Ten Hundrededy Five

Jimmy Kimmel gets it. He gets how pure and naturally funny kids are. Pure. Funny without trying.

Talk

I remember being a very young child and feeling like I was a good girl....even when my mouth got me in trouble.  It was never the plan to get in trouble.  I just had a big mouth.  I never could keep my mouth shut.  I would suddenly end up in trouble and honestly couldn't remember how I got there.  It always happened that fast.

What?  What'd I do?  What?  I talked back?  Really?  I was just telling you how I felt.

Words have always come tumbling out of my mouth....to the point that those around me know just exactly what I'm thinking....sometimes that's a good thing...sometimes not so much.  Phone calls were made to my mother from my teachers about my constant talking.  Report cards reflected my inability to stay quiet at appropriate times.  And as I grew older, relationships have definitely been affected by my voicing my opinion...whether it was asked for or not.  And there have been plenty of times that even I surprise myself by what just came out of my mouth...OUT LOUD.

Did I just say that?


I can tell I'm growing up (yes, I'm 54 and still growing up) because I have gotten a little better about controlling my mouth.   A.  Little.  Better.  But my mind is constantly racing with thoughts and I always seem to have an opinion...although I admit not always an educated one. 

I mean well.  I really do. 

So I will ask you how you are and probably not wait for your answer.  But I really do care how you are.  My brain has just fast forwarded to the next thing. And I will interrupt your story because I relate it to a time it happened that way with me and the words just spill out of my mouth even though you are still talking.  And I will probably irritate you with an "I told you so" because I did tell you so. 

I may even have a very strong opinion (you will call it judgemental) about your husband who you told me has physically beaten you...to the point you separate and move to the other side of town to get away from him...then go back with him right before the holidays...and I tell you he is not invited in to my home because I have daughters (who you talked about this abuse in front of) and I do not want them to ever think it is okay to be physically abused.  And this will put a huge wedge in our family.  But I had good intentions.  I really did.  I just couldn't keep my thoughts in my head and pretend I felt otherwise. I had to voice them.


A child like me, today, would be diagnosed with having A.D.D. and then be medicated.  I could spot those kids "like me" when I worked with kindergartners.  As long as their lack of impulse control doesn't harm anyone physically, they are usually just active, creative little beings.  So, I hold off being put on medication and pray hard to God to help me keep my mouth shut. 

Some days I excel.  Other days, not so much.



But as only God can do, he put me with a guy who doesn't talk much.  Most of my friends will say...."he probably doesn't have a chance to say much with you around".  Nope.  He can sit for hours and not say a word.  I've tested it.  And when I ask him what he's thinking, he says "nothing."  And he means it.  I've tried to think "nothing" but that never happens.


Thank goodness, one of us talks.  And thank goodness one of us can say nothing for long stretches at a time.


And you know what I've been worried about lately?

What if I couldn't speak?


How could I tell my kids how proud I am of them....and how much I love them....and how happy they make me?  And that good ol' quiet boy I married....he might be lonely if I couldn't talk.  

Yep.  Even when I'm not talking, I'm worried about not talking.

Eye Am Good

I had my eye check-up yesterday and all is healed...from the laser surgery for the retinal tear part of it, anyway.  There is still some residual stuff in there causing the cloudy floater but it will take a while to go away...if it even ever goes away completely.  Eventually, I will not notice it so much....they say. 

When I walked in to the doctor's office, the first face I saw was Chuck's.  I was completely surprised. He was supposed to be at work.  This was 10:30 in the morning.

Me:  What are you doing here?

Chuck:  I wanted to make sure your eye is okay.

Me:  Oooookkkkkkaaaaayyyyyyyy.  Well, you may be awhile...because they'll call me back to dilate my eyes and then it'll take about 45 minutes to be fully dilated.  I may be here a long time.

Chuck:  That's okay.  I want to stay around to hear the results.

So we waited together and played Words With Friends....and then he came back with me for the examination.  It was really, really sweet of him.

Or it could be I have made him feel guilty for not taking this "eye" thing seriously enough.  I mean, I did go through the laser SURGERY alone. I may have said that a time or two the last couple of weeks.  I excel at "milking it."

The doctor told me I could ease back in to bending and lifting.  I asked if I could just say I had to continue no lifting or bending...because it did get me out of a few chores.  He said for me to do whatever works for me...and then gave me a wink.

So I am easing back in to bending and lifting.........unless, of course, it is a laundry basket or groceries.

The Super Bowl's On....

...but I'm not watching it.  I tried to watch a little of it...but I just can't sit still for football.  I did however make a delicious dip for our Super Bowl Party of 2.  

Back up a little....on New Year's Eve, we were at my brother-in-law's deer camp in Mississippi.  There was a potluck dinner served with lots of dips and desserts.  One dip was so good that I had to get a second and third helping.  I could tell it was a cheese based dip with bacon...but there was this sweet sauce on top that was making the whole thing delicious.  You know it's good when you wake up thinking about it the next day. 

On the way home from our trip, we stopped at a store that sold The Delta Magazine Cookbook.  The Delta Magazine is a magazine published in Cleveland, Mississippi....Chuck's hometown.  My mother-in-law always has a stack of magazines on her coffee table and this magazine has become one of my favorites.  It's like a Southern Living, Junior....home decor and wonderful recipes.  So when I saw the cookbook, I had to have it.  All those recipes published over the last 50 publications compiled in one book.

Looking through the cookbook on the long drive home, I came across a recipe for Captain's Cheese Bake.  Reading the ingredients, I began to taste the recipe ....do you do that?  Well, I do...and it was that dip!  Reading the ingredient Captain Rodney's Boucan Glaze is what made me realize it. 

As soon as I got home, I googled Captain Rodney's Boucan Glaze and ordered a bottle here.  And tonight I made the dip.  It cost 12.99 plus shipping for a 13 oz. bottle which should be enough to make the dip twice.

Oh.

My.

Goodness.

Here it is!

I used a 1/2 cup of Real Bacon Bits and did not grease the pie pan because it was glass....and because hello?....cheese is grease.   And I used more like 10 Ritz Crackers to cover the top.  It was just as delicious as I remembered it. 


You will have to order this glaze online...but I promise you, it will be so worth it.  Trust me. 


On another note....Chuck and I went to see The Descendants last night.  If George Clooney had just stared at the camera, it would have been enough for me.  But he did way more than that and I loved the movie. 

It's somewhat of a dark subject matter as it takes place during the 15 days after the wife's accident on a motor boat, leaving her critically injured and in a coma unable to breathe on her own.  George's character is a busy lawyer who is so uninvolved in his daughters' lives, he has no idea how to even talk to them. While there is certainly sadness in the air, there is just enough humor for relief.   The characters are quirky, real and honest.  I want to see it again.  And I rarely feel that way about a film.

Beautifully acted, gorgeous cinematography and directed by Alexander Payne...who directed About Schmidt and Sideways.  I think it's a must see in the theater. 


And because I haven't mentioned another dog besides Harry lately, I thought I would show a before and after of Maggie...who was taken to the groomer today because Chuck thought she stunk.  If I had known that's all it took for him to take the initiative to take her to the groomer, I would have made her stink on purpose long ago.   

Before:

One eyed bandit.

After:

Two Bowed Cutie.

Before:

She's ashamed.

 After:

She feels pretty.

Eye check-up tomorrow.  Hoping all is healed.  This no bending and no lifting is making me lazy.  I mean, if you can't bend or lift, you might as well just sit.



And because I think you should see just how sweet Harry can be (when he's not eating important papers and uncooked sweet potatoes off of the kitchen counter)....

Bending...or NOT Bending

Two weeks ago, I tore my retina.  I should tell you that it never hurt, I didn't feel anything ...only a huge cloudy floater showed up in my eye and then I saw a couple of flashing lights in my peripheal vision. But in the last two weeks, I've had a lot of people ask me how my eye is doing....and there have been a lot of people watching me like a hawk. 

You see, I was given strict instructions to NOT bend or lift for 2 weeks.  My follow up exam is on Monday....so I am still not allowed to BEND or LIFT until then.  Apparently, the laser surgery around the tear (rhymes with bare) will create a scab and adhere the tear back down but it takes awhile.  So no bending or lifting until they check me out on Monday.

I have never needed to bend and lift as much as I have in the last 2 weeks.  I bend to wash my face, I bend to load the dishes, I bend to give the dogs their treat, I bend to pick up the million things a day that I drop.  I bend to get a bag for the customer's purchases.  I bend to dust the lower shelves.  I bend to put my shoes on.  I bend to..............oh, you get it. 

And I lift to help Maggie on the bed.  I lift the laundry baskets.  I lift the clean dishes out of the dishwasher.  I lift........got it?

I have been in mid-bend position several times and been yelled at (endearingly) by my co-workers.  Like I said, they've watched me like a hawk. 

I've tried to bend like this........with my head/eyes kept at a level position....

But sadly, my automatic...go-to....bend position looks more like this........

So, while I've done my best to NOT bend or lift....and the girls at the store have done their best to "police" me (thank you), I have slipped up a time or two.  Here's hoping my eye has healed. 




By the way....those are just images taken off of the internet...but didn't that artist nail "cellulite" in his painting?  ha.

When All Else Fails....

....get on your knees and pray.

This makes me laugh.  I was eating popcorn

and he just sat there like that with his big paws doubled up.

Sadly, his prayers weren't answered. 

He didn't get a bite.

A Perfectly Full Weekend

Jordan flew in Saturday for a 4 day visit.  Her office is closed for the week after recouping from their busy season.  But Chris, the husband, had to stay behind for work....so we have Jordan all to ourselves.

We met up with my sister and her family on Saturday evening for a delicious dinner at Yard House.  We've eaten at Yard House in Scottsdale and now have one of our own here in Houston.  Yum.  Everyone came back by the house to meet Harry.

"He's HUGE." ....they all exclaimed. 

Sunday, I attended a baby shower for my sweet co-worker Ally, who is due in March.  It was the perfect beginning for what turned out to be a perfect day.....ending around the firepit with all of my children at home.  ahhhhh.

The baby shower was held at a 150 year old cottage....the home of one of the mom-to-be's cousins.  The hostesses outdid themselves with the decorations and the food.
It was cute overload.

The shower was actually held out doors and we were certainly blessed with perfect weather.  It was the blue skies...no clouds...just a slight breeze....hovering in the mid 60's kind of day.  Perfect for an outdoor gathering.  (Are you sick of the word perfect yet?)

There is nothing better than baby shower food and cake.


 

Later, Chuck grilled steaks and after dinner

we all grabbed a blanket and headed out to the firepit. 

The PERFECT ending to the weekend.

The baby shower party favor was a baby jar full of jelly beans. 

I brought home a couple for Jordan and Will. 

 Harry stared hard at that jar. 

He could eat that jar like it was Fritos.

Just so you don't think this is a Harry Blog,

 I'm throwing this picture in. 

 I have a plate collection hanging on my back fence. 

And believe it or not, they are holding up to the rain,wind and sun.

Do you see who is being loved on?  Yep.

His ears feel like velvet...so I forgive him for eating umbrellas.

We will keep him in chew toys 'til death do us part.

Sweet Destruction

Harry is the sweetest, largest, slobberiest dog.  We are falling in love.  He has the cutest face and has kicked up the "activity level" in this empty nest.

But.............and this is a huge BUT....

So far he has eaten/destroyed 2 umbrellas, his dog bed ($100.00 and only one week old), a wicker basket, the padding in Dixie's dog bed,  mail left out on the counter, a jacket and my desk calendar. 

And a piece of frozen chicken and frozen spinach in a ziplock bag.  I had taken this out of the freezer to pack in my lunchbag. I left it on the counter, then went to take my shower.  Came back and saw spinach on the floor.  Frozen chicken and ziplock bag gone....except the zipper top of it.  Apparently he didn't like the frozen spinach.

My bad.  I shouldn't have left it out.  This is all new to me.  I don't think like this. 

I would have taken pictures of this destruction, but I was sweeping up the messes with him still wanting to play with the torn bits. We are learning to clear the counters but it's hard to teach us old dogs new tricks.

Looking for obedience training classes or a shock collar.

Tear....Like Rhymes with Bare.

Yesterday at work, it felt like there seemed to be a film across my right eye.  It just suddenly became noticeable.   But it wasn't in my eye, it was inside my eyeball.  The faint may want to leave now.  As long as I was busy, I could almost forget about it.  But it didn't go away.  And while I could tell it was inside my eyeball, I kept blinking thinking I could make it go away.  Imagine looking in a foggy mirror.  I could see but it was very filmy. 

Then I sneezed really hard.  This will be important later.

When I got home, I headed in to the dark living room to turn on a lamp....and saw flashing lights in my peripheral vision.  Very quick flashing lights lasting only 2 or 3 seconds.  Then Chuck walked in the back door and I thought ....oh, it must have been a reflection of his headlights coming up the driveway.  This is called denial. 

Change in your eyesight....like new floaters or showers of black things and flashing lights is an indicator of a retinal tear.  How do I know this?  Because it just happened to a good friend of mine not too long ago and she called and told me the details and I listened.  And while I normally hear symptoms of some weird disease and then immediately experience them...having myself dead and buried within the month, this wasn't the case here.  I just remembered her symptoms, and when the "flashing lights" happened, I knew.


So I got up this morning and knew I needed to call the opthamologist office.  Mention the words, "flashing lights" and they see you right away. Numbing drops, eye exams and 3 hours later waiting for the Retina Specialist, I had laser surgery on the tear in my retina. 

The orange matter is the retina. That little hole that the arrow is going through?  Well, that's a tear (rhymes with bare). The laser is shot around the tear to seal it off to prevent fluid going through the tear and causing the whole retina from pulling away.  Like in this picture. 

The surgery was quick and just a tad painful like a "headache." At one point, it felt like a brain freeze sensation.  I sat on my hands so I wouldn't make a quick movement and hit the doctor guiding the laser machine.

What caused this?  Oh, hard coughing, SNEEZING, constipation, heavy lifting, eye trauma, or NOTHING.  Yep, nothing can cause it....just part of the aging process.  Happens to about 5% of us.I did sneeze really hard yesterday but it was way after the huge, cloudy floater appeared.  Still, I wonder if that had anything to do with making it worse...as in "flashing lights" a little later.

And that cloudy stuff I see?  Blood inside my eye.  When the retina tore, it was near a blood vessel. It doesn't look like blood, it looks like a cloud.  And while my retina tear has been repaired, the huge floater may take months to dissipate...because it's actually blood and has to dissolve back in to your body.

For the next 2 weeks, I have to be very careful... no heavy lifting, no sudden jerking motion, no heavy exercise.  So sounds like I won't be seeing any of you at the gym.

And the doctor said eat all I want and absolutely no hanky panky.


Okay, maybe she didn't say that. 





PS....I can make a little joke about it now, but I was extremely scared this morning.  I worked hard at staying calm and brave today.  Drops numbed my eye, but I had to calm myself with no valium...just prayer.  If  these symptoms happen to any of you, do not delay in getting to the doctor.  If it hadn't have been for my friend having this happen to her, I wouldn't have put 2 and 2 together with my symptoms.  So I'm thankful for her ....not for her having this happen....but for sharing her story with me so I was able to get help.

The Joke's On Us

Do you ever get the feeling that you may be the brunt of someone's joke? 

Or as soon as you walk away, you are being laughed at? 

 Perhaps, you just have S*cKeR written across your forehead.

  Yeah, that's us right now. 

I feel like we gave the workers at the vet's office

a good laugh yesterday. 

Chuck picked Harry up from the vet after he was neutered yesterday.  

He was given all of the instructions for giving meds...

what to look for in case of complications...

and one more thing...

Told we must keep the cone on Harry for a week.

Good one!  I feel sure they laughed while watching Chuck drive away.

It's probably only needed for a couple of days at the most
but they instructed us to keep it on A WEEK.

He attempted to go out the doggie door no

 less than a hundred times last night.

When Chuck got up this morning, the cone was off

and Chuck couldn't get it back on

 because of Harry's strong desire to keep it off.

By the time Harry's
 pain meds  kicked in,

 I was up and able to get the cone back on.

It hasn't even been one day yet.

And we're all worn out.  It hasn't really slowed him down
but he is running into everything...including me, the doors, the walls. 

Yep.  This is surely a joke.

Let's Get This Over With...

I've done something very impulsive and embarrassing.  I'm a little ashamed.  My stomach hurts.  Still feels unreal.  I need to get it off my chest.  So here goes.......












I answered an email for a lost dog who needed a home or he was going to be put down. 













And this wasn't the first one I answered.  It went something like this:

• 12/28/11 - A friend posted on fb that a young yellow lab needed a good home.  I couldn't quit thinking about it and responded.  Long story short...it didn't work out.  Thank you, God.  For reeling me back in.

• 1/4/12 - A friend at work says she needs to find a home for the lab mix that showed up at her house a few weeks earlier.  I start asking questions...it's looking promising until she says the dog is a digger.  Thank you, God.  For bringing me to my senses.

• 1/4/12 - I receive an email from a friend of a friend of a friend who needs to find a home for a 6 year old Golden Retriever named Hunter. Oh, my goodness!  This is why the other two didn't work out!  God wants us to have a Golden Retriever.  Chuck and Will are beside themselves with excitement!  Chuck tells me to respond to the email quickly! Bless his heart, he has wanted a big dog again ever since we lost our beloved Golden Retriever, Brandy, at the age of 14.  It's been 6 years.  This dog is 6.  Will makes the connection and says "it's meant to be."  The owner says she will bring the dog to our house on Saturday morning at 10:30 to meet us.  Apparently she is interviewing others so we have to look great. 

• 1/7/12 - Everyone gets up early.  The house is spotless.  We are all showered and dressed and burning candles to make the house more inviting.   We are ready to meet Hunter at 10:30.  It's now 10:20.  10:30.  10:45.  11:00.  Noon.  We've been stood up.  The look on Chuck and Will's face is devastating.   Total disappointment.  Okay, God.  What was that about? 

• 1/7/12 to 1/10/12 - I am talking to God non-stop about my impulse control and thanking him for covering for me.  We need a big dog like we need a hole in our head.  Thank you. Thank you.  Please help me with my impulse control.  Please do not let me see another email about a lost dog who needs a home.  Another BIG dog.  Whew.  That was close.  God, you are mighty to save.

• 1/10/12 - An email about a lost dog is sent to all the residents of my neighborhood.  One of our neighbors (that we don't know) found it wandering and picked it up.  She has a friend who's a vet and will keep it in his kennel for a couple of days but then it will be sent to a shelter.  The shelters are all full and it looks like the dog will be put down. Her email pleas for someone to save him from death. 

• 1/10/12 - Dear God, is this a sign?  Is this the one?  Because how weird is it for me to have 3 large dogs come to my attention within the last 2 weeks....not work out......and now this 4th one?  It's a sign, right?  This isn't impulse....this is YOU.  Right?  I respond to the email..."We might be interested."  Hit send.  Praying someone else already took the dog.

• 1/11/12 - The writer of the email calls me and says we are the only ones (out of 200 homes) that responded.  Another sign, right?  I talk to her and ask her to have it checked for heartworms.   See this isn't impulsive because I am thinking straight....and it's responsible.  I don't say yes right away...can't be impulse.  Her vet does the test, it comes back negative.  She calls me back.  I ask for directions to the vet.  I call Will.  He goes with me.  The vet has given the dog all of its shots and I pay the bill.  The first time I see the dog is when they bring him out for us to take home.

• 1/11/12 to now - What have I done?  He's huge.  He drools.  He's as big as a bear. He's about a year to a year and a half old Border Collie/Black Lab mix.  Very healthy.  Very klutzy.  Very, very large.    Will and Chuck are in love.  I am trying hard not to be.  Dear God,  Send me a sign that we did the right thing.  Fast, if you will.  He's drooling on everything.

Meet Harry Pawter.

 Harry's new bed.

Up until Friday, we weren't sure we were keeping him.  Chuck, in his laid back way, said, "let's just give it a few more days and see how he works out."  Me, in my very uptight way, said, "I don't do limbo...if we're keeping him, he needs a bed, otherwise let's get rid of him now!"

I said this.  Then looked at Will and Chuck and their sad, sad faces.

So we got a bed.

I guess we're keeping him.
But if the owner comes forward,
I would do the right thing.

Still waiting for God to verify.

Dear God,

What has she done? 

Love, Maggie

Dear God,

What has she done?

Love, Sadie

Dear God,

Thank you for tennis balls.

Love, Dixie

Dear Mama and Daddy,

Thanks for the big bed and huge chew bones!

  You rock.

Love, Dixie

Dixie is not budging out of Harry's bed. 

Not.

  Budging. 

In fact, growling at him. 

 He backs away.

10 pounds can move 60 pounds.

Harry loves his new boy.

If ever a dog needed to be named Bear, it's this one. 

Working on Ballet First Position.

He sees a "big, black dog" in the fireplace. 

He barks for the next 10 minutes at his reflection. 

 It's on my last nerve. 

Chuck has the giggles.

I ♥ Valentine's Day!

I ♥ Valentine's Day. 

 Well, not so much the day but the decor. 

 The reds and pinks and cards and ♥'s. 

By the way, I learned how to make that

♥ heart from here thanks to Pinterest.

This was a gift given to me by my friend, Julie.  A 5 x 7 piece of paper covered with cute scrapbook paper with a vintage card mod-podged on to it...then put in a frame. 

If you're reading this post, I ♥ you, too.

Can you tell I'm excited about learning how to make a ♥?