Sunday, November 16, 2014

At My Home---

Noon on Sunday out my apartment door..... it has stopped snowing ... an hour ago we could barely see across the street.  Grandsons here, chili cooking, apartment is warm, all is well.  :)

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Mary, Did You Know?

     Remember last December when I shared Pentatonix music clips with you?  Here is their offering for this Christmas:
http://fascinately.com/feel-good/2014/11/incredible-performance-of-mary-did-you-know-will-get-you-in-christmas-spirit/
     I am busy THINKING about getting busy and getting ready for Thanksgiving.  Thinking about all I need to be doing is about all I did today between naps and having my older grandsons for the day.
      After 4 days of bitter cold and single digit wind chill weather we had a beautiful 69 degree day!  At sundown the temps dropped... And now, snow is forecast for overnight. It's beginning to FEEL alot like Christmas...

Saturday, November 8, 2014

A Little Splurge

Sorry, I ate a good bit of it before I got home. 



      Tonight my daughter and I were talking about the effects of sugar and decided -- for the millionth time -- we would try to give up, or really cut down on sodas and sugars.  Both of us have been wanting to try Sonic's newest treat, a waffle cone sundae so we decided we had better go try one tonight before the bitter cold weather hits on Tuesday and before we try to give up such things.  The commercial is very appealing to us!
     I chose the M & M's and strawberry sundae.  KC got a Reese's Peanut butter cup with chocolate syrup sundae.  We both thought they were really good.  My strawberries were  yummy with the ice cream.  The M & M's were pulverized to a powder and I could have done without that but overall it was very good.  
     I am glad we tried them but I won't ever get one again.  For $2.89 it was a pretty expensive splurge for me.  Braum's Frozen Yogurt twist waffle cones are about a dollar cheaper and I'm guessing twice as much yogurt vs to the amount of ice cream I had tonight.   Of course the frozen yogurt cone is not a "sundae" but Sonic's fare barely qualifies for that  description.  The presentation was pretty---vanilla soft serve ice cream, that pulverized candy  (not so pretty -- my first thought was vacuum cleaner lint), topped with what I'm thinking amounted to maybe a half of one sliced strawberry and a teaspoon of syrup, and a pretty quarter size squirt of whipped cream with a cherry placed on top.   If you don't have Braum's where you live their twist cone consists of vanilla frozen  yogurt and chocolate frozen yogurt in a better tasting waffle cone than Sonic's.
       An interesting tidbit about  Braums --- Braum's stores are located only in a 300 mile radius from the Braum farm in Tuttle, OK because they only use milk from their own cows for their products.  Amarillo barely makes it in their range limit but I am so glad we do.  All of their products are great.  
      

Friday, November 7, 2014

A Little Good News...

A slice of my life today...
      Since moving to the apartment and thus needing to walk my dog at least 5 times a day, I have lost 22 lbs in the past 4 months.  Now if it would just keep working until I lose the remaining 50 lbs I would like to lose.  That is my goal by next July.
      While we were out and about this week (buying Little Man a pair of shoes to replace the one I let him lose) my daughter stopped for gas.  It is down to $2.679 here.  Every little bit helps as beef prices and other groceries seem to just keep going up.  Good thing my favorite meal is pinto beans and cornbread.
     One last gift and I will have my Christmas shopping done for this year.  Sweet Pea is excited about the promise of being allowed to help me wrap her cousins' packages next week.
      We have had very nice autumn weather...mid 70's.  However, Monday the high should be 74 but the high on Tuesday only 39.  I am not ready for winter. Really not ready for winter.
     My son in Seattle called this evening.  No matter what kind of mood I am in just getting to have a conversation with him lifts my mood up several notches.  I wish he could come home for Thanksgiving.  My other 3 children and their families will celebrate Thanksgiving with me on the Saturday before.  I am making my grocery list and figuring out how I will fit all 10 of us in my little apartment.  I don't know what my kids have planned but after we eat turkey I plan on them playing dominoes (chicken foot to be exact) with me, after we decorate my little Christmas tree.  Since Little Man just turned one last week I may have to put the little tree in the middle of my dining room table.  
    I received an email that Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood will be performing in Tulsa mid-January.  I momentarily considered splurging on tickets for my daughter and me to go but at $70 a piece, plus hotel, plus a 730 mile round trip jaunt is just too much for me.  OK, fine, the real defining factor (other than money) was who would keep our rotten dogs?  I will be there in spirit though!
     

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Sometimes It Just Doesn't Pay To Leave My Apartment

    Like I said, I don't get out much, but yesterday I decided to go to Target. I tell you, some days it just doesn't pay to leave home.
   With me on this grand adventure was my daughter KC, and my two youngest grandchildren, Sweet Pea who is almost 4, and the Little Man who just turned one last week.  KC and I each had a list, and trying to get this shopping trip done before nap time we each took off with a child and went our separate directions.
    I had the Little Man.  We zoomed through the dog food aisle, Christmas row, bedding, toys, housewares, books, cereal row, furniture & picture frame area, and toddler clothing section.  You got it --- the entire store except for men and women's clothing areas.  Oh, and not in the shoe department.  Somewhere along the way Little Man lost a shoe.
    Why, yes, he was riding in the basket seat right in front of me ... but with my hearing loss I couldn't hear his shoe when it fell off and hit the floor.  He can only say a few things like "bite" (as in "feed me"), "Mama", "Bye".   He doesn't say "shoe" or specifically "Uh, Grandma did you see that my shoe fell off back there?" I never noticed his missing shoe until I met up with KC at checkout and she saw him with one shoe gone.
     KC and I took off and backtracked over every aisle I had been down.  Four times. Separately.  So I guess that is the same as covering the areas 8 times.  Precious little Sweet Pea was majorly upset that I had lost brother's shoe.  She took the other one off his foot and from the seat in KC's basket she asked every single person she saw, customers and employees, if they had seen a shoe exactly like the one in her hand.   No, no one knew anything about the shoe.  Customer service? No. Lady working in the shoe department? No.  Lost & found? No.  Any breathing soul in the store? No, no one had seen a little toddler size 5 shoe that surely had fallen from his foot to the middle of an aisle.
    The main thing I was going to Target to purchase?  A book for one of my older grandsons.  The latest in a series he likes to read.  I couldn't find it.  It was advertised right there in the ad so wouldn't you think they would have a display of that popular new book???   I found every other title in the series.  Oh.  The release day would be on Tuesday.  I was there on Monday.  
    By now it is way past nap time, way past my comfort zone & out-in the-world time, Sweet Pea is stressing out over where in the world is that shoe, Little Man just wants a nap, and KC is stressed as well.  Luckily, I have never been a drinker, of alcoholic drinks I mean, because when I get stressed I immediately want my drink of choice -- Dr Pepper.  Had I been a partaker of alcohol I would be drunk every day I guess, since I get stressed over the slightest little thing.   KC is driving and I ask her to get to the nearest Toot N' Totum or Pak-a-Sak drive up window and get me a 44 oz Dr Pepper.  STAT.  ASAP.  Right now!  Please!
    Little Man is crying that "I am so tired" sobbing bawl,  Sweet Pea is talking non-stop about different plans for finding that shoe, and KC and I just want to be home.  Realizing Little Man has kicked the crying up a notch I tell KC to forget the Dr Pepper, just get Little Man home and in the crib!  By now she needs a drink as well (Pepsi), Little Man has gotten quiet (cried himself to sleep) so we whip in the drive thru at the Pak-a-Sak about two blocks from the apartment.  Ahhh.  Two sips of Dr Pepper and I feel so much better.
    We get Little Man in his crib, Sweet Pea happy and playing with the dogs, and I get one more sip.  KC heads to her apartment.  Little Man was asleep as soon as his head hit the crib mattress in my bedroom.  I got my shoes off and got comfy before I decided what I really needed with my Dr Pepper was popcorn.  I sat my Dr Pepper down on the table next to my big chair and put some popcorn in the microwave.
    Have I ever mentioned Little Man is the lightest sleeper ever?  And that my apartment is really small, therefore you can hear any noise in every room?
    Two things happened.  Some sound, I forget what now, but probably the microwave door being shut, woke up Little Man.  He is crying again.  I bring him to the living room to rock him and about that time I smelled burnt popcorn.  Have you ever smelled burnt microwave popcorn?  I sat him in the floor so I could run turn off the microwave before the burnt smell could get worse (if that would have even been possible) and while I was throwing away the brown, stinky popcorn Little Man spied my Dr Pepper.  Before I could sprint across the room the entire 44 oz (minus 3 sips) was dumped in the light beige carpet. 
    What did I do today?  Cleaned the carpet.  Didn't even go back for the release day of that new book.  I will get it sometime before Christmas.  Oh, and KC called Target today.  24 hours later and the shoe hasn't shown up.   I see another adventure coming for me to take Sweet Pea and Little Man shoe shopping. 

Sunday, November 2, 2014

WHERE Have I Been??

     Well, hello, y'all!  No, I did not fall off the face of the earth but it sure seems like it has been a long time since I have been here.  Where Have I Been?  Oh ...  Life happened.
     First there was that cutting my medication dosage in half...  my liver is recovering but depression has moved right in and hung around.  I could write a book just about that.  Let's just say I have been in the depression hell hole and leave it at that.  I am ok though, hanging in there.
     I had an absolutely wonderful visit with my son and I can see how GOOD Seattle has been for him so I am at peace -- finally -- with his move there.  I still miss him like crazy but life is good for him, so that is all I can ask for.
      I got all moved and I just love love love my apartment.  It was the correct thing to do for me in this stage of the game.  I am happy here.
     My kids and grandkids keep me busy. I am so grateful to be able to see them so often.  I am not lonely.  :)
      I no longer have a car (but my daughter does and she lives right here in this apartment complex) so between that, and agoraphobia moving itself to the front burner along with the depression I have not been out of the apartment much so I just don't have anything fun or exciting to tell you.  I really don't go anywhere, but between books and grandkids and my dog I stay busy.  I feel .. bad .. I guess, is what would describe it, that I don't have exciting things to tell you, and because of the depression I just don't have it in me to write much that is happy, funny, perky, lively so I just have stayed away from the blog.  I haven't read your posts either but now that I have come back to the blog I will read your old posts as I can and catch up.  Since I was not posting I felt guilty and would not even read yours although I thought of you, my blogger friends, often.   I am going to try to jump back into life though.  
      I realized the other day that I AM feeling better... because I want to decorate for Christmas for the first time in years.  That is mostly because my little granddaughter, who will be 4, is excited about Christmas but still, I haven't decorated any during her lifetime but this year I want to drag it ALL out!  That is a good sign.  For the past 4 years it just seemed like too much to do.  I lost a lot of time during this past 4 years of fighting to get past the worst of the depression roller coaster.
     Thinking about losing a lot of time ... my family Dr pointed out that it has been a very long time since I had a mammogram, and to get one.  In my mind, I would have sworn I have had one every year but nope, the cancer center where I go for one, and my Dr, insist I have not had one since 2009.  Makes sense, 2010 was the year of my breakdown (and life as I knew it was gone with the wind...along with my memory).  Anyway, I had one maybe 2 weeks ago and and everything is fine!  After being convinced that I had indeed not have one in 5 years I was really worried, considering my family history.  
    So, there is the good news, I guess.  And here I am, trying to get back in the swing of things.  I have missed you.