Before and After

Today with the help of my 2nd oldest granddaughter we changed our master bedroom around. I had measured it carefully but somehow when we moved everything around, the bed stuck out way too much. That would have been a recipe for disaster! It's bad enough trying to not run into things when I go to bed in the middle of the night without having large pieces of furniture in my way. Then we moved everything around a different direction but could only use one of the night stands :( So we finally went to plan c. We would have been ok to do it the way I wanted had Keith been the one helping out as we could have moved the dressers. But at 8 feet high and solid oak, it wasn't something the 2 of us could even attempt to think of moving them. It may not seem like a big change but considering we literally moved the rest of the furniture from one end of the room to the next 3 different times trust me when I say we had enough!! Other then the bed and the night stands all the other pieces Keith built for me and they are solid oak so very heavy. I am feeling every strained muscle at the moment let me assure you!

Thanks Britnee!



Those 2 were the before's
Britnee with her masterpiece.. even hung my curtains when they were done in the wash :)

Strength of Character

Not too many things surprise me.. guess it comes with being half a century old heheee but I was surprised twice this week. First, as I mentioned in an earlier post, Keith's company was letting go of their extended health benefits. Well on Tuesday this week we found out I have to have a full back brace as the taped binding one he had been using was not working as well as it should have. He said the type I needed to get was expensive.. joy... We told him about Keith's company and he said he would make some calls to see if he could find one quickly so we could get the receipt in. So yesterday Keith called his office to talk to the group administrator to find out exactly what date the plan was being cut off and why. Today he went to the office to get his paycheck and found out that his boss has decided to keep the plan for another month to give me time to find a brace and get the receipt in. Huh...

Today I saw the specialist for my Prolotherapy session and told him I had gotten no relief at all from the last session in fact things had gotten worse. He had me do some moving and bending and decided my muscles are just too weak to continue on and that we needed to work on strengthening my core muscles as well as my legs etc. Now that surprised me. Well not what I needed to do but that he wasn't going to continue with the sessions right now. He obviously would get paid more with the treatments then just working out with my skeletal frame but he chose not to because he felt right now it wasn't what I needed. Huh..go figure

So I have been surprised twice this week that with everything going on in life there are still people out there with character, good people, people that still care about others. And as if that wasn't enough... my family doctor who I also saw today, has agreed to take Keith on as a patient.. she has not taken on new patients in years but as a special favour to me she agreed :) But she did tell him he needed to be on his best behaviour and to never give her a hard time, to always do as he was told, and that if at any time I felt I could not handle having the same doctor he would have to find another one :)

Update on back

I saw the therapist yesterday and was not pleased with his prognosis. He had been using tape for binding my upper back to try and keep it straight as the muscles were pulling my ribs forward making me bend forward which was causing all sorts of pain. But I was breaking out in rashes and it wasn't working well enough. So now I have to go from the taped bindings to a steel/metal full back brace They apparently are very expensive and we told him that we are losing our extended health benefits in the next short while so he was going to move fast at trying to find one right away for me so we can get the receipt into Blue Cross. I am not looking forward to going in that kind of brace but he said my skin is now deteriorating from all the tape going on it. So I end up taking it off from the itchiness of the hives from the allergy as well the tape is not stiff enough to keep me in place so am bending too much even though I think I am doing much better. But he said I have to try even harder. Sigh.. getting old really sucks.

For my daughter and daughter in laws

Today I think they need to hear this:

This is for all the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's OK honey, Mommy's here."
This is for all the mothers of Kosovo who fled in the night and can't find their children.
This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and made them homes.
For all the mothers of the victims of the Colorado shooting, and the mothers of the murderers. For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TV's in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.
For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.
What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to School alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby?
The need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a school shooting, a fire, a car accident, a baby dying?
This is for all the mothers that sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the mothers who wanted to but just couldn't.
This is for reading "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then reading it again. "Just one more time."
This is for all the mothers who mess up. Who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair and stomp their feet like a tired two-year old who wants ice cream before dinner.
This is for all the mothers who taught their daughters to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.
For all the mothers who bite their lips -- sometimes until they bleed -- when their 14-year-olds dye their hair green. Who lock themselves in the bathroom when babies keep crying and won't stop.
This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse. This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.
This is for all mothers whose heads turn automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home.
This is for mothers who put pinwheels and teddy bears on their children's graves.
This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them.
This is for all the mothers who sent their sons to school with stomachaches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse and hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for all the mothers who froze their buns off on metal bleachers at football games Friday night instead of watching from cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.

This is for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation. And mature mothers learning to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Mothers with money, mothers without. This is for you all. So hang in there.
"Home" is what catches you when we fall - and we all fall.

I love you all and am only a yelp away

Mum

Baby pool Time

Ok it's baby pool time once again for our almost here grandchild!! As we weren't on FB before this is a new way to advertise if you want to play :) You do not pay for your guess as that would be illegal hehehe so here is what you need to enter to me:
1. sex of baby
2. weight in lbs/oz (sorry I don't do metric)
3. length in inches (see #2)
4. whether born morning (6am -2pm), afternoon (2pm-10pm), night (10pm-6am) and
5. date born (due March 7).
If you do not already know they have one daughter who was born afternoon, was 10 days overdue, weighed 8lbs 7oz and 22.5".
Winner gets a large Blizzard of their choice. Pool closes March 1st

Out of the 9 times we have done this I have won 8 times hehehee and no you do not get to copy off of my choices!! We also have 10 granddaughters and 4 grandsons and 1 daughter and 4 sons if that helps

Anna & Kristina's Beauty Call Show

Today was a cool day in my life :) A couple of weeks ago one of my new favourite shows, Anna and Kristina's Beauty Call put out a call looking for volunteers willing to let them test hair dyes on them. But you couldn't just want to dye your hair, you had to have grey hair to color. And not just a head of grey hair but just grey roots as the new on the market products were markers that were temporary.

Well I got the call 2 days ago that I had been accepted as a volunteer! WOOHOO~ It didn't help that these 2 are local celebrities and I have been watching their 3 shows since their inception many years ago. I would have been happy just standing in the same room as them!

So we get there and one of the hosts, Kristina, just chats with us putting us at ease. Then the cameras start and she explains all three products to us. That took a couple of takes. Then we go over to this large vanity table in front of a big mirror where we all try product 1 then the 2nd one then the 3rd one. We have to say how we liked/disliked the ease and use of it. Once we were all done, we went back to the sitting area where we took turns talking about the pros and cons of each product and if we had a favourite. After that she gave us the price of them and asked if we would still buy it (for those that have a favourite). I said I would as it blended well with my hair, very easy to use, minimal fuss etc. I loved it.

After we were done that segment then we each had to take a turn at the mirror with no one around other then one camera man on top of a step ladder filming the top of the heads and other cameraman filming the side of the head you were working on. No talking just letting them film as you did it. Then that was it. I was happy just haven been a part of it all. Then I found out we could take the products home AND an extra one of our favourite :)

But no that's not it!! We ended up getting a satchel filled with makeup and beauty products!!! COOL :) Life is good :) Here is the link of the one marker that was my favourite as well as the site for the beauty show. Our segment will air mid March and I promise to keep you all posted! They actually have 3 shows that they film so I am including all the links. You should check them out. They test out everything a woman and man...would use in a home.

http://www.wnetwork.com/Shows/AnnaKristinasBeautyCall.aspx
http://www.wnetwork.com/Shows/Anna-Kristinas-Grocery-Bag.aspx
http://www.annaandkristina.com/

http://styleapothecary.onsugar.com/TouchBack-Hair-Marker-6539099

Baklava

Hello..

well I did a first on the weekend. We had company coming for dinner on Sunday and I wanted to make a special dessert. Keith and I both love Greek food and I happen to be watching Food Network one day last week (gee what else is new hehehe) and they were making Baklava and so I thought cool that is what I want to make.

Well it was easy to make (although very time consuming) and it tasted amazing BUT I don't know if I will make it again unless I can figure out how to make it with less calories and fat. 2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of honey and 1 pound of butter were making my arteries clog as I was just reading the recipe!! They did say to make sure I keep the phyllo pastry sheets covered with a damp cloth while I was working with the other sheets so they did not dry out and I did that but what they didn't say was to make sure I wasn't using the counter on top of the dishwasher as it was going and the steam from it was going under the tea towel drying out the bottom edges. But all in all it turned out really well.. at least I think it did. We each had a piece and I kept one for Keith's lunch the next day but sent the rest to our daughter's home as I just did not want to be tempted!!

Physio and Prolotherapy

It sure seems like these last few months have been spent in a doctor's office working on some part of my back. It is tiring. Every other week I either go for physio for my upper back and the alternate weeks I go for Prolotherapy. Both are helping but both make me cringe while I am going through the sessions. How does one's spine get so bad and so crooked ???

With physio the therapist hooks the TENS machine onto my back for about 30 minutes then manipulates it into place. Once there he binds it to hold. Last week he asked me what on earth I am doing that undoes everything he does. I told him I can't do anything as I am stuck in an upright position. But actually for that visit I had to take the bindings off for a week or so before my appointment as my back was burning and very itchy. When Keith took it off I had welts and rashes all underneath from an allergy I presume from the binding tape. Needless to say without the binding it did not take long to get bent over again. Sigh. But I did learn from him that Pepto Bismal is an actual antihistamine if taken topically!!! Who knew? So he covered my back with it and then bound it again. So far it has been working.

We had misplaced my TENS machine and had not been able to locate it. With all the people here over Christmas, it had not been put away properly and it went missing. We thought we had looked everywhere. The pain was getting out of control so Keith said bag it and went and spent the money on a new one. This was on Friday. Last night he calls from the bathroom and I go over to see what he wanted me to see... and there sitting in the basket in the ensuite was the base of the machine. We had both checked the bathrooms several times each and had not see it. Sigh. And of course I had used the new machine already so could not take it back.

The Prolotherapy also has been working except for this last session. Normally for a couple of days afterwards I am in extreme pain. Don't talk to me, don't look at me, don't call me or anything. I just curl up in a ball and try to not move. Then the pain eases and I have greater mobility and ability to function half way normal. But this last session the therapy has not worked. There is still great burning in my tailbone area and the leg/hip joint area is inflamed. And the doctor is away on holidays last week and this week so have not even been able to go back and get it checked.

So I just fumble around as best as I can and go from there. Then to make matters worse, last week Keith had a meeting with his boss concerning the new contract coming up and he was told that effective the end of this month we were going to lose our extended health benefits. Things have been tight in the construction world for the last year as the city would not allow any new commercial construction to happen until after the Olympics and that means both of them. So they have just been doing renos but there is no money in that. They have had to lay off all of their labourers making the Superintendents do all the work. Keith was expecting that he was going to be told he was going to either get laid off or get a cut in pay but those didn't happen so that's good. But they are letting go of their benefits. Which for us means we now will have to dish out about 1200.00 a month on medications and therapies. Not good.

I do miss my wages let me tell you.

New Blogs

The advantage of being up most of each nights, I tend to work on my laptop and just putz around. I have had these ideas going through my mind last summer/fall but was too busy with other projects to give them much more thought till late fall. I have started 3 new blogs but rather then this one where everything shows up on it from rants about idiots, to crowing about my grandchildren to everything in between, these will have specific themes. I hope you check them out and give me your feedback. If you find you can't post a comment or start a new post let me know about it and I will fix it. You can email me privately if you have a question or comment but don't want your info on the sites and I will post it for you. You can email me at smilesonly@gmail.com

So here are the blogs:

1. http://padmess.blogspot.com/

This one is about creating an organized home, life, self and family. These are ideas to help you. If you have a particular problem in any of these areas or even for new areas, let me know and I will find some solutions that might work for you!

2. http://sallysyourgirl.blogspot.com/

This blog is about being your Internet Yellow Pages ~ how do you find something, are you looking for some references, certain restaurant, directions to something, what is the best hotel somewhere; This blog is your personal info yellow pages for your life whether it be for cooking, cleaning, health, beauty, stress relievers, how-tos etc.

3. http://alivein2010.blogspot.com/

This blog is about starting a new you! Look at this year as a fresh start to a brand new you.. Maybe it is about watching what you are eating, maybe it is about learning to start working out small, perhaps it is about losing that last (or first) 20 pounds...whatever it is that brings you here today welcome and let's get started together!

And then of course there is this one :) So please continue to let me know your thoughts.. hate to think I am always just talking to myself hehehee

Lots of Bread

I was looking through my recipe folder on the weekend looking for a cottage cheese roll recipe that I love and came across one that I have not used in about 20 years. This was made each and every week when our children lived at home and I thought someone out there might find it came in handy :) I would be interested in hearing how you like it.

15 Loaf Bread Recipe:
3TBSP yeast
1 C Water
2 TBSP Sugar
Dissolve in water

3 QTS warm water (sorry I did tell you it was an old recipe lol you might have to look for old measuring utensils if all your things are in metric)
3/4 c sugar
3 TBSP salt
3/4 c. shortening
40 cups flour

Start mixing. I would add 1/4 of flour at a time, get that mixed well then add the next 1/4 which made it a lot easier on my arms and shoulders. It also guaranteed everything got mixed in properly. Grease bowl or roaster (Get an actual bread bowl or baby's bathtub or something huge as it will be a BIG batch when rising) turn dough over so greasedl side is up. Cover with damp towel and place in oven with oven light on.
Let rise for about 1 1/2 hours. How you tell if the bread has doubled enough put 2 fingers in the top about a couple of inches. If the holes remain it has risen perfectly. If the holes collapsed it is not ready yet.

Form into loaves. Let rise about 45-60 minutes. Make sure you do not have any drafts in the house. Cover with cloths to keep moist.

Bake at 375 for about 35-40 minutes depending on your oven. Brush with butter. Assume your family will be like mine and will devour 2 loaves the second it comes out of the oven. Trust me they can move pretty fast even with very hot bread!!!

ENJOY!!

Dreams

I hate mornings.. but even more so this morning. I have this special ergonomically correct pillow that keeps my neck straight and prevents tension headaches. Well this morning I somehow slipped partly off and woke up with a nasty headache. But that was ok.. well not ok per se but better then what ticked me off. I had been having such a wonderful dream.. you know the kind where you never want to wake up?? Because I dream so much I almost always know I am dreaming but not last night.

I dreamed that Keith and I had bought an old large Victorian house with all these rooms, hardwood floors, tall vaulted ceilings.. gorgeous. Well it was moving day and somehow somewhere between buying the house day and moving day the house inside grew immensely. The outside still looked the same but when you went in the rooms were all larger and there were even more rooms then there had been before.

As I am walking through each room 2 new rooms made me think I had died and gone to heaven, one was a library. It had a ceiling that must have been at least 20 feet high. shelves from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. Every single space was filled with books!!! People that know me know I am a reader. If something has 2 covers and words in between it will find it's way in my hands. It even had one of those ladders you see in movies that are hooked on the top shelf and you can swing around the room in it.. oh man life was good at that moment. In the middle of the room were these big overstuffed armchairs and lounges that just begged for you to curl up in front of the fireplace to read something.

The 2nd room that I fell in love with was the dining room. Well not that room but the room that now was attached to it. This one had wall to wall and floor to ceiling closed oak cabinets and drawers and when I opened them there were the most beautiful china, silver pieces, crystal, linens, centerpieces, it just went on and on.. I could see my mouth wide open and completely speechless!! Yes I know..me? speechless? That should have been my first clue I was dreaming!

Then I could hear Keith calling me and I turned back into the dining room to go get more boxes and where 2 minutes before had been an empty room was now this solid oak large gorgeous table that could easily sit 30 people!! I kept walking around the house unpacking and every time I turned around there would be a new room and new discoveries. Keith kept looking at me like I had never seen the house before. I went into the master bedroom to put things away and saw another door that had not been there before. Thinking it was a closet I opened it to find a stairway. Now this house from the outside was a 2 story Victorian home in the middle of a quiet neighborhood. When I got to the top of the stairway there was another door and when I opened it I opened it to a huge roof top garden!!

There was a greenhouse with all kinds of herbs growing, there was a large vegetable garden in the middle, rose bushes and all sorts of plants all along the edges. It also was flat which was interesting seeing as how the house had a pitched roof when I had first walked up to the house. I could hear all sorts of noises and when I got close to one of the edges I realized I was standing on the roof of a hightower in the middle of New York City.

At that point I woke up with a kink in my neck and a bad tension headache. What a terrible way to start my day!!

2009 Reflections

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
took my children to Hawaii

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I rarely make NY resolutions but this year I have made 2: work on being more patient with others and to be off 75% of my medication by end of year

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
yes one of our sons and daughters in law

4. Did anyone close to you die?
yes a very good friend

5. What countries did you visit?
Only the USA.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
a home business that makes money

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
July 31st. We had a family reunion for my paternal side of my family. I got to see over 140 members of my family, some I had never met some I had not seen in a couple of decades

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Overcoming cancer

9. What was your biggest failure?
putting so much burden on Keith

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
no injuries and as for illness..just recouperating from all the surgeries

11. What was the best thing you bought?
tickets to Hawaii for our family

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Keith's

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
No one that I can think of

14. Where did most of your money go?
what money?

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
our family reunion

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Remember When by Alan Jackson

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier
ii. thinner or fatter? same
iii. richer or poorer? same

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
gotten on my knees

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
snap

20. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Nope, I was already in love.

21. What was your favorite TV program?
Survivor, Amazing Race CSI's

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nope

23. What was the best book you read?
When Thou Art Truly Converted

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I could listen to music that wasn't country

25. What did you want and get?
finish the year cancer free

26. What did you want and not get?
all of our family in Hawaii

27. What was your favourite film of this year?
The Blind Side with Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Keith took me out for a surprise picnic - 53

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I can't think of anything

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
same as always, comfy casual

31. What kept you sane?
Keith

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
hmmm can't think of anyone

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
H1N1 - people freaked out! My goodness!

34. Who did you miss?
my family back home as always

35. Who was the best new person you met?
I can't think of anyone new that I met

 36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
That I can delegate and still live

37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

I'm Alive -Kenny Chesney and Dave Matthews


So damn easy to say that life's so hard
Everybody's got their share of battle scars
As for me, I'd like to thank my lucky stars that I'm alive and well...
It'd be easy to add up all the pain
And all the dreams you sat and watched go up in flames
Dwell on the wreckage as it smolders in the rain
But not me...I'm alive

(Chorus)
And today you know that's good enough for me
Breathin' in and out's a blessing can't you see
Today's the first day of the rest of my life and I'm alive
And well...I'm alive and well

The stars are dancin' on the water here tonight
It's gonna fall a soul when there's not a soul in sight
This boat has caught its wind and brought me back to life now I'm alive and well