I dusted off the treadmill

Yep!  I did.

Monday after a doctor appt. I crossed the street to shop at Kohl’s.  I received two gift cards to Kohl’s and have been badly in need of clothing, so I thought I’d shop while the sales were on.

It was kind of depressing.

No, that’s not me but she’s plastered her picture all over the internet so I didn’t think she’d mind me using it.  That’s kind of what I looked like when I tried on pants!

So, this morning I used my inhalers, put my O2 back on, dusted off the treadmill and walked on it…for a whole 10 minutes.  Hopefully tomorrow I will do 20 minutes, but I was very pleased with myself for even getting on it at all.  It’s been way too long.  I need to use the Total Gym, too.

There are all kinds of evil things still lurking in the house.  Cookies, coffee cake, desserts, crackers, etc.  I decided the best thing to do was feed them to my son, who is muscular and skinny.  He can burn them off better than I can!  He likes this plan, too.

This morning when his school was done I served him some warm coffee cake with Peppermint Mocha Coffee.  He loves me.

I will go try to burn off some more calories doing laundry, dishes, sweeping and so forth.  I need a calorie counter.  Anyone want to mail me one?

Gaylord Opryland Resort

Today my parents took us to visit the Gaylord Opryland Hotel as part of our Christmas present.  Jim wasn’t able to go because he was working, but Ryan and I were able to and really enjoyed it.

I took about 80 pictures and wanted to share so many of the, so I squeezed some of them into collages so you would get a taste of the place.  If you have been there, you realize that pictures just don’t do justice to the size and grandness of the place.  (My husband was saying “You’re driving 2 1/2 hours to visit a MOTEL?”)

There is a river that flows through the motel and Ryan and my mother went on the riverboat tour.  While they did that, Dad and I were reading some of the plaques alongside the river.  It said that water was collected from 1700 sites around the world and blended into the river.  They listed all of the bodies of water it was taken from, categorized by state and country.  Very cool!

I think one of my favorite parts of the place were the old buildings throughout.  They looked like something out of Savannah and here they were INSIDE the motel and under the huge glass ceiling.  That it was a beautiful sunny day outside just added to the experience – I wouldn’t think it would be so pleasant if it was cloudy and rainy outside!

After we left the place my parents treated us to supper at the Olive Garden.  Mmm!  I’m still full!

Christmas on Earth

I say "Christmas on earth" because I’m thinking a lot of my friends who have gone to Heaven this year and celebrating it there.  I’m also listening to Janet Parshall’s radio program on Heaven right now.  (“The best is yet to come!”)

But we had a very enjoyable Christmas here in our earthly home yesterday.

My parents arrived for Christmas Brunch.  We had

Christmas Casserole

Fresh Fruit Salad

Coffee Cake

Orange Juice

After that Jim read the Christmas Story.

Then we opened Christmas gifts.

Here are some pictures from our day.

Look at the mess we made in the middle of the floor!  We always rearrange the furniture so we have a big open space in the middle of the floor and bring a boom box in for Christmas music.

Every year there are some presents that are difficult to open.  My dad is always right there, whipping out his handy pocket knife for us.  So this year I just had to get a picture of him doing the honors!

You can see the two fingers that were cut off by a table saw many years ago.

After opening gifts I got the ham in the oven.

Our dinner was

Spiral Ham w/ Pineapple Sauce

Potato Casserole

Baked Corn Casserole

Steamed Broccoli

Cherry Coke Salad

Olives and Pickles

Crescent Rolls

Sparkling Grape Juice

2 Homemade Cheesecakes

(Plain and Chocolate)

I’m very thankful that we live near my parents now and are able to spend holidays together with them.  Before we were 11 hours away and many holidays we couldn’t get away and spent by ourselves.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day!  Next time I have some computer time (Ryan is a computer hog!) I plan to visit your blogs and find out about your Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you all!  Everyone liked this picture so much, I thought I would share it again.

Don’t forget to pray for those who are going through Christmas for the first time with a loved one missing.  Especially those who have lost someone just recently.

AND DON’T FORGET JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!

A peek at what I won

 

You didn't think I'd really show you more of me in a robe, do you? I tried getting Ryan to model it for me - lol - he wasn't even touching that one! So I tried using the self-timer but all of the shots of my face and my 10 chins was just hideous. Thank God for cropping.

This is the beautiful spa robe that I won through the 5 Minutes for Mom GiveAway. They were giving them away at the Academy Awards to celebrities and it is soooo plush! I love it! Makes me feel special. Even if I look big as a hippopatamus in it! lol

Sorry I haven't blogged much. I always say that, don't I? We had a scare here on Sunday and I wanted to write about it, but was asked to keep it from my sister so I didn't want her reading it on my blog. Her son and his family is visiting her for the coming week so I doubt she will take time for visiting here...

So, Sunday morning the phone woke me up. It was my mom. She had woke with her arm and hand numb and swollen and couldn't get feeling back in them. When she got up she found my dad in the bathroom in a semi-conscious state. Not sleepy. Actually, semi-conscious. His body was rigid and he was staring ahead and was all gray. She yelled his name over and over and he didn't respond for a while. He said later that he could hear her, but couldn't respond. Eventually she got him up and got him to the bed, instructing each step. He was still very stiff and his color was bad. She took his bp and it was very low. We thought he'd had a mini-stroke. Dad didn't want her calling an ambulance. I got Ryan up and we went rushing up to their place. It's about 50 min. away but I made it in better time than that!

Along the way I called my sister in IL to tell her what was going on. My brother-in-law answered her cell phone and said she was in the hospital. WHAT?!? I asked when he was planning on telling us. She had been in pain all the previous day and taken to the ER Sat. night and admitted. They thought it was bowel obstruction. He told me he didn't want her knowing about my parents because she was already very stressed and it was counter-productive to her getting better. Kathi went home from the hospital late Monday. The surgeon and the admitting dr. didn't agree on what was wrong or the treatment, so they sent her home! We're just hoping it doesn't act up again. Two of her grown kids are visiting, along with her daughter-in-law and granddaughter.

Ryan helped with lifting my dad and helping him walk on Sunday. He has swallowing problems and I fixed him an egg omelet for breakfast for some strength. Mom couldn't do much because she couldn't use her one hand. She has a pinched nerve and it's really getting bad.

My dad had started a new medicine on Saturday evening and we think it made his bp bottom out. This happened once before, the week after his 2nd bypass surgery. Needless to say, he's not taking that medicine anymore. Scared us all to death, especially my mom.

Yesterday I took Ryan to the zoo for Orientation and he will be starting his volunteer job there January 2nd, working about 10 hours a week. If his schooling doesn't suffer we'll increase the hours. He's very excited!

So, other than the typical Christmas activities, that's what's been happening in our house.

Chocolate Cheesecake recipe

I lost this recipe many years ago and have looked for it every since because we had loved it so much.

The other day my sister called and said "I have a question for you about your Chocolate Cheesecake recipe" and I said "I wish I could help, but I lost it." She told me that I had emailed the recipe to her back around 2001, so she had it!!!! I am soooo excited!



Here is the recipe. I know you all will love it and would love to hear from you after you've made it. It is SOO yummy!



CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

1 c. crushed chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
(If you can't find chocolate "vanilla wafers", use chocolate graham crackers.)
3 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. margarine, melted

Filling:

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (12 oz. bag)
2- 8oz. pckgs. cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto bottom of 9" springform pan. Set aside. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate chips until smooth. Set aside.

In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add flour and beaten eggs, beat on low just until combined. Stir in vanilla and melted chocolate until just blended. Pour over crust. This will be very thick, like frosting.

Bake at 350degrees for 40-45 minutes until center is almost set. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Carefully run knife around edge of pan to loosen. Cool 1 hour longer. Chill 8 hours or overnight. Remove sides of pan.

Unless we are serving it right away, I like to cut it right away and put it into a freezer container so I can remove how many slices we want about 1 hr. before we are wanting them.

CF Clinic outcome

Well, yesterday I drove my 3 hours to Nashville to visit the CF clinic. I took them a large gift bag with several smaller bags inside. Two bags of caramel corn, 2 bags of biscotti and 2 of Fudgy Christmas Shapes!

I am now known as "The Popcorn Lady." Everyone was asking "Are you The Popcorn Lady?" and saying how it was the best they ever had and they couldn't believe I MADE it. I told my mom it made me feel POWERFUL to know I could create something that caused such a STIR! lol

As for my visit, itself, my PFT was good. For me. It was 44%, which is about my baseline. My 02 sats was 95%, which should have been higher considering I was on 2% 02 when they checked it, but the dr. said maybe it was from the walk from the waiting room to the patient room.

The only change will be increasing my enzymes. I didn't used to be pancreatic insufficient (PI), but it's been going downhill as I age and I've been taking 4 enzymes with meals & snacks and because of symptoms I've been having they said I need at least 6. I'm to play around with them a little.

On the way home I stopped at Olive Garden for supper. I took my book in and enjoyed a solitary, quiet and delicious supper of Chicken Gnocchi Soup and Saladm. Mmmm!

This afternoon I'm going to make my husband's favorite Christmas cookie - Butternut Snowballs. I'm also going to make a Chocolate Cheesecake to put in the freezer for Christmas Day. I'm making a plain cheesecake for that day, too, at my mom's request, and I only have one springform pan so that's why I'm making one ahead of time.

Sorry, no pictures. I need to get with it and start taking more pictures to I can post some. Hmmm, I did take this one of my silly son the other day. Well, I'd better not post it. He threatened me with all kinds of things if I would ever post it. I'll leave it up to your imagination!

Clinic tomorrow

This morning I had my final crown put on at the dentist and this afternoon I made my 4th batch of caramel corn and a 2nd batch of Orange Almond Biscotti. I need to finish dishes and get supper going.

I bushed! I think I'll nap in the recliner this evening.

Tomorrow I go to the CF clinic at Nashville, so a big day.

Fudgy Button recipe

Mari asked for my Fudgy Button recipe. I found it in Quick Cooking Premiere Issue many years ago and it's the perfect recipe if you have a strong chocolate craving. It throws together in just a few minutes, uses basic ingredients, and only makes a little bit so you don't tend to overeat!

FUDGY BUTTONS

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 1/2 tsp. baking cocoa
1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. milk
2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

In a small saucepan, melt the butter; remove from heat. Add cocoa and mix well. Stir in sugar. Add milk and stir until smooth. Add peanut butter and mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Flatten tops and shape into 1" patties.

I put mine in the freezer to harden faster - probably because I'm so impatient to have one! I store them in a small container in the freezer and grab one out for a treat once in a while.

But the recipe does not make much, as you can imagine from the quantities. It says it makes 1 1/2 dozen, but that depends on the size of your buttons/patties.

Yesterday I just smoothed out the fudge while soft onto waxed paper and put it into the freezer. When it had hardened I cut out Christmas shapes with mini cutters and put them in these cute boxes I found at the Dollar Tree Store. Ryan says they look like a professional did them!


If you give plates of Christmas cookies as gifts, these would be nice to add to the cookie plate.

I won a 5Min4Mom GiveAway!

You see that button to the right of my blog? The one that says "Christmas Giveaway"?

They contacted me the other day and said that I won the Celebrity Gifts contest! I won a spa robe and a $30 gift card to Edible Gifts Plus!!!! If you want to check out what I won just follow this link.

So, next year click on that button to the right and enter some contests!

I love winning! (I'm trying for a years worth of groceries on another GiveAway and $25,000 cash on another. This are the biggies I'm hoping for, so I can pay off some medical bills!)

Day of REST??????

Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, but it never seems to be for me. I usually end up doing laundry and meals for Jim to take in the truck.

Today after church I made lunch.

As soon as I was done cleaning up afterward I made a batch of Caramel Corn.

Once I got that in the oven I made my Fudgy Button recipe and tripled it because it doesn't make much. Instead of shaping it into buttons I spread it on waxed paper, put it in the freezer and then cut shapes with tiny Christmas cutters.

I did dishes, cleaned up, then MADE ORANGE ALMOND BISCOTTI.

Then I had a little problem. When I put a cookie sheet into the oven with the biscotti, I didn't realize the hot pad had stuck to the bottom of it. I didn't realize it until I went to pull the sheet out of the oven and it was stuck fast. It actually melted down and was dripping from the rack to the bottom of the oven. So I had THAT mess to clean up!

After that I filled bags of goodies. What my husband and son hadn't swiped, anyhow. Jim wanted some for giving to people on his route and I wanted some for my oxygen delivery guy and for the CF clinic (I go this Wednesday.) - that's why I was making it. Well, Jim thinks I have absolutely NOTHING to do or something because he starts asking for more. "I really ought to give this person something" "I really ought to give that person something." HELLO!!!! I said it's easy for him to want to hand this out to everyone when I do all of the work. I ended up spending 4 1/2 hours straight in the kitchen and from what he's telling me, he'll take everything I just made and I'll have to make stuff all over again for my people! I don't THINK so! I gave him 3 bags of caramel corn and 2 of biscotti.

I made them fend for themselves for supper, since I made a hot meal for after church, and then I got together 4 meals for on the road this week, plus made 3 pitchers of iced tea to fill 11 bottles for him to take with him.

Then did dishes AGAIN.

That was my day of REST!

(Sorry there are no pictures. I could have taken one of the caramel corn, or the biscotti, or the shaped fudge, or the dirty dishes or the melted hot pad...but I was just too tired to stop and get my camera.)

Candlelight Tour

I love our little historic town! It has such a close-knit feel to it and they do so many things.

This weekend they had "Christmas in the Streets." The town was decorated so pretty and roped off. The shops had specials and refreshments and they had carolers and instrumentalists lined up to perform in the streets all day. Stands were set up to sell things and there was a parade. I took Ryan down and dropped him off. I thot he'd be there an hour or two, but he hooked up with some friends from Youth Group and ended up having so much fun he stayed for 6 hours. He helped a vendor tear his booth down, he held someone's music for them who didn't have a music stand. He rode on our church float as a shepherd when someone didn't show up.

In the evening they started a Candlelight Tour of our historical mansion. It was built in the 1800's and was a headquarters and then hospital during the Civil War. Our church was in charge of the tour this year and decorated it for Christmas in keeping with the period of the house. They had choir members on a 2nd floor terrace singing Christmas carols and someone in the "warming kitchen" serving hot cider and cookies at the end.

My parents, husband, son and I went on the tour. It was very cold out, especially for Georgia, and it was difficult walking from the car to the mansion. Even wearing my oxygen I felt like I was almost at a standstill when we were halfway. But the tour was so pretty and interesting.

We couldn't take pictures, but I found these two pictures online.


These pictures just DO NOT do it justice, but it gives you a little idea of what it looks like.



The last two pictures were ones I took Fall 2008. The last one is of the slave quarters just to the rear of the mansion.

Update on Alan Henley

I've often posted about Alan Henley. Alan is a former stunt pilot who suffered an accident in their back yard in June of 2008, leaving him paralyzed.


Last night Alan was taken by ambulance to the ER. He had autonomic dysreflexia, which they have corrected. He has fluid in his lungs and they found that he has had a mild heart attack at some point. He was transferred to UAB hospital today and is in the ICU there.

Jen pulled some muscles in her back this past weekend when lifting Alan. She is in a lot of pain and has been under terrible stress with the full responsibility of caring for him and their two small children.

Please be in prayer for Alan and Jill. You can follow their updates and leaving encouraging messages on their Caring Bridge site.

Christmas Tree and Santa's

I've been practicing getting pictures of our tree with the sparkle and have some better shots.




I like being able to see the reflection of our tree in the mirror over the fireplace.


My mom painted all of the Santa's that are on the mantel. Look at the detail on some of them.





Her eyes don't allow her to do them anymore and she finished her last one last year. They are very special to us because of all of the time and effort she put in to them.

Christmas Tree & Santa’s

Might not be Private after all

This evening I went to change my settings on my blog, to take it Private.  In the process I saw the selection where you could make your blog not listed when someone uses a search engine.  I changed that and don’t think Ryan’s birthmother could find my blog now, especially since all she knows is a few first names.  So, right now I’m going to keep my blog public.  Subject to change in the future, of course, but for right now…

Today we decorated for Christmas.  My husband and son brought everything down and Ryan put up the tree.  I decorated the tree while Jim decorated the house.

Well, Jim did the lights for me.

I hate that job and was glad he started doing it without me even asking!

We’ve had our tree for eons and each year Ryan would always crawl in the empty tree box and play.  This year he was remembering that and wanted to see if he still fit.

Yep!  All 5’ 10” of him!  And don’t look at his clothes – some days he still doesn’t care if they match!

Rico got in on the fun with him.

Then Ryan ASKED me to take his picture in front of the tree.

I wish I could get all of the glitter and shine to show on the tree.  It’s decorated in blue and crystal and pearl and silver.  It really shines and glistens, but when I take pictures it just doesn’t show.

Pies and more pies

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  I’ve been putting in overtime getting ready for Thanksgiving.

I had to get some early shopping done, then had food to prepare to contribute to the meal.  We all went to my parents this year.  Originally I had requested to go to Cracker Barrel so it would be more restful, but then my sister and her husband, in IL, said they were coming and her daughter and her husband and new baby were coming from SC.

I made 4 pies, 1 cake, cranberry salad, 3 baked corn casseroles & a 12lb. turkey w/ stuffing.

It was nice being all together, but I wished I hadn’t been so tired so I could have enjoyed it a little more.  It was great getting to see my 1 mo. old great-niece.  She is tiny and only weighs a whopping 7lbs. now.  I knew grandparents and great-grandparents were wanting to hold her, so I didn’t try to.  I think it’s hard on them when they are so little, being passed around.  Ryan held her and loved it.  He loves little ones and they always really like him, too.

Here’s my sister holding her 2nd grandbaby:

We had so many pies.  Ryan was just in heaven, having 5 pieces!  We had extra pumpkin pies that aren’t in the picture, but here was what we enjoyed:

I made Lemon Meringue, Chocolate Chess and Pumpkin.  There was also Apple, Cherry, Toll House and Cheesecake Pie!

See how happy Ryan was?

After the meal we sat around and talked about what we are thankful for.

I didn’t say it, but I’m thankful for all of you!

I think I overdid it because I’m not feeling well today.  I slept way extra, have a sore throat, much more SOB and coughing up more.  Extremely fatigued.  Jim wanted to decorate today, but I said there’s no way I can do that.  He’ll have to do it w/o me or wait til I’m feeling better.  Hopefully this is short term and I’ll revive with some rest.  The symptoms are worrying me, tho.

Don’t forget I’m going private in a few days.  If you haven’t given me your email yet and want to keep following, email me your email address.

Need ideas

We've lived in our house since January 2007 and we still have nothing on this wall in the LR. Any ideas? I'm showing another wall in the room to show you what else is in the room.

 

 

**updated** We don't have the money to do anything at this time, but I wanted to get opinions while my blog is still Public. We desperately need to replace our 2 recliners because...well, one of these days when we sick down we will fall to the floor! And we thought "By the time we can afford to replace the recliners we will have money for the wall decor and can coordinate things better."

But it drives us crazy when we walk in the room because it's so large and empty and makes the room look not lived-in. We've thought of putting an old door leaning up to the wall and hanging a wreath on it, we've thought of putting a conglomeration of pics that all line up like a mosaic - but not family pics and not scattered. I love the tulips that Sharon photographs and would personally love to enlarge them, frame them in black frames and group a set of four. I learned on HGTV that with a wall like this, to place the top of the wall decor slightly above the top of the door so it brings the eye upward. Anyhow, I appreciate any ideas you give me. Actually, Jim does all of our decorating, so my idea's have to PASS HIM. huh! My house, Jim, MY house! lol He's stuck on this place, tho.

Does anyone know if those Wall Words come off the wall okay when you want to take them down? I wouldn't want to have to repaint the whole room because of them.

Explanation

When I posted the video below it wouldn’t let me post anything else, so I wanted to write an explanation.

We usually have to get our lab, Raini’s, anal glands drained every few months.  Well, right now we just don’t have the money to take her to the vet and Ryan was complaining this morning about Raini “scooting” on his bedroom carpet and leaving a mark.  (Wow, I don’t know WHY that would bother him!  lol )  I said we can’t spend the money on a vet right now, so Ryan said he would do it for $8.  I told him I’d only pay him if he could get them to drain.  “I can do it!” he says, like the man he’s becoming.

He got the gloves and took her out and told me “Hey, Mom, take a picture!”.  I thought a video would be funnier.  And it was.  His reaction when doing it – or TRYING to do it! – is hilarious.  You can see his sense of humor.

Hope it didn’t gross you out and that it gave you a laugh instead.

Trying to make it

to the end of the year without any more IV’s.  It hasn’t been that long since I was on IV’s, but I already feel I need them again.

I’ve been very SOB (short of breath, for you newbies to CF!  I don’t use bad language, even in acronyms.), tiring so easily, sinuses bad, coughing an awful lot.  I wondering how much the weather has to do with it, but still…when I cough it’s hard to get my breath back.  If I take a deep breath, it’s hard to expel back out.

But since we haven’t paid off the last round of IV’s and we’ve been hit so badly financially this year, I don’t want to start IV’s very soon.  And I’d hate to be on them over the holidays because the meds always make me feel horrible and I need all of the energy I can get for the holidays.

I’m trying to rest a lot each day and use my O2 around the house.  Which is why my house looks pretty pathetic today…and my husband is coming home tonight.  I need to get off here and get to work because he doesn’t have an understanding of these things.

Thanks for listening!

Sleep tight…on Select

With everything else going on, I’ve been forgetting to tell you about how it’s going with the new bed.

We got our Select Comfort Sleep Number bed several weeks ago for a 30 day trial and we love it.  Well, I do.  Jim isn’t home enough to make the adjustment, but I think he likes it.

It’s been ages since I slept this well!  I don’t wake up all through the night in pain and discomfort, flopping around like a fish searching for water.

If you are in the market for a new bed, definitely give the Select Comfort a try. If you are going to order one, mention my name – I have a customer number to give you if you email me – and I’ll get $50 for referring you.  Definitely could use that money right now.  (We are paying off 3 crowns at the dentist that were done this past month, to the offkey tune of $2400.  Yuk!   And that’s just adding on to the thousands we already were in debt due to all of the medical bills.  Anyway, I digress.)

Just wanted to let you know since you all were acting as my Advice Board!  lol

Aaaah, sleep!  It’s not underrated!