The past couple years of my life have been interesting. It got bad for awhile, but that turned out to be a good thing. That doesn't sound very logical on the surface, so let me explain.

The bad:

One of my best friends moved away. Not only was she the one who planned all the exciting activities that we would participate in, she was also the glue that tied everyone together.  I think she far underestimated her value.

My husband's father passed away. I could see the pain in my husband's eyes that I was unable to make go away. 

My grandmother passed away. I found it amazing that after her passing I took time to really reflect back on her life. Even a woman who spends her life at home, can be one heck of a fascinating person. I wish I would have seen it sooner.

The biggest blow of the year was when my son moved to Montana to join the fire department. I encouraged him to go because it was good for him.  Depression dug in and I  barely got out of bed for 2 months.

We left the church that was filled people that I loved like family. It was my choice to leave and I don't regret my decision. Even though my heart has been broken, I will always have a great love for those people.

So much has changed since I packed up my heart and left that little church on the corner. I have had a lot of time to think. Eventually that thinking lead to action.

The good:

Through the transition of being "a mom" and seeing that my son was a grown up and didn't need mothering so much anymore, I needed to learn how to "be me" again. 

The first thing I decided to do was to go back to school and finish my degree. I just finished my first semester back. I loved it! I took 3 classes worth 7 credits. That's full time for a summer session. It was a lot of work, but I managed to get straight A's in fly fishing, English, and psychology. My hubbie was awesome in helping me study and proofing my papers. 

Hubbie and I have both decided to change our way of living. Through changing the way we eat and getting out and doing things more, we have both lost over 30 pounds. WooHoo! 

We have already been to so many places around our local area this year. I am feeling more alive then I have in probably 15 years. 

My dad's uncle is currently in the hospital. He was out 4-wheeling and having a good time. He ended up having a pretty bad 4 wheeling accident. He is 89. I want to live the next 50 years of my life like that. (Without the accidents, of course). 

If I had never gone through the previous trials, I would have been content with the life I was living and never realized how much better it could be. So this is where I am in life, like it or not. 

What do you do with leftover turkey?
 
We typically start with open faced hot turkey sandwiches with leftover mashed potatoes and gravy.  After that we usually go with the cold turkey sandwich.  Then when we start getting down to the scraps we make turkey noodle soup.

This year I decided to use the turkey scraps for my favorite...turkey rolls. I even took pictures so I could share, because they are so good.

So here are the directions:

First you need bread dough. Any recipe will work just fine or even the frozen stuff from the grocery store. Whatever you choose, follow the directions for that up the the point of shaping into loaves and baking. Instead of making a loaf shape you will roll it out until it is just under 1/2 inch.

Then you will smear butter on the top of your flattened bread dough.

Next, I smash about 5 chicken boullion cubes and then sprinkle it on top of the dough.
     I use chicken boullion because I have never seen or even heard of turkey bouillion and it tastes good.

Finally, I take my remaining turkey and shred it. Then I spread it out on top of my smashed boullion.
     We had a small turkey this year and I didn't have a lot of  turkey scraps left. It worked out anyway.

 

 

Next, you roll it up and cut just like cinnamon rolls. I am hoping that anyone who reads this knows what a cinnamon roll is becasue I don't know how to explain that any differently.

 

Put rolls into a greased baking dish, leaving a little bit of space between the rolls so they will have room to rise.

 

Now don't forget to let them rise a bit.

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour.

 

Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy. A little gravy on your turkey roll is good too.

 

 

 

It is so so good. If you don't try it then I am sorry. I would make it for you if you were here....OK no I wouldn't, but it is really good. I sprinkled a little parsley on top so it didn't look so blah. Also I made a apple and raisin salad to go with it. I thought it complimented it nicely. 

 



 

We went for a walk this evening. This is some of what we saw.

We went for a walk this evening. This is what we saw.

Ducks Peacefully Swimming

  

Surging Water

More Surging Water

Rising Mist

White Water and Blooming Bushes.

Ol' Fashion Bridge.

Distant Fountain

Calm Waters

The Corbin Ditch

Head Gate from the 1880's

I love going for walks with my husband and being surrounded by such beauty.

It all started with a germ that was being passed from one person to the next. My turn had come but, this germ refused to leave me. It dug in for the long haul. Then one day I woke up with the feeling of heaviness on my chest. My lungs were full of something because there wasn't enough room for oxygen. This was not an emergency situation, just uncomfortable and tiring. Fortunately I was able to get right into my doctor's office. The PA diagnosed me with bronchitis and prescribed Keflex.

Cephalexin a cephalosporin antibiotic has many names: Keftab, Biocef, Cefanex, Ceporex, Keflect, Keflex, Novolexin, and Zartan. Apparently it is related to Penicillin, only stronger. (Side note: my dad is allergic to penicillin, but I have never had any problems taking it.)

Take one capsule by mouth three times daily.

The headache was the first side effect to appear. It was quickly followed by tiredness and the awful dizzies. A couple of days passed and I felt like I was getting better, except the headache, tiredness and the increasing dizziness.

Got the medication on Monday. Thursday night I was in the ER.

I had been spending most of my day in bed so there wasn't anything unusual about the way I fell asleep early that night. When my husband went to bed I got up to go to the bathroom, so I wouldn't have to get up in the middle of the night to empty my bladder.

OK here is the embarrassing part.

Things aren't as pretty in real life as they are in the movies.

I barely made it into the bathroom when I felt things were very wrong. My head was spinning and I  called out for my husband. He must have made it to me before I fell. All I know is his account. He says I just fell backward like I died. (he showed me, I had to come up with those words) He said I was out for 1 to 2 minutes. In which time I started twitching and then moaned and woke up. I know nothing until I moaned. I was aware for that. It was like I was pushing through a wall, fighting to get that moan out. I say I passed out, but my mom is convinced by the description of how I woke up, that it was a seizure. She has epilepsy. She says that makes her an expert. I kind of agree with her because I have seen people wake up from passing out. This wasn't like that at all.

Next, all I can manage to get out is "bed". I was really weak. I couldn't stand up, walk, or even hold my head up. My husband amazingly got me to the bed. I laid there in a cold sweat unable to move much for awhile.

Then the nausea hit. Hubby ran for a bucket. Still in a cold sweat, up everything came. And then it came again.

The cold sweat and nausea were over just in time. Still very weak, I needed hubby to help me back to the bathroom.

Somewhere in all that, hubby shared with me that he is thinking of calling an ambulance. I am stubborn. I didn't want an ambulance, but I agreed that I needed to go to the hospital. I was very bad off. At this point, I was seriously afraid that if I just waited it out and went to sleep, then I wasn't going to wake up. He was concerned that I was too bad off to make it to the car. He was leaning toward the ambulance.

I made it to the car. I almost gave in to the ambulance idea, but I was thinking that there was no way I was going to make it to the hospital if they made me lay down again. That's when the dizzies are at their worst.

Made it to the ER, with bucket in hand. I was in bad shape. They put me in a wheel chair and got me in pretty quickly. I rode in the wheel chair with my eyes closed because the dizziness was so bad. I was in tears and I have to admit not very cooperative by the time we reached the triage room. Even the slightest movement sent my head spinning uncontrollably.

So in the ER they gave me an IV with some anti-nausea medicine in it. It worked. It even dramatically reduced the dizziness. They did an X ray of my chest and an EKG.

I have no official diagnosis. Doctors don't seem to want to volunteer that information anymore. You have to ask them and I really wasn't in any mood for that. I know what was wrong.

The doctor did take me off the antibiotics. He told me it would take 5 to 7 days to get it all out of my system. In the mean time he advised me to take some motion sickness tablets.

It is day 4 and I still have the dizziness, however; no where near as extreme as it was Thursday night. I do have one new side effect. When I relax, my body has small little twitches. All other side effects have gone away. I take the motion sickness tablets when I get tired of feeling like my brain is swimming. But then I can do nothing else but sleep. 

I have always avoided antibiotics as much as possible. I believe it is better for our own bodies to fight and develop antibodies. This time I gave in because everyone around me was getting better and I wasn't. I really don't know why this is. I can only guess that it has something to do with having an autoimmune disease. I don't know, it's a guess.

I fully expect to have this drug and all it's nasty effects out of my body by day 7.

I wasn't going to tell you this part, but I decided to just in case someone else has a similar situation. My hubby told me it was making me crazy. While reading through the Possible side effects on the sheet from the pharmacy, it says one of the side effects was mood or mental changes. He says that was a yes on that one. Unfortunately, I think he is right.
Another listed side effect is sore throat. My throat isn't sore, but there is something wrong with it. I sound hoarse. I haven't determined if this is a result of the antibiotics or the bronchitis. I imagine I never will for sure.

So for those of you who want to know what happened to me. Here is your answer. And for those of you who do a google search for side effects of this stuff. I hope you find this information useful.

Take care of yourselves and wash your hands often. 

Update:

I have been off the medication for 8 days now. I still have the occasional dizzy spell. I have only noticed it when I move my head while I am laying down. The frequency is decreasing. 

It also seems that hiccups seem to be a part of this madness. I rarely get the hiccups and when I do I usually can link it to eating too fast or something extra salty. McDonalds french fries always give me the hiccups. Well I got some major hiccups for no apparent reason one time before I went to the ER, so I didn't really think anything of it. But, I have been getting hiccups a lot this last week. There seems to be no reason for these things, so I did a google search. Turns out the vagus or phrenic nerve when damaged can have a link to hiccups. So here is my theory: All my symptoms are nervous system issues. It is not hard to take a leap and come up with the idea that these hiccups are connected to my reaction to Cephalexin.

Those cookies that the little girls in green peddle each year are delicious. Unfortunately they are quite a bother.
First, you must wait for cookie season. What happens when you get a craving in non-cookie season? Hmmm, I see a clever marketing tactic at work.
Second, you need to know a girl scout. OK, they did fix that problem with their turf wars over the Walmart entrance location.
Finally, there is their not so moral political connections. *Sigh* Tragic.

My husband loves the caramel coconut crunchy cookie and I love my husband. So he shall not have to bow down to the girls in green and their mafia tactics. A recipe I shall find.

Yep, I totally made that sound like I went in search of a recipe. Ha! Nope, I just happened to run across one while scrolling through Pinterest one day. Here it is: http://www.onceuponaplate1.com/2008/10/samoas-girl-scout-cookie-clone.html.

So one snowy day in February, you know the day that happens once every 4 years, I decided to make some homemade somoa cookies.

Step One: Make shortbread cookies.

Step Two: Roast Coconut, add to melted caramel, with great difficulty spread on top of shortbread cookie. Hot sticky stuck to fingers, yay.

Step Three: Dip bottom of cookie in melted chocolate chips...Ooops! I dropped one. Scratch that. With a spoon, spread melted chocolate chips onto bottom of cookie.

Step Four: Drizzle melted chocolate on top of cookies, being careful to seal the bag so chocolate doesn't squish out all over your hands.

Step Five: About 5 hours later, let cookie rest until morning, allowing the chocolate to firm up.

My son and I had so much fun making these cookies. I think I will make it an annual tradition. Let's say I make them every year on February 29th.

Good thing those little elves make these now.

There were some things on my mind this morning, so I decided to talk with my husband about them.

So I started telling him about some current events in our lives and how it was making me feel. Wanting his input and his manly non-emotional view point, I ask him what he thinks.

Does a T curve this way or that? It curves this way so that it can be carried right into the h. Then you can take a break and start an a. 

I watch as he writes a t h and then an a in the air.

What! I don't know whether to laugh or punch him. So I laugh and then ask him what he was going to spell. 

That.

Although irritated that he was obviously in another world while I was seeking his counsel, I can't help but find this hilarious. Then I chastise him for his lack of attention. 

Surely he has learned his lesson now. I continue on with my feelings and then again ask what he thinks.

If I hold on right here like this and it spins like this, how many times are you going to go around? How many times are you suppose to go around?

Again he animates his words with his hands flying around in the air.

Seriously!

Half an hour later while we were cooking breakfast, he finally provided the guidance I was seeking. Turns out he was paying attention after all.

My husband is quite musical, like with instruments. 

I am not.

His music makes him happy. 

So does mine.

I just like to make a different kind of "music". 

That is the philosophy I used to convince my husband to help me with my latest creative project.

My bathroom has the blahs.

A new and different kind of ceiling. 

A close up of my hubby's handiwork.

First we went to the store and got the wood. 

Then we hauled it home in the Durango.

I should have taken a picture of that because it was quite the funny sight.

So anyway, we got it home. 

I stained all the wood as it lay out in the freezing cold garage. 

It was very cold.

Fortunately my husband does the precision cutting and I only had to go back out to the way too cold garage long enough to hold the tape measure.

Next we brought the pieces into the house one by one and put it on the ceiling. 

Nice and Easy.

Not!

But we got it done.

Well almost.

I still have to do a little touch up and add a coat or two of polyurethane.

If you want a more complete description of this process, check out the blog I found through Pinterest. It's where I got my motivation.

Ceiling makeover inspiration

Since we used nails on the trim, we didn't need to do any taping. I also don't need to fill as many gaps because my hubby is as big of a perfectionist as I am, so his boards are more likely to be too long vs too short.  However, we often end up either forcing the board in or he takes it back out to the freezing cold garage and trims it ever so slightly.

Hubby says I can't look at

anymore.

He's joking....I hope.


Update: 
You know those small gaps I mentioned? Sigh....Well, I found this stuff at the hardware store that is like drywall spackel but it is for exposed wood and it is stainable. I applied it to the ceiling just like I would drywall mud, blending the two boards together so that if someone was to touch them it would appear to be one continuous  flowing board. 
Then I looked at my work and wondered how it would look once it was stained, Would the stain show as beautifully as it did on the wood grain? That lovely grain that is now covered up in the corners. Hummmm...
So this morning I did a test patch and yep it is stainable, however; because there is no grain it is lighter and less interesting. 
The result is that I have spent my morning sanding off all the excess wood spackel. Off the ceiling! My arms are not so happy with me today.
What have I learned:
This stuff is not drywall mud. There is no need to blend. Just fill the gaps. Oh! and wipe off the excess while it is wet.

I absolutely love banana bread, so when I saw this recipe I decided that I was going to make these. I started reading through the recipe and that little "wah wah" sound went off in my head. The idea of flour of any sort and baking powder being accurately measured in my kitchen the first thing in the morning was....well, laughable.

Here is the link to the real recipe. I am sure that it probably tasted even better then mine. After all, she took the time to make it from scratch. From scratch always seems to be better...always.

Banana Bread Pancakes complete recipe

Didn't she have a lovely presentation. Now for my sleepy head version:

I started off with this....

3 cups    Krusteaz Wheat & Honey Pancake Mix
Add water until reaches your favorite consistency
1/4 cup  brown sugar
1    tsp   cinnamon
1/4 tsp   nutmeg
1    Tbs  vanilla extract
3    lrg ripe bananas, smashed

Mix it all together in one bowl. (I didn't really measure my cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. I just sprinkled some in until it looked "good".)

I made the syrup exactly like her recipe, with one exception. I heated it up in the microwave because my maple syrup is cold and thick and didn't want to blend with the powdered sugar.  It didn't turn into a glaze like hers did.

Here's what I got...               

Tasty Pancakes

  There are a couple of things that I would change the next time I make them:

1.   Make sure my bananas are overripe just like I do with banana bread, you know when the skin gets all black. It just adds so much more banana flavor.

2. Since I absolutely do not like the taste of powdered sugar, I will simply not make the glaze again. Maybe since I heated it in the microwave it didn't "glaze".  Anyway,  I couldn't see a reason to add more sugar to a completely sugary base, especially when that ingredient doesn't really have a pleasing taste.

These pancakes are a nice change to the same ole' pancakes. I will definitely be making them again. 

It's almost the new year. Time to make those resolutions that one always intends to follow through with, but more often then not, don't. For that reason, I have rarely made New Year Resolutions.

I have often heard people say that resolutions are just a way to set yourself up for failure. Oh, I see....so shall we just give up then? Don't even try?

Have we become so complacent that we are simply satisfied with our short comings? Maybe we are so fearful of failure because it might hurt our self esteem, that we fail to even try.

Have we forgotten how to strive for a goal? How to dig deep, sweat, sacrifice, and actually work to achieve our objective?

This year we must decide: go with the idea of preserving our precious self esteem or set some goals and try.

My goals: 


1.   Read from my bible everyday. I will do my best to understand what I am reading and not only read the words.


2.  In my attempt to get closer to God, I am going to try remember to spend some time in prayer every day. 


3.   Get more organized. I can not believe how fast life can get disorganized. One little slip leads to another and another until before you know it you are overwhelmed with clutter and disorganization. I function so much better within an organized life.

4.   Finish the family room. This one is almost cheating because it is nearly finished. Just some wainscotting, paint, and a few finishing touches and it's finished. Except for the carpet. That will be on my goal list for another year I suppose. 

5.   Learn how to make file cabinets. In order to finish the office, I need file cabinets. I can not seem to find affordable ones that fit my need. Plus I like the idea of making my own to be just what I want. This would be a really nice accomplishment since it would help me to live in that organized life that I mentioned. 


6.   Plant and harvest a successful garden this year.


7.   Learn more about living naturally and implementing what I learn.


8.   I hope that my company "The Cleansing Creek" actually makes money this year. I know what you are thinking. You didn't even know I had a company. That is only one of many problems I must overcome. 


9.   I hope to overcome my fear of people....or maybe not. Maybe just improve my social skills a little to start with.


10.  And finally.....that famous....lose weight. I hope to lose more then I put on. 

We all have heard that sleep is necessary for us to be healthy. The debate still continues as to how much sleep that is. So what happens when you don't get enough?

I first start to notice that I am lacking in the peaceful bliss of sleep when I start hurting myself. It starts off with little things like smashing my finger in the drawer or burning my head with a curling iron. Then instead of simply following with an "ouch", I whine.

As "enough" sleep continues to decrease my ability to be a klutz increases. This is where I do things like...let's just say for instance...while sitting on the arm on the couch my sock gets stuck on the door of the dog crate. I only notice when I begin to stand up that I can't seem to get my foot unstuck. Ultimately falling on the floor and ripping my sock, that's still clinging to the dog crate door.

Then as the day lingers on, I might do something like walk across the floor, step down to a lower level and step on some unlevel flooring, causing me to fall once more.  As I loose control of the contents in my hands and it spills all over, I roll my ankle and break my toe. Shock shivers would probably follow a incident like that.

As the rapid pace of life perseveres, "enough" sleep remains elusive. Soon the ability to reason becomes incomprehensible. I don't even know where to begin with this one.

So husbands, if your wife does something like smashes her finger in the cupboard, it is probably a good idea for her to take a nice relaxing nap. It is so much better then to have to face the "inability to reason" stage.

Just for instance   ;)

 Today started off as a typical day at work. With my back to the window, a violation of my normal self security precautions, I was sitting there reading a book to my patient. All of the sudden I heard this thud thud behind me. With a couple of cats, a dog and a flock of chickens running around, there are always little noises here and there. So I casually turned around to see what was outside the window. Imagine my surprise when I saw a couple of pairs of rump roast parked immediately outside the window.

 

With no one else around, it was up to me to get those walking sirloins behind the gate again. Cows are notorious for escaping their enclosures. Know the phrase, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence? Cows invented it. 

 I hate cows, unless they are served for dinner. Anyway,  I waved my arms and hoot n' hollered just like a real cow wrangler. One by one I got 5 of the 7 escapees locked up again. I was gaining some confidence with these creatures. I had it all figured out. Chase all the cows that are still behind the gate away from the gate, then just get the escapees up in this corner, then open the gate and use the parked truck as a road block and then I can block the other exit. Ha! As long as they didn't retreat around the front of my durango I had it made. Yeah! I can do this! Then came number 6. He was a squirrelly rebellious young'un. As he was squirming around me and eventually out and down the road this big monster was sneaking around behind me.

This guy headed straight for the garden. Still feeling somewhat confident I circled around to get in front of him to head him off. So I started waving my arms and hoot n' hollerin' again. Well....all the other cows turn around and try to escape this craziness. Not this one. He just stood his ground and stared at me. Did I mention that I hate cows. This guy was not going to be intimidated by me. So I hid behind a little plum tree. And the big monster cow did whatever he wanted as I waved a stick at him from behind a tree.

(And just in case you were wondering. Yes, I have been around cows before. The field right next to my parents house is full of those fly attracting things. I used to live at my parent's house.)

I was driving home from work today talking to my hubby on the cell, when I saw something move off in the trees. It was a BIG *** moose. I about hung up on my hubby because I needed to use my cell phone as a camera and I had to be quick just in case he bolted. So I stopped the Durango, rolled down the passenger window, stretched my arm out while holding the cell phone and "click". In my attempts to miss the vehicle in my shot, I also missed the moose. 

It would have been such a good picture too. He had noticed me and squared up to the vehicle, giving it a good stare down and showing off the impressive rack upon his head. At that point I was thinking ummm....fight or flight. Gambling that the moose would notice that the durango was bigger and with my foot ready on the gas pedal I decided to stand my ground.

After getting the one quick and missed shot, the moose must have decided he wasn't going to tangle with the Durango so he started on his way. Away from me. 

My cell phone makes it seem so far away but, it's not as far away as it seems. 

 Yeah....well let's see if you could do better using a cell phone camera with your arm all the way stretched out. Oh yeah, and your foot on the gas...just in case. 


This isn't the first moose I have seen. One has crossed the road right in front of me up near Lolo Hot-springs in Montana. There was a mama and her baby in a creek in Yellowstone. They were quite a distance away and not threatening in any way. Then of course, the infamous Moose Lake incident. Finally there is this one. Kirk says there is one more where this young moose ran out in front of the car. Just kept running out there in front of us going the same direction. Now that he tells me the story it sounds kind of familiar but, I don't really remember. 

My dear son has put in his application for graduation. He will be done with college by Christmas. It is exciting and scarey all in one. What does a college graduate have to look forward to these days? 

This year he is a senator at the college. It is a shame that he has to give that up half way through the year because he is getting such good experience from it. He has shown so much personal growth so far this year and I credit student government for that. Well hopefully it will help his resume' anyway.

I ask him about his plans for his future. They include: get a job, take a trip, start his own business. I think about the get a job part. Will this job take him away from home? Will he be able to afford all his dreams? Then I remember that Washington keeps raising it's minimum wage. He can just get a job at McDonalds  and make as much as those guys who work those hard physical labor jobs. 


Guess he didn't need that college degree after all. 


Just kidding, I hope he does a little better then that. I just couldn't resist putting my little jab in there about the minimum wage increase. I could go on about why that was a bad idea for everybody but, this blog isn't about that.

As I was coming home from work today I had to quickly pull out onto the road and get up to the posted speed limit as quickly as possible. There was a line of traffic coming up behind me and how rude would it be of me to pull out in front of them and slowly get up to speed not even taking their use of the same road into consideration. 

So I do get up to the posted 65 miles per hour quickly. If the traffic had to slow at all it was very little. But...I could not have gone more then 100 feet when I had to sloooowww way down because I suddenly encountered a line of traffic in front of me... going 49 miles per hour. This is a single lane old highway and to try to pass at this time of day would be a matter of risking your life, actually more like ending it.

At this point I can no longer stay on my cell phone. So I politely, as possible, explain that I must get off the phone and hang up. I can not hold back the grumbling and my heart rate has definitely increased. I mean after all aren't they tired and just want to get home too?

Finally, the lane divides into two lanes. I am thinking...YES! Now this line of traffic is just going to speed right on past that slow poke leader.  But NOoooooo! Oh the 49 mile per hour guy stays in the slow lane all right but now there is a new leader in the passing lane going at a top speed of 55 miles per hour. Really!!! What are you thinking!! By this time my heart rate is really raging and I am thinking about how to get even.


So finally the 55 mph cars eventually and slowly one by one move to the slow lane. YES! there was more then one. Guess they all thought after going 49 mph that they were just a cruisin'. The truck in front of me and I were free to go the speed limit, which has just decreased to 55 mph. And a few minutes later I have reached my turn.


So I make the turn and what do I get in front of me....Yep, an RV going 45 in a 55. Are you kidding me! I just know my blood pressure is through the roof. Don't these people realize that they are not on these roads all by themselves. I mean I have been known to lalagag down the road from time to time, but not when there are others using the same road at the same time as me. Come on people wake up! What if I was having a heart attack and needed to get to the hospital while you are on your sight seeing tour.  It could happen especially with the way you are driving. 


Eventually the speed limit dropped to 35 but that RV just kept going 45, obviously totally oblivious to the world around him. So I imagined him getting a big fat speeding ticket, strangely that seemed to put out the fire I had burning inside. 


These encounters are happening all the time any more. I can not believe how many people are out for sight seeing trips every day of the week during rush hour traffic out on the prairie. What is there to see out there? Just a bunch of hay!


So I ask myself, maybe God is trying to teach me something. Maybe he is trying to teach me how to deal with road rage. Then I decide that I wouldn't have road rage if people would drive the speed limit when they are in front of me and I am tired and just want to get home because I am never there anymore and I miss it. If God is trying to teach me something, it must be something else. But, I have learned something after all....


If you can't drive the speed limit, I  am going to run you over!

I was sitting around the house bored to tears. Well almost. Upon seeing me in this state, my sweet hubby decided that he needed to do something for his wife (His words, not mine). So this is what he came up with.

Beauty

A Nice Place to Rest

With a View

Interesting Facts

Evidence of Wildlife
and a speeding chipmunk that
stopped just long enough to
pose for a picture

New Heights

A Little Silliness



Truly I Am Blessed

I really don't like to cook. I haven't quite figured out which part is worse: coming up with the idea of what to make for dinner in the first place, standing over a hot stove creating, or digging out all the mixing bowls and pots and pans, only to have to wash all those dishes after this meal is consumed.

Think about that for a moment. 1 hour prep time, 15 minutes for it to disappear, followed by another hour of clean up time.

Trying to improve on the previous nights frozen burrito dinner, last night I decided to make my hubby a nicer dinner. I decided on turkey, mashed taters, gravy, and cranberry sauce. When Hubby calls to say he is on his way home, he gets excited to hear what awaits him for dinner. That makes me happy.

I get out a pan for the potatoes and one for the gravy. I need one mixing bowl and one measuring cup. A two pan dinner, ugh....dishes.
First I start the potatoes, water in the pan...boil...add milk...stir in potato flakes.
Next start the gravy, water in the pan...boil...water in the mixing bowl...add gravy mix...stir...add to boiling water...whisk until thick.
Hubby arrives just in time to open the cans of turkey and cranberry sauce. I don't like opening cans either.
Next I put some bread on the plates. Then scoop some taters into the middle of the plates and cover the bread and the taters with gravy.
Finally, I put a couple of slices of cranberry sauce on the edge of the plate.
Serving the plates, I admire them and think they have a nice presentation. After all, our food should look good if we expect anyone to eat it.

Fifteen minutes later, my son gets up from the table and takes his plate to the sink and says...."What's this can of turkey sitting here for?"

Oooops...I forgot to put the turkey in the gravy. You know what else? We all sat there and ate our food, none of us noticing that there was no meat.

The best part of the meal came later when Hubby and I were recapping the event. I laughed so hard I cried. Another story to be held over my head has been added to the archives, filed right next to the one where I made paste instead of Creamed Tuna on Toast.

Well, I guess I better go do those dishes I didn't do last night.

I am one of those do it yourself people. My way of thinking is that if they can do it, then I can google it and learn how to do it myself. No expensive labor costs that way. I usually do pretty good with this philosophy. Sure it takes me longer and can be quite physically demanding at times, but I save a ton of money. I also believe that since I have a personal stake in the project that it is finished with better quality.

We are putting in flooring in part of the basement. Snap and Click not to intimidating. Whaaat! We have to level our wavy cement floor. Ugh, that stinks! Ok...I can do this.

Did I mention that I was also cheap and impatient.

On Thursday I got the flooring supplies at the store. The floor leveler was almost $30 and the salesman told me I also needed this $7 bottle of primer to make it stick to the existing cement. In my mind I was thinking, "Yeah, sure I do. You are just trying to get me to spend more money." Remembering that Kirk once told me that cement doesn't stick to cement, I grudgingly bought the primer.

Friday, time to level that floor. First, Aaron and I emptied the room. Next, it was time for the primer. I read the directions...easy enough, now all I need is an applicator and some rubber gloves. I put Aaron on the search for the applicator while I looked for gloves. He comes back with a 1 inch paint brush and paint roller...handle only. Thinking that he did a bad job of searching, I went on my own search... I decided to use the 1 inch brush. Aaron offered to go to the store to get a bigger brush, but I didn't want to spend another $5. So I applied latex primer to roughly 180 square feet with a 1" paint brush while wearing plastic bags on my hands. Oh yeah, I didn't have any rubber gloves either and I am allergic to latex.

Next, it was finally time for the floor leveler. As I was applying the primer, Aaron was reading the directions for the leveler. There were only directions for making a complete bag and I didn't want to do that. I wanted him to see if there was an easy water to leveler ratio to use. Well apparently the directions were first written in Chinese and then badly translated to English using the European standard of measurement. So I sent him to "Google It". I could figure it out on my own if he could find a video showing me the consistancy it was suppose to pour at. He was successful.

First, we filled the bucket with a couple inches of water, then slowly added the leveler powder. I used a hand held garden shovel to mix it since I didn't have a drill mixer like the directions said to use. Afterall, they cost money. We continued to add powder. Soon I was elbow deep in cement that wouldn't seem to get thick and my arm was hurtin'. It finally got to the consistancy of gravy and I considered pouring it at that point, but the directions said it should be like thin pancake batter. So I added more leveler powder. Apparently, some people make thin pancake batter thinner then others. It suddenly started getting real warm and thick. UGH!!! Aaron get me some more water! Suddenly, it was more like homemade icecream. He splashed in some water. Have you ever eatten a piece of meat and the more you chewed it the bigger it would get in your mouth? This was like that. It just kept expanding and getting warmer. Panic has set in! I'm yelling at Aaron to add more water, now quick let's put some on the floor. UGH, still too thick. Find something to clean that off there! UGH!!!! Why is this happening!? It's too thin, too thin, then blammo too thick!
This is where Aaron gives me a key piece of information.
After stirring on this stuff for an hour...

"This sets in 5 minutes" says Aaron.
"What!" my reply.
"That's what RS means, I thought I told you that." states Aaron.

For clarification: It didn't set in the first hour I was stirring because it was too thin, like water, but as soon as there was enough leveler power, it thickened right up.

Well, Kirk came home in the middle of the big panic. As soon as the mess was cleaned up, off to the store we went. I suppose the $13 for the mixer is worth it after all.

Anybody need a bucket of cement?

Several years ago Kirk, Aaron and I used to help the Jones' with the bus ministry at church. On Saturday's we would all go door to door inviting kids to church. Then early Sunday morning we would all hop in the bus and Kirk would drive it around to all the homes where the kids lived who wanted to come. At each house, Dan Jones, who had more energy then anyone would think possible could be contained into one man, would bound out of the bus door with a big grin on his face. After each pickup we would all sing songs. Brandi led those songs with such obvious enthusiasm. I did my best to help, but I couldn't manage a fraction of the joy the others had.



My time on the bus soon came to an end. I started to look at the bus ministry as "work". Time that could be better spent doing recreational activities with the family. I began to be filled with resentment. My heart was hardened towards those little lost children. I would soon enter into a period of my life that I call the "Deep Dark Valley". Where we would leave church and I would face many lessons, but untimately teaching me the heart knowledge that it isn't about "works". Works without LOVE leads to resentment. LOVE God with all your heart, Listen to him, and Work because you truly LOVE him.



So today, one of those sweet little bus girls came to church, something like 10 years later. Her and a young man came by themselves. No one went and knocked on their door and no bus picked them up. She came because she remembered the love that those wonderful people on the bus showed her. Those bus workers knew something that it took me those same 10 years to learn. There is no better way to spend your time then working for our Lord.



That little girl and her friend got saved today. They will not have to face the torment of hell, they WILL spend ETERNITY, surrounded by love, in HEAVEN.

I hurt my knee. It was swelling and beginning to hurt to walk. When I tried to straighten it, there was a disturbing noise. Grrrrinnnd and then pop. Although this was kind of on the painful side, I of course had to try it again. After all, maybe the "pop" was the sound of it fixing itself. Grrrrinnnnd, pop. Nope, not fixed.

At this point you must understand that I will do anything to avoid going to the doctor. Not only is it way to expensive but, medicine is not an exact science. Most of the time doctors are only guessing and always in a hurry to get to their next patient so they can keep on schedule. Yes, I will give doctors their due. Their guess is a least an educated one. So anyway, I decide to wait for 24 hours to see if it would get better.

No such luck.

Next morning my knee was more swollen but, everything else was about the same. So my awesome husband took me to the doc.

So the doc pokes here and there asking, "Does it hurt here? How about here?" I had to tell her about the grinding and popping. So she checks it out and then says that I need to go to physical therapy. Then she was gone. I guess she didn't think I would want to know what exactly was the problem.

Of course, I must have answers. And after doing a bunch of research of the internet this is what I came up with:

Symptoms:

• A history of trauma or twisting of the knee. check
• Pain on the inner surface of the knee joint. check
• Swelling of the knee within 48 hours of the injury. check
• Inability to bend knee fully - this maybe associated with pain or clicking noise. check
• A positive sign (pain and/or clicking noise) during a McMurray's test. I looked up a youtube video to see how this was done. Doctor didn't do it. It just makes a squishing sound during every revolution.
• Pain when rotating or pressing down on the knee in prone position, Apley's test. Doctor didn't do this one either. I can't do this one by myself but, after watching the video I am sure it would make me cry. (I did try my best at this one and rotating it was painful without having someone press down on it.)
• Locking or giving way of the knee. check
• Inability to weight bear on the affected side. It was difficult and painful for awhile but that gradually went away.

So my conclusion is that it is a Medial Cartilage Meniscus Injury. It is a guess but, it is all I have.