Feels Like Summer & Is anybody there?

Last night I made one of the best gravy's I have ever made! I'm serious! It was so good I wanted to sit and eat with a spoon!


I had purchased some Johnsonville Brats and put them in a frying pan with about 2 cups of water...I put the heat on of about 5 (electric stove) I let them cook til almost all the water was gone, then added another 2 cups of water, slowly and carefully so the water and grease from the sausages didn't splatter up on me. I cooked sweet peas with honey, and 3 flavored noodles with homemade chicken sauce and some seasonings. I then took 2 table spoons of butter and melted them in the microwave, and then added 2 tablespoons of flour to the butter and then added that to the rue in the frying pan with all the bits and pieces from the cooked sausage that stuck to the pan. Added about 4 to 5 shakes of salt to it and tasted it...oh my! wow! That's good! Dinner was wonderful!


I took the left over gravy and added it to brown rice tonight and boiled some left over chicken pieces in chicken stock. Cut the chicken into small bite size pieces, made a chicken gravy with the now very hot chicken stock. Dinner was good.


After dinner we decided to watch a movie instead of having a game night. We watched Jacob The Liar with Robin Williams. A good movie. It's sad and sometimes a little funny, and always heartbreaking. I always cry at the end of it.


I took that cute little juicer of mine today and cut up 6 lemons and juiced them with it. It kept popping the circuit breaker for the kitchen. I have those outlets with the little button that you can just push to reset it. I had to do that 4 times. I think it was because i had the coffee pot on at the same time. The lemons plus water, plus sugar made a gallon of lemonade! Yummy! It went perfect with the very unseasonably warm weather we had today. It felt like summer. It was 80 outside at the tail end of February. Not complaining, I enjoyed the nice day.


Ray came home early from work, he wanted to go ride his bike. I loved being able to do that with him. My back doesn't let me anymore. I never understood the attraction of it before until I got to ride with him. He drove carefully but freely. It was exhilarating, electrical and slightly sexual.


Still cannot get my Photoshop to open in Linux, it's one of those times I truly miss using a Windows machine. So what does Ray do, he has put this really shitty old version from 1995 on here. God how I hate being patronized! He hates Windows so I have to suffer for it, because I ended up getting viruses on my computer, so now he has this "I know more am better than you attitude" I love him dearly but hate that about him.


I asked the question on Facebook..."I guess people now a days would rather read a few words on a cute or outrageous picture posted on Facebook then read a blog...am I wasting my time writing my daily blog and posting the link here? I only have 9 followers and no one ever leaves a comment...I must really suck at it!"
Half the people responded said they didn't know I had a blog, even though I post the link nightly...that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! Most people would rather read a picture with 3 or 4 words on it then read a blog, news article or God forbid a real book! Sad state of affairs. Makes you wonder about the state of books and their future in our Facebook and Twitter society where games and pictures rule. 


To me a comment here is a statement saying..."hey I know how you feel, or wow I had that happen to me to, here's how I solved that problem, or wow that sounds like fun think i'll try it, or that recipe sounds delicious" 
Just a line ot two to say hey we're here!
it's a matter of feeling that I matter to someone and that I am not all alone out here in the universe just talking to myself. 


So now I have to ask the question...


Is anybody listening?


See you next time for more coffee & conversation.

Nightmares, Rain, Brunch, & Nurses Oh My!

Woke up late this morning. Ray let me sleep til almost 10. We both had a rough night, seemed the entire house was plagued with nightmares last night. Ray had one, I had two, and our son had one. No I am not superstitious...but it was rather weird.

I think it rained last night, my son also mentioned it so I guess it did. Albeit probably not enough to make a difference in the way I feel today. Weather tends to make my pain either better or worse.

I have a follower! Yay! Thank you Ms. Smith! I'm glad to see someone is following me, now I sort of know someone is at least listening to me.  lol That kind of sounded self centered didn't it. I hope I don't bore everyone away.

Still waiting on a call back from the Urologist and the Gasteroenterologist. My husband would tell me to keep calling them back. They tend to get angry at you for doing that and refuse to book an appointment for you until a month later. Or if they do book a sooner appointment for you , the nurses treat you like crap because you kept calling them and causing them to stop doing what they were doing to keep answering your phone calls. So if you cannot help it, don't keep bugging the nurses. They have enough to do without having to keep stopping helping their patients because you keep calling them every 5 minutes.

Speaking of nurses...I had a wonderful one at Eclipse Medical Imaging the last two times I was there. She was very patient with me and helped me get through a very rough exam. I wish I had gotten her name. I'd like to send her flowers to say thank you.

Ray and I went to our favorite little spot for breakfast this morning. Is it breakfast or brunch if it's at 11 AM? Any way. I went a bit overboard, but since the IVP I have been hungry for big meals. I guess a liquid diet for a day and half will do that. I had 2 eggs (over easy of course, what better way to eat them with toast), 2 pieces of toast, 2 pancakes (I only ate 1 brought the other home)1 sausage patty, and 2 pieces of bacon...was wonderful! Oh the name of the place? Shorty's Diner in Irving, Texas.

Shorty's Diner

If you go there tell Fresca I sent you. You'll know her by her quirky sense of humor, her wonderful laugh, and her outgoing manner. Don't forget to tell her I said Hello!

Ray ordered me new medical canes yesterday, I will need a bunch of his assistance to learn how to use them. They are kind of like a forearm crutch but the arm part lowers and raises. Once they arrive I will take pictures of them, and have Ray take a picture of me using them.

Well folks it's time for me to get in gear and try to get some chores done before my son comes home from school.

See you next time for more coffee and conversation. :)

Pretty Pretty Please

Had a good day today. Hubby stayed late this morning so we took his bike into the shop then went to lunch at Joe's Pizza, Pasta & subs. I ordered one of my favorites Chicken Marsala. I ate the entire dish! I usually can't finish it, but this afternoon I was famished. I usually order the Baked Ziti. I'm making myself hungry just thinking about it! I just finished dinner about 3 hours ago I should be full by now!

Joe's Pizza, Pasta & Subs. Great bunch of guys from NY!

After Ray dropped me off back at home after lunch I took a half a Vicadon instead of taking a whole Tramadol. I crashed 10 minutes later for 2 and 1/2 hours. Was in a good deal of pain but didn't want to tell him. he stresses about it so much as it is. I don't want to make him worry anymore than he already does.

Made a fairly light dinner tonight, lightly seared smoked polish sausage, creamy mushroom gravy and brown rice. I was still pretty full from lunch.

After dinner was cleared away and dishes were being done, I announced "It's family Game Night" So Ray and my son both picked out a game for tonight. They chose Yahtzee. I bought that game a few months back. I love game night. My son won the first game. I won the second thanks to two Yahtzee's. :0) Didn't have time for a third game, it's a school night and my son had to go to bed. We all had a good time. That's what game night is all about. No computers, no TV, no hiding in a bedroom listening to the radio, just us sitting at the table, playing the game, laughing and talking.

During the last game a song came on the radio that we had on for background noise that I liked the tune too. I never really listed to the lyrics of it before.  Pink's "Pretty Pretty Please". My husband started singing it, asked me if I liked this song. I said yes and told him I liked the tune but didn't know the words to it. Once I started listening, I mean really listening...I started crying. My husband knew the words, which shocked me. I know them now, well the clean version of the song that is.

I sat and watched the Pink video after my son was tucked into bed for the night. The little dark haired girl in the video could have been me as a child. Always misunderstood and mistreated. I felt like I was her...watching my childhood unfold before me on the computer screen. There are several videos of the song, even one lip synced by a little blond haired girl who made her own video about the song. I watched both, then when Ray came back in from reading to our son he played it again. I asked him not to. He asked me why, and all I could say was "Because it's too painful" He didn't pause the video he let it play. He held me and told me for far too long people have treated me like crap and so have I. It was time that I started treating myself better. he held me while I cried.

If you've never heard the song or read the lyrics. Here they are...

Made a wrong turn, Once or twice
Dug my way out, Blood and fire
Bad decisions, That's alright
Welcome to my silly life

Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood
Miss "no way, it's all good", It didn't slow me down
Mistaken, Always second guessing
Under estimated, Look, I'm still around

Pretty, pretty please
Don't you ever, ever feel
Like your less than Fuckin' perfect.
Pretty, pretty please
If you ever, ever feel
Like your nothing
You're fuckin' perfect to me.

You're so mean,
When you talk, About yourself, You are wrong.
Change the voices, In your head
Make them like you Instead.

So complicated,
Look happy, You'll make it!
Filled with so much hatred
Such a tired game.
It's enough, I've done all I can think of
Chased down all my demons, I've seen you do the same.

Oh, Pretty, pretty please
Don't you ever, ever feel
Like your less than fuckin' perfect.
Pretty, pretty please
If you ever, ever feel
Like your nothing
You're fuckin' perfect to me.

The whole world stares so I swallow the fear,
The only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer.
So cool in line and we try, try, try,
But we try too hard, it's a waste of my time.
Done looking for the critics, cause they're everywhere
They don't like my jeans, they don't get my hair
We change ourselves and we do it all the time

Why do we do that? Why do I do that?
(Why do I do that?)

[Yeah~, Ohh~ pretty pretty please, Ohh~]

Pretty, pretty please
Don't you ever, ever feel
Like your less than Fuckin' perfect.
Pretty, pretty please
If you ever, ever feel
Like your nothing
You're fuckin' perfect to me.

You're perfect, You're perfect
Pretty, pretty please
Don't you ever, ever feel
Like your less than Fuckin' perfect.
Pretty, pretty please
If you ever, ever feel
Like your nothing
You're fuckin' perfect to me.

So after all that I came here to be with you, my readers. Now you know a little bit more about me. There is so much more to me than meets the eye. I am hoping you will continue to come and read  what I have to say. If you want to follow along and not miss anything please click the FOLLOW button on the top right hand of the blog. You won't regret it.

See you next time for more coffee & conversation.

Julia Child, Julie Powell and Me

In the 80's I remember sitting in front of the TV watching Julia Child's cook on her TV show. Her sense of humor was great. Her food always looked so good. I took Home Economics in Junior High and High School because of her. 

When I found out there was a movie about someone who blogged about her I had to see it.

I finally watched Julia & Julie. Funny great movie. Was disappointed to learn that Julie Powell no longer does her blog site. I would loved to have read the whole thing from her experiences of learning to cook Julia's way. Was very disappointed to read that she also had an affair, but her and her husband worked it out. Very happy about that. But still.... was hard to picture her doing that after watching the cute little Ami portray her in the movie. I wish her the best of luck in what ever she does in life!

So after after watching the movie for a second time...a few days later I was browsing the cooking section when I happened to think, "I wonder if they have any Julia Child cookbooks!" After searching for about ten minutes, my husband wondered over and asked what I was looking for. I told him, he actually laughed at me, well not "at me, at me" he chuckled. He started to look as well and found a book almost right in front of me. Julia Child's How To Cook Cookbook, Hard bound and fairly thick. I couldn't wait to get it home and start pouring over it.

I love to cook, but I have a fairly small kitchen. I always seemed to be limited in my first marriage on really good kitchen supplies. So this time around I am blessed with a husband who indulges me when he can.

He showed up after work with a few new kitchen toys for me! I black ceramic holder for stainless steel kitchen utensils! A stainless steel food processor and a wooden roll cart with lift out shelf, drawer and cabinet! It took him and my son almost an hour to put it together. There are small bits of Styrofoam all over the living room. Glad I don't own a cat!

I had sent him a text requesting spices...I was trying one of the recipes in the cook book. He brought them home with the new kitchen toys. :)
 
The dinner came out wonderful! I was very surprised at myself at how wonderful it came out!

THE COOK BOOK

 The original price for that book was $50.00!

THE RECIPE

I was thrilled at how well it came out! (shameless plug for Half Price Books, where I bought the book)

KITCHEN CART

I already put the new food processor inside the cart :). As you can see by the pans drying on the stove Julia always seemed to use a lot of pans in her recipes so you can cook everything all at once.

THE FOOD PROCESSOR

I was so flustered trying to put that thing together! I figured it out though! (Ignore the piece of Styrofoam behind it...lol) (did you know spell check does not like the Styrofoam unless it is capitalized...ugh)

After putting that together and finishing up the pots and pans from dinner I was pretty much wiped out.

I use a chair when cooking so I don't hurt too much from my back problems. I do most of the prep work sitting at the kitchen table, getting up every 5 minutes or so so I don't get stiff. Tonight it sort of helped, because there was a lot of prep work, my son helped grind spices too.

I think I ruined my blender because I missed a footnote in her book about grinding your own spices. I forgot I had a small coffee grinder in the corner of the kitchen (probably why I forgot I had it, it's tucked away in a corner!) Anyway....I used my blender to grind CLOVES. Ugh, my plastic blender seems to be coated with a gritty substance that no matter how hard I scrub it won't come off. :( Off to wal-mart I go this weekend in search of a new blender. Sorry babe!

Well I guess I should head off to bed...it as after all after midnight.

See you next time for more Coffee and Conversation!