Feeling Yucky...

Today (Wednesday) I went to the dermatologist and I feel yucky. I had some pre-cancerous sun spots on my hand frozen. He told me he was going to do it then he did the first spot and I jumped. He said, "Oh sorry. Yeah, it's a little cold." A little cold? A little cold?!? Is he kidding?? He shouldn't say "a little cold". He should say "It'll feel like a thousand tiny needles poking into your hand," that's what he should say! "A little cold", hmph! Anyway, now I have blisters on each of those frozen spots and I guess I just have to wait until they pop and scab...sorry, gross details.

Then he removed two small harmless mole thingies from my neck and thigh. Thirdly, he took a biopsy of a spot on my left arm, which he believes is cancer just from looking at it. He says he wants to do the biopsy to see what kind of cancer it is so he can treat it correctly. Finally, he took two "suspicious" moles from my back to biopsy. Those two spots needed a stitch or two each and I have to go back next week to have the stitches removed. Hopefully, they'll have the biopsy results by then. We'll see.

The weirdest thing that happened was that after they did my back, which I was laying on my stomach for, I turned over to sit up and the harmless mole thing on my leg had bled through the bandaid and left blood all over both my legs. Yuck. So, the nurse cleaned it up and turned around to get another bandage. While she had her back turned, I looked at the spot, which was a deep, cored hole, and somehow it just hit me wrong and all of a sudden I felt nauseous. I put my hand over my eyes and about that time the nurse turned around and asked if I was ok. I pulled my hand away to see only black and literally had to fight to keep consciousness. I told her I felt like I was going to pass out, so she laid me down quickly. She got me a lollypop and some water and I cold compress for my head. She said I looked pale, then she made me lay there for about 15 minutes more. I felt ok then.

By the late afternoon, the anesthesia was wearing off my back and the two on my back and the blisters on my hand were all feeling achey. By the late evening, I was feeling very tired and run down. I took some Tylenol for the pain and I'm sure by tomorrow I'll feel better.

Menu Plan Monday

Well Hello!! I'm baaack! lol Back to the old grind, eh? Yep! As part of getting back into a routine, I'm posting my menu plan for this week. Hope you all had a wonderful summer and are ready to get back to a normal routine....I know I am! Actually, I think this is the first time in countless years that I'm sad to see summer go. I didn't get all my projects done, but the big ones I did, so at least that's good. Anyway, without further ado, here's my menu plan....enjoy!

Sunday- Arroz con pollo

Monday- Creamy Herbed Chicken

Tuesday- Kielbasa with Onion Roasted Potatoes and Julienned Vegetable Saute

Wednesday- Country Skillet Supper

Thursday- Noodle Dish

Friday- Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Saturday- Scallops Charleston

Country Skillet Supper

1 lb. ground beef

1 med. onion, chopped

1/8 tsp. garlic

1 can mushroom soup

1 can beef broth

1/2 tsp. thyme

1- 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 small yellow squash, sliced

1 1/2 c. uncooked corkscrew pasta

Cook beef, onion, & garlic in skillet until browned. Pour off fat. Add soup, broth, thyme, tomatoes, & squash. Heat to a boil. Stir in pasta. Cook over low heat 15 minutes or til done.

Scallops Charleston

1 1/2 pounds fresh sea scallops

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

flour for dusting

3/4 cup sherry or dry white wine

1 shallot, finely chopped

8 oz. mushrooms, quartered

2 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Season scallops with salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and paprika. Dust with flour. Saute in a pan that has been lightly coated with nonstick spray and a small amount of olive oil. Cook until browned on both sides and remove from pan. To the pan drippings, add sherry, shallots, and mushrooms; cook 3-4 minutes.

In separate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and add 3 Tbsp. flour. Mix well and cook over low heat for two minutes stirring constantly. Pour shallots, mushrooms, and liquid from scallops into flour mixture. Mix well and stir scallops into sauce. (If it's too thick, you can thin with a little clam juice or chicken stock.) Transfer to four individual baking dishes, top with cheese and broil for 1 minute, until browned. Serve with wild rice.

**Ok, on this recipe, I use sliced provolone cheese, as my family likes it better. I also use brown rice intead of wild rice, but you can use whatever you prefer.

Julienned Vegetable Saute

1 large red pepper, cut into very thin strips

1 large yellow pepper, cut into very thin strips

2 large carrots, cut into very thin strips

1 med. onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 c. olive oil

2 large zucchini, cut into thin strips

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. each Salt & Pepper

Cook 1st 5 ingredients in hot oil in large skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add zucchini strips and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly til tender. Stir in basil and salt & pepper.

Home Again, Home Again...

Today is Monday and we got home late, late Saturday night. Yesterday was just kind of a blur with unpacking and readjusting back to home. Nicky has been working up a storm on the tile in our living areas and it looks great! He got a lot of it done and I'm so proud of him! Sunday morning we all slept in, even Nicky. He was pooped and when he woke up, he commented that he couldn't believe he'd slept so late. I told him he was probably more tired that he thought and needed the sleep. He said, "Maybe. But, I think it's because I knew I didn't have to get up and do something around here. It was like I had a big load lifted off my shoulders, having you home." Awww....isn't that sweet?? He really missed us all. :-)

This morning the boys kept asking to have a friend over. I told them no because we had a lot to do, plus the tile can't be overused until Nicky gets the last coat of sealer on the grout today. Anyway, I told them that they were used to having their cousins around to play with, but now they'd just have to play with each other. They hemmed and hawed, but finally started playing together. I later caught them playing Capture the Flag....inside the house!! You know those little American flags that are in classrooms? Well, we have two of those, so they each took one and hid it someplace for the other one to find. I was washing dishes and Indy passed by me and hid his in the laundry room. A few minutes later, Levi comes in the kitchen and asked Indy, "Where is your flag?" He couldn't find it and wanted Indy to tell him where it was. Then Indy replied with, "You tell me where your flag is and I'll tell you where mine is." Wow. That's real intense, strategy-filled Capture the Flag, huh?? lol They're so funny.

In other news, apparently, late last week sometime the power went out for a few minutes and Nicky didn't know it and the outside freezer went off and didn't come back on. Yesterday afternoon, I went outside to put some trash in the trashcans and decided just to check on the freezer. It was completely defrosted. Not a hint of ice anywhere. And, yes, there was food in there: a lot of game, some froze dinners, and some butter and cheese. Thankfully, due to the frozen juice and gatorade bottles we keep in there for just such and emergency, the food hadn't actually gone rancid, but it wasn't cool either. So, needless to say, we threw it all away. Ugh. Today I went out there and cleaned it all out with bleach and the hose. Man, that's a bummer. But, I washed and refilled the gatorade bottles and put them in the bottom and restarted the freezer. It should be good now, but I'll check it soon.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Still unpacking and doing laundry and getting the house back in order. It's wonderful to vacation, but it's always wonderful to come home, too!!

Happy Birthday, Levi!!

Today my baby is 5 years old! My, how time flies!

Levi is so much fun! And, he's such a character, too, as you can tell in this picture. lol We had a lots of birthday parties for Levi and Indy this year. They had one before we left for NC, then another one on their birthdays and we'll have yet another when we get together with our family.

Today, for Levi's birthday, we had lots of family go bowling with us over at the bowling alley near my mom's house. It was a lot of fun, too! And, Levi did a great job! We were very surprised, plus he had fun. :-) Afterwards, we went to Pizza Hut for dinner with everyone. Actually, I think we had 15 people there!! Then, after dinner, we went home and had cupcakes and gave him some presents. I think he had a really good day. He was very excited to turn 5, except that now he has to go to school (kindergarten). He's not thrilled that now he'll have to do schoolwork!! lol That's the only thing he was sad about. Funny, huh?

Levi, we are very proud of you and love you very much. I hope you have a wonderful time being 5, big boy. Though you'll always be my baby. Happy Birthday!!

Fun, fun, fun...

Today is Tuesday and the girls went horseback riding. They had a lot of fun going on a trail ride up and down a mountain. Whew! The place we went to was a retreat owned by some family friends and was up on top of a mountain. There were beautiful views from up there! I wouldn't mind renting a cabin there sometime for me and Nicky. After horseback riding, we went into the nearby town and visited an art studio where the artists are actually special needs adults in an art program. It was really neat and we each bought a bead bracelet made by the residents.

Speaking of Nicky, I spoke with him today and he's almost finished with the tile in the hallway! Yippee!! He's putting marble thresholds at the bedroom door entrances. It should be beautiful and I'm so excited to see all his work!! I think we're going home on Saturday. He's pretty sure he'll be done with the bulk of it on Saturday, so we won't get into too much trouble coming home that day.

Yesterday, I took the boys and ran some errands. I actually visited the cemetery where my dad and some other family members are buried to inquire about purchasing the 2 spots next to my parents. I'm not sure the "going rate" for cemetery plots, but the price wasn't too bad, I thought. Nicky and I aren't sure what we want to do, but I do know that I would really like to get some plots purchased somewhere so I don't have to worry about it. Not sure why I would even worry about it, but it's just something I'd like to take care of.

We also went over to the playground in town and took some lunch. I sat under the pavilion with the picnic tables while the boys played with the other kids who happened to be there. They, of course, made friends. It's the "heat of summer" right now, but man, it sure feels like a South Florida fall! It was so pleasant out there, I could have stayed all afternoon! Neither one of the boys came and asked to leave because they were hot. There was a nice breeze going and it was just so nice. Makes me long for fall!!

Yesterday, I also got to go to dinner and visit with my aunt Robin. She's always been more like a big sister to me than an aunt. She's my mother's sister, but I'm one year closer to her in age since we're only 11 years apart and her and my mom are 12 years apart. Funny, huh? Anyway, we had a very nice visit and just hung out for a little while. When I only spend one week up here, I don't get to visit with as many people as I'd like, and my aunt is usually lower on the totem pole than say my mom and my grandmother, so I like when I can stay a little longer and get to visit with her.

On Sunday, we went to church in the morning and then that afternoon, my mom and I got to spend some time alone. I left the boys with the girls and my mom and I got to visit a local historical house that, I kid you not, we've been trying to get to for 16 years!!! Finally!! lol Anyway, it was neat to see the house and all the old stuff in there and learn a little history of the area. Afterwards, we did some local sightseeing of stuff my mom's been wanting to show me. Then, we went to a nearby restaurant for dinner. It was a nice time out and we didn't have to rush, which always makes it more fun.

In other news, my brother and his family live in Texas. They are coming here to visit for a few weeks, before my brother has to go overseas again with his National Guard unit. They arrived last night about midnight, so the boys had a big treat when they got up this morning. My brother has two sons, who my boys just love, so they were very excited to get to play first thing this morning at 7am!

Well, that's about it for now. Tomorrow is Levi's 5th birthday. I can't believe my little baby is 5 already!! Don't we always say that?? lol Anyway, we'll be doing some fun stuff tomorrow so I'll update you later. Have a great day tomorrow!

Up and Down, Up and Down....

This is what we did today! We drove all over "God's green acre" and it sure was beautiful!!

First, we drove up and over a nearby mountain to go visit the town that my grandfather (who is now deceased) grew up in. Actually, on a recent quest, my mother went in search of the actual house he grew up in, and believe it or not, she found it. She really found it about 3 months ago, when she took my grandmother with her to try to find it. My mom had done lots of research and then went to the town and spoke with a couple of real estate agents and was able to find it. Anyway, today she took us over to the town to see the house, my grandfather's high school (which is now an elementary school), and the hospital where my great-grandmother worked as a nurse. It was really neat to see those places and the town is so cute. It was a long drive, though, lasting about an hour and a half, one way.

After we saw all that, we left that town, drove back up the mountain and got on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We took that for about 40 miles. That was a lot of fun. We stopped at a bunch of overlooks for the kids to see the view. They were thoroughly impressed, as was I. Not that I hadn't seen it all before, but I get up there so rarely that it's always like new to me. Anyway, as we were driving up the parkway toward the top of the mountains, we saw lots of very low clouds. The kids were amazed that the clouds were so close to us and when we finally got up into the clouds, I rolled down my window so they could stick their hands out the window so they could say they'd touched a cloud. It was funny and they all laughed. Finally we got up to a lookout that was sooo cloudy that we couldn't see anything at all looking down. There was a visitor center and a ranger, who we spoke to about the weather and the clouds....oh, and a gift shop. So fun. The kids ran around the empty parking lot saying they were running in the clouds. They were so excited and we took lots of pictures....and it was like 65 degrees! That's such a treat at the end of July! It seemed like we were in the middle of winter! The kids also were really impressed with the tunnels cut out of the rock. Really neat.

Finally we started heading down the mountain, and I kept thinking they were all gonna get sick because I kept trying not to use the brakes too much, but thankfully no one got sick. Whew! Once we got down the mountain and back into town, we got more gas....needed that after so long on the road today.... we went to a local family owned restaurant for dinner. It was a really neat 50's style diner and the food was good, too.

I think we left my mom's house at about 10 or 10:30 this morning and after going to the grocery store after dinner, we got home at about 8 pm. Wow! That was a long day and even though everyone had fun and got to touch some family roots, we were all glad to get back home and out of the car. I've taken lots of pictures during this trip, as always, so once I get back home, I'll try to get some on here so you can see everything. From what I hear, Nicky's been working hard on the tile in our living room. I'm very excited about that! He's been working on that tile for 4 years....yes, it's true. But, it's very hard for him to work on tile when we're all there all the time. And, once you lay some tile, you can't walk on it for 24 hours, and our house is never empty for 24 hours! SO, he's had a very difficult time finding time to actually work on it. And, I'm very happy he's been working on it while we've been gone. I can't wait to see what he's finished!!

Well, I guess that's it for now. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! :-)

Happy 7th Birthday, Indy!!

Wow! My big boy! I can't believe it's already been 7 years since my precious boy was born. Amazing! Indy is such a joy to us and we are so proud of him and the young man he is becoming. Six is such a sweet age to me, but when they turn 7 it seems their "babyhood" is finally behind them. That makes me a little sad, because I know the years of my gentle and sensitive little lover boy are dwindling quickly. But, I also know that we have many years of wonderful adventures ahead of us. I look forward to seeing the man he will become and the blessing he will be to our family.

Indy, you are a special gift given to us straight from God and I am so grateful for that gift. You have made our lives so wonderful just by being in them. I'm so excited for you that you are 7 now and growing up, loving Jesus. Thanks for being such a great son! We love you very much!

Happy Birthday!!!

He was so funny yesterday! He was literally counting the hours until he turned 7. At 12 noon, he said, "Oooo! Only 12 hours til I'm 7!!" We love you, baby!!