OMG!! I'm out of control........

Well, Christmas is over and the leftover goodies are sitting on the counter in the kitchen. I didn't bake this year or make any goodies but I ended up with several "well meaning friends" giving me some. I did make some "Spiced Nuts and Pretzels" from the recipe I found on Cathy's blog. It's quite good but a little goes a long way. I am trying to avoid eating these things but occasionally, and that means practically every time I pass by them, I eat one. They consist of fudge, chocolate covered peanuts and a plate of assorted cookies. To be honest, I haven't opened the cellophane on the cookies. However, I have been eating larger amounts than I am used to eating and also making poor choices of what I am eating. Also, we went to friends' home for dinner yesterday and I made and brought a delicious Irish raspberry and cream cheesecake. It was pretty delish if I do say so myself. This morning I stepped on the scale because last night my jeans felt unusually tight in the waist and thighs. OMG! I am up six pounds. And that is 6 pounds over the high end of the floating weight that I have been maintaining for the last year. I miss that feeling of my band keeping me from overindulging in whatever I eat. I haven't dieted since I was banded. That was 2 years and 9 months ago today. I have just eaten what I wanted and my portions were so small that I just lost weight. Well, when the saline is taken out of your band your restriction is way down. In fact there isn't anything I can't eat. This is the most tempting time of the year for eating and drinking. And since I decided not to bake this year as it would be too much of a temptation I thought I would be alright. And I haven't attended any parties or celebrations so I thought I would be okay. But I feel so bloated and mad at myself, it's like I used to feel before the band.

I've also been a little lax with my workouts the last couple of weeks. I either have missed a workout here or there or just skipped going to the gym all together because I had to much to do. I have still been going though so I don't know why my weight jumped so fast. I refuse to gain back my weight and I have an appointment to meet my doctor at the lab for an upper G.I. on February 1st. If my esophagus is not dilated anymore I should be able to have a fill again. But if not then I will have to wait another 3 months. Why did this happen to me?? I know (through reading their blogs) quite a few lapband patients and I am the only one going through this. It will be two years in February since this ordeal began. I had a feeling of being stuck and whatever I ate wouldn't go down. Like the band got tighter or something. I was constantly sliming and having to spit in a cup as we traveled down the road with our friends on our vacation. Then I barely made it to the bathroom where I vomited (TMI) My throat immediately swelled up and I felt like I was strangling. That began the reflux I had which caused me to eventually sleep sitting up. I was taking Prilosec twice a day and still had reflux only the meds reduced the acid so the reflux was just liquid. When I couldn't seem to get on the path to lose more weight I went in for another adjustment. My hubby wanted me to tell the doctor what I had been experiencing with the reflux and having to sleep upright. As soon as I told him, he arranged for the first upper GI. At the laboratory I was placed standing up on a machine that was to xray my esophagus as I drank a liquid. I drank it and watched the liquid on the tv screen next to me and saw the liquid go down my throat and then instead of flowing past the band it made a left turn into a new "pouch" and only some of it went through the band. The doctor said, "that's what I was afraid of, your esophagus is dilated" meaning it had a bulge in it to the side. He immediately removed my fill and told me to come back in three months and he would check it again. What this means is I was overfilled. I was too tight. But now, I no longer have the reflux and I can sleep laying down again since this happened. But, I can also eat pretty much like I am not banded. The last time this happened (one year ago) it wasn't during the holidays so it was easier to not gain any weight. Now I am about to go on a month long trip and I worry I will eat badly and gain even more weight. So, I am thinking should I go on a diet or should I just watch how much I eat or what I eat? I hate being in this situation again. I thought I had this under control. So, there is never a cure for overeating other than willpower or a device such as the band which helps you to not eat so much. I refuse to go out and purchase larger sizes again. I just bought new clothes and I like the way they look on me. That should be enough to keep me from making poor choices when I eat, but then I would never have needed the band if I was that much in control of my eating. I am throwing the goodies in the trash tomorrow morning.

Well, I think my only way to handle this is to start counting my calories so I lose what I've gained and then hopefully I can lose a little before I return to the doctor for the next test.

Hopefully I have the willpower to do this. I am also going to pitch the goodies in the trash tomorrow morning.

Merry Christmas and here's to a better 2011

I am wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Many of us have not had a very good 2010 and I hope 2011 gives you health and prosperity and much happiness. Enjoy your holiday and hopefully you'll be with family. I won't be, just hubby and me this year. We'll be attending a candlelight service at our church tomorrow night and then having dinner with friends at their home on Christmas day. I will post something in a couple of days but I'll most likely be reading your posts.

Happy Birthday Jesus!!

Where does the day go?

Here are two king sized pillowcases I made. The fabric is flannel and it has white polka dots. The sleeve is a plaid. Sorry the picture doesn't show that. Maybe if you click it and enlarge it you can see it.



I made these two pillowcases for my two granddaughters. They are their favorite colors. I am also making one for Bob's granddaughter.

This is a mug rug. My first attempt at it. It is a little crooked but I will get better at it. Mug rugs are little placemats for a coffee mug or tea cup and has enough room for a cookie or two or a muffin.

I can't believe how fast the days have been going this last couple of weeks. I am trying to make these and other pillowcases to give as gifts and my sewing room doesn't have the best lighting yet. So I have to take advantage of the daytime hours when it's lightest. By the time I get home from the gym and running errands I only have an hour or two left of daylight. I need to get some better lights in the room and also I need to budget my time better. Well, I am going to go see if I can cut the next one out.

Pillowcase

Here is one of the pillowcases I made a couple of weeks ago. I made them in flannel so they would be soft and warm. They are really comfy. I got them from a video tutorial on YouTube. Here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrYWCma9wgM It was so easy and turned out perfect. A friend of mine has made upward of 36 of them for gifts. I think she said she is giving them to everyone she's ever met. She is pretty funny and I think she is also driven. She is also making potholders for gifts. I am working on two quilts at once right now. One is the fishing quilt for my hubby and the other is the quilt for the Squares of Hope group to give to a deserving person through our church. They are made and prayed over and then given to someone who is ill or has lost a loved one or in need of comfort for another reason. We pour out our love and hearts into these quilts.

I haven't put out any decorations for Christmas yet and don't know if I will. My SIL is in the hospital and we may go down to California to see her. She had arthroscopic knee surgery a couple of weeks ago and ended up with blood clots in both lungs. She is expected to be released soon, maybe even today. We may go there for Christmas. We are still discussing what we'll do.

I've been reading so many new blogs by quilters and I wonder how they find the time to do as much as they do. I am hoping that I can someday make the beautiful quilts and other crafts they make. I am counting on "practice makes perfect" working for me. So far some of the little crafts I have tried look pretty much like a beginner made them. But I won't give up. They all are inspiring me to keep trying.

Have a beautiful day everyone.

Can't believe it's already the 3rd...

I haven't even thought about decorating the house yet. We went to the coast for Thanksgiving. We spent a week there and had a great time. The weather wasn't the best but it was still good to be away and in a different place. We went with some friends and we both cooked our meal together and also had another couple from our church come and join us for dinner. The dinner turned out spectacular and we all had a great day. The guys went out in the boats every day and went crabbing. Three of the days we had groups of people (friends of ours from church) come and go crabbing too. I made a double batch of Paula Deen's Taco Soup to serve when they came in from the cold, wet bay. It was a big hit with everyone. I've included the recipe if anyone would like it. My hubby Bob loves it and asks for it about every other week. LOL. We throw a handful of Fritos in the bowl and a dollop of sour cream on top and stir it in......yum.

Taco Soup
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Prep Time:
15 min
Inactive Prep Time:
--
Cook Time:
6 hr 0 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
12 to 16 servings

Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
2 cups diced onions
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles
1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced, optional
1/2 cup green olives, sliced, optional
1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
Corn chips, for serving
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheese, for garnish
Chopped green onions, for garnish
Pickled jalapenos, for garnish
Directions
Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos.

Quiet morning hours

I love the early morning hours when the house is so quiet. I can read or check emails and it's peaceful. No television going in the background and my pup snuggled against my right thigh. Sometimes I have Molly the cat laying in my lap, if I am not using my laptop. This morning I am listening to the turkeys outside. They come and pick up the bird seed that falls out of the feeder when the birds eat. Now they've moved on and it's quiet again.

Today is going to be a good day. I have a baby shower to attend at 11 and then another get together at 5pm. Plenty of time in between to do whatever I want. I finished cutting out my hubby's fish quilt and need to get started on it. We still haven't assembled the quilting frame. It's because the room it's going into has items in it that I need to either get rid of or find a place for. All the books I have are sitting in piles on the floor. I have gone in and tried to go through them and sort out the ones I don't need or haven't yet read. And some are my hubby's so I try and make a stack for him. Then I just get frustrated over what is to become of them and I walk out of the room. They used to sit on my bookshelf. Then my hubby decided we didn't have room for the bookshelf. So I moved them to the entertainment center that held our stereo components and TV. Then we got a different TV and stopped using the entertainment center so we sold it. Then I moved them to a dresser that wasn't being used. Then we gave it to friends who needed it. So my books are displaced again. Ugh!! Some of them I am thinking of selling on Amazon.com and others I use from time to time to look up things in them so I don't want to pack them away. It's times like this that I wish our house was bigger. Then we have some stereo components and old VCR's that we aren't using anymore. I need to either try selling them or giving them to Goodwill or Salvation Army. The sooner I get it done the sooner I can get my frame assembled.

We are planning to go to the coast in our motor home with another couple for the holiday. We will cook our Thanksgiving dinner in our roaster ovens outside the coach. Then we each will fix what we have decided we'll make and then we will have our dinner together. We bought 2 turkey breasts since we both prefer the white meat. Our friends also bought a whole turkey and will roast it as well. We should have plenty of sandwich fixings for after Thursday. Then the following day we plan to do some crabbing with other friends who come by. Should be a fun time. Hopefully the weather won't be too bad. The forecast is showing no rain until Saturday so I hope it doesn't change. I miss having a big family Thanksgiving, but with our family scattered all about and the older generation having passed on it makes it hard. I have always wanted to go away for Thanksgiving in either the motor home or by renting a cabin somewhere. So this will be a chance to do it finally.

I'm a slacker...

I haven't blogged in over 2 weeks. I have been lurking in the background just reading and not posting. I also found a few quilting blogs which I've been looking for and finally found. I have been working diligently on some quilting projects. The biggest one is a quilt for the "Squares of Hope" a group I belong to at church. We make and distribute quilts to those in need due to illness or family loss. They are prayed over by many of our members. It's very rewarding to know something you worked on is bringing someone comfort.



I am also cutting out a quilt for my hubby Bob that we bought in a kit at a quilt shop in Florence, Oregon several months ago. It's a fishing themed quilt. I hope it isn't too much for me. So far I am not having any problems with it.



I made some pillowcases out of flannel for our bed. I found a tutorial on YouTube and they are so easy and come out perfect. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrYWCma9wgM the tutorial is also for a cause but I only made a couple for us. They also would make great gifts. They are trying to get a million of these made and donated. I need to make some for the Million Pillowcase Challenge also. I didn't take pictures of them or I would post them.

So far I am doing well without my band being filled. My reflux has stopped and I only get heartburn at night. So I take a Zantac before bed and I am ok. I sure don't miss the reflux. I am watching that I don't eat too much. Since I was banded over 2 years ago I know how much my portions should be and I am following these. Now if only I would lay off the candy. I got some candy corn after Halloween at Walmart and I have been grabbing a handful while I am sewing. I need to throw them away since they are pure sugar. But I love them so. And they are only out once a year.

I still haven't gotten my quilting frame assembled. The room where it is to go has some boxes in it and about 40 books that were in a cabinet that we sold. Now I have no place to put the books. I am sorting them and keeping only some of them. I might sell the rest on Amazon.com as used books. Once I get the boxes and books moved my rack can go in there. It's a tiny room so there isn't much room to maneuver until I moved them out and right now I have no place to put them. If the garage wasn't so cold I would set it up out there but, no way. Well, I have to shower and take Chloe to the groomer and then it's off to the gym. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Well, today was my first full day without my fill. I am surprised, in that I am stopping and feeling full at the same place I have been for the last 8 months. I hope this lasts. Thank you everyone for your kind words and encouragement. That's why I am glad I am a blogger. Bloggers are great people!

I also started to quilt a table topper I made for Autumn. I had to get out the book to learn how to use the Bernina Stitch Regulator and a couple of other things on my machine. I had a class the week after I bought it but then I went on vacation and had family come to visit. The only thing I have been doing is piecing the tops which just involves straight stitching. I think I need a refresher course. Maybe I'll just sit and read the manual. I also got a DVD with it, maybe I'll watch that again too.

It was cold and damp out today. No rain and no sun all day. Ugh!! I hope this doesn't mean winter is almost here.

Not what I was hoping for.........

Well, today was the day I was to go for the test at the hospital. My doctor met me there and when I went in there were four people in the room. I stood on a tall machine and they slid an xray device to the front of me. Over to my right there was a television screen with a view of my esophagus. One of the technicians handed me a cup with a clear liquid in it. He said to take a big swallow of it. I took two. I looked to the side and could see the liquid roll down my throat and when it reached the bottom it pushed out to the side instead of going through my band. The doctor said, "oh no, that's what I was afraid of. You have a dilated esophagus. I need to remove all of the fill for 3 months" So there you have it. They put a pillow behind my head and laid the table back and before I knew it I was on my back. The doctor removed my fill and they stood me up again. Then they handed me the liquid again and had me drink it. This time it went right down. The doctor mentioned that he was surprised I was able to even eat. Now I know why it seemed like my food took forever to leave the pouch. It's because I had another larger pouch that it was being stored in. So the way I understand it is I had too much in the band and that is why this happened. Funny thing is a year and a half ago I had a similar problem and my band was even more filled then. So I have to be very careful over the holidays not to over do things and to keep on going to the gym so I don't undo all that I have accomplished so far. I am trying to keep a positive attitude over this whole thing. Maybe now I can sleep laying down again instead of having to prop pillows up behind me. I already feel better. I was getting little hiccups that would have liquid and food in them all the time. Since I went to the hospital that hasn't happened. I guess my doctor being a lapband patient himself knows what he's talking about. Thanks to all of you who made such nice comments on my last couple of posts. I love my blog buddies.

No fill this time......

Well, when I went to the doctor yesterday he went over my case with me and I told him I have to sleep with several pillows propped under my head and that I still have heartburn and reflux. He said, You need another barium swallow. We need to find out why this is happening to you. It isn't normal. I asked what they would do for it if it was a dilated esophagus and he said he would completely unfill me (again) for 3 to 6 months to let it heal. I am so unhappy about this. So I have to go back up there (Eugene-75 miles away) on Tuesday and have the test. I know if they can find out what is wrong I won't have to go through this anymore. But I just don't want to be unfilled again for 6 more months. I guess I have no choice at this point. It's a wait and see for me.

I got my quilt frame. It's in 3 boxes. One is really heavy. We have them in the garage until we rearrange the room it will go in. I have to go back there to pick up the instruction manual and some templates they have for me.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Yea!

The store called this morning to tell me my quilt frame is in. I am so excited. Now I just have to make room for it at home and also learn how to use it. Can't wait to start quilting on it. I have to go up there to Eugene today anyway for my appointment with the surgeon for my adjustment. We already drove up there this morning to take a friend's daughter to the airport at 4:45am. Then we had breakfast and came home. My hubby went back to bed. I snoozed for about 30 minutes and then the store called. This is going to be a great day. The picture is what it will look like with my machine in it.

Second Chances...

Got a call from the vet's office yesterday. They wanted to know if I had decided what I wanted to do with Sissy's remains yet. They said they couldn't hold her any longer. I was shocked!! I had already told them when I went in to pay the bill the morning she was euthanized. I asked them to take care of her. They had said they could have her cremated or I could take her and bury her. The cremation was $120. After paying the bill which was already $316 I decided I couldn't pay anymore. The next day I had all these weird feelings that I should have taken her and buried her here at our home. I was afraid it was too late. Now they called a week later to ask about it. I told them I'd be right in to get her. It was a strange feeling as I drove back to pick her up. When I got there they escorted me out to my car and handed me a box that was all taped up. I could feel the weight inside of my little darling kitty. When I got her home my hubby had already dug a hole in our back yard under a small tree. We placed the whole box in the hole and both of us covered it with the dirt. I felt better. She is home again where she belongs. I know her spirit or soul has already left her body but at least a part of her is here in her family's yard. I said a prayer over her little grave and came in to snuggle with my other two pets. I am sorry if this is a little morbid.

Tomorrow I have an appointment for a band adjustment. I have mixed feelings about it. I know I can eat too much now so I am not losing any weight but I worry that I will be too tight and have a problem again. The whole reason for getting the band is to have the control and that is why I decided to go for it. After all, I can always have some of the saline removed if I need to.

Loss of a pet...

This week we lost one of our kitties. Sissy, the one on the right became very sick last Saturday. I noticed her hanging around in the bathroom of all places. She was laying in front of the toilet. As I got ready for church on Sunday morning she was still there in front of the toilet. I noticed a small puddle on the bare floor next to the rug. I cleaned it up and knew I had to take her to the vet. Only they were closed on Sunday and we were on our way to church. When we got back from church she was still there in the bathroom. She did move around a little and she was wobbly on her back legs. I thought maybe she had been injured somehow. I couldn't imagine how since she was an indoor cat and there wasn't much inside that could injure her. As the day went on I recalled how early Saturday morning I found a leaf on the floor that one of the cats had chewed from a Chrysanthemum plant that my brother in law purchased for me a few days before. I got to thinking, maybe the plant is poisonous to cats. I can never have fresh flowers in the house without having to place them somewhere high up that the cats won't get into them. These were not up high. In fact my sister in law placed them on the floor next to the television for a splash of color. They were so pretty and instantly made the room look like fall. As soon as I got home from church I looked on Google to see if it could be the plant. There it was, high toxicity to cats. Oh, no. Monday morning I picked her up and she felt cold so I placed her on my lap to warm her. She stayed there for a long time (not like her at all) The Vet's office opens at 8am so I called them as soon as I could and they said to bring her right in. I did, when they took her temperature it was below normal and they placed a hot water bottle next to her. The doctor came in and looked her over. I told her I suspected it was the plant and she wasn't entirely convinced that was the cause of her illness. She was 12 years old and that is pretty old for a cat I guess. I thought they lived to be 20 or so. Anyway, she said that they would keep her and hydrate her through an I.V. and do a blood test. I left and about an hour later the doctor called and said her kidneys had shut down which wasn't good. She said why not keep her on the fluids and see if the kidneys started to work again. I agreed. First thing Tuesday morning I got another call from the vet's office. They said she was no better and that in all honesty if she hasn't responded by now, she most likely wouldn't.

Well, this isn't how I expected my week to start. So sad. We all are missing her little face. Molly, our other cat keeps looking in closets and around doorways for her. But I think she has stopped now. She seems to know she is gone and isn't looking anymore. We aren't going to get another cat to replace her. Needless to say, the chrysanthemum is outside now where it isn't a temptation to our other cat Molly.

I'll be back......

I haven't been on here all week due to having a visit from my hubby's sister and her husband. We've really enjoyed their company and while they were here we all came down with colds. Yuck!! I just got over one a few weeks ago. I'll catch up with everyone's posts after they leave today and also try to get over this icky feeling.

Out with September.......in with October

This month just flew by for me. It must have been all that I did that caused that sensation. Starting with my birthday on the 3rd, and then my brothers and their wives came to visit. After that we went to the coast for crabbing and salmon fishing. Now we are preparing for another visit, this time from my hubby's sister and her husband. This must be vacation central this year. Just kidding, we love seeing our siblings and enjoy their visits.

When I got home from the coast I felt as though I had gained 5 pounds or more. I stepped on the scale and it was up 2 pounds. I got back on it this morning and that 2 pounds was gone. I am still amazed at how I am maintaining weight instead of gaining it. After years of slowly gaining back what I had worked so hard to lose, this just is so cool. I do love this band!! But, I haven't lost any weight in six months. I had my last adjustment (fill) in February. They say as you lose weight you need to get a fill because the fat (ugh, what a word) around the band goes away and then the band becomes lose again. I was reading one of the blogs I follow this morning and it's a fellow lapbander's blog. She wrote what she ate in a day and I was stunned. I realized then I am eating way too much a day and that is why I am not losing but just maintaining. Think I need to call the surgeon for an appointment. I mentioned it to my DH a couple of weeks ago and he said, "no you don't! You have to sleep sitting up now!" But I do that to keep my reflux from causing me to cough or aspirate during the night. Since I started propping pillows up behind me I sleep so much better. It's working so why shouldn't I get an adjustment. I wonder if I told the doctor how I am sleeping, would he say no more fills. I am torn. Then the other day my friend and I were talking and she said she thought I didn't need to lose anymore weight. My husband agreed. I don't want to be rail thin, I just want my BMI to be out of the obese category. How can I be "thin enough" if the charts say I am still obese? Lately I have had several people mention that I have lost even more weight. I haven't. I think your body just redistributes the weight and that is what they're seeing. Also, I am at the gym 5 days a week working out and that causes muscle mass and fat loss but I think I'll call and talk to the nurse at the surgeon's office and see if she recommends I come in.

He finally caught his salmon.............

My hubby has been fishing for 6 years and finally caught a salmon. He was beside himself happy. Grinning from ear to ear. It was only 17 pounds but it was his and he is so proud. I am so excited for him. Now his life is complete. Now I have to wrap it up and put it in the freezer.

Winchester Bay Resort

We went to the coast on Sunday and spent three days there with some new friends we've recently met. They had never gone crabbing before. We took them crabbing in our boat. The catch was plentiful. The first day we used chicken parts for bait. You can only keep the males and they must be a certain size to be legal. After our first days catch, 17 of them, we heard about a business there in town that would cook and clean them for you. We took them to be cooked and it saved us the trouble and mess of cleaning and cooking them ourselves. Then we just had to remove the meat from the claws and bodies. The second day we caught more still but the cooking place was closed when we got there so we had to cook them ourselves. Here are a few pictures we took of the process. This resort was sure nice. 3 days wasn't long enough to be there and I definitely want to go back again. The space we had was large enough for our motor home, our boat and our truck. And it's right on the bay of the Umpqua River and the ocean. I like to have melted butter with garlic in it and to sample it while removing the meat from the shells. MMMMM good!!

A visit from my family........

We went to Crater Lake on Tuesday. We rented an 8 passenger minivan. It was lots of fun. We went to breakfast and then headed off to the lake. Once we got there we had lunch and took pictures. We got home around dinnertime. I had made the chicken in the crockpot. It turned out very delicious but a little too spicy for my one sister-in-law and my great niece. Here is the recipe I used:

Jamaican Chicken

chicken thighs and breasts

Adobo seasoning

1 onion finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic minced

4T soy sauce

1 cup ketchup

1/2 habanero chili chopped fine ( I used a jalepeno and seeded it)

chicken broth

Rub the chicken with the adobo seasoning and brown in frying pan. Put in crockpot and add other ingredients. I cooked it for 8 hours on low. It could have been cooked a little less because the chicken was falling apart but it wasn't dry. I made rice to serve the gravy over.

Wednesday we decided to drive to the coast and show our guests some of the sights along the beach areas. After driving for about an hour and a half we got to our destination only to have one of my sisters-in-law become very sick. She was stricken with a case of the flu. We decided to head for home since she was so ill. It took us four hours to get home because we had to stop every so often for her to use a bathroom. Poor thing looked so miserable. She also felt terrible that our plans were ruined but that is not a big deal. We were just concerned about her. She started feeling better that evening and today feels great again. We're hoping none of the rest of us catch what she had.

Last minute touches

What is going on with me. I woke up at 4am and laid there for almost an hour awake. I decided I would just get up. Now it's almost 6 and I am getting sleepy again. I got most of the things done yesterday so today I just have to dust a little and put a roast in the slow cooker.

Bob and his friend came home with no salmon yesterday. But they said they had a fun time anyway. I guess that's what it's all about anyway.

When we were camping in July a couple we know came camping also and we all had dinner together a few times. The time she made the main course it was a chicken dinner made in her slow cooker. She said it was a recipe given to her by a friend from the Caribbean. She gave me the ingredients. I thought that would make a good meal while my bros are here but I don't know the amounts of anything. I wrote her an email and asked for the recipe. She called yesterday and said she couldn't find the recipe and would call her friend for it and email me. Well, I haven't heard anything from her yet. So.....I figure either she couldn't reach her friend or she really doesn't want to share the recipe so I may have to improvise. After all I do have the ingredients. Only hitch is one ingredient is Goya Adobo Seasoning and my brother is bringing me that since I couldn't find it anywhere in my town. He found it in a Mexican market in Nevada. So I will be making it another night this next week.

The weather is supposed to be better the next week. It's been raining for two days off and on. I'm not ready to have cold and rainy weather yet. Well, I think I may go back to bed for a couple more hours. Have a Blessed Day everyone!

My New Toy........

Here is a picture of my new sewing machine. It has a longer arm than the standard machines do. It's 12 inches instead of the usual 7. I am hoping this will make a big difference when I quilt small projects. The larger ones can go on the quilt frame (when it comes in)
I went to my class yesterday to learn how to use the features on the machine. I am loving it.

Today Bob and a friend went to the coast to salmon fish the river. I have lots to do as both of my brothers are now on their way here. One brother is coming from Kansas and the other from Nevada. They are both planning to arrive tomorrow. I can't wait to see them all. I haven't seen the Kansas group in three years. I also have a third brother. I wish he and his wife could make it but they said they couldn't. I tried to stress the importance of spending a little time together because you never know how long any of us have. It's been over 20 years since we all have been together. I plan to make the best of this visit. Lots of pictures and laughter and good times. I thought I would bake some peanut butter cookies for them. When we were kids and went to visit my grandmother (paternal) she always had a crock of freshly baked peanut butter cookies for us. I have her recipe and thought it would be a nice touch. She also used to make a chiffon dessert that she called Pink Puddin but I've never been able to find the recipe. I think it had a cookie crust and was made with Jello and whipped up and was a raspberry flavor. Does it sound familiar to anyone? Well, I guess I should get started with all I have to do...............