Glamour Girl ... Not.

Went to the country Friday night. Ate on the way & didn't arrive until 8:30p. We had a wood rack that we needed to move in order for the power to be ran to the electrical box.

The rack on the left needed to be moved but of course we had been piling stuff all around it. At least it was the rack with less wood. To top it off it was very cold Saturday morning. It was in the mid 30's with a wind chill around 29. Don't let that blue sky fool you. The wind was howling & blowing straight where we needed to work. I found my ear muffs that I love but guess what, they were broken so I had to improvise. I put on my Boggs rubber boots, a t-shirt, a long sleeve shirt & found a thin hoodie to help cover my ears (I can't stand my ears to be cold) & also donned a fishing hat to keep it all in place. Here is the pic, before I put on the flannel lined denim jacket & fuzzy gloves covered by work gloves. Mama Pea, I can't believe I am sharing this but here goes.

Not my best look but it definitely did the trick. Husband moved the wood on the rack itself & I tackled the crap extra stuff in front of it. By the 2nd load I lost the big jacket & the fuzzy gloves & looked pretty much like I do in the pic.

As we were working, one of my cousins pulled up. He had been trying to contact my Mom & didn't realize she was at my sister's & was concerned. I'm sure he thought that I looked pretty silly but didn't say a word, just gave me a big hug. We chatted with him a bit & then he helped us push the boat out of the way (behind the wood pile) & then he helped move the wood rack itself.

We left early this morning so we could stop by my sister's to say hello to my Mom. She's doing great just having trouble deciphering her meds, but in good spirits. My sister took her to church this morning so she was happy to get 'dressed up'. My sister will continue to educate her on the meds so Mama will be straight when she's ready to live in her new place.. Please say a prayer for my sister. Although, she is much more patient than I am it can still be very stressful.

While there my BIL cut us some fresh broccoli from their garden & while we were standing around chatting, his parents new additions stopped by to say hi. They are 2 pregnant females that were given to them. I'm not sure of the breed but they have identical dark brown crosses on their backs (apparently the whole herd does). His Mom calls them Jesus donkeys. They are very protective of the cattle they have. And they are verrry loud brayers (right term?).

Next week, we should find out when the new trailer will be delivered & what our timeline is. Until then, I've got a busy week. Hope everyone is getting back in the groove after the Holidays.

Update on my Mom

This is a post to primarily document my Mom's issues, so skip until next post if not interested.

She had a Heart Cath done on Monday, after a long weekend of tag teaming with my sister to stay w/her,  Had several family members sit with us during the procedure which went well. Had to put a couple of large stints in & then the long 6 - 8 hours of laying flat began. My sister, BIL & niece went to lunch & I stayed, just in case. Mama had been such a trooper up until then, but her back hurt from laying flat so long & she began to complain. Not much but enough for me to apologize to the nurses. They completely understood. She was able to move her left leg but that was it. I had to make her stop trying to lift her right leg & she didn't want to eat lying flat on her back. Can't blame her at all.

Sister came back from lunch & they told us she could go home on Tuesday. My sister asked if I could get her to her house the next day. We don't want her going back to her old home, it's just not safe enough. My sister went by the trailer place & picked out the colors for walls, carpeting, etc. It will be delivered in 4 - 6 weeks. She's going to stay at my sister's until then. If everyone gets too crowded, they will set up their camper, on their property, for her to stay in once she's stable.

For a 77 year old she hasn't had any real medical issues. She was diagnosed w/Type 2 diabetes about 4 years ago. She kept listening to too many others about their preventions & took matters into her own hands. She did take her insulin but changed her diet considerably. She lost about 30 lbs in 3 months & cut out ALL carbs & sugars for over a year. We think that may have contributed to her diabetes not getting under control. Maybe, maybe not. She didn't consult w/Dr. just made drastic changes.

Anyway, the final prognosis was Pulmonary Embolism & Coronary Artery Disease. She is currently on a boatload of medicine which we are going to verify all Meds in the next few weeks. She is getting used to a new routine & according to my sister tonight, getting the hang of it. Instead of just testing & injecting herself once a day (w/the long acting insulin) she now has to inject & test 4 times a day plus injecting herself with a fast acting insulin. She will do this until it's time to do an A1C test (or something like that) to see what her real blood sugar is.

We're following doctor(s) orders until we can research & ask questions about the amount of pills she is on. We think it's too much of certain things but it's just a hunch at this point until we know more. The hospital is definitely not the place to get specific info as they throw so much at you at check out time that it's very overwhelming. I can't imagine being an older person trying to understand it all on their own.

She never had to take any pills until now & they all look alike so we are worried that she will get them confused. So that's another educational item we are dealing with. So for now, sister will fill her AM & PM containers.

Dr. appts for the next 3 months & then we will hopefully be on an annual basis. The best news is that her strength is good (she could climb up in my SUV by herself when leaving the hospital) & she's testing herself & giving all the insulin shots herself. We just have to get the pills situated then we'll be good to go. I think my sister will give her, her car keys back on Sunday so she can go visiting & to her church by herself.

Thank you all for your prayers & well wishes.

So this is how 2015 begins?

Left on the Eve to head back to the Country. Greg had already gone back on Monday. Stopped by my sister's to give the news of the house to our Mom. She was very happy & appreciative. Got to the Country House by 4:00p. Has a nice dinner of steaks & baked potatoes.

We have a dear friend that was disagnosed with Leukemia last June. After her second round of in-hopsital chemo & then a bone marrow transplant she was improving daily & then  started going downhill. They made the tough decision to just let that horrible journey carry itself out & went home to be with family for the holidays. She died on New Year's Eve. Got the news on Thursday. She was a beautiful, charismatic, opinionated, classy, elegant woman. Forever known as the baby whisperer. She could make any baby quit crying by holding, cooing & just loving it. She leaves behind a very loving husband, 3 grown children & 2 beautiful grandchildren. The last one born on the 10th of December. Her memorial will be in a couple of weeks.

On Tuesday & Wednesday Greg had trenched the line for the W & E for our Garden Shed  that we had installed last year. So on Thursday, after breakfast, we went once again to Lowes (I swear I need to buy stock) to buy a few plumbing fittings & more electrical stuff. We got the water running (2 faucets at this point) ... yeah! I decided to spend the afternoon filling in the trench. Manual labor always helps me find solace. I thought about our friend all afternoon.

We then cooked our very southern rendition of New Year's dinner. But, instead of pork roast we decided on pork ribs plus white rice, black eyed peas (w/green onions sprinked on top), collard greens & cornbread. It was soooo good, especially since we hadn't eaten any lunch.

I woke at 5:00a this morning & couldn't go back to sleep. Got up & noticed phone was dead & plugged it in, turned the coffee pot on, got my blanket & curled up on the couch watching MeTV. Just before I made my first cup my text alert went off. My sister ... our Mama had called her & was having trouble breathing/catching her breath. Sister went to her house & took her to the ER in their small town. They put her on oxygen & ran a few tests then decided to transfer her to one of the larger hospitals in the City. I took a shower, packed & drove back this morning going directly to the hospital. They ruled out Pneumonia, Flu, etc. & started her on medication to remove the fluid. By noon she was doing better. My sister went home to gather a few things while I stayed w/Mama. Sister came back & will stay a while tonight & I will head over there in the morning. All her vitals are good so we are very hopeful that medication can control whatever the problem is. No Dr. sighting as of 15 mins. ago but the nurses are ALL so very nice, helpful, funny & they share whatever information they have & answer all our questions as best they can.

Please let the year go uphill from here ....

Christmas Weekend 2014

Had Christmas lunch at my sister's then opened presents. In addition to my sister, her husband & niece we also had my Dad & his wife, her daughter, boyfriend, grand daughter & my Mom. It was very low key this year. We normally open gifts one at a time so everyone can see what each received. With so many present this year we all opened at the same time which made it go a LOT quicker. Gift cards were the theme for us because we kept telling everyone we didn't need anything. Actually, I wish we wouldn't exchange anymore but my Dad will have nothing to do with that. This was the 2nd year without my other niece. We all miss her very much but truly believe she is in heaven doing what God needs her to do.

We got an earlier start to the Country due to the presents not taking so long. We woke the next morning to this beautiful sky:

After breakfast, we made enchiladas from some leftover taco meat from earlier in the week.We then decided to continue our Christmas tradition of buying ourselves blocks for our own present. If you remember, 2 years ago my niece had just died & we didn't celebrate Christmas at all. That's when we bought 250 blocks to define the raised beds in our garden. Read about that here Christmas 2012. This year we needed new steps to our front porch & off the car port. We had temporary steps made of a couple of old blocks & wood. The wood was starting to rot & spiders had taken up residence in the block holes. We decided to make steps out of solid blocks so off to Lowes we went. We only had to buy 24 this time, whew! We got the steps put in after much levelling & decided to call it a day. 

Just as we sat down I got a text from my neighbors at Hoss Tools down the road, inviting us to come over & hang out by the fire & to eat some Christmas leftovers. We put on our boots & hopped on the Mule with our enchiladas. It was a fairly small group of about 10 or 11. Everyone brought a dish of some sort. We had ham, boston butt, broccoli casserole, etc. My friend's daughter was home from Germany & made homemade biscuits. They were great with the ham & the enchiladas were a big hit. It was a nice night & we were home & in bed by 10:00p.

We got up the next morning & I decided to try to make some biscuits myself. I just don't have luck with the regular old fashioned biscuits so I found a sour cream/7 up recipe on Pinterest. I had 1/4 c. sour cream & some lemon lime soda. It was very soft dough & you place the 'cut' dough on top of melted butter. Very messy & while they were baking I had my doubts but boy were they good! And, I can't find the recipe now. I need to get back on Pinterest & search. I didn't want to pin it in case they weren't good. Silly me.

We then put up a weather vane that Greg gave me. It's more for looks than anything. It's really the same brown color all over but the rooster & arrow looks copper with the sun shining on it.

While at Lowes the day before we also bought insulation for our garden shed roof but wanted to wait until the end of the day to install that. The early afternoon was spent string trimming (him, not me) & laundry. We then got the insulation done & stopped for the evening. Had leftover spaghetti & meatballs & called it another early night.

We left fairly early on Sunday because we wanted to stop by my sister's on the way home. We stopped & gorged ourselves at a country buffet in a nearby town. Roast beef, potatoes, carrots, turnip greens, dressing, chicken & dumplings, butterbeans & fried chicken. It was sooo good & I think it was $6.99 a person.

My Mom's house trailer is falling apart & we wanted to talk with them about buying her a new one. Since they live in the same town as her, we wanted to see if they would coordinate getting the old one torn down, permits, etc. We all agreed & hopefully she'll have a new safe home to live in, in a few weeks.

Greg has gone back to the Country, his business is closed until the 5th & he is going to work on getting the electrical & water trenched to the garden shed. I have to work tomorrow & 1/2 day on the 31st & will then head back to spend the New Year weekend with him.

If I don't post again I hope everyone has a safe & happy New Year celebration.

Merry Christmas All!

Merry Christmas to all my blogging friends. Wish we were closer & could raise a glass & eat a great meal together. Enjoy your time with family & friends.

Oh My Stars!

Had a great weekend in the country. Weather couldn't have been more perfect. After dinner on Saturday night we decide to don jackets & gloves (& ear muffs for me) & go for a ride on the mule. We are way out in the country about 10 miles away from the closest small town & on a clear night you see can the whole astrological sky. Wish I could name more than the big & little dippers, plus Orion's belt.

We rode in the big field across our dirt road. It's about 1500 acres. We stopped at one point just to look up & admire it for what it is truly worth. We also saw many shooting stars. I heard tonight that it might have been a meteor shower. It was so peaceful & quiet.

Here's an internet pic (I think from the Canon website, but not sure). I know my camera could never do it justice.

I just love this time of year.

This & That

We've been busy little beavers here lately. Thanksgiving was quite nice. We spend it with my husband's family almost every year. MIL is a fantastic cook! We usually take 1 or 2 things to go along with the meal. But, like everyone else there is always a boatload of food left over. This worked out great for us, as we headed to the country on Friday & with all those leftovers didn't have to spend any time cooking up there.

Last summer we had 2 big things happen:

1. Greg bought me a mule for my birthday:

We had a golf cart that was able to pull a small trailer but nothing heavy as the batteries wouldn't last. So he decided to splurge & get something that would last. This thing is a work horse! We've since added a roof & trailer ball. The bed lifts to be able to unload all that poo that I intend to haul!

2. We had a metal building put up on the country property.

It is divided intro 2 separate sections. The front section will house a kitchen, living & dining area, plus a bedroom & bathroom. And, best of all ...... a pantry!

The back will house an office, workbenches & shelving. The 'shop' of Greg's dream.

Over Thanksgiving weekend we laid out the front section & the office. We will be talking to someone about framing it inside, we just don't have the time. We will then hang the sheet rock, run the wiring for the electricity & lay out the duct work for the air. I would have loved to have solar but it just didn't work out. But, we hope to add a wood burning stove for heat.

Over the long weekend, I did get a chance to pick up some pecans from the volunteer trees along the fence line/driveway. I have at least 2 varieties. They are small but very sweet & meaty.

Other than that, I have been very busy at work with year end deadlines. Plus, we had our Christmas party last Saturday afternoon. It was on a boat & we had beautiful weather. Afterwards, we went to a nice dinner & then went to see Jeanne Robertson, a comedian that we really like. Here's a link to one of her YouTube videos if you are so inclined.

Don't send a man to the grocery store.

I am almost finished with my Christmas shopping. Cutting back a bit this year. Taking this Friday off to finish & then it's back to the country for the weekend ... woo hoo!

Happy Thanksgiving & a friend is missing one of her animals.

Hope everyone enjoys their Turkey Day.

My friend from South Carolina is missing one of her dogs, Katie. Katie is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever met. Here is my friend's Facebook post. If anyone knows of anyone in the area, please ask them to be on the lookout.

**KATIE'S STILL MISSING***
Please call me at 803-804-3541 if you see Katie or have taken her in. She's about 50 pounds, so not the big boxer breed, and she's microchipped and is not wearing a collar. Missing since Sunday (11/23) in the Tabernacle area of the Buford community, Rowell RD/Tabernacle RD Lancaster, SC.

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Lucky In-Laws & Firewood for us!

We had bad weather last week here in the city. In-Laws had an 80 foot tree fall in their yard. It fell right beside their house (& power line into the house)! It only damaged 1 small shingle as it fell. It missed my FIL's truck as well. They are 2 very lucky people.

We couldn't even wrap our arms around the base of it & had to call in a tree surgeon. Greg got the majority of it cut up & the tree surgeon took the huge pieces away, as well as the stump.

We got up this past Saturday morning to pick up the cut pieces. Greg cut up any that they hadn't already done (back breaking work!). The result of that tree gave use a whole dump trailer full of firewood to use at the Country House!

Woo hoo!

No Hay, How about Moss?

It was a lovely weekend that almost felt like a real fall day here in the humid south. I'm having a jewelry party next weekend & wanted to dress up my front porch for the occasion. Especially since having company over for a special occasion is about the only time anyone uses our front porch. We are "come on in through the garage" kind of people. Anyway, I went to a pumpkin patch last weekend & got a few pumpkins for a donation to the church & child development center.

Found a few last minute mums on sale, plus a few other plants. But, once I put it all together it looked a little harsh. I don't have access to straw or haw here in the city. I could have raked up some pine straw but that seems like too much work this late in the day. As I was walking back & forth from the driveway to the porch I noticed a few limbs that had fallen in the yard with Spanish Moss on them. Eureka! So I gather some, plus a few pine cones & that did the trick!

I'm not a talented decorator but I really like how this turned out. I thought about making a scare crow for that corner where the faucet is but would be kind of difficult w/o straw. If I happen to see any of the nurseries with corn stalks I may purchase a few to tie together to fill that void.

Also while wondering around in the yard I happened upon this fellow.

That's a canning jar ring. He was about 3" long & as big around as a nickel. He reminded me of a tobacco worm but no one around here is growing tobacco, that I know of anyway. I picked him up with a stick & tossed him in the woods next door.

Why did I have a canning ring handy? We picked up 80 lbs of Zaycon chicken breasts. We purchased 40 lbs last year & went through it pretty fast so decided to double our order this year. We froze about 50 pounds & I canned the rest. Got 14 pints & 7 quarts put up. Well, 1 pint jar didn't seal so we'll have that next week. Maybe make some enchiladas or quesadillas?

Zaycon started out in the Northwest selling seafood. Until recently the fish wasn't offered east of the Mississippi. We are going to try the Wild caught Cod, due to be delivered in January. The good news there, it is flash frozen & put in individual servings so we won't have to process it. Yeah!

Oh well, I'm tired & ready to call it a day. Will be preparing for the party all next week.