Dinner with Chuck and Glo

We were invited to some old friends' home for dinner tonight.  They recently moved into a condo and thought this might be a nice housewarming/Christmas gift.  I quickly put it together this morning, raw-edge applique and even all-machine binding work.  

Weekend at Kelly's

It was a great weekend to visit family.  We went to Pennsylvania to visit with Kelly and her family.  Evelyn went to Homecoming.  On the left is a photo of Rick, Evelyn and me...Evelyn is 15 years old.  To the right is (L-R) Nathan 11, Vivian 8, Evelyn 15 and Anna 11.  

Vivian turned 9 years old!!!  She is growing up right before our eyes (but they all are and I surely wish they would slow down)!

The only thing that could have made this weekend better was for Jennifer and her family to be with us.  

Mundane musings

Well, I guess it's time for another blog post...it's been a while!

Things around here have been busy.  Nothing crazy, just the normal day-to-day things that all people have going on in their lives.

Rick had his cataract removed and there was a little issue, so we've been going to the ophthalmologist a little more often.  He's doing ok now, so that's a relief.

I've decided I'm either not going to go back to the gynecologist at all or at least I'm going to find a new one.  I loved my previous doctor...she was fabulous.  She made you feel good about yourself - in fact, she made you feel good about being a woman!  She has moved to another part of the state and she is truly missed.  The woman who took her place doesn't treat her patients at all the same.  My sister and some of my friends have told me that their primary physicians say their gynecological appointments are no longer necessary.  I'm going to check and be sure, but I think this current doc is going by the wayside.

Not a very interesting post but some feelings have been documented!

Lily's very own space

Almost every Friday, my sister and I head out to do a little shopping/garage sales, a bite of lunch and pickleball.

I've been looking for a crate for Lily because she seems to like lounging in Sophie's crate.  In my opinion, Sophie's bed/crate is hers and hers alone.  She shouldn't have to share it.

I came upon this and once I made a cushion, I picked her up and tucked her inside.  She really likes it a lot and I believe she likes having her very own space, too!

Best yogurt yet!

I eat yogurt nearly every day.  I was buying (and eating) Light & Fit (no sugar, but artificially sweetened) and my daughter kind of gave me heck because it's not really a "healthy" thing to eat.

I haven't made yogurt for a long time.  While visiting said daughter, she had made yogurt in her Instant Pot.  It was fabulous yogurt, but I don't have an InstantPot!  I hate to buy one JUST to make yogurt, and if we all know that I'm not cooking much for us.

Anyway, I've decided that come Christmas time (Black Friday) the InstantPot goes on sale for quite a discount.  I've thought about it and think I'll get one for myself.  I plan to purge my slow cookers (I have two), my yogurt maker, my electric soup pot along with a few other big cooking vessels.

One appliance to replace several sounds like a good thing for me.  I'm working on losing weight via Jenny Craig, and once my weight is off, I plan to cook from the Skinnytaste cookbooks.  The woman who writes the books embraces the InstantPot, so I think I'm going to invest.

ANYWAY, to tell you about my best yogurt yet...

When making yogurt, you are to heat the milk to 180F.  I've done a lot of reading and found a woman who "swears" that if you keep your milk at 180F for 30 minutes, your yogurt will be creamier.  Ok...I tried doing that with the last batch and it was good.

Yesterday I made yogurt again.  I usually purchase Fage plain Greek yogurt to use as my starter.  Instead of my "regular", I purchased Chobani plain Greek yogurt and used it as my starter.  I heated the milk to 180F and held it at that temperature for 30 minutes.  Ice bath to bring the milk to 115F and add 2 TBL of yogurt and mix well.  Poured into a glass bowl and put it to "cook" in my yogurt maker for nearly 11 hours.  Then I put it in the fridge till morning.

In the morning, I stirred the yogurt and tasted it.  Not bad.  I put it in a piece of muslin and hung it from the cupboard handle and let the whey drain into a bowl for several hours.  When I put it in my yogurt container to set in the fridge to be used, I tasted it.  OHMYGOSH!!!  This is FABULOUS!  It's smooth, it's not sharp in flavor and the consistency is just incredible.

My new friend AND a request

This  gargoyle has given me a lot of chuckles in the last two days!

He came to me via FedEx delivery on Thursday morning.  I was expecting a coffee delivery on Friday and thought to myself, "It can't be the coffee...not due to arrive until tomorrow".

I picked up the box and looked at the label...from Wayfair.com.  I opened the box and to my surprise, there he was, smiling up at me.  I first thought that one of my daughters must have sent him, so I texted both and nope...not from them.

One daughter suggested typing in the order number on the website, but since I don't have an account there, that wouldn't work.  So, I called the customer service phone number and found that they are not permitted to give out that information!!!  Seriously?!  LOL!  Dear husband says to me while I'm on the phone with CS...ask them if you can guess and they might tell you that way.  Yep, she could do that!

I asked if it was Bonnie and the customer service rep answered, "YES!  It was Bonnie,"!!  We both had a good laugh and I thanked her for her time.

I need a name for him!  Can you help?  Leave a comment with your idea of a name for my handsome garden protector.  It will be tons of fun and I'll post his name when I make my decision.

Denise, you will be missed

My friend, Denise passed away today.  You were an inspiration on so many levels.  You touched so many lives by being kind, by being a fervent servant of the Lord and by being yourself.

FRAUD

Our credit card was compromised!!!  Someone has a card...with our number on it!!!  YIKES!  The credit card company declined the charge and we received an email.  I called the number on the back of my card...cause I'm a little paranoid about phishing scams.

Our account has been frozen and another card is on the way to us.  Boy, we will have a bunch of things to change because of this.

It's infuriating to me that people are so hellbent on being deceitful.    I guess it's the way things are now, but it's sad, isn't it.

Independence Day!

Enjoy your July 4th celebration!  We are not doing anything exciting today, but I am so grateful for our freedom.  

It's hot, hot, hot here...even too hot for the hubby and pup to go for a walk.  Be safe, be kind to one another and make someone smile today.

Christmas in June?

Early May was "Spring Clean Up" in our fair city.  It's a time of year when you can put nearly everything you want to purge on the curb.  The city will come and take it, free of charge (of course, by paying taxes, you have really paid).  Rick was walking Sophie and when he returned he said..."It's spring clean up, let's clean out the garage!  How could I shoot him down?  It needed cleaned out badly, since it had been years since we went through everything on the upper storage level. 

While cleaning, we threw out a bunch of stuff.  I didn't realize that when we moved here, nearly 30 years ago, Mama lived here, too.  With all of her belongings and all of our belongings (and moving to a smaller home with one more person under the roof) we didn't have a place for everything and we put a lot of stuff in the upper level of the garage.  

One of the great things about "Spring Clean Up" is that when you put things on your devil strip, pickers come to pick.  Things go fast!!  We took the first load of stuff to the curb and immediately, a truck turned around to see what "treasures" we were discarding.  I just love this...your stuff doesn't automatically go to the junk yard, others come to  see what they can use or scrap or whatever!!  By the time the trucks come to collect your refuse, most of it is gone.

Anyway, to get to the real purpose of this entry, we came across a ceramic Christmas tree I made back in 1970.  I just KNEW it should be somewhere, and I had looked for it a few times over the years in our attic.  There it was, resting in shredded newspapers and all dusty and grimy from nearly 30 years in the garage.  I brought it in, washed it thoroughly and ordered new light pegs from an online supply.  She turned out beautifully and I sent it off to daughter #2 who had been wanting one.  (No photo...duh, I forgot!)  But I'm visiting with daughter #2 before too long and maybe I'll snap a photo and post it then.

My sister and I have been garage sale gurus this year.  At one sale, I found an iridescent white ceramic Christmas tree.  I offered $5 and they said "yes!".  It had red birds as lights--of course several were gone and a few were broken.  It needed a good washing as I realized it had an unpleasant scent.  I took it all apart, put it in the stationary tub and gave it a good soak.  I got all the lights to come out, the glue softened and I was able to remove all that, too.  I ordered multicolored bird light pegs from an online supplier and went to town.  This is the end result.  I need to pick up a star for the top (I believe a ceramic supply store in the next town has them).  I'm so pleased with it!

New specs

Another visit to the eye doctor!  Woo hoo, I lead an exciting life!  After the laser zapping to remove the "wrinkle" from behind the implanted lens, I now have more of an astigmatism.  My vision is poor...20/60...so I need new lenses for my new glasses!  

I went to the optical store to see if I was within the 3 month free replacement time frame and NO, I was not!  (Figures, doesn't it!?)  However, the sweet woman manager fixed it so that there would be no charge.  GREAT news!

Rick went with me to the doctor appointment and we had planned to go to Denny's for brunch after the 10:00 appointment.  Ten o'clock is early for us to get up and out anymore, and today we didn't wake up until 8:30, so we had to hurry.  Rick's stomach got upset while we were at the doctor and didn't feel like getting brunch.  Oh well, that's ok.

Weekend ramblings on Monday!

The weekend has come and gone.  I cooked over the weekend...both Saturday and Sunday!  I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but I don't cook much anymore now that the kids are gone.  We eat out most evenings and that's ok, but it's good to be in the kitchen now and again.

I was cleaning out the pantry.  I've been wanting to clean the pantry for quite some time, but it seemed like an daunting task.  Rick made a pineapple upside down cake a few days ago and the brown sugar was rock hard.  I decided that I needed some new canisters, to keep that from happening.  I found some airtight containers at TJ Maxx and bought them, washed them, dried them and then decided they were not what I wanted.  Ok, I packed them back up and returned them.  After a lot of thought, I knew that Tupperware was what I needed.  I pulled out the canisters and tossed a bunch of stuff on the top shelf of the pantry.  I got online and looked at Tupperware items and decided what I wanted/needed and then got hold of a semi-local salesperson.

I am now signed up for an online (Facebook) Tupperware party.  I was a Tupperware Lady salesperson and manager back in the 70's, so I'm pretty familiar with the product.  

Since the top shelf cleanup went so well, on to the 2nd shelf.  (Slow and steady...one shelf at a time.)  Well, the second shelf went so well that I finished the entire pantry!  SO proud of myself!   I am going to measure my shelves in the pantry and hopefully cover them in contact paper.  Right now they are just unfinished particle board.

I hang a bunch of things on the pantry door and it was messy looking.  I took a shoe organizer and fashioned THIS!  Photo on the left is the top of the door and am planning on putting all of our travel drink containers.  The right photo is on the bottom of the door and holds our flashlight and 3 different rolling pins.

Today I had another appointment at the chiropractor.  My foot is getting better and my back (after today's visit) feels fabulous.  Hopefully I will continue to heal and regain the feeling in my whole foot.  (Yesterday I bashed my pinkie toe on the bad foot and thought I broke it.  Hurt all day yesterday -- in spite of the foot being numb on that side -- but today it is not sore, thank goodness.)

I have at least one more appointment with the chiropractor.  I am praying that this gets all healed and I'm able to play pickle ball again soon.

Bits

Not tons going on around here, but seems like I've got my fingers in this and that!

I'm doing this little quilt (for my dining room table) and have been working on getting it ready to be a hand sewing project.  This is the layout (although this photo isn't the complete layout, there is another round of white and then of red).  I was in a red/white charm swap many years ago.  I put the charms away and didn't know what to do with them.  I've been wondering about not making many quilts anymore...seems like everyone in my family has at least 2 quilts from me, and just how many do our family members need?!  I've made many quilts over the years and have given them to friends, loved ones, babies and some on commission, too.

Rick and I are going to go on a road trip before too long and our driving styles are vastly different.  In order to keep from gasping, sighing, clearing my throat and other annoying things when he's not driving like I think he should, if I have something to occupy my mind (like a hand-sewing project) we both have a better time!

On Sunday night, we were on our way to dinner and the sunset was beautiful.  I snapped this photo as Rick was driving.







Yesterday, I did FaceTime with Jennifer and the kids.  We had a silly time.  I miss them terribly (Todd, too).  I get mixed feelings...I am so happy to be able to chat, see and have fun with them via the computer, yet I get so sad that we are so far apart.  I have to hang up quickly to keep from showing my tears.  Bittersweet moments of life.

I just got off the phone with Kelly.  She's so busy!  It's wonderful to have time to talk to her, but would be even better if I could pop in on her now and again and help her with things.  I'm so fortunate to have wonderful family.                                                                                                Today I am running some errands.  I have been struggling with leg cramps every night and got up early this morning because I was tired of getting up, walking around and trying to get back to sleep several times through the night.  So far I've made 35 stuffed bones for Sophie and am ready to head out to pick up some things from several stores that we (I) need.  My list is ready, I'm dressed (even with shoes) and once I get my hair fixed and some lipstick on, I'm out the door.

Wrinkles...even in my eye!!

Late yesterday afternoon, I had an appointment with the ophthalmologist.  After having my cataract surgeries late last year I was having difficulty with my sight in the right eye.  The doctor said that I was in the small percentage that develops a "wrinkle/crinkle" behind the lens.  Woo hoo!  Lucky me!

He was going to laser it, but then one has to comply with the Medicare guidelines.  I had to wait an appropriate amount of time, my vision had to be compromised by a certain amount and I had to be crabbing about it.  Well, I met all the criteria!!  I have been complaining about the sight in my right eye for a long time!  Not to the doctor, however; but to Rick.  Poor Rick!

After going through the entire song and dance of my examination, the doctor did have time in his schedule to laser my eye.  27 "zaps" with the laser and my vision is MUCH better!

Evidently my left eye is going to get "wrinkled" behind the lens, too.  The doc can see it beginning, so at some point, that will have to have laser surgery, too.  Getting old isn't for the faint of heart!!

Sleep????? Not really.

Ahhhh, sweet sleep!  All the red lines are AWAKE times!  And the reason for each of those red lines is leg cramps.  What an absolutely awful night's sleep (or LACK of sleep, if you will).

My legs hurt so much today because of all the cramping done through the night and I need to be careful to not stretch, or the cramps are still coming today.

I am still going to the chiropractor for this sciatic nerve issue.  Someone told me that being manipulated can release toxins into  your system, so I'm kind of wondering if that can be cause of the severity of cramps.

My hand cream

I have a blog friend who makes her own hand cream.  Judy Laquidara's blog is called Patchwork Times.  She writes a fantastic blog and I love reading it daily.

She put her "recipe" for homemade hand cream on her blog and I made it over a year ago.  I absolutely love this cream.

Judy's recipe uses baby lotion, but I really don't like the scent of baby lotion, so I use a cocoa butter scented lotion.

Here's the recipe I used:

16 oz. cocoa butter scented hand lotion
2 jars (4 oz. each) vitamin E cream
1 jar (8 oz.) cocoa scented Vaseline

I put this into my Kitchen Aide mixer and mix the heck out of it.  This makes a lot of hand cream.  I fill the vitamin e cream jars and have a few other jars that I fill, too.  First time I made it, I wasn't prepared for how much it made and I didn't have enough jars, so I put a bunch into a pretty candy jar and have it on my nightstand.  I love using it this way, just dip my fingers in and get a little and put it on my hands (and feet) when I go to bed.

(Side note:  First time I made this, the Vaseline didn't incorporate well, so this time I put the Vaseline into my mixer bowl and put that into a dish pan filled with really hot water.  I melt the Vaseline and then mix everything together.)

Someone gave Judy a hard time because she called this her "homemade hand cream".  They said she couldn't call it homemade because she bought things and mixed them together!!!  Hahaha!  I make homemade stuff all the time from things I buy at the store!!  People get all bent out of shape over nothing sometimes!!

Sciatica

I've heard of sciatica.  I even had a little bout with it years ago...a pain then went down into the back of my thigh, but it went away in a relatively short period of time.

Last Saturday, February 10, we were at CLE.  We had just gone through US Customs and had been on our feet (after a 3.5 hour flight) for about 90 minutes.  We were waiting for our luggage when my left foot went "to sleep".  I shook my foot around and it felt a bit better, but within a few steps that feeling came back.  It stayed.

Over the weekend an awful thought went through my head.  I thought I probably had a stroke.  (My mind tends to go to the worst-case scenario.)  I was unpacking, putting things away and was dealing with a numb foot all the while.

Monday came and I thought..."I won't play pickleball today, probably not a good idea."  I took some Advil and plowed through things.  Then I thought, "I WILL play pickleball, perhaps the exercise will be good for me...maybe this is just a pinched nerve from the flight home from Mexico".  I went and played for about an hour and I was limping so badly that others were noticing I was having a problem.  I got ice and iced my back and my foot.

Tuesday morning I called the chiropractor that Rick has gone to in the past.  (I do not like chiropractors, so I asked Rick to go with me and stay with me.)  Well, I learned that I was suffering from sciatica and to my surprise, I learned that the sciatic nerve ends in your foot.

I have had 2 treatments and go back again on Monday.  The sole of my foot is still numb, but I have feeling in my toes now.  It's not a quick recovery or adjustment, but I am getting better.

The doctor has given me these instructions:  no sitting in my recliner with the leg rest up; put a pillow behind me and sit up straight; in bed, try to lay on my back with a pillow beneath my knees and if I need to lie on my side, put a pillow between my knees; don't cross my legs at the knees.

I'm looking forward to recovering completely from this.  It's a real PITA and PITF!

49th Wedding Anniversary Celebration

February 8th marked 49 years of marriage for Rick and me.  It's hard to believe that it's that long, on the other hand it seems we've been married forever.

We had a rough start to 2018 with us both being sick, some seasonal affective disorder and the feeling that the flu was making a second attack on me.  We made a visit to the doctor a few days before a scheduled trip and he assured us we were well enough to travel and thought it would be the best thing for us.  He gave me 2 prescriptions to take and we flew out of Cleveland on Saturday, February 3 to Cancun, Mexico.

We had a fabulous trip!  It was raining as we left the Cancun airport, but by the time we arrived at our resort the rain had stopped and we had an entire week of sunshine and 80F+ weather.  We relaxed, we enjoyed and it WAS the best thing for us.

Lots of photos to remind me of the wonderful time these two old lovebirds had on their 49th!

 Life together is better.