I'm almost back to normal. *Almost* I'm 3 weeks and 2 days post-op, and feeling pretty good, although I do still get pretty tired in the afternoons if I'm busy during the day. And I've figured out that the ovaries are still working, as I'm in the throes of PMS this weekend. Achy hip joints and a couple wicked stabbing pains in the belly. It's a barrel of fun.
Brian and I got up yesterday morning before the ass-crack of dawn (3:00am, for those that wonder what time that is), and headed to the hunt camp for the day. With all the rain we've had lately, the roads at camp are in surprisingly good shape. One spot on the first dirt road that leads into camp has some wash-out on the sides, but the roads within camp, at least the ones we traverse, were in great shape. Although, where I park the truck by my spot was kinda wet, and I almost got stuck. I had to ride down towards my stand and turn around in the edge of the food plot (I knew it wasn't wet and squishy there). Once I came back out, it wasn't an issue getting on the road and heading back to camp.
Who knows what a mandolin is? I'm talking the kind used in the kitchen, not the musical instrument. For those that don't know, it's a utensil that has interchangeable parts, making it a grater or a slicer, and the stuff that gets grated/sliced goes into a container that's attached to the blades. As I was using it, without having something to hold the potato that I was slicing, I started thinking about when I would need to stop slicing so that I didn't hurt myself. No sooner than that thought went through my mind, I found the answer the painful way. I started hopping around the kitchen, profanities spewing forth, and went to the sink to rinse my finger and see how bad it was. Thankfully not too bad, and I managed to not get blood on the potatoes. Brian was nice enough to finish slicing the potatoes for me while I went to bandage my finger.
The rain on Christmas Eve was dreadful - I drove to work that morning at my usual time, and really should have waited until a little later in the morning. I drove through some fairly deep water, I honestly think I floated for a few seconds (no, not hydroplaned - actual floating). I got home that afternoon around 12:30pm, and as I pulled into the driveway I heard a scraping noise. I park and see that some of the mud/water-guard that is under the front bumper is hanging down, and that the mud-flap on the front passenger side was flipped out to the side. I go inside and am telling Clydie about it, and look outside - only to see the rest of the mud/water-guard at the end of the driveway! Brian is taking the car tomorrow to get the estimate on getting that replaced or reinstalled, whatever will be best.
Grilling steaks tonight for hubby's birthday - got a new potato recipe that I'm working on. If we like it I'll share it later. :-)
Have a great rest of the weekend everyone!
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Happy Christmas Eve!
Sitting here on my bed, watching Long Island Medium, listening to whatever is on the TV in the living room (Steven, his girlfriend, and another friend of theirs are over, playing video games, watching tv, and baking gingerbread cookies and ugly sweater cookies), and just thinking.
I despise the Volkswagen commercials. They are downright creepy - like people are holding the salesmen hostage and forcing them to be part of their family. Yes, I realize they're just commercials, but OMG they play so frequently and are just so downright creepy. Tired of them!
Speaking of annoying commercials - can't stand the Big Lots commercials, either. I'm glad that they prominently feature a plus sized woman rather than some very thin woman, but wow. They overplay those as well. And seriously - "Christmas doesn't happen without me" - as if men are incapable of making Christmas happen.
But - Toys R Us has hit a home run with their commercial that ends with the female military member coming home to her son and husband. Right in the feels. And another one that really gets to me is the Paper & Packaging commercial, with the little boy that sends the paper airplane notes across the fence, like they're going to his father who is deployed. Google that one if you haven't seen it.
It doesn't feel like it's Christmas. The temperatures have been in the 70's and will likely reach 75 on Christmas Day tomorrow. No big celebration with family, either, as Mom and Marion are still in England, and Meme is in the rehab facility, recovering from her broken femur. Meme said she doesn't want anything to do with Christmas this year, don't send cards or gifts, don't even acknowledge the holiday. I hate that she feels that way.
But, this year is the last year that I won't be able to spend with my mom - she and Marion will be back for good in 2016. Yay!
I'm cooking our Christmas dinner for tomorrow, and it will just be the 4 of us and Steven's girlfriend, Hope. Ham (new recipe - pastry wrapped ham with a Dijon mustard/apple cider/apple cider vinegar mixture), green beans, mac & cheese, deviled eggs, and sweet potato casserole. Clydie is making a homemade bread that has to rise for 20 hours or so, so she got it started this morning, and it is rising extremely slowly (she said it only required a tiny bit of yeast). I don't even remember what, if anything, we discussed regarding dessert, but that's okay, there's so much food I will be so stuffed when we're done with the meal!
Well that's about it for tonight folks. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!
I despise the Volkswagen commercials. They are downright creepy - like people are holding the salesmen hostage and forcing them to be part of their family. Yes, I realize they're just commercials, but OMG they play so frequently and are just so downright creepy. Tired of them!
Speaking of annoying commercials - can't stand the Big Lots commercials, either. I'm glad that they prominently feature a plus sized woman rather than some very thin woman, but wow. They overplay those as well. And seriously - "Christmas doesn't happen without me" - as if men are incapable of making Christmas happen.
But - Toys R Us has hit a home run with their commercial that ends with the female military member coming home to her son and husband. Right in the feels. And another one that really gets to me is the Paper & Packaging commercial, with the little boy that sends the paper airplane notes across the fence, like they're going to his father who is deployed. Google that one if you haven't seen it.
It doesn't feel like it's Christmas. The temperatures have been in the 70's and will likely reach 75 on Christmas Day tomorrow. No big celebration with family, either, as Mom and Marion are still in England, and Meme is in the rehab facility, recovering from her broken femur. Meme said she doesn't want anything to do with Christmas this year, don't send cards or gifts, don't even acknowledge the holiday. I hate that she feels that way.
But, this year is the last year that I won't be able to spend with my mom - she and Marion will be back for good in 2016. Yay!
I'm cooking our Christmas dinner for tomorrow, and it will just be the 4 of us and Steven's girlfriend, Hope. Ham (new recipe - pastry wrapped ham with a Dijon mustard/apple cider/apple cider vinegar mixture), green beans, mac & cheese, deviled eggs, and sweet potato casserole. Clydie is making a homemade bread that has to rise for 20 hours or so, so she got it started this morning, and it is rising extremely slowly (she said it only required a tiny bit of yeast). I don't even remember what, if anything, we discussed regarding dessert, but that's okay, there's so much food I will be so stuffed when we're done with the meal!
Well that's about it for tonight folks. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
2 Days Before Christmas....
and unbelievably, all my shopping is done. Everything is wrapped. I made fudge tonight, and may make some divinity tomorrow night. Steven and his girlfriend are making gingerbread cookies tomorrow, and I can't wait to see what designs they come up with.
I returned to work this past Monday, the 21st, for 4 hours a day through today, and I'm back to full time tomorrow. I've felt pretty good at work, the pain issues I was having are gone. I just get a little tired by 4pm, and I imagine that will continue for a bit. The good thing about going back to full time tomorrow is that it's Christmas Eve, and we'll get to leave early anyway, then I'm off for Christmas Day and the weekend.
My visit with Meme last week went pretty well, although there was some wild conversations had. She asked me how my recovery was going and I told her pretty well, then she said she had something to tell me that would probably make me mad, but she was going to say it anyway. She said that my surgery had made all the fat around my face go away! I asked her if it was maybe my haircut (she hasn't seen the cut I got back in September), but she said no, she was sure it was the surgery. LOL And she did throw in that she was glad I cut my hair, that I needed to do that.
And now my mind has gone blank on the all the other funny and interesting stuff that I was gonna write. Dammit!
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!
I returned to work this past Monday, the 21st, for 4 hours a day through today, and I'm back to full time tomorrow. I've felt pretty good at work, the pain issues I was having are gone. I just get a little tired by 4pm, and I imagine that will continue for a bit. The good thing about going back to full time tomorrow is that it's Christmas Eve, and we'll get to leave early anyway, then I'm off for Christmas Day and the weekend.
My visit with Meme last week went pretty well, although there was some wild conversations had. She asked me how my recovery was going and I told her pretty well, then she said she had something to tell me that would probably make me mad, but she was going to say it anyway. She said that my surgery had made all the fat around my face go away! I asked her if it was maybe my haircut (she hasn't seen the cut I got back in September), but she said no, she was sure it was the surgery. LOL And she did throw in that she was glad I cut my hair, that I needed to do that.
And now my mind has gone blank on the all the other funny and interesting stuff that I was gonna write. Dammit!
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
It's Hump Day.....
but no humping for me. Still. LOL TMI for some of you I would imagine, but what did you expect from me less than 2 weeks post-surgery? I go to the doctor on Friday for my post-operative check-up, and will find out if I can return to work on Monday, or if I will need to wait another week or so, and also find out when I can resume my normal activities.
As good as I was feeling the first week after surgery, I felt pretty sure I'd be ready to return to work on the 21st. Unfortunately now I'm not so sure, as my stomach has been hurting since Saturday night. It's not constant, and it's better in some ways than it was on Sunday, but I'm still concerned about it. I've noticed today and the last few days, that if I sit upright at the table or on the couch or bed, when I stand up to walk my stomach feels like the muscles have shrunk and need to be stretched out again, and it hurts pretty significantly until I get it all stretched out again.
I did do some laundry this past weekend, but I did my best at not carrying anything over 10 lbs. I've also been quilting the last few days, requiring me to sit up at the table. I've gone to the store several times over the last week or so, as walking is helpful to my recovery and the doctor has said that I could do all these things. You just can't lay in the bed for 2 weeks straight, doing nothing, and expect that you can jump up and be back to your normal self - you have to move around, stretch, walk, lift stuff that doesn't violate your doctor's weight limits that she's imposed, and that's what I've been doing.
I certainly didn't think this recovery would be a piece of cake, but damn did my body fool me the first 4-5 days! The digestive issues are pretty much resolved, things have processed much more easily the last several days. Now I just have to figure out this pain in the left side of my belly and how to get past it. I just don't see me sitting at my desk for 8 hours with this kind of pain every time I stand up. (yes I know I'm "fortunate" that I have a desk job that isn't overly taxing or physically demanding, but this hurts, to sit for a while and try to stand up without having to double over when walking)
I'm going to see Meme tomorrow at the rehab facility. I hope the visit goes well, I'm not really up for her shenanigans.
Y'all have a great week!
As good as I was feeling the first week after surgery, I felt pretty sure I'd be ready to return to work on the 21st. Unfortunately now I'm not so sure, as my stomach has been hurting since Saturday night. It's not constant, and it's better in some ways than it was on Sunday, but I'm still concerned about it. I've noticed today and the last few days, that if I sit upright at the table or on the couch or bed, when I stand up to walk my stomach feels like the muscles have shrunk and need to be stretched out again, and it hurts pretty significantly until I get it all stretched out again.
I did do some laundry this past weekend, but I did my best at not carrying anything over 10 lbs. I've also been quilting the last few days, requiring me to sit up at the table. I've gone to the store several times over the last week or so, as walking is helpful to my recovery and the doctor has said that I could do all these things. You just can't lay in the bed for 2 weeks straight, doing nothing, and expect that you can jump up and be back to your normal self - you have to move around, stretch, walk, lift stuff that doesn't violate your doctor's weight limits that she's imposed, and that's what I've been doing.
I certainly didn't think this recovery would be a piece of cake, but damn did my body fool me the first 4-5 days! The digestive issues are pretty much resolved, things have processed much more easily the last several days. Now I just have to figure out this pain in the left side of my belly and how to get past it. I just don't see me sitting at my desk for 8 hours with this kind of pain every time I stand up. (yes I know I'm "fortunate" that I have a desk job that isn't overly taxing or physically demanding, but this hurts, to sit for a while and try to stand up without having to double over when walking)
I'm going to see Meme tomorrow at the rehab facility. I hope the visit goes well, I'm not really up for her shenanigans.
Y'all have a great week!
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Blahhhhh Blahhhhh Blogggggg
So much for not needing pain meds. I had just bragged yesterday that I hadn't had a pain pill since Saturday night, and I ended up taking one last night due to horrible tummy pain. It was more the digestive system kicking into high gear and disrupting all the tender spots inside my belly than anything else. I was quite uncomfortable a good part of the evening. I did sleep well and felt pretty good when I got up this morning.
Gas pains were an issue while I was out today, but were much milder than they've been the last few days. I think I'm gonna pay dearly for dinner, though - cabbage was among the choices, and I had some. I took a double-dose of Gas-X, so maybe that will help!?!
I'm working on my sewing project that's been in the works for the past couple of months. I hope to finish it tonight, and I swear, I do not think I will EVER do another one of these things again! It's been a royal pain in my butt! I will post photos of the finished project at another time, as it is a gift for someone and I want the person to receive their gift before I publicize pics.
I feel a nap coming on, but it's 7pm. Too late for a nap, too early for bed. Blah!!!
Guess I should get to working on that sewing project so I can be done with it. Y'all have a great evening!
Gas pains were an issue while I was out today, but were much milder than they've been the last few days. I think I'm gonna pay dearly for dinner, though - cabbage was among the choices, and I had some. I took a double-dose of Gas-X, so maybe that will help!?!
I'm working on my sewing project that's been in the works for the past couple of months. I hope to finish it tonight, and I swear, I do not think I will EVER do another one of these things again! It's been a royal pain in my butt! I will post photos of the finished project at another time, as it is a gift for someone and I want the person to receive their gift before I publicize pics.
I feel a nap coming on, but it's 7pm. Too late for a nap, too early for bed. Blah!!!
Guess I should get to working on that sewing project so I can be done with it. Y'all have a great evening!
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Update Post-Surgery
I went under the knife this past Friday morning, for a "total hysterectomy", and it was robotically assisted. Uterus, cervix, and fallopian tubes are gone, ovaries are still with me, as they looked healthy. When they wheeled me into the operating room, I said "holy shit it's cold in here" and everyone busted out laughing. My surgeon said "welcome to your all girl surgical team", and mentioned that she'd be bringing in the male physician in her practice later in the procedure. I had to scoot off the stretcher and onto the table, and heard those dreaded words "scoot down some more" lol. They put the mask on my face, and next thing I knew I was in my room.
I don't recall being in a recovery room, and honestly I don't remember much at all from Friday. My mom, dad, husband, son, and mother-in-law were in and out from what I gather. My co-worker stopped by for a minute and I think I woke up just enough to introduce her to my dad and mom (she'd already met Brian, Steven and Clydie). I vaguely remember my doctor stopping by at some point, telling me that I was going to have to stay the night because I was just too sleepy from the medications and I was fine with that. She checked my incisions and that's all I remember.
At some point I woke up and Mom mentioned that they brought me some broth and jello. I didn't want the broth, and ate some of the jello while she was there, and finished it after she left. Brian stayed with me and I think he was disappointed that he didn't get to do much to help me, since I was pretty much drugged out of my mind. The evening shift nurse got me up to walk once, and that was rough. My legs felt like cement. We walked a little way down the hallway, and I'd had enough.
I remember the night nurse coming around midnight, another nurse at 4am to draw blood, then the night nurse came again around 5am. My blood pressure was something like 76/45. Extremely low. In talking to my mother later yesterday, she mentioned that my blood pressure was very low all afternoon and evening on Friday. No wonder I was so damn sleepy!
Brian left for drill around 5:30am, and the nurse came back and got me up walking a little later. I walked a lot further that time, and sat in bed, waiting for breakfast. Daddy was there when my surgeon came by and said I could go home. I got the list of all the do's and don'ts, and my take home prescriptions, and I ended up having to dress myself, with no assistance. Getting my socks and shoes on was a bitch!
I took a long nap yesterday afternoon, and had an awesome dinner. I slept really well last night, thanks to my friend Percocet. LOL I've laid around a lot today, took a nap this afternoon. The gas pains are the only problem I'm having right now, although this is much much better today than it was yesterday. Yesterday those pains would stop me in my tracks, taking my breath away, but today they're a little more manageable (thank you Gas-X).
I have 4 incisions in my tummy, and the one in my belly button hurts the worst. The others aren't so bad. I was closed up with surgical glue, and that feels kinda weird. Some of it is peeling up off the unbroken skin, but I'm not about to pull that off, don't wanna rip open the wounds!
Thank you to my mother, my mother-in-law, my dad, my husband and my son for being there to take care of me. I appreciate all of you!
Thank you to everyone that sent prayers, positive thoughts, mo-jo and ju-ju to me, I greatly appreciate it. I'll be spending the next couple weeks at home recuperating, hopefully will be able to return to work soon and back to hunting before the end of the season. We shall see.
I don't recall being in a recovery room, and honestly I don't remember much at all from Friday. My mom, dad, husband, son, and mother-in-law were in and out from what I gather. My co-worker stopped by for a minute and I think I woke up just enough to introduce her to my dad and mom (she'd already met Brian, Steven and Clydie). I vaguely remember my doctor stopping by at some point, telling me that I was going to have to stay the night because I was just too sleepy from the medications and I was fine with that. She checked my incisions and that's all I remember.
At some point I woke up and Mom mentioned that they brought me some broth and jello. I didn't want the broth, and ate some of the jello while she was there, and finished it after she left. Brian stayed with me and I think he was disappointed that he didn't get to do much to help me, since I was pretty much drugged out of my mind. The evening shift nurse got me up to walk once, and that was rough. My legs felt like cement. We walked a little way down the hallway, and I'd had enough.
I remember the night nurse coming around midnight, another nurse at 4am to draw blood, then the night nurse came again around 5am. My blood pressure was something like 76/45. Extremely low. In talking to my mother later yesterday, she mentioned that my blood pressure was very low all afternoon and evening on Friday. No wonder I was so damn sleepy!
Brian left for drill around 5:30am, and the nurse came back and got me up walking a little later. I walked a lot further that time, and sat in bed, waiting for breakfast. Daddy was there when my surgeon came by and said I could go home. I got the list of all the do's and don'ts, and my take home prescriptions, and I ended up having to dress myself, with no assistance. Getting my socks and shoes on was a bitch!
I took a long nap yesterday afternoon, and had an awesome dinner. I slept really well last night, thanks to my friend Percocet. LOL I've laid around a lot today, took a nap this afternoon. The gas pains are the only problem I'm having right now, although this is much much better today than it was yesterday. Yesterday those pains would stop me in my tracks, taking my breath away, but today they're a little more manageable (thank you Gas-X).
I have 4 incisions in my tummy, and the one in my belly button hurts the worst. The others aren't so bad. I was closed up with surgical glue, and that feels kinda weird. Some of it is peeling up off the unbroken skin, but I'm not about to pull that off, don't wanna rip open the wounds!
Thank you to my mother, my mother-in-law, my dad, my husband and my son for being there to take care of me. I appreciate all of you!
Thank you to everyone that sent prayers, positive thoughts, mo-jo and ju-ju to me, I greatly appreciate it. I'll be spending the next couple weeks at home recuperating, hopefully will be able to return to work soon and back to hunting before the end of the season. We shall see.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Monday's Almost Over......
We had a great Thanksgiving this year. Unfortunately, Meme didn't make it to our festivities, but Mom, Buddy and Michael did, and we sent leftovers to her. As usual, there was overeating, lots of laughter and teasing, and discussions of future plans.
However, I must say, we almost had an issue with a topic that really shouldn't be discussed at family dinners - politics. Someone blurted out who they were supporting for president, and I think Steven and I almost broke our necks snapping around to see what else was said. Steven asked me if he heard what he thought he heard (because oh Lord he was gonna jump right in that conversation), and I just shushed him and told him that we were not going to address the comment, and that I would handle it if the conversation continued. Thankfully it stopped at that point, and we were able to all sit down and enjoy our dinner with no further politics conversations.
I don't care for any of the candidates that we have to choose from, and I honestly do not know who I will vote for. I can promise you, however, that I will NOT vote for the person that this individual was touting. Everyone is entitled to their political choices, but I really do NOT appreciate having someone in MY home to make such a bold proclamation, when I know they are aware of my general political leanings, and that I would never in my life support this candidate. It is possible that someone else started the conversation, as I only heard the one comment in the midst of their chat, but wow.
Brian and I went hunting this weekend. We left before the ass-crack of dawn on Friday morning. I managed to fall off the tailgate at the gas station, busting my ass on the concrete. My foot got caught on the dent in the tailgate, and I just let go and fell, figuring I'd hurt myself worse trying to hold on and get straightened out. I laughed at myself after realizing that I wasn't hurt, and Brian didn't see what happened, as he was gassing up the truck. Once he knew that I fell, he asked if I was okay, then laughed his ass off at me. So next time I go see my primary doctor and they ask me if I've fallen since the last time I saw them, I have to tell them yes, twice (this time, and I tripped up the hill on an October hunting trip).
Those damn wasps returned this weekend. A little while after the sun came up, I started feeling around the flaps where the wasps had hidden last time, and dammit if there were some in there hiding. They were mostly asleep, and got booted from their beds. There were 2 different kinds in there this time, which I found kind of odd, as I wouldn't have thought they'd associate with each other. I had a wasp or 2 come up and land on my leg, and I calmly shooed them away.
My OCD issues are flaring up. Unfortunately for me, I don't have the OCD that makes you clean like a fiend, I have the weird obsessions that manifest in your mind. I think this flares up when I'm worried or nervous about something, and I've had a lot to worry about lately. There was Steven's accident in October, dealing with the insurance company on that mess, and now my pending surgery this Friday. I think this has all flared up my acne, too. My back is broken out worse than I think it has ever been, and I've had a few places on my face. You'd think at 47 the acne would stop, but nope, I have those never ending hormones that I think contribute to acne, and just stress.
While we were hunting this weekend, I got a text message from Michael, telling me that Meme was in the hospital. She fell Friday morning and broke her femur, requiring surgery Friday afternoon. She was moved to a rehab facility today, to build her strength and help her walk again. They've had her up several times a day to walk with a walker, and I'm sure she's bitching the whole time. So if y'all could send prayers, good thoughts, positive ju-ju and mo-jo, I'd greatly appreciate it.
I think I posted this on Facebook previously, but Steven's license plate begins with QFD. He took one look at it and said "Queefed!" So now his car is called the Queef-Mobile. (if you don't know what queef means, go to www.urbandictionary.com to find out)
And finally, I can't believe my surgery is happening this Friday. I go for the 2 pre-ops tomorrow (one with the doctor, the other with the hospital), and I'll find out what time I have to be at the hospital on Friday. Hopefully early in the day, as I won't be able to eat after midnight and I'll be a grouchy bitch without my morning coffee. Plus, the earlier in the day I have the surgery, the greater the chances that I'll get to go home and not have to stay overnight. I've already celebrated my last period, now I just need to find someone to give all my tampoons to. (and I spelled that tampoons, because it makes me think about a comedian that called them that when he was growing up, and they used them as torpedos when playing)
Have a great week!
However, I must say, we almost had an issue with a topic that really shouldn't be discussed at family dinners - politics. Someone blurted out who they were supporting for president, and I think Steven and I almost broke our necks snapping around to see what else was said. Steven asked me if he heard what he thought he heard (because oh Lord he was gonna jump right in that conversation), and I just shushed him and told him that we were not going to address the comment, and that I would handle it if the conversation continued. Thankfully it stopped at that point, and we were able to all sit down and enjoy our dinner with no further politics conversations.
I don't care for any of the candidates that we have to choose from, and I honestly do not know who I will vote for. I can promise you, however, that I will NOT vote for the person that this individual was touting. Everyone is entitled to their political choices, but I really do NOT appreciate having someone in MY home to make such a bold proclamation, when I know they are aware of my general political leanings, and that I would never in my life support this candidate. It is possible that someone else started the conversation, as I only heard the one comment in the midst of their chat, but wow.
Brian and I went hunting this weekend. We left before the ass-crack of dawn on Friday morning. I managed to fall off the tailgate at the gas station, busting my ass on the concrete. My foot got caught on the dent in the tailgate, and I just let go and fell, figuring I'd hurt myself worse trying to hold on and get straightened out. I laughed at myself after realizing that I wasn't hurt, and Brian didn't see what happened, as he was gassing up the truck. Once he knew that I fell, he asked if I was okay, then laughed his ass off at me. So next time I go see my primary doctor and they ask me if I've fallen since the last time I saw them, I have to tell them yes, twice (this time, and I tripped up the hill on an October hunting trip).
Those damn wasps returned this weekend. A little while after the sun came up, I started feeling around the flaps where the wasps had hidden last time, and dammit if there were some in there hiding. They were mostly asleep, and got booted from their beds. There were 2 different kinds in there this time, which I found kind of odd, as I wouldn't have thought they'd associate with each other. I had a wasp or 2 come up and land on my leg, and I calmly shooed them away.
My OCD issues are flaring up. Unfortunately for me, I don't have the OCD that makes you clean like a fiend, I have the weird obsessions that manifest in your mind. I think this flares up when I'm worried or nervous about something, and I've had a lot to worry about lately. There was Steven's accident in October, dealing with the insurance company on that mess, and now my pending surgery this Friday. I think this has all flared up my acne, too. My back is broken out worse than I think it has ever been, and I've had a few places on my face. You'd think at 47 the acne would stop, but nope, I have those never ending hormones that I think contribute to acne, and just stress.
While we were hunting this weekend, I got a text message from Michael, telling me that Meme was in the hospital. She fell Friday morning and broke her femur, requiring surgery Friday afternoon. She was moved to a rehab facility today, to build her strength and help her walk again. They've had her up several times a day to walk with a walker, and I'm sure she's bitching the whole time. So if y'all could send prayers, good thoughts, positive ju-ju and mo-jo, I'd greatly appreciate it.
I think I posted this on Facebook previously, but Steven's license plate begins with QFD. He took one look at it and said "Queefed!" So now his car is called the Queef-Mobile. (if you don't know what queef means, go to www.urbandictionary.com to find out)
And finally, I can't believe my surgery is happening this Friday. I go for the 2 pre-ops tomorrow (one with the doctor, the other with the hospital), and I'll find out what time I have to be at the hospital on Friday. Hopefully early in the day, as I won't be able to eat after midnight and I'll be a grouchy bitch without my morning coffee. Plus, the earlier in the day I have the surgery, the greater the chances that I'll get to go home and not have to stay overnight. I've already celebrated my last period, now I just need to find someone to give all my tampoons to. (and I spelled that tampoons, because it makes me think about a comedian that called them that when he was growing up, and they used them as torpedos when playing)
Have a great week!
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Wow, What a Weekend!
Saturday was my son Steven's 20th birthday. I cannot believe my child is 20 now. Makes a girl feel OLD!
Steven's friends, Anthony and James, came over for the weekend to celebrate. We had planned a cookout with hamburgers and brats for Saturday afternoon, and Steven's New-Nee (my mom), our Uncle Buddy, and my bestie from college, Michael, were also coming over to join in the festivities.
Of course the day could not happen without a couple of glitches - Steven announced while I was readying the burgers that we were having the septic tank issue again. Earlier this year we had a HUGE mess in the man-cave thanks to the septic tank backing up and spewing forth gross atrocities out of the sink, toilet and shower drain, and flooding into the actual man-cave space, soaking the carpet. We couldn't get anyone out here that time for 24 hours, which made all use of water pretty much come to a halt. No showering, no laundry, no toilet flushing, or washing dishes. This time, he said he heard noises coming from the sink down there on Friday night, and he went down there yesterday to check things and the toilet had overflowed, there was a little water in the sink and some water and debris standing in the shower.
I'm already emotional because my only child is TWENTY and then bam, you're telling me I've got another mess to clean up, not to mention the worry that I'm gonna have to fork out a shit-ton (no pun intended) of $$$ to get this issue resolved, and it's Saturday and what if I can't get someone out until Monday and no one can shower and we can't flush toilets and I have a bunch of laundry to do and OMG I just wanna freaking SCREAM!!!! Oh, and Brian was planning to leave to go hunting as soon as the birthday party was over, around 2pm or so, leaving me to deal with plumbers and cleaning up and all the things.
Damn I love my husband - he took care of calling the local plumbers/septic tank folks, and they were actually able to send someone out yesterday, and the best part of it (besides the fact that they were coming in a few hours of being called) was that not only were they going to clear the clog, they were also going to pump the tank, AND it was gonna cost me about $100 LESS than last time (last time only the clog was cleared, no pumping of tank). The worker showed up around 4pm, the guy dug up part of my yard with his tractor thingy, and he was out of the yard before 5:30pm.
Steven's friends, Anthony and James, came over for the weekend to celebrate. We had planned a cookout with hamburgers and brats for Saturday afternoon, and Steven's New-Nee (my mom), our Uncle Buddy, and my bestie from college, Michael, were also coming over to join in the festivities.
Of course the day could not happen without a couple of glitches - Steven announced while I was readying the burgers that we were having the septic tank issue again. Earlier this year we had a HUGE mess in the man-cave thanks to the septic tank backing up and spewing forth gross atrocities out of the sink, toilet and shower drain, and flooding into the actual man-cave space, soaking the carpet. We couldn't get anyone out here that time for 24 hours, which made all use of water pretty much come to a halt. No showering, no laundry, no toilet flushing, or washing dishes. This time, he said he heard noises coming from the sink down there on Friday night, and he went down there yesterday to check things and the toilet had overflowed, there was a little water in the sink and some water and debris standing in the shower.
I'm already emotional because my only child is TWENTY and then bam, you're telling me I've got another mess to clean up, not to mention the worry that I'm gonna have to fork out a shit-ton (no pun intended) of $$$ to get this issue resolved, and it's Saturday and what if I can't get someone out until Monday and no one can shower and we can't flush toilets and I have a bunch of laundry to do and OMG I just wanna freaking SCREAM!!!! Oh, and Brian was planning to leave to go hunting as soon as the birthday party was over, around 2pm or so, leaving me to deal with plumbers and cleaning up and all the things.
Damn I love my husband - he took care of calling the local plumbers/septic tank folks, and they were actually able to send someone out yesterday, and the best part of it (besides the fact that they were coming in a few hours of being called) was that not only were they going to clear the clog, they were also going to pump the tank, AND it was gonna cost me about $100 LESS than last time (last time only the clog was cleared, no pumping of tank). The worker showed up around 4pm, the guy dug up part of my yard with his tractor thingy, and he was out of the yard before 5:30pm.
Here's the guy pumping the septic tank. Not a fun job I'm sure.
The other glitch - Brian managed to finish grilling the burgers, but when it was time to put the brats on, the grill had run out of gas. Oh well, those got cooked on the stove in a skillet, and the birthday party went on. I would have sent Brian out to get more gas had it not been almost time for the party to start, but there just wasn't time. Didn't matter, the brats were still good!
Here are a couple photos from the gala:
This decoration came from the Dollar Tree. When I removed it from the package, the H from Happy was not attached, and the TH from Birthday weren't attached, so I taped each of those where they belong. I didn't even notice until we were eating, that Birthday wasn't spelled correctly. I thought I had put it together wrong, but it came out of the package that way! So, HAPPY IRBTHDAY Steven! LOL
Publix makes the best cakes, hands down. This was one of their Celebration cakes (I think it's called Chocolate Roses), and I had them do one yellow layer and one chocolate layer. It was yummy!
Hope McGuire, and 3/4 of "The Crew" (Steven, Anthony, and James - the 4th member of The Crew lives in California)
Anthony is our entertainment. I had several pictures from birthdays past come up in my Timehop the last few days, and Anthony is always adorning himself with something. Napkins and plates on the head in years past, birthday hats for boobs this year.
Steven wanted the dogs to wear birthday hats. Dominion was not pleased.
I was not present when this photo was taken. I am surprised Dominion did not bite anyone. He looked a little happier here, however.
Gabriel did not care much for his hat, either.
This morning Clydie and I were having our morning coffee and discussing what we're fixing for Thanksgiving dinner. She's writing the menu down, and making a separate shopping list as we determine what we have and don't have. At some point, deviled eggs come up and I asked her if we had another jar of mayonnaise. She said no, but we had at least half a jar in the refrigerator. I told her I thought it was less than half full, to which she says "has someone been using it as an instrument?!"
(If you don't get it, you really should watch Spongebob Squarepants)
I've been a busy bee this morning - got the man-cave cleaned up (cleaned the bathroom, as well as steam cleaned the carpet), put more water in my aquarium that either has a slow leak or extremely fast evaporation, and have been doing laundry. I've still got a ton more laundry to do, as well as work on that sewing project that I've been working on for a couple of months. I am really hoping to have that finished TODAY. I've also got a Knooking project to work on, and one more sewing project that I'm hoping will be a little less time consuming and tedious than the current one.
I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!
Monday, November 16, 2015
Ta-da! Random Blog Post Time!
Lots going on, and I had some great blog ideas, but alas I can't remember most of them. I did make a note on the "memos" app on my phone about a few, so here goes, in no particular order:
Friday I experienced my first ocular migraine, or at least, based on my symptoms and my friend Google search and talking with a coworker, that's what it was. I don't have headaches very often, which is a blessing since both of my parents are migraine sufferers, and I've never experienced symptoms like this before. I noticed before lunch that something was going on with my vision. I saw a couple of light flashes, and even though I had not looked at anything bright it was like I had looked into the sun and then was trying to focus on my computer. Then when I was at the restaurant for lunch, I noticed everything had a kind of rainbow/kaleidoscope aura around it. And then the headache started, right behind my eyes through to the back of my head. Thankfully, the pain was only maybe a 6 out of 10, and I got the hook-up with some Excedrin when I got back to the office. The pain was reminiscent of other mild headaches I've had, just a little stronger. The meds kicked in after a while and I made it through the rest of the day. (I took a picture of my eyes at lunch, to see if there was something weird going on with them, but nope, that's my normal looking eyes)
Recently at work, I've encountered some of the strongest smelling cigarette smells I've ever experienced without the person actually standing in front of me, smoking. In one of the restrooms on the first floor, I walked in and it literally smelled like someone was in there, smoking a cigarette. I was looking above and below the stall walls and doors to see if anyone was in fact smoking, but there wasn't. I really think someone had lit up and put it out really quick, I cannot imagine the smell being that strong otherwise. The second one, I was in a restroom stall, and someone walked in and got into the stall next to me. The stale cigarette smell was so strong through the entire bathroom it was like someone was standing right in front of me that had just come inside from smoking 2 packs a day without washing the smell off for days. Weird.
Then the other day there was this precious, tiny little newborn. A man (I'm assuming her grandpa) was holding her while her mommy was in the restroom. Poor little thing spit up so much it covered her entire face, was all down her back, all over his chest, and dripping off into the floor. I got him some paper towels to try to clean her and him up with, and that little baby looked so angry! He flipped her over on her belly, and she was actually able to hold her head up and pull it back, with no support! I was amazed at how strong she was to be so tiny. Her cries weren't real loud, but she was mad as hell and it made her beet red. She looked up at me with this angry look. Her mommy finally came out and took her back in the restroom to clean her up and change her clothes. It looked like this baby was *maybe* 5 pounds soaking wet. She was so dang tiny!
We went hunting this weekend, and I had a pretty bad scare on Saturday. I'm up in my stand (which is about 17 feet or so off the ground, it's a ladder stand, not a climber), and I see a doe coming into sight. I'm watching her, and I notice a wasp flying around. I start thinking it's too cold for a wasp to be flying, it was in the high 30's Saturday morning, but this was around 10am or so, and it had warmed up somewhat to maybe the 50's. The doe goes back from where she came (I didn't shoot because she was small), and I notice another wasp. And another. And another. Turns out those spawns of Satan had bedded down in the overlap of the skirting on my stand, and the sun was beating down on that spot, heating it (and them) up, and they were coming out to fly around and wreak havoc on the earth. I was terrified that I was going to get stung, or would end up falling out of the stand trying to get away from them, but I just stayed calm and watched them for a bit. None of them bothered me, once they were sufficiently warmed up, they flew off. The ones that weren't sufficiently warmed up? They dropped to the ground because I tore the skirting off and shook the woobie to make sure I got rid of the rest of those bastards. I scream like a little bitch when I get stung by something, and I was not having that shit on Saturday.
Here are some photos of those devil creatures:
You people have no idea what it took for me to sit there quietly so I wouldn't spook any deer that might possibly be coming my way! I was screaming inside - LOUDLY!
I know there are a lot worse things to deal with in the world than some stinking smoke smelling bathrooms and wasps in a deer stand. The attacks in Paris on Friday, for example. I don't address the heavy issues here for the most part because there are enough armchair politicians and enough stressful things in the real world. I share my world as a way to communicate with family and friends that I don't get to see or talk to every day. And I just don't want to get started with all that is wrong with the world. We all have opinions, and some are better than others. Kinda like assholes. (and yes I know I didn't get the joke right but who cares:-)
Friday I experienced my first ocular migraine, or at least, based on my symptoms and my friend Google search and talking with a coworker, that's what it was. I don't have headaches very often, which is a blessing since both of my parents are migraine sufferers, and I've never experienced symptoms like this before. I noticed before lunch that something was going on with my vision. I saw a couple of light flashes, and even though I had not looked at anything bright it was like I had looked into the sun and then was trying to focus on my computer. Then when I was at the restaurant for lunch, I noticed everything had a kind of rainbow/kaleidoscope aura around it. And then the headache started, right behind my eyes through to the back of my head. Thankfully, the pain was only maybe a 6 out of 10, and I got the hook-up with some Excedrin when I got back to the office. The pain was reminiscent of other mild headaches I've had, just a little stronger. The meds kicked in after a while and I made it through the rest of the day. (I took a picture of my eyes at lunch, to see if there was something weird going on with them, but nope, that's my normal looking eyes)
(and dammit I can't make the photo turn the correct way!)
Recently at work, I've encountered some of the strongest smelling cigarette smells I've ever experienced without the person actually standing in front of me, smoking. In one of the restrooms on the first floor, I walked in and it literally smelled like someone was in there, smoking a cigarette. I was looking above and below the stall walls and doors to see if anyone was in fact smoking, but there wasn't. I really think someone had lit up and put it out really quick, I cannot imagine the smell being that strong otherwise. The second one, I was in a restroom stall, and someone walked in and got into the stall next to me. The stale cigarette smell was so strong through the entire bathroom it was like someone was standing right in front of me that had just come inside from smoking 2 packs a day without washing the smell off for days. Weird.
Then the other day there was this precious, tiny little newborn. A man (I'm assuming her grandpa) was holding her while her mommy was in the restroom. Poor little thing spit up so much it covered her entire face, was all down her back, all over his chest, and dripping off into the floor. I got him some paper towels to try to clean her and him up with, and that little baby looked so angry! He flipped her over on her belly, and she was actually able to hold her head up and pull it back, with no support! I was amazed at how strong she was to be so tiny. Her cries weren't real loud, but she was mad as hell and it made her beet red. She looked up at me with this angry look. Her mommy finally came out and took her back in the restroom to clean her up and change her clothes. It looked like this baby was *maybe* 5 pounds soaking wet. She was so dang tiny!
We went hunting this weekend, and I had a pretty bad scare on Saturday. I'm up in my stand (which is about 17 feet or so off the ground, it's a ladder stand, not a climber), and I see a doe coming into sight. I'm watching her, and I notice a wasp flying around. I start thinking it's too cold for a wasp to be flying, it was in the high 30's Saturday morning, but this was around 10am or so, and it had warmed up somewhat to maybe the 50's. The doe goes back from where she came (I didn't shoot because she was small), and I notice another wasp. And another. And another. Turns out those spawns of Satan had bedded down in the overlap of the skirting on my stand, and the sun was beating down on that spot, heating it (and them) up, and they were coming out to fly around and wreak havoc on the earth. I was terrified that I was going to get stung, or would end up falling out of the stand trying to get away from them, but I just stayed calm and watched them for a bit. None of them bothered me, once they were sufficiently warmed up, they flew off. The ones that weren't sufficiently warmed up? They dropped to the ground because I tore the skirting off and shook the woobie to make sure I got rid of the rest of those bastards. I scream like a little bitch when I get stung by something, and I was not having that shit on Saturday.
Here are some photos of those devil creatures:
I know there are a lot worse things to deal with in the world than some stinking smoke smelling bathrooms and wasps in a deer stand. The attacks in Paris on Friday, for example. I don't address the heavy issues here for the most part because there are enough armchair politicians and enough stressful things in the real world. I share my world as a way to communicate with family and friends that I don't get to see or talk to every day. And I just don't want to get started with all that is wrong with the world. We all have opinions, and some are better than others. Kinda like assholes. (and yes I know I didn't get the joke right but who cares:-)
Saturday, November 7, 2015
The Latest and Greatest
Lots of fun and exciting things are in store for me in the coming month. I'm working on several different craft projects, which I cannot go into details here as some of those that occasionally read my blog may be recipients of said projects. One involves fabric and the sewing machine, and others a skill I began learning last year - Knooking (knitting with a crochet hook). I will share that one of the projects I'm working on is a blanket with the knook - it's made one square at a time, then you sew the squares together. I've made 4 squares so far, and so far, none of them are the same! So this project is on the back burner for now.
This past week I made some more of the homemade laundry detergent that we use. Why make laundry detergent, when so many different kinds are available commercially? Because it's cheaper to make it yourself! The ingredients cost anywhere between $20-$25 to make, and it lasts at least twice as long as 1 jumbo bottle of Gain, which costs $21 at Sams. A savings of $20-$25 might not mean a lot to some people, but when you're on a tight budget, it can mean a lot. Here's a link to the recipe for the detergent. The only thing I do differently is I use the Gain scent booster instead of the Purex Crystals or Downy Unstoppables. If you try it, just use the scent booster that you prefer, or you can leave it out. I always check for coupons on the ingredients, so sometimes it can cost even less to make the soap. This last time I made the soap, I used a hand held cheese grater rather than getting out the food processor. Less stuff to wash afterwards (plus my soap never grinds up like a coarse powder as pictured, as the soap is somewhat soft - I may try putting the soap in the refrigerator or freezer for a bit before grating it next time and see if I can get the same consistency as pictured).
***TMI WARNING***
So now for the fun and exciting news that some of you have been waiting for - after much discussion and questions with my physician, and discussions with my husband and other family members, I have made a decision regarding which procedure I'm going to have that will help me with my period problems, and it is TADA - the partial hysterectomy! This procedure will be the most beneficial and should provide me with the greatest relief for the majority of my issues.
My surgery is scheduled for December 4. I cannot wait to have no more periods! Woot woot!
For those of you that know of my strong desire to have a baby - making the decision to have this procedure has not been taken lightly, and many tears have been shed (and are still being shed occasionally) over this lost dream. But honestly, I had to face reality and part of my lengthy discussions with my doctor were concerning the possibilities and likelihood (or lack thereof) of a natural pregnancy, and the risks associated not just for me, but for a baby, for a woman my age. It just wasn't meant to be, and I can live with that.
Besides - I am awakened in the middle of the night enough with the pups. If we had a baby, I'd NEVER get a full night's sleep! LOL
This past week I made some more of the homemade laundry detergent that we use. Why make laundry detergent, when so many different kinds are available commercially? Because it's cheaper to make it yourself! The ingredients cost anywhere between $20-$25 to make, and it lasts at least twice as long as 1 jumbo bottle of Gain, which costs $21 at Sams. A savings of $20-$25 might not mean a lot to some people, but when you're on a tight budget, it can mean a lot. Here's a link to the recipe for the detergent. The only thing I do differently is I use the Gain scent booster instead of the Purex Crystals or Downy Unstoppables. If you try it, just use the scent booster that you prefer, or you can leave it out. I always check for coupons on the ingredients, so sometimes it can cost even less to make the soap. This last time I made the soap, I used a hand held cheese grater rather than getting out the food processor. Less stuff to wash afterwards (plus my soap never grinds up like a coarse powder as pictured, as the soap is somewhat soft - I may try putting the soap in the refrigerator or freezer for a bit before grating it next time and see if I can get the same consistency as pictured).
***TMI WARNING***
So now for the fun and exciting news that some of you have been waiting for - after much discussion and questions with my physician, and discussions with my husband and other family members, I have made a decision regarding which procedure I'm going to have that will help me with my period problems, and it is TADA - the partial hysterectomy! This procedure will be the most beneficial and should provide me with the greatest relief for the majority of my issues.
My surgery is scheduled for December 4. I cannot wait to have no more periods! Woot woot!
For those of you that know of my strong desire to have a baby - making the decision to have this procedure has not been taken lightly, and many tears have been shed (and are still being shed occasionally) over this lost dream. But honestly, I had to face reality and part of my lengthy discussions with my doctor were concerning the possibilities and likelihood (or lack thereof) of a natural pregnancy, and the risks associated not just for me, but for a baby, for a woman my age. It just wasn't meant to be, and I can live with that.
Besides - I am awakened in the middle of the night enough with the pups. If we had a baby, I'd NEVER get a full night's sleep! LOL
Thursday, October 8, 2015
You See What Had Happened Was......
My worst fear came true on Tuesday, October 6, at around 12:45pm - I received a phone call that every parent fears - my son Steven had been in a car accident. The call was from him, and he was all hyper and upset and sounded like he was jumping up and down and like he was about to hyperventilate. The conversation was a blur, I just remember him apologizing repeatedly, and insisting that he was okay before I comprehended that he'd been in a wreck. I didn't even ask about the car, I didn't care about the car, that was something I could worry about later. I had to ask him several times if he was sure he was okay, it was just something I needed confirmation and reassurance of. At some point during the brief conversation, he did say again that he was okay, the car, not so much. After finding out what road he was on, I told him I would get in touch with Brian and we would head over there immediately.
My coworker overheard my conversation and being a mother herself, knew that I needed to get to my son, that even though he assured me he was okay, it was a momma thing to want to lay eyes on him. She was on the phone with another department, asking them to cover our office so she could take me to Steven, while I was still on the phone with him. I was a tiny bit emotional, as I was worried more about Steven's anxiety than anything else. We left and headed to the scene.
This photo is only half of what I saw when we arrived on scene (I could see the entire driver's side of the car but the front end sustained the majority of the damage):
I knew, just from seeing this side of the car, that my car will be a total loss, and said "OMG my car is totaled." Again, not caring about the car, but wondering in my head "how in the hell is my son okay after wrecking the car this badly?" (You see, when he was panicking on the phone about the accident, and telling me the car was was damaged, I was imagining a ripped off bumper, or dented fender, or something relatively minor that probably wouldn't even require the filing of an insurance claim. This was my assumption at the time, based on the fact that there was no one else involved.) I started to tear up, but my coworker encouraged me to pull myself together and try to hold it in so that Steven wouldn't get more upset.
I get out of the car, and Brian comes to me, waving my coworker off as she left to return to work. He didn't have much to say, but really, what can you at the moment? I walked over to Steven and he kept apologizing - I reminded him that he didn't have to apologize, that I didn't care about the car, it was him that was important and being that he was walking and talking, I was pretty sure he would be okay other than being really stiff and sore later.
Then I walked around to the other side of the car and saw this:
Here's a couple other photos:
He had the windows down and his phone and eyeglasses (that were on his face) flew out the window. A man in the house where the accident occurred saw the accident, and came out to check on Steven and call 911. Steven asked him to help him find his phone - the man was incredulous that Steven would be worried about his phone after having this bad of a wreck, but Steven responded with "I've got to call my parents!" So they found his phone and his glasses and there you have it.
We're not sure exactly what happened, Steven wasn't on his phone, wasn't messing with the radio, and wasn't speeding. (and yes I believe him - my son has never lied to me about anything major in his life, he's always known being truthful is much less painful than lying and being found out later) What we do know is that he crossed over the center line, all the way to the other side of the road, hit the ditch, and rolled over a driveway to the other side, and landed right side up in that ditch. He got a trip to the emergency department to make sure there was nothing more than bumps and bruises, and we went home.
I've had a tough time, thinking of the "what if's", and I know I shouldn't torture myself with that. I did that once before when Steven disappeared in a Wal-Mart, and cried on and off for days, worrying about what would have happened if someone had taken him. But I'm doing it now, after looking at that car and all the damage that was done to it. I'm just so very thankful that Steven ALWAYS wears his seatbelt, and he won't even crank the car until everyone inside has theirs buckled, too. I'm thankful no one else was in the car when the accident happened, and I'm thankful that no other vehicles or major property was involved.
I know we have it so lucky, and are so blessed that he was able to walk away from this. I know not all teens do.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
What a Day!
A couple of interesting things have happened today, so I'll try to go in order.
First, I see a strange phone # pop up on my cell phone this afternoon at work. Being that I do not answer #'s that I do not recognize, I didn't answer and hit "reject". The phone immediately rang again from the same #. I did recognize that the # was from Bremen, so I snatched the phone up, worrying that something had happened to Steven. It was Steven, calling from a gas station in Bremen. The first thing he said was "Mom, I have an emergency!" and my heart fell and I got sick to my stomach, immediately worrying that he'd been in an accident. Long story short, he managed to lock his keys in the car. I told him I'd get Clydie or Brian to come get him, but that they'd have to come to the hospital to see me since I have the other set of keys.
I didn't even think to ask Steven what gas station he was stranded at, so while I was waiting on Brian to come get my keys, I Googled it and found the one he called from. Brian came and got my keys, and we both had a good laugh about Steven's first "emergency".
While I'd been on the phone with Steven, he blurted out that he got the job he'd gone to interview for. Seems the hiring manager was real pleased that Steven didn't have any job experience - Clydie and I both told him that was because the hiring manager knew they'd be able to train him their way, without him bringing any previous work habits into play. (he got a server position at Cracker Barrel)
And the last interesting thing for today.....
Tonight for dinner, we had this luscious chicken Lombardy, homemade mac & cheese, and some peas. Brian decides he wants a pepper for dinner, and I get to choose whether it's a jalapeno or a Carolina Reaper. I chose the Reaper.
But here's a little history on the Reaper - when I bought a pepper plant a few months ago, it was labeled Carolina Reaper. A couple of weeks later, I went back and they had a plant that wasn't labeled, other than being in the box that said "Reaper, Scorpion, & Ghost peppers". I knew the plant didn't look like a Ghost, so I assumed it was the Scorpion. The one that was labeled Reaper already had some peppers on it that ripened quickly for us to try. While it was hot, it really wasn't nearly as hot as I expected it to be.
Fast forward to this 'mystery' pepper - we were still thinking this was a Scorpion of some kind, but after looking at many photos on the internet, we determined that the original pepper that was labeled "Reaper", was in fact a Trinidad Scorpion pepper, and this "mystery" pepper is the real Reaper. Some of you may know that the Reaper is considered to be one of the hottest peppers - in the world! Scorpions are up there, as well, but I was really that impressed with it back when I tried it, as far as heat goes. It did have a good flavor to it, but it wasn't as hot as I expected.
So tonight, I take a small piece of the Reaper (and when I say small, I mean about the size of a black eyed pea, split in half lengthwise) and bunched it up with some of the mac & cheese. Holy shitballs that MoFo was HOT!!! I have NEVER had a pepper nearly this hot - not even the HOT salsa Brian made this past weekend (that had Reapers, Scorpions, Habaneros, Serranos, Jalapenos, and Cowhorns in it) compared to the heat in this tiny bite! There was an almost immediate request for a glass of milk, which Steven dragged his ass getting. I had the "hot pepper lurch" 3-4 times (where your stomach lurches/jumps in protest to the fire I just consumed) in waiting for Steven to get the milk. Then I rushed him to get me a piece of loaf bread to try to tame the heat. It took a while, but my mouth finally settled down.
I do not believe I will ever, and I mean EVER, eat another Reaper. EVER!!!!
Brian ate maybe a half teaspoon of chopped up Reaper, and his entire head turned as red as a radish, and he had tears watering up and was covered in sweat. I thought he was gonna finish off the pepper, but nope, he stored it away for another day (or another batch of salsa). He had Steven touch his tongue to the blade of the knife, and Steven was suffering from the heat! Even just that little bit on the knife blade was enough to have him gulping tea and sipping on milk, too. LOL
First, I see a strange phone # pop up on my cell phone this afternoon at work. Being that I do not answer #'s that I do not recognize, I didn't answer and hit "reject". The phone immediately rang again from the same #. I did recognize that the # was from Bremen, so I snatched the phone up, worrying that something had happened to Steven. It was Steven, calling from a gas station in Bremen. The first thing he said was "Mom, I have an emergency!" and my heart fell and I got sick to my stomach, immediately worrying that he'd been in an accident. Long story short, he managed to lock his keys in the car. I told him I'd get Clydie or Brian to come get him, but that they'd have to come to the hospital to see me since I have the other set of keys.
I didn't even think to ask Steven what gas station he was stranded at, so while I was waiting on Brian to come get my keys, I Googled it and found the one he called from. Brian came and got my keys, and we both had a good laugh about Steven's first "emergency".
While I'd been on the phone with Steven, he blurted out that he got the job he'd gone to interview for. Seems the hiring manager was real pleased that Steven didn't have any job experience - Clydie and I both told him that was because the hiring manager knew they'd be able to train him their way, without him bringing any previous work habits into play. (he got a server position at Cracker Barrel)
And the last interesting thing for today.....
Tonight for dinner, we had this luscious chicken Lombardy, homemade mac & cheese, and some peas. Brian decides he wants a pepper for dinner, and I get to choose whether it's a jalapeno or a Carolina Reaper. I chose the Reaper.
But here's a little history on the Reaper - when I bought a pepper plant a few months ago, it was labeled Carolina Reaper. A couple of weeks later, I went back and they had a plant that wasn't labeled, other than being in the box that said "Reaper, Scorpion, & Ghost peppers". I knew the plant didn't look like a Ghost, so I assumed it was the Scorpion. The one that was labeled Reaper already had some peppers on it that ripened quickly for us to try. While it was hot, it really wasn't nearly as hot as I expected it to be.
Fast forward to this 'mystery' pepper - we were still thinking this was a Scorpion of some kind, but after looking at many photos on the internet, we determined that the original pepper that was labeled "Reaper", was in fact a Trinidad Scorpion pepper, and this "mystery" pepper is the real Reaper. Some of you may know that the Reaper is considered to be one of the hottest peppers - in the world! Scorpions are up there, as well, but I was really that impressed with it back when I tried it, as far as heat goes. It did have a good flavor to it, but it wasn't as hot as I expected.
So tonight, I take a small piece of the Reaper (and when I say small, I mean about the size of a black eyed pea, split in half lengthwise) and bunched it up with some of the mac & cheese. Holy shitballs that MoFo was HOT!!! I have NEVER had a pepper nearly this hot - not even the HOT salsa Brian made this past weekend (that had Reapers, Scorpions, Habaneros, Serranos, Jalapenos, and Cowhorns in it) compared to the heat in this tiny bite! There was an almost immediate request for a glass of milk, which Steven dragged his ass getting. I had the "hot pepper lurch" 3-4 times (where your stomach lurches/jumps in protest to the fire I just consumed) in waiting for Steven to get the milk. Then I rushed him to get me a piece of loaf bread to try to tame the heat. It took a while, but my mouth finally settled down.
I do not believe I will ever, and I mean EVER, eat another Reaper. EVER!!!!
Brian ate maybe a half teaspoon of chopped up Reaper, and his entire head turned as red as a radish, and he had tears watering up and was covered in sweat. I thought he was gonna finish off the pepper, but nope, he stored it away for another day (or another batch of salsa). He had Steven touch his tongue to the blade of the knife, and Steven was suffering from the heat! Even just that little bit on the knife blade was enough to have him gulping tea and sipping on milk, too. LOL
Monday, September 7, 2015
Adenomyosis
TMI WARNING!!!!!
I promised you all last week that I would share my results, so that if it helps even one person, it will be worth it for me.
I had my ultrasound last Monday, and a thorough explanation of the blood work that was done the week prior. Here's the results:
Through a process of elimination and my physician's expert knowledge, she has deduced that I have a condition called Adenomyosis. I had already assumed this, as my previous physician told me 2 years ago that it appeared I may have this. Here's a good definition of it:
Adenomyosis (ad-uh-no-my-O-sis) occurs when endometrial tissue, which normally lines the uterus, exists within and grows into the muscular wall of the uterus. The displaced endometrial tissue continues to act as it normally would — thickening, breaking down and bleeding — during each menstrual cycle. An enlarged uterus and painful, heavy periods can result.
I won't totally gross you all out by listing the symptoms, but if you Google the condition you can find the list of symptoms and guess what?! I have ALL of them! Not to mention my uterus is almost twice the normal size. (yay me! NOT)
One of the "cures" for this condition is menopause, which is where we get into the blood work results. It appears, based on my results, that I am at least several more years away from "the change", and since my cycles are almost like clockwork, I have many more months of agony to go along with the wait. Other treatments include birth control pills to supposedly lighten things up (they never, ever have), an IUD (been there, done that, didn't work for me), continue taking Lysteda (helps some, cuts it down by maybe 40% if it's a lucky day), ablation (I'll explain in a minute), or having a partial hysterectomy.
Lysteda has been a help since I started taking it, but cycles are still painful and what I would think are heavier than the average woman's. I'll continue taking it for now, until we can decide on a more permanent solution.
Ablation - simplified definition - the inside of the uterus is burned to destroy the lining. Up to 40% of women cease having periods, and for those that continue having periods, 80-90% of those women have much, much lighter periods (and based on my luck and track record, I will be in the 10-20% that still have ball-busting periods). The doctor also requires one spouse to be "fixed", as a pregnancy after an ablation can be life-threateningly dangerous.
Partial hysterectomy - removing the uterus. The only 100%, sure-fire way to "cure" adenomyosis when you cannot wait for menopause.
I have shared on here before that I would love nothing more than to be able to have another child, so I asked my doctor what my real chances were, based on my hormone tests and the adenomyosis. Her response - "if you got pregnant naturally, you and I would both be famous, and I'd be writing papers and getting published". Statistics I read for women my age were that less than 1% of women would get pregnant without some type of intervention, and with adenomyosis, the risk of uterine rupture in the 2nd and 3rd trimester was fairly high. Not to mention the risk of having a child with down syndrome and other birth defects is about 1 in 30 for us old ladies. Risks to my health and a possible baby's health that I just cannot take.
I would honestly love to never worry about having a period of any kind again, but a partial hysterectomy is a really major surgery, requiring 4-6 weeks out of work, and while technically I can do that, I really don't want to do that. Plus, insurance likely wouldn't pay for it, as I don't have signs of fibroids or cancer or other issues that generally warrant a hysterectomy. So most likely I will be doing the ablation to give it a shot and see if that will help. I really think it would probably be beneficial, I just worry that I will still have the ovary pain that is like knives stabbing me in the groin.
I suppose it's time for me to start coming up with all the questions I can, to get those answered so I can make a final decision.
I promised you all last week that I would share my results, so that if it helps even one person, it will be worth it for me.
I had my ultrasound last Monday, and a thorough explanation of the blood work that was done the week prior. Here's the results:
Through a process of elimination and my physician's expert knowledge, she has deduced that I have a condition called Adenomyosis. I had already assumed this, as my previous physician told me 2 years ago that it appeared I may have this. Here's a good definition of it:
Adenomyosis (ad-uh-no-my-O-sis) occurs when endometrial tissue, which normally lines the uterus, exists within and grows into the muscular wall of the uterus. The displaced endometrial tissue continues to act as it normally would — thickening, breaking down and bleeding — during each menstrual cycle. An enlarged uterus and painful, heavy periods can result.
I won't totally gross you all out by listing the symptoms, but if you Google the condition you can find the list of symptoms and guess what?! I have ALL of them! Not to mention my uterus is almost twice the normal size. (yay me! NOT)
One of the "cures" for this condition is menopause, which is where we get into the blood work results. It appears, based on my results, that I am at least several more years away from "the change", and since my cycles are almost like clockwork, I have many more months of agony to go along with the wait. Other treatments include birth control pills to supposedly lighten things up (they never, ever have), an IUD (been there, done that, didn't work for me), continue taking Lysteda (helps some, cuts it down by maybe 40% if it's a lucky day), ablation (I'll explain in a minute), or having a partial hysterectomy.
Lysteda has been a help since I started taking it, but cycles are still painful and what I would think are heavier than the average woman's. I'll continue taking it for now, until we can decide on a more permanent solution.
Ablation - simplified definition - the inside of the uterus is burned to destroy the lining. Up to 40% of women cease having periods, and for those that continue having periods, 80-90% of those women have much, much lighter periods (and based on my luck and track record, I will be in the 10-20% that still have ball-busting periods). The doctor also requires one spouse to be "fixed", as a pregnancy after an ablation can be life-threateningly dangerous.
Partial hysterectomy - removing the uterus. The only 100%, sure-fire way to "cure" adenomyosis when you cannot wait for menopause.
I have shared on here before that I would love nothing more than to be able to have another child, so I asked my doctor what my real chances were, based on my hormone tests and the adenomyosis. Her response - "if you got pregnant naturally, you and I would both be famous, and I'd be writing papers and getting published". Statistics I read for women my age were that less than 1% of women would get pregnant without some type of intervention, and with adenomyosis, the risk of uterine rupture in the 2nd and 3rd trimester was fairly high. Not to mention the risk of having a child with down syndrome and other birth defects is about 1 in 30 for us old ladies. Risks to my health and a possible baby's health that I just cannot take.
I would honestly love to never worry about having a period of any kind again, but a partial hysterectomy is a really major surgery, requiring 4-6 weeks out of work, and while technically I can do that, I really don't want to do that. Plus, insurance likely wouldn't pay for it, as I don't have signs of fibroids or cancer or other issues that generally warrant a hysterectomy. So most likely I will be doing the ablation to give it a shot and see if that will help. I really think it would probably be beneficial, I just worry that I will still have the ovary pain that is like knives stabbing me in the groin.
I suppose it's time for me to start coming up with all the questions I can, to get those answered so I can make a final decision.
Friday, August 28, 2015
TGIF!!!
I am so glad it's Friday, and that I don't have anything solid planned for the weekend. I'm just planning to lay around and not do a lot. May go piddle around town a little tomorrow, but who knows. I'm tired and I need to rest.
I have an ultrasound scheduled for Monday - need to get the lady bits checked out, as I've been having some of those fun, period-related issues the last few months (more than I've shared publicly in a while). I imagine it's probably nothing, or something related to either the fact that I'm getting older and about to hit menopause soon, or maybe it's something to do with the adenomyosis. I will post more info once I know what's going on - y'all know I don't mind sharing the gory details, if it will help just one person that may be having similar issues.
Our garden is officially kaput. I picked the last of the butterbeans last weekend, and I discovered that my potato tower was a complete and utter FAILURE. I was so looking forward to having a shitload of fresh potatoes, and unfortunately my potato tower turned into a giant ant farm. I mean seriously, when we pulled the tower down and pulled away the wire caging, the entire mass of dirt was nothing but a swarming pile of ants. Not a single piece of potato was anywhere to be seen. I need to check my sweet potato buckets and see if those turned out okay. I'll be pissed if those are ant farms too, but I haven't seen any ants around them, so hopefully we'll have some yummy sweet potatoes soon.
The pepper plants have been quite productive, so that's been nice. We always manage to grow a bunch of peppers, more than we can eat, and end up pickling a lot of them. We probably have 2-3 cases of pickled peppers and pepper sauce.
I can't wait until next year's garden - we are going to double the size of the garden, and plant a few more things!
I have an ultrasound scheduled for Monday - need to get the lady bits checked out, as I've been having some of those fun, period-related issues the last few months (more than I've shared publicly in a while). I imagine it's probably nothing, or something related to either the fact that I'm getting older and about to hit menopause soon, or maybe it's something to do with the adenomyosis. I will post more info once I know what's going on - y'all know I don't mind sharing the gory details, if it will help just one person that may be having similar issues.
Our garden is officially kaput. I picked the last of the butterbeans last weekend, and I discovered that my potato tower was a complete and utter FAILURE. I was so looking forward to having a shitload of fresh potatoes, and unfortunately my potato tower turned into a giant ant farm. I mean seriously, when we pulled the tower down and pulled away the wire caging, the entire mass of dirt was nothing but a swarming pile of ants. Not a single piece of potato was anywhere to be seen. I need to check my sweet potato buckets and see if those turned out okay. I'll be pissed if those are ant farms too, but I haven't seen any ants around them, so hopefully we'll have some yummy sweet potatoes soon.
The pepper plants have been quite productive, so that's been nice. We always manage to grow a bunch of peppers, more than we can eat, and end up pickling a lot of them. We probably have 2-3 cases of pickled peppers and pepper sauce.
I can't wait until next year's garden - we are going to double the size of the garden, and plant a few more things!
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Weekends - are NEVER Long Enough!!!
Nope, they never last long enough! I fixed the fagioli soup on Friday night (I fixed frozen country fried steaks Thursday because we didn't have a couple of the necessary ingredients for the soup). I thought it was really good. Also, the country fried steak was awesome - I'd been craving that on and off for a while, and I think I've satisfied the craving for now.
Last night I fixed the fried rice and egg rolls I'd fixed a couple of weeks ago, and tonight, I fixed Chicken Cacciatore. I don't have a link to the recipe, but here it is to the best of my recollection (well, it's how I fixed it not exactly like the recipe is listed but I didn't have bay leaves):
5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
1 Tbsp diced garlic
oregano
basil
Italian seasoning
Place the chicken in the crock pot, and place the onions and peppers over the top. Mix the other ingredients together in a separate bowl, then pour over the stuff in the crockpot. Turn the crockpot on - low for 8 hours, or high for 6 hours.
Cook pasta separately, and serve chicken and sauce over the pasta. I used rotini noodles. Clydie and Steven liked it! (and so did I!). (Brian is out and missed dinner, but I fixed him a plate for when he gets home)
This is what I'm cooking tomorrow for dinner Crock Pot Easy Swiss Steak, along with some rice and another veggie (to be determined later).
But enough about food - I've got puppy antics for ya! I posted on Facebook earlier about terrorizing Gabriel with the compressed air can (he was scared by that over a year ago, and now the mere sight of the can will scare him) - he was in the bathroom and heard me using it in the bedroom and ran out, trembling like crazy. After he settles down, he decides to wedge himself in between the loveseat and the piano. He's resting comfortably, when all of a sudden a small plane flies low over the house, making this really loud buzzing sound. Gabriel shot out of his hiding spot like a bullet, causing Dominion to jump up and look around like "what the hell?". Gabriel was pitiful, looking around, obviously traumatized yet again by another sound. Yet this is the dog that will try to duel with the weed eater on the regular. Oddball!
I'm cleaning out my closet, as far as stuff that was floating around in the bottom, and not in a box. I also packed away some of my clothing, and even pulled a few pieces to get rid of. Boy is our bedroom a holy mess right now! There is so much stuff on the bed that there's not even room to sit on it anywhere. I've also gone through some boxes of papers that were in there, getting rid of some outdated paperwork, and separating things for further review or filing. So exciting, I know. And, I'm doing laundry all day!
So folks, I hope you all managed to have more fun and excitement than I've had all weekend!
Last night I fixed the fried rice and egg rolls I'd fixed a couple of weeks ago, and tonight, I fixed Chicken Cacciatore. I don't have a link to the recipe, but here it is to the best of my recollection (well, it's how I fixed it not exactly like the recipe is listed but I didn't have bay leaves):
5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
1 Tbsp diced garlic
oregano
basil
Italian seasoning
Place the chicken in the crock pot, and place the onions and peppers over the top. Mix the other ingredients together in a separate bowl, then pour over the stuff in the crockpot. Turn the crockpot on - low for 8 hours, or high for 6 hours.
Cook pasta separately, and serve chicken and sauce over the pasta. I used rotini noodles. Clydie and Steven liked it! (and so did I!). (Brian is out and missed dinner, but I fixed him a plate for when he gets home)
This is what I'm cooking tomorrow for dinner Crock Pot Easy Swiss Steak, along with some rice and another veggie (to be determined later).
But enough about food - I've got puppy antics for ya! I posted on Facebook earlier about terrorizing Gabriel with the compressed air can (he was scared by that over a year ago, and now the mere sight of the can will scare him) - he was in the bathroom and heard me using it in the bedroom and ran out, trembling like crazy. After he settles down, he decides to wedge himself in between the loveseat and the piano. He's resting comfortably, when all of a sudden a small plane flies low over the house, making this really loud buzzing sound. Gabriel shot out of his hiding spot like a bullet, causing Dominion to jump up and look around like "what the hell?". Gabriel was pitiful, looking around, obviously traumatized yet again by another sound. Yet this is the dog that will try to duel with the weed eater on the regular. Oddball!
I'm cleaning out my closet, as far as stuff that was floating around in the bottom, and not in a box. I also packed away some of my clothing, and even pulled a few pieces to get rid of. Boy is our bedroom a holy mess right now! There is so much stuff on the bed that there's not even room to sit on it anywhere. I've also gone through some boxes of papers that were in there, getting rid of some outdated paperwork, and separating things for further review or filing. So exciting, I know. And, I'm doing laundry all day!
So folks, I hope you all managed to have more fun and excitement than I've had all weekend!
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Cooking Again!
Yes, I've been cooking again. Clydie had her surgery Monday, and I've taken over the cooking while she recuperates and heals. More on the cooking in a minute, here's the info about Clydie:
Three years ago, Clydie had an AAA repair (abdominal aorta aneurysm). The surgeon inserted a stint into the artery, and we thought she was all better and had been released by the surgeon after the required number of follow ups. Purely by accident, her oncologist found a leak around the stent (she'd had her 4 year scan and normally the scan doesn't go low enough to see the aneurysm and for some reason this year, it did - blessings!), and immediately referred her to a vascular surgeon and scheduled a follow-up scan with contrast. Sure enough, the aneurysm had grown, and she had to have surgery to fix the leak.
She has done amazingly well, and in the words of the new surgeon her outcome was "best case scenario" and she wished that all her patients had such great outcomes. Clydie spent the night in the hospital, and was discharged yesterday. I told her this past weekend that I wanted her to take a break from cooking, that either Brian or I would handle the cooking for at least a couple of weeks until she felt up to getting back in the kitchen. And boy, does she HATE not being able to get in the kitchen and cook, or at least assist in cooking.
Last night, we had Italian Chicken with Tomatoes. I've fixed this before and it's been pretty well liked for the most part. Steven didn't particularly enjoy it for some reason, but ate it anyway. I didn't brown the chicken before putting it in the crockpot, and fixed it slightly different than the recipe calls for - chicken in the bottom, poured some olive oil over the chicken, mixed the vinegar and random herbs and garlic together, and spooned this mixture over each chicken breast. Then I poured the tomatoes over the chicken, and on the cooker went on low for 10 hours. I fixed angel hair pasta and warmed some seasons French bread, and we had salad, as well. Yummy!
Tonight, I tried something different - Grilled Beef Chimichangas. But I didn't cook them on the grill - I used my electric skillet. I browned the beef in it, added the peppers, garlic and onions (no hot peppers, as Clydie can't tolerate the stuff too hot) to the beef, then poured it out in the strainer, rinsing the fat off. Mixed in the taco seasoning, added some extra cumin and some cayenne pepper powder, and homemade salsa. We didn't have any cilantro, so it was just sour cream mixed with the garlic that was smeared over each tortilla. I made homemade Spanish rice - cooked the rice in my rice cooker and added a can of Ro-tel tomatoes to it. When I built the chimichangas, I used the sour cream/garlic mix, shredded cheese, rice, black beans, and meat. Folded those suckers up, toothpicked them together, and grilled them in my freshly cleaned out electric skillet. Man were these things good! I fixed an extra one for my lunch tomorrow, and Brian ate it, so I hate to make and cook another one to pack for lunch.
I think I'm making Crock Pot Fagioli Soup for dinner tomorrow night. The only thing I don't have for it is the celery, and I think it will be just fine without it. I'll have to do some prep work tonight and probably go ahead and sauté the veggies so I can just put it in the crock pot in the morning. Of course I'll have to cook it on low since it will simmer all day.
I'll keep sharing the new recipes we try and let you all know how they turn out - I know I've enjoyed the ones I've found so far, and am looking forward to making some of the others that I've stumbled across (chicken cacciatore anyone? that'll be what's for dinner on Friday night)
Three years ago, Clydie had an AAA repair (abdominal aorta aneurysm). The surgeon inserted a stint into the artery, and we thought she was all better and had been released by the surgeon after the required number of follow ups. Purely by accident, her oncologist found a leak around the stent (she'd had her 4 year scan and normally the scan doesn't go low enough to see the aneurysm and for some reason this year, it did - blessings!), and immediately referred her to a vascular surgeon and scheduled a follow-up scan with contrast. Sure enough, the aneurysm had grown, and she had to have surgery to fix the leak.
She has done amazingly well, and in the words of the new surgeon her outcome was "best case scenario" and she wished that all her patients had such great outcomes. Clydie spent the night in the hospital, and was discharged yesterday. I told her this past weekend that I wanted her to take a break from cooking, that either Brian or I would handle the cooking for at least a couple of weeks until she felt up to getting back in the kitchen. And boy, does she HATE not being able to get in the kitchen and cook, or at least assist in cooking.
Last night, we had Italian Chicken with Tomatoes. I've fixed this before and it's been pretty well liked for the most part. Steven didn't particularly enjoy it for some reason, but ate it anyway. I didn't brown the chicken before putting it in the crockpot, and fixed it slightly different than the recipe calls for - chicken in the bottom, poured some olive oil over the chicken, mixed the vinegar and random herbs and garlic together, and spooned this mixture over each chicken breast. Then I poured the tomatoes over the chicken, and on the cooker went on low for 10 hours. I fixed angel hair pasta and warmed some seasons French bread, and we had salad, as well. Yummy!
Tonight, I tried something different - Grilled Beef Chimichangas. But I didn't cook them on the grill - I used my electric skillet. I browned the beef in it, added the peppers, garlic and onions (no hot peppers, as Clydie can't tolerate the stuff too hot) to the beef, then poured it out in the strainer, rinsing the fat off. Mixed in the taco seasoning, added some extra cumin and some cayenne pepper powder, and homemade salsa. We didn't have any cilantro, so it was just sour cream mixed with the garlic that was smeared over each tortilla. I made homemade Spanish rice - cooked the rice in my rice cooker and added a can of Ro-tel tomatoes to it. When I built the chimichangas, I used the sour cream/garlic mix, shredded cheese, rice, black beans, and meat. Folded those suckers up, toothpicked them together, and grilled them in my freshly cleaned out electric skillet. Man were these things good! I fixed an extra one for my lunch tomorrow, and Brian ate it, so I hate to make and cook another one to pack for lunch.
I think I'm making Crock Pot Fagioli Soup for dinner tomorrow night. The only thing I don't have for it is the celery, and I think it will be just fine without it. I'll have to do some prep work tonight and probably go ahead and sauté the veggies so I can just put it in the crock pot in the morning. Of course I'll have to cook it on low since it will simmer all day.
I'll keep sharing the new recipes we try and let you all know how they turn out - I know I've enjoyed the ones I've found so far, and am looking forward to making some of the others that I've stumbled across (chicken cacciatore anyone? that'll be what's for dinner on Friday night)
Saturday, August 1, 2015
It's my birthday!
Party Time!
Not really - I don't party much any more, I'm getting too old for that shit! LOL The last time I partied hard on my birthday was 5 years ago and I paid quite dearly for it. For 3 (yes THREE) days! I won't be doing that again. Maybe a drink tonight after dinner, maybe not, just depends on how I feel.
I've had a busy day today so far - Clydie and I went out and picked the pink eye peas and a few more cucumbers, shelled the peas and put them in the freezer (3 bags), canned some pickles with the multitude of cucumbers that we have, and now she's canning some tabasco & cayenne peppers for pepper sauce.
While we were picking the peas, I noticed Dominion was pulling at something on the fence - he was pulling himself a 2-3" cucumber off the vine! He got it, ran up to the patio and ate it! Then he came and got a second one! Looks like next year we will have the plant the cucumbers where he can't get to them, otherwise he may eat them all. And his love of cucumbers is probably all my fault. When I had the first cucumber of the summer, I had sliced them and put them in vinegar with a touch of salt. He was begging at the table, so to be funny I handed him one. He promptly spit it out, but a moment later he picked it up off the floor and ate it. He also had a bite of dill pickle yesterday as well. Oh and he apparently now likes salt & vinegar chips, too. Weird ass dog.
Poor little Gabriel was totally humiliated yesterday - seems one of his butt glands abscessed so it was off to the vet we went. They shaved his behind and he just looked so embarrassed! He was so glad when they were finished working on him - he very quickly turned around and sat down so they couldn't mess with his butt anymore.
Oh and I almost forgot - Steven got his actual drivers license yesterday! I am so happy for him. And now I have a chauffer. LOL
Not really - I don't party much any more, I'm getting too old for that shit! LOL The last time I partied hard on my birthday was 5 years ago and I paid quite dearly for it. For 3 (yes THREE) days! I won't be doing that again. Maybe a drink tonight after dinner, maybe not, just depends on how I feel.
I've had a busy day today so far - Clydie and I went out and picked the pink eye peas and a few more cucumbers, shelled the peas and put them in the freezer (3 bags), canned some pickles with the multitude of cucumbers that we have, and now she's canning some tabasco & cayenne peppers for pepper sauce.
While we were picking the peas, I noticed Dominion was pulling at something on the fence - he was pulling himself a 2-3" cucumber off the vine! He got it, ran up to the patio and ate it! Then he came and got a second one! Looks like next year we will have the plant the cucumbers where he can't get to them, otherwise he may eat them all. And his love of cucumbers is probably all my fault. When I had the first cucumber of the summer, I had sliced them and put them in vinegar with a touch of salt. He was begging at the table, so to be funny I handed him one. He promptly spit it out, but a moment later he picked it up off the floor and ate it. He also had a bite of dill pickle yesterday as well. Oh and he apparently now likes salt & vinegar chips, too. Weird ass dog.
Poor little Gabriel was totally humiliated yesterday - seems one of his butt glands abscessed so it was off to the vet we went. They shaved his behind and he just looked so embarrassed! He was so glad when they were finished working on him - he very quickly turned around and sat down so they couldn't mess with his butt anymore.
Oh and I almost forgot - Steven got his actual drivers license yesterday! I am so happy for him. And now I have a chauffer. LOL
Monday, July 27, 2015
Time Flies When You're Having Fun!
So a follow-up from the last post (which was almost 2 months ago!) - I did have poison ivy, but it was contained to about 3 small bumps on my arm and thankfully didn't itch nearly as bad as I was afraid of. I really hate getting that stuff, and am absolutely miserable with it, but thanks to some kind of steroid cream that Clydie had, we nipped it in the bud pretty quickly.
What have I been up to lately? Putting veggies in my freezer and canning pickles! I know I've posted this stuff on Facebook, but in case any of you have missed it - we put up a bushel of black-eyed peas a while back, and shortly after that, we put away a bushel of purple hull crowder peas, a bushel of speckled butterbeans, and snapped a bushel of green beans. We froze the peas and butterbeans, and canned the green beans.
The quality of the 3 bushels we got last time and the one from a couple weeks earlier was better than anything we've gotten at the farmers market before - absolutely fantastic! Very few dried out bean or pea shells, and the amount of beans that we got on the green beans was phenomenal! Those green beans came in a small wooden crate, and it was absolutely packed FULL. We ended up with 24 quart jars, a gallon Ziploc we gave to the neighbors, and a huge pot we cooked for dinner (expecting leftovers for another meal, but nope, we ate them all!)
And our little backyard garden - oh my at the stuff we're getting out of that! We've already been able to put up about 10 bags of pink eyes, 2 bags of butterbeans, and we've canned at least 20qts (between the quarter and pint jars) of pickles. I've also had to give away cucumbers, we can't keep up with how many my 4 little plants are producing! We pick 6-9 cucumbers 2-3 times a week! I finally have 2 cantaloupe growing - they are each about the size of a racquetball. We also got one meal of pole beans (those didn't do very well this year), and we've had zucchini about once a week or so.
Oh did I mention our peppers?!? We have ghost, reaper, habanero, Hungarian hot wax, cowhorn, jumbo jalapeno, Serrano, and an assortment of cayenne and tabasco peppers. Clydie has canned at least 2 dozen half-pint and pint jars of pepper sauce, made some home-made sriracha sauce, and of course we eat the peppers with dinner frequently. Well, I should say Brian eats them with dinner frequently. Clydie can't do the peppers so much anymore, Steven doesn't care for them but is usually a good sport when Brian wants him to try one, and I dabble in them occasionally.
I got the "pleasure" of trying out a Carolina Reaper pepper a while back. It's supposed to be the world's hottest pepper, but I just didn't get that out of it. Not that it wasn't the hottest damn pepper I've ever had, but still. I expected more. To be fair, I only ate 2 small pieces of it (when I say small - each piece was maybe 3mm in size). The first bite produced a very warm sensation but not a lot of stinging. The second one required a milk chaser! But the burn was quite different than when I eat a hot jalapeno, it's hard to explain, and it really wasn't that painful. Even wiping a piece of meat or some of the mac&cheese we had that night over the spot where the pepper had been cut was enough to heat your mouth up. The flavor of the reaper was really good (and yes, I could actually taste the flavor of it over the heat).
We had a surprise in a cowhorn pepper recently - those aren't supposed to be as hot as jalapenos, so normally when Brian eats one, he just bites off a big chunk and enjoys the flavor. He did this the other night and his whole head immediately went bright red and he got the hot pepper stomach lurch! It was really funny. He cut me a slice and I tried it and holy hell it was hot! That was another night of milk with dinner.
The pleasant surprise so far is the Hungarian hot wax. Those are very mild so far, like a hot banana pepper. We shall see if they continue to be mild, or if they have gotten hotter from lack of water. We have read several articles on caring for peppers, and all of them say to withhold water for hotter peppers. You let the plants get to where the leaves are wilting before you water them. Water them sufficiently to end the wilting, and let them wilt again. Apparently that worked really well on those cowhorns and they weren't even ripe yet!
One final note - my birthday is Saturday. I haven't thought a lot about it so far, but it's kinda weighing on my mind. I just can't believe I'm going to be 39. Again. LOL Seriously, I will be 47. FORTY-SEVEN!!!!! I don't want to dwell on it too much, some birthdays are worse than others. 30 was really hard for me for some reason. I remember thinking I'd be in my 20's forever, and 30 was just unbearably difficult. Cried for at least a week before. 40 was easy. Other than the early night and following hangover. 41 was brutal - thanks to the 3 day hangover (thanks Brian!)
I think we're going pretty low-key this year - I love going to a Mexican restaurant for my birthday, so we're going to La Vaquerita here in Carrollton. If any of you would like to join us, please feel free to do so - but let me know (or message my husband or my mom-in-law Clydie Cote or my son Steven if you want it to be a surprise) - not sure what time we'll be going, I'm guessing around 5pm.
What have I been up to lately? Putting veggies in my freezer and canning pickles! I know I've posted this stuff on Facebook, but in case any of you have missed it - we put up a bushel of black-eyed peas a while back, and shortly after that, we put away a bushel of purple hull crowder peas, a bushel of speckled butterbeans, and snapped a bushel of green beans. We froze the peas and butterbeans, and canned the green beans.
The quality of the 3 bushels we got last time and the one from a couple weeks earlier was better than anything we've gotten at the farmers market before - absolutely fantastic! Very few dried out bean or pea shells, and the amount of beans that we got on the green beans was phenomenal! Those green beans came in a small wooden crate, and it was absolutely packed FULL. We ended up with 24 quart jars, a gallon Ziploc we gave to the neighbors, and a huge pot we cooked for dinner (expecting leftovers for another meal, but nope, we ate them all!)
And our little backyard garden - oh my at the stuff we're getting out of that! We've already been able to put up about 10 bags of pink eyes, 2 bags of butterbeans, and we've canned at least 20qts (between the quarter and pint jars) of pickles. I've also had to give away cucumbers, we can't keep up with how many my 4 little plants are producing! We pick 6-9 cucumbers 2-3 times a week! I finally have 2 cantaloupe growing - they are each about the size of a racquetball. We also got one meal of pole beans (those didn't do very well this year), and we've had zucchini about once a week or so.
Oh did I mention our peppers?!? We have ghost, reaper, habanero, Hungarian hot wax, cowhorn, jumbo jalapeno, Serrano, and an assortment of cayenne and tabasco peppers. Clydie has canned at least 2 dozen half-pint and pint jars of pepper sauce, made some home-made sriracha sauce, and of course we eat the peppers with dinner frequently. Well, I should say Brian eats them with dinner frequently. Clydie can't do the peppers so much anymore, Steven doesn't care for them but is usually a good sport when Brian wants him to try one, and I dabble in them occasionally.
I got the "pleasure" of trying out a Carolina Reaper pepper a while back. It's supposed to be the world's hottest pepper, but I just didn't get that out of it. Not that it wasn't the hottest damn pepper I've ever had, but still. I expected more. To be fair, I only ate 2 small pieces of it (when I say small - each piece was maybe 3mm in size). The first bite produced a very warm sensation but not a lot of stinging. The second one required a milk chaser! But the burn was quite different than when I eat a hot jalapeno, it's hard to explain, and it really wasn't that painful. Even wiping a piece of meat or some of the mac&cheese we had that night over the spot where the pepper had been cut was enough to heat your mouth up. The flavor of the reaper was really good (and yes, I could actually taste the flavor of it over the heat).
We had a surprise in a cowhorn pepper recently - those aren't supposed to be as hot as jalapenos, so normally when Brian eats one, he just bites off a big chunk and enjoys the flavor. He did this the other night and his whole head immediately went bright red and he got the hot pepper stomach lurch! It was really funny. He cut me a slice and I tried it and holy hell it was hot! That was another night of milk with dinner.
The pleasant surprise so far is the Hungarian hot wax. Those are very mild so far, like a hot banana pepper. We shall see if they continue to be mild, or if they have gotten hotter from lack of water. We have read several articles on caring for peppers, and all of them say to withhold water for hotter peppers. You let the plants get to where the leaves are wilting before you water them. Water them sufficiently to end the wilting, and let them wilt again. Apparently that worked really well on those cowhorns and they weren't even ripe yet!
One final note - my birthday is Saturday. I haven't thought a lot about it so far, but it's kinda weighing on my mind. I just can't believe I'm going to be 39. Again. LOL Seriously, I will be 47. FORTY-SEVEN!!!!! I don't want to dwell on it too much, some birthdays are worse than others. 30 was really hard for me for some reason. I remember thinking I'd be in my 20's forever, and 30 was just unbearably difficult. Cried for at least a week before. 40 was easy. Other than the early night and following hangover. 41 was brutal - thanks to the 3 day hangover (thanks Brian!)
I think we're going pretty low-key this year - I love going to a Mexican restaurant for my birthday, so we're going to La Vaquerita here in Carrollton. If any of you would like to join us, please feel free to do so - but let me know (or message my husband or my mom-in-law Clydie Cote or my son Steven if you want it to be a surprise) - not sure what time we'll be going, I'm guessing around 5pm.
Monday, June 1, 2015
Time is Flying!
Damn, why does time fly by so fast?! I mean, I'm glad when time flies at work, although it rarely does, but weekends, and time off, just goes by too damn quick! And my mother's visit to the states is almost over! She's been here just over a month, and goes back to England on Friday. I'm not ready for her to leave!
So here's the latest on me - had an echocardiogram back in early May due to family history of heart stuffs and I've been getting winded pretty easily and having some minor chest pains. Thankfully, the echo was normal, and the doctor doesn't feel any further heart tests are warranted just yet.
My blood work has changed somewhat since last done in February - cholesterol went back up a bit (206 now), and the triglycerides, while still high (251), they're down from where they were a few months ago. My sugar is still a little high (102 - high end of normal is 99), but the doctor isn't worried about that yet, even with family history on both sides.
The post-nasal drip has been off the chain lately, almost choking me, so she added Singulair to the Allegra that I was already taking, and believe it or not, 2 days in, and I can feel a difference in the drip. It's still there, but not nearly as bad.
Had my mammogram in April, and it took almost a month for them to get the films from the previous place I've had them done. They thought they saw something in one of the girls, so I had to go back last week and have more images made. More thanks, it was nothing and I have the all-clear to wait for a year til my next episode of flattening the girls.
***TMI WARNING***
For those of you who personally experience or know of someone that experiences ungodly heavy periods - there's something "new" out there that may help (well, not really new but it's never been mentioned to me before by my previous doctors). My doctor prescribed a medication called Lysteda - it was originally for bleeding ulcers, but is being used for menstrual bleeding, and also to help minimize bleeding during surgery. Anywho - it's one of those things that it either works or it doesn't (according to my doctor), and I must say - last cycle, after just ONE dose, I could tell a difference. She suggested I start with the maximum dose, then cut it back some, and based on my results I need the maximum dose. It doesn't help with cramping or all the other fun stuff that goes along with "the curse", but I can handle those (if you call curling up in the bed with the heating pad, crying, handling those). But I'm able to go to work and not have to run to the bathroom every single hour for 3 days straight.
***END TMI WARNING***
And now I think I have poison ivy. DAMMIT!!!!!! I don't handle itching very well at all. These spots started out as small red dots on my arm, 3 of them, then 2 of them developed small blisters, and now tonight the blisters are noticeably larger, and there's 2 more tiny dots. And OMG they itch like a Mo-fo!!!!! I think I'm going to soak them in some vinegar, and then go shower and see if I can find my hydrocortisone cream. This shit drives me NUTS!!!! I don't tolerate itching - AT ALL!!!
I hope you all had a happy Monday!
So here's the latest on me - had an echocardiogram back in early May due to family history of heart stuffs and I've been getting winded pretty easily and having some minor chest pains. Thankfully, the echo was normal, and the doctor doesn't feel any further heart tests are warranted just yet.
My blood work has changed somewhat since last done in February - cholesterol went back up a bit (206 now), and the triglycerides, while still high (251), they're down from where they were a few months ago. My sugar is still a little high (102 - high end of normal is 99), but the doctor isn't worried about that yet, even with family history on both sides.
The post-nasal drip has been off the chain lately, almost choking me, so she added Singulair to the Allegra that I was already taking, and believe it or not, 2 days in, and I can feel a difference in the drip. It's still there, but not nearly as bad.
Had my mammogram in April, and it took almost a month for them to get the films from the previous place I've had them done. They thought they saw something in one of the girls, so I had to go back last week and have more images made. More thanks, it was nothing and I have the all-clear to wait for a year til my next episode of flattening the girls.
***TMI WARNING***
For those of you who personally experience or know of someone that experiences ungodly heavy periods - there's something "new" out there that may help (well, not really new but it's never been mentioned to me before by my previous doctors). My doctor prescribed a medication called Lysteda - it was originally for bleeding ulcers, but is being used for menstrual bleeding, and also to help minimize bleeding during surgery. Anywho - it's one of those things that it either works or it doesn't (according to my doctor), and I must say - last cycle, after just ONE dose, I could tell a difference. She suggested I start with the maximum dose, then cut it back some, and based on my results I need the maximum dose. It doesn't help with cramping or all the other fun stuff that goes along with "the curse", but I can handle those (if you call curling up in the bed with the heating pad, crying, handling those). But I'm able to go to work and not have to run to the bathroom every single hour for 3 days straight.
***END TMI WARNING***
And now I think I have poison ivy. DAMMIT!!!!!! I don't handle itching very well at all. These spots started out as small red dots on my arm, 3 of them, then 2 of them developed small blisters, and now tonight the blisters are noticeably larger, and there's 2 more tiny dots. And OMG they itch like a Mo-fo!!!!! I think I'm going to soak them in some vinegar, and then go shower and see if I can find my hydrocortisone cream. This shit drives me NUTS!!!! I don't tolerate itching - AT ALL!!!
I hope you all had a happy Monday!
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Beer Can Burgers Recipe
I saw a recipe for these this morning, but when I went to make them tonight I couldn't find the post. So I improvised the best I could from memory, and these were AWESOME!!!
Beer Can Burgers
You’ll need:
Ground beef
Onion, chopped
Bell pepper (I used red, green & yellow), chopped
Fresh mushrooms, chopped
Bacon
cheese
Beer can or similarly sized glass
Season the ground beef as you normally would for regular burgers (I
used cayenne pepper, sea salt, ground pepper, and garlic powder), and make
thick patties. Sit patties on flat
surface and press beer can(or glass) into patty, making large indentation. Place cheese in indention and set patties
aside.
Take vegetables and saute for a few minutes in olive oil. Fill burger indentions with the vegetable
mixture, and wrap burgers with bacon slices (I used a toothpick to make sure
the bacon didn’t unwrap).
I grilled the burgers, started out with low direct heat, then moving
them to high indirect heat, until
they looked done all the way to the top of each burger.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Ho Hum, It's Hump Day Again
Lot's of stuff going on in the news - the biggest thing is the "protests" (which have turned into riots in some instances) in Baltimore over a suspect dying in custody. I'm not going to get into the circumstances of everything, as I'm sure my opinion of things are likely very different than some of my readers, not saying my readers are wrong by any means, I just don't see the need. If you really don't know the Baltimore deal, Google "Freddie Gray". (I'm not sure of the correct spelling of his name, I've seen Freddy, and I've seen Grey. I'm sure it will pull up regardless of how you spell his name).
During these protests that turned violent, a mother saw her 16 year old son in the middle of throwing rocks and bricks at police, and she proceeded to snatch his ass home, after whooping up on him for the world to see. Some people think she was too violent with him - that mother did what she felt she had to do to get him home and get him safe. She didn't want him to become another statistic. Good for her.!
There's a stupid woman that decided, hours before she was to report to her new job at a daycare, that she would post publicly on Facebook that she hated working at daycares, and hated being around kids - and the daycare called her and rescinded the job offer! She's a single parent - WTF was she thinking to post something like that publicly? I totally understand that she may have taken the job because that's what she has experience in, and perhaps it's all she's qualified for. But really? Not real smart of her to post something like that publicly. And honestly, there's been plenty of times in the past that I've wanted to vent publicly about my previous job, but I never did, at least not where folks who didn't have direct knowledge of the situations would be able to figure out who or what I was talking about. I made some cryptic posts on Facebook about some people and/or situations there, and now when my Timehop comes up, I can't for the life of me remember most of the shit that I was bitching about! LOL Oh but I have fantasies about running into a certain someone and giving him a piece of my mind! (I would likely never do it, although it sure is fun fantasizing about it!)
My mom is back home! She got home Saturday, and Steven and I went with Michael to pick her up at the airport and spent the night with her. It was so good to see her! Hopefully she'll get to spend a weekend with us at the house before she goes back to England in June.
Time to watch Supernatural, then go to bed. Have a good one!
During these protests that turned violent, a mother saw her 16 year old son in the middle of throwing rocks and bricks at police, and she proceeded to snatch his ass home, after whooping up on him for the world to see. Some people think she was too violent with him - that mother did what she felt she had to do to get him home and get him safe. She didn't want him to become another statistic. Good for her.!
There's a stupid woman that decided, hours before she was to report to her new job at a daycare, that she would post publicly on Facebook that she hated working at daycares, and hated being around kids - and the daycare called her and rescinded the job offer! She's a single parent - WTF was she thinking to post something like that publicly? I totally understand that she may have taken the job because that's what she has experience in, and perhaps it's all she's qualified for. But really? Not real smart of her to post something like that publicly. And honestly, there's been plenty of times in the past that I've wanted to vent publicly about my previous job, but I never did, at least not where folks who didn't have direct knowledge of the situations would be able to figure out who or what I was talking about. I made some cryptic posts on Facebook about some people and/or situations there, and now when my Timehop comes up, I can't for the life of me remember most of the shit that I was bitching about! LOL Oh but I have fantasies about running into a certain someone and giving him a piece of my mind! (I would likely never do it, although it sure is fun fantasizing about it!)
My mom is back home! She got home Saturday, and Steven and I went with Michael to pick her up at the airport and spent the night with her. It was so good to see her! Hopefully she'll get to spend a weekend with us at the house before she goes back to England in June.
Time to watch Supernatural, then go to bed. Have a good one!
Monday, April 13, 2015
Spring has Sprung!
Saw my first hummingbird of the spring Sunday morning - it was trapped on our screened-in back porch, and I had to catch it to release it back outside. This one wasn't as difficult to catch as the one last year - I threw a pillow case over it and it got its beak stuck in the screen, and I was afraid to pull him off, that I'd squeeze his delicate little body too hard, so I got an empty flower pot and put over him and waited for him to get himself loose. Didn't take too long, either. I covered the open end of the pot with the pillow case, and he squeaked and squawked until I let him go outside the porch.
I caught a titmouse bird Saturday morning on the porch - Gabriel wanted that bird, BAD. I put the dogs outside but didn't latch the door, and Gabriel forced his way back in, so I made both the boys go inside the house with Clydie until I could catch the little bird. He was a little more difficult than the hummingbird, but I got him in the pillowcase and out the porch he went.
Clydie and I "ran the roads" Saturday, as she calls it. :-) We had things to do in town, and then more stuff to do when we got home. I am a weekend warrior - no rest for me, always something to do!
One of the things we did Saturday was put up a fence around our garden area to keep the pups out, and Clydie and I planted the garden on Sunday. Apparently our yard fence is not made in exact 8 foot sections, and I almost didn't have enough of the fencing to do it. We had tilled a spot in the back corner of the yard that was 3 fence sections by 2 fence sections. If it was 8 ft sections, it would have been 24' x 16', which would be 40 ft total. I bought 50' of fencing (this was the somewhat rigid plastic stuff, square grid pattern with the holes about 1/2" or so), and only had about 6" left over on one end, which I wrapped around a picket to make a door to hook to the fence so we will have access to inside the garden. But the important thing is the fence is up, and I don't think the boys will try to bust in for anything.
Clydie and I also got our rebar tower of flowers reassembled and planted Saturday:
Here's a pic of our garden we finished planting on Sunday:
When I got out of the shower Saturday night, Gabriel was sitting there and farted this really loud fart. I looked at him and said "Gabriel, you farted!" and I swear if he could talk, based on the look he gave me he said "yeah, I farted - so?" He's such a character sometimes!
I think I had a bunch more to add, but I'm stopping here. My brain is tired!
I caught a titmouse bird Saturday morning on the porch - Gabriel wanted that bird, BAD. I put the dogs outside but didn't latch the door, and Gabriel forced his way back in, so I made both the boys go inside the house with Clydie until I could catch the little bird. He was a little more difficult than the hummingbird, but I got him in the pillowcase and out the porch he went.
Clydie and I "ran the roads" Saturday, as she calls it. :-) We had things to do in town, and then more stuff to do when we got home. I am a weekend warrior - no rest for me, always something to do!
One of the things we did Saturday was put up a fence around our garden area to keep the pups out, and Clydie and I planted the garden on Sunday. Apparently our yard fence is not made in exact 8 foot sections, and I almost didn't have enough of the fencing to do it. We had tilled a spot in the back corner of the yard that was 3 fence sections by 2 fence sections. If it was 8 ft sections, it would have been 24' x 16', which would be 40 ft total. I bought 50' of fencing (this was the somewhat rigid plastic stuff, square grid pattern with the holes about 1/2" or so), and only had about 6" left over on one end, which I wrapped around a picket to make a door to hook to the fence so we will have access to inside the garden. But the important thing is the fence is up, and I don't think the boys will try to bust in for anything.
Clydie and I also got our rebar tower of flowers reassembled and planted Saturday:
Here's a pic of our garden we finished planting on Sunday:
And here's my dirty hands from digging in the dirt on Sunday:
When I got out of the shower Saturday night, Gabriel was sitting there and farted this really loud fart. I looked at him and said "Gabriel, you farted!" and I swear if he could talk, based on the look he gave me he said "yeah, I farted - so?" He's such a character sometimes!
I think I had a bunch more to add, but I'm stopping here. My brain is tired!
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Love Me When It's Hard
**I did not write this - I found this on another website**
Loving me is easy when life is good. When I'm cartwheeling through tulip fields, twirling in the sun, arms out, embracing the world, voice soaring in song. When I'm smiling a Cheshire cat smile, pulling you by the hand as we go down the rabbit hole on a madcap adventure Kerouac would have approved of. When I'm gazing at you in the moonlight, memorizing your face by the shadows it holds as the cicadas sing in the hot summer night. When I lean close to you and whisper my secrets into your ear unbidden, reading you the secret diary of my heart.
I love your love then, bask in it, relish it, but that's not when I need your love the most. I need it the most when my insecurities build a wall around me constructed of bricks of past hurts, disappointments and betrayals held together with mortar made of lies. When the world is too much for even me to bear, strong as I am, and I lie curled in your bed, a silent, shuddering mess of sobs, refusing to be soothed by anything except the dawn of a new day. When I lash out, cutting you with a tongue dripping in acid, not honey, punishing you for daring to love me, not in spite of my faults but because of them, because you recognize that they work in tandem with my loveliness to form the imperfect to the world but perfect for you person that is me.
When loving me is hard, that's when I need you to do it the most.
Loving me is easy when life is good. When I'm cartwheeling through tulip fields, twirling in the sun, arms out, embracing the world, voice soaring in song. When I'm smiling a Cheshire cat smile, pulling you by the hand as we go down the rabbit hole on a madcap adventure Kerouac would have approved of. When I'm gazing at you in the moonlight, memorizing your face by the shadows it holds as the cicadas sing in the hot summer night. When I lean close to you and whisper my secrets into your ear unbidden, reading you the secret diary of my heart.
I love your love then, bask in it, relish it, but that's not when I need your love the most. I need it the most when my insecurities build a wall around me constructed of bricks of past hurts, disappointments and betrayals held together with mortar made of lies. When the world is too much for even me to bear, strong as I am, and I lie curled in your bed, a silent, shuddering mess of sobs, refusing to be soothed by anything except the dawn of a new day. When I lash out, cutting you with a tongue dripping in acid, not honey, punishing you for daring to love me, not in spite of my faults but because of them, because you recognize that they work in tandem with my loveliness to form the imperfect to the world but perfect for you person that is me.
When loving me is hard, that's when I need you to do it the most.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Aggravations and Enlightenments
I wrote the title of the blog the other day, and I'm sure I had a ton of stuff I wanted to write that had to do with the title, but I just didn't feel like putting the thoughts together and expending the energy to write it out. I'm leaving the title as is, maybe some of this will fit in one way or another. Here's some of the latest goings on at our household:
*I had that pesky tooth pulled the first week in March. I was too chicken to let them do it with Novocain alone, so they prescribed Ativan for me to take a couple hours before the appointment to help me relax. It was a higher dose of Ativan than I got several years ago for a different procedure - I got 2mg then, and I felt *great* and managed to embarrass the hell outta Michael a couple of times. I don't remember feeling bad later from it, I just got sleepy after I got home.
This time, I was prescribed 3mg. I didn't feel bad, but I didn't have the euphoric feeling that I had gotten before. And I got whiny when I got to the oral surgeon's office because they would not let Brian come back with me for the Novocain injections. All I wanted was to hold (well, squeeze the ever-loving Hell out of) his hand, then they could send him back to the waiting room while they pulled the tooth. They said the room was too small for him. They were LIARS, but I just didn't have it in me to call them on it. I got numbed up, and the tooth was out in about 5 minutes. They wheeled me out the back door and loaded me into the truck. I wanted a milk shake, and got my pain meds filled.
I finished the milk shake before we got home (having to eat it with a spoon instead of through a straw - no sucking after a tooth extraction lol), and went to bed. I woke up at some point and Clydie brought me a glass of water because I thought it would be a good idea to take a pain pill before my mouth finished "waking up". But, I didn't have the energy to get it, so I slept til around 10pm and then took a pill. And ate ramen for dinner. Shower time came around, and that probably wasn't a good idea. Before I finished my shower, I had to get out and lay on the cold tile floor. I came pretty damn close to passing out while I was in the shower - not a good feeling. I crawled into bed and crashed for the night. Back to work the next day and no problems since.
*I had other dental work done this week - and it was a very pleasant experience, at least as pleasant as dental work can be. The dentist is very skilled in giving Novocain injections that don't hurt much at all, and very quick with the drill. She also gives as little Novocain as possible so that you don't stay numb for hours. That's a little scary for me, as some of my teeth in the past have refused to get numb until I get home, after I've suffered through a procedure, but this week it worked out very well. I'm sure I was a funny sight eating zuppa Toscana (or whatever it's called - the potato/kale soup like Olive Garden makes) soup for dinner last night, trying to keep my lips closed so I didn't dribble soup everywhere. Brian laughed at me for trying to pucker up for a kiss. I'm sure my lips didn't pucker properly, and I'm honestly surprised someone didn't try to take photos of anything last night related to my numb face and lips.
*My blood pressure at the dentist office (yes they checked it before they started) was high - 144/90. Not good. I honestly didn't feel nervous, but apparently I was nervous enough for my blood pressure to be high. I checked it last night, once on the right and once on the left, and it wasn't any better - 140/89 & 139/89. And I checked it at the gym tonight, before I got on the treadmill - 138/78. My hands and feet have been swelling more in the last week or so as well. I guess I need to start checking it and logging it daily, and report it to the doctor when I go for my physical in a few weeks. I'm hoping this is a temporary thing due to stress from the dentist and PMS.
*The weather has been nice enough where we've started going to Hobbs on some evenings. It's a nice place to walk, and I can get in a little over 2 miles on the long trail we walk. I think next time we go, we're going to do the loop twice, and the strip to the lake and back once. That will give us about 3 miles. All I know is when we walked last night after dinner, I got the balance of my 10k steps in on my Fitbit.
*We are going to have one hell of a pepper patch this year - jalapenos, ghost, Carolina Reaper, tobacco, and I don't know what else. Carolina Reapers are hotter than ghost peppers - I can't wait to see Brian try them! I was brave enough to try the ghost peppers the last 2 years - the first year we grew them they weren't mature. Last year we had some of them mature, and I tried them. One that I tried was actually milder than some of the jalapenos we had grown. I was quite surprised, and somewhat disappointed (although I was glad my mouth wasn't on fire, although I can't say the same about my poor tummy at the time! LOL)
Well that's about all I got for tonight. Not so much about the blog title, but that's ok.
have a great evening, and a great weekend!
*I had that pesky tooth pulled the first week in March. I was too chicken to let them do it with Novocain alone, so they prescribed Ativan for me to take a couple hours before the appointment to help me relax. It was a higher dose of Ativan than I got several years ago for a different procedure - I got 2mg then, and I felt *great* and managed to embarrass the hell outta Michael a couple of times. I don't remember feeling bad later from it, I just got sleepy after I got home.
This time, I was prescribed 3mg. I didn't feel bad, but I didn't have the euphoric feeling that I had gotten before. And I got whiny when I got to the oral surgeon's office because they would not let Brian come back with me for the Novocain injections. All I wanted was to hold (well, squeeze the ever-loving Hell out of) his hand, then they could send him back to the waiting room while they pulled the tooth. They said the room was too small for him. They were LIARS, but I just didn't have it in me to call them on it. I got numbed up, and the tooth was out in about 5 minutes. They wheeled me out the back door and loaded me into the truck. I wanted a milk shake, and got my pain meds filled.
I finished the milk shake before we got home (having to eat it with a spoon instead of through a straw - no sucking after a tooth extraction lol), and went to bed. I woke up at some point and Clydie brought me a glass of water because I thought it would be a good idea to take a pain pill before my mouth finished "waking up". But, I didn't have the energy to get it, so I slept til around 10pm and then took a pill. And ate ramen for dinner. Shower time came around, and that probably wasn't a good idea. Before I finished my shower, I had to get out and lay on the cold tile floor. I came pretty damn close to passing out while I was in the shower - not a good feeling. I crawled into bed and crashed for the night. Back to work the next day and no problems since.
*I had other dental work done this week - and it was a very pleasant experience, at least as pleasant as dental work can be. The dentist is very skilled in giving Novocain injections that don't hurt much at all, and very quick with the drill. She also gives as little Novocain as possible so that you don't stay numb for hours. That's a little scary for me, as some of my teeth in the past have refused to get numb until I get home, after I've suffered through a procedure, but this week it worked out very well. I'm sure I was a funny sight eating zuppa Toscana (or whatever it's called - the potato/kale soup like Olive Garden makes) soup for dinner last night, trying to keep my lips closed so I didn't dribble soup everywhere. Brian laughed at me for trying to pucker up for a kiss. I'm sure my lips didn't pucker properly, and I'm honestly surprised someone didn't try to take photos of anything last night related to my numb face and lips.
*My blood pressure at the dentist office (yes they checked it before they started) was high - 144/90. Not good. I honestly didn't feel nervous, but apparently I was nervous enough for my blood pressure to be high. I checked it last night, once on the right and once on the left, and it wasn't any better - 140/89 & 139/89. And I checked it at the gym tonight, before I got on the treadmill - 138/78. My hands and feet have been swelling more in the last week or so as well. I guess I need to start checking it and logging it daily, and report it to the doctor when I go for my physical in a few weeks. I'm hoping this is a temporary thing due to stress from the dentist and PMS.
*The weather has been nice enough where we've started going to Hobbs on some evenings. It's a nice place to walk, and I can get in a little over 2 miles on the long trail we walk. I think next time we go, we're going to do the loop twice, and the strip to the lake and back once. That will give us about 3 miles. All I know is when we walked last night after dinner, I got the balance of my 10k steps in on my Fitbit.
*We are going to have one hell of a pepper patch this year - jalapenos, ghost, Carolina Reaper, tobacco, and I don't know what else. Carolina Reapers are hotter than ghost peppers - I can't wait to see Brian try them! I was brave enough to try the ghost peppers the last 2 years - the first year we grew them they weren't mature. Last year we had some of them mature, and I tried them. One that I tried was actually milder than some of the jalapenos we had grown. I was quite surprised, and somewhat disappointed (although I was glad my mouth wasn't on fire, although I can't say the same about my poor tummy at the time! LOL)
Well that's about all I got for tonight. Not so much about the blog title, but that's ok.
have a great evening, and a great weekend!
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