It's Been A Quiet Week on DomesticMuse

But it has NOT been a quiet week in the life of Karen, the DomesticMuse!!

LOTS of stuff has been going on behind the scenes.

DomesticMuse has been having fun!
Recently, I reconnected with an old and dear friend, Cynthia, whom I had not seen since our high school graduation. The funny thing is, she has been living right here in the Triangle for the past 20 years, and our paths have never crossed! I am so glad to have Cynthia back in my life, and it has been wonderful having a real girlfriend.

DomesticMuse has been getting ready to open her Etsy Store!
I've been having a blast making jewelry for DomesticBliss, which will open soon. I will be selling my handmade jewelry, and some homemade body pampering products, including chakra-balancing aromatherapy body oils, and body mists. I hope to expand my jewelry lines and also offer some bling for the home. Lots of behind-the-scenes stuff is going on! Stay tuned for the big announcement of when DomesticBliss will open!

DomesticMuse is getting a makeover!!
SherbetBlossom Designs has been working on a new blog design, which will be up shortly! I love the new design, and hope you will, too!

DomesticMuse has been traveling!
I recently attended the American Library Association Conference in Chicago, IL (where I lived briefly in 2007/2008). It was a fabulous conference and I learned a lot, reconnected with my library-land homies, and even got to have a little fun. My plans to post every day while in Chicago were foiled by technical difficulties. Highlights of the trip included a visit to one of my big Chicago faves, MojoSpa. Photos coming soon!! I also got to eat at a couple of great restaurants, Roy's (Hawaiian fusion cuisine) and Brasserie Jo, which I hope to write about soon. And, treat of all treats, I got to see one of my bestest friends ever, Janet, who lives in Chicago. We spent an absolutely magical evening in the beautiful garden of an Irish Pub, eating delicious food and listening to Janet's friends play live Celtic music until the stars came out, amidst masses of flowers and plashing fountains. It doesn't get much better than that!

DomesticMuse is SICK!!!
I've been under the weather since my return from Chicago last Monday. I caught the conference crud, which morphed into a raging eye and sinus infection by Friday. Had fun at Urgent Care Friday night, got put on 2 antibiotics. But wait!! There's more!

I have a new addition to the list of Strange Afflictions I have Suffered In My Life. I noticed Friday evening I was having a little trouble drinking with a straw at my post-Urgent Care Indian Restaurant meal with DC. However, having been fighting off the onset of a dreaded cold sore for a couple of days, I figured my lips were just puffy from that. Mentally cursing myself for having forgotten to ask for some Valtrex to stave off the cold sore, I took my new meds and went to bed Friday night looking forward to an end to the sinus headache that I had been suffering all week.

Saturday morning, I noticed I was having some trouble drinking from a glass and things seemed a little "off" when I smiled. I dropped DC off at work, and headed to the beading class I'd been eagerly looking forward to for weeks and did not want to miss. At lunch break, while browsing the store, I caught sight of myself in a mirror and realized that only HALF of my mouth was smiling, the right side. The left side, where the sinus and eye infection are, was NOT MOVING. Left arm, hand, fingers, leg, foot, toes?? No problem. Left eye? Not closing.

So, more fun at Urgent Care!! And I missed half of my bead class. It turns out, I have Bell's Palsy, and the left side of my face is now paralyzed.

It appears the herpes virus from my developing cold sore got bored and attacked the facial nerves on my left side. I am now on a 9-day steroids taper, and massive doses of Valtrex. Supposedly, this is a temporary condition, and supposedly, MOST people recover from the paralysis. But there is no cure. The dr. said since I started treatment within 24 hrs. of onset, I should see a big improvement in the next 2-3 weeks. And it should resolve gradually over the next couple of months.

Oh good. I'll only be looking like the Phantom of the Opera for a FEW MONTHS. And I am scheduled to visit a client on-site in Maryland next week!! But I am grateful, as the runner-up diagnosis was a stroke. Since my diagnosis, I have heard of people having Bell's Palsy for 3-4 months, 8 months, a year, and forever. (Yikes!) And I still have the headache.

Please send me all your good wishes, good vibes, prayers, even say a novena for me if the mood strikes you, for a SPEEDY and COMPLETE recovery. Thanks to all of you!

I hope to have a chance to cook, and post all my new stuff, soon! So stay tuned for more adventures with DomesticMuse! Thanks, as always, for all your support!