A little something different

I've been wanting to make a post that's a little different.... some crafting! Last year, I made this tulle wreath for a Halloween decoration.

It's a fun, easy project, and I wanted to have one for Christmas time as well, so I thought I'd make a tutorial. This is the first one I've written, so here goes!

Tulle Wreath Tutorial

Materials:

• 5 or 8 inch embroidery hoop
• 2 yards total of tulle (in two or three colors, the Halloween wreath has one yard each orange and black, Christmas has one yard silver sparkly net, half a yard cranberry red, half a yard forest green)
• Rotary cutter and ruler or scissors

First, lay out the tulle to be cut, keep it folded down the middle, then fold it in half again, the fold to the selvages, so it is in four layers. Cut it into 1.5" strips.

Then, cut on the folds so each strip is in four pieces, each about 12-13" long.

I ended up cutting the silver netting in half again because it stretched in a weird way. Tie each strip in a knot around the hoop, keeping the knot on the "front" of the wreath. The silver netting also worked better with two layers of strips together.

Put on a show to watch and keep tying strips on until you use them all up, pushing them together. Alternate colors to blend them together, or bunch them to make a bolder pattern.

Once all the strips are tied on, there will be a gap on the hoop. Spread out the knotted strips until it's even all around.

Tie an extra strip, piece of ribbon or something else through the screw that adjusts the outer hoop to hang the wreath and you're all done! It takes some time to tie all the strips on, but it's easy, relatively inexpensive, there's no sewing or gluing, and it's a very festive decoration. Experiment with different widths of tulle strips, the order they're tied on, and color combinations for different seasons or events. I'm thinking of making a blue one for Diabetes Awareness Month in November, but we'll see. I hope you enjoyed this break from all the diabetes talk!

Perspective

Today's been one of those days where I get down about R2's T1D. I was in tears not too long ago, as happens from time to time, from trying to wade through insurance and costs and meter comparisons to try to decide if it's worth it to change meters to get our provider's "preferred" device or not, and then the inevitable rabbit hole of thinking that this is for the rest of his life. Then I stopped myself for a moment and realized that while it is stressful, he is taken care of. We don't have to worry about being able to get him insulin when he needs it. He gets to wear this device that automatically tests his glucose levels every five minutes. He has a meter he carries around with him and can test his levels whenever he wants (or needs) to. Then my dryer's alarm went off, and I have these machines in my home that wash and dry our clothes, towels, sheets, etc for me. Not to mention that I get to stay home to take care of R2 when he's not at the school the government provides him with teachers and health clerks and staff I can trust without doubt. I've been thinking it may be time to look for a job, but that's so we can buy a home in this neighborhood where we really like living, not to put food on the table or pay for his medicine. Life with T1D is hard. But we live somewhere with really good health care and have insurance to help pay for it, even if it's complicated and there's a lot of paperwork and stuff (the need for system reform is a different matter). He survived his diagnosis and now can live a normal life and do everything the other kids around him do without (much) worry. Sometimes, a little perspective is just what the doctor ordered.

Let's Raise Some Awareness!

One thing I have learned about T1D is that it can be diagnosed much earlier than R2's with a lot less worry and fewer potentially severe repercussions. Type 1 Diabetes is an auto-immune disease that takes several months to be noticed. A simple cold can trigger the immune reaction (or so the theory goes at the moment) that runs amok and targets the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Over the course of the next six months or so, the body stops making enough insulin to pass the glucose (sugar) from food into the cells to be used as fuel. The body instead burns fat which eventually leads up to ketoacidosis, when the blood is poisoned with ketones, an acidic by-product of the breakdown of fat. We were well into the ketoacidosis stage when we went to the ER with R2, spurred by his rapid breathing (we thought maybe he had pneumonia or something like that). This nice, simple infographic from the International Diabetes Federation's Life for a Child program details the main symptoms of T1D onset which can be noticed before it gets to that dangerous point.

We were completely unaware of these signs, and so missed an opportunity for his diagnosis a week before we ended up in the ER when he had a regular check-up (I don't blame the doctor at all. Really, I don't. A first-time mom of a toddler doesn't know what "excessive" thirst is, among other things.). A lot of attention is given to Type 2 prevention and risk factors, while Type 1, which most often presents between age 5 and 21, is overlooked. As of right now, Type 1 is completely un-preventable and un-curable and diet can't fix it. I wish posters like this one, designed for use in third-world clinics, were posted in our doctors' offices as well. Maybe if we talk about it more, and make sure to specify which type of diabetes we are discussing (that's a rant for another time), more cases will be diagnosed earlier, with better care, and less stress for everyone.

Reboot... Here We Go Again!

Let's try this again... I started this blog almost a year ago and didn't get past the first post... shame on me... Now we're getting ready to start a new school year, and that always brings new beginnings, challenges and realizations. We've been living with T1D for over two years now, but that doesn't mean we know it all. Not by a long shot. Last week, R2 started using a DexCom G4 Continual Glucose Monitor.

R2's DexCom

It has been really interesting to see how his blood sugar reacts to food, insulin, and activity, not to mention the wonderful addition of a low blood sugar warning! One of my hopes is that it will help him be able to focus more on school and having fun than on managing his blood sugar (although I'm not sure how much a 6 year old really thinks about it...) and catch any links between focus issues and his levels. As we get closer to the first day of school, I'm thinking of all the new people who need to be made aware and educated, from his new teacher to new friends and a new principal. I'm also thinking about him being at school all day for the first time (pre-K and Kinder were half-day programs for him) and how he will really have to be responsible for making sure to eat his snacks, test his blood sugar, inject his insulin, eat all his lunch, and everything else. That's a lot for anyone, but even more for a six-year-old little boy who just wants to be like his friends. I know there will be more days this year that he voices that he doesn't like having diabetes (and days I don't like it any more than he does) and more awareness of being different, I just hope I and everyone in his life can give him the support he needs and make it as easy for him as we can. We've been trying to teach R2 that he can still do anything he wants to, and right now he accepts that. There is no reason he cannot do anything he wants to (except join the military or be an astronaut, perhaps) and he knows it. We still do all the fun things he wants to, like canoeing in a remote location or going out for ice cream, because T1D did change our lives, but we control it, it does not control us. Soon, I'll be registering our team for the OneWalk LA (formerly the Walk for a Cure) and starting to build our team and fundraise to find a cure and make everyday life that much easier for R2, us (his family), and everyone else living with T1D.

So, that was a bit of a ramble, but I guess I needed to get all of that out there. Hopefully I'll start posting regularly and with a little more purpose, and with some happy, fun things, too! Back-to-school isn't all worry, there's also a lot of good, so next time I'll focus on that. Hope to see you soon!

Welcome to Blue Circle Living!

What is Blue Circle Living? Well, the blue circle is the international symbol for Type 1 Diabetes, and we are a T1D family. My son, R2, was diagnosed with T1D in May of 2012 a month before his fourth birthday. Since then, I've been coming up with healthy meals, alternative treats and activities for him. I also enjoy quilting, knitting and crafting in general, so that is part of my Blue Circle Living as well. I want to share what I've learned about life with T1D, how I cope with the hard days, some fun party and activity ideas and other projects I'm working on.

Today, 1 November, begins Diabetes Awareness Month, the perfect day to begin this new adventure together. JDRF has some excellent resources and information and was there at the beginning for us with their Bag of Hope program for newly diagnosed diabetics. This video (about 10 minutes long) is a great introduction to what diabetes is all about.



If you've made it this far, thank you! I hope to share something new once a week to begin with, whether it's about T1D or just something delicious or creative I whipped up. Thanks again, and see you next week!