Monday, May 31, 2010

Don't forget to read the Lables ON EVERYTHING

When a certain "middle child" has gestational diabetes and her mom is cooking, shopping, waiting on her every second of every day, hand and foot, her mom learns to read Every Label.

I have found some pretty good things that we can cook.  We can make Turkey Enchiladas with Whole Wheat Tortilla Shells.  Some are actually pretty good. But it is surprising how different the labels are.  Some have lots of carbs, and lots of sugar.  Some, not so much.  We have purchased several and have a few favorites... and I know you are just dying to know what I know.  And you won't be surprised to find out that I don't know very much.

So, I am not going to be like The Pioneer Woman and take 50 photos of the cooking ordeal, but I will share the recipe with you... if I can remember it.


1 diced small red onion
1 can diced green chilies
1 pint sour cream lite
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 to 2 cups diced cooked turkey
2 cups shredded cheese
1 Package of the Smart and Delicious Tortilla Low Carb, High Fiber  Shells

In a sauce heat the the first 6 ingredients.  Stir frequently to prevent scorching..  Heat on low heat.  Just until bubbly and hot.

Meanwhile:  Shred one layer of Tortilla shells on bottom of 9x13 pan.

Layer  tortilla, sauce mixture and shredded cheese, repeat with shredded tortilla, sauce and cheese.  Repeat about 3 times ending , with cheese on top.

Bake 350 degrees for an hour or so...

Then enjoy.  Have a green salad with yummy stuff in it and your favorite sugar free salad dressing... and stay healthy.

The little (that's not accurate but besides the point) mommy had a blood sugar level of 89 after eating this. So that proves it is okay for the rest of us.  The serving was smaller than I usually serve, but it was filling.  I cut the servings in the pan with with 3 across and 5 down.  It freezes well.  Just heat in the microwave when you want some again.  But heat it on a little lower power setting, like an 8 for about 1 to 2 minutes.  If you heat it on a high heat, and fast it gets tough.

OK, any questions... too bad.  Figure it out yourself..

Oh, and one more thing... it is great to add a can of corn to the sauce while it is heating,  but if a diabetic is eating it omit that ingredient....  Just thought you might like to know that.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

"Peanut" you can't come yet!!

So, preterm labor snuck up on us.  My sweet "middle child" thought  her tummy was having Braxton Hicks, but it was really preterm labor.....

I can't start at the beginning.... it is a long story.... so I will just say I drove to San Diego.  I brought one dog, Ivy, to play with Sadie.  I helped unload some kitchen dishes, and watched my daughter.  I observed.  And I knew pre term labor is what the "middle child" is having.

On Monday, we went to the hospital.  The little mommy was hooked up to monitors, had exams, (yep, that kind of exam) and had tests run.  She had her finger pricked and saw her blood sugar was very low, 57.  So, she was fed a sandwich and got her blood sugar up.  She was given a shot to stop the labor.  She was educated.

The following day we went to a new Dr.  She got to see a Real Dr. and learned what was going on in her life.  She learned about gestational diabetesPre term labor.  She learned premature baby boys who weigh plenty, but don't have grown up lungs yet are the product of Gestational Diabetes.  She learned her previous doctor didn't even have complete labs on her.  He didn't know her blood type.  He didn't know her CBC.  He didn't know she had sugar in her urine.  What she did know was she was in trouble with her pregnancy and called her mom.

This is what mom's do.  They drop everything to do what their kids need.  I am so thankful to be a mom.  Otherwise I wouldn't be in sunny cool southern California.  I would be sweating my guts out in Az.  I would be cleaning my house because strangers are still tromping through it to look at it.  Instead I am in sunny southern California and baking a turkey.  Making dressing.  Making dinners for freezer meals.  I am taking naps.  I am sitting in a darling back yard with my daughter... who is so pregnant.  So very pregnant.

We are picking a name... well, we are "trying on names".  She needs to be having 6 boys so we can use our favorites.... oh, she only has one boy in there... Thank Goodness... so she has to pick just one name.

Terbutaline is keeping the contractions at bay.  We are faithfully watching her schedule.  She is eating appropriately the foods she should, when she should, and pricking her finger 3 times a day checking her sugars. 

Although she is big, very big, she is uncomfortable, and has 6 weeks still to go, she is doing great.  We are having a wonderful time.  We talk, we laugh, and we relax.  We pray.  We ponder.  We give thanks.  Life is good.  Yes, Life Is Very Good.  We are very blessed.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

May 18, 2010 Today I played Beauty Shop


This is my littlest Angel.
She will have a milestone birthday this year.
She is my right hand and my left.

And today we played Beauty Shop.



L'oreal Cherry Cordial comes in a box.
It is a good thing we had two boxes, and could have used a third.



It also comes with a little high lighting.
That turned out to be perfect.

I have professional training, so I know kind'a what to do.
And she was willing to try it today.



Then I did a layered hair cut for her.... and
Wha La!!!

My littlest angel is a gorgeous red head
She is a model!
She is beautiful.
She is beautiful inside and out.
She is my right hand.
She is my left hand.

And She is my littlest angel, who I love very much!!!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Some things I like

One of my all time favorite books, ever!

It is available at Amazon.com

I have it on my iPod, and list to it rather frequently.

The audio reader makes the book come alive and you can't stop listening.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Random House Reader's Circle)



Snickers Candy Bar!! Yeah, I would walk a mile for one!

Betty White says it best "You are not yourself when you are hungry!"

This always takes the edge off. Bite size, King Size, any size any time. Love them!

Did you know there is a cake recipe with Snickers Candy Bar. Google it. It is there.


Nivia Lotion is my favorite for healing dry skin. It is a good winter lotion.



It is too heavy in the Arizona summers.... although I like to use it after I have been in the pool.



I love the smell of it.



And Maureen Barkley wears it, too. (You know Charles Barkley, yeah, his wife) And she knows the Arizona heat and she recommends it. It makes you smell good.

I am not one to wear perfume.


Why cover up fresh and clean... besides my former boss was allergic to any and all perfumes.


So this worked good.


Nivea Body Daily Lotion, Essentially Enriched for Very Dry, Rough Skin, 13.5 fl oz (400 ml) (Pack of 3)


Another favorite lotions is

Hempz Lotion!


I love the purse size bottles.



It smells so good. It soaks in quickly.



It can be a body lotion or hand lotion. It is light and not oily.



I like it in the summer when sweating is an issue and other lotions are too heavy and greasy.


I get it at Sally's.


It is less expensive there.


It comes in different fragrances, but I keep coming back to the original one.



Hempz Herbal Moisturizer, 17 fl oz (500 ml) (Package may vary)



Vadalia Onion Vinegertte

Cost co used to have a dressing like this, but they discontinued it, so now I get this at Sam's Club.
It is good on hamburger buns, a salad dressing or mixed with tuna instead of May.





Eterna 27 by Revlon.

I buy it at Walgreens.
It goes on sale twice a year. I stock up when it is on sale.

Revlon Eterna '27 Moisture Cream With Progenitin, 6-Ounce Jar


Mom introduced me to this moisturizer. I simply can not go to bed until I was my face and use it.
In the morning my skin still feels moist.

It is also avalible from Amazon.





That is a few of the things I turn to almost every day.


Well, the Snickers I like once a week.


I have to show some dicipline.... sort of.






And last but not least....










Zoey, Ivy and Ozkar.

* Not pictured are Sadie and Millie*

Yep, these are my favorite few things...


Saturday, May 15, 2010

May 15, 2010 Enjoying Arizona @ dusk

It was a beautiful Saturday in Arizona today.

Summer is just around the corner, but we took advantage of the low 90 degree temps today.

We saw and HEARD a Hawk. It screeched it's long lonely call to us. It was eerie, but cool.



With road construction on so many roads, we took a few minutes to tour the newly finished portion of Happy Valley Road. It was a lovely drive.



We pulled off the road onto a little desert dirt road, and took time to watch the sun going down.



We also took time to breath in the fragrances of the desert. Yes, allergies bothered me, and my nose began to run, but it was worth the few minutes to get out of the traffic, out of the neighborhoods, out of the congestion of people, and enjoy nature. The raw desert.




The cacti species is fascinating to me. When you look at the bottom of these majestic Cactus you might think they are dieing.... but look closely, the tops look fine.




The seem to be saying, "Don't worry about me,.... I'm alright"... and jumping for joy!

Friday, May 14, 2010

May 14, 2010 The month is flying by

Dude. This month is nearly half over. How can that be? Nikki was to have her birthday on the 7th. That was , well, like, man, it just couldn't have happened. Man, how can this be?




I was just barely in winter. I can prove it.

See. See the snow. See the snow on the ground. This is not a black and white doctored up photo, this is real SOOC. (Straight Out Of Camera)

If you don't believe me, here is another one.



Now doesn't that make you feel better.

It does me.

It is really only late Feb. Yeah, that's it.

Whew. I was worried it might start to get hot in Arizona. Whew.

Now I feel a lot better. The month of May is still in my future.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

May 12, 2010

It's quiet today. The wind is breezey... and I have windows open. In May. In Arizona. It is wonderful.

I love these days. They will soon be done. They will soon be hot breeze days. Hot sun. And the hot makes it feel "noisey" and you sweat, and you can't get away from it.


Unless you are on the rim, and your husband carves your firewood into a forest wizard.
And you remember how hot Glendale, Arizona can be in the summer.
And you long for the warm days of the moutains and the cool nights, with windows opened. And you relax.
And you remember, that today, it was quiet. The the wind was breezey.

Monday, May 10, 2010

May 10, 2010 Laying Around

On our recent drive back to Glendale, from Idaho Falls V and I had the chance to remember the different places we have parked our cars and our bottoms. As we drove home I was more aware of the different places people live, or have lived. As we drove I tried to imagine the different lives inside the dwellings we passed. There was someone who had a dream. Had a plan. Obtained the materials to build. They sweat and worked and built.

They planted trees, and grass, and gardens. They raised children. They had animals. I mean..... They had children and raised animals.

Maybe they didn't marry. Maybe they inherited their property. Maybe they were lonely.

I wondered if those people had felt heart ache, and joy, and frustration.

I wondered if they went to the hills to cut their Christmas Trees. Did they have Christmas Trees?

And most of all, I wished those walls could talk.


Did they plant apple trees, and dig a cold storage cellar like my grandmothers did? Did they store the apples, make pies and applesauce?
Did they have old scrub boards where the women washed the clothes? Did they have wringer washers which were filled every Monday morning, and washed all day? Did they hang the clothes out on the line in the warm weather, and around the house when it was cold?

Some of the homes we saw were portable. (We think we invented RVing. We think it is a luxury.) Some were not as lucky as we are. They didn't have gas refrigerators. Or gas stoves. They didn't have a potty. They didn't have a mattress or a weather proof roof. They didn't have a 40 gallon water tank. Or disposable dishes.... imagine.... no paper plates, paper towels, paper cups.

These people worked really hard every day as they went RVing. When I go in my "portable home" I lay around. I take naps. I read books. I scrapbook. I take photos. I walk my dogs. I putter while I cook. I stop and listen to birds sing, and listen for elk to call, or just listen to the silence. Work is doing dishes. Work is gathering fire wood. For them, it was a way of life.




Don't even get me started about the change in transportation over the years.

My very first car was a 1952 Oldsmobile. I paid my Uncle Dean $25.00 for it. It needed a battery. The neatest thing about it, I thought, was when I turned on the radio the antenna went up. I had never seen that before.

That car was so heavy. It needed shocks. When I hit a bump the car would bounce for the next quarter of a mile. If I hit anything with that car, I know I would have won. I loved that car. I was sad when we got rid of it. To this day I think of that car and sure wish we had it! It would be worth more than $25.00, even if it needed a battery.




As we drove and we watched the scenes change before our eyes as we rushed by, we wondered about the changes we have seen in our life time. We have lived long enough to see new homes turn into old homes.

We have seen telephones go from big black heavy items. When you would pick up the handset you would tell the operator the number you wanted to call. I remember talking to my Grandma Ruby on those old phones. She was a telephone operator.

People shared a phone line. One house would have one ring, and the other house would have two rings. And yes, we eavesdropped on other people. As a little girl I didn't think anyone ever had anything important to say, so I didn't listen long, I would rather go play.

I remember telling the operator "Jackson 5" for the prefix of the number to my parents house. I don't remember the rest of the number. Later on our phone number was 522-5768. That was a very long time ago.

Then we had phones that had white circles on the front and a rotary dial. The phones made the best sound when you stuck your finger in the holes and dialed a number.

Then the push button dials came out. I remember being in a history class in High School, and we talked about the need of a push dial. I thought it would some day save a life. Just to imagine, we could dial that much faster, someday that could make a difference. Others disagreed. They wondered why we couldn't leave well enough alone. Now everyone had to buy new phones and the one they had worked just fine. All we needed them for was to communicate with someone else. Little did we know the changes we would see in our lifetime.

So, as our lives rush past us today, I hope we take a moment to count our blessings.

For our health.
For our homes.
For our modern conveniences.
For our technology that keeps our families close.
For our ability to be self sufficient and still have time to listen to the birds sing.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

May 9, 2010

Happy Mother's Day.

I called my mom. I love my mom. I miss my mom. My mom is sick. Wish I was there to take care of her. I would make her homemade noodles and add a chicken to it, and some spices, and some homemade rolls. I would spoil her. I love her. Happy Mother's Day Mom.

I slept 12 hours last night. When I woke up the "littlest angel" had gone to work. The "older angel" was shredding bank statements and stuff that he does all the time. He is a good shredder.

I laid around. Then the "littlest angel" dropped in for a bowl of cereal and left again. She smelled like coffee.... that tells me she had to open today. And she got more boxes.

The "oldest angel" helped me scan some photos. My medicine brain isn't working properly yet. I am foggy and get hung up on the smallest details. While I scanned, he went to the kitchen. Before long it was smelling really good. I smelled bacon. But I didn't get to eat any. It is for later today.... hummm what is that guy up to?

Then the smelly angel came home. She brought me a Mother's Day Double-Wall Insulated for a cold drink and dry hands cup, from that place she works.... This is BIG! This is a collectors item. I am very loved by this smelly angel. And the cup was full! Yumm.. Fattening, but Yumm.
Then the smelly angel made a joke.
Let me set the stage for the joke.
I buy saran wrap at Costco. There are really large rolls there. Like 1,000 yards of saran wrap in one semi-large box. The box lasts for years. It is cheap in the long run, but it is a semi-large container to handle.
Well, I finally am allowed to shower today. I must keep the surgical site dry! So, it was suggested I put my leg in a big plastic bag with elastics on the top to keep the surgical site dry.
I figured, No Way. I want to wash my foot, my ankle, the "YES" and the red iodine off my leg. So V suggested to wrapped my leg in saran wrap.
The smelly angel got the box of saran wrap, the one from Costco, which has 1,000 yards on it, out of the pantry. I pulled out a piece about 6 feet, well, maybe 7 feet long. She gets a hold of the end that is connected to the box and tears the saran wrap off.
Then she looks at me and says " Now lay down and start rolling".
I guess you had to be there.
We wrapped my knee. Secured the top and bottom of the saran wrap with elastics and I showered.
Could you hear me showering? I was the one saying OHHH, AAHHHH, UUUMMMM. There is something really special about washing your 4 day old bed head hair and feeling the excitement of a clean scalp. The other parts were glad, too.
By the time I was dressed, makeup on, and hair done. this neat guy I live with called me to dinner.
Appetizers:.Shrimp and cocktail sauce. Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers with bacon.
Main course:
Baked Tilapia with butter, garlic and basil
Corn on the cob
Twice baked potatoes
And he did all the dishes and cleaned the kitchen as he cooked!
I don't know what is for dessert, I hope it is him! I love that man!!!!
Yeah, I know. I will need Tylenol tonight.... it is worth it!!

May 8, 2010

Nikki, Happy Birthday yesterday.
You were with me a few years ago in the hospital.
I don't think we had much fun then either.
Let's not celebrate like this, together, again, ok?

Tylenol is working today. Saving the big meds for sleeping.

Ate real food today.

I watched the weather channel. I could keep up with that program. And if I missed anything it was ok, they repeated the same story until I got it all.

Two people were here and cleaned my house really good. And the yard work was done. They are angels. I think I recognize them. One has long hair, and one has gray hair. I love those angels.

I sat on the recliner today and let complete strangers tromp through my house. Two different times. Having the house on the market again is painful. Worse than my knee. I see an improvement everyday with my knee. The housing market doesn't show much improvement.

I stayed on the recliner and watched a couple of movies with the two angels who live with me. I crocheted 2 dish clothes while watching TV. Tylenol allows me to do things like that. I can't do things like that when I take the other stuff.

Slept pretty good last night.... NOT! Couldn't stay asleep and couldn't get comfortable. Nights sure last a long time when you hurt. Daytime seems better somehow.

May 7, 2010

Made it 5 hours between medicine.

Kept some yogurt down. And a couple of Club Crackers. (I used to like them)

Using a cane to get to the bathroom. I am glad it is close.

A man brought a TV into my bedroom today. He said it was Very Heavy. He wishes we had a flat screen. I now have cable in my bedroom. But I take drugs, so the remote doesn't work very well.

Added lifting my leg into the air 10 times to my "Jane Fonda" routine today. Once I even did 11 before I collapsed in exhaustion. Sweating from every pore.

May 6, 2010

Pain.

Drugs every 4 hours. Food to go with drugs. Then vomit it all.

Pain.

Who's idea was this?

Someone wrote "YES" on my lower thigh on my right leg.

I have 2 ace bandages that are wrapped from my thigh down around my foot.

I am supposed to rotate my ankle 10 times one way and then 10 times the other way.

I am supposed to wriggle my toes, a lot.

I love drugs.

I am sleeping a lot.

May 5, 2010

Right Knee Arthroscopic Surgery.
Shaved off some arthritis from knee joint. Repaired torn meniscus.
Out patient at Piper Surgery Center in Scottsdale, Az.

Didn't do well with anesthesia. Vomiting began 1 1/2 hours after waking up. Entire torso itched, and itched. Vomiting continued every 3 to 4 hours for 48 hours. Itching lasted and lasted.

Thank goodness for Vicodin.

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband/caregiver!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Just What I Needed




As we traveled home to Arizona this weekend, we stopped to smell a few lilacs. Oh, how I love that fragrance. When I lived in Idaho we hoped the weather would help the lilacs be in bloom for Memorial Day, so we could decorate the grave sites of our loved ones. Some years they made it, and some years it was too cold to bring out the blossoms. So, this past weekend as we drove through Panguich, Utah I saw some that were so pretty. Enjoy.... and light a candle that smells like lilacs.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Toilets not convient when traveling




Regardless of efforts in planning a trip,



It is hard to get plenty of water to sip.




So while we are enjoying our fun vacation,



We always end up suffering with constipation.


The end

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happy, in love, getting closer to retirement, love my family, love my Savior.