Guest post, from Ms. Baby
Hey y’all, this is me, Ms. Baby. My Mom has been having a hard time posting lately, there are to many things happening with her, and she does not want to come across all sad, and confused and stuff, so she asked me to post on her blog, so her readers would know she was still alive.
First off, this is me in the picture. I was trying to do my “sexy” pose, so I could get more treats. For some reason my Mom and Dad looked at me and laughed. How rude. Since Mom is giving me my own time on her blog there are some things I would like to address, and hope she reads this so I can get my point across.
First, if my paw touches it, it’s mine. That includes everything and if I happen to put my paw on your plate, it’s mine. Seriously.
Secondly, I think my Mom is cheating on me with some other kitties. The reason I say this, she is gone all day long, and then when she finally does get home, she has the smell of other kitties. What the heck, She is supposed to be a one kitty woman!
And another thing, I am supposed to be able to go outside in the morning and then in the evening. I usually don’t go far, just in the backyard for a couple of minutes, I like to eat the grass. I don’t like to go that far after that time the birds in neighborhood dive bombed my butt. For some unknown reason, they only let me out for about a minute in the morning and then a minute in the afternoon. Dad said something about not trying to heat the outside with our heat, whatever that means, pfft, I have a fur coat for crying out loud, it doesn’t affect me.
That’s another thing, Mom is falling off on her job of brushing me. I have a mat in my fur, what the heck is that about? I try really hard to get to all of my parts, but I may (cough, cough..uhmm…furball) have missed a spot.
I heard something too, the other day, and then that thing they use to take me out of the house showed up in the garage, which by the way is my domain. I have a window that is all mine and I sit in and guard the house for Mom and Dad. But this thing showed up and I heard whispers of the “Vet”. Now, I am here to tell you, That’s not gonna happen. I will hide under the bed and they will have no chance of getting me out. I don’t like the Vet. period.
I really don’t understand my Mom and Dad, they truly think THEY run this house. hehehe…They don’t know much. I am an alarm clock, when they sleep to late. I go in and kick them awake. I chase them up and down the stairs to make sure they stay healthy and all’s I ask for is a little treat now and then….
It’s a hard job, but I do the best I can. It’s hard taking care of these humans. Especially, since they are my Mom and Dad. But I know when they are upset, and I do my best to keep things going.
So, for all of you wondering, Mom is okay, she just needs a little break, and Dad is taking care of her, with my assistance. Don’t worry, she will be back in a couple of days and bore you to tears…..no problem… Until then, this is Ms. Baby signing off…..Thanks Mom for letting me post!
Messes and successes…
Today has been a lazy day in my house. We had lunch and goofed off, the Electrician has watched Basketball and football most of the day. I decided earlier today, I would make something out of stuff I had in my kitchen. The Electrician and I have not been to the grocery store in a while so, I wanted to make a “pantry” dinner.
I did a little research on that thing called “google” after I had scanned all of my cookbooks. I took stock of the ingredients I had on hand and this is what I came up with. I am taking you on a picture journey with me….
Yes, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, Artichoke hearts, mushrooms, an onion, garlic, roasted red peppers, penne pasta, chicken base. and because I am a dork, I forgot the parmesan cheese in the photo.
I had looked up recipes for Chicken Artichoke mushroom dishes, and I found a couple I liked, so, being me, I combined them, to make it my own.
First, I smashed the chicken, and then sliced it…..
Then, I sliced and diced my way through the rest of the stuff…
I’m pretty good with my knife skills, at least, I haven’t sliced and diced any fingers lately, so that must be a plus….
The recipe I was sorta of following said to brown my chicken, so I browned my chicken in my favorite pan of the moment which is a handy-dandy cast iron frying pan, also good if you need to smack someone over the head with it…just sayin….
I decided to brown it in 2 batches because I wanted it to brown and sizzle and not steam and become limp….
I do have to say though, I really, really try not to make a mess out of my stove….uhm…head held down, I did though, my stove was truly messed up when I finished this one and I kind of felt bad when the Electrician had to scrub it to make it shiny and new again.
Next was this… after taking the chicken out, I threw some more butter in the pan and then the onions, roasted red peppers garlic and mushrooms. I stirred them around for about 5 minutes, until everything was sizzling and soft
Then it was time to throw the artichoke hearts in to the mix…
I sizzled these all together for about 8 minutes, and then got busy putting the rest of the stuff in the pan. That’s when it hit me….oops, should have used a bigger skillet….
I threw in the chicken, and some chicken stock with some butter and flour mixed together, it was supposed to thicken it up…Although this recipe was originally supposed to go in the oven, the Electrician HATES baked chicken, fry it, grill it, broil it but DO NOT bake it. Yea, he’s a little strange about that.
So I think that’s where it got a little bit messed up. I went ahead and boiled the penne regate pasta and then drained it and put some butter (yea, well I love butter) and some parsley on the pasta, and then served it up…
We sprinkled parmesan cheese all over it and ate dinner. I will be truthful here, I only ate half of my plate, simply because I got full fast. Especially after the Electrician asked me, “do you think this is the Olive Garden or something?” After much discussion, the Electrician and I have come to the conclusion while it was good, we know how to make it better. We strained out all of the “juice” so to speak and will put the remainder of the chicken concoction in some Alfredo sauce and then I think I will have achieved a master piece.
This was my adventure of today, I hope y’all enjoyed it as much as I did, and by the way, I never really realized how hard it was to cook AND take pictures at the same time, so my hat is tipped to all of y’all that are food bloggers and do this, cuz I have figured out, I really am not that coordinated….
Sometimes you just need Instructions….
Okay, I’ll admit it, I usually try to bluster through everything, and try to get things right without reading the instructions. Do you know what I am talking about? You buy something new, and put it together and end up with 4 extra screws, and sit there scratching your head, wondering where they go.
Unfortunately in life, there are no instructions. So, you sit there scratching your head and wonder where are the instructions. I think if you have a Disease, it should come with instructions. Forgive me for a few minutes, but I have been totally flummoxed by Parkinson’s.
When Momma was diagnosed 8 years ago, with the Disease, it was a very slow progression. About a year and a half ago, I quit my job, because the progression seemed to be moving a little bit faster, and the Farmer needed my help.
When I quit my job, I did every known research, and I mean hours of sitting at the computer reading anything and everything I could find. I talked to Doctor friends, and Nurse friends and Caregiver friends.
When Momma went downhill fast, I got scared, but slowly over the past year we have reached something that is called the “Plateau” stage. Me? I call it the “status quo” stage.
The only thing I have noticed lately are small things. Momma seems to be more confused lately, which is attributed to PDD (Parkinson’s Disease Dementia). Momma talks to a bunch of folks who are Dead, and expects me to answer them when they are talking to me.
I have noticed Momma seems to be a little bit weaker than normal. I will say, My Momma is a fighter and refuses to give up. Sometimes, she seems so strong, and at other’s, I think a little wisp of wind would blow her over.
I will say though, some of the “other things” that are happening I am not a fan of. (I’m about to be graphic here so shield your eyes), in the past 2 days, I have been pee’d on, (it was an accident and Momma was really sorry), today, when Momma was passing gas, well, it wasn’t just gas, and DAMN….I have figured out that from now on, I will wear my hair UP in a pony tail or a bun or something, I will wear gloves AT ALL TIMES, just because.
I never knew how hard it would be to be a Caregiver. I never understood how hard it was to balance everything in my life and still be okay at the same time. I think I have learned something about myself in this process. I have learned that I will try to take care of everyone else, sometimes at the expense of myself. The Farmer asked me recently, “Why are you sick all of the time?”. I think it may be NOT just because I smoke, but also, because I am to worried about taking care of everyone else instead of me.
I have noticed a trend, so to speak, some of my friends that are Caregivers, do the same thing. We tend to “take Care of” others, at the expense of ourselves. I guess, I am starting to understand, that I cannot take care of someone else if I cannot take care of myself. Does that make sense?
That’s why I need an instruction manual. I might even read it…..
A day of coffee, giggles, and fun…
This morning when I woke up and grabbed that first cup of coffee, I truly had no idea what I was going to do today. I had no plans to leave my house, and staying in my jammies all day, sounded pretty good to me.
The Electrician was in the garage lifting weights when the phone rang, and I answered it. It was the Nursing Student calling to ask me if I was going to the Farmer’s today. When I told her no, I had not planned to go anywhere today, she said “Oh, ok never mind, I was going to tell you to stop by and see me on your way, but it’s ok, don’t feel bad bye”. She hung up the phone before I even realized, she was asking me to come over.
I sat here for a few minutes and then it hit me. I called her back and asked one question “Do you have coffee, and can I come over wearing my p.j.’s?” She started laughing immediately and said she was still in her p.j.’s, yes she had coffee and yes, she could make more. So, I told the Electrician I was going over to her house, and the only thing he told me was “put on a bra“. pfft…Part of the whole experience of being in your jammies all day is the fact you don’t have to wear a bra.
I bagged up some of the coffee she gave me for my birthday. It was a tough choice, but I went with the “nice” stuff. It is vanilla and nutmeg spice and oh so good. I threw on my boots, YES, I put the bra on, and headed on down the road.
I got to her house and promptly took off my boots and visited with Cam-man while the Nursing student made a fresh pot of coffee. I did have my first giggle though when she told me “I forgot to tell you, you didn’t even have to put a bra on to come over, I mean it’s just us.” I fell into a pile giggling and told her what her Dad had told me, and she was giggling by that time as well.
We both grabbed our coffee and headed into her living room, where she was finally unpacking the last box of stuff, and then would be completely moved into her new home. It was a box of pictures and knick knacks. We spent the morning figuring out where each picture would go, and a little bit of playing with Cam-Man in between.
Cam-Man decided he wanted to spend a little time in the bathtub with his toys, so he took an extended bath. I think that Cam-man thinks the tub is his indoor swimming pool, because that’s kind of how he treats it.
I ended up hanging out there for a couple of hours and then came home, and finished some laundry and other stuff I had going on. The Electrician and I ended up going back to her house this afternoon, and she had hung up most of the pictures and they looked really good.
Cam-Man had been sleeping when we got there, but I knew if he did not get to see his Papa, he would be more than a little upset. It was funny because while I was there this morning, his Daddy had called and every time Cams Mom would give him the phone, he yelled PAPA.
So, I did the only normal thing a Meemaw does, and I went in and woke him up. Once he woke up, it was play time with Papa. Cam brought out his bag of toys and then him and Paw got down on the floor and played. The Nursing student and I were held hostage by Papa and Cam, and while both of them shot me, Cam would not shoot his Mom. They held us at Nerf point and made us raise our hands to the sky. It was too cute for words, and both the Nursing student and I wished we had a camera. We played for a bit longer, and then Paw and I had to head home.
The Nursing student and I had a good time, well, I did, I think she did too. You see, in that earlier phone call, I had forgotten something. When it hit me is when I called her back. The Fisher dude’s Grandpa (Pausie) died last week, and the Fisher dude is at the funeral in a different state. This is probably the first time the 2 have been apart since the day they met. Due to school and other obligations, they could not go together to the Funeral.
I hope that we have kept her company today, as well as played hard with Cam. I know she’s ok tonite, because her Mom was coming over to spend the evening with her.
Sometimes, it’s the things that are not said, is when you have to listen. I’m just glad that I “heard” the question. To a daughter that has been there for me, oh so many times, I’m glad I was there for her. Plus, I got some really good giggles and memories today, and that my friends, is what life is made of.
Snarkiness cured….
As usual, when I have a snarky day, the next day is better than the average. Today rated right up there.
I woke up early and did a load of laundry before even leaving home. Got busy and headed over to the Farmer’s. First thing there, I made a cup of coffee, and then went in to chat with the Farmer. We have kind of gotten away from this little “morning routine”, and I have missed it. We chatted for a bit and then I went in to start making breakfast. The “girls” followed me into the kitchen and sat waiting for a little piece of bacon. I put it in the pan and turned it low.
I had gone back to the Farmer’s den and told him, we needed to order some more supplies for Momma. So, the Farmer logged onto his internet, and then we figured we would need his little “password book”. Both of us started searching, while I say this as generally as possible, Dad, your room is a friggin mess. I ran back to the kitchen and realized, uhm…oops, I burned the bacon. I salvaged what I could, turned off the pan and then went back to Dad’s room to search. I finally found it, and both of us were giggling, because it was in a place, that…well, no one would have thought of.
I went back to the kitchen, re-made some bacon, gave the “girl’s” a piece each, finished up breakfast, and then did the dishes. I went back to grab the Farmer’s plate and he was staring at some ad that was in with his phone bill. You see, the Farmer has internet, but it is “dial-up”. I have been bugging him to get wi-fi or at least high-speed internet, but because he lives in the boonies, it isn’t available unless you want to pay major $$$ for it.
Well, we called. The Farmer let me handle the phone call, the reason being is because I know more about it. The true reason? The Farmer does not hear as well, as he likes everyone to think he does. After I explained that I was the Farmer’s daughter, and he was sitting right next to me and we wanted to pull his internet into the 21st century, the dude at the phone company bent over to help us.
Long story short, with quite a few giggles between the Farmer, Mark the service dude and I, the Farmer is getting high-speed internet, AND saving money in the process. WOOHOO!!! We have set up the date for them to come install it, and the Farmer was advised by both the service dude Mark, AND myself, he has to clean his room though.
After all of this was accomplished, I went in and checked on Momma and asked her if she was ready to get up, to which the reply was “Well…do you think I should get up now, or should I sleep some more?” ”Well Momma, it doesn’t matter to me if you want to sleep a bit longer, or you want to get up now, how do YOU feel about it?” ”Come back in a bit ok?”. I had to giggle, simply for the fact, after I told her she could stay in bed, she grabbed Mr. Teddy and snuggled further down in the pillows and was asleep before I had even left the room.
I got all Momma’s laundry together and started that, and then waited about 30 minutes and then started getting all of her bath and other stuff ready. I was going to wash her hair today. I went in and snapped up her window shades, and told her “Hey pretty lady, how about we give your hair a good old scrubbing?”. Just waiting for 30 minutes made all the difference.
I got her all ready, and proceeded to wrap her up in a towel, put the plastic over her and then started to wash her hair. By the way, the 2 bucket method works really good. I managed to scrub her hair, and not drown her, along with not getting one inch of the bed wet either. We finished up her bath and got her dressed and we went for the regular “walk about”.
We have a semi new routine these days. As soon as Momma hits her chair and has her box of kleenex and her wash rag and the daily paper in front of her, she demands orange juice on her mouth swab. I will admit, the past few days we have stretched the limits and Momma has been able to swallow 2 teaspoons of hot tea, and she is also asking for the orange sherbet again. I did advise the orange sherbet was only for special occasions though.
After finishing up at the Farmer’s, I drove home. I went the back was as usual, and then as I passed the Nursing Student‘s house, I thought briefly about stopping. I kept going and made it down the street and then turned around. The garage door was open, so I parked and went in through the garage. I knocked on the door, because I thought it was locked. Cam-Man saw me and started yelling, the Fisher dude poked his head around the corner and yelled at me to come in.
Cam-Man was very happy to see me and got a little excited. He hugged me and asked about his Papa. So, I told Cam-man he had to ask his Momma if he could go home with me for a few hours and she could come get him. When his Momma said yes, but only if he picked up his toys first. Lil dude started picking up all of his toys and putting them back into his room in the toy box. He then got his shoes and jacket and down the road he and I went.
When we arrived at my house, we pulled up to the mailbox, and found out that there was a package to be delivered, but we had to go to the post office to pick it up. I asked Cam-Man if he had ever been to the post office, to which he said “no”, so off we went. To get to the post office in my town you have to go by the park, and Cam KNOWS the park. It was too cute at the Post office though, because the mail lady asked Cam if he knew what we were here for, when he replied “Mail, and Papa’s package”, we all busted up.
After finally arriving at my home, at first Cam-man was upset because his beloved Papa was not here, but he got really excited when he found out we had to make cookies for Papa.
Lil’ Dude helped me with the cracking of the eggs, measuring the ingredients and using the mixer. He watched as they came out of the oven, and didn’t even get upset when he found out he would have to wait until Papa got home before he could eat one.
When Papa pulled up in the driveway, Lil dude was in the window waving and screaming at his Papa to hurry up. The reunion was made, and cookies were eaten. The snarkiness is gone.
Today, was MY day….
I very rarely get to sleep in. Today was MY day to do that. I was in some serious slumber and there may or may not have been some drool involved, when the shrill ring of the telephone interrupted my slumber. I thought the Electrician would pick up the phone, but no, it was the Farmer and he let it ring until I grabbed it from beside the bed.
“uhm..h’lo?” I answered, to be replied with ‘Happy Birthday to you” from the Farmer, who then followed that up with “Are you sick AGAIN?’. ”Uhm, no Dad I was still sleeping.” Geesh, it was only 8:30 am for crying out loud. I wasn’t complaining though, because after the Farmer told me Happy Birthday, Momma got on the phone. Now, to be truthful, Momma probably has not spoken on the phone for about 2 years. When I heard her sweet voice, telling me ‘Happy Birthday honey”, it felt so good. Very rarely does she surface before 11 am, and to be told Happy Birthday from Momma at 8:34 am was marvelous in my opinion.
That was the first of many calls today, and I have enjoyed each of them. For those of you that know me, today is not just my birthday, it is my anniversary. Yes, the Electrician married me on my birthday. He probably figured it would be easier to keep track of both dates that way. However, with that being said, I did make him sign a contract, that he could not get away with just one gift for both events.
We had already decided that we were going out to eat at my favorite place called “The Habachi Grill”, (it’s the Electrician’s also), for some sushi and good old buffet food.
We had originally planned to go ahead and go grocery shopping and do some Christmas shopping too. We both got ready and hit the door, with the first stop being the bank so we could cash some checks we had received. The next stop was at “Big Lot’s”. I truly like that store, and while we did not have that much we were looking for, other than an extension cord, so I can finish decorating my tree, we found all kinds of neat stuff. It must be my Birthday though, because the Electrician allowed me some unauthorized purchases, and both of us were happy.
Next stop was the mall. That place has truly gone down hill for my small town. There are very few stores, and it’s like a “ghost mall”. We did stop at one outlet though, the Vermilion County Animal Shelter Society had some pets in the mall, hoping for adoption. The Electrician and I walked through, petted some cats and laughed at the puppies, but both of us know in our heart, Ms. Baby is “Queen” of our house, and I don’t think she will allow us to have another animal unless it is a kitten, and even then I would fear for its safety.
We then headed down the road to a place called the Dollar Tree. I had never been in this store until my outlaws were here for a visit. The Electrician and I looked at a bunch of things, and I found a few “stocking stuffers” for the Grand babies, and also a few things for me.
Next stop on the agenda was Wal-mart. Now before y’all think we were just shopping we weren’t, some of it was wasting time until we could go eat, and when my tummy grumbled, it was time. I did find my Birthday present in Wal-Mart though. Forgive me for being silly, but I truly fell in love with a Christmas bear, who sings “the Night before Christmas”. I gave the puppy dog eyes to the Electrician and we bought it.
I seriously have listened to this thing about 50 times, I truly love it.
We finally arrived at our dining destination, and I do have to say, the Electrician and I truly hurt ourselves. We do not go out to eat very often, and today I made sure I was giving the buffet the justice it deserved. I ate sushi, and a bunch of it. I then went back for some different fare, spring rolls, shrimp, chicken 4 million different ways, egg drop soup, lo mein, and then some more sushi, then it was time for dessert. For some unknown reason though, the restaurant frowns and has strict rules about shoving your head underneath the fountain of chocolate. Go figure.
After waddling out of the restaurant, I was miserable but full and happy, in a kind of “OH MY GOODNESS< I SHOULD NOT HAVE EATEN THAT MUCH” kind of way. We did stop at County Market to pick up a few things, but by then my jeans were busting and all I could think of was getting home, taking off my jeans, putting on my pajama’s and hoping to burp or fart or something.
Upon returning home, and yes, I have to go grocery shopping in the morning, it’s been about 4-5 hours, and I am still full. Thank goodness though some of the above requested things have happened and at least now, I am comfortable.
My Birthday has been fantastic….thank you to the Electrician and everybody else for making it so. The 100+ Birthday wishes on Facebook, have me truly humbled.
So, now that my birthday, while it is not over, it’s time for the Anniversary celebrations. My day has been fantastic. Thank you!!! Everybody!!!!
If all else fails…..
I am typing this post today, although it is technically about yesterday. Bear with me here ok?
Yesterday, I got up early and headed over to the Farmer’s house and snuck in so he could sleep in. I must have been pretty quiet, because he slept on. I busied myself with making a cup of coffee, and lo and behold, I had run out of creamer at my house, so I was looking forward to a cup of coffee with my beloved hazelnut creamer in it. I got momma’s med’s ready and then went into give them to her.
Momma was awake and had a smile on her face when she saw me. She was quite chatty for it being 8 am in the morning. I gave her the meds and she promptly went back to sleep. I grabbed the coffee and was just sitting down to enjoy it, when the 2 “girls” stopped me in my tracks. Oops, I forgot to give them a treat.
The rest of the day kind of flew by, after I made the Farmer breakfast, he hit the road to run some errands, and I finished up his laundry, and also made some spaghetti sauce with meatballs, for his dinner over the weekend, and I put together my pork loin creation, that he loves.
I take a pork loin and butterfly it, then stuff it with stuffing and wrap the whole thing back together with bacon. I threw some potato’s underneath the roast, so the potato’s would roast in the bacon drippings.
I got Momma up, and while she was not as cheerful as she was at 8 am, it was ok. I finished up my stuff and then I hit the road. I was on a mission.
The Electrician, and the Fisher Dude have a liking for auctions. I have a bunch of stuff in my house, we have gotten from auctions. There is an online auction going on right now, and you can view the stuff in the auction, but only during certain times. I left the Farmer’s and drove 3 towns over to see a couple of items in the auction, to decide if we wanted to bid or not. It took me about a half hour to get there and then I went inside.
Talk about feeling like a kid in a candy store. This auction has about 1000 pieces in it. I looked over the stuff we were interested in, and then got side tracked by a few other things. Now, I don’t know about y’all, but I love the old-fashioned furniture, and antique stuff. Plus, I like to try to figure out what kind of history an item has (yes, I’m a little wacko). After looking everything over, I headed home.
I decided on the way home, I was going to make taco’s for dinner, because they are easy and for once, I had everything I needed to make them. The Electrician arrived home, and logged onto my desktop computer and THAT’s when it happened.
My keyboard stopped working. I have an HP desktop with a dell monitor, but my keyboard and mouse are wireless. We figured out after a frantic call to the Farmer, that it was the batteries. So…I ran to the store, bought more batteries, came home installed them and……nothing.
I could not get the keyboard to work for nothing. I was devastated last night. While we still have the laptop, I am unable to blog on it, because the program that runs it is so old, it’s not up to date with WordPress. I swear, I tried everything I knew, but it would not work.
This morning I woke up and decided I would figure it out. I found the diagnostic program, and ran that, nothing. I am not a techy type of person, but I do have some working knowledge of computers, and I was flummoxed.
So, I dug into my closet and found some paperwork I brought home with me when I brought home the desk tower from the Farmer’s. When all else fails, try to read the directions. I found paperwork on what to do when the mouse and/or keyboard quit working. Guess what? It worked!!!
You would have thought, I was the one who won the Lottery, yelling and high fiving the Electrician once the keyboard started working again.
So, I guess the moral to this one is, if it doesn’t work, read the instructions, and then instead of 9 hours without a keyboard, it could have been 5 minutes. Oh well……chalk that one up to I learned something new today….
In my month of Thankfulness….
This has been a month of Thankfulness for me. While I am thankful for everyday, truly I am. There are things that make this month stand out the most. Just for me, and maybe for someone else, something I may say, might mean something.
I am always Thankful for my family. They truly are my back bone and give me the strength to go deal with what I do.
I am thankful for everything I have, from my house, to my clothes, to my car, to well, just everything.
I am thankful for my friends….y’all know who you are…you guys hold me close, let me say whatever I need to, just to blow off steam, to just saying you love me, and somehow my world turns to right.
I am Thankful for my Cat, ok, y’all can laugh if you want to, but this cat has given me more love, affection and attitude than any of my kids (ok that might be a tie), but she loves me, and loves to curl into my lap, or sleep at my feet and take care of me when no one else is around. (It’s a cat thing…sorry if you don’t understand it).
I’m thankful for my husband, who truly I never thought I would ever find a soul who matches mine as much as he does, we are on the same wave..dream the same dreams and love the same things. Not to mention we love each other to the moon and then beyond……
I love my birth kids, more than words can ever say, I am thankful for both of you, you each have given me joy, and a bunch of pain, but I guess that is part of being a Mother. Never doubt my love for you, even though it may be tough right now.
I am thankful for my “other” children, I refuse to call you “step’ because truly in my eyes, if I could have given birth to you I would have, the fact that I love each and every one of you, is to me a Blessing, because God gave you to me, I truly tried to step to the challenge., If I have let you down, sorry, but I truly love y’all like my own and hope you know it. Each of you is a Blessing to me in one way or another.
I’m Thankful for one little dude, that probably no one can understand….That would be Cam-man…I cannot even begin to describe what this little dude means to me. I never wanted to over-step any bonds. But from about day 2, because day 1 I was too afraid to hold him, This dude is my Buddy. I may have been replaced because his papa is his best friend and that’s ok. This little dude, gave me strength to survive his papa being away from me, and giving me joy in his little face. To this day, this little dude and I share a bond that was re-inforced to me today, and I am oh so thankful of this little guy. He still loves me, and plays hide n seek with me and all of those other games him and I share.
But to be truthful, I am thankful for the Farmer and Momma, simply because…they are my parents. For Momma maybe by default, but it is what it is, and SHE is MY Momma.
I am Thankful for living the life I do, with all I have, and all I am thankful for. I am truly one Blessed woman.
My life may be complicated, but truly, I’m not used to any other. I’ve lived all these years and I’ve learned a bunch of lessons. I am still learning. But I do know I am Thankful, and I give all of my Blessings thankful to God, AND my angels, I truly have a bunch of them. This month, My Angels added another. While I am sad, I am thankful for the party going on up in heaven.
I just hope that when it’s all said and done, eventually, it’s gonna be one heck of a party when we all get together…..
Anti-biotics and Steriods….
Well, here it is Saturday, and the past 2 days have been a haze. I was supposed to attend a Memorial yesterday, but after spending the previous night coughing, and running a fever, I still got up and got “dressed up”. I headed to the Farmer’s house and went in.
I could really feel the Love from the Farmer, especially when he stated “Good God girl, you look like shit”. He’s always been quick with the compliments. I believe I told him, I felt the same as I looked, and then proceeded to cough my way out of the room. It was decided, I would go to the Urgent Care Center and forgo the Memorial, especially since it was going to be outside, and it was a balmy 28 degrees outside.
Might I also just slide in on a side note here, my Electrician was having some back “issues” yesterday morning and could not walk very well. I had to assist with him walking (more like hobbling) to the bathroom, and I helped him get his drawers down. We did it amongst a bunch of giggles, but I have to be truthful here, while I can “assist” Momma in her toilet activities, I am not quite prepared to help the Electrician with his. When I left, he was sitting in the chair and trying to get his back to loosen up. I knew he would be ok, because the Nursing Student was coming over to check on him, while I was gone.
When I left the Farmer’s I headed to the Urgent Care Center, I think everyone in town was there for one reason or another, so I wrote down my name and had a seat. I would truly like to give a heartfelt ”thank-you” to the 1 receptionist, 2 nurses and 1 doctor, that manned the clinic yesterday. The receptionist called my name, and apologized for the wait. I told her not to worry, she then explained to me, they were short-staffed, and had already seen 25 patients in an hour and a half. Uhm, that’s a bunch of sick people.
I finally got into the Doctor and was told, this “creepy crud” was going around. I had an ear/sinus infection with some bronchitis thrown in for good measure. So armed with my prescription, I hit the road to my local pharmacist. Thankfully, he was open, took one look at me, filled my prescription and sent me on my way.
By the time I got home, my beloved Electrician was on the mend, and could walk almost normal. I took my medicine, put on my jammers and armed with my box of kleenex, a glass of orange juice, my pillow and blanket, I have been holed up in my recliner for 2 days.
I ate dinner tonite, since I can now eat AND breathe at the same time. I am a bit better, but am not leaving the confines of my trusty recliner. I have talked to the Farmer on the phone, and he is throwing those compliments around again “You sound a little better”. He’s a charmer that one.
The question has come up, as to why I got sick again. One of the theories is because I smoke, while yes, that might contribute to it, it is not the reason I got sick. If you follow my blog, you will know that the Electrician and I took a certain little “dude” to the doctor about a week ago. The little dude, was diagnosed with ear infection and bronchitis. Now, I’ve spent quite a lot of time with said little dude, and he does not always cover his mouth when he coughs, he tries, but well, he is 2 years old.
I am happy to say, he is almost over it, but I have it, and so does his Mom, the Nursing Student. Seems a little odd to me, that little dude shared his sickness with his Mom and I, and not his Dad or the Electrician, but well, I guess I know who he likes to snuggle with. (hehehe)
I have a feeling though, with all of the drugs the doctor gave me, I am kicking this thing to the curb soon. Now if I can only get those guys in the snot factory to go on strike, I think I will have it made!
A day in the kitchen….
So, after spending all day yesterday in my p.j’s, and doing absolutely nothing all day, I had to get busy today.
Friday, I borrowed the Farmer’s Kitchen Aide Mixer, with all the attachments. I had plans to make some cookies, and some home-made bread. Seeing as how I did not get around to it yesterday, I got busy today. I got up and drank some coffee and chatted with the Electrician, then disappeared into my kitchen.
First thing on the agenda was to make some chocolate/butterscotch cookies. I got all my ingredients out and had to do a face palm to the forehead. So, I went back downstairs and asked the Electrician if he would do me a really big favor. After getting “the look”, he asked me what the favor was. ”Uhm…could you run to the store for me?” The Electrician said he would go after he had taken his shower. “Whew” is what I was thinking. After he had his shower, he asked me what I needed. Apparently this is where the mix-up came into play. He thought I meant run up the street to our local IGA, when in fact, I meant run into Town, to our local Aldi‘s. I told him I needed eggs, flour, and butter, oh yea some Diet coke too. I’m not sure if he ended up going, simply because he loves me or my cookies more, but he went for me.
Now I could get busy. Seriously though, who plans to make 6 loaves of bread and a couple batches of cookies, and does not realize they have no butter, not enough eggs, and definitely not enough flour? Yea, you guessed it, me.
With the cookies all made and sitting on the cookie sheets,( I am lucky I have about 8 of the Industrial size cookie sheets), waiting to take their turn in the oven, I washed all the dishes, and then shredded the Zucchini, and the apples for the flavored breads I was making.
First up was the zucchini/apple bread. It might sound like a crazy combination, but it is actually really good. After getting it all made and sticking it in line with the last of the cookies, I washed dishes again, and got busy with the pumpkin bread. I almost had a disaster with that one, because I forgot to mix the oil into the dough, and then looked in my lazy Susan (where all my canned stuff is, along with my cooking oils), I only found a little bit of extra-virgin olive oil. Uhm, nope that was not going to work, then I opened up the cabinet under my sink and remembered I had bought 2 great big bottles of canola oil, so I could change the oil in my fryer (uhm, yes, I am a procrastinater and have not done that either). Problem solved. Mixed it all together and then put it into the loaf pans.
With all the cookies being done, I stuck the bread in the oven. Then realized something. ANOTHER face palm to the forehead……I had planned to make Beer butt chicken, with roasted broccoli, cauliflower and mushrooms, and roasted potato’s, uhm…in my oven. It was going on about 12:00 when I stuck the bread in the oven, and that would take about an hour. Now on Sunday’s around here, we usually have dinner about 1:30 or 2. Not going to happen today.
So, I warmed up the Electrician a leftover green chili cheeseburger from last night, and brought it down to him. I don’t think he minded, as he was in pretty good humor, something about THE BEARS blowing up the Tennessee Titans.
Meanwhile, I got everything ready to stick in the oven when the bread was done. I still had 2 more loaves of bread that I wanted to make, and these were the one’s that were going to take some time. It’s called Amish Country Bread, and it uses yeast.
I have only just started working with yeast, because I used to be scared of it. But the recipe I found is easy. The mixer does most of the work, and I like that. There is the punching down of the dough, and letting it rise, but there is not much kneading, and no rolling. I really like that. The loaves are rustic looking, and I did something different this time. Last time I made it, I topped the loaf with sea salt, fresh rosemary(from my plant) and Parmesan cheese. One batch makes 2 loaves, this time, I did the rosemary one, but the second one I did with fresh Thyme (from my plant), kosher salt, and pecorino romano cheese.
Well….it is now about 5:30pm, dinner has been eaten, my kitchen is back to being squeaky clean. I do have confess, the Electrician asked how come I made such a mess. My kitchen kind of looked like a “flour zone”. That’s when I told him, the Best cooks, make the biggest mess, and the food is yummy.
My breads have all been cooled, wrapped, and placed in the freezer, although I did send 1/2 a loaf of pumpkin bread to my neighbor. I did have a bunch of fun cooking most of the day, and folks, my house smells amazing.
I did call the Farmer though and we did some negotiations over the phone, I still have 2-4 more breads I want to make, so I asked if I could keep his mixer one more day. The price we negotiated was a small bag of cookies, and the mixer could inhabit my kitchen one more day.
So, tomorrow afternoon when I return from the Farmer’s house, I will finish up my bread making, and also some pie crusts. Now some of you are probably asking yourself, why am I making so much bread and other stuff. Hey call me Mrs. Ready, holidays are coming up and I am NOT waiting till the last-minute.
