Family Pitching In

Image Courtesy of
[phanlopp88][/FreeDigitalPhotos.t

I want you to know how much your thoughts and prayers have meant to me.  We are having a wonderful time;  and, just as I knew my daughter and son-in-law would do, the were out in the kitchen making an easy supper of hot dogs in buns and left over corn, as well as salad.  Today, I took a long nap while they went to an interactive fishing museum.  They even caught fish, but had to throw them back.  :(  However, they understood why.  Also, I could not believe the nap I took.  I slept right threw lunch.  Amazing.  Could not hold my eyes open.  Now, I am ready for bed--pj's on, hair washed, teeth brushed, medicine taken.  I was falling asleep again while playing a game.  I love it -- falling alseep and not lying in bed.

Oh.  I just want to mention the CFS/FM buzz.  At noon,  I had that from all the morning  activity.  You can feel the buzz inside your body.  I don't know how else to explain it.  It may have something to do with our nerves, but I know it has something to do with to much input.  I also know that people, who have autism get that same buzz from the things that are too much input.  Connection?  I don't know. Just thought I would throw it out there.

I hope you are having a good weekend.  I am.  And, I am sure I will pay, but that is OK.  It is worth it to cuddle your youngest grand - 3 months and all of them up to 14.  Lots of hugs and cuddles going around here.  Hint:  do not get an electric recliner unless you have too, or you will be saying, "Keep your hand off the control."  a lot.  Frayed nerves on that one.  The only reason I have one is my sister gave me theirs when I had the hip replacement.  And, I have to admit my knees appreciated it at their worst.

God bless you all.  Have a good Sunday. 

Adjust During Chores

Comfortable Clothes That Help You Heal -- Really!

I know this sounds too good to be true, but I have felt what Tommie Copper can do for me  (Not a man, ladies), although a man did invent these clothes after he was in an accident that changed his life.

I woke up feeling like a truck ran over me, but the heating pad, ibuprofen, changing back into my "cute" pajamas helped (I needed softer clothes, and my Tommie Copper). 

Also, I am ready to tell you about this brand that has helped my arthritis and fibromyalgia.  It is pricey for some people, but they have good sales.  Even though, I have to watch my pennies, my hubby and I say it is worth it.  Oh yes, I have fallen in love with Tommie Copper.  Here is some of my experience:

•  The Compression Knee Sleeve.  My knees rarely hurt anymore, unless I give them a harder workout.  I can get up from a chair without using my hands to push myself up now.  Before, it hurt too much.
• Compression socks that go all the way up the calf and are not too hot.  
• The gloves, which I cannot say enough about.  Before the gloves, my fingers were tingling and numb.  Sometimes, they were so numb, they hurt!  No longer is that true, usually.  If they even start to tingle, the gloves are on my hands when I go to bed and when I read a book.
•  I started small and I am presently excitedly waiting for Capris and my Compression Core Band for my back.  I cannot wait to see what they do for me. 

 I am pretty sure I will be buying more of their clothes:  leggings to wear under tunics or dresses in the winter time.  Actually, I have a couple of skirts that I plan to wear the capris under.  I am thinking about sewing some of my clothes again, so I can have some darling toppers that go over and compliment these leggings and capris for those "dressier times."  I have seen some adorable clothes that would look cute over them by a Nordic designer, but I would have to pay an arm and a leg by the time I paid customs.

Anyway, I changed my clothes.  I rested.  I ate.  I worked and I sat down to write this.  My body feels better already.  If I had the band, my back would feel better after I work.  

I'm sure you would like some links and pictures, so I will give you some. 

 Compression Sock and
 Compression Knee Sleeve Selfie

Love you all, Deborah

Compression Glove Selfie

                                      

 P.S.  The clothes by the European Designer are by Gudrun Sojden.  I love them:  they look so comfortable and adorable.  I would wear them, even though I am a sixty-something.  She does.

Too Much in my Mind

Do you ever feel like you have two much rolling around in your mind?  Does it feel cluttered and you feel a need to compartmentalize your thoughts, because the thoughts are beginning to feel confusing and irritating?

Right now, I am there:  and, I do not like it!  Not at all...'cause it's not fun and I feel like it is wasting my time.

Is there a solution?  Get out a notebook, brainstorm and work on the ideas separately.  Then, go do something else. I may even go paint, because I am spinning my wheels right now.  Painting can be like a kind of meditation, especially when it is in your art journal, except I left it at  my daughter's house, so I will start a new one.

An Easy Family Supper

My Mother's Day Present,
An Apron

My Renaissance Man Grandson's Gift from the Beach

Wednesday night, my sweet daughter, her hubby, and their eight kids came by on their way back home from vacation.  It was a quick visit, but I'm sure there will be more visits this summer.  I wish I had taken a picture of the dining table.  I had it set when they got here (my daughter noticed).  She mentioned how nice the house looked.  One of my granddaughters said I had a pretty bedroom.  Hooray!

There were no guilty feelings going around in my head that I had not perfectly cleaned every corner of the house.  The old me had to have every corner clean and every item that was not in it's best place taken care of.  I did clean off a couple of hot spots by using my "cleaning baskets."  Tomorrow, I will probably go back to go through the items I cleared off those small tables.

My Sweet Oldest Granddaughter's
Gift from the Beach

Best of all, everyone loved supper and it was easy!  I made Slow Cooker Spaghetti Casserole.  The pasta did not have to be precooked;   so, there was no extra large pot and colander to wash from spaghetti.  It went in the crock pot dry.  Here is the recipe.

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Casserole

I made this in a 6 quart Crock Pot.  I fed ten hungry people and had leftovers.

• 2 lbs of ground beef
• Olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• half to one green pepper, chopped into small pieces, not tiny
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed in a garlic press
• salt to taste (remember that you are not boiling the spaghetti in salty water, I sprinkled back and forth 2 or 3 times -- 3/4 of a teaspoon?)
• pepper to taste (I admit to being a sprinkler.  I probably sprinkled half a teaspoon.)
• 1  14 1/2 to 15 ounce can of diced Italian Tomatoes  (you could use stewed or plain, but add italian seasoning or oregano)
• 24 ounce jar of Spaghetti sauce
• 16 ounces thin spaghetti  (I used whole wheat.)
• Water to rinse out the spaghetti jar (about 1/2 a cup)  I mix this into the sauce.  You could also use red wine or red cooking wine. 
• Two or three cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Parmesan Cheese  ( I used the shaker dry cheese, but you could use fresh grated)

Sauteed bell pepper first in 3 Tablespoon Olive oil, then add onion, and garlic.  Sauteed ground beef with the previous ingredients.  It does not have to be browned, just cook enough that the color changes.

Add Diced Italian Tomatoes and Spaghetti Sauce.  Put water or wine into jar, swish around and add to sauce.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Layer the ingredients into the slow cooker in this orders  (you can spray your slow cooker with cooking spray first, but I forgot) :

• A third of the sauce on the bottom of the crock pot
• Break the thin spaghetti into two inch pieces.  Put half the box in the pot.
• More sauce.
• Half the cheddar cheese.  
• Generously sprinkle Parmesan cheese.
• The rest of the spaghetti broken into two inch pieces.
• The rest of the sauce.
• Cheddar and Parmesan Cheese spread over the top

Cook for 4 hours on low temperature.  If you have to wait for guests to arrive, it does fine waiting on warm.

Serve with hot pepper like in the pizza parlor and Parmesan cheese if desired.  Let your guests do the sprinkling, because it tastes good as made.

Vegetables

I cooked frozen green beans, as well as frozen broccoli and cauliflower side by side in the waterless Miracle Maid electric cookware that used to be my mother's.  She hardly ever used this large piece.  It also is great for making pancakes.  I think you could use a large covered skillet too on a low temperature.   I dotted them with butter, sprinkled salt, pepper, and basil on them.  We have teenagers in our family now, and I had to pull out a bag of mixed vegetables, and leftover okra and tomatoes.  My daughter helped me.  I am glad they like vegetables.  It's a good thing they have a garden.  That is a lot of mouths to feed everyday, and they do it well.  

We could have had salad, but it is easier to cook frozen vegetables -- less preparation.

Bread

I had visions of home made bread dancing in my head, but we settled for three 12 inch  loaves of garlic bread.  I sliced it into inch sections and put it in a large bowl covered with colorful flat, cotton towels.

Dessert 

We had two choices of ice cream.  My husband said "KISS -- keep it simple, Sweetie."

It felt wonderful to have supper ready when they got here, and I was not a worn out mess.  

Whatever weariness I experienced after the visit was worth it.  I meant to take lots of pictures, but I was too busy loving on my family.  I had to hold my babies, even though I cannot do it as long as I used to do.  I should have requested pictures, but we were so busy getting in time together, that I made no requests.

I also have a beautiful new apron they brought me, a Mother's Day present.  I think I could wear the top of it for a fabric necklace.  It has to be unattached to wash it.  So it really is a necklace.  What do you think?

The Bathroom: DIY for Getting Rid of Scum and Minerals

Make a mixture
of half vinegar / half Dawn

I thought this blog post worth publishing again, especially since I will be using this mixture today.

Do you have a cleaning chore that is absolutely your least favorite?  I  do.  Mine is cleaning the shower or tub.  

However, I like bathing in a clean, shiny shower or tub.  If there are imperfections, like scratches from age, it doesn't bother me.  Also, a few mineral deposits are not going to make me feel it is dirty;  but, some mineral deposits seem harder to remove than others.  Also, chronic fatigue and pain in my life has often meant buildup that would not come off with my regular bathroom cleaner.

Lately, I have been seeing Pinterest pictures that suggested mixing Dawn and Vinegar.  Since I didn't have Dawn, I tried the dish detergent I usually buy.  And then, I tried putting another cleaner into the non-scratch scrubber-dispenser I bought.  That was not satisfactory either.  The point is I wanted something available to use while I was in the shower, that would not cause me to breathe fumes from spraying something on the wall.

Moreover, I wanted to make bathing a cleaning opportunity. The idea is to wash one wall at a time, and a portion of the bottom of the shower.  Also, one is less likely to slip if only washing a portion of the shower bottom.  Today, I sat on my shower chair I use on the days I am exceptionally tired.  I suppose I could have done the floor, and then got in the shower;  however, I didn't.

What I want to show you are the excellent results I had.  I used the solution on a sink in my half-bath and on my shower/tub.
                                                                                                                                  

These are my before pictures. The coating of minerals was getting heavier.  Nothing would get it off, that would not damage the sink.  There was already damage from getting the rust stain off, and it came back.

 Here are my after pictures.  As you can see, the sink does not look new.  I was not expecting miracles.  Also, I have learned  every job does not have to be perfect.    If I do this again this week, I may be able to get a few more minerals off.  However, it is much better than it was, and I have the satisfaction of looking at a clean sink.  

The only disadvantage I can see from using this solution is that it has to be rinsed off after using the non-scratch scrubber on the sink.  However, I do not expect to have to work on a buildup every time I wipe down the sink, nor do I plan letting the minerals accumulate over a period of time.  After rinsing, I dried the sink off with a rag.  Incidentally, the lighter spot in the middle of the rust stain is not minerals, it is faded spot caused by using a rust remover.  I have tried safer alternatives and they haven't worked.  Meanwhile, I will work on one solution at a time. 

Keep your dispenser upright, or you will have leaking cleaning solution. Hang it, or put it in a mug with the sponge up. I used a rubber band I got off my fresh veggies from the market, put it around the dispenser, near the sponge over the scraper at the top of the sponge.  Then, I threaded fishing line underneath the rubber band and tied the fishing line.  There are plastic ties in different sizes at the hardware store, which I saw in another picture on the internet;  however, I did not want to spend money on something I doubted I would need for anything else.




Here are the tub/shower before and afters.  I worked on one section and will work on more my next shower.

      Before                                               After

Can you see where
I stopped cleaning?

 

May your heart be light and your cleaning easier.  It is a joy sharing the things I learn to do differently or better with you.  God bless you.  Have a good week.

Happy Mother's Day 2014

Happy Mother's Day 

to all Those Who Have Been Mothers

and to all Those Who Have Been Mothers in Spirit.

May your special day be filled with blessings.

Courtesy of the Graphics Fairy

Love from your friend, 

           Deborah  xoxo

Baby steps get the job done!

Image by D. Bolton