4-11-2012
PHOTO: Kelly Beall
I realize not everyone is going to care about what I’ve been going through as a caregiver. But with the crazy statistic that 65.7 million Americans care for a family member with a terminal illness, I thought I’d continue to share my journey with Pete with you.
It seems as though Pete’s reached the late-intermediate stage of Alzheimer’s, there is no set time table with the disease just a person-by-person pace. He easily fixates on things for long periods of time, particularly anything of extreme size or quantity. Think car dealerships, skyscrapers, etc. A big source of anxiety is the idea of something he needs running out, so several of everything are kept on hand at all times. Soap, paper towels, and the like. Date and time are both obsessions, as are fidgeting with his watch which he changes the settings on several times a day.
Pete still gets great joy out of reading the daily newspaper cover to cover (sometimes several times in the same day) and walking outside, so we take full advantage of both. I try to stick to his daily routines as much as possible because he’s easily thrown off, something as simple as the Girl Scouts coming around to sell cookies will leave him asking a million questions hours after the event.
As we’ve moved deeper into the disease more symptoms are revealing themselves. Pete’s begun to forget everyday words and will replace them in conversation with one of the completely wrong meaning. At times no words at all want to form and what comes out sounds more like a child learning to speak. Jibber jabber. His balance is beginning to fail him as well, and a few weeks ago he took a tumble while showering (luckily he was uninjured). Walking has slowed down and it takes a few tries to get up from a sitting position, both make his habit of wandering around more dangerous and me more hawk-like. But he still eats like a champ! More like a teenage boy actually, the other day he housed six slices of pizza for dinner.
A recent development is what I like to call the True/False Game, where he has a thought so set in him mind that he believes it no matter what. Like one of the indoor cats getting outside last week, even though they were both napping under a bed. Another high point of his days is Piper, I bring her with me Monday through Friday and he can’t get enough. Things about her are actually some of the only new information he remembers, so I’m grateful for any sort of joy she brings into his life. And they have such an amazing bond that it has me wondering whether she might make a good therapy dog to bring happiness to others.
One thing I never stopped to think about when I became Pete’s daytime caregiver is what sort of effect it might have on me. As with all terminal illnesses, which Alzheimer’s ultimately is, there are good days and bad. And you take both in stride not knowing when the switch is going to flip the other way. In the past few weeks it’s been in the ‘bad’ direction more than the ‘good,’ and I feel ragged. My anxiety, which has always been on the high end of the spectrum, has skyrocketed. My will to do anything after going home has plummeted, and I don’t discount the fact that I might be slightly depressed. My solace lies in the fact that I’m most likely suffering more than Pete, simply because he doesn’t remember most things short term any longer. And I wouldn’t change that for anything.
4-10-2012
These gorgeous over-sized 36 x 36″ 100% silk scarves from Fieldguided are rocking my world. An ice cave, a mountain, Venus, and a meteor (my favorite) can be worn a zillion different ways or even hung on a wall. Not to mention how black and white go perfectly with just about whatever else you’re wearing. (Photography by Anja Verdugo.)
4-10-2012
Last week Aircraft Infused ScentSticks sent me a few of their fragrances to check out. I could tell you how you can use the 12 scents alone, or mix them together to make a unique one of your own (there’s up to 1,000 possible). Or maybe I could mention that they’re made of natural, biodegradable fibers from sustainable sources. But I want to tell you what I honest to goodness love about them.
1. There’s no oil. This from the lady who’s cat once spilled an entire bottle full of fig-scented diffuser all over himself and reeked for a month. The sticks infused with it instead of sitting in it. SMART.
2. The scents are really, really good. Right now I’m using Summer Rain and it’s reminiscent of the Sunflowers perfume I wore in junior high. The same, but different. I have them in my office, but the scent subtly makes its way through the entire back half of my house.
3. I dig the look. The little ceramic holder fits right in with my decor, and it doesn’t look cheap.
Basically, I’m sold! I can’t wait to check out more of the scents, and maybe snag a few more other areas of my home.
Aircraft provided sample products for me to review, but all opinions are my own.
4-09-2012
TOP: Bravo by Tavolino de Letto
BOTTOM: Battista by Mr. Less & Mrs. More
4-06-2012
01/ Homemade Peeps!
02/ Spicy Roasted Pineapple Lemon/Limeade – YUM!
03/ Mooo is at it again with 12 pages of Easter downloads
04/ I heart Mark Bittman, check out his Everyday, Anytime Egg-Combination Generator!
05/ Bring home the disco with mirrored subway tiles
06/ Looking forward to the release of Mrs. Lilien’s Cocktail Swatchbook May 29th
07/ You need to be following this beautiful Instagram series – Life with SMS – by Ryan Marshall
08/ Love these watercolor Easter eggs
09/ Ever think about cross-stitching your screen door?
4-05-2012
Wall tape? YES! The natural next step after a washi tape obsession. Grab your translator and check out this amazing stuff from Sincol-mt. Create bold patterns or a simple accent wall. Then use it on the dining table for a temporary runner that stays put or maybe create a piece of canvas art with overlapping colors and patterns. The options are sort of endless, don’t you think?
4-05-2012
The little corners of The Ravenna Girls’ casa.
We bought our 1922 Seattle Bungalow as a foreclosure in 2009, and as such it needed a lot of TLC. We’re both architects by training, so there is a lot of experimenting here and there going on as far as larger projects go. We like our little corners where we can easily swap out artwork and seasonal decor to keep things fresh without stressing out too much about design. We’ve tried to keep a fairly neutral backdrop where we can let colorful vintage finds and repurposed items shine. Our design tends to an eclectic mix of mid-century pieces with some whimsy thrown in. Some of our favorite furniture pieces are family heirlooms and they really bring that heart to our home.
4-04-2012
PHOTO + PROJECT: instructables
The ultimate blinged out project? A disco ball helmet of course. Now they’ll see you coming on your bike a mile away (just be sure and use acrylic mirror instead of glass)!
4-04-2012
Aerograms – letter and envelope in one – remind me of summer camp days gone by. In fact, I think I still have part of a notepad of the Catwoman variety! These neon patterned aerograms from the Hungry Workshop are ten times better.
4-03-2012
As a kid, Rice Krispies Treats were sort of the be all end all of classroom birthday treats. We only made them about once a year at home, so it was always extra special for me. Lately I’ve been noticing a trend of dressed up RKTs that are a little more adultified, if you will. Browned butter, dark chocolate ganache, macadamia nuts – endless possibility! You’ll also notice different variations on crispy/crispies/krispy/krispies throughout that left me looking up the correct spelling of the cereal. Hope you find at least one recipe that takes you back to simpler times in a kicked up way. (Click on the image to be taken to the recipe and source.)
All photos and recipes copyright of their respective source unless otherwise noted.
