Health Update

Hi everybody!

  I thought I would take a couple of minutes out to update you on my health issues.  I still have eye problems but I am now scheduled for eye surgery on my left eye on June 7th.  Hopefully that will help out a lot.  After a couple of weeks of recovery from that, I will have an appointment with the doctor about what will happen with my right eye.  The left eye is by far the worst.  If you think of the eye as the numbers on a clock, I am only seeing the small area between 10 o'clock and 11 o'clock with my left eye.  I am making progress on it but hope you will keep me in your prayers for a successful surgery.

   That isn't the only thing that has happened recently.  This isn't about MY health, except for the increased blood pressure, due to aggravation.  My computers hard drive died and I lost around 3 years of data including my cross stitch and quilt patterns.  I'm in the process of reloading all my programs and recovering what I can through emails of my patterns.  Then I will probably, put them on Mediafire.  I know I have a lot of patterns there already but it never hurts to double up on them, right?

  THEN, a week after the hard drive died, my phone died.  Ummmm, it took a swim and was not recoverable.  I  NOW have a new phone but, like with the computer hard drive, I have to reload some things on it to get it where I wanted it to be at,.

  I'm still hanging in there and will spend some time now trying to figure out what to work on first after my eye sight.  LOL   I'll have to let you know.

   I hope all of you are in good health and are being creative.  Have a good night/day and I'll let you know how things go.

Health Update

 This will be just a short post to say that I'm still having eye issues.  In fact, the steroid drops that I have been taking have accelerated catacts (spelling?) and now in a couple of weeks I have to go to an eye surgeon for a consultation o see if he can do surgery on my eye.  I have to go to Memhis for that and it will be about a 2 1/2 hour ride each way.  Thankfully Dan has said he would take me and he knows Memphis a little bit so it won't be a bad drive.  Also knowing Dan, he will be chatting the entire trip so my mind won't be on the consultation.

  The doctor won't say how much better, if any, ny eyesight will be after surgery but I'm hoping that it will let me be good enough to get glasses that will let me get back to doing crafts.

   Keep me in your pryaers.  Hopefuly things won't be bad for much longer.

   In themenatime, YOU keep up with crafting so that I can hear how well you are doing.  :)

Medical Upate 2.11.22

    Well I got back from my eye doctor appointment and thought I'd update my blog with the news.  It is both good and bad actually.  One of the good news is that I'm not going back until 3 weeks.  Part of that is fiscal so that Dan doesn't have to come and take me abnd use up all that gas now that it is over #$3 a gallon.  Remember it is an hour drive for him and that adds up quickly.

   The other good news is that the doctor was able to see part of my lens this time on the left eye.  This is the first time that he could so that is improving.  The right eye is still good.  The pressure is still good in both eyes.  The number was 14 which is well within the parameters of what it should be.  

   Unfortunately it wasn't all good.  Now I have cataracts.  The one in the right eye is just starting but the left eye is more progressive.  It appears that the infection that I have is known to exce;erate tje growth (?) of cataracts.  It looks like surgery will be in my future but before that can happen, the left eye still needs to improve more.

   More updates will be coming and I thank everybody who keeps me in their prayers.  

   Please stay safe and warm everybody!

 

February check in

    It's almost mid February and I realize that I haven't checked in yet this month.  Can't have that now can we.  We?  I'm not sure who the "we" is but operhaps I'm talking about the royal we.  When I can't see to do much else, my brain goins into all sorts of directions.  Makig up stories is just one of the avenues it travels down.

   I'm still taking the steroid eye drops and really does't have much to report in with.  I have problems with seeing things that don't stand out on the page, etc.  So the things that help me the most is the size of print, for instance, as well as it being a dark color on a light background.  It's the contrast that helps me see.  I go back to the eye doctor tomorrow so hopefully he will have something else to report.

   What do I do in the meantime?  I take a LOT of naps.  LOL.  I talk on Jitsi with my friend Susan who helps me "read" some of the things I can't so I can go on with life.  You know, things like what does this bill say I owe and when?  I can see a lot of them but not always.  I reprinted by hand a lot of the information with a sharpie so that I can still sign in to pay bills etc.  It's not perfect but one does what what can to get along, right?

   Did I mention that one of my bills was that leak in the water?  The meter said I used over 21,000 gallons of water.  Found out that there was a leak but it leaked out into the backyard which I NEVER go into this time of the year.  Who know how long it had been going on.  Anyway, I talked to the Water Department and after a lot of "do this and we'll do this", it is finally worked out.  The original bill was around $200 and after getting it fixed so that there wasn't any more leaks, they adjusted it to around $100.  THAT, while still large, was much better.

   Another thing that I am doing is cooking.  Ok, I always cook so that isn't too different but I try to convince myself it IS different so I think I'm not just being lazy etc.  I am trying to keep a bit more data on my cooking.  To help keep my budget under control, I'm trying to keep track how long it takes me to finish a dish.  Does the dish actually only last me 2 meals vs. the 4 that they say?  Does it last me 6 meals, etc.  By writing it all down, it has changed up my grocery budget (for the better).  I should have done this before.  This February I ended up writing down a whole bunch of meal ideas before I went to the store.  Remember that I only go once a month so that helped me out a lot.  Looking back at my tracking I'm seeing that I still have quite a bit of the groceries still in the cupboard.  Now to try and convince myself not to buy more than I really need.  I guess this means that I should start to think of meals for March.  February being so short March arrives before I know it.

   My eye is telling me that it is time to rest it again.  that and mynose is running sinice I put a bit more pepper in my chili I made this morning than usual.  Good for clearing up sinuses anyway.  :)   I also made rice this morning so tomorrow I can have some fried rice.  

   I hope that everybody has a great day.  Stay safe and warm.

February Plans

It's the last day of Januarty and it is time to start to think of February.  This month I am going to try and plan my meals more.  I look at all these recipes and such but don't end up cooking them a lot.  It's another hobby that I collect.  LOL.  With that in mind, I figured out how much I can spend for groceries this month and then made a list of possible meals.

What's on the menus at this point?

egg muffins

mac n cheese

geas and rice

tuna quiche

tacos

hamburger helper type

bologna spread (for sandwiches - similar to the ham  spread that  mom used to buy)

fried rice

burritos

shepard pie

corn beef hash

spaghetti

blushing penne pasta

bbq sandwiches

pasta salad

home bakes

pot pie

SOUPS:

   chicken

   potato

   lentil

   bean

   chili

   beef stew

   pea, beans (greenbeans), and potato (an old family recipe and favorite)

What do you think?

 

Cooking Day

 I woke up today and felt like cooking so I made some peanut butter cookies and breakfast egg muffins.  Earlier in the month I made some other food also (duh, of course I did since I have to eat) and forgot to post the pictures so I am including them in this post also.  First up the peanut butter cookies.

Much to my surprise they came out right the first time around!  I almost decided to make another batch but didn't want to press my luck.  

Earlier in the day I decided to make some breakfast egg muffins.  The only reason they are called muffins is that they are cooked in a muffin tin.  LOL.  This batch consists of in each time, an egg, some hamburger, and some cheese. 

I like to eat these by themselves or between bread for  a quick breakfast sandwich.  I usually make them up when I have leftovers.  I use almost any kind of meat I have around or veggies.  It is a good way to use up eggs that are about to expire too!

Of course I forgot to post a picture of a casserole when I made it earlier in the month but here it is.  I saw it on an YouTube video.  I like to watch videos that show cheap (or extreme) shopping trips to see how cheap you caa make a meal.  Sometimes I get good ideas on casseroles.  What drew me to this recipe is that you use a stove top type dressing on top and then pour chicken brother over that so it doesn't get dried out.  It was really good.

Another recipe I made that I forgot to post a picture of was my Sunday roast.  Nothing like roasts on Sundays.  It brings back so many great memories.  This time it was a pork loin roast with potatoes, onions, and carrots.

With all the cooking on my mind, I couldn't resist ordering another cookbook.  Did I need it?  Of course not but that didn't stop me.  LOL.

I'll let you know how it is when I get it.  :)  In the meantime, stay safe and warm.

Hugs to all!

Medical Updarw and other stuff

 Wow////////////1  Today has been a day of ups and downs.  First off I had a phone call from the city water department.  It appears that my wter bill and numbers are way off from the last readings.  So after a lot of phone calls it seems that I've had a leak that wasn't leaking inside the house but outside the house.  It took a bit to find it but eventually the leak was found but not before my meter said I had used thousands of gallons of water.  I don't know how much the "hefty" bill will be but I might know by next week.

In between phone calls of that, I had my doctor's appointment.  Not much to tell on that front though.  My right eye is holding its own and even though no more steroid drops in it, it hasn't gotten worse.  My left eye, the bad one, is getting better but still has a long way to go.  That means more steroid drops in the left eye although it is now four times a day.  I still have to go to the doctor every week but hopefully it will eventually end.  The doctor did say that the redness in the eyes looks less and that is a step forward.

With all the stress of today my eyesight isn't good today.  Forgive me if I misspelled words and such but I can't see the print that well today.  I'll keep ypu up to date and I hope you will all be safe and warm.

What? Another post?

 WOW, I'm on a roll.  It is a cold da here in Arkansas.  The high barely got above freezing and I spent most of the morning hibernating underneath the blankets all wrapped up.  What a great morning.  LOL.  Even now I feel it calling me.  I decided that I must stay awake if I want to sleep tonight.  I slept good last night all the way up to 2 a.m.  That's when I moved to the love seat and brought out a blanket to add to the ones I keep there.  After lighting the pilot light again, I blissfully buried underneath everything and got some more sleep.  The pilot has stayed on since then so don't worry, I am keeping warm.  The temp in the house is a little cool but that just makes being a mummy underneath blankets all the more fun.  My landlord has a regular for the furnace on order but it hasn't come in yet.  :)  So far no frozen pipes so I'm getting along ok.

A cuople of hours later I went outside and fed the cats.  Only a couple of them were up and waiting.  I just finished giving them their evening meal and this time there was 4 cats out there and they had eaten all their earlier food so they are doing ok.  Feeding the cats got me thinking on what to make for the weekend.  I needed to thaw out the meat so I had to plan ahead.  I was going to cook.  I think I will cook a small pork loin roast since I also have some potatoes that need cooking and I also have some carrots and onions.  Not sure when to cook it since it is frozen and this weather isn't conducive to  a quick thaw.  Then I found around 4 recipes that I printed up for my "Monday recipe" emails.,  I am thinking now that perhaps tomorrow I will make one of them. It is called Hemberger  Jazz.  It is simple and I have everything for it but have to thaw out the hamburger.  The ingredients are:  ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, diced tomatoes, rice, shredded cheese and salt and pepper to taste.  I think it should be good and it makes 4 serving so I won't have a ton of leftovers.

I also cleaned up the other side of the sewing room.  One step closer to getting back into crafting.  I am downloading some BOMS but I won't mention them yet.  I'm waiting to see how long it will take me to get to be able to work on them and that will tell me how many BOMs I will collect.  First up is some blocks of Ladies Aid that need to be done and caught up on.  Th next block in that is one that has hearts on it so that would be good to work on in February.  Speaking of February, I need to change up some of my wall hangings to reflect February.  I have at least one will hanging that has hearts on it but it isn't finished yet.  The top is done so I can at least put it up on the design wall as a reminder to get it done.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Everybody hvae a great day and stay warm and safe.  I'll post again when I have more updates.

Back from the eye doctors

 It's Thursday which means another update on my eyes since I went to the eye doctor.  This time the news is a little better.  I still have to go to the eye doctor every week and am still on the steroid eye drops.  HOWVER...I only have to put the drops in my left eye now and only  have to do 6 drops a day.  That was good news.  I flat out told the doctor that I couldn't afford $100 on prescriptions every three weeks and he said he already issued generic and doesn't have samples so by cutting down on how many drops hopefullly it will spread out the times I have to pay for more eye drops.  I'm afraid that the left eye is going to be a problem for a long time.  My pressure in the eyes is still good but he is concerned that the infectious liqueid in my eye might  sel up and attach itself to my eye (it is already starting that).  If it totally seals itself around the eye then that means glaucoma and laser surgery.  That is going to be something down the road and won't knowhow success he has been for a bit yet.  Oh yes, some good news.  I don't need drops in the right eye any longer.  It is almost back to normal and it will stretch out the eye drops if I don't have to put them in the right eye.  I was also able to read part of the eye chart today.  That's a first since I have been going there or at least a first to read something besides the big E.  This time I made it to the line that had 3 letters on it.  Not much of a difference but it really made me feel better.

Another thing that made me feel better was that I found some needles that I could thread.  It took a long time to thread them but I could thread it at least.  Then I got out my cross stitch quilt blocks and managed to take a few stitches in that.  I had to take my blue water soluble pen and mark over the stamped cross but it worked.  Onward and upward!

I need to think of something else to do for Dan.  He has been so good about driving me to the eye doctors and getting meds and such that just cookies now and then don't cut it with me.  Today he got oatmeal craisin cookies.  :)

It is time for me to rest my eyes so I'm signing off for now.  Everybody have a great day and stay warm.  

Hugs to all

Progress?

 No not for my eye but in getting things straightened up.  Ever have one of those days when you can't stay awake any longer so you go to bed early and then, of course, that means you wake up early.  I didn't mind it last night though.

There is a series on Disney+ calle the Book of Boba Fett.  It's a Star Wars background, etc. series.  Each episode comes out on Wednesday around 2 a.m. Central time.  I had gone to bed around 9 p.m. last night and drifted i and off all snuggled under blankets while listening to a Harry Potter audiobook.  Then I woke up around 2 a.m. and decided to stay up. After getting dressed and something to drink, I noticed it was 4 a.m.  Ok, that was a good time to check in with Boba Fett.  The opening scene was just starting when I got a notice that my computer was going to restart since it had been working on updating to Windows 11.  Hey Susan!  Remember when we were talking and I checked the box that said to upgrade?  It took from that long until 4 a.m. for it to tell me it was ready to start the change.  Sigh.  That meant that Boba was going to have to wait and boy did he wait.  The downloads and restarts didn't end until 6 a.m.  What was I to do since I couldn't use the computer?  Well this is what I decided to do.

I fed the cats early so they could try and get some food before the rain settled in.  I also cleaned up my sewing room a little bit.  About half of it is clean now.  Then I started laundry, got some last minute garbage out for pick up and FINALLY the computer said the upgrade was done.  So now I could watch Boba and it was a great episode, and then what to do.  

Bed sounded good so I went back to sleep for a couple more hours.  How great was that?  I don't do that often because usually when I'm up, I'm up.  Oh yes, that also means that I took two doses of the eye drops and downloaded a couple of blocks for BOMS.  Quite busy for the start of the day  con'tyou think?

Tomorrow is another eye doctor's visit so hopefully I will have an update on that too.  In the meantime, stay safe and warm.

Hugs to all.

   

Mid January updates

 Hi everybody.

  Can you believe that it is at the midway point for the month of January?  I hope you are having a good month.  I am doing better ith my eyes but the docto says I need to go back next week and still have to do the steroi drops every two hours.  It's a pain.  Not putting in the drops but the every two hours is getting old real fast.

Have you decided on which BOMs, BOWs, or projects you will do in 2022?  Everything has been put on hold for me but I do have a couple  of things planned.  Before starting a new BOM or BOW I want to catch up on some of those I started in 2021.  My Civil War Ladies ide sew along is first on my list of "catching up".  I;m not probably going to totally finish it but if I get at last the top done I will be happy.  Then I want to work on the Storm at Sea top.,  THEN I might start on the 2022 projects.  

I have downloaded some BOMS/BOWs.  One of the ones I am downloading and savings is Martha's Garden.  As the name suggests, has flowers in it.  I think I am going to do that as a quilt as you go.  Speaking of QAYG, I hop to gt some background squares for QAYG done and just stored until I need them.  That would be around 14 " because most of the time I will be making 12 1/2" block and can cut it down.  I owuld like to get some background squares done and stored up so that I can concentrate more on the applique.  Wish m luck./  

It time to put in my drops again (every two hours - ugh) so I'm stopping here.  I'll write more after I see the eye doctor on Thursday.

Everybody stay safe and healthy.

Hugs.