Outtakes

1.  It is cold.  It is an incredibly disturbing 45 degrees outside, it is windy and raining. And when factor the wind into the temperature that makes feels like a whopping 40 degrees out.  I am not turning on the heat even though the thermostat on the main floor is reading 60 degrees.  The thermostat up here, 62.  I am wearing sweats, fuzzy socks and fleece robe on top of that. /stylin'

2.  I received an EOB (explanation of benefits) from my insurance company for my surgery.  The cost? $14,835.47! It is a good gal-dang thing that I have good insurance, am covered under Mr. Wonderful's mediocre policy and all of my Medical Slush Fund money to use yet.  I am waiting to see what his insurance is picking up before I cry.

3.  I have a problem.  Buying books.  I bought FIVE MORE.  I haven't even started on the foot high pile on the chair in the living room.  In my defense, I don't know why I feel the need to defend myself, all of the books in the living room I bought at Borders as they were liquidating.  So I got a REALLY good deal.  And also, there are quite a few reference books.  Those don't count, do they?

4.  I paid off a loan.  Early.  I borrowed an enormous sum of money (as much as a new car - okay, not a Mercedes new car, more like a Toyota new car) a few years back in order to pay off everything that was hanging out there on my credit report.  I take responsibility only for being young, dumb and in love when all of that nasty stuff started piling up on my credit history (when I was married to my first husband).  What an huge weight off my shoulders to have that gone.

5.  I did some more canning earlier in the week.  I used up about 1/2 of the half bushel I got from the farm down the street.  The other half is still languishing in the kitchen.  I made 3 pints of Salsa and 5 pints of spaghetti sauce that has way too much (yucky) onion.  I don't like onions so I'm not sure why I put them in there at all.  Love for Mr. Wonderful? Perhaps.  But tomorrow is when I'll take care of the rest of the canning, while he's sleeping, probably.

6.  I. Love. My. Job.  -- Sometimes though, I wish I had an easier job.  One that wasn't so insanely hectic.  You know, one where I don't keep track of 110 doctors and nurses whereabouts on a daily basis.  But, that is what they pay me for, right?  Oh and speaking of my job, look what I got:

A-ppre-ci-ated. That's how I feel at my job.

And that concludes today's post My Pretties 'cause I'm gonna' go do some reading.  If I can suck myself out of the Internet Abyss.

(nearly) Wordless Wednesday

Mary, Mary quite contrary how does a peanut grow?



Canning Escapades: Take One

The day after the concert I went to with Olive Picker, her and I were supposed to try our hand at canning.

Supposed is the operative word here because I/we:

a) forgot the canning supplies.  All of it.  You see, the day of the concert I had to work, after work I was to drive to O.P. & MommaBean's house to pick O.P. so we could go directly to the concert. I forgot to put everything in my car. Except my overnight bag.

b) took NO cash to the farmers market.  That's right, we had about $7 between us which we used to buy a soda and a Flint Farmers Market shopping bag.  And on a side note, the farmers market is Flint is awesome.  And I don't like Flint.

Woefully unprepared is what we were.

MommaBean came to the rescue for me this week.  She went and bought me a bushel of tomatoes and invited to show O.P. and I how to can stewed tomatoes and spaghetti sauce.

Did you know that an astonishing amount of tomatoes make a surprisingly small amount of goods?

My bushel of tomatoes made this:

That's 6 quarts of stewed tomatoes, and 2 quarts/3 pints of spaghetti sauce

I have just enough (six) tomatoes left over to make 3 pints of salsa.

I'm going to attempt it on my own this week.  Results to follow.  Please pray for me if you will.
 
(I have been reduced to taking pictures with my iThingy because just looking at my camera makes me sad.  I really must find the time to take it a repair shop.)

Where I'm From

A friend of mine posted this on her blog (Clan Donaldson) today and I enjoyed it so much that I thought I would do it.  If only for myself.




I am from nature shows, from Jordache and lakes.

I am from the 5th house on the right. Sunny. Large yard. Scary basement.


I am from the towering oak tree, the weeping cherry tree.

I am from cutting down Christmas trees and busty women, from  Christos, Hayward.

I am from the stubborn and hardworking.

From never tell someone to shut up and don't say I hate you.

I am from incense, icons and candles. Churches with priests who spoke another language. Easter service at Midnight in pretty dresses and big, beribboned candles.

I’m from Detroit and Greece, koulourakia and biscuits & gravy.

From the woman who beat all the men in the village by plowing the field the fastest, from the ten hour car ride in the back of a pickup truck eating tiropita until we got sick, from sifting through boxes of sparkly jewelry in amazement.

I am from the photo lined hallway, everything boxed up, precious things lost and thrown out in anger.

A Day At The Zoo: Take Two

Mr. Wonderful's job drives me bat guano crazy sometimes.  We were planning on going to the Upper Peninsula over the past weekend but they denied him his vacation.  After I had already taken Friday off.

Bum-mer.

So instead I invited my sister Olive Picker and my beloved Nephew/Godson Handsome Face McGee to go to the zoo with me. 

I had never been to the Toledo Zoo and O.P. hadn't been for ages, long before H.F. McGee was in the picture.

It was waaaay more kid friendly than the Detroit Zoo. 

It's more compact so kids don't get so tired walking and parents (or Thea's) don't get so pooped pulling the wagon.  There are so many more things for little ones to do! There are things to crawl on, close encounters with the animals  - a baby giraffe tried licking H.F. McGee through the glass window he had his face pressed against which was the Cutest. Thing. Ever! He kept proclaiming 'Baby Giraffe Lick Me!', there is not one but two playgrounds, a veggie garden for them to explore, just a lot more for them to touch and keep them occupied...

And I didn't get one stinking picture with my camera.  I did get a few with my iThingy, as evidenced below.

A most enjoyable day in excellent company.

No More Promises, No More Lies

Right.  There you have it.  If I don't make promises then I can't make a liar out of myself, right? It's only been SIX weeks since I said I would "post tomorrow" - Lies!

Ah well, it isn't as if there are hordes out there reading my blog and anxiously awaiting my next post with baited breath. 

So here's a quick run down:

a) the concert we went to ROCKED (Rockstar Energy Mayhem Fest)! We had such a good, good time.  I got to see Godsmack (one of my Top Two favorite bands, ever) and Mr. Wonderful got to see Megadeth, who he loves, it was an awesome time with him.  Especially watching him enjoy it.

b) the Stink Experiment that I mentioned...
I bought some Organic Essential Oil Deodorant Spray

The stuff works like a dream.  I even used it went we went to the concert and let me tell you it was 98 degrees out with 95% humidity.  When I got home I didn't smell like beef stew and boot clad feet! You should try it, it really works!

c) A week and a half after that came this:

*all pics, except the first, were taken at my desk at work. In stealth mode.

Surgery to release my trigger finger & remove a cyst

Four days post surgery, after the bandage was taken off

Two days later, it was looking so much better already!

Two days before the stiches were to be taken out

After the stitches came out, yay!

 d) the day after my surgery was Mr. Wonderful and our nephew, Handsome Face McGee's, birthday (they are birthday buddies) so there were cakes to bake, parties to attend and much fun to be had.  Even on pain meds.

e) Two weeks later was my own birthday (I love my birthday), which conveniently fell on a holiday weekend! Mr. Wonderful bought me, at my request, a Dyson Ball.  The purple one that is somehow made to deal better with animal fur.  The thing is a beast and I realize now that I have been living in filth my whole life because I didn't have this vacuum.

f) Labor day we went to the Detroit Zoo. 

Let me ask you - what does not survive a trip & fall very well?

     a) my pride

     b) a Nikon camera

     c) all of the above.

Answer: C

I did however get a few good pics, some even after the camera was banged on the ground

An Owl Butterfly

I positively adore how grumpy toads look

He was watching us watch him

A Grumpy Bear

Peacocks are just so pretty

A Wolverine - Go Blue!

I could have sat there for hours watching the chimpanzee's

Love it

There are lots more but I don't want to take up too much more awake and conscious time.  But, you'll notice, starting with the bear pic, the black smudgy shadow at the top of all of the pictures - that would be the lens seeing its own casing.  I need to take it to a camera repair shop. /sigh

g) last but not least last Friday I went to another music festival (Uproar Music Festival) , this time with my sister, Olive Picker, because Mr. Wonderful had to work.  I saw the other of my Top Two favorite bands - Avenged Sevenfold. 

Awesome!

Outstanding!

Phenomenal!

I will always go see them whenever they come here!

I sent a text to Mr. Wonderful during the show and told him that I was changing my 'Gimmie' to the lead singer of Avenged Sevenfold.

He just sighed heavily.

 

Seriously though, look at how beautiful this man is!

Le Sigh

*you can't tell there is a black smudge around the edges when it's dark!

And that, is how I've spent the exciting parts of my six weeks away.

I'm not making any promises or claims but hopefully I'll get my act together.  And soon.

Until next we meet....