Tango's Going Ons

Wednesday, 1.11.12....Furniture Hack

2012-01-11T20:27:00.000-05:00

My small office, that I have in my room, has been bugging the hell out of me. The desk is not large enough. I never have room for paperwork when I'm trying to upload my inspections. The table is too tall. The chair is too low. It's just not comfortable.

I didn't want to spend any money on a desk, but something had to be done.

It was getting on my last nerve!!!

While browsing on the internet I happened to run into the Ikea Hacker site

and I got an idea.

Do you see the tall book cabinet in the center on the left side of this photo?

This is what that bookcase looked like after I finished with it

at midnight last night.

I took off all the removable shelves and the doors and put the bookcase on its side. I removed the top of my old desk with the little shelf and put that on top for my laptop and keyboard. I used one of the shelves under the extra monitor and another to the top of the left side. I will stop somewhere tomorrow to pick up some shelf brackets so that I can put the left over shelves on the wall. Just in case....I saved all the hardware so that I can put it back to what it was, if I want to.

This is so much better. Now I even have a place to eat my dinner at. :)

....and it didn't cost me a cent!!

The water bill came in today. It went down 10 dollars from last month. That leaky toilet wasted quite a bit of water.

I've been scared to wash the afghan that I crocheted. I was afraid that it was going to get ruined in the washer and dryer....even though the yarn label said it was safe to do so. I went ahead and washed it last week with just a little bit of soap and some vinegar.

It turned out beautiful and sooooo soft! Phew...I would have been heart broken if it would have fallen apart or came out all out of shape. I've started another afghan with a different type of yarn and different colors...smaller squares too.

This week we have had snow and now it's raining. Hopefully it will stop soon. I hate to drive in this mess and I have a couple of chases to take care of in Fredericksburg tomorrow. It would be real nice if the sun came out.

It's also time for the inspection in Catalpa. I just got the assignment a couple of days ago. This is the one out in the boonies on this long, potholed, gravel road that T-Jay drove me to last year. Ha, I won't be driving down that driveway until it dries up!!!

Tuesday 1.3.2012

2012-01-03T20:24:00.000-05:00

I hope that everyone made it safely into the new year and has gotten used to writing 2012 instead of 2011. I admit that I'm still having issues with that even though I must write it twenty times a day.

No partying on my end. I had to work all weekend through. New Years Eve I made it until 11 PM before I put my ear plugs in to get to sleep.

The toilet is finally fixed. Whoohoo! Was that a pain in my ass! Yesterday afternoon there was a leak on the outside of the commode, but that has gone away. Last night the tank wouldn't fill up, but that seems to have gone away too. I might have some adjusting to do, but everything is fine now.

I had to borrow a large adjustable wrench to get that plastic nut off. If it wasn't for that, I would have the toilet up and running Saturday night.

Tada....all new guts installed. :)

Today I finished putting the last of a 120 squares together. All that's left to do now is to put a border around the whole afghan, then that's it. I'm really liking it. The other side looks completely different. I'll have to take a photo of it. The afghan is huge and very heavy.

It's almost time for a new project....or maybe I'll make another one different color, different type of yarn?

Saturday 12.31.2011

2011-12-31T10:38:00.000-05:00

I had to chase a couple of cars around Fredericksburg yesterday. Actually it was quite a ways past Fredericksburg, but this peticular company asking me to take care of these, has been awfully good to me. In this case I will go out of my way.

Every time I'm up that way I pass by this German restaurant. It sucks because it is always early in the morning and they are closed. This time I stopped by just to have a look around. Too bad they're only open at night.

My toilet is still in bits and pieces, but I'm going to have the time to put it back together tonight. Luckily it's not the only toilet at the house. LOL....what a way to spend new years eve, eh? Lets hope I don't end up with spare parts or leaks.

I shot this from work last night. What do you think? Contrails, Chemtrails, Weather Modification?

Happy New Year to all of you. Be safe!!

Thursday 12.29.2011 ...fixing the crapper

2011-12-29T20:07:00.001-05:00

Besides ironing, this has got to be my most hated thing for me to tackle.

Replacing the innards of the toilets. For three days I have had two kits for the upstairs toilets, both are leaking. Everyday I walk past them and then put them off for another day. This morning, I figured I'd better get to it because they won't install themselves.

I had it all taken apart except for that thingy on the left, the fill valve. I just can't seem to get it out of there. Rat Bastard! No matter what it says on the package....NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING is EVER plug and play. I guess I'll wait for one of the men folks to get up and give me a hand.

I was running back and forth, up and down the stairs, posting on Facebook, reading advice on Google, and watching YouTube videos on toilet repairs.

Meanwhile Cyndi, Kenny's wife, part of my extended Scion Family posted on my Facebook saying to contact her hubby. Well about 90 minutes later Kenny, with his son and daughter knocked on my door. It took Kenny about 30 minutes to get the fill valve out. Turns out I unscrewed the wrong nut on the bottom of the tank. I should have unscrewed the bottom nut first, not the top nut. Whoohoo! I'm such a happy woman. Everything is taken apart, ready for me to put the new guts inside tomorrow morning. :)

Thanks Kenny....and thanks Cyndi for letting me borrow your hubby. :)

Meanwhile, this is what's in the oven for today.

Turkey necks, cajun sausage, onions, garlic, a handful of sauerkraut and lots of seasonings. Pop it in the oven until it falls apart.

I also managed to crochet together a few more rows of squares. I'm getting there. :)

Wednesday 12.28.2011 ....visit to Wilson Farms Meat Company

2011-12-28T22:33:00.001-05:00

I didn't make it to Wilson's yesterday after all. I was all ready to go, started the car and changed my mind after remembering that gravel road in front of their building with all the huge pot holes. Knowing that they would be full of water, since it was raining like crazy, I wouldn't be able to see the holes. I figured I'd wait until today so that I wouldn't tear up my car.

I took a few photos while I was ordering my meat.

This time I remembered to bring cash.

I came home with turkey necks, turkey gizzards, real smoked bacon, cubed pork, a back of sauerkraut and cajun smoked sausage. I'll use some of that sausage for seasoning with the turkey necks tomorrow. Ha, can you say awesome dark brown gravy??

On my way back home I stopped at a store to get the fixings for the broccoli salad. I called my mom from the parking lot to find out the ingredients for the dressing which is sour cream, spicy honey mustard and mayonnaise. Since I don't do mayo nor sour cream, I had to improvise a bit.

Below is a photo of raw broccoli, raisins, red onion, plain whole milk yogurt, spicy honey mustard and some sea salt. It is to die for!!!

The bag of sauerkraut really surprised me. Usually store bought sauerkraut stinks and is piss sour, Normally I have to rinse it to be able to eat it. Not this time....this stuff you can eat out of the bag just like it is. Yummy!

Then I spent some time on

my afghan/blanket/beadspread what ever you want to call it. Shit, lets just

call if an afghan.

I finished crocheting together four rows of squares on my bed. It sure would be easier if I had a large table to work on. Standing and bending down to crochet is a real pain in my back. LOL...every few minutes I had to walk around for a bit.

I'll be back at it tomorrow.

Monday 12.26.2011

2011-12-26T21:25:00.000-05:00

Whoohoo....so it's over with and it's safe to go to the grocery store again. Hopefully people will be in a better mood and not so full of stress and ugliness. Tomorrow morning I'll take a little ride to Culpeper to buy some meat from Wilson's Meat Market. Time for some turkey necks, gizzards and a steak or two.

I had an awesome weekend of NO work what so ever. Two days off in a row...ha, I didn't know how to act. I spent most of the time relaxing and crocheting. Oh...never mind, I did wash my car on Saturday.

Yesterday I went to see my mom and pop for dinner. Mom had cooked this terrific roast of lamb with potatoes, gravy, broccoli salad and red cabbage. She sent some home with me and that's what I had today. That's the first time I've ever had lamb. It's different, and I liked it. After dinner we sat and talked with coffee and apple cake. I'll have to get the recipe for that broccoli salad. I know she put in broccoli, red onions, and raisins, but I don't know what she put in the dressing. Anyway, needless to say, I did not get on the scale this morning.

My blanket, afghan, or whatever you want to call it, is ready to be put together. I now have 128 pieces.

I ran out of yarn three times and could not find the same color anywhere, so I ended up getting a different color than I started with. Hopefully it won't look too weird, but it really doesn't matter since I made it for me and it will serve it's purpose.

Well it's time for hot tea, some food, and LDN...then it's bedtime for me.

And now for something completely different... Monday 12.12.11

2011-12-12T13:47:00.000-05:00

Friday 12.09.2011

2011-12-09T07:12:00.000-05:00

I was trying to find something to keep my hands busy last week and came across a YouTube video tutorial by Michael Sellick.

How To Crochet Color Burst Afghan Part 1

I've never done a project this large and there are no written directions. So here I was playing the video over and over, writing things down....because my memory sucks and I learn by repetition.

I spent a couple of hours at the craft shop trying to find yarn. Deciding on Barnat Charisma yarn, I almost had all the colors together when I thought.....this is just way to busy for me. So I put everything back and picked a different set of colors. This is what I ended up with.

I haven't made up my mind yet, but might add another color yarn to it. We'll see. LOL....I just figured out that I will have to crochet about 165 of those squares to make a decent size blanket for my bed. WTF? I think I'll measure it when I get home just to make sure.....that can't be right.

I've been looking for a good Paypal alternative for the last couple of years and I think I have finally found one. I signed up for Dwolla this morning and am hoping it will replace Paypal for me for ever. Dwolla only charges .25 per transaction and anything under $10 is free. This is especially great for small businesses that normally loose a percentage of sales to Paypal or a credit card company.

Wednesday 12.07.2011

2011-12-07T08:17:00.000-05:00

I had an assignment in Catlett the other week and decided to stop by Wilson Farms. This company has been around for 50 some years and I have shopped there before. I was looking for meat that I haven't had in a long time and had just about forgotten about this place. Their meats are non antibiotic/growth hormone and grass fed.

I came home with turkey necks, turkey gizzards, ground pork, ground beef and a couple of steaks.

Yummy turkey necks and sweet potatoes. The meat was to die for. :) So tender, it melted in my mouth.

This was a visitor in front of the house a couple of weeks ago. There must have been some road kill in our neighborhood.

This bird was huge and almost flew into our kitchen window.

Nothing much new around here. It's been raining since last night and is supposed to continue all day. I have a couple of assignments to take care of and am still debating on whether to wait until tomorrow because of the rain. If it lightens up a bit, I'll do them today, since they are local.

I'll be glad when the new year comes in. This is always a depressing time of the year for me and I can't wait until it's over. I keep thinking of how different my life would have been if I had made different choices, I have many regrets. I am not happy right now and I can't figure out how to make the changes to get me to that "happy" place.

My co-worker just let me know that she won't be in today. So off to Millers I go.

Sunday 11.20.2011

2011-11-20T18:55:00.000-05:00

I had to go chase cars in the Haymarket area this morning. That was good timing because I needed some eggs and I had a craving for some good old fashioned country bacon...minus the chemicals. I miss not being able to stop by the Buckland Farm Market every couple of days, but now it's out of my way unless I'm chasing something on that end. It's always a pleasure to stop by and I love how everyone asks where I've been so long and how I'm doing. :) Sure don't get that in any of the stores that I visit in Manassas.

LOL...this must be a chicken condo?

Some critters munching on some goodies. Donkey's?

I had a chance to catch up on some reading this afternoon and found

this, the Field Agent , it's an IPhone application that pays you. Now I wish I had an IPhone instead of my Android. Would be nice to catch other small jobs while I'm running around chasing cars. Too bad I won't be getting an upgrade until 2013 with Sprint. Crap! I wonder if there is anything I can do about it that would be in my budget. I'll have to research it.

This is what met me when I got home.

Diana send me an update for "LDN Notes By Diana", look on the top right side.

I love the way she keeps it fresh!!

Friday 11.18.2011

2011-11-18T14:33:00.002-05:00

On September 2nd, 2011, I started my last journey to lose weight at 209.6. I hit 168.2 pounds on the scale this morning and it's stuck for two days now. My goal is 155-160, I'm big framed and 5'6".

I have had to re-learn eating all over again. Not living to eat, but eating to live. I no longer eat unless I'm hungry. I eat no sugar, no grains. No more bread, pasta, white potatoes, rice. I do eat low carb veggies, coconut oil, lots of spices, some kind of meat or fish and apples and oranges. I eat NON-GMO, organic or local foods that stay with me during working hours away from home. Staying away from junk carbs has helped that a considerably.

I've had to trick myself into smaller portions by using smaller plates and bowls.

I used to eat myself full before going to bed at night. Now I eat a little bit of something, sometimes full fat organic yogurt with cinnamon, coconut and a bit of peanut butter...just enough to have something in my stomach before taking my

5 ml of LDN. Yes, I'm up to 5 ml now and doing well on it.

I was watching Dr Oz a few minutes ago. They were saying that keeping your lager size clothes that no longer fit after weight loss, need to be gotten rid of because it gives us an excuse to fail and gives us an option B. Makes sense to me. I've always kept my fat clothes on the "other" side of the closet, but now it's time to get rid of them. I can not afford to gain the weight back, health wise nor money wise!

Good bye, fat pants....hope to never see you again!

T-Jay just took these "after" photos of me. To me I still look fat except for my stomach. I guess, I'll always look fat to myself.

Tuesday 11.15.2011

2011-11-15T19:57:00.000-05:00

After adding some salmon and avocado, below is what I ended up with yesterday.

I forgot to mention yesterday that that blob on the upper right corner of the pan is frozen chicken stock.

A couple of weeks ago I saw this gadget at the store. Yesterday, after burning my fingers just one too many times, I went back and bought it.

No more pot holders, that I always forget, for me!

I should have waited for Kymber, because at first I put this sticky mess on some napkins. Then after she mentioned towels, I picked the seeds out of that sticky mess and transfered them to a towel. I'm still digging out small pieces of paper napkin.

I think I put them in a cat proof area. High up on a shelf. :)

I bought a jar of Kimchi at the store the other day. Last time I bought a jar, it was delicious, but this time not so much. It was too sour and just too hot. I think I will make my own next time. Hopefully next week. I think I already found the perfect recipe.

Thank you, Pete Belardino 11.14.2011

2011-11-14T12:28:00.000-05:00

Last month, Pete introduced me to Kabocha, a Japanese squash. I've never really been a squash person and have never cooked it before, but I thought I would give it a try. Pete never mentioned that I would need a sledge hammer to cut this bugger up.

Ever since I cooked it the first time, I have been in love with this veggie and cook it once a week, sometimes combined with other veggies.

As you can see, there are lots of seeds and

since I love me some Kabocha, I'm saving them.

Kymber...where are you? Do I just dry them and put

them in a safe place for next spring?

Kabocha, broccoli, red onions, chicken stock,

garlic, sea salt, Braggs vinegar, Braggs Aminos,

black pepper and rosemary.

15 minutes later....yummy! Thanks again, Pete :)

In other news, T-Jay made it back from Baton Rouge, safe and sound. He had a great time while there, but it is good to have him back home.

On the advice of everyone here and on Facebook....from now on I'm checking my shoes for surprises. :)

Sunday 11.13.2011

2011-11-13T19:07:00.000-05:00

So at 10 AM this morning, I finished washing and drying clothes and I got myself ready for work. Since it's going to be kind of warm out today, I put my clogs on. I kept on thinking that my right toes felt funny and checked my sock to see if there was something in it, but there wasn't.

I went about my business and got to work at noon. My right foot was still feeling funny and I checked my sock again, but there was nothing. I was beginning to think there was something wrong with the feeling in my toes.

Finally about 30 minutes ago I again took the clog off. This time I stuck my hand inside the clog and this is what I felt...

So....which one of these pranksters is responsible for this?

Saturday, 11.12.2011

2011-11-12T21:09:00.000-05:00

The Texas Medical Board

Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski

April 11, 2012 * Join The Call-To-Action!!

Please click on this link to to act!

Friday 11.11.2011

2011-11-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

Looks like the temps will make it up to 51 today even though we have wind gusts between 15 and 29 mph. The tree in the backyard is almost bare again. I usually sweep up all the leaves into beyond my fence, but this time I will just leave them on the dirt. Maybe the decomposed leaves will add to the little soil that I have.

My co-worker was sick yesterday so I worked 9 hours instead of my usual 6 during the week. So today, while I had the time, I cooked some meat for the next couple of days. I still have kabocha and cauliflower that I cooked the other day. Saturdays I work 11 hours, so there is not much time to cook and I sure don't feel like it when I finally make it home.

This is diced up chicken with onions, garlic, ginger, pepper, sea salt, braggs aminos and home made taco seasoning. I ended up with a nice brown gravy and will probably put it over some Miracle Noodles.

When I weighted myself this morning, I was down to 171.2 pounds...will I ever reach 160? I sure hope so!!

One thing I've noticed is that the more weight I lose the less tolerant I am of cold. Last night I was freezing at work and my feet were ice cold. Time to get out the Bates Boots. I'll be damned if I'll freeze my tootsies off tonight!

I hope that everyone has a great weekend. Here's a

little something to put smiles on your faces.

Charlie Todd: The shared experience of absurdity

Hump Day 11.09.2011

2011-11-09T18:59:00.000-05:00

I had to go take care of an inspecton in Middleburg yesterday morning. Since I didn't want to get on the interstate, I set Gloria Pain Spencer (GPS) to avoid all highways. I went off of the main road onto Bust Head Rd. Perfect name, it was 5.5 miles of one lane, gravel, potholes trying not to hit bottom road. Bust Head Rd dead ended on Halfway Rd, which should have been named Awesome Allway Rd, brand new asphalt and smooth as a baby's butt.

View from Halfway Rd. Yesterday was one of those days where I could have just driven on and on until my tank ran dry.

After I left Middleburg, I went to hug my mom's neck.

View from my mom's back yard. :)

After losing 40 pounds, my last bra kicked the bucket, so it was time to do the thing I hate more than ironing...shopping for bras. Three years ago I was in a size 36B. I measured myself this morning at 34 inches and went to three stores. So tell me, how is it possible that now I wear a 38C? WTF? Are the manufacturers screwing with us? After three and a half hours, I came home with 3 new bras. What an ordeal. I don't even want to think about having to go buy jeans and that's coming up next. I hate clothes shopping! I'd rather wash dishes and clean windows.

T-Jay made it safe to Baton Rouge yesterday afternoon. What a relief that was. He did remind me that it wasn't his first time driving there, but that doesn't really matter. I'd still worry about him driving all the way through even if he did it hundreds of times.

Monday 11.07.2011

2011-11-08T06:44:00.000-05:00

Lately lots of stuff seems to be getting on my last nerve and you know what that means....I have to make it go away. Titles on top of my blog post day after day...getting on my last nerve.....

T-Jay won't be leaving until tonight. I hope he is asleep right now...that's a long drive...18 hours, and he wants go straight down to Baton Rouge, stopping only for fuel and food. I can tell you, I sure will be glad to get that text from him telling me that he made it okay. I'm going to be a nervous wreck.

I've got an assignment in Middleton, VA tomorrow. I will take care of it really early in the morning since I don't have to contact anyone once I get there. Afterwards, I'm going to stop by my mom's and hug her neck. I haven't seen her in a couple of weeks.

Today I was almost late for work after getting a really exciting piece of junk mail from one of the credit card companies, especially one that I owe money to. I always open them so that I can shred them, but this one had a self addressed and stamped envelope inside. I thought they might be interested in some of the other junk mail that I get, so I neatly folded up one of those door hangers from a new pizza joint in town ....along with some other junk mail I had laying around, the original envelope that they mailed the ad in and put it in the envelope to send back to them. I inserted a note thanking them for the ad and told them that they might be interested in some of mine. I'll be mailing it later tomorrow...the envelope will be mighty thick and heavy. Rat Bastards!

Sunday 11.06.2011

2011-11-06T15:45:00.000-05:00

Ha, the breakfast of champions. Sauteed wild salmon and snow peas with garlic, ginger salt and pepper.

Then it's off to work.

The boil has all cleared up and once again, I am a happy, happy woman. I'm down to taking only LDN and some basic vitamins. Hopefully it will be another 7 months or longer before I grow one of these rat bastards again!!!

My weight is stuck at 171 it seems, but I'm okay with that for now. At least I'm not gaining anything back. Keeping the loss is always the hardest part for me. Since I am still keeping away from sugar and junk starches I am not having any weird cravings and haven't been tempted to go on a eating binge. It's bizarre how I always have to con myself into eating small portions. It has gotten much easier ever since I got myself some smaller bowls and plates.

Tomorrow starts the worrying. T-Jay is going to drive to Louisiana and stay there for a week. I'm happy for him, but on the other hand I'm going to be worried until he gets back. I do hope that he makes it there safely and that he has a great time!

I'm leaving work a few minutes early to see Jenna so that she can do something with this head of hair of mine. I'm trying to grow it out again, but am in the in-between stage and it's getting on my last nerve. I had the scissors in my hand twice yesterday morning, which is not a good thing. Jenna has been cutting my hair for the last three years. She gets off at 5 today, but she is staying late because I won't get off until five.

All those negatives that I sent away got developed. I'm still going through them. Quite a few are of my son when he was just weeks old. It sure brings back some memories. I did delete one set that I accidently included....mainly because the negatives were so small that I couldn't tell what was on them. Anyway...they were of my ex husband when he was in New York many years ago.

I have a box of old photos to go through besides the ones at GoPhoto. After I sort out any duplicates, I'll start the long process of trying to scan them and put them in some sort of order. I did try out my scanner a couple of weeks ago with an old photo and the quality was excellent. I haven't decided yet what I will do with them, one thing is for sure, they won't be in a physical album. They'll be on a CD and some place online.

Update on the Boil 11.03.2011

2011-11-03T21:36:00.000-04:00

This was yesterday morning. Believe me, the photo doesn't do it justice. The blueish colored areas are scars from previous boils. The red area around it was hot to the touch and by the time I got home last night it reached all the way down to my knees.

This is what I took the night before last beside my dose of LDN. It includes 1 antibiotic and 5 capsules of Turmeric three times a day. I also added Vitamin C and Zinc.

Then I covered the boil with Tea Tree and Oregano Oil over night. I didn't get much sleep due to my Miss Silly, my cat. She was cold and wanted to get under the covers with me. Every time I raised the cover to let her in, the smell of the oil was so powerful, she took one sniff and hauled butt from under there. Ha, talk about some broken sleep!

Then last night Diana suggested making a paste out of Xylitol and to put that on the boil.

"In rats, xylitol has been found to increase the activity of neutrophils, the white blood cells involved in fighting many bacteria. This effect seems to be quite broad, acting even in cases such as general sepsis." So, that's what I did last night.

This morning when I removed the dressing, I had a small hole in the boil.

Kathy, had told me a couple of weeks ago how her grand father had taken a glass jar, boiled it in some water, cooled it down a bit and had put it over the boil. When the air inside the jar cooled, it would create suction and force the boil to drain. Well, I thought, I would do it a little bit different. So I emptied out this wide mouth plastic bottle that had been in the fridge for months. After I cleaned it out, I attached it to the boil after squeezing the bottle together. Then I let lose and you wouldn't believe all the crap that came out of that little hole.....damn what a relief it was!!!!! :)

The swelling went down immediately. I put a couple of drops of Iodine in the hole, slapped on a band-aid and I was good to go.

I'll keep taking the tinctures, vitamins and antibiotics for a couple more days...just in case.

Nesting 11.01.11

2011-11-01T22:09:00.000-04:00

Mmmmhhhh....chicken bone broth cooling early this morning. :)

Here you go, Kymber....new photos of my warmer room :) You're right, taking down those white curtains and replacing them with the red ones made a world of difference.

I blocked my make believe closet with this cabinet.

Ha...that's all for this nesting period. Knowing me, I'll get restless again in a month or so and change it all around again. I don't know why I like to do this. My mom has the same problem with liking to change things around. It always makes us feel so good when it's all done.

When I get home, I've got some major doctoring to do. In the last 24 hours I have managed to develope a huge boil on the inside of my thigh. It's getting really painful and to the point where I can't bare to have anything touching it. It feels hot and is red all the ways around the center. The area is the size of a dinner plate.

Last night I started popping turmeric capsules like there's no tomorrow. So far it's not getting any worse. I'm also taking antibiotics. When I get home I'll cover it with tea tree and oregano oil, take some Vitamin C, Zinc, Milk Thistle & Dandelion, Astragalus and Echinacea & Goldenseal....finishing it off with my nightly dose of LDN. I've got my fingers crossed that this will take care of it. I don't want to go to the doctor....they won't be able to do anything for me, except for what I'm already doing anyway. Ha, the doctor will actually do LESS for me....write me a script for pain and antibiotics.

I have a feeling that what I have is called Hidradenitis Suppurativa. I've had this for 12 years now, but this is the first time since February that it has flared up. Probably a stress related flare....I hope!

The only thing that has changed in my diet lately is that I added milk back in to put in my coffee. I'm still not eating any starches, grains or sugars.

I'm sure glad that I've lost this 38 pounds. If I hadn't, I would have had to stay home from work due to not being able to walk because of my thighs rubbing together.

I've decided not to fix the central heating for now. I just can't see spending another 200 to 400 bucks and still not having a guarantee for it to be fixed. Since I have upgraded this townhouse with new windows, doors, siding, and roof, it is really well insulated now. A few added little heaters should take care of us for now.

This is what I've got so far...

I will get another heater like the one in the middle next week. This should keep us warm this winter. It might even cut down on the electric bill since all the heaters won't be on all the time, but just when and where we need them.

Oh, before I forget. If you look on the right side of this page, in the LDN section, you will see a page called "LDN Notes by Diana", with a date next to it. Diana has been kind enough to keep her notes updated almost daily. She is awesome!!! I received an update from her earlier today, which I'll replace it with in a few minutes.

Last Friday's Little Road Trip 10.30.2011

2011-10-30T16:22:00.001-04:00

Here I am on my way to (Little) Washington, Virginia. It was a nice little road trip...very relaxing!! Lots of farm land and little or no traffic.

Behind The Inn @ Little Washington.

This is the kitchen in one of the rentable cottages. It's big enough for me to LIVE in. :)

This has got to be my most favorite commercial inspection that I have ever done. I spent most of the day there. It is such an quaint little town. Population 200, no traffic lights...just stop signs. As usual, I took way too many photos, which always bites me in the butt in having to take hours to put them in order, then having to decide which ones to actually upload.

Three nights ago, I got close and personal with a huge skunk. It was larger than my room mates cat, Patches and I think he's over 15 pounds now. This skunk was hiding under a Prius at work. He stood still long enough for me to take this photo before wobbling down the lot.

It was a nasty day out here in Northern Virginia yesterday. It was raining and sleeting all day. It went below freezing last night. I guess I'd better pull those tiny three bell peppers off of the bush tonight....or will they survive a frost?

Last week I re-arranged my room again. The white walls and white curtains just made it feel so cold to me, so I put my red curtains back up, and bought a little $3 lamp with a warm colored bulb to put on my night stand. It's much better now and the room feels warm and comfy again. LOL....Every once in a while I get into a what I call a "nesting mood".

Yesterady morning while driving to work, I noticed this symbol on the dash....

After all the crap that's been breaking down at my house, I was thinking...shit! Now What?! I have never had a car that had this symbol pop up before, so I actually had to pull over to look it up in the manual. LOL.....tire pressure light. Turns out my baby just needed a couple of pounds of air in all 4 tires. Phew....what a relief that was.....I had already worked myself into a panic.

Oh...the heater is broken down again. This is the third time and it's getting on my last nerve!

Lost Memories 10.19.2011

2011-10-19T22:33:00.000-04:00

Last week I went through a box of photos that I had taken between 1980 and 1998. Actually there were not that many photos, but about 180 negatives. I'm sure that the good photos themselves were given out to friends and relatives at that time. All I know is, that I only have a few and they aren't all that good. :)

I held the negatives up to the light, trying to make out what they were about, but no such luck. They were just too small.

I searched on Google for a negative converter, reader, scanner, and printer or whatever you want to call it. There must be hundreds of them. Different sizes, colors, makes and models all in different price ranges. Finally I gave up on choosing one because I only have 180 negatives and will probably never have anymore due to my cameras being digital now.

Then I found GoPhoto . They printed me a UPS sticker to affix to an envelope with the negatives inside. They will sort them and see which ones are still good and then let me order prints or have them put the photos on a CD, DVD, or USB drive.

I dropped the envelope off at the UPS Store today and I can't wait to see what they will find. There should be photos of my son when he was a baby that I haven't seen in 20+ years. Also some photos of were we lived in Baton Rouge, LA.

Good news, the commercial inspection in Washington, Virginia, is set for Friday. I can't wait. I always wanted to check that little town out.

Look what I saw today.....green peppers the size of a dime.

I wonder if there is enough time for them to grow. It's supposed to get colder next week. Well, I've got my fingers crossed. Organic green peppers are going for $3.99 a piece around here.

I'm going to chase a car in Woodbridge in the morning, then I have reports to write and photos to upload. The LDN is kicking in, so it's time to hit the sack. Hope everyone has an awesome night. :)

How to live in 262 sq ft without closets 10.13.2011

2011-10-13T19:12:00.000-04:00

LOL.....I was lusting after Kymber's new red double kitchen sink yesterday when she mentioned that my room is already pretty full. This is true, but there is no clutter, everything is put away....and I'm sure I could fit a red double sink in there somewhere, don't you think?

^^^^^^

My tiny little office.

^^^^

On the left there is my vertical coffee/tea nook. On the right is the fridge sitting on the nightstand with the small Berkey water filter on top.

^^^^^

My pretend clothes closet

^^^^

On the left is what originally was a computer amoire. Now it houses office stuff, vitamins, herbs, etc. Bookshelf in the center is full of herbs and books in the bottom. Shelf unit on the right has more herbs and books.

^^^^

To the right is the file cabinet, which now only has one drawer for actual files....then there is the sock drawer, underwear drawer, misc. drawer.

Boy, what I could do with just one wall closet the length of this room. :)

LDN (Low Dose Naltrexone) in Emu Oil 10.12.2011

2011-10-12T11:27:00.002-04:00

Kymber asked me why I was mixing LDN with Emu Oil.

Well, I've been scratching my head about getting a tiny bit of LDN in my Cornish Rex, Silly, for months. It's not that she is sick, but I would like for her immune system to be strong so that she will stay healthy for many years to come.

The problem was how to get it in her. Putting it in her food wouldn't work because she would notice the smell and taste....she is so very picky about her food.

Shooting it down her throat would have been a cat fight for sure.

Then I remembered that some people that have stomach issues are getting LDN prescribed in cream form.

Dr. Jaquelyn Mc Candless formulated a Transdermal LDN application with Emu oil that absorbs quickly into the bloodstream for her autistic patients. This formulation diffuses through the skin and enters into the bloodstream, bypassing the liver, stomach, and digestive system. Many side effects disappeared this way.

Since I do not have a prescription for Transdermal LDN, I improvised by crushing one Naltrexone pill and then putting it in 50 ml of Emu Oil.

Every day I just put a drop of this oil mixture on my finger tip and rub it in Silly's ears. Ha, no fuss, no muss!!!