Email notification...

Google Groups
Subscribe to mama's blog readers
Email:
Visit this group

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Yes. I do owe you one.

I'm in the doctor's office a lot these days and I've made some observations. 
 
When dealing with aging parents or others in our life we should learn to
 
    Laugh with them while you have them. Not because you think its funny...because they do.
    Realize you are gettin up there too.
    Teach your young families that old folks are a blessing not an inconvenience.
    Show love in any way you can.
    Don't lose patience. Not too many years ago they had lots of patience with you.
    Don't speak muffled and always face them. Ears don't always work well as we age.
 
And with the younger set we need to remember
 
    To give them some room to learn.  They don't learn when you do it for them all the time.
    Let them explore safely.  We learn from trial and error.  If we don't try we won't err and then we won't learn.
    Let them make reasonable noise.  People in the room are generally way more tolerant than you think
    Let them socialize.  
    Letting them speak or smile will not mean they will think they can always talk to strangers. 
    Children need to learn when it's fine and when it's not. 
    Don't compare your child to others in the room.  All children learn and grow at their own pace.
 
~~~~~
 
Wednesday...
 
My fun food of the day was deer jerky.  I didn't eat any, but I made two trays full in my dehydrater.  I still have the old, old one.  Big and roomy.  I can do lots!  Now for some more deer meat.  Any hunters out there wanting to pass some on?
 
CJ came to see me with Mommy and Daddy.  He is just getting so big!  And he has the most adorable smile.  Little Corry, Jr. will brighten up any day!
 
I spent some time filling up the what not cabinet the kids gave me.  We needed to get some brackets for it and replace a missing shelf.  Not bad.  Not bad at all.  The brackets were in the garage already and the shelf was cheap.  Cliff went down the the nearby glass shop and they cut it and ground the edges while he waited for $5.  I love it.  I put some of my clear and color glass serving pieces in it.  Some were mine, some gramma's and some my mom's. 
 
I worked on a scarf for Kennedy. We had picked up the pretty yarn when we went to the craft store for a birthday gift.  Pretty teal and pretty purple both with a silvery stip in them.  Yes.  If you give me the yarn, I'll be happy to make one for you too.  Or...I still have tons in my totes for sale.  This winter might not have been great for selling them, but there's always next year.
 
Meals today were a little off.  Since I got my lip worked on and it still has stitches, eating just isn't real fun.  I knew I'd need to get in my protein, so instead of a regulation breakfast when I got up, I had baked rigatoni.  It was homemade so I knew how much fat and salt was NOT in it.
 
For my lunch, I thought I'd try a soft pretzel  It really wasn't all that soft, so I gave it to Nelly.  Still hungry, I opted for strawberry applesauce.
 
Dinner was a salad and to boost the protein, I made 1/2 a peanut butter sandwich on heavy bread.  Since I couldn't bite into it without tearing up the lip, I tore the sandwich in itty bits and at it that way.
 
I felt a little puny in the evening so I chose some grape tomatoes and a big glass of skim milk with Ovaltine for a snack.
 
~~~~~
 
Rusty introduced me to a cool app for my phone.  I have a Samsung smart phone.  It's called Key Ring.  You scan in all your store loyalty cards and it keeps them on the phone.  If I have it right, we can then just have them scan our phone instead of digging around for the cards.  I also put in my AAA and AARP and zoo card....all sorts of things.
 
~~~~~
 
Thursday...
 
We are definitely filling our pantry again.  I had been trying to do a use-it-up on all the foods in the house.  Once I get to a certain level, it's time to fill 'er up!!
 
At the R store, our local grocery outlet, I was able to stock on beans, chips for Kennedy, fruit juices, fruit-cicles, oats, white whole wheat flour, sour cream, cheese packs with ready chosen cheeses to go with wines, free candy, free baby food, yogurt, breads, cottage cheese, Tatar sauce packets. 
 
We then went to their flea market store and found baking chocolate bars for .25 each! and picked up a couple other little things.  While there, we stopped at the produce counter and got onions, potatoes, scallions, tomatoes, and peppers.
 
Our next stop was BJ's.  We got two small serving trays of sweet potatoes marked down, toilet paper, sparkling water, and I don't remember what else.  Used coupons and picked up on clearance. 
 
Today was not good for eating though.  I started the day with Papa bringing me breakfast of steak egg and cheese bagel and oj.  I loved it and was very appreciative.  I wanted it.  But...it did me in with calories.  The good part is I'm not supposed to worry about calories, only protein.  The other good part is I still stayed within my own limits of 1930 calories a day. 
 
Lunch was homemade ham, veggie and cheese quiche and so was dinner.  It was easy to eat. 
 
But I had mini donuts and oj for a snack.  I know!  But it didn't bust me off the calorie or fat or sugar chart and it was easy to eat.     

~~~~~
 
Friday...
 
Emmi wanted a banana for breakfast and I thought it sounded pretty good, so we shared.  I also had rigatoni just because and Em talked me into mini donuts.  They need to go away!  I am MUCH too tempted by them!
 
I made a potato corn, carrot and bacon chowder for lunch and we had that and peanut butter crackers,
and for dinner we went out with Papa's work crowd to a place we'd never been to.  We'd heard a lot about Dontino's but never tried it out until now.  We love it.  I got a salad with sweet and sour dressing, perch and some really good veggies.  I ate part of a piece of Italian bread but it hurt my lip.
 
When we got home and I was adding proteins, I realized I hadn't had enough so I ate a few slices of 97% fat free honey shaved ham.  Not bad at all.  I was still lacking so before bed I ate some peanut butter.
 
~~~~~
 
Saturday...
 
We had Emmi today and went shopping at her request.  lol  She was so funny.  She kept telling us more shopping until she'd had her fill and wanted to go to Mimi's to play with her toys.  Silly girl.  She wasn't real happy when our first stop was for gas, but ya gotta do whatcha gotta do.  We were lucky to find gas at Sam's for 3.10 when all the surrounding stations were shooting up, up, up to a high of 3.49.  Man what a rip!
 
After gassing up, we headed to the bread store.  Emmi wanted donuts.  lol  We shouldn't have...but we did.  We also wanted buns for sloppy joes, some oyster crackers for tomato soup, and some bread crumbs and croutons.  Well boy howdy I did NOT buy the croutons and crumbs!  Would've broke the bank!  I did pick up a bargain on bread and brought it home to make my own.  And I got enough for all the kids.  We delivered bread to Kris and Darlene, Missy, her friend Leah, Corry and Angel, one loaf to Rusty and Cait, and I have some for my mother-in-law.  Also filled our littlest freezer with the better wheat bread and a couple good buns.  Oh and I got a couple soup mixes for a quick fix supper.  Dehydrated ingredients.  They'll last a while.
 
We met Kris and Darlene at GFS.  He had called to tell me they had chorizo.  Cool.  Good stuff too.  I had a $5 off $50 coupon so I picked up things like perogies, some ground meat that was a bargain and red and white sprinkles marked way down. 
 
After we delivered bread to everyone, we came on home because little Emmi was ready to play, play, play. CJ came a while too and we played.  He's getting so big!
 
I was pretty whipped after the big day.  Didn't do much else at all!!  lol
 
Meals.  I did oj and donuts for breakfast.  Not what I should be having, but we had doooooonutttttts.  They gotta G O !!
 
Lunch was some of a filet of fish (only at a little bit of the bun and I scraped off about 90% of the tartar sauce), plus I ate the meat, cheese and vegs off a double burger.  No bun. I was craving the meat and veggies.  I ate about 1/2 of a small order of fries too.
 
Dinner was a homemade sloppy joe on a heavy bun, broccoli salad and strawberries.  And for dessert?  Yes, more donuts.  And believe it or not, I was still within limits.  Just not eating what I should.  This will change.  ( as soon as the donuts are gone )
 
~~~~~
 
Sunday...
 
I only babysat a little bit on Sunday.  They kids' schedules overlapped by just a bit.  We didn't have time to do much together, but I did get my daily hugs and kisses.  :-)
In the afternoon, we went to see the play Bingo that one of our friends was in.  It was so much fun.  If you are in this area and have the chance, try to see it next weekend, it's last weekend.  Hudson Players.  Great show!! 

When we got home, I was dog tired.  I cleaned up kitchen and cut up the bell peppers and bagged them for freezing.  I think the next ones I get I'll dehydrate so I have some in multiple types of storage. 
 
Breakfast was two slices of cinnamon swirl bread and a banana today. 
 
Lunch started with an appetizer at Zeppe's.  We stopped in after the play with Kris and Darlene.  I ate one mozzarella triangle, three mushrooms, one piece of boneless wings, and 2 jo jo's.  Next course was a salad.  I got sweet and sour dressing.  The main course ended up being my lunch and my supper.  I got linguini with a mix of alfredo and marinara.  It had grilled chicken breast and steamed broccoli too.
 
Along with that leftover pasta dish, I drank milk with ovaltine and ate...a couple donuts.  SMACK!
 
~~~~~
 
Nearly every night ends with an oj to take meds with.  After the one problem I had after a surgery, they put me on Miralax every night. 
 
~~~~~
 
Monday...
 
I started my day today with cinnamon burst cheerios with skim milk.  Eating cereal or eggs seems to make me feel best. 
 
My first task of the day ended up being the main task.  I started making croutons and crumbs.  After perusing all my spices and tossing a few too old to use, I decided to do some croutons with ranch and some with Molly McButter Cheddar and pepper mixing them with olive oil.   
 
I didn't end up doing the crumbs but I now have a plan for them.  All the buns will go into crumbs.  I will make some rye, some wheat and some white crumbs.  I'm using the dehydrator and oven because I have so much to do!!  lol
 
We went out to camp again today for naught.  I wish one of the lookers would become a buyer.  I really, really want it sold. 
 
My evening ended up being a sit down night.  I spent hours moving pictures from an old phone into files, texting them to the new phone, etc.  Done now.  ...  she sighs.
 
My meals today were okay I guess. 
 
I had a sloppy joe and one of those Iala fudge bars for lunch, and a ham sandwich on sandwich thin bread and an apple for supper.  For a snack, feeling pretty weak, I ate the leftover cabbage and potatoes and drank ovaltine again.  Love that stuff and it's got no caffeine.
 
So now my legs are acting up and I'm needing to get up to bed.  Signing off folks....
 
Hugs to all...
~~Mama Sage

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

I hate restless legs!

One change at a time and each change becomes mine.
 
Monday...

This was a very achey day. I haven't a clue if it was the fibromyalgia acting up or if there was something else going on. I just know I hurt.
 
I got our tickets to Hudson Player's BINGO. I know it's going to be good. And the cool thing is I called a friend who is in it and she sort of helped me get prime seats. To us at least. I guess where we're sitting we will be hassled a lot. Cool! That should be fun!
 
Breakfast was oatmeal with blueberries and milk. And half an apple.
 
Lunch was rigatoni, broccoli salad and some blueberries. Just a couple.
 
Dinner was leftover goulash over noodles. And just to pack the protein I finished up the rest of the smoked brisket Rusty did.
 
I've also been drinking a big glass of Ovaltine milk each night when I think about it. Ovaltine has no caffeine and does have just a bit of protein.
 
~~~~~
 
Tuesday...
 
I do enjoy being spoiled, and I definitely appreciate my gifts but I don't care a lot for all the hoopla of Hallmark holidays. I know Valentine's Day does have a legitimate history, but I still consider it a Hallmark holiday. I love my plant and card though. Very nice! But mostly I look at this day as a good day to reflect on all the loves in my life.
 
Long day today. We had a split shift with Emmi today unexpectedly. When someone calls off work as happened at Rusty's job today, someone has to pinch hit. It doesn't just put the boss in a pickle, it jerks around the schedules of people who have to fill in and then dominoes down through others many times. One call off changed the schedules of many, People should really think twice or three times before calling off work.
 
For breakfast this morning, I had an egg scramble. It had several veggies and some bacon in it. Not a lot of bacon but enough to lend to the flavor. Also had a little bit of cheese in it.
 
Our Valentine's dinner was at Red Robin with Rusty and Emmi. My sister had given us a gift certificate for Christmas and we put it to use today. We both got the Whiskey River BBQ Chicken wrap. I only ate a few of my fries. I'm not counting calories, but I do try to do the best I can to at least cut down on carbs.
After we ate, I had the first part of the psych evaluation required before the bariatric surgery. I felt like the doc thought I would be intimidated having to see a psychologist. Nope. No way. If things had been different, I'd have been sitting in his seat. THAT is what I'd have gone to school for. I feel quite at home talking to most anyone,
 
Today's appointment was pretty much a fact gathering mission. I was to fill him in on medical history, family status through the years, we talked of possible triggers to eating and just some general things about weight loss. 99% of what was said was things I already know and have implemented. I think everyone expects that since I'm this big lunky fatso I should also be stupid about nutrition, proper eating, etc. Not so. Hear ye, hear ye. All fat people are not stupid and uninformed!
 
Since we'd had so much already for the day, I made a salad for supper. I had that and some strawberries. Miss Emmi had lots of fruits. She grabbed a banana and some blueberries too. And...an eggie. :-)
I wish my eye wasn't feeling like it is. It just feels like it's on the edge of getting pink eye. MAN I hope it doesn't! We have a lot going this week.
 
~~~~~
 
And YES I hate restless legs.  Makes me not want to do anything but SCREAM!
 
~~Mama Sage

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Bloggin' a-long...singin' a song...

Great each day with a sunshiny smile and a song in your heart. I try. Really I do. There are days I'm putting on a big fake, but I try. You know if you fake a good mood long enough, you eventually fall into believing it's true and you ARE in a good mood!
 
~~~~~
A smile is like tight underwear -
 it makes your cheeks go up.
~~Author Unknown
~~~~~
 
Tuesday ...

Emmi was so tired on Tuesday. Cliff said, "What are you doing?" as she emptied a box full of blankets. "Making a mess." was her very honest reply. And she cried and cried until I got down on the floor with her. I spend most of every day on the floor with her. It's fun to be down on her level playing. Tiring, but fun.
 
~~~~~
 
Meals Tuesday were fairly simple. I had Raisin bran for breakfast. For lunch I made a sandwich and supper was leftovers. Easy peasy.
 
Then the general cleanup and dishes. Not a real eventful day.
 
~~~~~

Anticipation. Not nerves. Just anticipation. I tried to just plain not think about it, but all day long my mind get floating to the fact that my first appointment with my weightloss surgeon is tomorrow. I'm excited about it. I'm not even considering bugging out. Nope. No way. I have a mission to accomplish if I'm going to see my grandchildren grow up. I want to dance at all their weddings. I want to hug their firstborn. I want to live to be an old, old woman.
 
~~~~~
 
Wednesday...
 
Even though I wasn't upset about the appointment, I spent the whole night last night up and down. I tried to stay cool, calm and collected so after I took my morning meds, I checked my email. Then it was time to shower and get ready to go.
 
The appointment went very well. We talked about diet. I'm to eat high protein. They aren't interested in me keeping a calorie count right now. Just keep up the protein. 60 grams a day. I'm still trying to be careful on the other things too. Salt, fat and sugar are still things I need to watch. I'm to try and stick to three meals a day with no snacks.
 
The model for meals is to be a 9" plate. 1/2 should be veggies and fruits. 1/4 should be 3 oz. of lean protein. 1/4 should be good carbs, starchy veggies and beans and legumes. That's going to take me a while. I'm working on it. And I am still losing weight. I have lost a total of 31 pounds since May 15th.
 
I am working on changing to more and more fresh items. I'm to trade my raisin bran for oatmeal often. But combining what I'm learning here and what Dr. Oz says, I think I'm going to be working on starting more mornings with protein.
 
My next appointment will be with the psychologist. All patients are screened to be sure they are ready for this massive life change. I think I am. I hope the good doctor agrees.
 
The appointment after that will be with the dietician for what I think is a group meeting. Then finally, the appointment after that I should meet Dr, Chlysta. I'm sure I'll like him. He was the surgeon for at least two of my friends. They both have done well and each chose a different surgical route.
 
Speaking of that, the only surgery that my insurance will allow is the Roux en y. Thankfully that's the one I was wanting anyhow. That's what our son Rusty had. The band isn't something I'd even consider and the sleeve just wouldn't be for me.
 
~~~~~
 
Since tomorrow will start the real diet, we decided on Applebee's for dinner. It's not really that bad a place. Except...we do an appetizer. We do the spinach dip. I generally do most of the salsa and a good lot of the dip. But that's my "blow the diet" part. I usually do double veggies. Today I opted to do the potato anyhow. I wanted one. I don't very often. And I got the steak. I was feeling kind of lousy because the appointments were throwing me off my regular eating schedule. Finally eating a good meal for the day did make me feel better.
 
~~~~~
 
The evening was spent with a little bit of bill paying. And then I just had a sort of physical melt down. Got the chills and didn't feel good.
 
~~~~~
 
Thursday...
 
I'm supposed to work in some kind of physical activity and exercise. I think spending time with the kids definitely is just that! Plus I'm adding more stretching, wall push ups and stretchy bands. Just wish I knew the right way to use them. I've got a bunch downstairs and a bunch upstairs for whenever the mood strikes. Yes, eventually I will be on a scheduled regime of sorts. Just not now. One change at a time will make each change more successful for me.
 
~~~~~
 
I've started journaling food in the book the program provided. I need to document how many grams of protein I'm getting, how much liquid I'm taking in, what times I'm eating and what. It might be hard for some, but paperwork isn't a problem. lol I like paper!
 
I'm also tracking things on MyFitnessPal.com. I can access it both on my phone and on my computer. I like it because most of what I eat is easily found there and they will give me the correct number of protein grams. Plus it will keep me aware of how many calories I am eating (my benefit...they don't care) and how I'm doing on sodium, sugar and fat and carbs. Again for me. Another thing I've realized with tracking here and in the journal is that I honestly don't eat much.
 
I've been doing great with my sugar. My 30 day average is 105. Really good.
 
My meals for the day were pretty simple. Breakfast was oatmeal with blueberries and milk, lunch was very lean pork chop, sauerkraut and potatoes, and supper was leftover goulash. I had no snacks and just had juice at night with my meds.
 
~~~~~

My main blog will be here, but I'm going to attempt to also blog on MyFitnessPal as I begin the journey to bariatric weight loss surgery.


~~~~~

Friday...
 
Oh what deals we got at Acme today!! Awesome awesome AWESOME!
 
Canned goods were on sale. We came home with cases and cases. We picked up on some other things too, but our main focus was canned goods. Mama Sage likes to have a full pantry and it was weedling down. Time for a fill 'er up shopping trip.
 
After we loaded up everything into the van, we headed to eat. Papa mentioned Panera and I was all for it! I love that place! I got a Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich and had water to drink. It was fabulous. And the
bonus was it actually had quite a few grams of protein.
 
We headed on home to unload and then were on our way up to pick up Kennedy.
 
Supper was home made pizza once we were settle in at home. Multi grain vegan crust, spinach leaves, carlelized onions and Mexican cheese shreds went on mine. The great thing about pizza at home is everyone can do their own thing.
 
~~~~~
 
When all was said and done for the day, my protein intake was a bit low. They gave me the hint to just grab a spoon full of peanut butter for a protein fixit. I'm still eating the not as good stuff until it's gone, but once I open a new jar it will be the natural kind. Peanut butter is better for you if it separates and you have to mix the oil back into it.
 
~~~~~
 
Saturday...
 
First thing first. We had to go get the van. But holy moly that snow was crazy!! We could hardly see in front of ourselves the whole way there and back. And this wasn't our only stop this outing. We had to pick up a birthday girt and head to BJ's too. Oh boy. It's a good thing I learned to drive in the snow!!
It was a long, slow drive home in blinding snow. Once we unloaded and wrapped the gift, we headed back out to Corry and Angel's for Madison's birthday party.
 
It was such a nice party. I really enjoyed meeting some more of Angel's family. Very, very nice. And the cutest kids! The food was great too. Mmm good! And I still stayed within my limits.
 
We had Emmi overnight on Saturday. She's not quite into this all night thing. She loves being here, but she just has a very time settling into sleep. Papa got her asleep finally and then moved her into her little bed in Kennedy's room. Poor baby. She started out being so excited to have a sleep over with Kennedy.
 
~~~~~
 
Sunday...
 
We started the day with sausage and eggs for breakfast. I think it really does make me feel a little better to start with the big protein boost. I think I'll start trying to really keep track of how different breakfast meals make me feel.
 
Meals weren't going to be anything normal today and I new it. I didn't feel a bit bad having a snack. Kennedy brought me one of the fudge pops we'd gotten at BJ's. Good good good. Iala is the brand. They have probiotics so they aren't all bad.
 
My lunch was Five Guys. Burger and fries. It was fine. I still stayed way under on calories and it boosted my protein.
 
In the evening I had my other "meal". I ate a little bit of brisket, some strawberries, and skim milk with ovaltine.
 
I'm finding myself not eating nearly the calories I thought I was. So far all I've tracked have been way under the 1930 allowance MyFitnessPal allows me. Generally doing fine with the protein count but found that I don't mind that pleasant way for a making up the count...a good blop of peanut butter.
 
~~~~~
 
Missy and Melanie came over! Oh how I've missed those girls!! They'd gone on vacation one week and then we didn't see them the next. I was going through withdrawal!! I love my family.
 
It was actually pretty busy at our house. After Cait picked up Emmi, she ended up coming back. Missy had brought back Emmi's trains from Christmas. Emmi had stuck them into one of their bags and since then, everyone kept forgetting to get them back. lol
 
Kris came by too for a little bit. He and Papa both got some tools and it was pick up day.
 
Then on to BJ's with Missy and Melanie. I got to do a little more of the shopping I'd intended to do the day before. I just couldn't even think about staying there shopping yesterday while the snow was piling up. It was BAD out Saturday!
 
After we did BJ's, we took Kennedy on home and then stopped by Mom Sage's to drop off her meds.
Once home, it was dishes, coupons and other minor tasks. Exercising was mainly wall push up and stretching.
 
~~~~~
 
Monday...
 
Today we played and played and played. I'm telling you what, on days we play hard, that is plenty of exercise!!
 
Breakfast was oatmeal with blueberries. I got most of it I guess but Emmi did get her share of bites. We also shared rigatoni for lunch. I had the last of the goulash for dinner.
 
We got a heckuva a deal on some stuff to go with Emmi's wood train set she got for Christmas. About 70 pieces of things for $15. Not bad at all. We met the lady at a very public place. Anything we do on craigslist from here to forever will be in very public places.
 
After Papa went up to bed and Emmi was picked up, I cleaned up kitchen, went through the fridge, packed lunch for Papa and picked up the livingroom. I cleared email and looked for some files I need to send to a friend and did my daily do's on the computer.
 
And yes I did make my Valentine a Valentine. Did you?
 
~~~~~
 
So it's a wrap. My week has now been presented and tied up with a pretty bow. How was yours?
 
~~Mama Sage

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Don't let me get behind!

BUG ME!!
 
Friday...
 
Emmi cracks me up. She sat in my lap peeling the paper off her crayons. Then she got an idea. She made "pictures" for everyone in the family! She took those tiny little bits of paper and tore them to ittsy bitsy pieces and would hand them to me and tell me who it belonged to. And she remembered the shapes and just who they belong to! I mixed two up and she caught me. Nooo! Aunt Darlene! lol Okay. I promise to do better. But we did not really deliver them. No, when the sweeper came out it gobbled them up. So sorry everyone. I love kids. What imaginations!
 
~~~~~
 
Our meal Friday was a good one. I made homemade spaghetti sauce and did a big pan of rigatoni.
 
RIGATONI - sort of
 
I didn't have the right kind of noodles, not even penne to substitute. Instead I used the little bit of rotini I had and the little bit of elbow macaroni I had.
 
I didn't have a hunk of mozarella or provolone, but I had a hunk of co-jack. Good substitute.
 
The sauce was good. I had some leftover crushed tomatoes I needed to use up. I mixed that with browned hamburger, mushrooms, sauteed onions and peppers (red, yellow and green). Of course I put in a good glob of minced garlic (from the jar in the frig), and Italian seasoning. And fennel. Like the taste that throws in.
 
And that's it. Mix it up, bake at 350 until bubbly and enjoy!
 
~~~~~
 
I wish this cold weather would invade my bedroom! I've had the window open all week and four fans going. The heater vent is closed. And we keep the thermostat set on 66 anyhow. Our room is STILL the hottest in the house! ugh
 
~~~~~
 
I've been spending my wind down times watching Christmas and Halloween movies I have recorded. Who ever said that you can only watch them during the holiday season? I'm enjoying them!
 
~~~~~
 
Saturday...
 
We still had lots of coupons for meal deals for Cliff's birthday so we decided to pick one for our brunch. The IHOP one was a good one. Free Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity meal for him. I got one of the new Hashbrown Stacks. It was great! The hashbrowns were kind of skimpy on the bottom, but that's fine. I'm not cutting out all carbs, but I'm cutting down. It was piled with a tomato slice, spinach, mushrooms and onions, cheese, an egg, and hollandaise sauce. They called it that. It was really a light cheese sauce.
 
When we got home, I spend the rest of the day working on one of the books I'm writing. I had so many jumbled notes!! I organized it and have it on a flash drive to work on wherever I am. I was tired, but felt very accomplished.
~~~~~
 
Sunday...
 
I just couldn't sleep Saturday night. It made for a really tough time. Sunday was the 4th anniversary of Mom's death. I don't think I'll ever get to where certain days, certain things, don't bring me to tears.
 
It would have been easier to get through if Cliff hadn't had to work. We'd have done something to keep busy. I couldn't even concentrate on the Superbowl. And I LIKE football, the commercials, halftime show and general hype. If I'd been with a crowd it would have been better.
 
We did take Mom Sage her meds, but I was way too upset to even go in. Some people think I'm nuts to get so upset still, but they just don't understand how close my family is/was.
~~~~~

I've got a pretty hard week ahead, but I plan to do my best to stick with all the cooking and cleaning I've been doing. For supper, I made a sort of marsala. It was a Macaroni Grille brand mix I picked up for pennies.
 
The chicken was dredged in seasoned flour, then browned in a little olive oil. Add wine, water and a seasoning pack. I decided to also add some fresh spinach and mushrooms.
 
I had a can of seasoned cabbage in the cupboard that needed to be used so that's what I used for a veggie to go with it.
I had a "decadent cinnamon swirl cake" in the cupboard to make and Corry had dropped off some over-ripe bananas so I did the cake and banana bread.
 
By the time I sat down to eat, the day had gone long. I was a wreck. I broke down and drank a coke. I've only had two since October. I'm not sure I even like them any more!
 
And...my sugar was still very, very low when I took it.
 
~~~~~
 
I did start the filing. I HATE that job! I did the fast sort. All the things to be shredded are now in a bag waiting and the things to actually go in the files are in another. One step at a time. Especially when you've procrastinated to the point you'd easily be name queen of the procrastinators!!
 
I also clipped coupons and put them in my coupon file. And in the middle of it all, I found the book for the convection oven. Just might do some changing and bring that baby upstairs.
 
~~~~~
Blog 164 was to be about negativity. I was sure I'd be doing one on that subject. But every time I sit down to start, the only thing that goes to my mind is that I HATE NEGATIVITY. Nothing else. I just hate it!
 
~~~~~
Monday...
 
Today was Goulash day. Cliff and I got to thinking we hadn't had it in a while and it got me really hungry for it. And it's easy to make.
 
Goulash
 
Brown 2# hamburger.
Add a thinly sliced onion.
After it's all brown, add a glop of garlic, 3/4 c. catsup, 2T worchestershire, 1T brown sugar, 2t paprika, 1/2t dry mustart a dash of cayenne pepper and 1 1/2 c. water.
I had to thicken it a bit so I added a little cornstarch.
Sure tasted good! Emmi will like it tomorrow. She loves pasta.
 
~~~~~
 
Mystery solved! The package to my brother for Christmas was returned. Wrong address.
 
~~~~~
 
After watching Hawaii 5-0 tonight, I got to wondering. Don't parents still set up a code word for their kids? Our kids had a code word. If a stranger tried to pick them up and didn't know the code word, they knew we hadn't sent them. It just seems that because the world is so much more dangerous and scary these day that all families need to have a code word. Do you?
 
~~~~~
 
I am way beyond tired tonight. I need to "hang up" and go to bed. Night all...
 
~~Mama Sage

Friday, February 3, 2012

What crazy weather!

Wednesday...
 
I can't believe it. Who ever heard of so a winter this mild and this short? It's just nuts! I guess I really can't say "this short" just yet. Punxsutawney Phil hasn't had his say. And we all know what THAT was. I wonder if Phil, his buddy Buckeye Chuck or our weathermen will come closer to an accurate prediction.
 
I've been getting little things done the last several days. I did have Emmi a little during our four day break, I had CJ one day and Madison today, but for the most part I kept productive.
 
One of my biggest accomplishments was getting the attic cleaned up after the Christmas chaos. Boy oh boy I had a mess. Couldn't even walk up there! It's all straightened up now to the point I could actually enjoy scrapbooking again. As soon as I get time.
 
I did some other sifting around and tried to start the filing. I gave up on it for today when I ran out of staples. I want pages stapled together from purchases, from bank statements, etc. and so on. Instead, I knitted some, cleaned little areas and did some work in the bathroom.
 
~~~~~
 
Every father should remember
that one day his son will follow his example
instead of his advice.
~~unknown
 
~~~~~
 
Okay now loved ones. Can I just say this one more time? My 8,is your 4! My body clock is a few hours off from yours. I respect your body clock, please respect mine. I've grown tired of being told I should follow normal body clock hours. No. YOU follow MINE!
 
Now I'm not really going to ask you to follow my hours, but can you please try to remember that I do not get up early. I've just gone to bed. You got to bed at 10 or 11. I go to bed at 2 or 3 most nights. You get up at 7 or 8. I get up at 10 or so depending on how many interruptions I got and when I actually fell asleep. I eat breakfast when you eat lunch. I eat lunch when you eat supper. And just like you eat 4 or 5 hours before you hit the sack, so do I. We are so different. We're just a few hours off from being just alike!
 
Why do I write this? Because it never fails that my phone doesn't start ringing bright and early. No I won't turn it off. I have a quiver full of grandkids, five kids and an elderly mother-in-law. ANYthing could happen! No, I need to stay connected.
 
~~~~~
 
I put another one of my Christmas gifts to use. Cliff got me a laminator and sleeves for it and some page protectors. I took the cookbook I did for the kids and put the pages in plastic protectors. Wish I could afford to get some for all the kids' books. Just too expensive.
 
~~~~~
 
Thursday...
 
Lunch today was chili. Since it was homemade, it had been skimmed of every bit of fat and had no added salt. I didn't do crackers or anything with it. I had my breakfast/lunch ration of carbs with my breakfast. Bran flakes with raisins. And I only got half the bowl. Emmi likes chili! :-)
 
My snack was mandarin oranges. I'd already taken my sugar and it was pretty low. I figured the sugar in the oranges wasn't going to hurt. And I love those things.

 
~~~~~
 
We had Emmi today and we also had Madison, Haydn and CJ. They play so good together. I love watching kids pretend. This group really uses imagination. Today the box I got from Kris and Darlene for Christmas was a car!
 
~~~~~
 
I just HAD to! I watched what they did on The Chew today and decided to mess with my strata recipe. This is what I ended up with...
 
Not a Stata
1. Spray the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9 pan
2. Go to freezer and find those overcooked biscuits. Take them out and tear into pieces and layer in pan. Didn't seem like quite enough bread so add 4 leftover hot dog buns also torn into pieces.
3. Sprinkle feather shredded cheddar cheese. For variety add a little feta.
4. Fry up a pound of that 99cent a pound bacon. Drain it good, cool it and chop it into bite size pieces. Sprinkle that next.
5. Saute an onion, red and yellow sweet peppers and 1/4 of a bell pepper. Plop it around evenly.
6. Slightly beat 10 eggs, paprika, pepper, glug milk. Pour it evenly over top.
7. Take a spatula and squash it down.
8. Bake at 350 until top starts to brown and eggs have cooked.
 
~~~~~
 
You were born an original.
Don't become a copy.
~~unknown
 
~~~~~
 
Well, I finished another scarf. I don't know why I'm even making them. It's not cold. And they're not selling.
 
~~~~~
 
I can't stand my feet right now. They are in so much pain and so is this knee. That isn't good. The injections need to last six months. I can't have any more until that point. I have medicine to take, but I don't want to take it. I don't want to rely on a pill to take this awful pain away. It makes me too, too tired! And since they're being so bad tonight, I'm going to end this.
 
~~~~~
 
Hoping to keep blogging regularly...somewhat...
 
~~Mama Sage