Sunday evening check-in

You know, for someone who hates living with a lot of drama, I have had more than my fair share of it lately…

Steve gave me a scare a couple weeks ago. We spent one full day at the Emergency Room, due to his having some pretty severe stomach pain. Considering all he’s been through, this was really scary. The radiologist at the ER said the CT scan showed Steve had an abscess inside his stomach. They said it might be possible to insert a needle into the abscess and draw out the infection, but if not, that further surgery would be required.

But, when we went to Steve’s surgeon the next day, he said he did not believe it was an abscess at all; rather, that it was a build-up of excess fluid. He said that happens sometimes after major surgery. He stuck a huge needle into Steve’s abdomen, bless his heart. Anyway, the doctor gave him two different kinds of strong antibiotics and said they should take care of the pain and the fluid. Steve’s pain persisted for several days, but it did subside over time. He just finished the last of the antibiotics yesterday, and he goes back to see the surgeon tomorrow for a follow-up visit.

My neck and shoulder pain have continued, but the doctor put me on Lyrica and another anti-inflammatory. The meds seem to be working, because my pain has diminished quite a bit and, as long as I remember to take my medicine as directed (several times a day, God help me), then my neck and shoulder feels better.

My low carb diet has been all but thrown out the window for several months now, and I hope to get back to a sensible eating plan soon, as in next week. I’ve gained 20 pounds, and I don’t want to gain any more. I just finished a book, Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet by Peter Gott, M.D. Someone recommended it who has lost weight doing this plan. It makes a lot of sense to me, and I’m going to give it a whirl.

I stuck to a modified version of the Atkins Diet for almost a year and a half, and was very successful with it – losing over 60 pounds. However, after eating very low carb for so long, I had gotten to the place where I really missed eating things like beans, brown rice, oatmeal, and fruit like pears and apples. I know I cannot stay extremely low carb and be happy. The Dr. Gott plan cuts out a huge amount of carbs from the normal diet, but includes some foods that would be prohibited from the Atkins plan.

I’ll have to actually put this plan in action for awhile to see if it works for me; hopefully it will. If it does not, then I’ll regroup and perhaps go back to Atkins. I know I was successful on that. However, if I can still lose weight and have a little more freedom in my diet, then I’m all over that…

I had my annual evaluation at work the other day. I got a good rating and a nice bonus. I also got the chance to ask my boss about my job security. I felt pretty secure in my job, but wanted some reassurance, I guess, that it wasn’t just wishful thinking on my part. She assured me that we, as a Firm, have excellent future growth potential, and that even in a bad economy, our work will remain steady, and our jobs will remain secure. She said my personal job security level is excellent and I don’t need to worry about that. It did reassure me, because as much as you hope you are safe, the way things have been lately, you never know…

I’m watching a rerun movie on TV right now – “Castaway.” It’s one of my favorite movies and one that I can watch again and again … which is not true of most movies.

Well, I guess I’ve prattled on long enough. It’s been so long since I’ve posted, I guess I had a lot stacked up inside, just waiting to get out!

Christmas 2008

Here are some more photos of my Christmas season.

Chance got two new toys for Christmas, and here they are:


















Here's a shot of our tree on Christmas Eve -- lots of presents just waiting to be opened:


















Steve collects airplanes (WWII) and I gave him this Italian Airforce Messerschmidt:


















I collect nativity scenes, so here are a couple of mine:
































And finally, we went over to Steve's sister's house Christmas morning and spent part of the day with their family. Since I don't have permission to post pictures of them, I will show you a shot of their sweet, sweet dog, Jasper, who is 13 years old:

















I hope everyone had a happy Christmas and that you got to spend it with those you love.

More later!

Merry Christmas

A very merry Christmas to all my friends.


Many blessings,


Patty

Another picture

Not much time to post tonight, but here's a shot of our tree and, in the background, our "Mitford" village.

More later --

Decorating for Christmas

It’s been a good day. Steve and I were up bright and early. We took Chance to the groomer, went out to breakfast, then to Lowe’s. We got a live tree and a live wreath. I’m so excited; we haven’t had a live tree in many years! Our pre-lit one finally bit the dust last year, and I’ve been looking forward to a “real” tree all year… We got a Douglas fir, and it’s beautiful.

Anyway, we were home by 10:30 and spent the rest of the day decorating. Steve put lights outside on the shrubs and around the front door while I decorated inside.

I’ll be posting more pictures, but here’s one I took a little while ago of our kitty, Boots, lying next to a stuffed reindeer we have…looks like he's not too sure about this newcomer.

The easiest roast I've ever made

I made a roast today in my crockpot. It was super easy and turned out great. Here’s how I did it:

One English roast (shoulder roast)
1 pkg. Italian dressing mix
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
1 pkg. brown gravy mix
1 onion, chopped
1 can beef broth

Mix everything in crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours until falling-apart tender.

This was the easiest roast I’ve ever made, and it made its own gravy. When I got home from work, I made a couple of sides, and we were eating dinner by 6:15.