Our Theory on Life

Fighting Frozen Shoulder

2013-11-20T18:57:00.001-06:00

I’ve been away from blogging for quite some time. I’ve been suffering from a debilitating shoulder problem, tons of pain and fatigue and probably a little bit of depression along with that.

In May of this year I woke up one morning and had a terrible pain on the inside of my arm at the bicep. It felt like I had probably just slept wrong and pinched a nerve or something. I managed to get on with my day and figured that it would go away in a day or two. As the week went on, I started to feel some pain in my shoulder. Within the next few weeks the pain would radiate down my arm and hurt my wrist. This was especially nerve wracking as it was my right (dominant) arm and my job includes 8 hours of mouse clicking. All of my work is done in Excel and an Excel-like proprietary program that all tasks are done by clicking with a mouse. Typically, by the end of the day, my wrist would hurt so bad that once I got home, the last thing I wanted to do was to even get on the computer. Let alone spend any time writing.

After about six weeks of pain and a tightening in my shoulder that caused me to not be able to reach above my head or to even fasten my bra (reaching behind my back), I decided to visit my primary care physician. He said it sounded like “frozen shoulder” and sent me for a round of physical therapy. After three weeks of therapy I was not gaining any range of motion and the pain was escalating. My husband encouraged me to see an orthopedic surgeon as he works with a guy that was treated by a doctor for his shoulder problems (not frozen shoulder).

Both of my children have utilized a local orthopedic group for injuries so I went to see a doctor there that specialized in shoulders (the same doctor recommended by my husband’s workmate). This doctor sent me for a more intense physical therapy that involved some massage and manipulation. After a few weeks of no improvement in this therapy the doctor recommended surgery. During the same time, our insurance changed on physical therapy and would not pay for the therapist I was seeing. So, I would have the surgery and end up going to my third physical therapist.

The doctor did an arthroscopic capsular release (scraping inflammation from tissue within the shoulder) and then doing a physical manipulation of the arm and shoulder under anesthesia. The same day as surgery I started aggressive physical therapy three times a week for 2 hour sessions and home treatment including exercise and utilization of a home continuous passive motion machine. I continued post-surgical physical therapy for 8 weeks and had a couple of visits with my doctor. On my visit with the doctor, ten weeks after surgery, he said that my range of motion was no better than before surgery. My pain from therapy was only controlled by using prescription medication. I had been off work for six weeks, but was now back to work. The pain medication made me very tired and I felt I was not performing at an optimal level. The doctor and I agreed since therapy was not showing any improvement in range of motion that I would discontinue therapy at the therapist’s office. The doctor wanted me to continue with home exercise and to continue with all regular movement. I was hoping that stopping the therapy where the physical therapist stretched and bent my arm would lessen the pain I was feeling.

Four weeks later, I met with the doctor again. I was feeling my shoulder tighten back up, my reach was less, and the shoulder was becoming more painful. The doctor said the best plan of treatment would be to go back in and do another manipulation under anesthesia and once I was under he would be able to tell if I would need an additional capsular release. This was a no-brainer for me. So I am set up to have surgery next week as long as everything is approved by our insurance.

Two weeks ago I was sure that I wouldn’t agree to more surgery, but now I am miserable and not doing anything active. I get up, go to work, come home, do some exercises throughout the day, and sit watching television for a couple of hours until I can make my way to bed without feeling guilty about going to bed so early.

Once in bed, I lay flat on my back, wedge a pillow underneath my right forearm to try and get a comfortable angle and eventually fall asleep. Hopefully I will be able to make it for at least four hours before I need to get up and take more pain meds. Sometimes I succeed, most times I do not. I wake each morning tired and with no energy to start everything over again.

In trying to cope with the frozen shoulder, I have checked out tons of information on the internet. There were several videos on Youtube.com that showed “doctors” fixing patients in just minutes. I won’t say that this treatment is impossible but I’ll just say that if it was possible to fix the problem it would be more widespread in treatment. I have read stories of women that have been dealing with frozen shoulder for over 10 years, others that say they have had the frozen shoulder in both shoulders over the past five years and many people just looking for ways to relieve the pain. I’ve read that most frozen shoulder problems exist in diabetic women between 40 and 60 years old. And that is me. Also there is mention of it happening in post-menopausal women and smokers. However, I have met a man in therapy that had frozen shoulder and didn’t meet any of those criteria. Doctors cannot explain how or why the problem occurs. Also, there is no definite timeline, but the shoulder will apparently thaw on its own, but it will likely take years.

So after surgery next week, I am hoping that I will have increased range of motion and less pain in my shoulder and start to get on the mend. Perhaps then I will have more energy and have a little more desire to write about things I find interesting.

If you are suffering from frozen shoulder or have in the past, I’d love to hear from you.

What’s Your Favorite Theme in a Park?

2013-05-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

So you have yet to make your plans for your vacation this summer – how about traveling to Springfield? Illinois? Missouri? Massachusetts? No, it’s the Springfield set in an undetermined state in the United States where the folks are spectacularly orange with a wild variety of hairstyles and colors. I, myself, have never been a Simpsons fan, so I cannot imagine every visiting, but perhaps you might give it a try.
Apparently you will be able to get a Krusty Burger here. But if I would go to Universal Studios Orlando, I think I’d rather try the Butter Beer over at Harry Potter’s place. But if you can’t wait to see Homer and Bart in person (and Dom, I’m talking to you and your British friends that love The Simpsons) then keep an eye out this summer for an opening announcement. See more details at the New York Daily News here: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/springfield-theme-park-coming-universal-orlando-article-1.1352915.
But if you prefer to visit a theme park with more intelligent individuals than Homer then you will have to wait a few years to visit the newest theme park in Alabama – Blue Collar Country. This theme park was announced earlier in May as being built by Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy. Read more - http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jeff-foxworthy-blue-collar-comics-449084. So in just two to three years you can put on your trucker hat and your jorts and make your way to Alabama for some southern hospitality. Can’t wait, right? I thought so.

This was not in the job description…

2013-05-28T19:18:00.001-05:00

So this weekend officially started summer. Summer brings longer days, warmer temperatures, and lots of sunshine. Longer, warmer, sunny days make me happy.

Going to work in the morning is more dreadful because we would all rather be relaxing on a beach, sitting by a pool, or traveling through the countryside. That was me as I drove to work today. But I knew that my vacation days are already taken up, so I drove on.

My thoughts went to what I would do after spending my day at work and returning home. Summer holds such great options. I was thinking about tonight and even thinking about next weekend when I walked into the office and was confronted by something like this:

Please leave those gnarly feet under cover. Summer is not a free for all to show off your gross feet. Please save showing off those “beauties” for your husband or for your trip to the beach where you can bury them in the sand.

And no, a $50 pedicure does not make it all better. Absolutely no one in your office wants to look at those ugly toes. There is a reason most companies have a no-open toed shoe policy. I think we even have one at my office, but no one enforces it. It is not for safety of the shoe wearer, but for the convenience of the co-worker forced to sit across the room in a meeting trying to avoid looking at your pale, crusty dry, fat feet screaming for help.

Maybe I need to call HR and make a harassment complaint because those feet are causing me discomfort and nausea. So please, for the love of all that is right and good with the world, cover those hideous things up.

The image above is a representation of my encounter. I did not grab my phone to immortalize the feet in question. And as for this photo image, I’d like to say that no feet were hurt in filming, but I’d be lying. Call PETa – People for the Ethical Treatment of appendages.

Happy May Day!

2013-05-01T07:31:00.001-05:00

I remember when I was young it was a tradition on May Day to put together a basket like the one below and leave on the door of your neighbors. Nowadays many traditions like this have died. Many of us don’t really know our neighbors and wouldn’t dream of sneaking on their porch to drop off a kind thought of Spring celebration.
So I won’t be caught on your porch today with my basket of Spring booty, but I will send you this digital greeting to enjoy May Day and all the wonderful days of Spring ahead!

Boogie Days

2013-04-28T08:40:00.001-05:00

Last week a co-worker came by my desk and said, “The boss wants to see us now.” So I grabbed my pen and notebook and headed for the boss’ office. My co-worker and I both sat down. I always look people in the eye when they are talking to me, so I did, but my eyes were drawn about an inch and a half below my boss’ right eye. Sitting there on the cheek was a “boogie.” I’m sure the boss didn’t know it was there and if it had just been me in the office, I might have said something like, “oh, you have something on your cheek.” But, I resisted. It seemed like one of those things where I shouldn’t embarrass the boss in front of my co-worker. I sat there and as our boss looked at me, I brushed my cheek in the area of the space invader, but to no avail. Typically you can get someone to mimic you if you make a move like that a couple of times. Unfortunately, I was unable to incite any aping. The cling-on remained. So for the next 30 minutes, I listened to the project the boss was assigning and I tried to take notes and look at the boss as little as I could. But dang it, my eyes kept getting drawn to that grotesque thing. I typically have a terrible gag reflex to something like that, so I just kept telling myself to be professional and hope that this meeting wouldn’t last long. I would like to tell you that as soon as we were dismissed from the meeting, that I held back and said something to the boss about the cheek resident, but I just dashed out of the office to get away before that thing decided to go anywhere. It was every woman for herself and I wasn’t being left behind to deal with any boogie dancing, I just had to get out of there. What would you have done? Guess I know what I’m giving out for Boss’ Day!

Chicago – Doubletree Hotel by Hilton (Magnificent Mile)

2013-04-14T15:25:00.001-05:00

On a recent business trip I found myself in downtown Chicago at the Doubletree by Hilton-Magnificent Mile. The hotel was conveniently located just a block from Michigan Avenue (the Magnificent Mile). This hotel offered a pleasant environment with an open lobby area including a bar with seating for meeting with work colleagues, an attached restaurant, and an Einstein Bros. Bagels with an inside entrance off the lobby as well as access to the street outside.
My company had a corporate rate for $105 for a room with two double beds. The bedding was Hilton’s normal clean and comfortable linens and comforter they like to call Sweet Dreams. The only bad thing about this hotel was the on-site parking which went for $45 per day. That combined with the room rate made the hotel $150 per day – but for downtown Chicago that is not bad, in my opinion. I’d even looked it up on Travelocity before I left home and the room was going for $99 per night. There was parking across the street for around $33 per day, but the convenience was worth the cost for me. My first night there I ventured about three blocks away to Gino’s East for some Chicago-style deep dish pizza. Unfortunately I was unable to eat more than one piece. I had been suffering with the flu the week before and was finding that my appetite was not returning, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from indulging in at least one piece of pizza. The walk to the restaurant was easy and would have been more enjoyable if the temperature was above single digits. This hotel offers the option of not having your room serviced with new linens each day for an $8 breakfast voucher. I opted for that and was able to go to Einstein’s the next morning and eat a breakfast sandwich bagel and a bottle of apple juice for free. After a day in meetings, I returned to the hotel exhausted. My body was just not rebounding from this flu. My first stop was to get to Walgreens. I had to walk a block up to Michigan Avenue and then three to four blocks to the Walgreens right near the Water Tower. My flu was gone, but I had a nagging cough that was driving me crazy. I knew having been to Chicago before that the Walgreens would satisfy whatever medicinal needs I had. I picked up my sugar-free cough syrup and headed back out the door into the freezing temperatures. Every so often, I get that urge to move to a bigger city and with Chicago being the third largest in the nation, I also sometimes dream of moving here. But then, all it takes is being there in the middle of February when the temp falls below the teens and the wind whips in off of Lake Michigan to make me change my mind. On my way back to my hotel room, I was able to stop in at a couple of shops on Michigan Avenue. And while most stores here do not carry my size of clothing many were having clearance sales and I was able to pick up a very soft scarf to keep my neck warm for under $7. I removed the tag from that puppy immediately and placed it around my neck to block out the chill of the wind. At this point, I was ready for dinner and spied the Grand Lux Café. This is owned by The Cheesecake Factory and the husband and I had eaten at this chain when we were in Las Vegas so I’ve spoken about it before. I was placed at a window table overlooking Michigan Avenue where I was able to people watch and be entertained by human nature until my meal arrived. I enjoyed an Asian salad and barely able to keep my eyes open, I ordered a dessert to go. I went back to my room where I was able to curl up in the comfortable bed for an early night. The flu still had its hold on my energy and I fell asleep around 8:30 p.m. But I was able to sleep very soundly because even though the room was close to the busyness of downtown – the noise did not enter my room. And the blackout curtains kept the lights from the high rise apartments and hotels out of my room. So if you are planning a trip to downtown Chicago anytime soon, compare prices on Trip Advisor, and know that I approve of this destination for its convenience and comfort and only disliked the cost of parking at $45 per day – but this did include unlimited in and out privileges. The opinions expressed herein are my own and directly related to my own experience at this hotel and in Chicago. I have not been compensated by the hotel for my comments.

Basketball Blues

2013-04-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

I am not sure if I’ll watch the Final Four this weekend as my favorite team didn’t quite get there. I will wait until Monday to decide if I’ll watch the final once I know who is playing. But I have to thank my boys in crimson and blue for a great year, better than I anticipated back in November.

I personally hope to see Michigan vs. Wichita State on Monday night. You know, you always want the team that beat you (Michigan) to make it all the way. But having been born and raised in Wichita and with 6 credits from WSU to my transcript, I want them to get to the finals as well. And as far as I’m concerned WU Shock is almost as cool as Big Jay and Baby Jay. Read more about WU Shock here http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/aboutus/about_wushock.asp. And see more about the coolest mascots in the NCAA - Big Jay and Baby Jay here http://www.kumascots.com/.

Unreliable Co-workers

2013-04-05T06:13:00.000-05:00

Sometimes when I’m extra stressed or bogged down at work and haven’t had a day off for quite a while, I resent some of my co-workers that seem to be off sick every couple of weeks. But then I have to think of Jon Bon Jovi and how you know he must feel about his co-worker… Richie Sambora. The Los Angeles Times said yesterday that Richie left the current Bon Jovi tour for personal reasons. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-richie-sambora-bon-jovi-tour-20130403,0,6358949.story. Now Jon has to call in someone to replace Sambora. The good news is, I think Jon probably has a list of replacements as this seems to happen quite a bit.

The husband and I went to see Bon Jovi on May 22, 2011 and Sambora had left the tour at that time as well. He failed to finish the North American tour but returned for the European tour. Made me wonder if they have an employment contract that only pays Sambora when he actually shows up. Jon, it might be worth looking into.

Jon, are you thinking about it. Probably a good idea, huh?

Quit that smirking at me. I’m serious. I know the band has your name, but when people come to see Bon Jovi they expect to see everyone. Except me, of course, I only go to see you.

If Only This Dress Came in Orca Whale Black

2013-04-04T19:30:00.000-05:00

So I heard about this uproar about color naming of a dress on the Target.com website this week. Read about it here - http://www.today.com/style/target-apologizes-manatee-label-plus-size-dress-1C9215043. Below are both dresses, but notice the plus-size dress color selection is Manatee Gray and caused the issue. I personally find the dress butt ugly, but hey, what a bargain. If you don’t mind buying something called Manatee Gray you can save 2.99 off the “regular size” version. I’m thinking someone in their art department that set up this website selection might be in a little trouble. And now the item has been removed from their website. I am a plus-size individual, so I guess if I want to find something like this in my size I’m now going to go to the tent and awning store to find something so flowing and gray.

For those of you who have no idea what a manatee is I will provide you with information from National Geographic for Kids at http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/west-indian-manatee/ where I found these lovely facts:

Manatees are sometimes called sea cows.

West Indian manatees in the wild live about 60 to 70 years.

Manatees push food toward their mouths with whiskers on their upper lips. And they look like this:
Oh, please Target, bring it back so we mustachioed sea cows can finally have a dress to wear.

Is It Just Me?

2013-04-03T21:11:00.001-05:00

Is it just me or does Angie Miller from American Idol look like she’s a long lost relative of the Osmond Family?

Looking Forward

2013-01-02T06:00:00.000-06:00

I have to say that 2012 was a busy year in our household and I look for 2013 to be a little less exciting. For those of you wondering, my son was able to make it home safely for Christmas and stayed with us just shy of a week. He’s back in Washington now to start looking for a place to live. He was fortunate to have the people he works with offer him shelter, but he doesn’t want to overstay his welcome.

So I look forward to what new and interesting things he will find in a new place to live and continuing with his first year teaching. Both my husband and I are fortunate to have our jobs. My sister and others have not been so lucky with the continuing problems with the economy. And the most incredible thing, but I daresay something that makes me feel old, is that my daughter will be graduating in May from college.

This past year, I had friends welcome babies into their lives, and I’ve told them the old clichés about enjoying every moment of their children's’ lives because they will be grown before they know it. And I have to say that it does just seem like yesterday they were speeding along on their Hot Wheels and spinning out just to show they could.

Have a great New Year and enjoy each new day and every opportunity it provides.

Swept Away

2012-12-19T15:37:00.001-06:00

"Mom, are you sitting down?" are the words no mother wants to hear, but hear I did on Monday of this week when my 24 year son called from Oak Harbor, WA where he moved four months ago to fulfill his dream of becoming a ceramics teacher. As both of my children went away to college I had told them to find what they loved to do and chase after their dream. My son always loved creating and was a born teacher. With degrees in Ceramics, Painting and a Masters in Education my son interviewed for a year and half for a job in our home state of Missouri, but with money to fund art education being cut he was unable to find a position. So he looked elsewhere and found his dream job in Oak Harbor, WA. He was offered his current job with less than two weeks to move and get settled before school started. He flew out to Washington and found a house to rent. He was ecstatic with his new job and his home which allowed him views of Puget Sound. The great views that would end up causing the phone call on Monday. A strong storm blew across the Sound with strong winds and high waves. He left for work on Monday morning and shortly after received a phone call from his landlord that the waves had come up and engulfed the backside of the house. All of my son's possessions were swept into the Sound and he was left with no place to live and only the clothes that he was wearing that day. But the best news was that he was at school teaching the students the subject he loves and wasn't in his bed which is now lost to the cold waters of the Sound. If you can spare a few moments, I would ask for your thoughts and prayers for my son as he finds a new place to live and slowly rebuilds his life and replaces the things he lost. Thoughts and prayers of thanks to the community that is helping him out including his boss/co-worker who is providing temporary housing. After everything that has happened in the past couple of months here in the U.S. and this situation that hit home, I have to say, Parents, embrace your children and be thankful for their health and safety.

Big Bang Theory Flash Mob

2012-12-15T11:06:00.001-06:00

If you like Big Bang Theory, or even not, here is an entertaining flash mob from one of their tapings. It’s funny because it includes many of the people who run the show. Let’s just hope some of these guys stay behind the camera from now on.
Now all I can think about is doing my own flash mob at work. Or probably not. But what fun to work somewhere you can get away with something like that.

You can read more about the background of this at Hollywood Reporter here http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/big-bang-theory-call-me-maybe-flash-mob-390919

Surfing for Sweet Treats

2012-11-28T05:15:00.000-06:00

I found this wedding cake on a website Lovemadevisible.co.za that apparently is run by a husband/wife photography duo out of South Africa. The photos of the weddings are extremely beautiful and well set. But I was just thinking how great it would be to have a Rice Krispies Wedding Cake like this couple. Of course, as addictive as those little treats are I’m afraid I’d make a fool out of myself and want to eat the whole dang cake. You would find me under the table just crunching away on the layers. I’d feel guilty, but I just wouldn’t be able to help myself.

As my husband was watching football on Sunday with my house quiet after all my guests left from the holiday I found this recipe that made me swoon. Sweet Potato Crème Brulee, yum. If I had found this last weekend, it likely might have been on my Thanksgiving table. But hey, Christmas is just a few short weeks away and I can definitely try it out then. So if you wish to check it out as well head over here http://www.southernplate.com/2012/11/sweet-potato-creme-brulee.html

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday Shopping

2012-11-26T06:17:00.000-06:00

After we’d eaten our fill of turkey, dressing and potatoes, it was time to relax. I did not participate in the Black Friday madness on Thanksgiving evening. I actually had to get to sleep early so that I could get up and go to work. But apparently at midnight the Herald Square flagship store of Macy’s opened and had a crowd of 11,000 people waiting outside. Really? I cannot imagine being in this crowd. How do you even move in the store with that many people. It seems like a good place for a pickpocket to hang out.
With so many people out of work and the economy suffering I just worry about those individuals that went out on Black Friday, shopped local on Small Business Saturday and who are sitting at their computers today clicking for Cyber Monday. It is too easy to be caught up in the “good deals” and holiday excitement.
However, I am not immune as my daughter and I did get to J C Penney at 6:00 a.m on Friday morning. We had a little bit of time to shop before I had to get to work. My daughter had looked through the ads and wanted to go here to check out some of the specials in clothing. I thought I’d check out the $8 Toaster Oven, but I wasn’t desperate for it. We walked in, checked out what we needed with purpose and walked right up to the checkout. It was 6:15 when we walked out of the store. I didn’t get the toaster oven, but that’s okay as it might have ended up on the shelf with my crock pot trio from last year. But we did score some nice scarves and a purse my daughter wanted. We put our purchase into the car and went back in and watched the other shoppers. People were standing around trying to figure out how to get their stack of 20 small appliances to the front of the store. People were back in the shoe department with no place to sit and try on the specials, but many walked away with three or four pairs of boots. I had to wonder if these shoppers had that many gifts to buy or if they were planning to sell the items on EBay or at a flea market.
By the time we left 20 to 30 minutes later the lines were to the back of the store. But we still had time to go to Nike and make a purchase in the empty store and then a trip to the donut shop. Here is where we got the best deal of our time together. We spent some time alone together sharing breakfast and discussion before I had to be at work at 8:00 a.m. My daughter is growing up. She’ll be in her last semester of her undergraduate career in January and I love spending time with her and seeing the woman she is becoming.
So we had a few purchases that my daughter was thrilled about, spent some quality time together, didn’t lose any sleep, nor did we have to wrestle anyone to the ground. And because we were not caught up in overzealous purchases, we don’t have to worry about a bill next month that we can’t afford to pay. So have fun shopping over the next month, but remember, if you don’t have the money to spend opt for simple pleasures like time alone together which forms memories and bonds you together more than a DVD player or cheap television.

Laughing Away the Darkness of Daylight Savings Time

2012-11-19T06:00:00.000-06:00

The days are shorter now. My mood is lower now. So I must find some funny now. I have never been diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder, but my mood has always dropped to basement level whenever the sky is black by the time I get home from work. So the past couple of weeks I have been trying to find positive and/or funny things to keep my mood up.
One of my easy go to things is to watch anything Sophia Grace and Rosie. These two young ladies were discovered by Ellen Degeneres and spend a great deal of time entertaining her fans with visits like the one below.

http://www.ellentv.com/2012/05/17/sophia-grace-and-rosie-meet-russell-brand/

And spending time here in the workplace area just makes me laugh – I’d love to buy a ton of this stuff and put in my little cubicle at work, but I’d probably get fired. So I just enjoy and sometimes share with my co-conspirator or b#*ch buddy at work. But I’m sure you might enjoy these as well, unless you work at the perfect company.

And this one is for all the people on my team at work:

Now I’m just counting down the hours until a paid day off for Thanksgiving:

Demise of the Ding Dong Dealership

2012-11-16T17:46:00.001-06:00

Today there was a terrible incident that caused the death of Twinkie the Kid, King Ding Dong, and Captain Cupcake – all registered trademark friends of Hostess Brands, Inc. These were iconic characters from my youth and yours. And that’s likely one of the reasons that the company had to fold. While I enjoyed these items in my youth and when my kids were packing lunches for school it has been years since I’ve purchased these treats for myself. I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve had a Hostess or Dolly Madison product in my house. Oh that’s a lie, I just remembered that they make the donettes that my husband and I pick up at the store every two or three weeks – Crap, what will we do now?
In their official announcement of closing here, Hostess Brands, Inc. stated on Friday, November 16, 2012 that it was winding down operations and requested permission from the U. S. Bankruptcy Court to begin selling off assets.
In news reports the company has stated that it will likely sell the brands, so our favorites might be back, but will we buy them? Hoards of people are rushing to the stores to pick up the product before it sells outs. I’m not sure if it’s because they wish to savor the products or if they will be trying to off-load them on internet auction sites or at flea markets.
I have memories of the brand from my youth going with my mother to the production bakery in Wichita, KS. With the aroma of fresh baked Wonder Bread in the air, we’d pick up bread and some treats and always Hostess Fruit Pies for my dad. I can remember those being packed in his lunchbox all the time.
Back then when you bought Ding Dongs they were wrapped in thin aluminum foil. After you unwrapped the product, you could make designs with the wrapper or you could ball it up and throw it at your classmates.
The product everyone is talking about in the news are Twinkies, but I was never a big fan. My preferred choice was the Raspberry Zingers. That mix of raspberry flavor with the coconut covering was delish. But it has been over five years since I’ve bought a box of Zingers and now they are gone – perhaps forever.

Thanksgiving Already

2012-11-15T07:15:00.001-06:00

With Thanksgiving hitting on the earliest day of November it possibly can (the 4th Thursday in November with a November 1st Thursday starting off the month) I’d like to tell you that I am already thinking about what to fix. Although in my family it’s pretty much the standard menu of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green been casserole, pumpkin pie and anything else we decide to fix in. We’re hosting some family this year and it will be the first year without our son who will not be coming in from his job in Washington State.
So while perusing recipes online, I did come across this set of unusual recipes from Cooking Channel that I thought I might share: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/thanksgiving-side-dish-recipes/pictures/index.html. Some of the mashed potato recipes look yummy. And some sweet potato recipes look good, but I may have to stick with my favorite on this and just cook the yams with brown sugar, butter, and melted marshmallows on top.

Veterans Day

2012-11-11T06:04:00.000-06:00

November 11th is Veterans Day. The date comes from the fact that an armistice was declared during World War I between the Allied Nations and Germany on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. For more history – please see the following link - http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp.
All that we hold dear as Americans is a result of our veterans and their service to our country over the years. Remember our veterans today.

Book Review – Where We Belong

2012-11-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

In Where We Belong Emily Giffin introduces us to 36 year old Marian Caldwell and 18 year old Kirby Rose. Marian is a television producer living in New York City ready for her boss/boyfriend to propose and start their life together full-time. Kirby has just turned 18, is in her senior year of high school, and is not sure she wants to attend college as her parents hope. The story reveals how these two women are connected and takes the reader on an exploration of their lives and what results from their meeting. I found myself much more invested in Kirby than Marian. I kept reading the book to find out how things worked out for Kirby and would be interested to read another book that follows her into the future. I’ve not read Giffin before so I cannot compare this book to any of her others. I know her name and recognize the cover of her books because of the way her publisher has kept the designs consistent. I read an excerpt from this novel that was attached to a short story that was available for free download on Amazon to my Kindle. I downloaded the short story, but was more entertained by the excerpt from this novel. When I finished the excerpt I turned off my Kindle and logged into my local library website. The book was not released yet, so I put myself on the reserve list. The book was a quick read and the last four to five chapters kept me turning the pages to find out the ending. The book was entertaining and as my first Giffin book, I may give her another try in the future.

The book is available from Macmillan and is available in audiobook format as well. To hear an audio clip click here:

http://media.us.macmillan.com/video/olmk/macmillanaudio/WhereWeBelong.mp3.

This is the same excerpt that I read on my Kindle download that hooked me to get the book to read in the first place. If you have difficulty getting the clip to load from the blog, copy and paste the link to your browser.

Let me know what you think.

River Road Drives

2012-10-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Fall is absolutely my favorite season. I don’t celebrate fall by decorating my house. You won’t see Halloween decorations or my house festooned with mums. But I do love the look of the season and the changing colors all around. One of our favorite activities in the fall is to take drives to see the foliage around our area. This past weekend we took Highway 79 beginning in St. Charles County, Missouri north. Over the years, we have traveled this route for short trips just a few towns up the road and even driven all the way to Iowa for an overnight trip. More often than not, we typically will end our trip in Louisiana or Hannibal. This trip takes us through small towns. This trip we noticed that many of these towns are losing out to the troubled economy with empty storefronts and closed signs. However, the small town of Clarksville is still vibrant with a variety of artists and furniture makers offering up their wares in quaint shops. There is also a lovely little riverfront park that overlooks the Mississippi River.

You Want My Vote?

2012-10-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

I don’t know what is more annoying – and they both have been happening since September – political calls since August asking who I’m going to vote for in November or Christmas decorations before October 1^st. At my house we still have a regular land line. I know, I know, we must be old geezers. The phone line comes included with our cable/internet package and we get free long distance so I can call my brother who doesn’t own a personal cell phone. Wait, who is the old geezer here? Good, my brother is worse than me. Okay – so now on with my main complaint. My phone rings at least twice a day with someone wanting to know, “if the presidential election were held today, yada, yada. And I feel bad, but I tell every one of them the same thing, “I will not talk politics with you.” Then I politely say goodbye and hang-up. My stance is that I do not even tell my husband who I am voting for so I sure as heck will not be talking to some yahoo at some call center. Most of these callers are very pleasant and accept my refusal easily, but the other day someone hung up on me before I even finished my calm response. Here is the thing – I will find out what I want about the candidates, bond issues, propositions, etc., and I will make my decision and place it on election day – but your phone call is not going to change my decision and, in fact, your call might tick me off enough that I will abstain from voting if you were my choice. Don’t hang up on me, yahoo. So Political Action Committees take my number off your list unless you simply don’t care about getting a vote from me, especially three months before the actual election. At least wait until the leaves start to change, thank you very much.

Vanilla No Bake Cookies

2012-10-15T05:00:00.000-05:00

Warning: These cookies are full of sugary goodness and very addictive.
When I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. This recipe calls for Chocolate Pudding but it said you could change the flavor with different flavored pudding mix, so I decided to try Vanilla. I already have a different recipe that my family has used forever for Chocolate No Bake cookies with cocoa and peanut butter that has been a favorite of my family while I was growing up and now that I have a family of my own, they enjoy them as well.
The only problem with both of these cookies, the one listed below and the original chocolate recipe I use, is that they are so rich that you cannot eat more than a couple without getting a kind of sick feeling in your stomach – however – it doesn’t seem to matter because they are so good you just keep going back for more despite the discomfort - the enjoyment to your taste buds is worth it.
Easy No Bake Cookies from Allrecipes.com

2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup milk
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Mix together the sugar, butter or margarine and the milk in a large pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes.
Turn off heat and add in the dry pudding mix, oats and vanilla. Mix well and let stand for 5 minutes.
Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-no-bake-cookies/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=vanilla%20no%20bake%20cookies&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

Unreal™ Product Review

2012-10-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Recently while shopping at Walgreens on my lunch hour in the candy section – who doesn’t look in the candy section for an afternoon treat? – I came across an unusual packaged candy. I didn’t pick it up, I just noticed it. Then a couple of weeks later I saw the same candy advertised in the ads in my Sunday newspaper with that same unusual packaging that made me take notice. The candy was called Unreal™. I went to my computer and looked them up on the Internet. This is where I became educated about the brand and more interested in it. Click here to see more about them: http://getunreal.com/. The brand became an idea for a father and son when they saw all the artificial ingredients in chocolate candy and decided to develop a candy with no artificial ingredients, no hydrogenated oils, no corn syrups, no preservatives and no GMOs (had to look that up, folks), it means genetically modified organisms. The result is Unreal™, the Unjunked™ candy. For this review, I was provided with the product to test, however there was no compensation involved and I am giving you my honest opinion on these items. Again, I was intrigued as I am a diabetic, but I love a bit of chocolate every so often and with the make-up of the Unreal™ chocolate there are less sugars and carbs in their bars than a nationally known name – see an example from their website below: http://getunreal.com/unreal-candy/unreal-54/ I was sent a sample of the UNREAL41 Candy Coated Chocolates and the UNREAL54 Candy Coated Chocolates with Peanut as well as UNREAL8 Chocolate Caramel Peanut Nougat bar and the UNREAL5 Chocolate Caramel Nougat bar. Both my husband and I tried the chocolate. I am a milk chocolate fan while my husband prefers dark chocolate. At first glance, when I opened the candy coated chocolates that were similar to M&Ms, I immediately noticed the candy coating was much more subdued and earthy than your typical candy whether it be name brand or generic. The texture of the chocolates was much the same, although I think the candy coating was a little thicker. I did not do side by side comparison, so my thoughts are based on memory. The flavor was good and I would consider buying either of these. My husband said he actually preferred these chocolate pieces to M&Ms. Next we tried the bars. The two bars I tried are compared on the Unreal™ website to Milky Way and Snickers. These, while they tasted good, were not my favorite. I like a Snickers bar and have had Milky Way bars even though they aren’t my favorite, but I found that the Unreal™ bars were a little dense in the nougat area. In fact, I would say these chocolates were much more like chocolates you would find in bite size pieces in a cardboard packaged box at holidays. Again, the flavor was good, but the nougat may need a little more work with perhaps a little more air in the product to be compared to the name brand bars. However, when comparing the sugar and carb content, the Unreal™ bars would be the healthier choice for my diabetic self. The company does offer a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup as well, but I was not provided this for review. And my only suggestion to the company, other than my suggestions about lightening up the nougat, would be to come out with a match for my favorite bar of choice – the Baby Ruth. Currently Unreal™ chocolates are available at many of your local retailers including those mentioned above. I would recommend you try these out if you are looking for a chocolate that doesn’t have ingredients that you cannot pronounce or have to look up on the internet. Check your local candy aisle if you would like to try the Unjunked™ candy – Unreal™. Product for this review was provided to me free of charge and the opinions herein are my own.

Happy Wedding Day!

2012-10-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

Today my big sister gets married. I wish her and her groom all the best as they start their life together.

My advice after being married for 26 years, remember marriage is just like a job – you both have to work at it – but the rewards for the time and effort you put in are truly worth it.