Guess What Day It is?

Hump Day! and Mammogram Day. So, my very first mammogram was one done with me feeling a bit panicked and miserably anxious. My boob hurt and it turned out that all was well and I have fibrocystic breasts. I didn't have cancer like how I feared. The person who gave me a mammogram was very sweet, young, and had the most gentle touch. This person was the best person ever to give a person like myself her first mammogram. The procedure was nothing like how people described. Most people describe it as a really horrible and painful experience. Well, then, there is today. Today, was my second mammogram ever. However, it was my first annual check up. This time I got a very large woman who was 2 to 3 of me wide. She had the nicest smile. She also got down to business very quickly and handled me like silly putty. She smashed my boobs as flat as they could go. It was a most uncomfortable painful experience. This lady really man-handled me. My poor boobs.

New Furniture

After 20 years of marriage we finally buy a brand new living room suit. We've always made do with hand me downs from my mom-in-law and they've always been just fine.

When we bought this home we bought used furniture from our friend Marty. It lasted until just recently. Our dog, Josie, was scared during a thunder storm and tried to dig a hole to China into the seat cushion of our sofa.

I did not strangle her but don't think I didn't think about it. Instead of using tax money to replace our sliding patio doors with French doors, we were in need of living room furniture.

So, without further adieu:






All three pieces recline. Oh the sweet luxury of back support and reclining delight.

The recliner in the far corner is a power recliner. One push of a button and it automatically lies you down so gently. No leg strength needed to rise back up. Just another push of a button.

Ahhh.

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Jump Rope

It's just me...jumping rope. I hope to get better at this. I want to look like those boxers in training with all their fancy foot work. :)

Happy Baptism to You

Over the weekend, I went to my first Catholic baptism. A friend from long ago reconnected with me on Facebook. K and I bought her beer once when she was underage and she was just a few years younger than me. Since she was the baby of the bunch one of our friends dubbed her Jail Bait. Horrible, I know, but Kacy is an easy going soul and didn't mind at all or never showed that she did. Hey, we bought her beer so she grinned and beared it. All of my memories of her are fond ones.

So, fast forward to today. Kacy's mom is dying from cancer. Her mom is Catholic and from my understanding Kacy isn't practicing. Kacy's son is in his tweens to early teens and her mom requested he be baptized to give her peace of mind before she passed.

What's Kacy going to say? She, of course, is going to be a good daughter and follow through and her son didn't balk (I don't think) in giving his grandmother this gift.

Kacy and family live in Austin but her parents still live in Nac and she extended an invite to my family to attend the baptism here in town. She confessed to me that (unknown to me) I have been her inspiration to her to get through this with her mom in knowing I recently went through this too.

I'm not a religious person and probably even less so after watching my mom get eaten alive by the big C. That news in itself would deeply sadden my mom, I know. Even though my mom asked the age old question, "Why me, God?" she never lost her faith.

And I'm not here to talk about religion necessarily. I just wanted to say watching that boy being baptized in front of his family and friends was an absolute honor to be included in on. I can appreciate the very large gift he gave his grandmother so she can have peace inside herself and not feel worried what would become of him.

It was a joyous feeling even to me when we sang, "Happy Birthday" to Asher on the evening of his baptism.

My friend has a tough road to go down. Her mom's story isn't done yet. May their hearts and minds be strong to continue their journey.

Asian Market

New Asian grocery store in Nac. Hot damn. Be still my beating heart. Finally!!













It felt a little like home when we walked in and took it all in. One of the employees smiled at O and gave her a piece of candy from the counter. You rarely encounter such gestures in locally owned stores and you'll never see that in Kroger or Wmart.

I hope they do well and stick around.

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Recipe Sunday

What a fantastic Sunday it was. I miss it so.

I tried out a new recipe for Sunday's dinner. We wanted something light but a bit hearty.

I decided to try out Paula Deen's Broccoli Salad.

You can find the recipe here: Broccoli Salad

One out of five stars: I rate it four stars.

I didn't give it five only because it would never be a favorite dish of mine. However, I would make this again, no doubt. Also, instead of making this the meal it would be perfect to make as a side dish. I knew that going in, but since we wanted a lighter dinner we opted for this as the main meal.

We included sunflower seeds. Next time, I think I will grate some carrots into the dish too. This called for raisins but we aren't big on raisins being in our food. However, I don't think I would mind adding Craisins.

We both have this dish as leftovers for today's lunch. Instead of throwing the crumbled up bacon straight into the mixture I kept it separated. Even now we have our bacon pieces in a ziploc bag to keep it from getting soggy in the salad.

I can't wait to eat it again today at lunch. :)

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

Some people thrive on this day with big smiles and great expectations. Some people are sad, miserable, and perhaps bitter on this day.

I've always thought of it as a Hallmark holiday when it came to couples. Run out to buy cards, candies, flowers, etc. I've always thought what a big waste of money. Maybe, I thought like this because my hubby has always taken pretty good care of me. Perhaps, that's why I can snub my nose at this one big special day out of the year made for lovers. I have a great lover who thinks about me, takes care of me, and spoils me.

Now that I have a kid...Valentine's has become special to me.

My parents had always made Valentine's Day special for me as a kid and up until I was a grown married woman. I would see my dad get my mom a heart shaped box of chocolates and he would get me a special box just for me too. They would always pick out something neat like a heart pendant necklace or some dangling heart earrings. I think my mom stop sending me Valentine's gift when i was in my mid-20s. She basically said, "Do you think it's okay if Mommy stop sending you Valentine's gifts?" I said, "of course." My mom then said, "Tell K that it's all his responsible now. Not Mommy and Daddy's any more."

:)

K ended up getting O a Minnie Mouse doll that she adores. He found her some long spiral lollies too, which she doesn't know about yet. She loved the card he chose too. It was thrilling to watch her get so excited over these things.

I was more excited for her than I was for me.

K did get me some nice thoughtful gifts. I now have a case for my Nexus, chocolates, and a dvd that I've been wanting to see.

My honey got manly things like: men's face care kit, cologne, hair products, etc. Hrm...looking at what I got him I probably should have gotten him a toiletry bag, as well. :)

I have hearts all over my house and all over my office door. Hearts that my kid made at daycare. So with kid now...some of these holidays feel so different now. I guess it's more fun and thrilling to show her all about these holidays that used to just feel like another day to me.

DIY - Tutu

Over the past week I made my child a tutu by following this video tutorial:



I followed everything and made a nice looking tutu. However, it still came out too big for my kid. I guess next time I would make the elastic band about 4-6 inches smaller than the measurement of waist.

It was nice to create something new and different. :)

Xmas Spirit 2012

 

We really outdid ourselves with lights this year. We haven't been the type to really go outside of the house with decorating for Xmas. The most I used to do was put a wreath on the door, hang shiny plastic ornaments from a tree, and frame the bay window with lights. We decided to slowly add to our festive lights by buying one thing on sale after Xmas every year. Last year we started this with the little mini deer. We'll try to find his mate this time around. This year K found the light up candy canes and snowflakes at the dollar store. Score! :)

 

This is also the first year together we got a real tree. K grew up with real trees and this is my first ever.

 

I love my little fiber optic tree my mom in law found for me many years ago. It goes up and gets plugged in every year. I will be sad the day it stops working.

 

The spirit stays strong within me. I started my salt dough ornaments for the holidays. O likes the idea of them but still has a hard time finding a lot of interest in them for too long. I figure I will paint all of them this year with a base color and let her either finger print decorations on them or use objects to imprint different shapes of colors onto them to make it a little different. I've already made two batches of ornaments. One I took to a friends so our daughters could paint together and the second batch just for us to work on and give away as keepsakes.

I'm trying to not stress about anything Xmas related this year. So far, so good.

Spec-tacular?

So, this is me now. I have prescrition eye wear and I'm suppposed to wear them. This is going to be different.

I found myself in a cape...

I took the day off from work today. I woke up and got the household up and ready for green smoothies and breakfast. I drank green smoothie, had morning discussions with O, and then took a Xanax. Kreg and I took the little one to school.

He and I then went for donuts. He also took the day off. He wanted to drive me to my mammogram appointment.

I've been having aches and pains since June. I tell docs I've had it since July like one month later makes me less embarrassed that I waited until September to finally see my doc about these new predicament.

He gave me a thorough breast exam and made mention of fibrocystic changes in my breasts. I guess that was better than "oh, what's this lump?"

He thought that the consistent feel of my breasts and symmetric look, etc wasn't anything for me to worry about. However, to play it safe, I should get a mammogram done.

Not only did I go through a very thorough breast exam, but now needed a mammogram. I wasn't happy about this. I'm a weirdo and do not like for my boobs to be poked and prodded and it stems from a childhood injury to one of my breasts that felled me to my knees from intense pain. Since then I'm almost phobic of my buds to be handled so thoroughly and not so gently.

I had to wear a cape instead of a robe. It covered my naked front very well. Once my boobs were exposed for X-ray my coverlet became a super hero's cape. I felt kind of awkward standing there exposed in a cape. Near the end I kind of chuckled with the thought of standing there bare breasted with my cape around my neck and flowing down my back. This character would possibly do well in the comic book circuit. I'm not sure how this character would protect herself, though.

It took me a little over a month to finally make my mamm appointment. After doing so I asked my doc for some liquid courage that came in pill form. Xanax.

You cannot drive on Xanax, so they say, even though I know plenty who do so. So, my hubby, decided to join me in my appt and be my chauffeur and also my cheer up buttercup coach.

The pill helped me get through my appt. without much anxiety or diarrhea. Ha. No nervous stomach. Nice.

My mammogram...wow, what an easy process and not painful at all. I've heard so many war stories from other women how horrible and painful it was to have your breasts in a vice grip. Maybe my lady was super gentle? It was a fast process and not bad at all.

So, after all this...my breasts are in the clear. Thank goodness. With my Mom's death so fresh still I was almost panicked I had the big C. A lot of thoughts have been going round and round in my head. I finally have some peace in my head again.


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Halloween 2012

 This year's annual Halloween party was on 3 November. It kind of took away from our Halloween spirit, since we were kind of tapped dry with Halloween. We celebrated Halloween like three times already from all the things the kid had for the holiday. Also, it began to rain like crazy with lightning and thunder. Once we heard that the location of the party had yet to see any rain (they live like 10 miles out of town) we decided to go ahead with it, especially since we had gotten our cousin to babysit for the night. Getting a babysitter is a rare occasion for us. Our friends the MRTs came to pick us up in the hubby's big bubba truck. That was a treat. :)

Everyone looked so great. K and I put minimal effort into our costumes this year. However, K always does well with his costume no matter if he goes low budget or high maintenance. He got the job done by creeping everyone out with his slaughtered pig look.

 

And here I am with mask too, but I didn't go the creepy route. My costume was supposed to be of a Mardi Gras person. I wore a ton of beads that are a part of my kid's treasure chest. Her Gammy supplied her with many mardi gras beads. The kid asked if I was an owl. Why didn't I think of that? That would have been a cooler costume. :)

One of my favorite costumes of the night was my friend, Ruby. She went as Captain Kangaroo. The sad part was many of the younger peeps in the crowd had no clue who that was. :)

Her costumes almost always bring me joy. :)

Comfort Foods

My boss gave me the day off yesterday and looking back I should have taken a nap. However, I wouldn't have gotten a ton of things done. I can also add this recipe to my list of accomplishments: Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

Boy, howdy, was it tasty!

I didn't know if the kid would like it so I also made some corn on the cob and sliced up apples. The kid devoured everything. :)

Coffee Dates & Halloween Plates

I met up with one of my fav girls, Merci. A girlfriend date was much needed. We had planned for fro yo and coffee. However, we never got around for fro yo. We never left Starbucks. Coffee was deliciousness and we fed our sweet tooth too.



I could have stayed there all day catching up with M. If I had my pants would no longer fit. Probably a good thing we finally left. ;)

After, I hit up the Turner's casa to spend a little bit of time with Molly T. Mostly, so old gal could get a bathroom break.

I checked in to casa Momo and soon left for Hobby Lobby. It was so hard to not buy up everything that caught my eye.

I bought some letters to join a large 'M' on the wall.



We bought these very fun porcelain plates:



I told K we had to leave and now before I bought anything else, especially for Oli's room.

I had a lot of indulgences today, which isn't a bad thing. :)

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Blast from the Past

I was going through some documents on my work machine looking for a spreadsheet I need to work on. I came across this great memory from my skating days. I came up with shout outs for the announcer for all of our skaters. Read on and be slightly amused. :)

Bad Apple:  Don’t dare to try and take a bite.  This one is a trouble-maker and will bite back.  It only takes one to spoil the bunch.  BAAAAAD APPPPLE

Bitter Kraut:  She’s blonde, she’s cute...she's a side-dish from Deutschland that'll knock the taste right outta your mouth!  BIIIIITTTTEEER KRRRAAAAUT

Chay Your Prayers:  Once this firecracker bowls you over and smashes your pride, don’t sit there and lose faith.  You best bet is to just CHAAAAAY YOUR PRAAAAYERS!

Chocolate Fusion:  Don’t let her sugary smile fool you.  Even though she’s a luscious bit of fudge, she’s got a short fuse and holds a large grudge.  CHOCOLATE FUSION!

Crash McQueen:  Hold on to your belongings and protect your loved ones because once she comes your way she’ll destroy whatever is in her path.  Collision is her passion and wrecking is her MO.  Craaaaaassssh McQuuuueeeeen!

Cynda’ Ambulance:  Clear the path!  Don’t mess around or you’ll get hurt.  Watch yer rear or this skater will roll right over you.  Call 9-1-1!  Cynda’ Ambulance!

Goody Nuff:  You think you got what it takes?  Think you’ve got the right stuff?  She plays hard and skates even harder.  She’s ready to take you on because she knows she’s Goody Nuff.

La La Boom Dee Ay:  TnT – she’s tough and trouble.  Don’t get too close because once she goes off she’ll rattle your teeth and knock you on your rear.  Let’s hear it for LA LA BOOOOOM DEE AY!

Madame Furie:  A hurricane of destruction and fury.  When this spitfire is unleashed upon the track you’ll want to protect your soft spots.  She’s fast, fierce, and furious - a triple threat on wheels.  MADAM FURIE!!!

No Merci:  Get down on your knees and beg for mercy.  Cry and plead…even beg if you must…but all you’ll get is NOOOOOO MEEEERCIIII!!!

Rainbow Fright:  A girl who uses the colors of the rainbow to color our world with terror and mayhem.  Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue…and if you run into this skater she’ll make sure it’s black and blue….RAINBOW FRIGHT!

Red D’vicious:  Red on the head and fire in the…hold on to yer hats and get out of her way or be subject to the malicious Red D’vicious.

Roly Ghost:  This paranormal phenomenon on wheels will show you the meaning of hellfire and damnation. When you shiver because you've just seen a ghost, you'll know you've just been passed by the unholy skating specter ROOOOOOOOLY GHOST!

Ruby Trap:  Don’t let this lovely catch you off-guard because once she is triggered she’s explosive!  Be wary of this dangerous pitfall….RUUUUBBBY TRRRAAAP!

Seoul Crusher:  Soju in her veins and Kimchi on her breath, this firey cherry blossom will knock you flat and make you lose all hope....it's SEOOOOOUL CRUSHERRRRRR

Stonecipher:  Don’t make a mistake and let your guard down because like wrecking ball she’ll smash you!  You best check yo’self before she wrecks you!  STONECIPHER!!

New 'Do

It's been a while since I got a haircut. I didn't get anything fancy...just a trim, basically. My stylist decided to straighten my hair this time. I think it's because for the first time he gave me a dry hair cut and smoothed out my frizz with the straightener before sending me back to work. I really like it. It's too bad I'm so bad at doing my own hair and won't be able to replicate this straight style. So, instead, I take a photo or several to document it.


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Hello, It's Me

New recipes I've tried from Pinterest:

Crockpot Beef and Broccoli - This was pretty tasty. I think this might be on an every now and again rotation in my house.

Two Ingredient Lemon Bars - This wasn't bad. It was tastier to me than the angel food cake with pineapples recipe. I could see making this again. My bars did not look like the photo in the link. My bars deflated and ended up being a sticky mess when you tried to cut them. Not a big deal since I wasn't serving it to anyone other than ourselves. The bars were also sweet enough to do without the powdered sugar, I think. Also, lemon pie filling...who needs a cake mix really...I could just dip a spoon over and over again into the jarred lemon pie filling.

Weekend:

I got to bowl this weekend! I haven't bowled in ages. The last time I bowled I was pregnant. I must admit bowling while pregnant for me gave me a huge advantage (no pun intended). I think the large belly gave me some sort of super balance that allowed me to bowl wicked strikes continually. I even got my first Turkey, which is three strikes in a row! This time, though, I didn't do so hot. I got a 92 and only one strike, which happened to be my very last roll. I guess I needed an almost two hour game to finally warm up for one measly strike. Heh.

Overall:

I have been busy with mommy stuff. I have been busy at work. When it comes to me, overall, I have been stagnant. I need to do something other than mommy stuff. However, it's hard to find the time. When there is time I get mighty lazy. I need to get around the laziness.

It's so easy to lose myself behind the tv screen or even my iPhone screen. What happened to the days when I could waste time playing video games? Those days seem so long ago.

New Recipes

Last night I tried out a recipe for homemade Spaghettios. K and I enjoyed it more than the little one. My friend reminded me adults tend to like homemade as little ones usually go for boxed or canned.

I think that is true especially when you start them out on boxed or canned. I guess I started O out on a bad  palette for a tomato based pasta.

I guess all I can hope is if I keep making it she'll eventually get used to it. I hate buying the canned Spaghettios because I can taste the metal from the can.

Here's the recipe I found and used:DIY Homemade Spaghettios

Another recipe I tried out that K and I like but little O does not: Pineapple Angel Food Cake
The only thing I didn't do is add the whipped cream. I bet if I had done a layer of whipped cream on top she might have liked it a bit more or perhaps just licked off all the cream. :)

Thunder Coat in Action

I'm sorting laundry and Josie won't leave my side as thunder quakes the house. The Thunder Coat seems to keep her from panting and shaking, which is a huge improvement.

Another trick that seems to keep Josie calm before we bought the Thunder Coat is to wedge her into a tight space. We learned this from the movie "Temple Grandin".

Let's Dine!

I like it. I like it a lot.

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