anointed

anoint
\ə-ˈnȯint\
transitive verb
1: to smear or rub with oil or an oily substance
2a: to apply oil to as a sacred rite especially for consecration; b: to choose by or as if by divine election


About 6 months ago I got some areas of dry skin under my eyes. This has happened every winter for several years now, and I always attributed it to the winter weather drying out the tender skin. I would put some extra moistruizer on it and eventually it would go away.

However, this year, instead of going away... it spread... to both upper and lower eyelids (racoon style) and even had a few patches on my lips!?! I remember my tears bothering it in years past, so much so that one time I thought I might be allergic to my own tears. But now, any time a tear would so much as think about falling it would BURN LIKE FIRE! Even the moisturizer made me come out of my skin. So I systematically tried every cream, lotion, and potion in my stash, including all the fancy little samples I have accumulated. AND... it seemed the fancier the cream, the more it burned.

So I finally stopped and decided I may have to go to the doctor. Until one day a sweet friend brought her boys over to play at our house. She said "Have you heard about the oil cleansing method?" I looked at her crazy as she described to me how she washed her face twice a day with nothing but a mixture of olive oil and castor oil. (WHAT?????) She said it kind of re-balances your skin since all the products we use strip away the natural oils in our skin.

She promised it would take off makeup and that it hadn't caused her any break-outs. (REALLY????) I've been using oil-free makeup, expensive astringents and glycolic washes (and lots of them) on purpose since I was a teenager because I have oily skin that is prone to breakouts... and now you want me to rub some cooking oil and a laxative all over my face????? No thank you very much, was my immidiate reaction... but... you have to see her skin! It is perfect. Perfect, perfect, flawless, perfect, beautiful skin. No better testimony than that.

Besides, this disgusting rash was really beginning to be painful, my eyelids were swelling and the tiniest beads of sweat or tears would just enrage it further. So I made the concoction, and began to "wash" my face with oil. 3 parts olive oil, 1 part castor oil. (Yes, I support Rachel Ray)

It was like aloe vera to a sunburn or baking soda to a bee sting! It took the burn right off my eyes. It was the only thing that soothed it. So I began to wash my face this way twice a day and, because it felt so good, I would oil up my eyelids several more times whenever possible. It took about 2 weeks of no make up and twice daily anointing to finally heal. Great!

So I kept on using my miracle potion for several months with no problem... until one day when I suddenly got a great big breakout on my cheek... and I immidiatly blamed my trusty oil cleanser. After all we'd been through... I still suspected the oil. I went back to my old routine to try and clear up the breakout... and guess what? The funk on my eyes retunred... and with a vengeance. Here is an early picture...

It got worse after this and was on both eyes in a few days. So I began the anointing process again. Then one day I walked into my moms house and she said "I had the exact same thing on my eyes when I was pregnant with you." Her doctor diagnosed it as seborrheic dermatitis and said it was likely hormone related. It went away as soon as she delivered me. Well, I'm not pregnant, but there are a zillion other causes and related factors. And Kevin would probably tell you that my hormones are often out of whack so that might be it after all.

It took about 3 weeks of no make-up and washing with oil, but it has finally healed. And I don't know if I'll ever go back to my old ways again.

My friend Jenna (who got me hooked on the oil cleansing method) told me the other day that she's had a hard time finding castor oil lately and had to go to several places before finding it. I guess I will stock up, in case there is a shortage or something. Thankfully the rash has healed though. Can you imagine what people might think if they saw me carting cases of castor oil through the store with my red, puffy, burning face. What sort of affliction causes yucky facial rashes AND severe constipation??

My Seborrhoeic Birthday

I turned 31 this year! My birthday just happened to fall on Mother's Day this year, which made it doubly fun. However, a severe (in my opinion) case of per-orbital seborrhoeic dermatitis made it most memorable. My itchy, burning eye-leprosy began a couple of weeks before my birthday and I haven't worn makeup since. I actually wore glasses for a couple of weeks as a disguise. It has finally healed enough that I don't need the disguise anymore. But after a few weeks of no make-up, my vanity is gone (or is it my pride) so I'm still not wearing make-up. Amazing! (I can't find the picture I took, but I promise to post it ASAP.)

I have really been spoiled rotten this year... starting a few days before my birthday when my mother-in-law took me to a ladies night out event at a jewelry store to pick out my birthday present. She also made a significant contribution to my vegetable garden by getting me an Earth Box and coming over and planting some tomato plants! Here are my babies doing a little inspection.

Giggle doling out the dolomite.

And the almost-finished product. She and Stan also gave me a staking system (which I installed after this picture) so the fast growing tomatoes have a nice place to climb and rest!

Then my mom and dad made a yummy surf and turf dinner for us. Leah had her first swordfish kabobs and said "mmm this is yummy chicken!" My sister gave me more jewels (which Leah is modeling in a picture below) and a book on composting. :) My parents gave me the gift that is hard to beat.... time at the SPAAAAAA! (Looking forward to complete rash healing before I schedule my spa treatments.)

My cheese face girl holding tight to Ramone (from Cars.)I know... you barely recognize me with this disguise!

Her Pops and her pearls.
Then on the big day we headed to Kevin's parents house after church for more food, fun and fascinators. (Julie made these for a Sunday school party... I have a fabulous picture of my dad wearing one, but he made me promise not to post it.)

One of the best birthday presents is still yet to come! Kevin totally surprised me with concert tickets! Come Monday I'll post about it... can you guess?

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How germs are spread:

Last week, Leah woke up one day with a super high fever just feeling cruddy. So she spent most of the day in mommy's bed watching tv and reading books. (What did moms of sick kids do before there was tv?)

Mid-sneeze...

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The blanket and baby dolls I understand, but why did she need to snuggle with her wrench?

Plus it looks like she is getting ready to "wrench" one of her babies!

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Isn't she sweet? Sharing EVERYTHING!

Happy New Yeo!

Leah is wishing everyone in sight a "Happy New Yeo!" From her family, to the checker at the grocery store to Beans and Baby Jesus. We are having a wonderful year so far. Lots to do though... including get caught up on a few blog posts I've been meaning to write.
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Let's kick it off with a bang... from a deer rifle.
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I love that Kevin is a hunter. I think camouflage is cool, it makes me feel safe that He is really good with big guns, and Leah and I get to have lots of fun girls weekends together but we are so happy when daddy returns. He also saves me money on toys for Leah (a few weekends back he brought home a fresh fox tail for her... yay) and He brings home "free" meat for me to fill up my freezer. (Free... or for the mere price of one deer lease for a year, ammo, gas money, food and beverages while he is there etc... Still, when I need to rustle up some grub, I don't have to run to the store and buy any meat!)
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I love seeing pictures of all the animals he sees... especially when he doesn't kill them. Because however much I enjoy eating animals, I do not enjoy the thought of their death. Early on in this season he sent me this picture... taken with his phone, through the scope on his gun. HOW COOL?!? I think his exact words were "It needs another year or so." Although if a less scrupulous hunter gets his sights on it it may not be there for the taking.
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This is the cull buck he ended up with this year. I think it is a cull because it has an uneven number (9) of tines or tips or points or something? Is that even right? I'll double check.... Don't mind the tongue hanging out of the poor animal's mouth... Why can't they put that back in at least for the picture?
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The head of this animal is currently in our big freezer. Kevin is going to attempt a homemade European mount of this deer. This is where only the skull and antlers remain. There are a couple of ways of doing this that I know of. One is to boil it so all the flesh comes off and I think there is some acid involved in the process as well. The other way involves flesh eating beetles, which would be pretty awesome to see except that apparently they cost a couple hundred dollars and then you have to feed them constantly... flesh! So, since I don't want to host or feed flesh eating beetles in my home for a prolonged period of time, we'll probably choose door #1... boil the poor thing. I won't be as sad once it no longer has a face.
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The Concho County bucks that made it through this season are safe until next fall... however the lady deer... well they still have a few weeks to try and dodge the bullet.
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Happy 2011!!!

Beah-n-Leah

Cute - 12/2009

Double Cute - 12/2010
Look at that grey beard!
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Leah usually helps me feed Beans and give her her medicine too. Beans has a weak urinary sphincter and takes medicine for it twice a day to keep from dribbling on our carpet. More than you wanted to know? Well she also takes an Omega-3 daily for her allergies and ear health. Beans takes more medicine than anyone else in our family. (I didn't mention the regular heart worm, flea, tick, mosquito preventatives.) I guffawed at the idea of pet insurance when Beans was a baby. I actually poked fun at people who would do such a thing. Now I don't even want to think about how much money we would have saved over the last 5 years if we'd just done it. A small fortune in doggie medication alone!

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Lately, Leah has taken to holding the dog's tail while she eats. Not sure why she does it, but I am amused.

things that make you go eeeew... part 4

Cascade Action Packs - Citrus Scent

These smell, not like citrus, but like someone just vomited into a baggie full of detergent and then zipped it up. Every time I open the bag to get one out I almost toss my own cookies.... funny enough, they make my dishwasher smell nice after washing a load of dishes... So I will use them up, but I WON'T buy them again. Sometimes things are on a really good sale for a really good reason.

RULES for new parents

Here are a few rules my friend Laurie sent to me that I think ALL new parents should be aware of.

(By the way... I'm no longer taking any new friends named Laurie, Loree or Lori or any other spelling variant... Its so confusing! I'll keep the ones I've got, but NO MORE.) (Also... no more Amandas, Mandys, Mandies or Mandas)

I confess, I have broken that one...

Come on... everyone has broken that one. Those booger suckers can't stand up to some of the biggies.

That picture gave me the creeps...

When I finally decided to pack away my maternity clothes, I bought this plastic container (in a lovely fuchsia) so I could store them in the top of the closet for NEXT TIME! This picture made me laugh...

And of course, that reminded me of this picture that I took while I was washing baby stuff getting ready for the little Curley's arrival. (I tend to take pictures of weird stuff) I tore this tag off of my new Boppy ...

Everyone, please exercise care with your burning cigarettes and open flames while you are nursing your baby! OK?

twelve gauge

(not a post about a shotgun)

How come when you want to donate blood in high school just to get out of class for an hour (and get a free snack) no one has ANY trouble getting blood from your arm?

How come when you are donating blood in college just to get a free t-shirt (and what lovely fabrications they are) no one has ANY trouble getting blood from your arm?

How come when you desperately want to donate blood to your friend who is undergoing chemotherapy treatments and needs a transfusion in a few short days, and time is of the essence... it takes 3 different tries with a really sharp water hose to get the blood flowing??

:) I'm just being dramatic... for blog's sake... It was not a bad experience and needles don't bother me in the least. I actually think the bigger the needle the LESS it hurts...??? The main thing is we got the blood! It's there in case my friend needs it... and a couple of needles in the antecubital fossa is absolutely nothing compared to what she is having to endure.

And here is my commercial... become a blood donor! I was reminded today how very painless and simple the process is... and it saves so many lives every day. And even if needles do bother you a little bit... you get a FREE T-SHIRT AND A SNACK!

Oopher Pete's sake!

I love that girl. She is fun!!

I have a really LONG list of words that I love too. I LOVE words! Mainly I find medical terms that make me smile but there are some non-medical terms too…. All my favorites are really fun to say... or they look cool... or both. There are more, but these are the ones off the top of my head...

expectorate
mullet
blog
lump / lumpy
meninges
pudding
schnitzel
filibuster
fiduciary
uvula

labioplasty
megalodactyly
coitus
Adirondack
sphygmomanometer
blepharospasm
oophorectomy

Oophorectomy, one of my all time favorites, means the excision and removal of an ovary.... a surgical procedure I DID NOT have to have! Immediately following the delivery of our little bundle of Curley, my excellent surgeons moved right along to deal with Dermita. They were able to excise the tumor... show Kevin... allow him to take a photo... and save my entire ovary! I was behind the stupid curtain the whole time (well, the top half of me was) so I didn’t get to see it but Kevin got to see the whole thing and said it was pretty remarkable. He later talked to the docs in the hall and they told him that when they cut into it, it was full of hair and other gross stuff. No reported teeth, but they only made one dissecting cut in the O.R. so I guess we'll never know!

The pathology report was completed before we left the hospital and so we got to leave with Leah, both of my ovaries and the knowledge that the tumor was indeed benign.... and now completely gone! Bittersweet since my request to take her home in a jar with us was denied.

I promised I wouldn’t post icky surgical photos... but I lied! She was larger than they anticipated (Dermita, not Leah) and the photo is great... not gruesome to me at all... so I’m posting it. So if you don’t want to see a picture of my exposed uterus... don’t look down!!! (the big, white softball sized thing is the dermoid... if you look closely you can see my tiny white left ovary...)

Oh... and please let me know what you think of my favorite words...if any of them are your favorites too... and if there are any fun or funny ones on your list!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT LESLIE!!!!!

MORE

Here are a few more of the "early days." There are seriously so many photos that it makes my head spin... and when I get overwhelmed, I just ignore the problem, which is why I haven't posted much. So much to sift through! There is something to be said for the old roll of film... you just point and shoot... ONCE... and hope for the best. Now, we take 6 or 7 of the exact same thing! But I'm getting motivated so look for more photos soon.

Her first operating room... maybe she'll love guts as much as I do and be the surgeon I always wanted to be. :)

First time we held hands... they put her next to me on the stretcher before we rolled out of the O.R.

Skin to skin... the most wonderful practice at many hospitals these days! We were like this for several hours... I highly recommend holding a baby next to your skin as often as possible... there is nothing like it. :)

Yawning in Daddy's arms... those arms will do that to you.

Ready to go home...

Except everything she had to wear was WAY TOO BIG! And we were worried she would not ever get to wear some of that tiny newborn stuff. Who knew we would have such a petite little lady?

On our way home on Friday the 13th!!

Dermit...Dermie...Dermita

At first I called it Dermit. Dermit the blob, like Kermit the frog! Then I became a little attached to it and began to call it Dermie (you know, how Miss Piggy says Kermie...) But then I realized she's a girl... because she lives on an ovary... and boys don't have those...

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At our first big ultrasound, not only did we find out that our little Curley was going to be a baby girl… but we also found out that she has a little monster friend with her! Dermita – the Dermoid ovarian tumor.

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I toyed with whether or not to share this info with the world wide web… its not a great big scary deal... most of our friends and family know... and we would really like every prayer we can get since it has to be removed. I decided that Dermita is just another character in our lives, who has taken up more than her fair share of time and energy as we discussed her presence in my body and the implications she has on our lives and on my ovary. But she is a character nonetheless and therefore deserves a spot in our blog. (And hopefully a spot on a shelf in our home one day if they let me keep her when she’s removed!) We have been taking a look at it every 4 weeks to make sure it didn't grow throughout the pregnancy and it didn't! But... its pretty large and puts me at risk for further complications if left alone.

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And so, I'll be having a c-section delivery tomorrow (Monday 2/9) so they can remove the tumor through the surgical site. Leah is the star of the show of course, but Dermita is going to be very intriguing as well. Dermoid tumors (or cysts) are made up of dermal stem cells that, as they grow, can turn into all kinds of cool things like skin, teeth, hair, sweat glands etc.... Awesome and disgusting! One of my perinatologists said the way they used to diagnose this type of growth was to put an ice pack over your abdomen and if you hear chattering teeth, you know its a dermoid! :) I wanted to try this test, but I had the more sophisticated diagnostic MRI.

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I have imagined all along that Leah's little friend in there looks like this...

or maybe a little "Bubba" like this...

My sister was most concerned that Dermita might bite the baby! But she has been a rather good tenant... I mean... if you have to have a hairy, toothy tumor residing in your body.

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We appreciate your prayers so much. God has had his hand on every moment of our lives all the way through this and we know He will continue to be in control. We ask that you continue to pray that above all... Leah is born healthy!

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(I promise NOT to post a picture of Dermita if they let me take one... but will email by request only...)

And a back-ordered-quiver-duck-butt

You have to sing it to the tune of "and a partridge in a pear tree" to get the full holiday effect. So, I finally tried to obey all of the mother-types in my life (including my mother) and not be up on my feet and running around all day and night doing too much working and shopping and this and that.
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I ordered a bunch of Christmas gifts online. I was careful only to hit the "PURCHASE" button on things that clearly said IN STOCK next to them, so I would be sure to have peace about my Christmas shopping. And even paid the extra rush shipping fee on one or two things that I ordered a little late. (Normally I would NOT do that... pay ANYTHING extra... but this little girl is precious and I would like it if she would keep cooking for a few more weeks...7 more to be exact.) Yesterday, much to my chafrown (this is what the word chagrin should actually look like... chagrin sounds so happy!) I received an email from TWO different online stores saying happily "Your order will be arriving on 12/22!" But then as I read further down it says "one or more of your items was out of stock and is now on back order." Ummmm..... then why did it tell me SEVERAL days ago, before I pushed the button and wasted SEVERAL more shopping days, that it was IN STOCK?? Just what am I going to put under the tree in place of my precious husband's quiver duck butt?? And as I say this to myself, I realize that I must have crossed over... long ago and without even noticing... into the land of full-fledged red neckedness.
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I've joked about it before (click what color is my neck? to see a photo), and of course I've always known Kevin is a serious redneck masquerading around downtown Dallas in his suit and tie looking like a serious professional. But it got me thinking today about a few things that made me realize I was no longer just laughing at "You might be a redneck" jokes... I am the joke. You might be a redneck woman...
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1. If you know the difference between a hen and a drake, a buck and a doe, a spike and a fawn... (of course many of you may know the difference between these animals and are beginning to worry that you too may unknowingly be a redneck.... don't worry... this fact alone does not make you one, but if it is combined with one or more of the other facts... you might begin to worry)

2. If you know exactly what happens to a mallard drake's eyeballs when you put a whole one, completely intact, in your deep freeze....

3. If you have a deep freeze (that you gave to your husband as a Christmas gift)

4. If you get upset when your quiver duck butt is not going to be delivered in time for Christmas.

5. If you know what a "bumper dumper" is, and not because you saw one in an email you received with photos making fun of rednecks, but because your husband has one (that he uses OFTEN) and you recommended that he use it as a prop in the upcoming pumpkin carving contest.

6. If you are looking all over town for a onesie for your unborn baby and a matching dog bed in Max4 camouflage pattern and are genuinely upset when you have to settle for Mossy Oak breakup pattern for these items.

7. When you know all the different places to shop for the aforementioned items, and the differences in the two camouflage patterns. (In case you're wondering, this is the pattern I was looking for, for the baby girl and her big sister Beans' new dog bed.... and there are a few green winged teal drakes in Kevin's hand!)
So -- I must begin to accept this fact. I thought I was a strong independent woman with my own identity, but I realize I am just exactly what being married to Kevin has made me. Here is a photo of an 8 point buck (well, just the points I guess... not the buck) that Kevin shot after Thanksgiving. I thought I would throw it into this posting because, whether he likes it or not, this is his blog too.

I still don't know what to do about the duck butt... I guess Kevin will just be getting a belated Christmas present. One last thing, if a company as large as the one that I ordered this product from is COMPLETELY OUT of duck butts at Christmas time, doesn't that mean that there are LOTS of redneck wives and moms like me out there who are buying these bizarre Christmas gifts? That's alot of duck butts!

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! If you're not feeling it this year remember we're celebrating the birth of Christ our Savior. That's a darn good reason to get in the spirit. Whether you believe it or not, he was born and died for YOU, for no other reason than that He loves you!

Jingle Bell Time is a Swell Time

We had to hop a quick flight to Houston last weekend for Kevin's company Christmas party. On the plane on the way there my hands started to feel just a little bit "overweight." Like after the holidays when you try to put your before-the-holidays-pants on and everything bulges over the top and you say you must have accidentally washed them in hot water... Well, that's how my poor fingers felt about their rings (wedding and Aggie). But it resolved fairly quickly that night and then it happened again on Sunday's flight home. But no more problems after we got home.

Then... after a few good meals in a row made up of hot wings, more hot wings (the baby girl is really craving alot of hot wings), french fries and then chicken nachos followed by baby-shower-cake.... I began to feel this amazing stinging and burning pain in my tootsies this afternoon. I'm so dense that I thought for a moment that I must have put my shoes on the wrong feet! Why is THIS the first thing to pop into my head? I have NEVER done that! It doesn't even make sense! I really thought it must be the shoes. It never occurred to me that it would be due to my sudden Gigantism disorder. I finally took my shoes off when I couldn't take it any more and my feet looked like they were getting ready to burst open at the seams. (the seams, that is, of my little trouser socks which had made these deep indentations all over my poor tired dogs) Man... it really hurts! So... I'm gonna actually have to start eating right again. I mean, I haven't been that bad (until these last few meals) but I ain't been real good. I know better and I should have been eating a little healthier all along, but when for 3 months all you CAN eat are Bean and Cheese burritos and Jolly Ranchers... it makes you so excited to be able to eat everything again... I mean everything... and a side of wing sauce please!

Scaaaaaary

In my last entry of October, We are the champions, I promised an explanation of the funny cat in the picture. Last Saturday night, we became pumpkin carving champs (check out our award winning pumpkins if you haven't already)... AND... I discovered that I am SERIOUSLY allergic to cats.

We had a cat during my entire childhood... Grover (aka THE PUSS). I was NOT allergic. He was over 20 years old when he finally got so sick that we had to say goodbye. But he was our "little brother" for our entire lives. His claim to fame was his meow. It never failed that every time someone in our house was on the phone, Grover would let out a loud one, and the person on the other end would say "Is there a baby in your house?" Mr. Puss was loud, and proud. He also had one tooth that grew and grew and grew until it couldn't even fit inside his mouth anymore... it just hung over his bottom lip and made him look really old and slightly evil. He was a great long-toothed puss. And when he died... several years ago... I haven't had an occasion to hold a kitty cat again... Until last weekend.
Matt and Sara's cat is a Ragdoll cat. The SOFTEST coat you've ever felt on any animal, really. They are also not allowed to be outdoor cats, some say this is because they are non-defensive and can not survive because they do not use their claws and have no survival instincts. And some say its because they're too dumb to find their way back home. I haven't gotten a great explanation about the "hair-do" but I'm sure there is a reason they shave the poor dumb animal to look like Simba. One more fun tid-bit, apparently when you pick them up they just do this...

It may not be apparent in the picture, but the cat was completely relaxed. And I was hysterical! And then... about 10 minutes later... I began coughing just a little, and then reached up and felt little bumps all over my neck, and then my eyes began to itch, and my face felt hot. And I looked a little something like this...

I had to drive us home from the party (over an hour away) and on the way home, my skin began to feel like it was on fire. I had hives on my back, chest, both arms, face and scalp! By the time I got home, I looked like this...Cute huh? It was pretty dramatic. I was actually worried that if I got pulled over on the way home (for driving way too slow because I couldn't see through my watering eyes) that the policeman wouldn't believe my story and was going to think that Kevin had beat me up until I was crying and swollen. But we made it. And I washed the dander off and began to be able to breath again. My face was swollen for 2 days. ;) Scary Halloween!