To be perfectly honest, nausea + anything = ick! That wretched stuff has a way of sucking the life out of you! And your appetite. And family. And blog. And life in general. Many days I wake up only to wish I could fast forward the day, but then the evenings are sometimes my worst part of the day. (Who came up with the name "morning sickness" anyway?!) Well enough whining I suppose. :-) And, yes, I have tried every notion and fanatical thing in the book minus eating beans, of course. That was a new one I just discovered, and since I do not like any bean on a good day. . .I don't think something which reminds me of a dead roach will get past the gagging sensation in my throat! So during this pregnancy, three things have seemed to help (other than Zofran): 1. Playing the piano. Not sure why but it sends the nausea packing. 2. Crying. :-) Found that out when I hit rock bottom one night due to the intense nausea, and I burst into tears. In a few moments. . .it vanished! Tried it time and again, and it works. The problem comes in when I am nauseated in public. . . Somehow walking around sobbing might do more harm than the nausea! My verdict is that the hormone produced by tears must outweigh the hormone that produces the nausea. (You have my permission to call me Einstein! :-) 3. Whining on the phone to my mother, sisters, or some sympathetic friend (preferably someone who has endured nausea).

There you are, dear friends, nausea busters 1,2, and 3. You can begin to pity the person who sits near me on the plane later this month! They'll have to listen to me sob or whine! Ha. Maybe the pilot will let me sit in the front with him as I always do better up there!

My previous whining is to explain the lack of blogging. When good moments swoop in, it seems a bit more profitable to do laundry or dishes. (You again have my permission to call me Einstein! :-) Not that the laundry always gets done, and the dishes are often clean. Nausea has a way of making one lethargic, and let's hope it is not permanent damage as I have always loved to clean. The problem is with the lack of blogging, I tend to forget the fun and little patches of life that are worth remembering, and when I get around to scrapbooking life in VA. . .well I'll be in trouble! With no further whining (drum roll, please), this often nauseated woman vows to be a better blogger for the sake of scrapbooks and posterity (and a MIL and all the kind people who tell me they read this blog). :-)

"I'll begin by heading back into October," blushes the author. Yes, I typed October, but it was as soon as our company (Angie Oliver and crew) left on October 31st that my life caved in. Not because they left, but because November 1st was the day my normal life ended. Let's see, that makes 50 days of severe nausea so far! Oh, wait, I was supposed to stop whining in the last paragraph, wasn't I?!

Back to the Olivers, it was a delight to have friends from SC visit for a few days. It was nice to be with someone with whom you have some history. New town, new church, new house, new life can get a little too new sometimes, so it was wonderful to visit! Six people under the age of ten is always an adventure as well! :-) And add two woman without their husbands. . .well, we made some memories! :-)

My two morning helpers.

For the first time in years, we spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my parents. (The indoor felines are gone, and so was the dander!) It was a fun time of games,