawyer had told us to do. Lo and behold, we found out we had to have an Employer Identification Number for the ESTATE!! When I went online to try to find what was needed, the IRS.gov site was just as confusing as it had been when I looked at it right after Daddy’s death. So, I called, went through menu hell, and finally talked to several VERY NICE PEOPLE!! What a pleasant surprise. They helped me get the right form and helped me fill it out, and I was able to get the EIN right then. One of them also recommended that I get the publication no. 559, dealing with settling an estate. I’ve ordered it, and thought some of you might be interested in getting one, too. From what I can tell from the online version of it, it would have been very helpful back when I started all this.

We also found out at the bank that I will need a copy of the will in order to transfer Daddy’s CD’s over into my name. That sounds simple enough, right? Nothing is simple, when it comes to this stuff. You see, we don’t have the will any more. I called our lawyer niece when we got home to ask her if she was through with it, and she told me that our County has it until after Probate, which is like 5 months from now!! But, she was able to FAX a copy to our bank with the court seal on it. Just one more thing to deal with.

We had tried earlier in the day to deal with a newbie on eBay from France who had paid us with a Western Union transfer, a payment method we don’t accept. Since he was new, we decided to try to cash it. I had to go online to find the nearest place that would take care of it, and when we went there, the number wouldn’t work. After calling the Western Union representative from the phone at their booth in the store, we found that the name on the eBay sale and the amount of the transfer didn’t match with the correct information. So … I’ve written him, hoping eBay will translate correctly, and told him to get a refund and pay us the way we state in the auction.

This was all just too much stress for me yesterday, and I broke down right in the bank. I managed to keep the tears to a minimum, so I don’t think anyone but DH new just how unhinged I was. By the time I had dealt with the IRS to get the form filled out properly, I was on a chocolate crave that couldn’t be denied!! Hubby came to the rescue, went to the store and bought me two big Hershey bars, and I promptly ate both of them!!

It’s no wonder that I’m writing this at 3 o’clock in the morning!! Hopefully, when some of this stuff is finished with, I’ll be less stressed and my body will let me sleep. I sure hope so. I’m really not a worrier, so it’s not like I’m lying there in the middle of the night thinking about all this stuff, because I’m not!! But it’s taking its toll, anyway.

Still NO Sleep

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Insomnia is turning out to be my biggest problem right now, because it effects my stamina and mental agility as the day wears on. I start out each morning all fresh and energetic, even with only 4 hours sleep. I’m wide awake and rarin’ to go! But I fizzle. Not surprising considering it’s been over a month since I’ve had more than 4 hours a night. I doze in the car when we go anywhere, but other than that, there’s nothing.

My Neurologist appointment is coming next week, and he had mentioned doing a sleep study. I think it’s time, don’t you?? I can’t imagine what he can do about it, though, as I’m comfortable in the recliner, and if I snore, there’s no one nearby to tell me about it LOL. I do hear my DH sawing away in the bedroom, though. Ah! Maybe HE’s the culprit!! ROTFL

I’m really proud of how much stronger physically I am right now, and I’m determined to keep up the good work. I’m doing the Tai Chi almost every day, which definitely improves my balance, walking about 6000 steps on average, lifting 1 lb weights to do the arm exercises, and working around the house more than I have in a long time.

We’re about to close on Daddy’s house, so that will be out of the way. That leaves his car and all the stuff in the house to get rid of, plus some small insurance policies to deal with. UGH!

I continue to stay behind on all my computer work, but the eBay business is picking up, now that I’m listing new items every day. Maybe in the year 2020 I’ll have all of the things we have been buying at Estate Sales sold. HA! Maybe … but we keep on buying, ’cause that’s the fun part for us, as we do that together. One step forward and two steps back! All the online part is strictly my doings. Hubby can’t stand computers.

I really do miss all of you, but I just can’t work it all in. I don’t think I think as fast as I used to.

I Should Hang My Head in Shame LOL!

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I’m sorry. I’ve really been missing in action lately in the Blogosphere, but I just don’t seem to be able to get everything done in a day that I want to accomplish. And, as much as I enjoy blogging, it is not a top priority.

OK, apology aside, here’s a brief recap of what’s kept me so busy. First of all, we’re still fully involved in settling Daddy’s estate. Thank goodness we have a lawyer in the family!! We received the Letters Testamentary the other day, so I’ve had Daddy’s car worked on. It’s ready to try to sell now. I’m not looking forward to that, but hopefully it won’t take long to find a buyer for the price we want for it. We’re meeting with our DD and SIL and the mortgage person at the house tomorrow to fill out the sales contract on the house. There’s been a good bit of talking back and forth to get all the particulars of the mortgage worked out to our satisfaction, but it looks like they will close within the next two weeks.

We’ve also been busy having a driveway and patio put in and the foundation for our new garage. We’re waiting now for the special order materials we have chosen that will match our house. We were very pleased to find the same siding and shingles we already have are still available. Once we have the garage, we will be bringing the stuff out of Daddy’s house that our daughters do not want, and then we’ll be having a huge yard sale!! It may be fun to go to them, but it won’t be fun to have one!

We have continued to go to the track, and I’m continuing to get stronger. I feel really great in the mornings, and it’s hard to make myself quit, when I feel like I can do more. But, by the afternoon, I’m dragging, and by night time, I am worn out and sore. You’d think I’d sleep well with all this activity, but I’m getting about 4 hours a night. I just don’t seem to be able to stay asleep long at all. And the sleeping pills don’t help, either.

I’ve been extremely busy with our online business, too, trying to get our listings on eBay back up to our normal number. We have kept on buying, for the fun of it, even though we were not listing much. So now, it’s list or not be able to move around our own home!!

Standing MRI & A New Friend

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I had the standing MRI yesterday, and that was quite a bit different from the lying down kind. First of all, it would be much better for anyone who is claustrophobic, as I was not closed in, and they actually had a big screen TV set up so I could watch it.

As far as my procedure was concerned, it was not very comfortable. The whole point was to take the MRI while I was putting weight on the knee, so I had to stand at about a 60 or 70 degree angle, I would guess, and be very still for about 30 minutes. By the time it was over my knee was really complaining, but it was worth every moment of it, if it gets them a better idea of what’s going on in there. I still don’t expect it to be torn cartilage, but soon I will know. Their brochure showed pictures of regular MRI views vs their stand up kind, with obvious disk problems that didn’t show up when the patient was lying down. I may ask for that kind the next time I have to have one on my neck or back, for just that reason. I’ll see the Orthopedist next week to get the report on it.

I’ve added the beginnings of a section on Radial Neuropathy to my side bar, not because I have that, but because I’ve recently started emailing back and forth to a new friend who has it. She and I live in the same small town, I taught her husband, know her MIL, and we’re even members of the same church. And neither one of us knew each other LOL!! It was the Physical Therapist we’ve been going to, who gave her my blog URL, that got us together. She promises that she’ll be posting here, so hopefully she can make contact with others who have problems more similar to hers. My Neuropathy is most noticeable in my legs, although my hands and arms are involved, too. Hers is severe, but I’ll leave it to her to explain it.

I noticed the nausea from the Requip about 11:00AM again yesterday, but a few crackers stopped it. I’m still getting sleepy at the wrong time, as I nodded off early last night watching TV, and I’ve been up since 4:00AM. Actually, I woke up a little after 3:00, but I made myself stay put, thinking I would go back to sleep. No such luck.

I can’t tell any difference in my gait yet, but it may take a week or so before I would notice anything, anyway. I don’t remember reading anything about how long it takes Requip to take effect, so I’ll have to try to do some research on that.

Oh, remember when I was having so much trouble typing? That has definitely improved. It must have been the stress of dealing with Daddy that was making that worse. Parkinson’s folks don’t handle stress as well as others do. I still make more mistakes than I’d like, but nothing like it was for awhile there.

I’ve done my morning exercises, but we’re still not walking at the track. Hubby’s poison ivy is getting worse, not better, and he’s so stubborn I can’t get him to go to the doctor about it. So he’s just slathering on the anti-itch medicines I already had in the house, and he’s trying to stay cool.

Speaking of cool, my temperature regulator is all off whack. I’ll have hot flashes one minute and be freezing the next. I’m putting my jacket on and pulling it off constantly!! This is a Parkies thing, too, so there’s not much else I can do about it.

I’ll spend the day today writing descriptions and finishing the pictures I took this morning, so I can put some new items on eBay tonight. DH has gone grocery shopping, a regular Wednesday morning routine of his, and a chance for him to stop and chat with his buddies. I guess that pretty well catches me up for the day. I hope you are having a good day, too.

Wonderful Weekend!

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We used our Date Day Friday to work our way up toward Huntsville, where our younger DD’s family lives. We haven’t been to see them at their home since last Summer, thanks to all that’s been going on with me and with my Daddy. So, we had a wonderful time getting to visit. We even got to watch our twin granddaughters play in their Softball game.

My knee behaved itself, although I was careful to use the cane up and down her steps and at the ball park. When we got home, I have a message to schedule the MRI, as insurance has already approved it. Our older DD has a couple of job interviews lined up, the Will stuff is moving along nicely, and our eBay sales have picked up, now that I’m listing new items almost every day.

We even had rain today, which was so badly needed around here.

Speaking of weather, however, reminds me to say a prayer for all those poor people who have lost everything – even their town – in the Midwest, from tornado damage. May God’s hand be felt close to them. He’s always there, but sometimes we just don’t realize it. I pray that they will feel His strength and comfort in this horrible time they are all going through.

I’m sorry I’ve not been able to get back to reading everyone’s blogs yet. It just seems like my list of things to do gets longer, instead of shorter! LOL And I do appreciate you checking on me, particularly since I’m not reciprocating.

I’ll be calling my insurance company tomorrow to find out where I stand on the number of PT visits I’m allowed, but I do have a PT appointment for tomorrow, anyway.

I’m looking forward to a great week, and I hope you have one, too!

Continuing to Improve

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I am really beginning to see some improvement in my muscle strength in the last few days. No, I’m not ready to run the Marathon, but I am doing my sets of exercises with much less difficulty, and I can see the ease of walking around the track getting better. I did as the PT told me to, and cut back the walking to once around the track, and then I’m finishing up the time with my daily exercises and one set of the Short Form Yang Style Tai Chi that I used to do. My Tai Chi is not in very good form right now, but that will improve as I do it consistently.

I’ve also started reading a new book that caught my eye at the bookstore Friday, called Chi Walking. I’m impressed so far with it’s clear cut instructions on how to walk properly, and there’s lots of mental and emotional balancing stuff thrown in for good measure. I would recommend the book to anyone who wants to be more efficient in their walking and body mechanics, so don’t let any of the “Chi talk” keep you from giving this book a try.

I’m trying really hard to get back some of my old habits of simple things like washing dishes first thing in the morning. I know that sounds trivial to some of you, but having that shiny sink (FlyLady, anyone?)really does motivate me to do more about keeping the rest of my life cleaned up. The clutter is going to take awhile to get rid of, but I’m making a consistent effort on it now. And, of course, the more I do around the house, the more exercise I’m getting.

We’ve gotten back into selling on eBay pretty much now, with the habit of taking new pictures in the morning and writing descriptions while I watch TV back in place. We keep buying the stuff, so I guess I better start selling again, huh? It is fun to see the bids come in, and we’re both big kids about it. It’s great to have a hobby that pays for itself, too! LOL

Now, if I could just get myself back in the blogging habit as much as I would like. I apologize for not being around much lately. I changed over to VISTA, bought new versions of some of my software {translation – learn how to do it all over again), and started changing all our sales templates to CSS in the last month, so I have been just a wee tad busy ;). I have managed to keep up with BLOG VILLAGE, though, adding lots of new members and getting the HEALTH Carnival ready for today’s unveiling. All in all, though, I’m very please with what I’ve accomplished lately.

Getting Back to Normal?

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I’ve gotten a lot done in the last few days. We’ve had the appraiser out to the house, the taxes are ready to sign and mail, and I’m almost finished with the tax bookwork for our paid caregiver. I finally gave up and went to the Orthopedist about my knee and shoulder, too. The X-rays showed the degenerated cervical disk I already knew about, and arthritis in my knee, which wasn’t surprising. Dr. J is guessing that I have a torn miniscus, but it will take an MRI to determine that. From what I’ve been able to read on the Internet, that seems like a reasonable diagnosis to me, particularly since it was injured when I was shifting Daddy up in the bed.

I’ll have to go to Physical Therapy and stay on Extra Strength Tylenol 3 times a day before my insurance will agree to the MRI. That’s fine with me, as far as the therapy goes, as I’m sure it will be helpful. The Tylenol doesn’t even faze the pain, but I’m following his directions and taking it regularly.

We’re still walking at the track early in the mornings, but it’s been way too cold the last few days. Alabama is having record cold weather right now. So, we’ve been doing exercises from videos. DH is REALLY following the tape, and I’m bouncing on one of those little trampolines and doing as much of the arm movements as my shoulder will let me.

I’m still just taking the Zelepar, hoping that the exercise and whatever the doctor does for my knee will be enough. I just don’t want to try the Requip, if I can possibly help it.

We had our usual Date Day Friday and enjoyed looking at lots of Estate Sales. We’ve never been able to be an Early Bird before! It was strange to get there before most of the stuff was gone. And we did manage to pick up a few good buys, I think.

It’s been ages now since I’ve taken pictures and put anything on eBay, but I’m going to try to get back to that this week. We have an almost overwhelming amount of “stuff” we’ve bought in the last few years, and I haven’t been able to work seriously on our online sales for almost 2 years. With so much of the Estate business started now, I’m ready to get back to NORMAL.