Done with Harry Potter

I finished the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in about 30 hours. But that'd explain why I disappeared a bit. ;) Good book, a part of me wishes there was a little more romance.

Now for a rash update. Peni suggested that I might have Pityriasis Rosea. Huh? Yeah, a google search turned up some interesting results. But really mattered to me was that I was strongly matching it's given symptoms.

I like to call it The Pity Rash. ;) Picture of my tummy is pretty much at one of it's worse and most itchy points. Thankfully it's a thousand times better and I no longer wake up in the middle of the night scrubbing my skin to death.

Basically this rash is random. It's thought to be a relapse of HHV-7 (Human Herpes Virus 7, common in kids), but there's no proof. Anyhow, it's a little tricky to diagnose at first, but the fact that it takes 2-4 weeks for the rash to develop is one of the clues that it's pityriasis rosea. Then it hangs around from 6-14 weeks. Yeah! I didn't want to hear that. :P

It's not contagious at all. It tends to target younger adults. Only about 3% of the people who get PR relapse and get it again and again and again and again... ouch. It's miserable enough for one time! Heat and active movement can cause the rash to itch more. Why, oh why did I have to get this in the summer when I happen to live in the desert?! :)

There are shots and medicines available to help with the itching, but there's nothing to do about the rash itself, you need to wait it out. Thankfully I seem to be almost done with the spreading of the rash. A few fresh spots on my thighs, but that's pretty much it. The rest of my skin looks splotchy, and only itches when I'm super hot. And even if it's not itching, scratching my skin feels real good. :) And yes, I've scratched so much that my skin has been peeling like a sunburn... except very few people sunburn in the areas I'm peeling in! :P

Hopefully by my birthday in November everything will be cleared up and gone!

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In other news, I got mail goodies from Dannielle's drawing.

There's a quilting book (with some extras like how to make several bags, etc), a Christian Woman's book, colorful crochet dishcloth, purple dangling earrings (sure pretty!), hand made card, her little "business" Bunny card (great bookmarker too) and a little circle of soap. At first I thought the soap was a candle, but nope. It smells fantastic too. :) Thank you Dannielle!!

There was a quilt guild meeting last Wednesday and the speaker was Amy Bright. She really likes using circles in her quilts.

She also enjoys leather work and makes her own thimbles. A piece of colorful leather with a bit of white bandage to prevent the needle from going into your skin. Very comfortable and soft. When you wear out one side, just flip it over and use the other. :)

Last of all, I'm working on the mystery for Cathy~O. It's all sewn into a top now, just need to put on the borders and it'll be officially tested. :)

What I love is how beautifully the seams have been behaving. They nestle and match wonderfully. I can't wait to show you the design - but it'll be until September before I can show off the whole thing. :)

School's starting this Monday! Guess that means I can't be so lazy anymore or expect my husband to cook as much as he has been. :P

Leah