Yay for chili! I made some yesterday--sort of non-traditional chili--my own concoction/recipe. I baked some chicken breasts, then shredded 'em and tossed 'em in a crock pot with some pinto beans, black beans and great northern beans, added some chicken broth, diced up some sweet peppers and then dumped in a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies. Cranked it up on high for 3 hours and voila!
I should add that I'm the only one in the house eating it. But that's okay...more for me! And it was especially yummy today. I like leftover chili, maybe even more than I like same-day made chili. Good comfort food.
And why do I need comfort food? Because life has been kinda stinky the past few months. I'm not really complaining. I have a lot to be very thankful for and I'm not overlooking that. It's just that the holiday season is here, money is still pretty tight, and I'm having another surgery next Tuesday. My OB/GYN is taking over for this surgery...there's a tumor-ish thing in/on/near a lymph node, but closer to the reproductive region than my bladder, so she'll be temporarily taking over. It's back to Hottie Doc in January for my next follow up.
I am so glad I have good coverage through my health insurance. And I guess by sheer luck, the timing is working out really well. With Thanksgiving being next week, I was already going to be off work for a few days, so I don't have to use as much benefit time as I would need to otherwise. My other surgery was around the 4th of July holiday and I lucked out that time, too.
Well, I guess that's enough random info for now. I've got a kiddo who I've barely seen in the past week because I've been working so many hours. More nonsense later...
Monday, November 16, 2009
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Looking Forward to Monday
I can hardly wait to get back to work tomorrow...so I can get some rest!
This weekend was ridiculously busy. Got home late Friday from work, did some laundry and made dinner. Saturday the hubs was gone all day...made a big breakfast, went shopping in the morning, took care of the kiddo, made meals, picked up around the house, packed away the Halloween decorations, started making a quilt and made cookies. Had fantastic one on one time with my kiddo, and I'm not complaining about that at all. Today, I finished making the quilt I started yesterday, picked up more around the house, made cookies (again--for the hubs's poker friends), cleaned a little more, broke the kitchen faucet, banged my head on a cabinet, making dinner right now...
And all of this was completed while on crisis call for work.
Yikes! I'm not complaining, really, just feeling a little worn out. Gotta get dinner out of the oven now.
This weekend was ridiculously busy. Got home late Friday from work, did some laundry and made dinner. Saturday the hubs was gone all day...made a big breakfast, went shopping in the morning, took care of the kiddo, made meals, picked up around the house, packed away the Halloween decorations, started making a quilt and made cookies. Had fantastic one on one time with my kiddo, and I'm not complaining about that at all. Today, I finished making the quilt I started yesterday, picked up more around the house, made cookies (again--for the hubs's poker friends), cleaned a little more, broke the kitchen faucet, banged my head on a cabinet, making dinner right now...
And all of this was completed while on crisis call for work.
Yikes! I'm not complaining, really, just feeling a little worn out. Gotta get dinner out of the oven now.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
This and That (Again)
I just can't seem to get my groove back! And I'm not talking about dancing!
I've had a little more energy these days, which is nice, but still that low-level of fatigue constantly hanging over me. I know a lot of it is emotional baggage. Things at home are tense, but not anybody's fault. We got a notice in the mail that our COBRA payment is more than doubling because the hubby's former employer changed policies, which means our cost goes up. We're paying more for a crappy policy. Nice, huh? But we found that out after we got a notice in the mail that he was terminated from COBRA for failure to pay! Thankfully, we had all the certified receipts saved and proof that all the checks had cleared. It turns out, when the former employer changed policies on October 1st, they failed to notify COBRA until October 12th, which was after we had already made the October payment in the previous amount. Boneheads. I don't know if I'm more ticked off at the former employers for not following protocol or at COBRA for being so quick to terminate. It's fine now, though I have to figure out where the extra money is going to come from--our income has gone down by a lot, and our costs have only gone up. I get the fact that it's a dog-eat-dog world out there, but none of them seem to understand that they're f-ing (sorry, language, language, I know) with real people's lives. I'm continuing to pray that my daughter doesn't get sick in the next month, because we're hoping to find private insurance for her, but right now she doesn't qualify because of her history of health problems. If we can get her through the next month (or better yet, through the end of the year) with no major illnesses, we should be able to pick up a policy for less than the COBRA costs. I am so thankful every single day that my employer continues to provide health insurance. Such a relief, especially with my current medical issues.
Speaking of medical issues, I've been waiting patiently and nervously for the availability of the H1N1 vaccine. My kiddo and I aren't candidates for the current nasal-spray version of the vaccine because of my history of asthma and her history of major breathing issues, so we have to wait until the shot becomes available--and right now, they're not available at all in our area. We've been extra diligent about hand washing and wiping down commonly touched surfaces in the house. Today, I bought some extra handy-wipes and alcohol swabs for wiping down things in public. I was in Target this morning and was shocked at the number of people out and about who were obviously ill, but not practicing good hygiene. Disgusting. Even my 4-year-old knows to cough and sneeze into her elbow and to use tissue for her nose. And of course, we encourage regular and frequent hand-washing. We don't use anti-bacterial soap in our house because of sensitive skin issues, but we use regular old foaming hand soap and wash for 20-30 seconds. I think that does the trick equally as well.
Halloween was good this year. This was my kiddo's first time actually being healthy and well enough to trick-or-treat at more than three houses! It was cold outside, but we bundled her up and had so much fun. We went out for about an hour, then came home and warmed up. She went back out with her dad for another 45 minutes and I stayed in and made dinner. The kiddo was a pirate (and a cute one!); daddy was a ghost; I was supposed to be a pirate, too, but that fell through. I ended up being an '80s chic, retro...something. Given the comment I got from a neighborhood dad, I think I looked a little trampy, though that wasn't my intention. I had big hair, big make-up, big boots, big jewelry, big everything. Total '80s iconic get-up. It was still fun. It took 10 minutes of rubbing and scrubbing to eliminate the purple eyeliner and red lipstick when all was said and done.
The Halloween cake I had planned was a total bust. I won't share the details. It just didn't work out and I was very sad to dump it in the garbage.
Listen to me being all rambling and long-winded here. I guess that's what happens when I go long stretches in between posts. I'll work on getting better about that. I've had a lot on my mind lately--lots of stuff that I could share, but words aren't coming easily these days. I'll keep working at it. More nonsense later...
I've had a little more energy these days, which is nice, but still that low-level of fatigue constantly hanging over me. I know a lot of it is emotional baggage. Things at home are tense, but not anybody's fault. We got a notice in the mail that our COBRA payment is more than doubling because the hubby's former employer changed policies, which means our cost goes up. We're paying more for a crappy policy. Nice, huh? But we found that out after we got a notice in the mail that he was terminated from COBRA for failure to pay! Thankfully, we had all the certified receipts saved and proof that all the checks had cleared. It turns out, when the former employer changed policies on October 1st, they failed to notify COBRA until October 12th, which was after we had already made the October payment in the previous amount. Boneheads. I don't know if I'm more ticked off at the former employers for not following protocol or at COBRA for being so quick to terminate. It's fine now, though I have to figure out where the extra money is going to come from--our income has gone down by a lot, and our costs have only gone up. I get the fact that it's a dog-eat-dog world out there, but none of them seem to understand that they're f-ing (sorry, language, language, I know) with real people's lives. I'm continuing to pray that my daughter doesn't get sick in the next month, because we're hoping to find private insurance for her, but right now she doesn't qualify because of her history of health problems. If we can get her through the next month (or better yet, through the end of the year) with no major illnesses, we should be able to pick up a policy for less than the COBRA costs. I am so thankful every single day that my employer continues to provide health insurance. Such a relief, especially with my current medical issues.
Speaking of medical issues, I've been waiting patiently and nervously for the availability of the H1N1 vaccine. My kiddo and I aren't candidates for the current nasal-spray version of the vaccine because of my history of asthma and her history of major breathing issues, so we have to wait until the shot becomes available--and right now, they're not available at all in our area. We've been extra diligent about hand washing and wiping down commonly touched surfaces in the house. Today, I bought some extra handy-wipes and alcohol swabs for wiping down things in public. I was in Target this morning and was shocked at the number of people out and about who were obviously ill, but not practicing good hygiene. Disgusting. Even my 4-year-old knows to cough and sneeze into her elbow and to use tissue for her nose. And of course, we encourage regular and frequent hand-washing. We don't use anti-bacterial soap in our house because of sensitive skin issues, but we use regular old foaming hand soap and wash for 20-30 seconds. I think that does the trick equally as well.
Halloween was good this year. This was my kiddo's first time actually being healthy and well enough to trick-or-treat at more than three houses! It was cold outside, but we bundled her up and had so much fun. We went out for about an hour, then came home and warmed up. She went back out with her dad for another 45 minutes and I stayed in and made dinner. The kiddo was a pirate (and a cute one!); daddy was a ghost; I was supposed to be a pirate, too, but that fell through. I ended up being an '80s chic, retro...something. Given the comment I got from a neighborhood dad, I think I looked a little trampy, though that wasn't my intention. I had big hair, big make-up, big boots, big jewelry, big everything. Total '80s iconic get-up. It was still fun. It took 10 minutes of rubbing and scrubbing to eliminate the purple eyeliner and red lipstick when all was said and done.
The Halloween cake I had planned was a total bust. I won't share the details. It just didn't work out and I was very sad to dump it in the garbage.
Listen to me being all rambling and long-winded here. I guess that's what happens when I go long stretches in between posts. I'll work on getting better about that. I've had a lot on my mind lately--lots of stuff that I could share, but words aren't coming easily these days. I'll keep working at it. More nonsense later...
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Wanted: More Weekend, Less Weekday
What a hectic week...whew! I'm glad it's Saturday, but the day is nearly over and I still have so much to do. Booooo.
Went to the doctor on Tuesday for my procedure and was relieved that the doctor didn't find any new tumors. Yay! My chance of recurrence dropped from 80% to 50%, which to me, is a big deal.
Work was a bit of a nightmare, especially toward the end of the week, but I hesitate to complain...it's a job, right? I am taking a few days off next week in anticipation of Halloween. I've almost finished a plan for a Halloween cake and I'm going to need a day to decorate it. Heck, even if that wasn't the case, I'd take the time off anyway, just to be able to mellow out and breathe.
I'm just relaxing tonight. Spent the afternoon celebrating my grandma's 80th birthday; kiddo will be heading to bed in about 45 minutes, and then I'm on my own. The hubs is playing in a poker tournament tonight--for someone who can't concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes at a time, I'm really impressed with his poker-playing abilities. He's in first place in the local tournament and tonight, he's trying his hand at something called a super-satellite tournament (? I think that's what it's called) where he has a chance to earn a seat in another tournament, and that winner goes to the World Series of Poker. I think that's pretty neat. If nothing else, it gets him out of the house for a while and lets me have some peace and quiet. Yay!
Went to the doctor on Tuesday for my procedure and was relieved that the doctor didn't find any new tumors. Yay! My chance of recurrence dropped from 80% to 50%, which to me, is a big deal.
Work was a bit of a nightmare, especially toward the end of the week, but I hesitate to complain...it's a job, right? I am taking a few days off next week in anticipation of Halloween. I've almost finished a plan for a Halloween cake and I'm going to need a day to decorate it. Heck, even if that wasn't the case, I'd take the time off anyway, just to be able to mellow out and breathe.
I'm just relaxing tonight. Spent the afternoon celebrating my grandma's 80th birthday; kiddo will be heading to bed in about 45 minutes, and then I'm on my own. The hubs is playing in a poker tournament tonight--for someone who can't concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes at a time, I'm really impressed with his poker-playing abilities. He's in first place in the local tournament and tonight, he's trying his hand at something called a super-satellite tournament (? I think that's what it's called) where he has a chance to earn a seat in another tournament, and that winner goes to the World Series of Poker. I think that's pretty neat. If nothing else, it gets him out of the house for a while and lets me have some peace and quiet. Yay!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Aliens
Well, tomorrow is my follow up with Hottie Doc and my next procedure. Nothing like a little humiliation early in the day to get the blood pumping. I've convinced myself that during the scope, HD will tell me that I have three aliens growing in my bladder. That way, I'll be much more relieved when (NOT IF!) he tells me things look good and that there are no more tumors, no more cancer.
Of course, even if he does find something, I'll still be relieved, because really, I'm not keen on the idea of three aliens growing in my bladder.
Of course, even if he does find something, I'll still be relieved, because really, I'm not keen on the idea of three aliens growing in my bladder.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
My So-Called Life
I giggle when I'm nervous. At this exact moment, I feel a surge of shrill, maniacal laughter bubbling up in the back of my throat. Have you ever had a day...or maybe a whole week...where it's just one thing after another that's going wrong?
And then after a particularly bad event, you have the foolhardy thought of something along the lines of, "Well, what else can go wrong?"
And then holy buckets, something else does go wrong?? It's too much to get into here, and I know in the long run everything will turn out fine and I'll be able to look back on this and see it as just one more thing that I got through, but sheesh.
I think it was Popeye who said, "I tooks alls I can takes and I can't takes no more!" I'm almost at that point. Almost. I'm going to go drown my nervous giggles in my dinner. I'm making spinach tonight...HA!
And then after a particularly bad event, you have the foolhardy thought of something along the lines of, "Well, what else can go wrong?"
And then holy buckets, something else does go wrong?? It's too much to get into here, and I know in the long run everything will turn out fine and I'll be able to look back on this and see it as just one more thing that I got through, but sheesh.
I think it was Popeye who said, "I tooks alls I can takes and I can't takes no more!" I'm almost at that point. Almost. I'm going to go drown my nervous giggles in my dinner. I'm making spinach tonight...HA!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
The Past 6 Months as a Mastercard Commercial
April 2009~ Not feeling great. Another UTI and kidney infection. Visit family doctor. Co-pay: $40
April 2009~ Labs and blood work. Results suspicious. See family doctor again. She recommends a specialist. Co-pay: $40
May 2009~ Annual girlie checkup. Cervical cancer scare. Ovarian cyst hurting. Co-pay: $40
May 2009~ Appointment with urologist. Co-pay: $60
June 2009~ Follow-up with urologist and routine scope. Tumor discovered. Co-pay: $60
June 2009~ Husband's job lost. Income substantially reduced.
July 2009~ Surgery. REALLY EXPENSIVE, but covered by insurance. (Thank goodness I have I my own insurance!)
July 2009~ Follow up with urologist. Diagnosed with cancer. Co-pay: $60
July 2009~ Kidney stone and gallbladder attack. Trip to ER. Ultrasound, CT scan, blood work and a bunch of labs. Almost as expensive as the surgery. Co-pay: $250
August 2009~ Labs. Expensive. So glad I have insurance.
August 2009~ Follow-up visit with dermatologist for eczema. Referral not ready in time. Office visit: $119
September 2009~ Sick. So sick. Visit with family doctor. Co-pay: $40
October 2009~ More lab work. Super expensive. Have I mentioned how glad I am that I have insurance?!
October 2009~ Sick again, but not as bad as in September. Follow-up with family doctor. Labs not looking good, but for the most part, I'm okay. Still sick, so I can't get a flu shot. Co-pay: $40
October 2009 (pending)~ Follow-up with urologist for another scope to make sure no more cancer has popped up. Co-pay: $60
Tonight~ Spouse out with friends and child peacefully asleep. Ignoring mountain of laundry that needs folding and 5 bags from Target with household supplies needing to be put away. Ice-cream in the freezer waiting for me to eat it and a rented movie waiting for me to watch it...PRICELESS!
April 2009~ Labs and blood work. Results suspicious. See family doctor again. She recommends a specialist. Co-pay: $40
May 2009~ Annual girlie checkup. Cervical cancer scare. Ovarian cyst hurting. Co-pay: $40
May 2009~ Appointment with urologist. Co-pay: $60
June 2009~ Follow-up with urologist and routine scope. Tumor discovered. Co-pay: $60
June 2009~ Husband's job lost. Income substantially reduced.
July 2009~ Surgery. REALLY EXPENSIVE, but covered by insurance. (Thank goodness I have I my own insurance!)
July 2009~ Follow up with urologist. Diagnosed with cancer. Co-pay: $60
July 2009~ Kidney stone and gallbladder attack. Trip to ER. Ultrasound, CT scan, blood work and a bunch of labs. Almost as expensive as the surgery. Co-pay: $250
August 2009~ Labs. Expensive. So glad I have insurance.
August 2009~ Follow-up visit with dermatologist for eczema. Referral not ready in time. Office visit: $119
September 2009~ Sick. So sick. Visit with family doctor. Co-pay: $40
October 2009~ More lab work. Super expensive. Have I mentioned how glad I am that I have insurance?!
October 2009~ Sick again, but not as bad as in September. Follow-up with family doctor. Labs not looking good, but for the most part, I'm okay. Still sick, so I can't get a flu shot. Co-pay: $40
October 2009 (pending)~ Follow-up with urologist for another scope to make sure no more cancer has popped up. Co-pay: $60
Tonight~ Spouse out with friends and child peacefully asleep. Ignoring mountain of laundry that needs folding and 5 bags from Target with household supplies needing to be put away. Ice-cream in the freezer waiting for me to eat it and a rented movie waiting for me to watch it...PRICELESS!
Sunday, October 04, 2009
It's a Poker Cake!
Happy 34th birthday to my husband today! And because I can't seem to let a birthday pass without making some kind of cake, this is for your viewing pleasure...
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Okay, I Admit It...
I have a peculiar, obsessive thought regarding death.
I always wonder if I end up dying in an accident or under strange circumstances, will CSI come to my house? And if they do, what will they think of my cluttered basement? Or my obsessively organized closet? (Actually, right now, it's kind of un-organized, but if you look at the clothes, they're still organized by color and from the lightest shade to the darkest shade.) Will they think it's weird that my refrigerator doesn't have a lot of leftovers? Or that all of my fruits and vegetables are neatly organized in perfectly stackable Tupperware containers?
Will they think it's weird that my toilets are clean enough to lick? Not that I would encourage anyone to try that, because that would be strange, but still...
Oh, and I hope they don't look in my underwear drawer, because that would bother me. Even if I am dead.
Heh heh heh.
Oh, and my husband is reading over my shoulder and asking if I'll add that he rubbed my back last night until I fell asleep, so I told him I would. He rubbed my back last night until I fell asleep. There.
I always wonder if I end up dying in an accident or under strange circumstances, will CSI come to my house? And if they do, what will they think of my cluttered basement? Or my obsessively organized closet? (Actually, right now, it's kind of un-organized, but if you look at the clothes, they're still organized by color and from the lightest shade to the darkest shade.) Will they think it's weird that my refrigerator doesn't have a lot of leftovers? Or that all of my fruits and vegetables are neatly organized in perfectly stackable Tupperware containers?
Will they think it's weird that my toilets are clean enough to lick? Not that I would encourage anyone to try that, because that would be strange, but still...
Oh, and I hope they don't look in my underwear drawer, because that would bother me. Even if I am dead.
Heh heh heh.
Oh, and my husband is reading over my shoulder and asking if I'll add that he rubbed my back last night until I fell asleep, so I told him I would. He rubbed my back last night until I fell asleep. There.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Better Yet?
It seems like I should be all better after a week of antibiotics, but I still can't quite seem to shake whatever I've got. I'm definitely better than last week, but just feeling off.
I'm feeling good enough that I made a pan of fudge and I'm making "eyeball cupcakes" later this afternoon for my hubby's friends who are coming over to play poker. Are you curious about eyeball cupcakes? Yes? Good! Let me tell you about them...
It's actually a combination of two recipes from Taste of Home and Wilton. I'm making a basic red velvet cake recipe, but instead of baking a cake, I'll be making cupcakes. After they're cooled, I'm going to carefully cut circles about an inch deep in the tops. Then I'm going to spoon in some seedless raspberry preserves, drop in a gummy eyeball, then replace the tops of the cupcakes. I'm going to cover them with white icing, then pipe red "veins" on them, and finish it off with a green lifesaver (for the iris of the eye) and a chocolate chip (for the pupil). So...they'll look like eyeballs and our guests will find a "bloody eyeball" in the middle when they bite into it.
I'm not telling any of the guests about the eyeballs in the middle. I'll let them be surprised.
Another fun variation is to make chocolate cupcakes, then spoon in some chocolate pudding and a gummy worm!
Have I mentioned that I really, really, REALLY like Halloween?
I'm feeling good enough that I made a pan of fudge and I'm making "eyeball cupcakes" later this afternoon for my hubby's friends who are coming over to play poker. Are you curious about eyeball cupcakes? Yes? Good! Let me tell you about them...
It's actually a combination of two recipes from Taste of Home and Wilton. I'm making a basic red velvet cake recipe, but instead of baking a cake, I'll be making cupcakes. After they're cooled, I'm going to carefully cut circles about an inch deep in the tops. Then I'm going to spoon in some seedless raspberry preserves, drop in a gummy eyeball, then replace the tops of the cupcakes. I'm going to cover them with white icing, then pipe red "veins" on them, and finish it off with a green lifesaver (for the iris of the eye) and a chocolate chip (for the pupil). So...they'll look like eyeballs and our guests will find a "bloody eyeball" in the middle when they bite into it.
I'm not telling any of the guests about the eyeballs in the middle. I'll let them be surprised.
Another fun variation is to make chocolate cupcakes, then spoon in some chocolate pudding and a gummy worm!
Have I mentioned that I really, really, REALLY like Halloween?
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